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White Witch Cocktail

When I was a kid my best friend & I would throw a Halloween party every year, usually a couple days before Halloween. We would alternate houses for hosting, my mom would sew us matching costumes & a good portion of the school would attend. It was a great time every year. Do you usually go to a Halloween party?? How about hosting one?? If you do – I have the perfect easy cocktail for you to add to your party menu. This White Witch Cocktail is just a couple ingredients & whips together in just a few seconds. It will definitely keep all your party guests happy! I like this recipe because it’s made for adults – but it’s so simple to just omit the alcohol if you want to make a kid friendly version.

So maybe you don’t have a party going on this year.

You can still whip one of these up to enjoy while you pass out candy.

So for the kid friendly version – omit the vodka & creme de cacao.

Replace with milk & a splash of vanilla. Now everyone can have one.

Print Recipe

White Witch Cocktail

Ingredients

**Recipe is per person serving
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce white creme de cacao
1/4 cup ice

Instructions

Add all ingredients to your blender & blend on high 10-15 seconds
Once you reach a smoothie consistency - pour into our serving glass (martini glass or goblet)
Garnish with a witch's broom straw

Want more great beverages?

Vampire Punch

Gingered Cider Hot Toddie

Crock Pot Cranberry Cider

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Pumpkin Pecan Bread {w/ cream cheese glaze}

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

Oh well – it’s time for some serious pumpkin recipes. Pumpkin is so packed with nutrients that I figure if I use it in enough recipes – we may get some of the benefits from it. Even if a lot of what we are making is goodies. It still has a little health benefit??!! No?? Well that’s okay – Pumpkin Pecan Bread w/ cream cheese glaze is so amazing, it doesn’t matter. The whole family loved having this for breakfast. It doesn’t get any more fall than a good ol’ pumpkin bread recipe.

You will just love how easy this is to make. Throw it all in the mixer & then bake. Nothing complicated – which is great for these busy days as we get closer to the holidays. Imagine enjoying this on maybe….Thanksgiving morning. I like to have several loaves for guests & then take some out to the neighbors the day before Thanksgiving so they can have breakfast already handled for the next morning.

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Pecan Bread {w/ cream cheese glaze}

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree not pie filling
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1-1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup pecans

Icing

2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 conventional/ 325 convection
Mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, water & sugar in mixer bowl until well blended
In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, spices - then add to mixer bowl - beat well about 30 seconds
Add pecans
Spray loaf pans (this made 3 mini loaves) with Bakers Joy
Fill pans equally with batter
Bake in center of oven 50-60 minutes
Cool in pan on wire rack
Remove from pans
Place all glaze ingredients in small bowl & whisk until well blended.
Use just enough milk to bring it to the consistency you desire - I used about 2-3 tbsp.
Drizzle over the tops of the loaves
Store in refrigerator

Want more pumpkin ideas for breakfast?

Pumpkin Caramel Biscotti

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Cherry Pie Ice Box Cake

By Kleinworth & Co 4 Comments

I like no bake desserts. I don’t always have the time to be in the kitchen to make goodies. But sometimes events or activities come up & I need to whip up something. This is why I keep stockpiles of homemade pie filling in the freezer. It makes whipping up a dessert quick & simple – like this Cherry Pie Ice Box Cake. Back in August I shared this fabulous recipe over at Or So She Says as a wonderful dessert to enjoy over the hot summer months. Just because it’s cooler now & we are enjoying fall, doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy this treat. Besides – if I remember right, it’s still quite hot in the desert Southwest for at least another couple months. So this is perfect for all you desert dwellers. 🙂 I remember those long summers all too well.

So if you want to make this super fall like- just substitute the cherry pie filling with this great caramelized pear pie filling.

It’s great either way.

I love that I can take 10 minutes in the morning & assemble this, pop it in the freezer for the day & we can enjoy it in the evening after dinner. Perfect!!! It also works great for pot luck – you just grab it out of the freezer when it’s time to go.

Print Recipe

Cherry Pie Ice Box Cake

Ingredients

1 16 ounce tub whipped topping- thawed - divided
8 ounces cream cheese - softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp Princess Cake Bakery Emulsion
1 box graham crackers
10 ounces homemade cherry pie filling
1/4 cup chocolate jimmies

Instructions

Line 2 layers of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish
In a separate bowl - beat cream cheese until soft
Add confectioners sugar & emulsion - beat until combined
fold in 1/2 of your thawed whipped topping
Spread over your layer of graham crackers
Add a layer of cherry pie filling - reserving some for topping at serving
Add another layer of graham crackers
Add remaining whipped topping & spread out evenly
Top with chocolate jimmies
Refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow the crackers to soften
I like to make this the night before & freeze. Then transfer to refrigerator in the morning & keep there until serving.
Top with additional cherry pie filling when serving

Want more easy desserts?

Poached Pears

Frozen Brown Cow

No Bake Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Sugar Skull Wreath

By Kleinworth & Co 10 Comments

This easy-to-make Sugar Skull Wreath is the perfect Halloween decoration to spruce up your front door for the holiday.

Okay – so I’m not a huge fan of Halloween. I really don’t decorate too much – except with a general fall theme that lasts from September through November.

If I didn’t worry about getting my house egged – I probably wouldn’t hand out candy. I would rather just enjoy it for myself – especially since my kids are too old for trick-or-treating or dressing up.

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Pumpkin Caramel Biscotti

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

Pumpkin Caramel Biscotti is a delicious fall recipe filled with warm spices and all the seasonal flavors you love to pair with your coffee.

WOW- it sure has been a long time since I made biscotti. But with the cooler air & the fall colors, I have really been feeling the need to make a little something to enjoy with some coffee in the morning & some warm tea in the afternoon.

So instead of making my usual biscotti recipe, I had to really jazz it up with some fall flavors. Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg & caramel all come together to make Pumpkin Caramel Biscotti. So lovely on a crisp fall day. I know you will love it!

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Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

By Kleinworth & Co 2 Comments

Are you starting to think about menu planning now that fall has arrived? I definitely have. I like to serve something new each time we gather for the holidays along with the family recipes we have year after year. I think it’s fun to not always have the same exact thing all the time. When you add new things to the menu it gives an opportunity to see what people really enjoyed & decide if you want to make that dish into a new family favorite that will be passed down through the generations. I think I came up with one of those recipes this time. These Bacon Wrapped Green Beans are similar to bacon wrapped asparagus – only better. Why are they better? Because they are green beans & our family LOVES green beans.

It’s super simple to make these. I will definitely be doing this side dish for all my holiday gatherings.

My kids – absolutely loved these! My son was wanting to clear the platter for me.

Print Recipe

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Ingredients

1 pkg Butterball Turkey Bacon
1/2 pound fresh - un-cut green beans
granulated garlic
garlic salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees conventional/ 400 convection
Rinse green beans & allow to dry
Take 1/2 piece uncooked bacon & wrap around 1 individual green bean & place on a large baking sheet
Repeat with remaining green beans & bacon
Sprinkle with seasonings to taste
Bake 20-25 minutes - or until bacon is fully cooked

Want more side dish ideas?

