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!

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 .

I feel like a mess lately!  There just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all.  I think I am running in so many directions that I just don’t have time to focus my energy on one thing for long.  So when I find a recipe for a quick, nutritious meal that I think my family will eat (or atleast pick apart and eat pieces) I am all over it.

This great Penne with Chicken & Asparagus can be thrown together practically at any time.  Most of the ingredients come right out of your stockpile and make you life a little easier!  Try this one out! It is fabulous!

Try these other easy delicious dinner recipes!

There is a chill in the air, and to be honest the coziness of having something tasty in the oven is just comforting.   I love pumpkin desserts and this one is no exception.  I love going through my stockpile and seeing what I have ingredients for and tossing something together that makes the family smile, and makes the house smell like a bakery.

These Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars have a unique taste that is so amazing!  The creamy pumpkin taste reminds me of a pumpkin pie, but the chocolate really makes it decadent!  You have to try these.

Don’t forget to try these other pumpkin recipes too!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place the oreos, and melted butter in the food processor and pulse until crumbs.  Press into a lined 8×8 baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.

In food processor mix 2- 8oz packages of cream cheese and one cup of pumpkin puree.  Once mix blend  in 1 cup of sugar, 3 eggs, and 3 tbsp of flour.  Pulse until mixed.

In a small microwave safe bowl melt 1 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave.  Start it at 30 seconds and stir.  Continue until melted.  Mix together 1 cup of the pumpkin cheese mix with the chocolate.  Stir together and sit aside.

Pour pumpkin mix ontop of cookie crust.

Spoon chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture.

Use a knife to swirl.

Bake at 350 for Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes.

Cool in pan. Cover; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Transfer cake to work surface. With a knife dipped in water, cut into 16 squares…or less.   Serve.

I am always looking for a way to use the ingredients I can buy on a budget, and right now my fridge is full of eggs and Philadelphia Cooking Crème.  I like to stock up on pantry and freezer items when they are at their lowest price, but sometimes I end up with perishables too.  Which is just fine, I just make meals around them.

I found this recipe for Denver Style Morning Burritos on Krafts website and it sounded like it would use up just the right ingredients out of my fridge.  My hubby loves breakfast burritos so this immediately got 2 thumbs up from him. Check out how easy this delicious breakfast option is!

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I saw these and I couldn’t resist!  We needed a creepy treat for Halloween this year and this is it!  Peanut Butter Eyeballs! These were super easy!  My kids helped.  In fact, they made them which was so much fun to watch and then we had a little spooky fun with the camera.

It is so much fun just to goof off with the kids!  Spend an evening this weekend making these Peanut Butter Eyeballs.  They are so much fun!  Don’t forget to try out these other great Halloween Treats!

Mix the peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar together in a large bowl.

Form the peanut butter mix into eyeball sized balls and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until set.

While cooling melt down some white chocolate to coat the balls. Dip to coat and then place back on the baking sheet.  Top with an M&M and place back in the fridge to set.

use red food coloring to make veins if desired.

I am always looking for kid friendly meals that will please the whole family.  Let’s admit, there are only so many times a year you can eat chicken nuggets without turning into one.   So I figured I would experiment in the kitchen this afternoon.   I started pulling out some easy ingredients for a chicken dressing that was so good, the little ones asked for seconds, and so did the hubby.

This meal is super easy, and affordable which helps it earn 5 stars in my book.  Plus, dinner was on the table in 30 minutes or less. Gotta love it!

My house is full of giggles this evening.  We are having a double sleepover.  My Daughter and Son happen to have friends that are Brother and Sister also.   It is a fun time and we have had an absolute blast so far.  Of course after we grilled Hot Dogs and Hamburgers we needed something sweet.

I went downstairs to dig around in my stockpile of sweet treats.  I pulled out a box of brownies, bag of marshmallows and a jar of peanut butter.  Oh…and then a helper grabbed some chocolate chips.  We knew that we were in for sugar overload, but it would be good.

My helpers and I came up with this gooey concoction that is decadently delicious and kid friendly!  You have to try this one!

I originally posted this recipe as a side dish on Moms With Crockpots the other day.  The thing is, I wanted to turn it into a meal.  It was so good as a side dish I knew it could be easily transformed into a dinner.  I added 2 cups of cooked diced chicken breasts, but you could add 1 lb of cooked ground beef (drained).  Either way it turns this crockpot side dish into an amazing crockpot meal.

My crockpot has been such a big time saver for me lately.  Between running people to and from school, homework, and the blog I just don’t have a ton of time to spend in the kitchen. If you are like me running in 10 different directions, try this dinner. It is a winner at my house!

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Football is on at my house all weekend long.  And on Mondays….and sometimes Thursday nights.  Then, Sportscenter plays the other days in between.  ~chuckles~ It’s ok.  I have come to terms with my football addict husband.  It has been something I have known for quite sometime.  He did not surprise me with this fact.  I knew he loved it when I met him.

Now my kids are on the bandwagon.  Cheering for teams, first downs, and touchdowns.  It really is pretty cute! So, on football days we are all about the snack foods, and appetizers.  This is one from the back of the ole’ recipe box.  Forgotten, but still loved! It is making it’s way back into rotation.  You should try it!

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So I was on pinterest the other day and saw some caramel apple donuts.  I was hooked just by the picture.   My mom bought me a donut pan for my birthday and it has been sitting in the cabinet just waiting for the perfect recipe.   This was it.

Tonight I hit the kitchen and began to whip up what I thought was going to be a mind blowing breakfast.  Unfortunately the best made plans sometimes fail, and this was one of those times.  The donuts fell apart; just crumbled right out of the pan.

Since my kitchen was already a mess and had apples everywhere.  I hit the drawing board.  I started experimenting.  Why not dirty a couple more dishes? I came up with this delicious caramel apple cake that is moist, dense, and absolutely full of fall flavors.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Measure flour, Baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In another bowl wisk together eggs & sugar.  Then mix in vanilla and oil.

Mix egg mixture into flour mixture until well blended.

Stir in 1 cup of shredded apples.

Your dough will look like this.

Spread batter into 9×9 square pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick poked into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Heat some caramel ice cream topping for the caramel sauce OR…in a small sauce pan Wisk together 1/2 cup apple cider and 1 cup packed brown sugar.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.  Remove from heat.

Pour caramel over warm cake.  Cut an serve by itself or with ice cream.