When it comes to summer desserts, I’m a firm believer that simple is the way to go. With so many great flavors available in fresh summer berries, you don’t need to do much to turn them into a tasty and refreshing dessert.

One of our favorite local restaurants serves a very simple dessert that can be thrown together in no time at all and is elegant enough to entertain with at the same time. Strawberries Romanoff is made in a variety of ways. My favorite involves dipping fresh strawberries first in sour cream and then in brown sugar.

It may not sound like much, but this simple dessert is crave-worthy.

Ingredients

• Fresh strawberries with the leaves still attached
• Sour cream (free free to use a low-fat version for a healthier option)
• Brown sugar

Preparation

Wash and dry your strawberries well. If you have a salad spinner, you can use that to gently dry the berries.

Serve the berries with a dish of sour cream and a dish of brown sugar.

Dip the strawberries in the sour cream.

Then dip the strawberries into the brown sugar.

Enjoy!

It doesn’t get much easier than that.

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Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest gift buying holidays. It has also become a time to tell the one we love how much we love them by showering them with gifts. I think the old saying, Money can’t buy love, should make you think twice about how much you need to spend to let the one you love know it. Some of the most popular gifts for Valentine’s Day are cards, a romantic dinner, candy/chocolate, flowers, and jewelry. I have a frugal option for all of those items that won’t break your budget and still show your loved one how much you care.

Valentine Cards

Premade Valentine cards in the store can cost you up to $6 (or more). Why buy those? You can easily make your own for a lot cheaper. Sit down and write a love letter to your loved one. These letters are more meaningful than a card someone else has written. You could also try to write a poem. These handmade cards and letters will become cherished keepsakes. You can also send your loved one an e-card. There are a lot of different places online to send free e-cards. I have also printed cards that I have made online. These are a lot more personal because you can write what you want on them. If you just really are not very crafty then Dollar stores offer cards for fifty cents, so you might try there.

Romantic Dinners

Going out for dinner is another popular way for couples to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It can also cost you over $100. One thing you could do to save money is go out to eat for lunch instead. Lunch will cost about half of what dinner would have and since my kids are in school, I do not even need a babysitter. Another option would be to go out for dessert only. If you have never gone out for dessert only then you have try this. I am always too full to order dessert and this way I do not have to worry about that. This also allows for more time talking since you are not eating as much. Lastly, you can make dinner at home. This can be really nice with candlelight and all. There are however some drawbacks . . . you will actually have to cook and cleanup. If you are willing to do that you could save money and still have a nice evening. There are a lot of nice restaurant copycat recipes online. One of my favorites is the Alice Springs Chicken from The Outback. I have made this several times. So there are several options to have a romantic meal and still save money.

Candy/Chocolates

Have you looked at the store and noticed how much chocolates are now? You can pay $20 or more for a nice box! There are a lot of easy recipes online that you can make yourself to give. Some of my favorites are chocolate covered strawberries, coconut balls, truffles, and even chocolate chip cookies. You can also make your own conversation hearts and write something on them that you want. Homemade foods are always a hit for Valentine’s Day.

Flowers

Flowers can cost you up to $100.  If you really want to give flowers, think about buying a plant or even a rose bush.  These will give your Valentine the gift of flowers for a long time and may be a better use of your money.

Jewelry

Jewelry is another item that men usually like to buy women for Valentine’s Day. This can be expensive. If you still really want to get something special for your loved one in the jewelry department you can try Free Jewelry.com. They have a great selection of jewelry for free or low cost. The only thing you have to do is pay $6.99 for shipping per piece. Believe it or not the quality of the jewelry is really nice. Just make sure if you order from there to note how long shipping will take.

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Many families are still struggling with the high cost of food.  Thanksgiving is one holiday that we spend more money on food than usual.  Being frugal does not mean we have to give up all that food we enjoy eating, it means that we just need to plan for this extra expense in our budget.  Here are a few ideas to make your Thanksgiving a little more budget friendly.

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is one of the best pieces of advice you can get for planning a frugal Thanksgiving.  If you plan several weeks ahead, you will find that there are plenty of coupons and specials to help you get the most for your money.  Plan to spend a little each week on the extra items you will need and then you will not feel like you are spending so much money. You can also plan ahead by getting most of the food items cooked ahead of time.  This will allow you to spend more time with your family on the big day.  Here are a few recipes for you to try that you can make ahead of time.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Make-Ahead Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Freezer Apple Pie

Shop for the Cheapest Turkey

During the holidays, many stores will mark down turkeys.  There are also great coupons on turkeys and other Thanksgiving foods during this time.  Right now you can get a coupon for $3 off a Butterball Turkey when you buy 4 other products like Stove Top Stuffing or Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.  This is a great deal because lots of these products are already marked down.  Many stores also offer deals like buying so much in groceries and then you get a free turkey or a greatly reduced one. This can be a good deal if you really need the other items you are buying to get the great turkey deal.  While turkeys are marked down so cheap, consider buying a second one to place in your freezer for a future dinner.  This will save you money later. 