15 Minute Drop Biscuits

Caprese Pasta Salad

Black Bean & Corn Salad

Milky Way Crumble Bars

By Kleinworth & Co 19 Comments

Ever since I made those Fig Crumble Bars the family has been begging me to make more. I hardly ever make the same treats unless it’s a true family favorite. So I decided to take their love for the crumble bars & change it up a bit. This girl needed some chocolate & caramel. So the perfect thing for that is a good ol’ candy bar. So I just combined the two & it was a match made in heaven. These Milky Way Crumble Bars are divine!!!

Look at all that gooey goodness!!! Oh my – these are SOOOO good!!!

You know you want one! Especially with how quick they come together.

In just 30 minutes you could be eating one yourself!

Print Recipe

Milky Way Crumble Bars

Ingredients

1 pkg yellow cake mix
2-1/2 cups quick oats
1-1/2 sticks butter- melted
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 milky way fun size candy bars

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 conventional/ 350 convection
Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment- set aside
In a large bowl, combine cake mix & oats.
Pour in melted butter & mix with a large spatula until crumbly
Pour 3/4 of the mix in your prepared pan & press down into an even layer
Add candy bars- evenly spaced
Top with chocolate chips to fill in any areas not covered by the candy bars
Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top
Bake 20-25 minutes- or until golden.
Remove & cool completely before cutting

Want more bar recipes?

Fig Crumble Bars

Mint Irish Cream Bars

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Bars

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Deep Fried Mashed Potatoes

By Kleinworth & Co 2 Comments

I like to change things up a bit when it comes to dinner ideas. What you would normally have for dinner can get dull & I always like to surprise the kids with something different. So I decided to take your regular mashed potatoes & turn them into a kid-friendly dish we can make together during the week. These Deep Fried Mashed Potatoes are fun & simple. They make a great appetizer for game day or just a different take on the usual side dish. It’s easier than you think & I promise- your kids will love them.

My kids loved that they were different than your typical mashed potatoes & gravy. These made potatoes something to look forward to. Adding them to the skewer & turning them into a sort of “mashed potatoes on a stick” was something they really enjoyed.

Just roll, egg, panko & eggs – then fry. Yep – that simple.

Print Recipe

Deep Fried Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1 pkg Simply Potatoes - mashed potatoes
4 eggs
2 cups panko - or bread crumbs
peanut oil for frying

Instructions

Take a tablespoon full of mashed potatoes & roll it into a ball.
Dip & roll in egg wash
then dip & roll in panko & back in egg wash once more
Place on baking sheet & repeat until all the mashed potatoes are used
Refrigerate the prepared potatoes for a minimum of 30 minutes
Once potatoes have chilled in refrigerator - prepare your oil approx 1/2 inch deep in a large heavy pan.
Preheat oil to about 350 degrees
Place chilled potatoes in hot oil & cook until deep golden brown
Remove & drain on wire rack
Sprinkle with a little salt

Want easy kid-friendly week night recipes?

Deep Fried Tortellini

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Gourmet Hot Dogs

Apple Pie Spice

By Kleinworth & Co Leave a Comment

This homemade Apple Pie Spice is the perfect seasoning mix for all your fall recipes. Add it to pies, warm drinks and so much more.

Have you ever taken a whiff of something and been instantly transported to a world of warm sweaters, falling leaves, and the joy of the holiday season? Well, I’m about to introduce you to just the thing – Apple Pie Spice!

This aromatic blend of spices not only fills your kitchen with the coziest fall flavors but also elevates every apple dessert you whip up. It’s one of my favorite parts of fall.

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DIY Sisal Basket

By Kleinworth & Co 8 Comments

Several months ago I was telling you about how I was crafting up a storm to create things for the new house. Well we moved in nearly 3 months ago & I’m just now getting to sharing some of those projects with you. You know how it goes. Time slips away. But this DIY Sisal Basket was so easy that I had to share it with you before any more time continued to pass. I absolutely love that with just a fraction of a $20 spool of sisal I was able to create my own basket for our hearth. Let me show you how you can make one too. (*apologies for the hands on images. They were taken in our last house- which means terrible lighting)

I started with a large spool of sisal & some Mod Podge Matte. I wrapped the outside of a large bowl with plastic wrap.

I started coiling the rope in a circle on the bottom of the bowl.

I brushed on a decent amount of Mod Podge to coat the rope heavily.

Then just repeated every so often as I wrapped.

Once completely wrapped around the bowl, I added another THICK coat of Mod Podge to all of the rope. I used a clamp to hold the end piece in place while it dried. Then I set it aside to be untouched for a couple days while it dried. Once dry I just pulled it off the bowl & discarded the plastic wrap. It was ready to be displayed.

I love that I made my own basket. Simple projects like this are my favorite.

Want more fun & easy projects for the home?

Easy Rope Vase

Re-Purpose Ornaments

Corn Husk Fall Place Setting & free Printable

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

15-Minute Drop Biscuits

By Kleinworth & Co 7 Comments

15-Minute Drop Biscuits are an easy homemade biscuit recipe that is perfect for every dinner. It brings Easy Family Dinner Ideas to a whole new level.

My hubs has this thing. He has to have 3 items on the plate come dinner time. I wasn’t really raised like that. For most of my life, it was just my mom & I.

We lived off things like toast for dinner followed by a bowl of cake & ice cream. Yeah – good thing I had a very fast metabolism at the time.

Scroll to the bottom for the Printable Recipe

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Banana Macadamia Nut Cookies

By Kleinworth & Co 12 Comments

Banana Macadamia Nut Cookies are soft and chewy pudding cookies that twist on the classic white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

Have you jumped on the pudding cookie craze? I had not ventured into the pudding cookie up until a couple of weekends ago. Boy – I think I am a total convert.

It truly changes everything about the cookie. These Banana Macadamia Nut Cookies were originally meant to be a standard white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. But the hubs picked up cook & serve pudding when he did the weekly shopping.

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Poached Pears

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

Oh my. I told you yesterday that I was working on a simply divine dessert that I made that Hazelnut Caramel Sauce for. Well here it is…Poached Pears. They are so simple yet look so incredibly elegant dished with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream & a little drizzled caramel sauce over the top. Oh – yeah, I poached them with cinnamon so the whole house smelled AMAZING too. My son- the cinnamon feign – was in heaven from the start. It was all he could do to wait for me to photograph these before having some. Yes the poor children have all these wonderful smells floating through the house on a daily basis. I’m sure it can be quite distracting for them when they are trying to do school & all they want to do is come down to the kitchen & see what I’m making. Hehehe – seriously, these are that kind of dessert. Simply divine!

Oh my word – really, these are the perfect fall dessert.

I’m so in love with these poached pears. I could have a bowl just like this every single night.

