Tomorrow is a special day at my house.  It is the birthday of my #1 baby.  My little girl will be ELEVEN! It is so hard to believe! I asked her what type of cake she wanted, and I got the cutest response.  Since she has a dairy allergy she always walks by the bakery case and covets those delicious specialty cakes.  She said, “I want a chocolate strawberry cake  Not just a chocolate cake with strawberry icing, but a fancy cake with real strawberries and the gooey filling inside.”

So basically I had to become a pastry chef! I am always looking for short cuts and this is no different. These cupcakes have the gooey creamy center she wanted without a huge mess in my kitchen.   Here are the delicious Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes we made for her special day. It would be amazing to surprise a special someone with on Valentines day too!

Happy Birthday Gracie!

I am on a Valentine’s Kick this year.  I was sitting here just minding my own business the other day flipping through a cookbook and it hit me.  Well, it didn’t really hit me but I saw this recipe for 2 ingredient fudge.  I had never heard of such a thing, but whoever came up with it is pure genius!

I decided I would try to make Strawberry fudge, since strawberries are one of my most favorite things in the world.  I love this recipe even more because my dairy free oldest daughter can actually eat it!  Not this strawberry variety, but you can mix and match to make whatever flavor you choose.

Don’t miss these other great dessert recipes for something sweet for your Valentine

This is the only 2 ingredients you need.

Dump in a large microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, stir and then continue until melted together.

This is what it looks like all melted.

Spread in a 9×9 greased dish, or take the easy way like I did and line with wax paper.  Allow to cool and cut into squares.  Decorate with sprinkles

I was blown away by the response after I posted the Italian Dressing Mix Recipe last week.  You guys loved it and I had a ton of requests for a Ranch Dressing Mix Recipe.   I just so happen to have one for you guys that I use all of the time!

I love this because it is truly versatile!  Not only can you make your own ranch, you can make your own dip with it.  This is made in huge batches in a jar in my kitchen, because my daughter is allergic to milk and I refuse to pay $4-$5 for a bottle of dairy free ranch dressing.  This makes the best tasting dairy free ranch dressing and dip.  This is also great for those of you that are Vegan, and can’t have dairy for that reason.

This is what the dry mix looks like after you have it all mixed up.

This is a picture of the Dairy Free sour Cream.  You can special request your store to carry it.

And of course, I had to add this picture of my dip thief into the mix.

I linked up at…

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Every holiday I make themed treats, and every holiday my poor son (who is gluten free) ends up with gluten free brownies while we eat all the cute goodies.  So for Valentines day I am putting my foot down. He will have the cute themed treat!

I know we have a couple weeks yet, but I had to do a test run to make sure it tastes ok. LOL So we busted out the great popcorn maker that Santa brought this year.  Half the fun is watching it pop the corn!

Gluten free or not, this is some seriously addictive good stuff! I will work out a little extra tomorrow to make up for it, because I just can’t resist it!  Don’t forget to check out all the great dessert recipes here on A Few Short Cuts!  There are some really good ones!

Gather all of the ingredients including the popped corn.  You could even add pretzels for the salty contrast, it would be incredible!

Mix the popcorn and cereal in a large bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl melt together 1 bag of white chocolate chips and 2-2 1/2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.  On 50% for 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds until it looks like the picture above.

Poor the melted chocolate over the popcorn and cereal. Stir to coat. Then sprinkle in the M&Ms and stir.

Allow popcorn to cool and set.  Serve!

Place in cute little cellophane bags for adorable Valentines Gifts!

I am always looking for new and exciting recipes to share with you guys, and I love finding make your own mix recipes.  They turn out not only being healthier but much easier on the wallet.  This week I stumbled across a recipe for Homemade Italian Dressing Mix.  It is absolutely genius, because with the food allergies in my house I have to read every label twice to make sure there is no hidden gluten or dairy.  With my own mix, I know what is in my salad dressing.

You can use this for so many things besides salads.  Make this dressing for on pasta, as a marinade, or use the mix as a dry rub on meat before you grill.  It is so versatile!   I will now be adding this to my seasoning cabinet with my homemade taco seasoning and homemade onion soup mix

Linked up at Tasty Tuesday

I love “Snack”urday.  It came out of my love for making special treats with my kids on Friday nights and Saturdays.  While some “Snack”urdays are more adults, or just a family indulgence.  It all comes back to fun times with the family.  Tonight me and the kids got in the kitchen, rolled up our sleeves and got our hands dirty.

We had some fun making these Chocolate Football Bites…and of course had a blast taking pictures with our new kids cooking utensils that happen to have little bodies. LOL

If you are watching football this weekend or even for the superbowl, but these fun treats with your kids.  You will make amazing unforgettable memories with them! Plus they are gluten free and dairy free so they are perfect for everyone!

