Haunted Pumpkin Patch Popcorn Crunch

Candy pumpkins and ghost shaped sprinkles are tossed with peanut butter coated popcorn in this irresistible Haunted Pumpkin Patch Popcorn Crunch...

This ghoulishly delicious recipe was created in partnership with Dixie Crystals. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

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Can you all believe that the month of October starts this weekend?? It would be a bit of an understatement to say that I am just a tad excited. 

I have always been more of a fall kind of gal since I was a kid. There is just something about the smell of fall leaves, the crisp air, our annual pilgrimage to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, and of course one of my favorite holidays of the year- Halloween! :) 

I just love everything about Halloween- the pumpkin carving, taking our youngest trick or treating, dressing up for my parents' annual costume party, and all the holiday inspired spooky recipes. In fact, I make it a goal of mine every fall to come up with a couple of new treats to bring to my parents' house for our family Halloween party.

This year I will be whipping up a batch of this crunchy & chewy Haunted Pumpkin Patch Popcorn Crunch. Candy pumpkins and ghost shaped sprinkles are tossed with peanut butter coated popcorn in this hauntingly addictive sweet treat for Halloween...

Lime in the Coconut Banana Bread

This Lime in the Coconut Banana Bread is the perfect combination of sweet & tart thanks to creamy coconut and a hint of fresh lime...

There is no flavor combination out there that screams summer is on its way to me quite like lime with coconut. The sweet & tart combo of lime and coconut makes me think of cabanas on a tropical beach, and sipping on frozen libations on the backyard deck, and of course that super catchy song by Harry Nilsson. And I know pineapple and coconut get most of the summer lovin' (Hello, pina coladas! Duh.), but I think the coconut/lime combination deserves a little time in the limelight too (Like what I just did there? ;) ). 

I know that the official start of summer is still over a month away, but who says that we have to wait until then to get into that summertime vibe? Not me! I am diving right in with this moist and flavorful banana bread recipe. The banana bread itself is packed with lots of sweet coconut flavor and just a hint of fresh lime. But what really makes this bread something else is the super simple tart lime glaze you drizzle right over top. Finish it all off with a little toasted coconut, and you have just created the perfect taste of summer in the middle of May... 

Tapioca Stuffed Chai Spice Baked Apples

Tender baked apples are flavored with chai spices and filled with a creamy tapioca pudding in these Tapioca Stuffed Chai Spice Baked Apples...

This content was created in partnership with Kroger Family Stores using free products provided by Kroger.

This recipe post first appeared on the Kroger Inspired Gathering site.

Want to really impress mom this Mother's Day? Whip up a dessert that she's sure not to forget! What's more impressive than tender baked apples filled to the brim with creamy tapioca pudding? Not much, folks. ;)

I decided to take a classic apple dessert and give it a brand new twist for Mother's Day with these Tapioca Stuffed Chai Spice Baked Apples. Baked apples are typically stuffed with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and nuts, then they're baked and simply served warm. 

But I changed it up with these baked apples by flavoring them with a blend of chai spices and filling them with the creamiest tapioca pudding. And just so you know, these baked apples are indeed mother-approved. I used my own mom as a taste tester, and she gave this dessert two thumbs up!

Bakery Style Cookie Butter M&M's Cookies

Chock full of M&M's & cookie butter, these thick & soft Bakery Style Cookie Butter M&M's Cookies are so easy to make at home...

One thing that I am sucker for is a big, soft, and thick bakery style cookie. One thing that I am not a sucker for is the bakery style prices most places charge. I mean, you can easily pay $2-$5 per cookie! I decided to remedy this little dilemma by coming up with a bakery style cookie recipe that I could make at home for a fraction of the cost that I would pay at a specialty bakery. ;)

It is really no big secret that I am fan of all the cookie butter things. (My Cookie Butter Pecan Fudge, Biscoff Gingersnap Brownies, and Homemade Biscoff Flavored Coffee Creamer are all cases in point.) So, I packed these palm-sized cookies full of cookie butter spread and for good measure, lots of M&M's candies. :) 

Banana Pudding Dessert Pizza

A homemade vanilla wafer pizza crust is topped with a banana pudding frosting, banana chips, fresh whipped cream, and a garnish of vanilla wafers in this Banana Pudding Dessert Pizza...