Print Recipe

Poached Pears

Ingredients

2 firm pears - stems attached
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water

Instructions

Peel pears & using a melon baller- scoop out the core from the bottom - leave the stem end intact
In a medium saucepan- combine pears, water, sugar & cinnamon
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cover & reduce to low
Allow to simmer 10-15 minutes -or until pears begin to soften
Let cool in the liquid - they will continue to cook as they cool
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream & hazelnut caramel sauce

Want more great pear recipes?

Caramelized Pear Pie Filling

Caramel Pear Cobbler Bars

Caramel Pear Breakfast Cake

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Hazelnut Caramel Sauce

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

If you are like me – this time of year is all about caramel. I love drizzling caramel on top of so many wonderful fall recipes. But if you are a regular reader here then you know that because I have given you a fairly healthy amount of recipes all oozing with caramel. I can’t help it. Something about seeing the dribble making it’s way down something decadent just makes me want to dive in. So it’s no surprise that I created this Hazelnut Caramel Sauce to share with you all today. You see, I was actually working on another AMAZING recipe that I will be sharing with you all tomorrow. I was ready to plate it & get it ready to photograph when I realized that it really needed a little somethin’somethin’ drizzled all over it. So I quickly whipped this up. I planned on just including it as part of the recipe tomorrow. But then I realized just how great this is as an ice cream topping or poured over a breakfast cake. It truly deserves it’s own post – it’s so GOOD!

You see – typically I would have grabbed the pecans first for a recipe like this. But then I saw this huge bag of hazelnuts staring at me from the pantry – just begging me to use them in something wonderful.

Print Recipe

Hazelnut Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

1/4 cup roughly chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine butter, brown sugar & milk in a small saucepan.
Heat over medium & bring to a boil - stirring constantly
Boil about 1 minute
Remove from heat & stir in hazelnuts & vanilla.
Cool slightly before serving immediately
or - transfer to sterile jars & keep refrigerated until ready to use. (store up to 1 week)
Serve warm

Want more great caramel recipes?

Best Homemade Caramel

Homemade Caramel Apples

Crock Pot Dulce de Leche

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Skinny Caramel Popcorn ~ Low Calorie Popcorn

By Kleinworth & Co 1 Comment

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

This time of year is so treat heavy. I try to make better choices through the week. One thing I have really been trying to do is to take our family favorites & change them up a bit to make them in skinny versions. This way we can still enjoy the things we love- but have to spend far less time working it all off at the gym. Life is so crazy busy these days & so I really love products that make my life easier & are convenient without sacrifice. It seems most of the time if I want fast & easy it comes with a high calorie price. So I created this Skinny Caramel Popcorn for my family so we don’t have to feel like we are compromising. Let me tell you – it satisfies every craving & doesn’t taste skinny – which is why I love this Low Calorie Popcorn. Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas?

On my weekly shopping trip to Walmart I found this Skinnygirl Popcorn.

Any snacks that say skinny always grab my attention. So I had to buy it.

Here’s what we start with – Skinnygirl Popcorn in butter flavor. It also comes in Lime – which would be a tasty twist. Then we have raw honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract & yogurt covered raisins. I also added some trail mix – but it was last minute -so it didn’t make the shot.

We make our “caramel” first because it has to cool a bit & thicken up before pouring over the popcorn.

This only takes a minute or two to melt the honey & coconut oil together.

Pop your popcorn & add your mix ins while you are waiting for your caramel to cool.

I love making #SkinnygirlSnacks with the help of #CollectiveBias.

Mix it altogether – enjoy!! So simple- only takes a couple minutes.

My poor daughter – since she has braces she can’t enjoy this with the rest of us.

She is sure going to be happy when she can try this.

Skinnygirl popcorn offers great taste with just 25 calories per cup popped.

What makes the Skinnygirl products unique?

Every Skinnygirl product offers at least a 20% calorie savings vs. it’s competitors

No artificial flavors – No artificial colors – No artificial sweeteners (e.g. aspartame, sucralose) – No high fructose corn syrup

You know how I feel about all those things & how I have been working hard to eliminate those from our family’s diet as much as I can. So I was absolutely thrilled when I read this about Skinnygirl Popcorn.

The mix ins are great too. With regular caramel popcorn I would mix in some chocolate covered candy or marshmallows – or both. I have been known to mix in all sorts of things – but you know, this was just as good & I didn’t feel like I was missing out on any of that.

Print Recipe

Skinny Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

*Note- this is a family size recipe
3 bags Skinnygirl Popcorn - popped
1 cup yogurt covered raisins
1 cup trail mix of choice
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Starting with the sauce
Combine coconut oil & honey in small sauce pan & heat on medium until coconut oil is melted & the two are blended.
Remove from heat
Add salt & vanilla - stir & set aside to cool
Meanwhile- pop popcorn & place in a large bowl
Add your desired mix-ins
Once your "caramel" is cooled slightly it will look like thicker, milky honey
Pour over your popcorn mix & stir to coat evenly
Enjoy!

Want more great skinny versions of tasty favorites?

Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream

Caramel Macchiato Ice Cream

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken Soup

By Kleinworth & Co 6 Comments

Do you love easy crock pot meals? Yeah – me too. Easy Family Dinner Ideas are my favorite. I love those days when I can throw everything in there & let it go & dinner is done. As these days get shorter it seems like the hubs gets home & before I know it- it’s time for bed. So anything I can do to speed up the dinner process the better it is for my sanity. A long while ago I came up with this recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken Soup that has turned into a family favorite. I’m sure it will be for you too!!

It’s not completely homemade- there is a little canned soup & chicken stock involved. But that’s part of the ease of it all. All these ingredients I keep on hand at all times – so when I am in a pinch for dinner it’s really nice to throw this together & not worry about it.

These cooler temps definitely call for a warm & hearty soup.

I am seriously obsessed with this one. I have a hard time not going back for seconds.

When we have company & need to make a lot – this recipe doubles quite well. Sometimes I do that even when we are not having company & then we have leftovers for a couple days. So one easy meal turns into 2-3…maybe that’s why I love it so much.

Print Recipe

Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken Soup

Ingredients

5 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast - cut into chunks
26 ounces cream of chicken soup 1 large can (just the soup- don't add water as this will be taken care of with the broth)
16 ounces chicken broth you can use water instead if needed
12 ounces salsa
3 sweet peppers - diced (we love using the mini sweet peppers like these https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fresh-Mini-Sweet-Peppers-16-oz-bag/10324377?athbdg=L1200 )
½ purple onion - diced
½ bell pepper - diced (whichever color you prefer)
2 jalapeno peppers - diced
1 tomato - diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Combine the chicken, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, salsa, sweet peppers, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, and tomato in the crock pot & cover.
Cook on high for 4-6 hours - stirring occasionally.
After about 4 hours - remove the chicken & pull it apart in a separate bowl to shred.
Return the now pulled chicken back to soup & cook another 1-2 hours on low.
In the final 30 minutes - add the cheese - stir.
Top with additional cheese when serving if desired.

