Get Ready!

Cupcake Diaries is turning 2 next week! I can't believe it's been two years since this blog came to life. I'm celebrating all next week with a different giveaway every day. This year is going to be bigger and better than last year so you don't want to miss out!

Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip

Fall is quickly approaching! When I think of fall, one of the first things that comes to mind is a caramel apple. Caramel apples are such a yummy treat and one of my favorite parts of fall. Now think of a delicious caramel apple mixed up in a cheesecake. Drooling yet? This dip is precisely that beautiful combination. It is super easy to make and ridiculously good. There are only three ingredients-something all of us can handle! How does something so darn good involve so little ingredients? I can see this being present at a lot of parties this fall!


Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip
Cooking Classy
makes enough for a small crowd (around 10 people-ish)

• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, chilled
• 1 c. caramel ice cream topping, chilled (The Hershey's caramel in the glass jar seems to work the best for this.)
• 1 store bought graham cracker pie crust, crumbled

Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and whip it with an electric mixer. Mix till it's smooth and fluffy (about 1 minute). Stir in the caramel ice cream topping.

Break up that pie crust into pieces and crush it up till it's finely broken. This works best in a chopper but if you don't have one, place the pieces in a plastic baggy and use a rolling pin over it till the pieces are nice and fine. Place the crushed pie crust in a small bowl.

Time to dig in! Dip apple slices into the dip, then dip right into the graham cracker crust bowl. And that's it! Super delicious and easy.

If for some reason you have leftovers, store it in the fridge for up to one week.

See's Candy Fudge

First off, I want to wish my sweet husband of 3 1/2 years a happy 32nd birthday! He's such a patient and loving man and I love him dearly. Thanks for putting up with all my crap, Tyson! I love you and happy birthday!!

You all are going to think I've totally lost it. And I probably have, let's be honest. Lately, out of nowhere I've become super excited for the holidays to arrive. Fall is my favorite time of year and my twin sister and I always say that the holidays officially arrive on October 18th (our birthday). Maybe it's the fact that September is just a week away or that Pinterest is crawling with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas ideas...but MAN, I am spazzing out for the holidays! And today's post is total proof of that. When I think of Christmas food I think of fudge. It's my favorite treat to eat during the holidays and I love sampling all different kinds. My wonderful aunt Trina always brings a plate full of various homemade fudge to our family Christmas party and I'm normally the one sampling each flavor. I can't help myself! It's the creamy deliciousness that I can't get enough of. So I decided to go ahead and share a recipe for fudge today. And not just any kind of fudge...See's Candy Fudge. Gahh!!! There's nothing like See's. Sometimes I'll walk in there and pretend like I'm going to buy something just to get a chocolate sample. It's so good!!! And this fudge recipe doesn't disappoint. It's mighty tasty and will be a perfect treat this Christmas. I don't see this making it to any parties though. I'm guessing I'll have the whole batch devoured before I can even think about plating it.

And thank you to Tastebook for the use of the photo!

See's Candy Fudge
Tastebook
This recipe makes 5lb of fudge. Heaven above.

• 4 1/2 c. sugar
• 3 (12 oz) packages milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 lb margarine, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• 7 oz marshmallow cream
• 2 c. nuts

Mix the sugar with the evaporated milk in a saucepan. Heat the mixture to a rolling boil and stir for 7 to 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and melted margarine. It works best to cream the marshmallow cream and melted margarine together then add the chocolate chips.

Pour the saucepan mixture right over the marshmallow and chocolate mixture when it is done boiling. After all the chocolate chips have melted, add the nuts and vanilla. Pour this fabulous mixture into buttered pans and chill in the fridge. Cut into squares before it firms up. Enjoy!!

Rattlesnake Bites (aka Beef-Stuffed Crescents)

Football season is upon us! Pretty sure college football gets going next week. Exciting times lie ahead! Bring on the party food. These Rattlesnake Bites are a delicious appetizer for any party. They're made with crescent roll dough in the tubes so there's no crazy dough making here. You can make each one at its regular size or you can cut the crescent roll dough in half to make them smaller. I prefer to make them smaller so they're more of a bite instead of a big roll-up. But that's up to you! No matter how big you make them, they're going to be a delicious crowd pleaser.