Bake Your Own Pies

If you buy a pie from the store you can easily spend $10 for each pie.  Why not make your own pies for Thanksgiving.  You spend a lot less money and get more pies since most recipes will make more than one pie. Here is a basic pie crust recipe that includes a video.  With a little practice you can easily make your own pies and save money. 

Choose Potluck

One great way to save money and have more time with the family is to have your guest bring dishes for the dinner.  Most family members will be more than happy to help you out.  This will also give you a good selection of different foods.

Use Leftovers

When planning your Thanksgiving meal, plan for leftover meals.  I can easily get two or more meals with my leftovers.  One casserole I love to make is the Thanksgiving Memories Casserole.  My kids love it and you can basically use what you have leftover.  This will also help to stretch your food budget and not make you feel like you are spending so much money on one meal.

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With the start of school I know we are all looking for a fun, easy after school treats for the kiddos and this one couldn’t be easier!  This recipe is rather near a dear to my heart because it is one of my families favorites after a fun trip to Paris a few years ago.

Walking down a picturesque street on a chilly December day in Paris with with a warm chocolate croissant in hand. That is one of those memories that is burned into ever sense of my body. I can feel the warmth in my hands, the sweet buttery taste in my mouth along with hearing the “oh my goodness” rolling out of our mouths.  One of those magical memories forever burned in my mind.

The good news… you don’t have to know how to make croissants!  All you need are five basic ingredients to recreate this fabulous treat.

• Nutella
• Marshmallow creme
• Frozen puff pastry
• One egg

First, you will need to thaw the puff pastry.  Once thawed, unfold and cut into four squares.

Put a spoonful of Nutella and marshmallow crème on the puff pastry.  Oh, it’s looking good already!!

Fold the square into a triangle and crimp the edges of the pastry with a fork.  Brush the pastry with an egg wash {one egg, beaten} and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned.  Take out of oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes and then ENJOY!!

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A couple of years ago my husband and I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Paris for a few days.  While we were there we fell in love with the street vendors who were selling all types of crepes to the tourists.  Totally cliche I know, but I’m telling you they are hard to resist.

One of our all time favorites was the banana Nutella crepe.  The other day I was taking a trip down memory lane and a thought hit me… why not create a cake in jar based off of our favorite treat from Paris!  Here is what you will need to do to create a little piece of Parisian heaven.

Nutella Banana Cream Cake in a Jar

1 box of vanilla cake mix

1/2 c Nutella

1-2 Bananas

8 oz. Cool Whip

0.9 oz. Instant banana cream pudding mix

1/2 c Milk

Banana Cream

Add milk to a mixing bowl.  Turn mixer on low and slowly add the dry pudding mix.  Once fully incorporated add the Cool Whip and mix well.  You will want to fully scrape down the bowl and then mix again to make sure the pudding mix is fully incorporated.  Place in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.

Cake

Prepare cake according to package directions and bake either in a small jar or as a cupcake. Make sure to not fill either jar or cupcake liner to full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-23 minutes.

Once cake has cooled core a small section in the middle of the cake…

This time I used an apple corer to do the job. Make sure you only go about half way down.  You will then pipe a small dab of Nutella into the hole in center of the cake.  A small amount will do, Nutella is rich and you don’t want to totally over power the cake.

Now at this point you can choose how you want to present the cake.  I sliced some banana and added it to the top of the cake before I topped it off with the cream…

Or you can leave the bananas off if you are doing the basic cupcake. Pipe on the banana cream and garnish with a dollop of Nutella or with mini chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

I would love to hear about your favorite food travel memories.  What’s that one dish that can really take you back to that memorable trip?

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When it comes to cupcakes, I’m normally a straight chocolate fan. My oldest son is not a huge chocolate fan though (I know. I have no idea how he’s related to me) so for his 8th birthday he requested raspberry lemonade cake. It wasn’t until his party that we realized I’d made him a pink cake with pink icing but loved the way they tasted so much that he didn’t care what color they were.

This recipe uses a simple technique that involves poking the cake so you can add some extra flavor. The end result looks fantastic and the best part is it’s really simple to make.

Even though it wasn’t chocolate, this was still a pretty fantastic cupcake!

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 box raspberry jello (4 oz)
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 box white cake mix
• 1/2 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (frozen limeade would be fantastic in this too)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 egg whites

Icing:

• 1 package of cream cheese, 8 oz
• 1 stick salted butter
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Fresh raspberries

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Place cupcake wrappers into a cupcake pan and spray them with non-stick spray. I used paper wrappers but you may be better off using foil wrappers since the jello liquid seeps through a bit before it sets up.

To add some extra flavor (and color) this cake includes raspberry jello. Mix together the Jello mixture an hot water and stir until the powder has fully dissolved. Set that aside. You’ll need it in a minute

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, 1/4 cup of the jello mixture, 1/4 cup of lemonade concentrate, water, egg whites, and oil. Spoon the cake mixture into the cupcake wrappers so they are evenly filled and bake them for 18-20 minutes. You can check to make sure they are done by sticking a toothpick or fork in the top.

Now this is where it gets fun.

While the cupcakes are still warm, poke each cake with a fork several times.