Want more great soups?

Tuscan Ravioli Soup

Crock Pot Turkey & Rice Soup

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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How to Build a Butcher Block

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

A little bit ago I shared with you how I monogrammed my homemade butcher block with a promise that I would also eventually share how I built the block itself. Well today I am doing just that. You see – we started with just a salvaged scrap piece of a header from the pile outside our house during the construction process. I knew the moment I saw it that I wanted to make it into a butcher block. The hubs didn’t quite see my vision – but after months of talking about it, I finally had him on board to at least help me a little. I am happy to say that I was able to prove him wrong & he loves it. He was sure skeptical – but I think it gave him a sense of accomplishment to complete the project along with me. So let me show you How to Build a Butcher Block.

So here it is – the rough cut piece we salvaged. I actually think this was part of the piece from our mantle.

The hubs used a belt sander to get it as smooth as possible. Then I used the mouse sander to fine tune that sanding.

If you plan on monogramming your block – now is the time to do that.

It’s so much easier to do it before you add the legs so you can really move your block piece around.

For the tutorial – see How to Monogram a Butcher Block

We had bought these table legs for another project that I will share another time. They didn’t work for that one – so they sat there stained & ready for something else for months. I decided that I didn’t like the color after all – so I picked my favorite color paint & gave them a couple coats. It was just regular flat house paint. Then I used sealing wax – usually used on chalk paint over the flat paint once it was dry. This makes it really durable.

Now here is where the hubs ideas & mine differed. I wanted to attach the legs to one large board & then attach to the block. When he came home from the hardware store he had one long plank that we cut to the width of the block. As you can see – we used long wood screws from the top of the board to attach the legs to it. **Drill holes first – then screw in- otherwise you end up splitting the wood. While this particular part is not quite as I had originally planned – it works out fine. Also – adding this extra piece makes the block a bit taller – perfect for my 6’6″ hubs to use too.

Then we again- made our holes & then drilled our screws through them to attach the leg boards.

Now – oil, oil, oil!!!

You need to add oil to your block multiple times before it’s ready to use. The wood is thirsty!

We liberally oiled ours at least 4-5 times before bringing it into the house for use. Then re-oil once every few weeks to keep it looking great.

Here’s the finished piece!

I love how it turned out & I’m so happy I was able to add the monogram too.

Want more great projects for the home?

Antique Sewing Table Makeover

DIY Pallet Console Table

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Plum Fruit Leather

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

Hi everyone!!! We are cruising right along through September. Wow – I already have Thanksgiving on the forefront of my thoughts. I can’t believe it. A couple weeks ago I shared this recipe for Plum Fruit Leather over at my dear friend Desiree’s. You see the hubs had done a produce stock up at Costco & things were going south faster than expected. I needed to whip up some recipes that called for some major quantities of fruit. So I started with the fruit leather. I just love it – what a great snack to grab on the go. Let me show you just how easy it is to make!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

You start out washing all your plums & cutting in half & removing the pits.

Place on a large baking sheet – insides up.

Then roast them for about 20 minutes. Remove & carefully transfer them to the food processor.

Be careful- there will be hot plum juice all over your tray.

Allow your oven to cool to about 170-200 degrees.

Process until smooth. Then transfer to a large bowl & add your sugar. Mix well so that all the sugar dissolves.

Pour onto another baking sheet lined with parchment – make sure your parchment is larger than your sheet. You want all of the liquid to be contained in the parchment.
Once your oven has cooled to the right temperature – place your baking sheet back in & bake for 6-8 hours. I made the mistake of turning off my convection after the roasting & didn’t realize it until most of the drying process was done. If you have a convection oven – definitely use it & expect your fruit leather to be ready earlier. Keep an eye on it for timing. It will depend on your oven & the thickness of your liquid based on the size baking sheet/sheets you use. I was able to fit mine all on one 3/4 sheet.

You know it’s done when it’s no longer sticky & has a smooth surface. Mine dried around the edges first & sort of pulled the parchment in as it shrank up a bit. That’s okay if it does that. If it’s too dry on the edges when the center is finally done- just trim those parts off when cutting into your strips. Be sure to store in an airtight container.

The whole family loves these. So great for grabbing as we are running out the door to the gym or just need a little snack mid-morning. So I’m sure I will be making more soon.

Print Recipe

Plum Fruit Leather

Ingredients

4 pounds plums
1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Washing your plums & cut in half & remove the pits.
Place on a large baking sheet - insides up.
Roast plums for about 20 minutes.
Remove & carefully transfer them to the food processor.
Allow your oven to cool to about 170-200 degrees.
Process until smooth.
Then transfer to a large bowl & add your sugar.
Mix well so that all the sugar dissolves.
Pour onto another baking sheet lined with parchment - make sure your parchment is larger than your sheet. You want all of the liquid to be contained in the parchment.
Once your oven has cooled to the right temperature - place your baking sheet back in & bake for 6-8 hours.
You know it's done when it's no longer sticky & has a smooth surface.
Store in an airtight container.

Want more fall recipes?

Apple Pie ~ Easiest Homemade Recipe

Cinnamon Candy Apples

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Popcorn Pork & Rice Supreme {Dinner in 30 minutes}

By Kleinworth & Co 1 Comment

This blog has been compensated by it’s advertisers for this post- all opinions are my own.

Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas? This time in my life is quite bittersweet. My kids are getting older & I am really, truly loving who they are becoming. Spending time with my kids is a wonderful experience. They are not just my children but great people too. Now that my oldest is half way through his 16th year I am all too aware that my days of having them here with me are passing by way too quickly. I have always cherished my moments with them & tried to savor my days that I get. With my mom gone now- I have grown to appreciate just how special the everyday moments can be. So the hubs & I have been bringing the kids into the kitchen more & more to have them help with meal prep. The boy has become my right hand when the hubs is working late & I need help in the kitchen. This is what happened the other night. The hubs had a Board of Commissioners meeting late into the evening. Normally I would make a crock pot meal- but I had other things going in it that day & it wasn’t available. So since I like quick & easy dishes – I decided to take a tried & true UNCLE BEN’S® Crockpot Chicken & Rice Supreme recipe (from Mars Uncle Ben’s) & turn it into a 30 minute meal. Let me show you how easy it was to make this Popcorn Pork & Rice Supreme.

I started with these UNCLE BEN’S® ready rice packets. Cheesy & good!!

Here’s the boy stirring the rice – he’s such a great helper. Look how tall he is now!!

Look at that! Just place a few pieces of popcorn pork over the top of the rice.

The crunch of the pork with the great cheesy flavor – so good.

Have you heard about UNCLE BEN’S® Beginners™ Cooking Program?

Cook as a Family for a Chance to Win Big Prizes!

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Entering is as easy as making a short cooking video with your child.

