Valentine's Sweet Treats

Now that Christmas has come and gone (and my decorations are FINALLY put up), it's time to think about Valentine's Day.  I'm not sure about you, but the one thing that comes to mind when I hear Valentine's Day is CHOCOLATE (and sweets). 

This year I'm hosting a Valentine's play date, will be sending in sweets to hubs' work and will be planning a dessert for Valentine's dinner.  That is a lot of sweets to make.  To get a head start I started browsing Pinterest for recipes.  I decided to share some that looked amazing with you.   Here are 20 sweet treats that caught my eye.  I can't wait to try some out for Valentine's Day.  

Now I need to start thinking about what I'm going to do for hubs this year.  It's going to be hard to beat my Date Night In Jar and Basket full of Love from last year! If you have any ideas, I'm all ears! 

 Red Velvet Brownie Truffles from Cookin' Cowgirl

 Be Mine Cherry Brownies from Gooseberry Patch

Red Velvet Puppy Chow from Your Cup of Cake

 Valentine Dipped Wafer Cookies from Craft-O-Maniac

 Cupid Crunch from Plain Chicken

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies from Simply Made with Love 

 Sweetheart Cupcakes from Echoes of Laughter 

Chocolate Cherry Bark from Confession of a Cookbook Queen

 Rice Krispy Valentine's Treats from Chef It Up

 Chocolate Cherry Valentine's Scones from Betty Crocker 

 Marshmallow Cherry Kisses from Kraft

Valentine Oreo Truffles from Mom Endeavors 

Chocolate Cherry Glazed Cookie Bites from Simply Made with Love 

 Sweetheart Cupcakes from Posh Pink Giraffe

 Valentine Petite Fours from Echoes of Laughter

 Valentine Cheesecake Nibbles from Very Best Baking

 Valentine's Day Brownies from Ingredients, Inc

 Brown Sugar Blondies from The Recipe Critic 

 Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes from Bird on a Cake

Fudge Cake Truffles from Koot Hoot

Almond- Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Glaze

I have to admit, most of the pork chops I've made recently have been in the crock pot.  With a little one climbing all over the kitchen, I have been looking for quick and easy recipes. Which usually means another crock pot dinner! 

Now that the new year has arrived, I've set some new goals.  One of which is eating more clean.  Not only do I want to do this for myself, but I want to do this for my daughter. I want to know everything that is going in that little body of hers and teach her the importance of eating healthy at an early age.  

When I received my weekly eMeals menu (yes, directly to my inbox!) I knew this was one of the first recipes I would make.  It reminded me of one of my most popular recipes, pretzel chicken but a much lighter version! 

It was easy to make, even with a little one pulling out all the pots and pans at my feet.

  

Almond Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce 

Courtesy of eMeals 

20 minutes prep time, 10 minutes cook time 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

3/4 cup sliced almonds, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 egg whites

6 pork loin chops (boneless)

2 TBS olive oil

1 can (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth 

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 TBS cornstarch 

3 TBS Dijon mustard

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream 

Directions: 

Place breadcrumbs, almonds and garlic in a shallow dish: beat egg whites in a small bowl until foamy. Dip pork ships in egg white, dredge in panko mixture. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add pork chops. 

Cook 10-12 minutes, turning once, until browned and done- remove from skillet and keep warm.   

Whisk together chicken broth, wine and cornstarch, add to skillet, and cook, whisking often, over medium high heat until thickened. Stir in mustard and sour cream until blended; serve sauce over pork chops.  

 eMeals is a subscription service that sends weekly meal plans to your inbox based on information you provide. We've been very happy with the recipes so far! 

