Food Archives - Page 2 of 2

The 8 treats you should buy at Trader Joe’s

As most of my friends and family know, I {Brooke} am a Trader Joe’s junkie. I allow myself 2 new items to try each week during my regular shopping trip. By doing this I have discovered some pretty amazing products! I decided I should share, in hopes that some of you have some secrets you want to share as well.

1. Milk Chocolate Mini Peanut Butter Cups: Hands down, best item in the store.

2. Overnight Chocolate Croissants: My dear friend told me about these. All you have to do is let them rise overnight and pop them in the oven in the morning. Voila! Fresh pastries for breakfast.

3. Miniature rose bush: these are a treat in the “treat yo self” sense. Mini flowers that come in a tiny pot. Doesn’t get much cuter. (The hydrangeas are also gorgeous!)

4. Chocolate Milk: I’ve searched long and hard and this is the most chocolatey, satisfying drink you will ever find.

5. Strawberries: Always fresh and pretty. I get all my produce at Trader Joe’s.

6. Greek yogurt guacamole dip: A lighter option for guacamole that still tastes delicious.

7. Chocolate covered pretzels: No explanation necessary.

8. Cat cookies: No these are not for your pets, they are just delicious, chocolate, graham crackers that are a tad addictive.

I still have a few things I want to try like their cold pressed watermelon juice, uncured bacon ganache bar, and salted caramel bread pudding.

What are YOUR favorites?

Quick Treat: Smores Rice Krispie Treats

After making these 3 times in the last week I decided this recipe was worth sharing. Britt and I are no experts in the field of baking… BUT we are obsessed with treats and like to share recipes when we think they could be beneficial to someone else. There are a few things that make me instantly love this recipe.

1. It takes under 10 minutes to make.

2. You can take it, share it, eat it… or all of the above.

3. No turning on the oven.

I have seen a number of different recipes for these online but just decided to do my own because I am more of a “fly by the seat of my pants” type of baker. They are ridiculously simple, yet a crowd pleaser. My husband regularly requests them as his favorite treat. I took them to a youth group activity and a dozen, hungry teenagers devoured them in minutes. These are especially yummy fresh out of the oven when the marshmallows are lightly browned and ooey gooey!

Smores Rice Krispies

1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 bag of chocolate chips
2 cups of rice krispie cereal
2 cups of Golden Graham’s
4 TBS of butter

Melt butter in pot on medium heat. Slowly add in 3/4 bag of marshmallows. Stir continually until well blended and melted. Take off heat and add rice krispies and Golden Graham’s until desired thickness. Last add 1.5 cups of chocolate chips. Quickly pour into pan. Cover the top with remaining marshmallows and a sprinkle of chocolate chips. Broil in oven for 2 minutes. Voila! You are done!

Weekend Escape: Sundance Resort

We were lucky enough to be invited to stay at Sundance Resort up Provo Canyon, so we decided to turn it into a little weekend getaway with our husbands!
Here are our 10 favorite things about Sundance:

1. The feast we had at Foundry Grill, the most enchanting restaurant you have ever seen. It has the most picture perfect ambiance and as you can see our food was to die for. We feasted on roasted chicken, pasta, filet mignon and ribs. We also got the truffle mac & cheese and it was some of the best ever. Melt in your mouth good. Thanks to our cute waitress’ recommendation we ordered the peach crisp with homemade blackberry ice cream on top. Hands down the best dessert I have had this fall!

2. The gorgeous mini cabins that they call rooms. We both were given suites to stay in and they did not disappoint. We both married tall guys that like their space and the king beds are ginormous! I am pretty sure they are made of clouds because we both slept like rocks.

3. Haunted Lift Ride: This spooky little ride is as beautiful as it is fun. The lift offers stunning views of the mountains and the night sky. We loved the star gazing. Since you are above the action it is really great for all ages. At the bottom of the lift they have Hocus Pocus playing on a big outdoor movie screen, corn hole games, and teepee’s. Definitely our kind of Halloween haunts!

{of course the guy in the gorilla suit came and scared us while we were getting a picture. and of course we screamed and jumped about 10 feet}
4. The general store is pretty much the cutest thing on the planet. They have so many fun local products, it is really fun to take a look at everything.

5. Handmade Soap & Beauty Products: they make them on site and they smell amazing. Every room is fully stocked with a bunch to choose from.