Some of you all may remember the little trip to Birmingham, Alabama I took back in March to tour the Southern Living headquarters and to indulge in some delicious authentic southern food.  That quick southern getaway happened to be sponsored by the good folks at Delta Faucet. 

During our short visit to Birmingham, we visited an amazing southern soul food restaurant called Saw's Juke Joint for dinner. Folks, we were spoiled. From deep fried okra to delicious smoked wings to BBQ pulled pork with all the fixings, we were really treated to a full taste of southern cuisine. But I am pretty sure my favorite part of that entire meal was how it ended- with an amazing deconstructed banana pudding. ;) 

We were served a platter with small bowls filled with homemade banana pudding, banana slices, vanilla wafers, and fresh whipped cream. From there, we could construct our individual banana puddings as we wished. Some of us bloggers created little works of culinary art and showed off our food styling skills. And some of us just layered everything together and dug in! (Ahem... guilty of that here.)

And that dreamy deconstructed banana pudding provided the inspiration for the tasty twist on a classic southern dessert that I am sharing with you all today- a Banana Pudding Dessert Pizza! A homemade vanilla wafer pizza crust is topped with a banana pudding frosting, banana chips, fresh whipped cream, and a garnish of vanilla wafers... 

MVPeanut Butter Snickers Popcorn

This MVPeanut Butter Snickers Popcorn with it's crunchy popcorn, gooey peanut butter, and bits of Snickers is the perfect sweet treat for game day...

Looking for a sweet and salty snack for your tailgating or game day get-together this weekend? I have you covered with my MVPeanut Butter Snickers Popcorn!  

This easy dessert that requires no utensils (and hey, even a plate or napkin is optional with this one!) comes together in about 30 minutes and is sure to please even the most hardcore football fans.  

The new MARS Snickers Bites makes this popcorn treat come together in a snap since there is no unwrapping of candy bars required.  Just dump out the entire bag of unwrapped bites of peanut, nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate onto a cutting board and give them a quick chop!

I am not going to lie to you all.  This stuff is seriously addictive.  Like the day I made this popcorn, it may have ended up constituting most of my lunch because I couldn't keep my hand out of the bowl.  Sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy.... okay, perfect. ;)  

Tossing the Snickers Bites in while the peanut butter mixture is still warm is the key.  It melts the chocolate and caramel ever so slightly making it stick in delicious little globs to the popcorn that harden after it has cooled...

Mini Tiramisu Chocolate Cakes {A Guest Recipe from Busy Mom's Helper}

I am so excited for Day 2 of guest post recipes in celebration of my Birthday Week!  Danielle from Busy Mom's Helper whipped up these amazing little bites of Tiramisu heaven to celebrate.  Tiramisu is my all-time favorite dessert... like ever.  It even trumps pumpkin cheesecake, folks. ;) Thank you so much, Danielle for being a part of the celebration! 

Happy Wednesday Ya'all! I'm so excited to be here at Frugal Foodie Mama today, and especially glad to help celebrate Carrie's upcoming birthday - woohoo!!! It's really neat to make friends in the blogging world, and Carrie is such a wonderful friend with one of my absolutely favorite blogs, so it truly is a delight to share this week with her!

So, in case you didn't know, one of Carrie's favorite desserts is Tiramisu (delish!). In honor of her upcoming fun-day, I've shared not only ONE but TWO Tiramisu recipes on my blog today! Now, these aren't your normal pieces of Tiramisu.....and I'm only going to tell you about one of them here (ya, I'm a tease).....Mini Tiramisu Chocolate Cakes. 

What says Birthday better than cakes? (food-wise, so no balloons and presents) These little morsels are packed with that flavorful Tiramisu cake, then coated with chocolate for a little extra YUM! Oh - and did I mention they're SUPER easy to make? Well, they are! Head on over to my blog today to check out the recipe, plus see the OTHER delicious Tiramisu treat. Toodles!