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This is really a great recipe when cooking with your kids! Simple & quick & there is so much they can do to help in preparation.

Print Recipe

Popcorn Pork & Rice Supreme {Dinner in 30 minutes}

Ingredients

1 lb pork stew meat
1 12oz can cream of chicken soup
1 12oz can cream of mushroom soup
2 tbsp water
1 diced sweet pepper
1 tbsp butter
salt pepper, season salt & granulated garlic to taste
1 bag UNCLE BEN’S® Ready Rice Creamy Four Cheese Flavor
1/2 cup flour
peanut oil

Instructions

In a large bowl combine pork, flour & seasonings - toss to coat all the pork
In a large deep skillet - add peanut oil just enough so that it covers the bottom of the pan
Heat oil to frying temperature (350-375 degrees)
Place your floured & season pork in the oil & cook a minimum of 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden brown & crispy on the outside.
Remove from oil & place in a large bowl lined with paper towels - sprinkle with salt while still moist from the oil
Place bowl in microwave (do not turn on) to help keep it warm while you prepare the rice.
In a stockpot - combine soups, water, butter, chopped pepper & UNCLE BEN’S® Ready Rice
Heat over medium until it is hot throughout & starts to bubble. This should take no more than 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
Once heated - serve & top with popcorn pork
Enjoy!

See- I told you it was simple!

I love that this comes together so quickly – no excuse to not have a home cooked meal that tastes great!

This Post Brought To You By The UNCLE BEN’S® Brand.

Want more 30 minutes or less dinner ideas?

Simple Teriyaki Stir Fry

Gourmet Hot Dogs

Buffalo Loose Meat Melt

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Captain America M&M’s Cookies

By Kleinworth & Co 19 Comments

Do you like comics? How about your kids? I love the nostalgia that comes with comics – especially ones like Captain America. So today I’m sharing these Captain America M&M’s™ Cookies. As you know – I love all things patriotic & what character is more patriotic than Captain America? I am so LOVING these cookies.

Aren’t these just the cutest patriotic cookies? I love that they are adorned with M&M’s! Not only do they look great but they are so yummy too. My kids were so excited. They were commenting the whole time they were baking about just how wonderful the house smelled. I love that.

Print Recipe

Captain America M&M’s Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup 2 sticks butter
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
red gel food color
blue mega M&M's

Instructions

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside
In your mixer bowl with paddle attachment - beat butter until soft.
Add sugar & beat until light & fluffy.
Add in eggs one at a time - beating after each one.
Add vanilla
Add dry mixture & beat until just combined.
Remove half the dough & wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten out to 4x4" piece & refrigerate.
With remaining dough beat in food color to your desired pigment. I added close to 50 drops of gel color to achieve this red.
*Note - adding this much color will make your dough sticky. You may want to add in a tablespoon or two of flour to keep it more firm & easier to work with later.
Remove red dough & separate into 2 equal parts. Wrap with plastic & refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
After your dough has chilled - remove one of the red dough packs
Place between 2 layers of parchment & roll to a large rectangle
Remove top layer of parchment & roll dough into a log. This will be your center piece.
Wrap with parchment & place in freezer while you work with the next layer.
Remove your white dough from refrigerator & roll out in the same manner you did the first batch. Once you have a thin, even rectangle - place your red log on the white dough & roll into a larger log.
Follow these steps for the final red dough.
When you are done you should have a large red log with the centers looking like a bulls-eye.
Preheat oven to 350 conventional/ 325 convection
Line 2 - 3/4 baking sheets with parchment
Take your log & slice it into 1/4 inch rounds - I like to use unwaxed/unflavored dental floss to cut through the dough. This helps it keep it's shape when cutting.
Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart to allow for spread.
Bake 9-11 minutes
While they are baking you can separate our your blue M&M's from the package so you have them ready.
Immediately when you remove from oven - place your blue M&M's in the center before the cookies cool.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for storage.

Want more great M&M’s recipes?

M&M’s Cookie Dough Bites

Patriotic Cookie Dough Brownie Bars

White Chocolate M&M’s Popcorn

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Fig Crumble Bars

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

WOW – I can’t believe how fast this year is going by. It’s fall & I am so excited. For me September means lots of baked recipes, lots of caramel flavored things & figs, apples & pears. I know many are already into pumpkin. But I really feel that with all the attention pumpkin gets through October & November – I really want to hold off as much as I can on the pumpkin flavored things until then. So I am focused on all my other favorite flavors right now. I love the flavors of fall & that wonderful smell drifting through my house. Since I have not made a crumble bar recipe in a really long time, I decided to take a jar of that wonderful fig butter I shared a little bit ago & pair it with some buttery crumble bars. Then I topped the Fig Crumble Bars with a drizzle of glaze. But not just any ol’ glaze. I made this salted caramel mocha glaze that was absolutely perfect with the fig butter. Oh my – the family is sure loving the tastes of fall coming out of the kitchen right now. I love Yummy Bar Recipes!

I know I say this a lot- but it’s true, this recipe is SO EASY. If you can mix a couple ingredients in a bowl & then bake – then you can do these. Really- that’s all there is to it. Don’t you love quick & simple recipes? When I whipped these up I also had 3 other recipes to make in that same slot of time in the kitchen. When I have that much to do- quick is key. I love that clean up is easy too.

You know- you could use whatever flavor spread you want in these. I just happened to have all this fig butter on hand. Maybe next time I will make some with my pumpkin butter.

Such buttery goodness paired with that wonderful salted caramel mocha drizzle. Oh so YUMMY!

I’m telling you – these are the perfect way to kick off the fall baking season. I LOVE this Salted Caramel Mocha creamer. It’s great for starting my day in my coffee. But I also love that I can use it in so many other ways to bring that flavor I love into other recipes too. Salted caramel mocha tops my list for all time favorite fall flavors.

Print Recipe

Fig Crumble Bars

Ingredients

1 pkg white cake mix
2-1/2 cups quick oats
1-1/2 sticks butter- melted
8 ounces fig butter
2 cup confectioners sugar
2-3 tbsp International Delight Salted Caramel Mocha coffee creamer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 conventional/ 350 convection
Line a 10x10 baking pan with parchment- set aside
In a large bowl, combine cake mix & oats.
Pour in melted butter & mix with a large spatula until crumbly
Pour 3/4 of the mix in your prepared pan & press down into an even layer
Add fig butter- spreading into a thin, even layer
Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top
Bake 20-25 minutes- or until golden.
Remove & cool completely before frosting & cutting

For the frosting

Place confectioners sugar in small bowl
Whisk in creamer one tablespoon at a time until it's thin enough to pipe across in a pattern but still thick enough to hold it's shape.
Transfer to pipping bag or a small zip top bag with the corner cut off
Pipe on in desired pattern
Cut into bars - enjoy
*Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Be sure to connect with International Delight for more great fall flavors.

Facebook & Pick up some great new ideas on Pinterest!

Want more great fall recipes?

