Peanut Butter Pancake Syrup

This post is sponsored by ConAgra Foods. #GreatAmericanCookIn

I hope you don’t mind me tooting my own horn for a second here, but I have to admit it: I’m pretty darn good at menu planning. I know a lot of people hate planning out their meals for the week, so I’ve tried to figure out what exactly makes this job (that so many people dislike) fun for me, and something I’ve done consistently for quite a few years.

I think I like menu planning because I’ve found a pretty good balance of cooking meals I know we enjoy and trying out new recipes and flavors. I get bored if I cook the same thing over and over again, so I like the variety and excitement of trying new things and discovering new favorites. But I also love returning to older recipes that I know everyone will enjoy (and will eat without complaint-- I’m looking at you, children), so I make sure we’ve got a mix every week of classics that everyone is sure to love, as well as new recipes or techniques or flavors that I know I’ll have fun cooking. It’s all about finding what works for you.

I know that it can be tough to get started with menu planning, or to make a habit of it. So for the month of May, ConAgra is hosting the Great American Cook In to help you learn new cooking skills, master menu planning, and get more creative in the kitchen. Pick a week in May and challenge yourself to learn some new tips and gain confidence in the kitchen! Visit Forkful.com for recipe ideas and kitchen tips, and pledge to be a part of the Cook In challenge for one week!

And I’m happy to help you out by giving you a week’s worth of dinner menu ideas! You can find it at the bottom of this post, after the recipe.

Today’s recipe is a perfect blend of an old favorite with a fun new twist. My kids’ favorite dinner is always a “breakfast for dinner” spread with waffles or pancakes, fruit, and scrambled eggs. We all love it, it’s fast and easy to make, and I’ve always got the ingredients on hand. But to scratch my itch of wanting to try new ideas and flavors, I experimented with a new syrup and topping idea for our dinner waffles. And it was a huge success. If you’re a breakfast-for-dinner fan, I bet you’ll love it too.

I started with a simple whole wheat waffle recipe for a wholesome base (if you’re in a hurry, you could speed things up by using a waffle mix!). But I wanted something special to make this dinner a little more interesting. That’s where this syrup came in. It is awesome. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I was eating it with a spoon while I waited for the waffles to finish cooking. It’s that yummy. If you’re a peanut butter fan, you have got to try it ASAP.

All you need to do is make a simple syrup with water and sugar on the stovetop. While you wait for it to boil and the sugar to dissolve, place your peanut butter in a bowl.

I love Simply Ground Peter Pan Peanut Butter, because it has the perfect blend of creamy and crunchy consistencies. It is perfect for this recipe since it’s smooth and blendable, while still having a bit of crunch.

When the syrup is ready, slowly add it to the peanut butter and stir to combine. You can use as much or as little of the syrup as you want to reach the syrup consistency you like best. I kept mine a bit thick by using about half of the syrup, but if you want it thinner, just add more syrup.

Absolutely perfect waffle topping.

Since I kept my Peanut Butter Syrup a bit on the thick side, I wanted to add some smooth creaminess to the final dish. Time to bust out the Reddi-wip.

Top with some chopped fruit, and you’re good to go! This was easily one of my favorite breakfast for dinners we’ve ever done. The syrup was awesome, and the Reddi-wip took it right over the top. Crazy good.

Peanut Butter Syrup
Slightly adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup water
½ cup white sugar
¾ cup Simply Ground Peter Pan Peanut Butter

Combine water and sugar in a small pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Place peanut butter in a medium bowl. Slowly add the water-and-sugar mixture, stirring to combine. Add as much or as little of the water-and-sugar mixture to create your desired syrup consistency. Pour over waffles and enjoy!

Now, as promised, here’s one week’s worth of dinner menus, planned out for you so all you have to do is the shopping and the cooking (that’s the fun part, right?).

Monday: Whole-Wheat Waffles with Peanut Butter Syrup, scrambled eggs, and fruit salad

Tuesday: Cashew Chicken served over brown rice with green beans and grapes

Wednesday: Italian Meatball Subs with salad and steamed broccoli

Thursday: Chicken Ranch Burgers with corn on the cob and watermelon

Friday: Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with salad and garlic bread

Find more tools for success at Forkful.com, including a guide to planning meals ahead of time, grocery shopping tips, recipes, and more. Don’t forget to pledge to participate in this one-week challenge by using hashtag #GreatAmericanCookIn on Twitter or Instagram!