Make sure you CLICK ON OVER to Danielle's blog and get the recipe for these Mini Tiramisu Chocolate Cakes!  (I am about to click on over there myself... the second recipe is a total birthday surprise & I can't wait to see what else this talented lady came up with! ;) )

Peach Bread Pudding with Sweet Basil Cream Sauce

Traditional bread pudding is taken to a whole level of deliciousness with the addition of juicy peaches & a sweet basil cream sauce...

Post updated 8/28/18- These creamy Peach Bread Pudding with Sweet Cream Basil Sauce deserved some updated photos. I did leave one of the originals down below just so you all can see for yourself why this recipe so desperately needed a little face lift. ;)

I don't know how it is where you all are living, but it is peach season here and they are CHEAP. They have been on sale at our local grocery store for just 99 cents a pound for the past two weeks. Needless to say, we have been enjoying a lot of peaches in this house lately. I haven't heard a single soul complain though. ;)

When I started brainstorming what I wanted to create with some of these juicy peaches, I had these gorgeous day old (or maybe 2 or 3 day old, but who's counting?) rolls that I needed to use asap...

Apple Crisp {A Guest Recipe from Cooking With Curls & a Giveaway!}

Hi, I'm Lisa from Cooking with Curls. I am so excited to be joining you today! Carrie is an absolute doll, I am so glad that I met her during the Spiked! Recipe Challenge. I cannot thank her enough for this opportunity, and all of the guidance that she have given me over the past month :)

 I am a stay at home mom with two amazing kids. We are originally from California, and moved to Iowa almost 14 years ago. Culture shock does not even begin to explain how incredibly different our lives are here. Whenever I am upset or stressed out, I start cooking. Feeling completely isolated in a strange place..... I started cooking a lot! As a result, I have finally found my passion..... a love of cooking! I started my blog in November and I have loved every minute of it. When you come visit me, you will find recipes that include family favorites like Sheep Herder's Pie, restaurant re-creations like the Bistro Burger, and a lot of cakes baked with alcohol like BAILEYS Kiss Cocktail Cake. All of my recipes are made from scratch, with lactose-free / dairy-free options, and have easy to follow instructions with step-by-step photos! Apple Crisp is one of those family favorite recipes and I have been making this one for as long as I can remember. Here is a collage of the steps and the recipe...

~Apple Crisp~ 4 cups cored, sliced granny smith apples (about 4 medium) 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for the pan) Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8 x 8 x 2 baking dish. Set aside. Stir brown sugar, oats, flour, and spices together in a large bowl. Mix in the softened butter to form a crumbly topping. Set aside. Core and slice your apples (mine are also peeled, I'm just weird that way) Place the apple slices in your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle topping mixture over the apples. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream.



 I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!


Thank you, Lisa for such a classic and tasty apple crisp recipe!!  (Return to the blog tomorrow to see my recipe for a homemade ice cream that will pair perfectly with this warm apple crisp. ;)
Lisa wants to give one of my readers this gorgeous Emile Henry Baking Square, perfect for baking your apple crisp in!  Please see the giveaway terms below and then use the nifty Rafflecopter to get entered.


 

Emile Henry Square Baker - Color: Cerise High fired natural Burgundy clay is unsurpassed for conducting and retaining heat, and produces a strong and durable ceramic bake ware. Extremely hard glaze resistant to scratching and chipping. Use directly from freezer to oven to table (0 F to 500 F). 9 x 9 x 2.2 2.1 quart Retails for $38.00

*This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  All entries for the winner will be checked and verified, so please make sure you are doing what you are claiming in the Rafflecopter or all your entries will be voided.  No funny business, folks. ;). By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. Number of entries received determines the odds of winning. One winner will be selected.  Emile Henry nor any of the social media outlets listed in the Rafflecopter are sponsors of this giveaway.  Prize will be shipped directly by Lisa of Cooking With Curls.  Frugal Foodie Mama is not responsible for the shipment of this prize.  Protected tweets do not count as an entry method for tweeting. Tweets must come from a public account.  No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Please see the Rafflecopter widget below for additional Terms & Conditions.  Good luck, all! 

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