amy, Author at Pennywise Cook

Chocolate Marshmallow Mousse

April 7, 2016 by amy 2 Comments

We hope that you enjoyed Pennywise Kids’ first video last week! We’re back with another and even more excited about this one.

Chocolate.

Marshmallow.

Mousse.

Need I say more? This mousse tastes very similar to Jason’s Deli’s chocolate mousse that you find on the salad bar. One of my favorite parts of going there.

It’s easy to make so the kids can help. And I love how light and fluffy it is. A great summer treat!

Chocolate Marshmallow Mousse

2016-04-07 11:11:03

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Ingredients

7 oz Milk Chocolate Bar (We used several smaller ones)
1 and 1/2 miniature marshmallows
1/3 c milk
1 c whipping cream (chilled)

Instructions

Place chocolate, marshmallows and milk into a large bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Stir until melted. It's alright if the marshmallows aren't all melted. Set aside to cool to room temp.
Beat the whipping cream until stiff. Carefully fold into chocolate mixture until combined. It will lighten up.
Pour into serving dishes and chill for 1-2 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Adapted from Four Ingredient Cookbook

Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Pennywise Kids

Pennywise Kids- Pizza Tortillas

March 31, 2016 by amy 2 Comments

There’s a new chef in town! And she’s a kid!

Chef Addie will be joining me in sharing some fun and fabulous Pennywise recipes. We’re calling it Pennywise Kids!

Watch the very FIRST Pennywise Kids video below! The recipe from the video is also below.

Pizza Tortillas

2016-03-31 09:05:09

Serves 1

Any easy snack for kids!

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Prep Time

5 min

Prep Time

5 min

Ingredients

2 Flour Tortillas
7 or 8 Pepperonis
1 Tbsp Black Olives, Chopped
2 Pieces Provolone Cheese

Instructions

Lay your provolone cheese on one tortilla.
Next add pepperonis all around.
Then spread chopped black olives on top.
Add the other tortilla on top.
Microwave on high for 45 seconds.
Cut and serve!

By Chef Addie (Pennywise Kids)

Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Kid-Friendly, Pennywise Kids

3 Ingredient White Chocolate PB Fudge

March 24, 2016 by amy Leave a Comment

I posted this recipe years ago, but decided to make a little video about the process while making it the other day. You can find the full recipe for 3 Ingredient White Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge here.

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts Tagged With: Chocolate, Fudge, Peanut Butter, White Chocolate

My Favorite Healthy Lunch

March 22, 2016 by amy Leave a Comment

It’s FINALLY warming up! Can I get an Amen?!

We have already mowed our yard once. It’s not my favorite task, but it means that warmer weather is here and that we can enjoy the outdoors again.

We are an outdoorsy kinda family spending every moment that we can soaking up the sun and refraining from holing up in the house all day. It’s a nice change from hermit status in the winter.

I like to keep things healthy around here and gettin’ our booties outside is one of the best ways that we can do that!

Eating right is another great way to stay healthy. I won’t pretend I’m perfect in this area. I enjoy my sweets, I really do. But I also love staying on track health-wise because it makes me feel better in my skin. Taking everyday recipes and making them better for you is something I love to do. But you know something? I’ve found something easy and convenient that is way easier than creating a recipe!

My favorite healthy lunches are the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers! Healthy eating has never been easier. I’m able to plan my lunches ahead without even thinking.

Unlike other frozen meals, Healthy Choice Café Steamers’ feature a unique tray-in-tray steam cooking method that delivers fresh-tasting meals with crisp vegetables and juicy proteins. This also gives you the chance to be a part of the culinary experience as you pour your own sauce, determining how much or how little flavor you want with your meal. I always use it all!

All Healthy Choice meals are made with real ingredients and no preservatives so you don’t have to worry about sacrificing taste or freshness. Since the ingredients aren’t frozen in the sauce they have a fresh, more vibrant taste.

One of my favorite things about these meals is that they always taste fresh. Certainly not like they have been spent weeks in my freezer.

And talk about healthy, did you know that Healthy Choice is the only major brand in the frozen meals section that can call 100% of its products “healthy” as approved by the FDA? No guilt here!

Look for these great Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers at your local grocery store:

Balsamic Garlic Chicken
Barbecue Seasoned Steak and Red Potatoes
Chicken and Noodles
Chicken and Potatoes with BBQ Sauce
Spaghetti and Meatballs

And there are tons more!

My current favorite is the Crustless Chicken Pot Pit! What is yours?

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

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Filed Under: Healthy, Main Dishes, Sponsored

Cheesy Cauliflower with Better Bakery Melts!