Visit Forkful.com for your guide to the #GreatAmericanCookIn, including tips, tricks, and delicious new recipes.

3 Creative Snacktime Cracker Toppings

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StackItUp #CollectiveBias

Nothing sounds more boring to me than eating the same thing day in and day out. I need variety, especially when it comes to my food. 

Instead of eating plain crackers for a snack (although, to be honest, my kids are thrilled with plain crackers), I thought I'd try out some creative add-ons to make snack time a little more interesting at our house. The kids had fun playing around with different toppings, and they all turned out so yummy!

We started with RITZ Original Fresh Stacks that I picked up at Walmart earlier this week, as well as Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter (which I love, btw, and used in an awesome peanut butter bar recipe HERE). Love that the RITZ Original Fresh Stacks make it easier to take snacks on the go -- I can just toss a small sleeve in my purse and be set for the day without having to package up individual baggies for the kids. Anything that speeds our mornings up a bit is a plus for me. You can also find RITZ Fresh Stacks Ultimate Butter for a limited time!

For our cracker snack setup, I laid out a variety of  topping options:

- sharp cheddar cheese slices
- sliced green apple
- cream cheese
- diced bell peppers
- peanut butter
- marshmallow fluff
- chocolate chips

The crowd favorite, hands down, was a peanut butter s'more cracker. First, a layer of peanut butter over a cracker. Then a layer of marshmallow fluff (one child preferred it with the fluff, and one with just the peanut butter). Sprinkle with chocolate chips. The salty cracker plus sweet toppings make an awesome treat, and I love the texture of this peanut butter. So good!

We also really liked topping the crackers with a slice of cheddar and a thin slice of Granny Smith apple. For some reason, cheese and apples together always seems fancy to me. 

I was a bit unsure of the cream cheese and pepper topping idea . . . but it was awesome. My favorite of the bunch, which I was surprised by. You'll have to try this out at home. Really good. 

If you want to try out your own delicious cracker topping snack setup, grab your ingredients next time you're at Walmart! You'll find the RITZ Original in the cracker aisle.

What's your favorite way to top a RITZ Original cracker?

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a very devoted lover of all things peanut butter . . . with the exception of peanut butter cookies. In my experience, they're usually dry and crumbly with this awful greasy stickiness about them . . . basically, just not at all what I want from a cookie.

But I have in my baking arsenal precisely two peanut butter cookie recipes that I love (so far). One recipe comes from my aunt Miriam -- a moist, chewy cookie half dipped in chocolate. They are adorable, fun to make, and wonderful in every way, and you can find the recipe for those cookies HERE.

The second is the recipe I'm posting today. I rediscovered it recently in the recipe binder I've been slowly adding to for years. Only recipes I really, really, really love make their way into the binder. The bad news about The Binder is that sometimes the older recipes are forgotten and overshadowed by newer arrivals. The good news about The Binder is that I get to rediscover them with full faith that they will be delicious (they wouldn't have made it into the binder otherwise).

These cookies are so delicious. Moist and chewy with plenty of peanut butter flavor without getting that sticky, greasy feel that peanut butter cookies sometimes have.

Originally, the recipe called for a big dose of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. I'm sure that's how I must have made it in the past, and I'm sure it was fantastic that way or I wouldn't have saved the recipe. This time, though, I happened to notice these bad boys in the grocery store and used them instead. Delightfulls indeed.

This post is NOT sponsored or affiliated with Toll House or Delightfulls AT ALL, by the way. I just thought these little morsels looked awesome, and that they'd be a perfect addition to peanut butter cookies. I definitely recommend them for these cookies!

My only regret with this recipe is that it doesn't make many cookies -- I ended up with two dozen. And we are big cookie fans, so they sure didn't last long. Next time, I'll be doubling the recipe.

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag Delightfulls chocolate/peanut butter morsels (OR 1 cup peanut butter chips and 1 cup milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat well. Stir in chips, and drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Let cool for a few minutes on cookie sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy happened to wake up from her nap right as these were cooling, and was super chipper and excited to model for me. Sugar and spice, etc etc.

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Trifle + Springtime Ice Cream Sundae Bar

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SoHoppinGood #CollectiveBias

We are so incredibly excited that spring has finally arrived, and since we are in a new area now, we decided to celebrate with a little get-together so the kids could get to know some of our new neighbors better. I pulled together a super quick and simple build-your-own ice cream sundae bar for an easy and fun party. We had a great time!

