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Pillsbury Potluck Party

Originally I had posted this as a giveaway, but apparently I misunderstood. So sorry! I will make it up to you some how! Please forgive me and don't send hate notes!


To celebrate the upcoming holidays, why not try out some of the quick and tasty ideas for easy appetizers, desserts and more with friends and family by hosting your very own Pillsbury potluck party?

That's what I'm going to do! And I need your help. I will post  3 categories with 2 recipes in each and I need you to vote on which recipe I should make out of each category. 

Ready?

Appetizers:



or


Parmesan Crostini with Spinach-Pesto Spread


Main Dish:


Easy Slow Cooker Ham

or


Slow Cooker Pulled-Beef Sandwiches

Dessert:


Berries and Cream Dessert Triangles

or


Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookie Pizza

There we are. My dinner's fate is in your hands. Don't fail me. 
Well, how could you, really? With these choices, I can't go wrong.

"Disclosure: The Pillsbury product, information and food ideas have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark."

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Totally Tasty Tuesdays


Welcome to Totally Tasty Tuesdays! How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Did you eat till you couldn't move, and then lounge around and eat some more? Did you shop till you dropped (or go into a fight or got trampled or got arrested)? I had a great Thanksgiving visiting my side of the family. We rotate years and it was great to see them all. I didn't go shopping on Black Friday this year. I think it's the first time. I just didn't need anything that was advertised. So I had sugar plums dancing in my head while all you crazies were out being crazy!

I am in full Christmas mode now. My tree is up and decorated (all the ornaments are ours from growing up), the halls are decked with boughs of holly, my Christmas Story Leg lamp is glowing, and the village is out. It needs new snow, but I love the Christmas Story characters.

I don't know about you, but here in the Bird house we have the trinity of Christmas movies:  The Christmas Story, Elf, and Christmas Vacation. With Home Alone 1 & 2 thrown if for good measure. 




I just love those Chinese guys. Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra....
and the "Fra-GEE-Lay" package. 


Now onto the goodies.
 I am featuring an appetizer for those parties, delicious donuts, and a cake that would make great neighbor gifts.



from Olla-Podrida


from Shugary Sweets

I love baking with Eggnog!!


from Frugal Follies


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Guest Post: Crumbs and Chaos

I'm excited to have our guest blogger here today! I love their site and their recipes. I will just move aside and let them do their thing.

Hi, I’m Becca from Crumbs and Chaos, a blog I write with my 3 sisters.  We have 11 children between us, hence the name Crumbs and Chaos…we deal with our fair share on a daily basis.  We love sharing our favorite recipes, tips on controlling the chaos and seeing awesome things from our readers every Saturday at our Seasonal Inspiration link party.  I am thrilled to be here today at Mandy's Recipe Box sharing this sweet treat with you.


It's no secret that we have a sweet tooth, that's evident from a quick glance at our Recipe Index.  Most desserts are well loved in these parts, chocolate especially.  There's nothing quite like a warm brownie straight from the oven.

Homemade brownies aren't difficult to make and they are such a crowd pleaser.  I'll bet you have almost everything you need to make them right in your pantry.  This version is fudgey and delicious, studded with peanuts and little pockets of caramel.  A glass of cold milk is something I'd definitely recommend.


1/2 cup BUTTER, melted
1 cup SUGAR
2 EGGS
2 Tablespoons WATER
1/2 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT
1 pinch SALT
1/2 teaspoon BAKING POWDER
1/2 cup UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER
3/4 cup FLOUR
8 FUN-SIZE SNICKERS BARS, chilled in fridge

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a 9x13 pan (TIP:  I usually line the pan with foil, letting some hang over the ends.  Then I grease the foil, when the brownies are cool I lift them from the pan using the ends of the foil and cut them neatly into squares.  They cut really nicely this way and I'm not scratching up my pans by cutting into them.)

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until blended.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then add water and vanilla.

Sprinkle salt and baking powder over the mixture, then beat it in.  Do the same with the cocoa powder.  Stir in the flour until just blended.

Coarsely chop the Snickers with a knife or by putting them in a blender or food processor.  Fold them into the batter.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, until the center is just set.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Don't be a stranger!  Stop by and say hi: 


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Totally Tasty Tuesdays


Time flies! It's that time again. Time to see what caught my attention and time to see what goodies you link up this week. 



from Chef Not Included

These would be perfect to take out on Black Friday! Quick meal to go!


from Something Swanky

Mind blowing.


from Simple Girl

I love ginger. I love molasses. Plus I love her solution to caved in cupcakes.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!



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Chex Party Mix Winner


I am so sorry this is late! I was supposed to announce it on Friday and I completely forgot.

So here's the winner of the Chex Mix Party Gift Pack...
True Random Number Generator  26Powered by RANDOM.ORG

#26 ellenegeland who said, "I usually bring something sweet-like apple cake with vanilla pudding;) " to a party. 

Yay for you Ellen! I will email you. 

Look for more giveaways and be sure to check out all the yummy goodness tomorrow on Totally Tasty Tuesdays!
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Guest Blogger: Fantastical Sharing of Recipes


Most of you know that I'm getting new kitchen cabinets and counter tops (eeeee!). That means my kitchen is a 
dysfunctional mess. That also means I won't be doing much cooking. My poor family will be stuck with Schwan's food and whatever else I can figure out that won't require much prep work. I will be using my slow cooker if it's a dump-it-in kinda recipe. So I will be having some guest bloggers to help me out. Like today. Take it away, Sarah!

Hi everyone! I'm Sarah from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes. I'm a 23 year old mom of two (Matthew, 4, and Cambria, 3) and army wife to my high school sweetheart. We are currently stationed in Fort Drum, NY (awful!), but hail from Knoxville, TN. My favorite things in life other than my family and friends: recipes, chocolate, jalapenos, animals (especially otters and big cats), vampires, Lady Gaga, reading, crocheting, dying my hair, road trips, MN Vikings and laughing!