January 14, 2016 by amy Leave a Comment

The following is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Better Bakery. It is 100% my own opinion.

Better Bakery in front Well happy New Year to you! I am not used to this 2016 yet. It feels futuristic to write 2016. Am I the only one? So weird with that 6 there.

Did you make any resolutions? I made a few. To lose weight is one. Not that original, eh? I’ve got more, like to get my youngest to eat ~~anything~~ more veggies. Picky McPickerson she is.

What do you do when your daughter won’t eat her veggies? Throw CHEESE on it!

Cauliflower is already one of my go-to veggies because of the mild flavor and tenderness. But with cheese? I mean. Yaaaassss! And I love that you can grab them in the frozen food aisle and they are ready to prepare. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

This cauliflower is bound to turn Picky McPickerson into Veggie McVeggieson. You want to know how cheesy it is? My daughters thought it was Mac & Cheese!

Did you happen to catch that super tasty looking stuffed sandwich there in the front? Of course you did. It’s pretty magnificent. Oh. My. Goodness. This is something new I found that has quickly become a family fave- Better Bakery Artisan Melts.

The bread on the outside looks like a pretzel and even sorta tastes like a pretzel, but it’s artisan bread. Heaven on a plate and the ultimate main dish to the Cheesy Cauliflower side. My favorite kind of Better Bakery Artisan Melt was the Chicken & Bacon Club. It is so good! I was pretty impressed at how closely the sandwich matched the picture on the box. That just doesn’t happen with some products.

These handcrafted artisan melts are made by bakers who are committed to the Better Bakery art and want to make better food. How nice that? They truly love what they do and make a quality product that reflects that!

The Cheese & Pepperoni Pizza kind was also tasty! They are a great quick and easy lunch or dinner idea when you’re in a hurry.

You can pick them up in the freezer section of your grocery store. I found them at Walmart! Better Bakery stands by it’s promise of “Always Handcrafted” with each sandwich hand cut, rolled, topped, and picked.

You can get a coupon for $1.50 off 1 Better Bakery Artisan Melts and locate a retailer near you, here!

To make those, it’s as easy as popping them into the oven or microwave. The recipe for the Cheesy Cauliflower is below! Here’s to the new year with successful resolutions!

Cheesy Cauliflower

2016-01-14 09:45:07

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Ingredients

1 (16 oz) pkg Frozen Cauliflower
1 c. Cream of Chicken Soup
1 c. shredded cheese
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook cauliflower according to directions. Place in small baking dish. Add salt and pepper.
Mix together the soup, milk, and cheese. Pour and spread over cauliflower.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Notes

I tweaked this recipe a little. The original recipe called for an entire can of cream of chicken and more milk, but I found it wasn't need so I reduced amounts. Feel free to play with seasonings!

By Four Ingredient Cookbook

Adapted from Four Ingredient Cookbook

Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes, Reviews, Sides and Vegetables, Sponsored Tagged With: artisan melts, better bakery, cheese & pepperoni pizza, chicken & bacon club, sandwich

Homemade Caramel Latte- Folgers Flavors

November 3, 2015 by amy

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Folgers. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Mornings here can be described as many things. Sleepy. Busy. Lazy. Fun. Loud. Quiet. The list goes on. You never know what you’ll get during a morning at our house.

One thing is for sure. Coffee is always involved. My husband enjoys his straight up, no frills, plain and simple- black. Me on the other hand, I like to change it up often.

There was a time when I liked to add sweetener and milk. There was another time when I like to add sweetener and creamer. I get tired of things being the same sometimes so I like to find ways to create new coffee drinks.

The day I discovered milk frothers was a life-changing day (thanks to my mom!). Homemade lattes entered my life and it has never been the same.

These cool little bottles have also found a way to my heart! Folgers Flavors can be used at home or on-the-go and don’t require refrigeration. Because I don’t like to be a creature of habit, I’m thankful that Folgers Flavors come in 4 different flavors (Hazelnut, Mocha, Caramel, and Vanilla) to match any of my many moods. Most recently, it’s been a caramel mood.

In case you needed to know.

It’s easy to take your coffee and make it into a latte. Folgers Flavors make it even easier. You can use a little or use a lot, hot or iced, the choice is yours to create your own flavored coffee.

To make a Homemade Caramel Latte, here’s my steps. I started with plain black coffee. Not exactly espresso, but I’m not a straight black coffee drinker so it’s pretty strong for me.

Add a good squeeze of the Folgers Flavors Caramel Enhancer. I didn’t even add sweetener!