And for the grownups, I also made a crazy easy but crazy delicious trifle with brownie bites, Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, whipped cream, and hot fudge sauce. YUM.

It seriously took about 5 minutes to put together, but it tasted so good and looked pretty too. Win-win.

Let's start with the kids' adorable sundae bar, then I'll share the trifle instructions.

My kitchen hutch was really easy to deck out for spring with fresh white serveware and darling pink dishes, so it seemed like the perfect spot for a springtime ice cream party. I'm a firm believer that a simple party is the best kind there is. No need to stress out and make your life hectic and miserable to host a get-together. All it took was some yummy treats, simple dishes, and minimalistic decor to make this spot perfectly party ready.

I found the cutest little waffle bowls -- adorable, delicious, and they cut down on dishes I have to wash after everyone goes home. They are a triple threat. I set them out on a cute tray along with some spring decor.

And I put out an array of fun toppings for the kids to choose from. From left to right, we offered salted peanuts, brownie bites, rainbow sprinkles, banana slices, and chocolate sprinkles. We also had hot fudge and whipped cream, which I kept on the kitchen counter so kids wouldn't serve themselves and accidentally drip/spray it all over. The less hot fudge ends up on my kitchen floor, the happier Mama will be.

The 'Bunny Treats' sign felt very appropriate to put out on display with our Blue Bunny®  ice cream options. How cool is that new clear packaging? Love that you can see the flavor swirls through the packaging -- it makes choosing flavors in the store way more fun since you can see exactly what you're going to get!

Our tasty ice cream bar options were Blue Bunny® Super Chunky Cookie Dough (the crowd favorite!), Blue Bunny® Homemade Vanilla, and Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip. I picked them all up (along with all our party goodies and toppings) at Walmart during my regular weekly shopping trip, so it was quick and painless to prep for this party.

A few more white dishes and potted plants, and this made a cute little ice cream party station.

Now to serve the hungry little party animals! Certain little guests kept things simple with just a scoop of ice cream and no toppings (what?! why?!).

But others went all out and requested EVERY topping available. That's more like it.

But I'm pretty sure there are no wrong answers when it comes to a sundae bar. Except for maybe not partaking from the sundae bar at all.

I've never seen these adorable waffle bowls before, but I think they are going to be a must-have for future ice cream nights at our house. They were so tasty, so cute, and the perfect size for a little sundae!

My talented sister Rebekah (of Ritzy Reba designs) helped me out by designing this adorable coloring page for the kids to enjoy after they finished their sundaes. How cute is this?! Just right click on the image and hit 'save' to keep it and print at home for your own party! Please use and enjoy this design at home -- not for any commercial use :-)

For anyone unsatisfied by a build-your-own sundae bar (although I can't imagine WHO that person might be or WHAT their problem is), this amazing trifle should fit the bill very nicely. All the fun of a sundae, pre-stacked and ready to serve.

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Trifle

1/2 gallon Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, softened
1 9x13 pan of brownies (I used a box mix), cut into bite size squares
1 (16 oz) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
hot fudge sauce (enough to drizzle on top)

In a glass serving bowl or trifle dish, layer ingredients as follows:
1 - ice cream
2 - brownies
3 - whipped topping
4 - drizzle of hot fudge
5 - ice cream
6 - brownies
7 - whipped topping
8 - big drizzle of hot fudge
9 - brownies for garnish

Freeze until ready to serve, and let sit at room temperature 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit Blue Bunny® for more delicious #SoHoppinGood ice cream ideas!

A Month of Dinner Menus #3

I've mentioned previously that I really enjoy making dinner menus. I know that SO MANY people despise menu planning, so I'll occasionally post a month's worth of mine. You can see previous dinner menu posts HERE and HERE.

My menu planning looks more or less like this: I sit down on Sunday night, open up Pinterest and any favorite recipe blogs/cookbooks, and make some choices for what sounds good for the week. I usually try a few new recipes each week, as well as a few repeat recipes that I know we enjoy. I plan out one or two sides for each dinner (usually quick, simple stuff, like bagged salad or frozen veggies), and jot down a shopping list for the week. I plan out 5 days of dinners -- the two extra nights are usually leftovers, eating out, or scraping something really fast and simple together (like pancakes and scrambled eggs).

Week 1

photo via Allrecipes

Monday: Italian Sausage Soup with breadsticks and salad. Not the world's prettiest soup, but filling, delicious, and healthy. One of my long-time favorites!