6. Glass blowing: Sundance brings in world renowned glass blowing artists from Guadalajara, Mexico to create one of a kind pieces. You can even take a glass blowing class at the Sundance Art Studio. They also decorate a lot of the rooms with the hand crafted glass artwork.

7. You can build your own fire in your room. As Sam said “they give you all the supplies, so it is fail proof.” There is nothing quite as cozy as a warm fire on a cold night up the canyon.

8. Location: Sam and Britt went on a canyon run in the morning and said it was absolutely beautiful. Sundance is located on the Alpine Loop and it is stunning. And this is Sam’s go to pose…. if you weren’t already aware, he works out 🙂 We also happened to choose the best weekend of the entire year, it was 78 degrees!

9. Perfectly crunchy and crispy cookies for breakfast. Yes, we sometimes have dessert before we begin our day 🙂 They pair perfectly with a pumpkin steamer or hot chocolate.

10. Canyon drive home

Thanks to Sundance for treating us so well this weekend! It was one we will always remember! If you want more information, you can go to www.sundanceresort.com

Costco Top 3 Treats

While Brooke and Parker are having a blast on their honeymoon, Sam and I are enjoying trips to our favorite store, Costco. We’re obsessed with Costco and we don’t care who knows it. It does seem kind of ridiculous that a couple would grocery shop at a bulk wholesale store, but we have found the quality of almost all items is better at Costco. We have been pleasantly surprised by how many hidden gems there always are and let’s be honest, nobody hates the abundance of amazing samples. So we are sharing our three favorite sweet treats with you, we apologize in advance because you will get addicted.

#1 Cakeballz

Cake balls are such a great party dessert, but they take a serious amount of time and commitment. You have to bake the cake, cut it up in tiny pieces, mix it together with frosting and then roll it into balls and dip them in chocolate. Then a genius created Cakeballz. Already made and already packaged. You may have seen them on Shark Tank. Now they sell 30 packs in Costco and each cake ball ends up costing $.35 That is amazing! And so much cheaper than you can find anywhere else. They come in red velvet, chocolate or birthday cake. Red velvet is my fave, but they are all super tasty. Best part, each one is under 100 calories so you don’t even have to feel guilty.

#2 Snappers Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Pretzels

We just discovered these a few weeks ago and they are amazing! The best part is you only need to eat one because they have so much flavor and so rich. If you like chocolate dipped pretzels, you will love these!

#3 Dark Chocolate Coconut Almonds

These are like chocolate dipped almonds turned up 25 notches. The only problem is that you can’t just eat 1 or 2 or 3… let’s just say the bag gets emptied really quick. But they are so tasty! Definitely a must if you are a coconut fan.

So there are our three favorites, now we want to know yours! What’s your favorite thing to buy at Costco?

In case you need to stalk us on the weekends, we are usually at one of these three locations:

Murray, UT

5201 Intermountain Dr, Murray, UT 84107

Salt Lake City, UT

1818 SOUTH 300 WEST

Sandy, UT

11100 AUTO MALL DRIVE

(There are also locations in Spanish Fork & Orem)

Have a great weekend!

The Best Chocolate Marshmallow Homemade Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream has been a summer favorite forever. We love classic flavors like raspberry, cherry chocolate chip and peach but have been wanting to try something chocolatey (duh). So our lovely mom surprised us by making the most heavenly homemade Chocolate Marshmallow ice cream ever! It’s better than any store bought or restaurant made ice cream I’ve had. It’s so creamy and rich without being super overpowering. It is also best when made in my mom’s ice cream maker, which is literally from 1975. For some reason, it mixes so much better than the new kind do. So, I have now made it twice in two weeks. You’ve got to try it!

Chocolate Marshmallow Homemade Ice Cream

4 eggs

2 1/4 Cups sugar

5 Cups milk

4 Cups heavy cream

4 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

Add sugar gradually to beaten eggs. Continue to beat until mixture is very stiff (you will beat for about 10 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into gallon freezer and add 1/3 Cup of your favorite chocolate syrup. Makes 4 quarts.

*There is not actually any marshmallow in the recipe, it just tastes like there is. Try it and let us know what you think!

Enjoy!

Recipe for the BEST Banana Pudding of all time!

How to make the best no-bake banana pudding of all time! This is a no-fail recipe that will knock your socks off and be repeated for years to come. It has become a family favorite!

The BEST banana pudding recipe!

We absolutely love Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding, whether we are visiting Los Angeles or New York City we make sure to stop by Magnolia’s. The banana pudding is hard to explain, it’s fluffy yet creamy, truly heavenly!

picture of banana pudding, bananas, and Nilla wafers

Magnolia Bakery has the perfect ratio of pudding, bananas, and cake in their final product.