Sign up in just 4 simple steps:

1. Pick your meal plan (I have the clean eating plan)

2. Recipes for the WEEK along with sides will be emailed to you.  

3. They even give you a grocery list to take shopping.  

4. Enjoy an easy dinner that your husband will think took hours to make! 
USE CODE DINNER15 to save 15%

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

A staple side dish over the holidays is potatoes.  They can be made so many different ways.  I'm sure I've tried hundreds over the years.  For this Christmas, I was looking for something that I could prepare ahead of time.  Something that would serve my entire family and that the mini would like.  I decided on this twice baked potato casserole.  I would actually call this mashed potato casserole. You can't go wrong with mashed potatoes.  You definitely can't go wrong with mashed potatoes mixed with cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese topped with bacon and chives!  The dish was easy to prepare ahead of time and pop in the over when the time was right.  The entire family (along with the mini) gave this recipe two thumbs up! 

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff 

Ingredients:

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 sli bacon
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 0.5 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c sour cream
• 0.25 c chives, minced
• 2.5 c cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 t kosher salt
• 0.5 t pepper

---

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.
3. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.

Brown Sugar and Bacon Green Beans

This side dish was a part of our Christmas dinner.  For Christmas, my family has steak, potatoes, stuffing and a vegetable.  I was in charge of the sides this year.  This recipe looked amazing.  And lets be honest, who doesn't like bacon and a little sugar with their veggies?

The dish was easy to make and was as good as it looks.  It's a perfect side dish for the holidays.  Enjoy! 

Brown Sugar and Bacon Green Beans

Courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package frozen green beans
6 pieces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
garlic salt, to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until done (but not quite crisp).
Drain off grease and add butter and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Place the green beans in a pot and fill with about 1 inch of water. Bring water to a boil and then place the lid on the pot. Steam the beans over medium heat until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the water from the beans, season with garlic salt, and stir in the sugar and bacon mixture. Serve immediately.

If the brown sugar mixture starts to go hard, you can quickly reheat it before pouring it over your beans.

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Breakfast Ring

I always try to plan out all of my recipes for Christmas a few weeks in advance.  I like to have a list of the things we're going to make and bake for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  After that, a grocery list is made.  This year, due to traveling I wasn't on top of my lists.  Thankfully, I was able to throw together a menu and list this past Monday thanks to Pinterest.  I went through my Breakfast, Christmas, Appetizer and Drink boards and made my menu.  

I have a handful of tasty recipes to share with you over the next few weeks.  I'm happy to report that all of the recipes I chose for the holiday were a success.  The first one I've decided to share was the Christmas breakfast recipe.  My dad always makes bacon and eggs.  I decided this breakfast ring would be the perfect final touch for the meal.  Who doesn't like something sweet along with their bacon and eggs?!?  

I used a bunt cake pan to make this ring.  I used Pam instead of butter.  I honestly felt the recipe would be just as good with half the butter.  I also didn't use all of the pudding mix.  Those are the only suggested changes I would recommend.  It was easy to make.  My icing was running because I didn't wait long enough for the cake to cool, but it was really good warm.  The entire family gave this recipe two thumbs up.  They even suggested I make it again next year.  This would also be a great recipe for a brunch or coffee date.  Enjoy! 

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Breakfast Ring

Courtesy of Pillsbury 

          Ingredients

1/2

cup butter, softened

2

(12.4-oz.) cans Pillsbury® Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

1

(3.4-oz.) pkg. vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)

1/2

cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4

cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Using 1 tablespoon of the butter, generously butter 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining butter on High 1 min or until melted when stirred.

2. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls. Cut each roll in half crosswise; place half of roll pieces in pan. Sprinkle with half of the dry pudding mix and half of the brown sugar. Drizzle with half of the melted butter. Repeat with remaining roll pieces, pudding mix, brown sugar and melted butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

3. Bake 24 to 28 minutes or until rolls are deep golden brown and dough appears done when slightly pulled apart. Cool in pan 2 minutes. Place heatproof serving platter upside down over pan; turn platter and pan over. Remove pan. Cool 15 minutes.

4. Remove lid from icing. Microwave icing on High 10 to 15 seconds or until of drizzling consistency. Drizzle icing over ring. Cut into wedges to serve.

Mexican Meatballs

Looking for a twist on traditional meatballs?!?  If so, you've come to the right place.  