Gather you ingredients.

Place Chocolate, karo syrup, and butter in microwave safe bowl

Microwave for 1 1/2 -2 Minutes.

Place 4 cups of cereal in a large bowl.

Pour the chocolate mix over the cereal and stir.

Shape with moistened hands into 3 inch footballs and place on a wax paper or parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Decorate footballs with icing or white decorator gel.

Enjoy!

Appetizers and snacks are a big part of our diet this time of year.  My girls birthdays are quickly approaching.  In fact, I will have a 4 year old on my hands tomorrow.  We have family and friends over for dinner to celebrate.  Then Super Bowl time and all the indulgences that come with that.

After all that hustle and bustle comes valentine’s day and if you are planning a romantic night in, this is a fantastic recipe for a special appetizer treat.  If you are watching your waist band, you can replace the pork sausage with turkey sausage to cut the fat and calories. You can even make the filling ahead and keep in in the freezer.  Just pull out and thaw, stuff the mushrooms, and pop them in the oven. Makes the whole process much faster!

These tasty little morsels, are surprising low in calories and full of healthy ingredients.  I don’t feel the least bit guilty for eating a couple of them when they popped out of the oven.  I mean look at them, you try to resist stealing one!

Gather your ingredients, and preheat oven to 350.

Brown the sausage in the skillet.

Mix the sausage, spinach, bread crumbs, cheese, seasonings, and olive oil in bowl.

Fill the cleaned mushroom caps and place in baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and top with more shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve immediately!

If you are looking for something light to satisfy your sweet tooth this weekend, but you are counting calories it can be hard.   This Blueberry Angel Dessert is the perfect combinations of textures and sweetness.  I personally love fruit and could eat it by itself without a problem.   When it is added to a dessert dish like this is really brings out the flavors.

If you are looking for a good Angel Food Cake Recipe to make for this dessert here is a really yummy one.

Yep, it is that time of year for healthy recipes.  We have all over indulged during the holidays and now it is time to get those waistlines back under control.  Just because we are watching what we are eating doesn’t mean it can’t taste good.

This Chicken and White Bean Salad is full of flavor, color, and texture.  While the kids may not jump up and down asking for this salad, it is sure to be a hit with the adults.

Don’t miss these other great appetizer recipes and side dish recipes!

I love the holidays!  It is amazing how each one is so unique.  They all set their own mood, and ambiance to differ themselves.  Yet, time wise, they are all so close together.

The hustle and bustle of Christmas is over and now we start looking forward to all things new and exciting.  The air bubbles with the anticipation of things to come!  We begin making goals, and setting our sights on the New Year.   Christmas focuses on the kids, but New Years is more for the adults.

If you are having a romantic night in, or having friends over for New Years this recipe jumped out at me.  It is so fancy, bubbly, and light that it HAS to be made for New Years!  I love that you serve it in fancy martini glasses too.  Just adds to the excitement.

If this dessert isn’t for you, check out all of my other dessert recipes!

Recipe & img source

New Years will be here this weekend, and if you are looking for a way to get those Black Eyed Peas in here is a great recipe. Here is a fun fact about why Black Eyed Peas are so important on New Years.

Why Black Eyed Peas?

The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman’s troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme .

Christmas is less than a week away and I am looking for something new to put on the table.  So I decided to try my hand at Yorkshire Pudding.  Which is kinda funny because it isn’t pudding at all.  It is a popover.  Well, why didn’t they just say so.  My hubby is always looking for some new and exciting excuse for me to make gravy. The Popovers are really easy to make, the worst part is being patient and waiting for them while they bake.

Don’t forget to check out these other great side dish recipes too!

So in case you can’t tell my cookie theme this year is all about holiday traditions.  I have been thinking about foods we typically associate with Christmas and then making a cookie. These Eggnog Cookies were just too unique in my book to pass up!  I am not a big fan of Egg Nog but these cookies are superb!

Don’t miss all the other great cookie recipes!

And don’t forget to enter this years A Few Short Cuts Cookie Swap!  I would love to see your favorite cookie recipe

This is an appetizer to wow a crowd!  These are so simple yet sophisticated.  The ingredients in this appetizer really tickle your taste-buds and will leave your guests wanting more.

I love that these Cranberry Feta Pinwheels are so easy to throw together and have ready to go for your get togethers. You will have more time to spend visiting and spreading Christmas cheer and less time in the kitchen.

Don’t miss these great other Appetizer Recipes!

Photo Credit

These just look christmassy, and they taste heavenly! These Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies can be made any time of year to share with friends but they are extra fancy for gift giving.

This recipe is very easy and the dough can even be frozen for those nights when your sweet tooth starts talking to you.   You know what I am talking about.   Don’t forget all of the other Cookie Recipes that are great for holiday baking!’