Tuesday: Green Chile Breakfast Quesadillas with fruit salad. Super fast and simple. I've made these quite a few times, and they make an awesome breakfast or lunch, too.

Wednesday: Avocado Chicken Pitas with salad and apple slices. A really quick, light meal. I ignore the guac instructions and just mash my avocado up with salt and lime juice to taste. Really yummy.

Thursday: Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl with green beans and grapes. A repeat favorite -- don't be intimidated by the longish ingredient list. This is good stuff.

Friday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with rolls and broccoli. I've tricked my children into thinking this is chicken. Suckers!

Week 2

Monday: Chicken Fajita Salad Wraps with sweet potato fries. An awesome lunch or dinner that you can easily prep ahead of time. I love it.

Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie with rolls and salad. Mel's recipes are always good. This one was a bit of a longer prep time than I usually spend, but totally worth it, plus leftovers for days.

Wednesday: Alfredo Tortellini with salad and grapes. This one was yummy, but much spicier than I expected. Start slow with the red pepper flakes and add as necessary.

Thursday: Chicken Noodle Stew with salad and rolls. Tasty and satisfying, but I had to add tons of salt to my bowl. Not sure if I just love salt too much, or if the recipe needs a bit of tinkering.

Friday: Chicken Ranch Tacos with Mexican rice and apple slices. One of those rare recipes that we all like, both kids and adults. 

Week 3

Monday: BBQ Turkey Quesadillas with grapes and green beans. A great way to use up leftover turkey or (more often for me) chicken. I love this recipe!

Tuesday: Greek Style Pita Sandwiches with chips and baby carrots. Another long-time favorite of mine. Fresh and delicious.

Wednesday: Sausage, Potato, and Spinach Soup with breadsticks. I honestly can't remember this one, but it's very similar to my favorite copycat Zuppa Toscana recipe, so I'm guessing I liked it!

Thursday: Homemade Pizza with salad. I don't really follow a recipe for the pizza, but I like to make my own dough -- my favorite recipe is THIS one. I've been using it for years! We like to set out a few toppings and let everyone make their own personal pizza.

Friday: Baked Honey Mustard Chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli. I don't care much for mustard, but still enjoyed this chicken. I added some rosemary and thought it was great.

Week 4

Monday: Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Pancakes with scrambled eggs and fruit smoothies. A favorite of ours, and one of the only ways to sneak a vegetable into Forrest's diet.

Tuesday: Oven Baked Ranch Chicken Tenders with rolls and corn. A good chicken tender, but didn't really taste any different to me than a typical chicken tender without ranch. 

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Creamy Tomato Soup and peas. Gotta love a good comfort meal like this one. But I did add quite a bit of seasoning to the soup -- tasted a bit bland to me as written.

Thursday: Easy Quiche with baby carrots and apple slices. I haven't made a quiche in quite a while, and was very happy to rediscover them with this dinner. 

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

This post is sponsored by ConAgra Foods.

We've officially hit that point in winter where I just want to curl up on the couch with a bowl of something hot and delicious, and binge-watch Netflix until spring. Please don't make me get up or go outside. I'm in full-blown hibernation mode now. Bring on the comfort food and reruns!

As far as I'm concerned, nothing beats a hot, creamy bowl of soup for winter hibernation food. This soup fit the bill so nicely: rich and creamy with a delicious tomato base, plus cheesy tortellini and sausage. Look, I even tossed some spinach in, to make my mother proud!

This hearty tomato goodness is so incredibly yummy, and perfect for a chilly winter night. I happen to think it is best enjoyed with reruns of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," a mug of hot chocolate, and the company of someone who finds Andy Samberg just as hilarious as you do. Bonus points if that someone won't make fun of you if you laugh too hard and spill soup on your pajama pants.

You'll start off by cooking some onion, garlic, and smoked sausage together. Then add Hunt's petite diced tomatoes (my favorite because they are so juicy and taste so fresh), tomato sauce, and a bit of water. Bring to a boil and stir in your tortellini, then add some fresh chopped spinach. A stir of cream and you're good to go.