Everyone in our house is a fan of Mexican food, even the little one.  

I make it once a week.  Often I find myself looking for recipes beyond the easy tacos.  

These meatballs took no time to make.  I served them over brown rice, corn and black beans.  I topped them off with fresh mango salsa (from the grocery store).  Enjoy!

Mexican Meatballs

Adapted from Mix and Match Mama

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey (or beef)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup breadcrumbs 

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 package of taco seasoning 

2 eggs, beaten

2 splashes milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese, taco seasoning, eggs and milk.   Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and placed on a lightly greased baking pan (I usually use a broiling pan). Roast in the oven about 20 minutes or until brown. 

Easy Crockpot Potato Soup

If you're anything like me you use your crockpot at least once a week during the winter.  Heck maybe in the summer as well.  Anyhow, mine doesn't leave my counter during the winter months.  Most weeks I use it twice.  

This past week I made potato soup. 

It was exactly what I was looking for.  

Rich, creamy and filling.  

Perfect for a cold winter night.  

Ingredients: 

1 30oz. bag of frozen diced hash browns

1 32 oz box of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup (10 oz)

1 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz, not fat free)

3 oz bacon bits 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

Put the hash browns in the crockpot.  Add in the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and half of the bacon bits.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until potatoes are tender.  

An hour before serving, cut the cream cheese into small cubes.  Place the cubes in the crock pot.  Mix a few times throughout the hour before serving.  

 Once the cream cheese is completely mixed in, it's ready to serve.  

Top with cheddar cheese and some additional bacon bits.  

Enjoy! 

If you want the printable recipe, go HERE. 

If you're looking for another delicious recipe, check out one of my newest, corn chowder! 

Check out my Pinterest board for more of my favorite recipes! 
Follow Leah's board Simply Made with Love on Pinterest.

*affiliate links used in this post*

Favorite Christmas Cookies

When looking for Christmas cookie recipes this year, I went through all of the recipes I made over the past years.  Some have been a huge hit and others, not so much.  I decided to make a list of all of my favorites to share with you all today.  The best part about these cookies is they are simple and easy.  The only one I would say is more difficult is #5 the White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread.  The reason I included that one is because they are worth the extra time they take to make.  They won best cookie at my cookie exchange two years ago and are  a huge hit on Pinterest! 

1-3 Gingersnap Cookies   / Coconut Crunch Cookies  / Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies 

4-6 Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies  / White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread  / Brown Sugar Cinnamon

7-9 Cowboy Cookies   / Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Spice / Peppermint Chocolate Chip 

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookies

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

They're all over my kitchen.  

Many have been boxed and given to friends. 

But many are still hanging around. 

Which means, hubs and I are eating them. 

These are probably one of my new favorites.  

If you love cinnamon (like me), you'll enjoy these. 

Part of me wanted to add chocolate chips to the recipe, but I'm glad I didn't.  

They were perfect (and EASY) just the way they are! 

If you're looking for a recipe to bring to a cookie exchange, these would be a hit!

Enjoy.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookies 

Courtesy of Lemons for Lulu 

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened

1 ½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 ¼ cup flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt 

¾ teaspoon cinnamon *I doubled the cinnamon*

1 10 oz bag Cinnamon Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl of a mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat until creamy. Add the egg and mix well. Place the four, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Carefully add flour mixture to butter mixture-scraping bowl as necessary. Continue to mix until well blended. Stir in cinnamon chips.

2. Drop dough by tablespoons onto cookie sheets. Bake just until edges are set, about 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 1 minute on baking sheets before removing to a cooling wrack.

*Makes 48 cookies*

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas is almost here, which means Christmas baking is in full swing around here.  
I'm off to a bit of a late start this year due to a nice long week of sickness in our house.  Thankfully everyone is on the mend, lets hope it stays that way for the rest of the month!

Each year I try to make a bunch of different Christmas cookies. 
I give them to neighbors, friends and send them to work with hubs. 