Caramel Pear Turnovers

Caramel Pear Cobbler Bars

Caramel Pear Breakfast Cake

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Peanut Butter Granola Cereal

By Kleinworth & Co 18 Comments

Did you know that September is Better Breakfast Month? How cool is that?! Most of you regular readers know that for over a year now I have been committed to homemade breakfasts for my kids. That doesn’t mean giving up things we love. It just means that I make my own versions of them. One thing the kids really love is this Peanut Butter Granola Cereal. I love that it is packed full of great protein from peanut butter to kick off their mornings right. I love peanut butter in most things & adding to to breakfast (beyond spreading it on my toast) is so much fun. It’s so simple to make too.

Mornings can be hectic, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on flavor or nutrition. Making time for breakfast and choosing to incorporate ingredients like peanut butter which is high in fiber, protein and good fats can play a role in maintaining your diet.

We also like to spread peanut butter on a bagel, stir it in a smoothie or top off your waffles for a quick and easy serving of protein. Peanut butter is not only nutritious but it’s very versatile!

Did you know that 90 percent of American pantries contain one or more jars of peanut butter, making it an easy go-to ingredient to help make breakfast quick and convenient?! I know we have 8 different jars in our pantry right now- all different flavors & varieties. Yep- we love peanut butter.

Print Recipe

Peanut Butter Granola Cereal

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: granola, peanut butter

Servings:

Ingredients

3 cup oats
2 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup raw honey
1 cup mix ins - I used a dried fruit blend of raisins cherries & blueberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 conventional/ 325 convection.
Mix oats, sugar & mix-ins into a large bowl.
In a small saucepan- combine coconut oil, peanut butter & honey.
Heat over medium until it's pourable & fully melted.
Remove from heat & pour over your dry mixture.
Toss to fully coat.
Spread out on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake 10 minutes- mix stir to expose uncooked areas.
Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Remove & allow to cool completely before transferring to airtight container.

Notes

**To make this recipe in the Air Fryer - Preheat to 250 degrees. Adjust the ingredients, either reducing by 50-75% depending on the size of your air fryer. Cook for 20 minutes - stirring every 7 minutes. You can remove sooner than the called for time if the granola has reached your desired brown.

Note - this can be made with gluten-free oats. Alternate mix-ins can include walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup in place of honey, dried raisins, fruit, or cranberries.

Want more great ways to use peanut butter?

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream

Peanut Butter Sauce

Antique Sewing Table Makeover

By Kleinworth & Co 3 Comments

Do you have certain pieces of furniture around the house that really need some attention & yet you have been putting it off for years? I have several. Now that we are finally in our house AND I have a nice climate controlled studio space where I can comfortably work on such projects – things are actually getting done around here. It’s all a long time in coming but I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to finally do it. It’s helping me fine tune each room of our house & I am just so happy about it. This latest project is my Antique Sewing Table Makeover. It was really begging for some attention & it only took an afternoon to do it. I used Vintage Decor Paint from Martha Stewart Crafts® & I just LOVE how it turned out.

Let me show you how easy it was.

Here is what I started out with. My grandmother’s vintage sewing machine & cabinet. As you can see – it’s pretty thrashed. This is the original finish & after 60+ years – it’s definitely in need of some TLC. We are currently using it as a side table for the cat’s food & water in the laundry room. It was just sad & I was so happy to finally give it a makeover.

First thing- tape off the top from the bottom since I am working with 2 colors.

The color I chose for the bottom portion is Antique Sky – Martha Stewart Vintage Decor paint. It gives a great Matte Chalk Finish. I gave the bottom half of the table 2 good thick coats of this. I loved that there is no prep & the paint is self priming. Hurray for time saving products that take extra steps out & still turn out fabulous.

Antique Sewing Table Makeover

I knew I wanted a little extra flourish to keep it feeling vintage – so I added the bottom flower pattern using this Martha Stewart Stencil

Next I used the same paint – color… Wedding Cake on the top of the table. This matches the stenciled pattern.

Once it was all dry, I added this Clear Wax with this gorgeous brush. I have a thing for paint brushes -so I was really loving this one. The clear wax is great because it adds an extra tough layer over the paint to help guard against nicks & scratches. This table is used in my laundry room & my cats are jumping on it all day long. I am happy to have something over the paint to help keep all my hard work beautiful & looking perfect.

I had completely forgotten the color of the machine when I picked the colors of the paint. It works well I think. The room had a lot of warm light coming in during the time I was photographing this project. The color of the bottom half is really close to the color of the sewing machine. It’s just not showing up with the light.

I also gave a new coat of metallic paint in brushed nickel to the little piece of hardware to spruce it up.

Here’s a better look at the stencil.

Here is the table closed. This is usually how I use it. I wish the machine still worked. Then I would have set this up in my studio. How cute it would be in here. Maybe one day I will get it running. But for now- this is one antique in the house that’s looking great.

Want more projects for the home?

How to Monogram a Butcher Block

DIY Pallet Console Table

*Disclosure: I originally compensated for this post either monetarily or with product. All opinions are truthful & my own. Sponsored messages have been removed.

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

General Tso’s Chicken Salad

By Kleinworth & Co 2 Comments

Last week I shared with you this recipe for General Tso’s Chicken Salad as an easy homegating recipe along with a whole bunch of other info. Because we enjoy it so much & it’s sooo good, I really wanted to give it it’s own post. I think it really deserves that. Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas? Sometimes when I include recipes along with other content it tends to get overshadowed. That makes me sad, especially when it’s a recipe that we enjoy so much. It’s such an easy way to have a nutritious side dish or make it your main meal. The kids like to have leftovers for lunch too. Personally – I like my food to be visually interesting. So all these colors & then that pop of flavor make me happy.

Like most salads – just throw it all in there- give it a toss & it’s good to go.

I think that is why we are making this one so often – the ease & it’s soooo good

Print Recipe

General Tso’s Chicken Salad

Ingredients

3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 lb General Tso's chicken - cut to bite size
1 cup chow mein noodles
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 small oranges

Instructions

Add spinach, noodles,almonds & oranges to large bowl - toss
Add chicken & sesame seeds - toss
Add additional sesame seeds when serving

Want more great salads?

Caprese Pasta Salad

Black Bean & Corn Salad

Garlic Cabbage Slaw

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

By Kleinworth & Co 11 Comments

Wow – it’s been a really long time since I baked some cookies. I had yet to break in the new oven with a cookie recipe & we moved in 2 months ago. It was sure time. The hubs has been begging me for some oatmeal cookies but I am just so over my regular recipe. I wanted something different. I was sent some samples of Peanut Butter from Peanut Butter & Co. & of course the first one I wanted to test was the White Chocolate flavor. No one had any objections & I was truly craving a really good cookie. I was not disappointed. These Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies turned out SO soft & chewy. YUM!

The kids LOVED these. We love soft & chewy cookies. Just like you get at the bakery.

