Easy Peanut butter Chocolate Chip Cake Bars

A few weeks back we went to a friends house for dinner. 

I knew about it all week. 

Knew I was going to bring dessert. 

But all three times I went to the store, I forgot to get something to make. 

I can't tell you how often this happens. 

So, I set off in search of a recipe I could make with ingredients I had at home. 

I always keep a variety of cake mix in the house.  

There are just so many options to do with it.  

Thankfully, I found the following recipe on Pinterest and made some changes using ingredients I had. 

The bars took me no time to make and were delicious. 

Peanut butter, chocolate, a thick chewy bar....my kind of dessert! 

                                                          

 Adapted from I'm a lazy mom

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs beaten

5 T melted butter

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup chocolate chips 

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. 

Pour into a brownie pan (this one is my favorite) 

Secret Fruit Salad

This past weekend my parents had us over for a BBQ.  My mom and I always talk about the menu a few days before we get together.  Since spring weather has arrived, I knew we had to have fruit salad on the menu.  And I remembered seeing a pin that said adding vanilla pudding to fruit salad was amazing.  So, I added fruit salad and vanilla pudding to the grocery list.  

Results: The pin was spot on.  This is the secret to the best fruit salad.  I didn't really measure the amount of pudding mix I used.  I just added it until I felt most of the fruit was coated.  

All of the guests asked what I added to make it so tasty.  I'll be making it this way from now on! 

Secret Fruit Salad

Courtesy of Rachel Schultz 

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

I'm so glad I got over my salmon fear.  It's becoming a weekly staple in our house and I'm enjoying trying different recipes.  This recipe is supposed to be grilled, but I just cooked it in the oven. I read a few reviews and broiled it. I basted, cooked for three minutes, basted again and cooked for another 5 minutes.   Hubs said the sauce was fantastic, and I would have to agree.  It's the perfect sweet and tangy combination, enjoy!

sorry for the crappy phone pic...i'm missing my nice camera!

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients
Salmon:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each
Directions
On the side burner, melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon skin side down on the grill. Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes.

Sesame Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry

If you aren't receiving emails from Kraft foods your inbox, you are missing out.  This recipe was another one of the fresh spring recipes that was emailed to me last week. 

I'm always up for a fresh stir-fry recipe. If you don't have a stir-fry on your meal plans, you should.  They are easy to make, usually only involve one pot and are healthy.  

This recipe is indeed perfect for spring.  The pineapple along with the crunch of the snap peas made the dish for me.  Next time, I will use red and green peppers. Enjoy! 

Sesame Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry 

Courtesy of Kraft Foods 

time

prep:

25 min

total:

25 min

servings

total:

4 servings, 1-1/2 cups each

what you need

1

Tbsp.  oil

1

lb.  boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2

cups  sugar snap peas, trimmed

1

large  red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

3

cloves  garlic, minced

2

cups  fresh pineapple chunks (1 inch)

1/4

cup  KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

1

Tbsp.  lite soy sauce

2

 green onions, diagonally cut into thin slices

make it

HEAT oil in wok or large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, peas, peppers and garlic; stir-fry 4 to 5 min. or until chicken is done.

ADD pineapple; stir-fry 2 min. or until heated through. Stir in combined dressing and soy sauce. Remove from heat; stir in onions.

Peep Brownies

How cute are these?

A friend of mine posted a picture a few days before Easter of this adorable dessert.  

I knew I had to make them.  

Ingredients: 

Brownie Mix

Green Icing

Peeps

Peanut M&M's 

Directions: 

Make the brownies according to the package directions.  

Bake them in a brownie pan (I love my Pampered Chef pan) 

When they're done, let them cool on a cooling rack.

After they are completely cooled, use the green icing to make it look like grass.
I cheated and bought the Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing with tips.
It was so easy, worth the extra few dollars.
After that, place a peep and some M&M's on top.

These treats are sure to be the talk of the party! 

Soy Glazed Salmon

I try and make one fish recipe a week.  Lately, I've been sticking with shrimp because it's quick and easy.  I've only made salmon a few times but this recipe jumped out on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to try it. The recipe was quick and easy to follow.  The salmon was full of flavor, I was surprised with how easy it was.  Will definitely be making it again.

Soy Glazed Salmon

Courtesy of Martha Stewart 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine, or water
• 2 pounds salmon fillet
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. with a rack in the center. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir brown sugar, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, and white wine until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Cut salmon fillet into 4 equal-size pieces; arrange, skin side down, in a single layer in a baking dish. Pour glaze over the fish, and turn to coat evenly.
3. Bake until fish is opaque but still bright pink inside, basting every few minutes with glaze from baking dish, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Lemon Coconut Cake Mix Cookies

I can't pass up a cake mix cookie. They are just so easy to make and oh so delicious.  When I came across this recipe, I knew it would be the perfect cookie to kick of the start of spring.  

Results: Another successful cookie recipe.  I added an extra half of cup of coconut to the batter along with rolling the cookie in it.  Everyone in my family loved this recipe.  Hubs even kept an extra stash for himself. Enjoy! 

Lemon Coconut Cake Mix Cookies 

Courtesy of Eclectic Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 package yellow cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) package instant lemon pudding mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 tablespoon Dixie Crystals powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350°. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, egg and milk in a large bowl. Mix well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine coconut and sugar. Mix well. Spoon cookie dough by the tablespoon into coconut and roll around. Place cookie on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Continue rolling all cookies. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes, or until coconut has browned and cookie is set. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Adapted from Welcome to the Good Life 

Ingredients:
-1 bag of ready-to-eat spinach
-craisins
-thinly sliced strawberries
-honey roasted pecans (salad toppers) 
-poppy seed dressing (here is the dressing I used, it's also dairy free)


Directions:
1. Pour spinach onto a bowl.  Top it with the rest of the ingredients according to preference, mix, and enjoy!

Spaghetti with Garlic-Shrimp and Broccoli

One of the recent emails I received from Kraft Foods had a ton of healthy spring dishes.  I immediately checked out all the recipes and found a few that I intended to add to an upcoming menu.  This one was the first one I put on the list.  I try to make a fish recipe once a week, lately I've been using shrimp.  It's quick, easy and the perfect pair for pasta.  

Results: A very good recipe.  I used whole wheat pasta and lite dressing to make it healthier.  Next time I will add additional veggies (red pepper and mushrooms) and cut the broccoli a little smaller.  Enjoy! 

Spaghetti with Garlic-Shrimp and Broccoli 

Courtesy of Kraft Foods

time

prep:

20 min

total:

20 min

servings

total:

6 servings, about 1-1/4 cups each

what you need

1/2

lb.  spaghetti, uncooked

4

cups  small broccoli florets

1/2

cup  KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing

1

lb.  uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp

2

cloves  garlic, minced

1/4

cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

make it

COOK spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt and adding broccoli to the cooking water for the last 2 min.

MEANWHILE, heat dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic; cook and stir 3 to 4 min. or until shrimp turn pink.

DRAIN spaghetti mixture; return to pan. Add shrimp mixture and cheese; mix lightly.