This soup comes together so quickly and tastes just incredible. I love how thick and creamy it is. If you're concerned about calories, feel free to use half-and-half instead of the heavy cream to lighten it up a bit. But I say, hey, we're in the thick of winter. It's cream all the way from here until May.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
13 oz. smoked sausage, halved and sliced
2 14-oz. cans Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 19-oz. package frozen cheese tortellini
3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Pour olive oil into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and sausage, and saute until onion is translucent and sausage is browned. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and spices. Heat and stir until simmering, then add frozen tortellini. When tortellini is cooked through, stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted. Add cream and stir to heat through; do not boil. Remove from heat and serve.

ConAgra Foods products can be found in 99 percent of American households, and include many iconic brands such as Hunt's, Hebrew National, Swiss Miss, Manwich, PAM Cooking Spray, and many more. Whether on their own or as part of a delicious recipe, ConAgra Foods brands are perfect for nearly any eating or entertaining occasion.

What's your perfect recipe for winter hibernation? Any favorite comfort food and TV pairings that help get you through the winter?

Super Easy Minions Movie Night

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MinionsMovieNight #CollectiveBias

Forrest absolutely loved seeing Minions in theaters when it came out, and he hasn't stopped talking about it since. He begs for every minion toy he sees, and has asked over and over when the movie will come out so we can buy it. I couldn't resist for long--I didn't get to see it with him in theaters, and I've been so excited to watch it after seeing how much he loves it, so I picked it up recently for us to watch together. And I thought it would be fun to invite a few of the kids' friends over for an awesome Minions movie night! They had such a blast together, eating yummy snacks and watching their new favorite movie with their buddies.

Today I want to show you a super simple party you can easily recreate at home to celebrate the release of Minions © 2015 Universal Studios. All rights reserved. I think I spent about 30 minutes getting everything ready for our little movie night, and the kids had such a great time watching one of their favorite movies with their friends. You seriously can't beat a fast, simple party--quick decorations, easy food, and the kids having a fantastic time watching a great movie with buddies!

Super easy setup, but it looks so fun, right? I started by clearing off a small entry table and draping a yellow plastic tablecloth over it and tacking it up against the wall. You can find these disposable plastic tablecloths in lots of colors at the dollar store, and they make the perfect party backdrop because they're so inexpensive and make a great colorful background. Yellow and blue balloons are perfect for representing the minions and their signature colors, and I tossed some blue paper confetti over the tablecloth for a little extra color.

I wanted the food spread to be simple and easy to prepare, and also relatively healthy for the kids to snack on while they enjoyed the movie. I set out plates full of sliced fruit as well as 2 yummy dips for the kids to dunk their fruit in.

To keep with the blue and yellow theme inspired by Illumination Entertainment's Minions, I made two yummy fruit dips: Pineapple Vanilla and Blueberry Marshmallow. Oh man, they were good, and so perfect to go along with the movie since they kept with the yellow and blue colors! You can find the recipes at the bottom of this post.

I also set out wooden skewers so the kids could make fruit kebabs to dip. Forrest stuck to a strict grape theme when making his kebabs. (Notice that there are little girls' hands reaching in from both sides of the frame. Ha! Hungry little cuties.)

I made really easy blue popcorn by simply popping a bag of popcorn, placing it in a big bowl, melting a bag of blue candy melts, and stirring it into the popcorn. So easy, and so festive and fun for a minions party! I also set out pretzels and blue raspberry juice with yellow straws.

They snacked on the food spread while watching the movie, and then we played a quick game of 'pin the goggles on the minion' when the movie ended. I cut the minion shape out of yellow posterboard, and made overalls out of blue construction paper. Easy and fast!

They also got a kick out of seeing themselves in homemade goggles inspired by the minions. I cut them out of black construction paper and taped them onto a wooden skewer for a photobooth type of prop, and they thought it was hilarious to wear goggles like the minions. "Say bee-do!"
 

Now, for those delicious fruit dip recipes!

Pineapple Vanilla Fruit Dip
adapted from Mandy's Recipe Box

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 (3.4 ounce) box vanilla flavored instant pudding
16 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice
8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed

Beat cream cheese with electric beaters in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in the pudding mix and pineapple; stir until smooth. If you want a more intense yellow color, add a few drops of yellow food coloring. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Blueberry Marshmallow Fruit Dip
adapted from My Sweet Sanity

7 ounce jar marshmallow fluff
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed

Beat cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth and creamy. Beat in the marshmallow fluff and blueberries until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

-------------------------

Make sure to visit the Minions website to see where you can purchase your copy, as well as some special offers from retailers! Have you seen Minions yet? What was your favorite part?