I frothed some of my favorite creamer and poured that on the coffee. Then topped it off with a little whipped cream and caramel sauce.

It doesn’t get much tastier than that for your morning! No matter what’s going on, I find peace when I’m drinking my lattes.

Check out this video by Mike Tompkins! Talk about a remix!

Want to try Folgers Flavors yourself? I’m giving some away!

Folgers Flavors 2 Sample Giveaway

I am going to make this easy on everyone. Simply leave a comment with which flavor you’d like to try! I will use “And The Winner Is” to choose ONE commenter as the winner.

This giveaway will end Tuesday, November 10th at 11:59pm CT. I will contact the winner on Wednesday, the 11th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them, I will name a new winner.

Contest entrants are only eligible to win once per sweepstakes, per household as part of a campaign sponsored by Influence Central.

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Filed Under: Beverages, Giveaways, Reviews, Sponsored Tagged With: coffee, flavored coffee, folgers, folgers flavors

Salted Caramel Apple Spice Cupcakes- Cook for the Cure

October 6, 2015 by amy 2 Comments

I’m not sure that this cupcake even needs a post. We could just go with that picture and be done. But there is so much to talk about including Cook for the Cure!

These are insane. These are what I call, fall in your mouth. What is it about fall that is so amazing? Could it be the colors? The cooler weather? No, I think it’s the FLAVORS. Yummy goodness that gives us that warm, cozy, nostalgic feeling.

These cupcakes will give you all of that.

It all starts with what may seem like a way to fill your home with the smell of apple spice, but this is actually the beginning of your Apple Spice Cupcake batter.

I had never made batter this way before, so it was new to me. But I welcomed the warm, fall smells and spent an embarrassingly long amount of time hovered over the pot.

The mixture contains grated apples (the start of the show!) along with so many of our favorite fall spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves.

I said it before, but I really feel like these taste like fall in your mouth. I told my husband that a couple of times and when he finally tried them, he gleefully stated, “These taste like fall in your mouth!”. Maybe not gleefully. He doesn’t exactly get gleeful, but they were quite tasty and maybe he couldn’t contain his excitement? I didn’t bake 10,000 cupcakes, but I did make so many that I had to give some away!

Now, what really makes them pop is the Salted Caramel Buttercream that you put on top!

Oh. my. goodness. Can I get an amen?

This buttercream literally starts by making salted caramel. (Of which I burned the first time, so beware)

You add in all the regular goodness of buttercream like, oh I don’t know, butter. And powdered sugar and you have the sweetness to bring out the spice in the cupcakes. SO GOOD.

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes.

You will NEED to find the recipe below!

_______________________________________________________________________

I want to talk to you about an AWESOME opportunity with Cook for the Cure to support Breast Cancer Awareness brought to us by hhgregg and KitchenAid! The cupcakes above are apart of the 10,000 Cupcakes: One Great Cause campaign to bring awareness about breast cancer this month.

I am already a fan of KitchenAid and to know that they are supporting such a fantastic cause makes me love them even more.

KitchenAid will donate $1 to the Susan G Komen Foundation for every person who takes pictures of their cupcakes and uses the hashtags #10000cupcakes & #donate, and tagging @KitchenAidUSA and @KitchenAid. How awesome is that?!

So, the question is how can YOU get involved? Here are some ways:

Participate in 10,000 Cupcakes! Bake your own cupcakes and share an original picture of YOUR creation on your Twitter and Instagram channels using the hashtags: #10000cupcakes & #donate and tagging @KitchenAidUSA. KitchenAid will donate $1 to support the fight against breast cancer.
Host a party! You can host a party to benefit the Cook for the Cure cause any time of the year. Whether it’s an office potluck, a family cookout or weekend brunch, encourage your friends and family to donate to Susan G. Komen®. You can find out more information about how to Host-A-Party here!
Check out hhgregg and how they are a part of the Cook for the Cure campaign!
You can get KitchenAid small appliances over at hhgregg and believe me, with a KitchenAid you won’t be disappointed! You can even get a PINK KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

Now for the recipe for my Salted Caramel Apple Spice Cupcakes!

Apple Spice Cupcakes

2015-10-06 09:13:35

Yields 24

Fall in your mouth, these cupcakes will make you all warm and fuzzy inside.