I changed the ingredients for these a bit and called them Rattlesnake Bites. I made note of the original recipe, which is the Beef-Stuffed Crescents.
 

Rattlesnake Bites (aka Beef-Stuffed Crescents)

adapted from Taste of Home

makes 24 servings

• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 oz jalapenos, chopped (The original recipe calls for 1 (4 oz) can of diced green chiles.)
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cubed
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 3 (8 oz) tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough

In a large skillet, cook the beef and jalapenos over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the meat then add the cream cheese, cumin, and chili powder. Let it cool slightly.

Separate the crescent dough into 24 triangles. If you're making them smaller, cut each triangle in half to make them half the size. Place 1 Tbsp of the beef mixture on the wide end of the triangle and carefully roll up. If you're using the smaller triangles, use about 1/2 Tbsp of meat.

Place point side down about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 11-14 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy!

Scary Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a fever. Fall fever! I have, out of nowhere, become incredibly trunky for fall to get here. Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the colors, the cool air, the sweaters, the boots, Halloween...it's all just wonderful. Not to mention I'll be turning 28 this fall! Where does the time go? (Speaking of birthdays...Cupcake Diaries is turning 2 in about two weeks and I've got a whole week of awesome giveaways planned! Stay tuned!)

Because of this crazy fall fever I have, I wanted to share a recipe for a delicious fall goody that seems to be incredibly popular during the fall. And these cookies really are so easy. It's...well, scary. Let's be honest. When it comes to baking, I prefer to make treats from scratch and not from a mix. However, cake mixes are a little different for me. I really like the taste of some boxed cake mixes and love to create all kinds of yummy treats with them. And this case is no different! You'll want to try these cookies, even if you are hesitant to use a cake mix. Once you're done baking these, you'll be so glad you did and wonder how you're ever going to go back to your scratch recipe of these cookies. I love making these from scratch, but this recipe is just too scary easy to pass up!

Scary Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Instructables

• 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
• 1 cake mix, either spice cake or carrot cake
• 1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

Using a mixer or spoon, mix together the pumpkin and cake mix in a large bowl. Make sure the cake mix is nice and blended in with the pumpkin. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon. You can use as many as you prefer, but who wouldn't want the whole bag dumped in there?

Time to bake these babies! Drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. The original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of dough per cookie. This dough doesn't really spread out like most cookies when baked and it tends to retain shape. As you drop the dough, shape it a little in the form you'd like your cookies. You can get all kinds of creative with this!

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Bigger cookies may take a little longer. Allow to sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Enjoy!! Aren't these cookies scary easy?

Carino's Italian Nachos

I worked at Carino's Italian for almost 10 years. Ten years! I started work there when I was 17 and I loved it. It was 2001 and back then the restaurant was called Johnny Carino's. I was a hostess and a table tender (busser), then as I got older I became a server and bartender. I made some of my closest friends while working there and had a lot of great experiences. I think about my Carino's friends often and how the restaurant kept us all close. We had a blast working together and then spending so much time together outside of work. I miss those days and those people! (Andiamo!)

I'm sure my Carino's friends can agree with me when I say the Italian Nachos is one of the most asked for dishes on the menu. Not only is it the most popular appetizer, but a lot of people order them for their lunch or dinner. I can see myself standing at the table as someone orders the Italian Nachos. My automatic response was always, "Chicken, sausage, or combination?"

Carino's Executive Chef is Chef Peit and he has a blog on the Carino's website. As part of that blog, he's been generous enough to share the build for Italian Nachos with the public. And since he's shared it on his blog, I wanted to pass it right on to you! These nachos are seriously awesome. If you've tried them before, you know what I'm talking about. And if these are new to you, you have to try them! They're the best!