This year I searched through my Pinterest board for different recipes.  
I came up with a list of 10 new cookies I want to make.  

First up were these peppermint chocolate chip cookies.  I love peppermint with chocolate, especially over the holidays.  These cookies were the perfect mix of the two.  They weren't too pepperminty, nor did they have too much chocolate. Hubs isn't even a peppermint fan and he enjoyed them. They would pair well with a nice hot peppermint mocha from Starbucks!  Enjoy! 

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Adapted from Lil' Luna 

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup butter (softened)

- 1/2 cup oil

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 cup sugar

- 2 eggs

- 3 cups flour

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1/2 tsp. almond extract

- 2 cups of chocolate chips 

- 1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream butter, oil and sugars in your mixer.

2. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add almond and vanilla extract, mix again.  

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt to a separate bowl and mix well. 
Add to wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Add chocolate chips and peppermint crunch pieces.   Mix well.

5. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

*I used a medium cookie scoop for these cookies*

Caramel Apple Baked Donuts

I took the week off work this week, which means I have some time to catch up on my blogging.  I made these donuts back in October.  Back then, we were doing good with making donuts at home on Saturday mornings.  It's a tradition we've been slacking on the past month!

I picked up this cake mix from Target.  I had never seen it before and knew I could put it to good use, not really having an idea what I would make with it.  Since there was an icing that paired with it, I picked it up too.  

While going through my cake mixes to see which one I was going to use for donuts, I decided to give this one a try.  I was hoping they would be the perfect fall donut.  The baked donuts are so simple to make.  This is the recipe I used as my guide for making these donuts.  I was very pleased with how they came out.  Hubs preferred the chocolate ones, but my mom and I enjoyed these.  Definitely perfect for a cool fall morning. Enjoy! 

Caramel Apple Baked Donuts

Ingredients:

1 box of caramel apple cake mix 

1 cup of milk 

2 large eggs

1 stick of butter (melted) 

1 can of caramel apple frosting 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease donut pan.  

Mix eggs, butter, milk and cake mix.  

Stir until smooth. 

Pour batter into donut pan (1/3 filled). 

Bake 11-13 minutes.  

Let them cool completely.  

Put about half of the container of frosting in a microwavable bowl. 

Microwave for about 20 seconds and stir.  Repeat until the frosting is melted enough for you to easily dip and coat the donuts.  

I dipped some of the donuts and drizzled frosting over the others. 

 After I was done with the frosting, I let them cool a bit.  

Store in an air tight container for 3 days.  I also froze the leftover donuts in a freezer bag.  

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

I've been meaning to post this recipe for weeks now.  I made it for hubs to bring to work for a recent potluck.  I look forward to his potlucks at work.  Now that I am not teaching or living close to family and friends, I don't have as many people to bake for. I don't like to bake just for hubs and I because we end up eating it and we don't need all the sweets I make!  

I found this recipe on one of my favorite bloggers, The Mix and Match Mama.  

She calls this treat Thanksgiving in a bar, and I couldn't agree more.  It tastes just like pumpkin pie, just in a handy dandy bar.  It received 5 star reviews from hubs coworkers and I enjoyed the piece I kept at home for myself.  I will be making this every year from here on out.  Enjoy!! 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

Adapted from Mix and Match Mama

Ingredients: 

1 box of spice cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

1 stick of butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar +1 TBS
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice +1TBS
1 cup flour
1 can of canned pumpkin (about 1.5 cups)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with Pam.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, veggie oil, and 2 eggs with an electric mixer.  Spread  mixture across the bottom of your pan.

In a second mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar.  Slowly beat in your remaining 2 eggs and vanilla.

In a smaller bowl, combine your baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and flour with fork.  Slowly beat this dry mixture into your butter mixture.  Beat in your pumpkin.

Spread the pumpkin mixture down on top of your cake mix layer in the pan. 

Mix the extra TBS of pumpkin pie spice and sugar together.  

