Ultimate Pecan Pie Bars

OH MY MY!! These Pecan Pie Bars are one of the best I have EVER had.  They are rich with a warm caramel flavor.  The texture is soft and chewy with a slight crunch from the pecans and buttery crust. These need to be made for every holiday gathering from now on.  It is guaranteed you will come home with an empty platter.

I loved these plain, but my hubby chopped his up and added to ice cream and said it was the best ice cream he has ever had.  I also took them to a family get together and the plate was empty in a matter of minutes.  

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Pecan Bars with Almond Glaze

Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts

No-Bake Pumpkin Turtle Pie

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Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

Ultimate Pecan Pie Bars
adapted from: Taste of Home
(Printable Recipe)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 (8 oz.) pkg. milk chocolate English toffee bits
1 1/4 c. roughly chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the flour and powdered sugar.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Press firmly onto the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish (I also like to line my pan with parchment paper).  Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, egg, vanilla and salt and whisk until combined.  Stir in the toffee bits and chopped pecans.  Pour over warm baked crust and carefully spread out evenly.  Bake for 20 minutes longer or until lightly browned.  Cool completely and cut into bars.  Store in the refrigerator.  

Small Batch Halloween Funfetti Cupcakes

My little niece has been asking me over and over again to make some "Halloween Cupcakes" and so, when we were finally ready to make cupcakes and I asked what flavor, she said "Halloween Flavor" . . . ummm okay . . . how about vanilla cupcakes with Halloween sprinkles to turn them into Funfetti?    Great idea!

I didn't want a bunch of cupcakes hanging out in the house, so I made my small batch Vanilla Cupcake recipe (only makes 10 cupcakes) and added pretty Halloween sprinkles.  Then, we topped them with an orange cream cheese frosting, more Halloween sprinkles and some cute little spider toppers that I found at the craft store.  The kids loved them.

You might also like:

Halloween Sugar Cookie Bars

Halloween Skeleton Cupcakes

Candy Caramel Apple Slices

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting

Small Batch Halloween Funfetti Cupcakes
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe)

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c. vegetable or canola oil
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbl. Halloween colored sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners and spray with cooking spray; set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla and pour into the dry ingredients.  Stir together until almost combined and then stir in the sprinkles until just combined.  Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.  Bake for about 17 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool and top with cream cheese frosting and additional sprinkles.

Cream Cheese Frosting
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

8 Tbl. unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
pinch of salt
2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
a few drops orange food coloring
milk, only if needed
additional sprinkles, for topping

In a medium bowl, combine softened butter, cream cheese and salt and mix until creamy.  Add one cup of powdered sugar and mix.  Add remaining one cup of powdered sugar, vanilla extract and food coloring and mix until smooth and creamy.  If frosting is too thick, add a tiny bit of milk and mix until desired consistency.  Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles.  I used a Wilton 1M piping tip on mine.   

3-Ingredient Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs

I'm sitting here drinking an iced coffee and I'm watching The Real Housewives of Orange County.  It's super windy and cold outside, so I turned on my heater for the first time.  It's just been a nice and cozy day.  Something that would make the day even cozier are these meatballs.  

I am a huge fan of these super simple and delicious meatballs.  They start with some bbq sauce, grape jelly and a bag of frozen meatballs.  Throw those three ingredients into the slow cooker and a few hours later, you will be enjoying these warm and comforting meatballs.  You can serve them as an appetizer or as a main dish with a side of mashed potatoes and rolls.  

You might also like:

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

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3-Ingredient Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
adapted from: Mary W.
(Printable Recipe)

1 (32 oz.) Pkg. Frozen Meatballs (about 2 Lbs.)
1 (17.5 oz.) bottle hickory smoke bbq sauce
1 (12 oz.) jar grape jam/jelly

Pour bbq sauce and grape jam into a slow cooker and stir together.  Add the frozen meatballs; stir to coat all meatballs in sauce.  Cook on low for around 4 hours or until meatballs are completely warmed through.  Serve as an appetizer or as a main dish.  

Note: If you can't find the exact size package of each ingredient, just use the closest you can find and it'll be fine. 

Three-Ingredient Peach Sherbet

My peach tree had SO many peaches this year and I was able to share a bunch with friends and family and I still had plenty left to use for some sweet treats.  Last weekend, I made two different kinds of peach ice cream.  I made this sherbet recipe, which only has three-ingredients and then I made another recipe that had a lot of ingredients and required cooking, chilling and freezing in an ice cream maker.  

AND, this three-ingredient, no-churn, recipe was better than that labor-intensive recipe that had no peach flavor.  Can you believe that? 