When we saw that there were a few at-home copycat recipes that you can make we were hesitant to try them. Why mess with perfection? Magnolia has nailed it so we didn’t want to let ourselves down with a pudding failure. However, we are happy to report that this pudding recipe is divine!

Don’t try to take the pudding on a flight

The last time I was in Los Angeles I was determined to take some banana pudding from Magnolia home to my husband. However, you need to be warned… TSA does not allow this. They saw my Magnolia to-go cup filled with pudding and quickly snatched it. I don’t know if it was because they were hungry, or because it really was against the rules to take it through security 🙂

When Brooke found a recipe that tastes nearly identical, we were thrilled!

It’s not realistic to travel to NYC or LA every time we crave banana pudding so we are so happy to have an at-home alternative. This recipe is so simple that your kids can help you with every step and be proud of the delicious masterpiece they create!

We may have been eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the past few days… this recipe is versatile and works for a lot of different occasions. Have a birthday party? Make the pudding. Going to a pool party? Make the pudding. Hungry for a Sunday treat that feeds a crowd? Make the pudding.

The recipe is slightly adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Picture of a large bowl of banana pudding, bananas, and mini Nilla Wafers

16 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice-cold water
Small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar to taste
1 tsp vanilla
1 box of Nilla Wafers
4 sliced bananas

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a mixer, beat sweetened condensed milk and water for about a minute. Add the pudding mix and beat for about two more minutes. Transfer to a smaller bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You want the mixture to set and be firm to the touch.

2. In a large bowl on medium speed, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form (I put my metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for five minutes prior…the cream always whips up very quickly this way). We also like to add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the heavy cream.

3. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream. Do not overmix or your whipping cream will get runny and the “fluff factor” of the pudding will be gone.

4. In a large bowl, layer Nilla wafers (we like to use the mini version because they are bite-size and cute!), sliced bananas, and pudding. Do not slice the bananas until you plan to serve the pudding. Ideally, you want three layers but if you go with a larger dish you might only have two.

How to customize your pudding

You can serve the pudding in individual serving cups or make miniature pies. This is ideal if you are hosting a bridal shower or party.
(adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)

We have added raspberries and strawberries to our pudding in the past and it is wonderful – especially if the berries are in season!

You can sub in a graham cracker crust for the Nilla wafers, it will have a different flavor but is a delicious alternative. If you do a graham cracker crust we suggest melting one cube of butter with one pouch of smashed graham crackers. It tastes best if the crust is refrigerated for at least one hour.

Hawaii

Sam and I got the best Christmas present ever this year; going on a family vacation with the Haslams to Hawaii.

My body is still craving humid air, sunshine and sand in my toes.

After Brooke lived in Hawaii for a summer, she raved about how gorgeous it is and now I finally understand.

{sunsets to die for}

{amazingly cool beaches}

{sam jumping off our snorkel boat into perfectly blue water}

{yummy food}

{my M-I-L and I learned the Hukilau at dinner one night}

{stunning views}

{this is a picture of someone who just lot their swimsuit bottoms in the ocean. seriously. they flew off when i was boogie boarding. sam tried to go find them, but they are still floating in the Hawaiian ocean :)}

{thankfully my sister in law Annie had an extra pair of shorts… }

Hawaii take me back!

Sugar

It is shower season, and by that I mean lots of babies and weddings are on the way!

For Britt’s first bridal shower some friends and I decided to go with a Breakfast at Tiffany’s theme (“Breakfast with Brittany”). Because we are girls and love everything feminine we decided to take advantage of the situation and add as many cute details as possible. We used everything from adorable handmade banners, to an antique Tiffany’s vase filled with beautiful hydrangea’s.

Instead of your average plain goblet glass I decided to add some extra sparkle.

After looking around my house I came up with an easy solution!

Supplies:
Goblets: I borrowed the crystal goblets from my gracious mother 🙂
Pomegranate Honey: This honey has a nice pink hue that matches the sugar and just happened to be in my cupboard. The honey keeps things put for hours, I encrusted the glasses 24 hours before the party.
Sugar: Fill a bowl with about 3/4 cup sugar mix in whatever food coloring you would like.

Method:
Trace honey around the edge of the goblets, wipe off excess if you mess up. Then roll rim of glass around in the sugar.

Voila!

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