Sprinkle mixture over the top of the pumpkin mixture.  

 Bake 38 to 40 minutes.

Let your bars cool at least one hour before slicing and serving.

Snickers Caramel Apple Salad

  A few weeks back we went to a friends house for a BBQ.  I volunteered to bring dessert.  After seeing this recipe floating all over Pinterest, I had been wanting to make it.  This BBQ was the perfect opportunity. How can you go wrong with snickers, cook whip and caramel (oh and apples too!) 

One of my favorite Halloween candy is the Caramel Apple Milky Way's.  I thought they would be perfect to add to this recipe.  If you make this any other time of year, you may not be able to find them.  In that case, add another snickers bar to the recipe.  

I wish I had a better picture of the finished product.  I made it at our friends house, so all I had was my phone when it was finished.  This was the perfect dessert for a BBQ.  It was light, refreshing with the chopped apples and sweet.  The candy pieces were of course my favorite.  I'm glad we left the leftovers at the BBQ or else I would have devoured the rest!  

Enjoy! 

Snickers Caramel Apple Salad

Adapted from The Baking Bride 

Ingredients:

4 Regular Snicker Bars chopped 

10 mini Caramel Apple Milky Way bars chopped 
5 Chopped Apples (I didn't peel mine)
1 Pack Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (dry)
1/2 Cup Milk
16 oz. Whipped Topping
Caramel Ice Cream Topping

Directions:
Chop apples, milky way and snickers into cubes; set aside. Whisk together pudding mix, milk, and cool whip until creamy and with no clumps. Stir in apples and snickers.  Lastly, drizzle the caramel topping over the entire salad. Chill for an hour in the fridge.  

Serve and Enjoy!

Squash, Zucchini and Onions with Brown Sugar

I find myself making the same side dishes week in and out.  We find one thing we like and make it over and over again.  With zucchini and squash, I usually sauté or bake it with a sprinkle of italian spices, parmesan cheese and a little EVOO.

When I saw this on Pinterest (where else?) I decided to change things up.  This was definitely a sweet side.  It was toddler and hubs approved, but because of the sugar (even though it's not a lot), not something I'll make all the time.  Definitely work making though! 

Squash and Onions with Brown Sugar

Courtesy of The Kitchn

serves 2

1 large yellow squash and 1 large zucchini  (or 2 medium of each)
2 small onions (or one medium)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

Slice the squash into 1/2-inch rounds, cutting large ones in half. You should end up with roughly 2 cups of cut squash. Cut the onions into similar-sized slices.

Add the butter to a wide sauce pan that has a lid and heat over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onions and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add squash, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Stir, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until squash is very soft.

Remove the cover and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, just to give the juices a chance to evaporate slightly. There will be some liquid in the pan, but it should be thicker than water, almost like a glaze. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed, and serve immediately.

Mini Caramel Apple Cupcakes

I made these mini cupcakes for a Halloween playdate.  There were a bunch of little ones in attendance along with their moms.  I wanted to make a treat that was festive, tasty and easy to eat.  One that both the kids and adults could enjoy.  These fit the bill and didn't disappoint.  The hardest part of the recipe was the caramel.  It dried really fast, so I had get my husband to help me put the toppings on before it dried.  These would be great for class parties or even Thanksgiving potlucks.  Enjoy!

MIni Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Courtesy of Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 package spice, carrot cake or caramel apple cake mix(regular size)
• 2 cups chopped peeled tart Apples
• 20 caramels
• 3 tablespoons 2% milk
• toppings (sprinkles, toasted pecans, walnuts, mini chocolate chips)
• 48 Popsicle sticks

Directions

1. Prepare cake batter according to package directions; fold in apples.
2. Fill 48 greased or paper-lined mini muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3. In a small saucepan, cook the caramels and milk over low heat until smooth. Spread over cupcakes. Sprinkle IMMEDIATELY with toppings. Insert a wooden or craft stick into the center of each cupcake.                                    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Yield: 48 mini cupcakes