How to Make the Frosting

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With the popularity of red velvet cake continuing to grow, I was thinking the other day… what would red velvet cookies be like?  The idea was intriguing but I needed a new spin on the classic cake mix cookie.  That’s where the white chocolate chips came in.  Truly the combination is DIVINE! The cool creaminess of the white chocolate with the rich and decadent red velvet is a combination your friends and family won’t forget anytime soon. The bonus… they are SUPER EASY to make.

Ingredients

• 1 box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1 cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 2 sticks of softened butter
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of White Chocolate Chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, add butter and mix until soft and fluffy.  Slowly add cake mix and flour. Once combined, add egg and mix completely.  Add white chocolate chunks, and mix for a minute or so until well combined.  Form dough into one inch balls, and place into the oven for 8-10 minutes. {Yields about 24 small cookies.}

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When we were in Arizona for Memorial Day, my brother’s friend/neighbor came by with some fantastic cookies. I couldn’t wait to try them, so here is my first rendition:

Ingredients

• 1 package red velvet cake mix
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 bag white chocolate chips
• powdered sugar
• parchment paper

Instructions

Beat eggs and oil. Add cake mix until mixed. Slowly add flour, then chocolate chips. Shape into balls and roll in powdered sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Don’t over bake, light cake mixes will not look done even though they are. Next up I am trying yellow cake mix with dark chocolate chips and then a chocolate cake with peanut butter chips. Enjoy! Mine were gone in less than 12 hours.

Vickie blogs at Vixen’s Den.

Blog Your Way to BlogHer

This post is an entry to the Blog Your Way to BlogHer Contest. Busy Mommy Media is giving away 1 ticket to BlogHer 2011 in San Diego! Visit the contest page for details on entering.

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I called my aunt today to find out what she needed me to bring to her party .  She asked if I could bring dessert and I happily obliged.  I mean, dessert is kinda mythang, right?  Right.  I immediately decided I would take cupcakes since I had already spent all day yesterday making iced sugar cookies and I was kinda done with those.

My brain started rolling trying to think of something cute to do since it was a party after all, but unless I wanted to take a trip “down the hill” to Michaels for supplies, I didn’t have a lot to work with.  I always have stuff for cupcakes, I just didn’t have extra cutsie things to make them special.

Then, I remembered I had a great tub of  sprinkles so I just decided to pretty them up with frosting.  I mean, frosting is pretty on it’s own…but it’s even more fabulous when it’s all swirly!

Here is how I did it.

Doesn’t it just look like it’s waiting for you to dig in with a spoon?  Kinda like a pink milkshake.  Of frosting.

I decided on pink and green for my colors and whipped up my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe.  I split the frosting into two bowls and colored them each with wilton gel colors, carnation pink and leaf green.

I found it’s so easy to fill the pastry/icing/piping (what the hell are these called again?) bag when I fold it over a cup.  I can’t tell you how many times I tried filling directly into the bag only to get frostingeverywhere!  Folding half of the bag out over a cup really makes it a lot easier and less messy.

I filled one bag with green and one bag with pink.  These two bags I simply snipped the end off leaving the big star tip (1M) for the main outside bag.  Looking back, it would have been easier to squeeze had I used smaller inside bags instead of 3 like sized bags.  Regular baggies would have worked just fine for the inside bags, too.

I put both colored bags inside the outside, tipped bag and squeezed the frosting down into the tip.  Here is where it would have been better to have smaller bags on the inside.  It was a little bulky to hold and squeeze.

See how pretty the frosting comes out together??  I was just giddy with my results!

SO PRETTY!

You can thank Cheryl for this tutorial.  I mean, I took the pictures, I probably would have posted it…eventually…but she just had to know RIGHT.NOW. how I did it.  So now you know.  Go forth and impress your friends.

On OhRheally.com, Rhea Tabler shares stories of her three boys, her experiences as a (recently retired) surrogate, her son’s ADHD and of her crazy testosterone filled life.  She is passionate about helping others and has helped with fund raising efforts in many cancer organization fund raisers. She has been blogging since 2008 and thoroughly enjoy meeting new friends, facebooking, tweeting and using her social influences for good.

Blog Your Way to BlogHer

This post is an entry to the Blog Your Way to BlogHer Contest. Busy Mommy Media is giving away 1 ticket to BlogHer 2011 in San Diego! Visit the contest page for details on entering.

 

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gather your supplies… yes, that entire stick of butter is going in! =)

spray the bottom of the Bundt pan with vegetable spray (I use EVOO spray). drop 1/2 the pecans in.

place the rolls right on top of the pecans. sprinkle the pudding over rolls.

mix melted butter and brown sugar together. pour over rolls. sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of your pecans on top of the caramel (I left the pecans out this time).

place pan in cold oven overnight. rolls will thaw, rise, and smell yummy! In the morning, remove pan from oven. Preheat oven to 325*, and bake rolls for 30 minutes.

yummy, gooey, caramelly goodness.

are you drooling yet?

my happy cozy place at the table! =)

Blog Your Way to BlogHer

This post is an entry to the Blog Your Way to BlogHer Contest. Busy Mommy Media is giving away 1 ticket to BlogHer 2011 in San Diego! Visit the contest page for details on entering.

 

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