Carino's Italian Nachos
Carinos.com

• 7 oz wonton wrappers (You can find these at any grocery store in the produce section. They'll be by the egg roll wrappers and tofu.)
• canola oil
• 1/3 c. ground Italian sausage, cooked
• 1/3 c. sliced chicken, cooked
• 2 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 c. fresh diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c. black olives, sliced
• 1/4 c. pepperoncini peppers, sliced
• 1/4 c. jalapeno peppers, sliced
• heated alfredo sauce

Alfredo Sauce
This is NOT the original Carino's Alfredo Sauce recipe. However, it tastes pretty darn close to it! It comes from Texas Housewife. This link includes other Carino's copycat recipes!

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 c. parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
• 1/4 c. whole milk

Saute heavy cream, milk, and pepper to a consistent boil. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and fold in the parmesan cheese. Set aside to use on nachos or store in the fridge for later use.


Build for Nachos

Begin by preparing the wontons. Unwrap them and peel them apart. Then cut them into triangles, 3 inches long and 2 inches tall. Size will vary depending on what you buy. Heat the oil up to 350 degrees in a fryer or a deep pan. Drop the cut wrappers into the hot oil for about 60 seconds until the wrappers float and become crispy. Make sure the wrappers aren't sticking together when they go into the oil. Once the wrappers are fried, they become the chips. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to dry.

Place pasta chips in a mound on a baking sheet tray. Top the chips with jalapenos, pepperoncinis, tomatoes, olives, chicken, and sausage. Top with mozzarella cheese. (Top with desired amount of cheese. You don't have to use the full 2 cups.)

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese has turned a light golden brown. Be careful not to burn the chips! Remove from the oven and top with hot alfredo sauce. Enjoy!!

New Year, New Lunch: School Lunch Makeover

Having a hard time trying to figure out what kind of lunch to send the kids to school with this year? It seems that a lot of parents are in the same boat and trying to either be a little more creative with their kids' school lunches or just wanting to send them with something besides the classic pb & j. Thank goodness for Pinterest and all those creative parents who came up with these ideas! Check these out:

 Thermos Lunch @ Simple Bites

I wasn't a huge soup lover as a kid, but I think if I could have brought it in a thermos at school I would have eaten it a lot more!

 Sticky Stacky Sandwiches @ Super Healthy Kids

It turns out eating a sandwich on a stick is much more fun than the regular way!

 Apple Teeth @ Momma Gets Real

Combine apple slices with marshmallows and creamy peanut butter for a very smiley lunch treat!

Grilled Chicken Bites with Cheese & Crackers, Fruits, and Veggies @ Another Lunch

I love how everything in this lunch is in small bites. The grilled chicken is a genius idea!

 Submarine Lunch @ Lisa Storms

Did anybody else start singing "Under the Sea" just now?

 

Back-to-School Lunch Labels @ One Charming Party

And finally, seal that super fun lunch up tight with these great Back-to-School Lunch Labels! Did I mention they're free?

Strawberry Lemonade Slurpee

Just when I feel like my summer is getting going, it seems to be coming to an end! School districts all around us are starting school as early as next week and, while it's quite exciting, it also means that summer is about to come to a close. That's a little sad! However, I'm super excited for fall to come around. It's by far my favorite season and I'm so excited for all of the fun fall holidays!

This slurpee is a fun beverage for the kiddos to make on of these last days of summer vacation. Depending on the lemonade you use, this drink is actually quite healthy for them. You can make your own lemonade from scratch or buy it from the store. This is a perfecty sunny day sip!

Strawberry Lemonade Slurpee

Babble

makes about 3-4 glasses

• 2 c. lemonade
• 1 - 1 1/2 c. ice
• 1/2 c. frozen strawberries

Blend the ingredients together and pour in glasses. Garnish with a fresh lemon for a little color. Enjoy!

Change the fruit to change the flavor! Try...

• mango
• pineapple
• blueberry
• peach
• raspberry
• banana
• and more!
  