The flavors of the peanut butter & white chocolate are fabulous.

The oatmeal just gives it a little more body & fullness that I often crave in a cookie.

Print Recipe

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies are easy to make cookie recipe packed with rich and creamy peanut butter and white chocolate chips.

Prep Time10

Cook Time11

Chill30

Total Time21

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookie, oatmeal, peanut butter

Servings:

Ingredients

1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick ) room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup quick oats
1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

In mixer bowl- combine butter & both sugars. Beat until light & fluffy.
Add peanut butter, nuts, extract - blend well
Beat in egg
Add flour, baking soda & salt - mix well
Add oats - beat well for 1 minute.
Fold in 1/2 of the white chocolate chips
Cover & refrigerate at least 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees conventional/325 convection
Line baking sheets with parchment
Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls & place at least 1-2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet
Top with additional chocolate chips
Bake 10-11 minutes for soft cookies- 13 for crisp cookies
Remove & allow to cool on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack
Store in airtight container

*Disclosure: I was sent product from Peanut Butter & Co. to try in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are truthful & my own.

Want more cookie recipes?

Oatmeal Date Cookies

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Nutella Salted Sandwich Cookies

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Caprese Pasta Salad

By Kleinworth & Co

Now that we are settled in our house we are getting back into our routine of making family dinner each night. I can’t tell you just how nice it is to be in the kitchen together as a family & creating wonderful dishes that we all enjoy. Family time is so precious & I am enjoying each & every moment I can. Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas? One thing we do often is make enough one night so that we have enough leftovers to last us another night or two. This makes it easy when coming home late from the gym to still have a delicious meal when we aren’t here to prepare it. Our latest creation is this Caprese Pasta Salad. It’s perfect for those evenings when we don’t have a lot of time – which seems to be more often than not these days.

I love that it has everything in there that we need. Veggies, beans for protein, olives, homemade croutons for grains & mozzarella for dairy.

It’s practically a meal in itself. An 6 ounce serving left me quite satisfied.

If you plan to make this full quantity & have some leftover for the next day, I recommend holding out the croutons & adding them when serving so that they stay crunchy when refrigerated. When ready to serve – give a drizzle of Kraft House Italian Lite Dressing for that perfect zest every time. I like it because it adds just the right amount of flavor & still keeps it light.

I’m adding the recipe here which is great for a large family with a second night of leftovers. There are 5 of us & this was enough for a second night AND lunch on the 3rd day. This portion is also great for parties & potlucks. If you are making this for a small family, or a single night – you can easily half the recipe. For personal size, 1/8 recipe is perfect.

Print Recipe

Caprese Pasta Salad

Ingredients

16 ounce box Garden Rotini pasta - cooked al dente & cooled
2 cups grape tomatoes
6 cups baby spinach leaves - rinsed & dried
12 marinated artichoke hearts
1-1/2 cups homemade Garlic & Herb Croutons
16 ounces mozzarella cheese - cut into bite size pieces
1 can pitted olives
1 can black beans - drained & rinsed
1/3 cup Kraft House Italian Lite Dressing

Instructions

Cook pasta a according to box directions - drain, rinse under cold water & add to large bowl
add in all other ingredients
Toss to disburse dressing & mix ingredients
Serve immediately
If you plan on saving some for leftovers - add croutons after serving individual plates
Keep refrigerated
Will keep for up to 24-48 hours

For more recipes using Kraft House Italian Lite Dressing connect with Kraft!

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube

Want another great side dish? How about this…

Black Bean & Corn Salad

Need a beverage to pair with this?

Coconut Lime Tea

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Change up your dinner routine with Kraft. Visit KraftRecipes.com for great recipes and meal ideas, featuring Kraft. Because food deserves delicious.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kraft. The opinions and text are all mine.

How to Monogram a Butcher Block

By Kleinworth & Co 11 Comments

Do you ever have those projects that you say you will do “someday” & then sort of get put off? That is until you find new inspiration to jump right in with both feet. That’s what happened to me with this project. You see – when we were in the beginning stages of building this house, I found this piece of header laying in the scrap pile. I squealed & then asked the hubs to save it for me. So we took it back to our rental & it sat in our garage while we waited for our home. He kept asking me, “what are you going to do with this thing?” I kept telling him that I was going to make it into a butcher block. Well – we just hit our 2 month mark here in our home & the project is complete. I will be sharing how I actually built the butcher block in another post here soon. You see, the thing that sparked my desire to finally get it done was the addition of the Dremel Micro 8050 to my arsenal of tools. So today I am going to share How to Monogram a Butcher Block. It was so FUN & easy – even for this beginner diy-er.

Here it is! Check it out!! It comes with a great little kit of starting bits & tools.

I love the variety that came in the starter accessory kit.

Light and easy to handle in tight spaces, the Dremel® Micro™8050 is packed with features that have crafters, hobbyists and DIYers in mind: soft grip, LED front-end lighting to illuminate projects, a docking station that continually charges, and an 8V Max Lithium-ion battery.

Once my block was ready, I created my monogram design in photoshop & printed on just regular paper. Then I used image transfer carbon paper between my image & the block. Then I traced the image.

I traced over my image transfer with pencil so it was easier to see.

Then I started with my cutter accessory & started cutting away at my design.

**I should tell you that I used a small scrap piece of wood to practice on first. I wanted to be sure I knew the feel of the Dremel & was comfortable with it before starting on my actual project. I was so happy I did because it took a little getting used to so I knew exactly what the tool would do & the pressure that was needed to work the project like I needed to. Things like the lines in the wood from the tree rings – it’s harder than the rest of the wood & that took some practice to work with.

Here is what it looked like after cutting. This did take some time because I wanted it pretty deep. Because it’s cordless – I ran it out of battery several times. Which gave me time to stretch my legs & work on some other projects I had in the works that weekend too. I did get over 1-2 hours of non-stop cutting with each round.

So in my trial piece I used wood stain & a cotton swab to darken the area. That didn’t work so well & the cotton swab was too big. There was a bunch of bleed over & the color wasn’t quite right. So my son suggested that I use those furniture scuff fix markers. While I thought that was a great idea – I decided that a regular fine tip Sharpie in brown was the right tool. It did bleed out a little bit in some areas – but I like that it gives it a burned & rugged look.

That’s it for the monogram. I told you it was easy for a beginner diy-er. Here is the finished block.

I really can’t wait to start working on my next project with the Dremel Micro.

The Micro 8050 can cut, carve, engrave, sand, grind, sharpen, clean and polish—helping you bring just about any brilliant project to life.

You can purchase the Micro 8050 nationwide at Home Depot and Lowe’s and online at Amazon.com for $89 USD.

I love how it turned out & that it’s a sentimental piece from our house – that is now being used in our house.

I actually sent the hubs back to the hardware store to pick me up the mega pack of accessories for future projects.

My head is swirling with ideas now. The possibilities are endless.

