homemade box of chocolates

I love chocolate. Every year when Valentine's Day comes around I get excited to see all the chocolate that permeates the aisles at the store. There are so many boxes of chocolate, but I often find that unless you spend a large sum of money to get the good stuff, most of the heart shaped boxes just don't satisfy. You don't get much bang for your buck. This year I thought I would make a few of my own mini boxes of chocolate to give to some friends.

The process was really simple, and much cheaper than buying a box of chocolate. First, find yourself a box and some decorative paper you love.


Next cut a piece of paper that is big enough to fit your box. I picked two papers. One for my box and one for the lid. I then cut slits at each of the four corners so you can easily fold the paper up to glue one side at a time. Use a brush to apply mod podge to the sides of the box.


Pull the paper up and press it on the side of the box to cover it completely. Smooth any bubbles out. Repeat the process until every side is covered, trimming any excess paper as needed. Follow the same process to cover your lid.


I filled my box with my favorite chocolates. Oreo balls! They are so delicious and easy to make. I am not promising any health benefits, however. You can find the recipe at the bottom of a past post HERE.


Tie on a pretty ribbon and you are finished! A pretty, delicious, homemade box of chocolates for you to surprise someone with (it can even be for yourself, I won't tell!).

chili con queso dip recipe {it's superbowl party time!}

We had this appetizer on Christmas a couple of years ago and I fell in love. It was so delicious, I could hardly stop thinking about it until I got the recipe from our friends and made some more! It's now our go-to appetizer for holidays, football game parties, or Saturday nights. Not only because it's mouth-watering, but because it's so cheap and EASY!

Queso Dip Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can regular chili (just beans, not meat--we like Nalley's or Hormel)
1 can jalepeno chili (same brand)
1 8 oz. block cream cheese (use the full-fat stuff--it's worth it!)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until cheese is melted and combined well with the chili. Serve warm with tortilla chips.


We usually transfer the dip to a mini crockpot to keep it warm (I seriously went out and bought one of these JUST for this dip).

In case you're looking for other great Superbowl Sunday recipes, here are links to a few more that we love!

Cowboy Caviar


Sweet Chex Mix


Veggie Dip


Sloppy Joe Turnovers


Egg Rolls


MORE GAME DAY RECIPES: Bacon Wrapped Sausages, Super Bean Dip, Hot Artichoke Dip, & Game Winning Meatballs

sour cream brunch cake

It's fluffy. It's moist. It's simple. It's delicious. It's easy to make. What else do you need to know?

Sour Cream Brunch Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small package vanilla instant pudding
1/2 c. oil
1 c. sour cream
4 eggs
2 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and beat 4 minutes at a medium speed. The batter will be very thick. Pour into a greased and lightly floured bundt pan. Cook cake for 5o minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Then turn out onto a plate and lightly sprinkle powdered sugar over the top, if desired.

holiday peppermint mud pie recipe

Ones last recipe for 2010. An oldie but a goodie. My friend Vanessa (who doesn't really read this blog but always gets referred here by her mom and sister-in-law--hi Fifes!) asked me to make this for a church activity and I couldn't believe I'd lived this long without the recipe! It's easy and sooo yummy. Perfect for your New Year's celebration!

Holiday Peppermint Mud Pie Recipe

36 Oreo cookies, crushed (I ended up using the whole bag because you can never go wrong with more Oreos!)
1/2 cup margarine, melted (can use butter, but margarine works better!)
1/2 gallon ice cream, softened (we use Peppermint or Candy Cane for the holidays, or any mint chocolate chip ice cream is good for traditional mud pie)
1 jar fudge ice cream topping.
1 8oz. container Cool Whip

Mix cookie crumbs and margarine together. Press into bottom of 9"x13" pan, reserving some crumbs to sprinkle on top. Freeze 20 minutes. Spread 1/2 gallon of softened ice cream over cookies and freeze 20 minutes. Heat the jar of fudge ice cream topping for 10-15 seconds in the microwave and spread over the ice cream. Freeze 20 minutes. Spread Cool Whip on top and garnish with cookie crumbs. Freeze at least 20 minutes or until ready to serve (Vanessa recommends making it the night before).



You can't believe how fast this went. I also sprinkled crushed candy canes on top in addition to the cookies. Really cute. (Sorry, no pic--my pan was gone before I could get a picture!)

fluffy pumpkin dip and cinnamon sugar chips recipe

A friend shared this appetizer (or is it dessert?) at a recipe swap recently and everyone gave it rave reviews. Try it for your holiday party--you won't regret it!

Fluffy Pumpkin Dip with Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas (via www.ourbestbites.com)


Pumpkin Dip
16 oz. light Cool Whip, thawed out
1 (5-ounce) packet of vanilla pudding (instant)
1 small can of Libby's pumpkin - (15 oz.)
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, mix together pudding, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Gently stir in Cool Whip.This takes about 5 minutes to get the mixture smooth. (After mixing, I usually stick this in the refrigerator
for a while before serving it.)

Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips
Flour tortillas (I used about 7 large tortillas) and holiday cookie cutters
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
Butter flavored Pam cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl. Use metal cookie cutters and a cutting board to cut your tortillas into desired shapes (use leaves for fall, gingerbread men, trees, stars, etc. for Christmas). Place them on parchment or foil-lined baking sheets.


Spray all of the tortilla cut-outs with butter flavored cooking spray on the top side that is facing you.


Sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar mixture. Tip: I put the cinnamon-sugar mixture in an empty spice bottle so my kids could help sprinkle it on. They loved it! Lightly spray again with cooking spray to make sure the cinnamon sticks.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Place the chips on racks to cool off. Serve with Pumpkin Dip.



This is so yummy! But make lots of chips--they'll go fast!