This is my very first guest post and Mandy's blog could not have been a more perfect blog to guest post at! I am constantly drooling over everything she posts - my poor computer! I started food blogging a little over a year ago after much push and shove from my friends to share recipes. I've always loved to cook and share recipes. There is something so old-fashioned about sharing recipes and I love the memories and stories each recipe holds. My family rarely eats out and I am pretty consistent with meal planning with a variety of foods. With my planning, I've managed to not repeat recipes very often unless they are a family favorite. I host a weekly link up called Twisted Thursday to let readers take a turn and share their favorite recipes and I also do a weekly round up of recipes I've found called Sunday Social.

Today I decided to share a really amazing recipe from Baked Bree. As I mentioned, chocolate is one of my favorite things in life. Most of the recipes in my arsenal contain chocolate. These cookies are so delicious! I had to restrain myself from eating the cookie dough by reminding myself Sal Monella would come after me if I did. You know, Sal Monella, that mobster guy who knows when you eat raw eggs!?

Hot Chocolate Cookies with Marshmallows
Adapted from Baked Bree


What you need:
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup hot chocolate mix (a little more than one packet)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
Directions:

1. Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy.


2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.


3. Mix together your dry ingredients (minus the marshmallows) in a separate bowl and then add into the wet ingredients. Mix well.


4. Drop dough by the teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet or one lined with parchment paper (which I prefer).
5. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes or so. They should be just a little firm.
6. Remove cookies from oven and immediately top with marshmallows. Let them stand on the sheet for a few minutes and then remove to a wire rack.


Enjoy! My husband was dipping his in a big ole glass of milk.

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Thanks, Sarah! Be sure to go visit her and see the other tasty recipes she has.


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Totally Tasty Tuesdays


It's here again! I love all the great recipes shared this week. Such as...


from The REAL Housewives of Riverton


from Cupcakes with Sprinkles

P1090406

from Permanent Posies


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Chex Party Mix Gift Pack

The holidays are coming! What party doesn't have some kind of Chex Mix to snack on? None that I've been to. 

The concept is simple – invite some friends over for a party and ask everyone to make enough of their favorite Chex Party Mix recipe to exchange with party guests. Taste, mix, swap, and share the recipes, putting the treats in easy DIY packages for everyone to take home.

From decadent to savory your guests are sure to love with these delicious favorites that can be made in the microwave in 15 minutes or less. These five Chex Party Mix recipes are just some of the fabulous 15 minute recipes that can be found at ChexPartyMix.

One of you will win this package:

2 boxes Chex cereal
5 featured Chex Party Mix recipes
10 take out containers so your guests can take their Chex Party Mix to-go
$20 gift card to purchase recipe ingredients

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment telling me your favorite treat to bring to a party.

I will choose a winner using random.org on Thursday 11/17 and announce it on Friday.
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Winner of "Skyrocket Your Savings!" E-book...


Congratulations to #2...Denise who saves money by making lunches at home for her husband to take to work. 
I will get your email address to Budget Saving Mom for your e-book.

Thanks for those who entered. Another giveaway is coming right up!

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Reese's Fudge Pie



Thanksgiving is coming right up. The homemade stuffing and Pretzel Salad are my favorites. 
And the pie.
 Oh the pie. Pumpkin. All.The.Way.
Then I came across this bad boy. 

The variety of pies at Thanksgiving Dinner is negotiable. Some what. As long as there's pumpkin, the rest I'm fine with being there. But no pumpkin? Well that's just wrong. I can't even comprehend that.

With that being said, this pie would be a fabulous addition to the pie collection on Thanksgiving.


  • Crust:
  • 9 graham crackers, crushed
  • 1/3 c. butter, melted
  • 1/3 c. sugar
Mix all and press into a spring form pan or a 9" pie pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Set aside.

Fudge:
1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 c. milk chocolate chips
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8 oz) bag Reese's Minis

Mix all but the Reese's Minis in a saucepan and heat over medium low, stirring until melted and smooth. Be careful not to burn it. Spread over the crust. Press Reese's Minis into the fudge.


Peanut Butter Mousse:
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. room temperature cream cheese
1 1/2 c. Cool Whip, thawed
1/4 c. melted chocolate for drizzle or use chocolate syrup

Mix peanut butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until creamy.  Fold in the Cool Whip. Spread over the fudge.


Drizzle with melted chocolate or chocolate syrup, if desired.
Chill at least 1 hour.


Warning! This is a very rich dessert, so a little goes a long way. See that piece right there? That could feed 2 or 3 people. For real.
Bam.

Recipe Source: Cookies and Cups



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"Skyrocket Your Savings!" E-book Giveaway

I just received this great e-book called Skyrocket Your Savings! from Rene of Budget Saving Mom

Budget Saving Mom

By show of hands, who doesn't want or need to save money or budget money? Who has all this already figured out? 

Well here is where Skyrocket Your Savings! comes in. Skyrocket Your Savings! is a nuts and bolts guide for real people living real lives trying to make it in today’s economy. It skips past unnecessary theory into the real tips and techniques that families need to adapt to the way life is today. Whether you want to start saving $5 or $5000, Skyrocket Your Savings! is designed to be the ultimate reference guide for revolutionizing your spending one dollar at a time. 



I can't wait to start reading it and applying her wisdom to my budget. I do pretty good, but I am always looking for better ways when it comes to dealing with money.

Rene is giving one of you a chance to win a copy of her e-book.
To enter all you need to do is leave a comment telling me your tips on saving money.

Contest runs until Sunday 11/13 at midnight. I will choose a winner using random.org and announce it on Monday.
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