This sherbet is my current obsession. It has so much peach flavor and it's the easiest recipe to make.  All you need is ripe, delicious, peaches and a can of sweetened condensed milk.  I also like to add a little vanilla for added flavor, but that's optional.  Anyway, peel and slice the peaches, freeze until firm, then throw them in a powerful blender or food processor and blend with the sweetened condensed milk until smooth and creamy.  You can either eat it right away and it will be like soft-serve or you can freeze until firm.  I made another batch of this last night, because I love it so much.  

You might also like:

Peach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Peach Pie Sheet Cake Bars

Peach Jam with Less Sugar

Peach Bread with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Three-Ingredient Peach Sherbet
adapted from: Martha Stewart
(Printable Recipe)

6-7 large ripe peaches
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Peel and slice the peaches; freeze until firm.  Blend frozen peaches, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a powerful blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.  Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream or pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm.

Classic Zucchini Muffins

I am loving these muffins.  They are an easy and delicious classic muffin.  Simple ingredients, one bowl and sweet cinnamon flavor.  I have already made them twice in the past week.  They quickly became a new favorite recipe.  I love how simple they are and I love that they use 2 whole cups of zucchini and the batch only makes 12 muffins.  That is a bunch of zucchini packed into these muffins.

They are soft and tender and have just the right amount of sweetness and cinnamon flavor.  They stay fresh for several days.  They taste great plain and they are incredible smothered with jam.  I picked up some Tayberry Jam at a local Farmer's Market the other day, which apparently is a mix of a Blackberry and Raspberry and it is incredible.  It goes great with these muffins.

You might also like:

Cinnamon Roll Zucchini Bread

Pistachio Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Cake Sandwich Cookies

Cream Cheese Swirled Zucchini Muffins

Lion House Zucchini Bread

Classic Zucchini Muffins
(Printable Recipe)

2 large eggs
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or 1 Tbl. vanilla bean paste
1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil
2 c. shredded zucchini, peeled or unpeeled
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or brush each muffin cup with melted butter; set aside.  Whisk together eggs and sugar in a large bowl until thick and lemon-colored.  Mix in the vanilla and oil until combined.  Stir in the shredded zucchini. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir together until just combined.  

Divide batter between muffin cups, filling each cup almost full.  Bake in preheated oven for 20-21 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Makes 12 muffins.  

adapted from: Taste and Tell

Family Fun Night Pledge and A&W Root Beer Floats

Today, I'm joining forces with A&W to celebrate their 100th Anniversary by taking the Family Fun Night Pledge to go technology-free for ONE HOUR on Friday nights and make family fun memories to remember for years to come.  

A&W Root Beer has a long history of creating family memories and they are celebrating 100 years of those sweet family memories by calling on their fans to create new ones.  First, go to www.rootbeer.com and take the pledge and A&W will give you a coupon, redeemable for a FREE, 2 liter bottle of Root Beer to help make your memories even sweeter.  

The unique, creamy taste of A&W Root Beer is why I love it so much.  

  With the help of A&W, you can create the perfect timeless family night treat: an A&W Root Beer Float! When is the last time you had a root beer float?  My family enjoyed these delicious floats last weekend and I was instantly flooded with memories from my childhood.

The easiest way for me to go technology free is to stay busy and keep my mind occupied.  When I'm sitting around doing nothing, I tend to reach for my phone a lot more.  My family loves spending time outdoors and that is where I spend most of my time.

Here are some fun ideas for Family Night:

go on a walk
color with sidewalk chalk
play board games
have a scavenger hunt
set up a slip 'n slide or swimming pool in the backyard
decorate sugar cookies or bake something yummy together
make tie-dye t-shirts
go fishing
buy some cheap wood crafts at the craft store and paint them together

What does your family enjoy doing together? 

To help provide families with everything they need to jumpstart their Family Fun Nights this Summer,  A&W is also debuting a first-of-its-kind Family Fun Night box, featuring a carefully curated selection of novelty items and essentials for creating root beer floats at home, to help make family time even more memorable .  The limited-edition, fun-inducing box is available while supplies last at www.rootbeer.com. 

Go now and take the pledge and let the fun begin! 

This post was sponsored by A&W, however all opinions expressed herein are my own.  The information about A&W Root Beer was provided by A&W.  

Classic Root Beer Float

Vanilla Ice Cream
A&W Root Beer

Start with a frosted mug.  Add two scoops of vanilla ice cream to cold mug and fill to the top with A&W Root Beer.  Serve.

Go to A&W's website for some fun recipes for Root Beer Floats.