Dremel wants to celebrate its fans’ brilliant projects, work and ideas! Now through October 3, share, tweet or post photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that depict your brilliant ideas using the hashtag #MyBrilliantIdeaSweeps for the chance to win weekly prizes, including free tools, gift cards and handmade gifts, or the grand prize: a custom-engraved Honda scooter and a Micro 8050. Visit www.facebook.com/dremel for rules and to learn more.

For more information on Dremel products, project ideas and problem-solving tips, visit www.dremel.com.

Connect with Dremel on Twitter & Pinterest

Want more projects for the home?

DIY Pallet Console Table

Raw Husk Corn Husk Wreath

Easy Rope Vase

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Garlic & Herb Croutons

By Kleinworth & Co 2 Comments

The other day we were making salad as a side dish. There is this joke in the house that I like to have a little salad added to my bowl of croutons. If you know me – then you know I’m not a huge fan of salad in general. But I will on occasion have a garden salad with the family – as long as I have plenty of croutons. But this particular day we didn’t have any. So I finally did what I have been saying I would do for a very long time. I made these Garlic & Herb Croutons & I can’t believe I have been paying for them for all these years. Really – it was so simple- they tasted fabulous & I didn’t have to worry about having bread go to waste. The best part is that I was able to have my bowl of croutons garnished with a little salad along with the family. Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas?

Okay – so I said it was easy. When I say easy, I mean crazy easy!!!

Cut, toss with your addins & bake. Done! Literally! There is no reason why you should be buying croutons – EVER!

I think I may now take them & crunch them up to use as topping for other things too. YUM!

Now I’m hungry as I type this. I may need to go find a snack. Just looking at these makes me want some!

Print Recipe

Garlic & Herb Croutons

Easiest homemade crouton recipe!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: croutons, garlic

Servings:

Ingredients

½ loaf french bread 1-2 days old is perfect
¼ loaf pumpernickel bread
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tbsp granulated garlic
2 tbsp Mrs. Dash seasoning
1 tbsp parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 conventional/ 350 convection
Cut bread into cubes & place in large bowl
Slowly drizzle olive oil over bread - turning to coat
Add seasonings & continue to toss to be sure to distribute the seasonings & oil as evenly as possible
Place on large baking sheet & bake for 15-20 minutes
Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before transferring to airtight container
Will store well up to 2 weeks in pantry

Notes

These can be made in the air fryer - just cook at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, stirring after the first 5 minutes. You may need to reduce the recipe or work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

Adapt seasonings as desired.

So what to have with your croutons & salad???

This French Onion Cheese Sauce is great on some grilled chicken – with a little salad on the side.

How about a little pasta? This Chipotle Spinach Fettuccini is FABULOUS!

Do you like a soup/salad combo? You could use the croutons in this Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup too.

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

John Wayne Casserole

By Kleinworth & Co Leave a Comment

John Wayne Casserole is a hearty casserole with ground beef, veggies, biscuit crust, creamy gravy, and cheesy topping to feed a whole family.

It is a biscuit casserole dish that has been around since the 70s, and you’ve probably heard about it at least once.

A classic family dinner casserole, that feeds a crowd and is an easy meal to make even on weekdays. Many recipes have the same name now but all share the same hearty rich flavor and simple ingredients.

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3 Tips to Mixing Modern and Rustic Styles in the Home

By Kleinworth & Co Leave a Comment

Since I am talking more & more about our home, I have here today Tali Wee of Zillow to share with you all 3 Tips to Mixing Modern and Rustic Styles in the Home. I think eclectic styles are the easiest for most people to put together in their homes because most people collect pieces from all sorts of places when they are putting their homes together. But there is a way to do it right so that it all comes together nicely. It doesn’t have to be all matching to work well together & Tali is here today to show you how.

Zillow Digs: The Corcoran Group

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Blackberry & Banana Ice Cream

By Kleinworth & Co 2 Comments

Okay – last summertime post I swear! After today I’m jumping into fall. But I just loved this Blackberry & Banana Ice Cream so much that I couldn’t let the last little but of summer slip away without sharing it with you. It’s simple, quick to make & HEALTHY too. You have got to love that.

Just look at that color!! I just swoon. I had no problem letting the kids eat this for breakfast on our last couple hot days we had. Bananas & blackberries – just because it looks & tastes like ice cream doesn’t mean it’s not good for you. They absolutely loved it.

With this one I decided to freeze it overnight before serving. I had a few other things that needed to be eaten first. But I think next time I will eat immediately & enjoy it soft serve style.

I originally shared this Blackberry & Banana Ice Cream post on Or So She Says.

Print Recipe

Blackberry & Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

5 frozen bananas
2 cups frozen blackberries
1-1/2 cups almond milk

Instructions

Add all ingredients to blender & blend on high until completely smooth & combined.
Serve immediately for soft serve or transfer to airtight container & freeze several hours for a firmer ice cream.

Want more easy treats?

Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream

M&M’s Cookie Dough Bites

Frozen Kit Kat Pudding Pie

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Cake Batter Meringues

By Kleinworth & Co 8 Comments

Today is all about MERINGUE!!! You see – meringue was a favorite for my mom. She baked A LOT & meringue was her “go-to” thing. I originally planned on sharing her Meringue Buttercream frosting. But then I decided to make her favorite cookie – meringues instead. But that’s not all! Since one of our favorite things to do while baking together was lick the bowl while we waited for cakes to bake – I decided to make these little gems cake batter flavored. She would have loved these Cake Batter Meringues.

These are definitely a tribute to my wonderful mom. It was however rough for me while making them. I can touch just about anything of hers – except her baking stuff. Baking was so much a part of who she was & so many of my memories are of us together in the kitchen. It’s really hard to even touch her tools without breaking down. But in honor of her – I did it & she would love these.

Light & airy – with a subtle hint of cake batter flavor. YUM!

This made several dozen cookies. They are about 1-1.5 inches in diameter & they filled my 3/4 sheet. I probably should have used my full sheet for these – but I was already committed once I figured that out. 🙂

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Cake Batter Meringues

Ingredients

4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch of cream of tarter
1 tsp Cake Batter Flavoring
Food Coloring Optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 175 degrees for conventional/ 150 for convection
Line a 3/4 size sheet pan or several smaller baking sheets with parchment & set aside
Place sugar & egg whites in medium bowl over the top of a pot of simmering water. Do not allow bottom of bowl touch the water.
Constantly whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Transfer to mixer bowl
Using whisk attachment - beat on low & add in Cake Batter Flavoring
Gradually increase speed & continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed & meringue is glossy in appearance.
Transfer to pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
Pipe meringues onto parchment about 1 inch apart.
Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes. Then turn off oven & allow cookies to cool in oven with the door slightly open.
Once completely cooled - transfer to airtight container away from heat & moisture.
Can also be stored in the freezer.

Want more great cookies?

Oatmeal Date Cookies

Peanut Butter Nutella Salted Sandwich Cookies

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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