Holiday Syrup

On Friday we went to Ashton, Idaho for our very last family reunion with my mom's family at my grandparents' cabin. We will continue to have family reunions every year, but the cabin is being sold and will be enjoyed by a new family starting in October. My grandparents' cabin has been the gathering place for our annual family reunions every second weekend in August since 1978. It sits right on Fall River and has been a place where we can all escape from the rest of the world to enjoy one another's company. My cousins and I have made many wonderful memories thanks to that cabin, and we're all so grateful to have those memories to look back on. My grandparents are wonderful people and have really struggled making such a big decision in selling the cabin. My grandma grew up in Ashton and the land that the cabin is on was given to them by her dad. And my grandpa built that cabin with his own two hands. It's a very special place, but we all knew it was going to sold sooner or later. We're just so glad to have the memories there that we have. Not too many people can say they grew up having such a wonderful time at a cabin with their cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents every summer. We're going to miss the cabin dearly and I'm thankful for my grandparents and their willingness to share it with us.

The cabin is what inspired today's recipe! Every year at the reunion we have one big, yummy breakfast with all kinds of pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, etc. With 50+ people, room inside is slim when it comes to gathering together and eating a meal. The food is prepared inside and out on grills, griddles, and stoves then brought out to the garage where long tables are set up, ready and waiting to welcome the food. We all dish up out in the garage and eat all around the cabin: frontyard, inside, back deck, etc. For the last so many years, this Holiday Syrup has been made as an option to put on top of the pancakes and french toast at breakfast. This stuff is fabulous and so delicious. One of the best things I've ever tasted!

This recipe would be doubled for a large group like at one of our family reunions.

The image above comes from Budget Gourmet Mom, who makes a very similar recipe for this syrup. Big thanks to her!! She agrees with me on how delicious this stuff is. In her words: "I want to make a bazillion gallons of this then take a bath in it."

Holiday Syrup

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 tsp. Karo syrup
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Bring the butter, sugar, buttermilk, and Karo syrup to a boil in a large pan. Remove from the heat and stir. Then add the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will fizz to twice the size. Stir occasionally and serve while hot.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

Sometimes two kinds of cookies are better than one. That's why I'm super stoked about these Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies! I can have two of my favorite cookies rolled into one and only eat one cookie, not that anything has stopped me from eating one of each kind at the same time before. But you get what I mean! This concept of a cookie within a cookie is pure genius. These cookies taste like cookies and cream ice cream and the texture is just awesome. Nice and chewy. Good luck having leftovers of these! You'll want to eat them all!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

Lovin' from the Oven

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 6 Tbsp sugar
• 6 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda (Use baking powder instead if you want puffier cookies like those seen above.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 11 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces (I know, why 11? I thought this was the perfect amount. But you can do less and add more if you want more Oreo. Who doesn't want more Oreo?)
• 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and both sugars until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla.

Place the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Slowly add this mixture to the sugar and butter mixture, then stir in the Oreos and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

Use a medium size cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until you can they turn a light golden brown on the chocolate chip cookie dough part. Allow to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack or you'll have a mess. A delicious mess, but a mess indeed!

Magical Frosting

We finally have internet again after moving on Saturday!! We've felt like pioneers for the last three days with no cable or internet. It's sad how much we rely on the two!

I have to tell you what I did last week right before we moved. I was in the pantry moving stuff around when I knocked over an open box of cornstarch. Cornstarch went all over EVERYTHING. We had our crockpot, toaster, and other appliances in there so cornstarch got all over those as well. I bent over to pick up the dropped box when I knocked a bottle of yellow pearl sprinkles over, and for some reason it didn't have a lid. Sprinkles EVERYWHERE. And those suckers bounce. I stood back up, looked around, and just left the pantry. I didn't even know where to start with the mess so I just left it. I ended up going back later that day to clean it up after I had a nice, long break from it.

There are few things in life that have made me stop everything I'm doing and say right out loud, "Shut. Up." This frosting made me do just that. It is stop everything, "no one talk to me so I can savor this moment" good. It is seriously the best frosting I have ever had. And that, my friends, is what makes it so magical. It is simply the best!

When I saw this recipe for the first time I read on to see that there is a chocolate version. Heaven above.

This fluffy and creamy goodness can work on anything from sugar cookies to cakes and bars. Who am I kidding, you can put this stuff on a steak and I'd eat it.


Magical Frosting
Mel's Kitchen Cafe
makes 4 cups (perfect for 2 nine-inch cake layers)

This frosting takes advanced planning because it has to reach room temperature throughout the process. Plan ahead for this one! This frosting is best made and used fresh. Chill the frosting for an hour if you plan on piping it.

• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. flour
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch (Gah!! Darn cornstarch! ha ha)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 sticks butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan and pour the milk mixture through the strainer into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk. Depending on your stove, this could take 5-10 minutes. It will bubble at the end and thicken a lot.

Place this mixture in a clean bowl and cool to room temperature. (EXTREMELY important!!) The frosting won't beat up properly if it is even a tiny bit warm. Once it is completely cooled to room temperature, beat the vanilla into it on low speed until it is well combined (about 30 secoonds). Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting till all the butter has been fully incorporated (about 2 minutes). Incerease the speed to medium-high and let your mixer go to work. Beat the frosting for five minutes until it is light and fluffy. Let it sit at room temperature for about an hour so it can get nice and stiff.

Chocolate Version: Add 1/4 c. cocoa powder to the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and flour mixture in the very first step. Once it has been mixed for 5 minutes and is light and fluffy closer to the end, mix in 3 oz. of melted semisweet chocolate and completely cool to room temperature.

*Note: The author of this recipe said the chocolate version is a lighter color than what she expected but tastes delicious. She plans to increase the chocolate to 4 or 5 oz next time.

Back-to-School BOGO at Famous Footwear

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Famous Footwear for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Recently I've come to realize that after having a baby my feet have grown half a size. After my first baby, my feet got a half size smaller so I'm back to my orginal shoe size. You would think this would be a good thing, but I got rid of all my old shoes and now all of my shoes are too small. I have to admit, even though I was bummed that none of my shoes fit, I was super excited to be able to go shoe shopping! I can't think of anything I'd rather shop for than shoes.

I love going to Famous Footwear because of all of the different variety of styles available. It's so easy to shop there and I never leave without finding something I love. My shoe predicament hasn't come at a better time because right now Famous Footwear is running an awesome back-to-school promotion: BOGO (Buy One, Get One Half Off) + 15% off! I'm so excited about this! Not only will this work great to get myself a new pair of shoes, but my husband needs a new pair of work shoes that can work as the other half of the promo. Perfect!

Click below to get your coupon for this awesome deal! You can redeem it in-store between 8/2-8/18.

BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon

 

And while you're there, be sure to join the FREE rewards program!

• Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend in-store or online
• Accumulate points to earn certificates up to $100 a year
• Discount offer just for signing up
• Other special inside discounts and perk

Enjoy your coupon and all the other savings you'll get at Famous Footwear! I hope you're excited to go shoe shopping because I sure am!

Funfetti Cake Batter Dip

I love a good dip at a party! With all of the options out there, I never thought of making something sweet and desserty like this Funfetti Cake Batter Dip. I love this dip and how easy it is to make. You can dip all kinds of delicious goodies in this dip: fruit, graham crackers, animal crackers, etc. And it really does taste like Funfetti cake batter! This dip is wonderful.  It's good for a party, but it's also really easy to make individual portions if you don't want to make a big bowl of it. But why wouldn't you want to make the whole bowl? That's just crazy.


Funfetti Cake Batter Dip
Adventures in Food

To make a full bowl:

• 1 box Funfetti cake mix 
• 1 tub lite Cool Whip
•  2 c. low fat vanilla yogurt

Fold the ingredients together. Serve immediately or keep it in the fridge until you need it.


To make an individual portion:

• 3 Tbsp Funfetti cake mix powder
• 2 Tbsp vanilla yogurt
• 1 Tbsp lite Cool Whip