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Ingredients

2 Green Apples, skin on, grated
2 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 c. butter
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 ground cloves
3 and 1/2 c.. flour
2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners.
Place the grated apples, sugar, water, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Cool. (I let mine cool for at least 30 minutes)
Add flour and baking soda. (batter will be sorta chunky)
Bake until middle bounces back. (About 15 minutes depending on your oven)

By Food.com

Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

Salted Caramel Buttercream

2015-10-06 09:24:58

Yields 24

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Ingredients

1/4 sugar
2 tbsp water
1/4 c. heavy cream (+ additional if needed)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. powdered sugar (+ additional if needed)

Instructions

Stir together sugar and water in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Keep cooking, without stirring, until mixture begins to turn dark amber. About 6 minutes. (This will happen fast once it begins to turn. DO NOT let it become dark brown)
Remove from heat and SLOWLY add in the vanilla and cream. Stir constantly while you do this. Once smooth, set aside to let cool.
Combine the butter and salt in stand mixer bowl and beat until fluffy. Reduce speed and add powdered sugar.
Scrape down the side of the bowl and then add the caramel. Beat all until completely incorporated.
(You may need to add more powdered sugar to make the buttercream thicker. I added approximately another cup and 1/2. You may also add a tablespoon more heavy cream to smooth it out. This was trial and error for me with the frosting. Make it to your liking.)

Notes

When serving, you may drizzle each cupcake with caramel sauce to make them pretty! 🙂

By Chowhound

Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Filed Under: Cupcakes, Desserts, Holiday, Sponsored Tagged With: Apple Spice, breast cancer awareness, cook for the cure, cupcake, Cupcakes, salted caramel

Oatmeal in Your Coffeemaker?! + $10 Giveaway!

September 21, 2015 by amy 7 Comments

I’d love to tell you that breakfast time at my house is a wonderful, peaceful time, but to be honest, it’s a little less than tranquil.

We aren’t exactly morning people around here so if you were to take a peek into our morning, you would see lots of squinty eyes and even hear a few grumbles. We don’t like to wake up and when we do finally get to that point, we have so much to do that we rush out the door like mad people!

However, simply mention the word coffee and I will perk right up.

I’m a big fan of breakfast as well. I really love your typical breakfast items like eggs and bacon. Biscuits are cool too. Donuts and cinnamon rolls. Cereal and yogurt. It’s all good in this breakfast hood.

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s what gets us going in the mornings when we don’t feel like going anywhere. I am working really hard to make sure that I make it a priority among all the other tasks I have to get done in the craziness of the mornings.

You know what I really enjoy, but sometimes forget about? Oatmeal! Big fan of oatmeal. Since we don’t always have time to make oatmeal, I was really excited to hear about a new and innovative product that makes oatmeal so much easier to make in the mornings.

You can literally brew your breakfast in your brewing machine! Yep, I’m for real. This is breakfast simplified and a great way to help you to “pop up” in the morning!

I was so excited to find out that I can use my brewing machine to make oatmeal. How simple is that?

I’m already making myself coffee, why not grab some oatmeal while I’m at it! Such a cool product. Nature Valley Bistro Cups make breakfast easy!

You can choose from two different flavors:

Apple Cinnamon Almond
Brown Sugar Pecan

I was excited to get the Brown Sugar Pecan flavor. It also has cranberries in it!

You make it in your brewing machine! It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

You start by pouring the oatmeal into your favorite mug. I love eating food in a mug!

Pop the brewing cup into your machine and using the 6 oz option, brew it into your mug of oatmeal!

Give it a stir and then let sit for about a minute.

That’s it! Goodness in a mug to kick your morning off right! Even if you are in a busy whirlwind in the mornings, you probably have a couple minutes to prepare an easy oatmeal like this.

Want to try this out for yourself! Grab a COUPON for Nature Valley Bistro Cups! Here’s how:

1. Head over to the Publix coupon page here.

2. Select your store using either your zip code, city and state, or store number.

3. In the search bar under “This Week’s Savings,” type “Nature Valley”

4. Hit print and enjoy!

And if a good coupon isn’t enough to get you excited, I’m giving away $10 bucks! Enter below!

$10 Paypal Cash Giveaway

This giveaway will end on October 5th at 11:59pm CT. I will contact the winner on Tuesday, October 6th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them, I will name a new winner.

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Deals and Coupons, Giveaways, Kitchen Tips and Tricks, Sponsored Tagged With: Nature valley bistro cups, publix nature valley

Cspace: Impact Your Favorite Brands

September 8, 2015 by amy Leave a Comment

You know that I’m a fan of saving money. It doesn’t matter what the product, I am going to do my best to research what I am getting for price and quality. So because of that, I know a little bit about many brands out there. And sometimes I honestly think that I could help them out a bit. Give some advice and they could be even more awesome than they already are, right?!

Have you ever wished that you could share an idea directly with a brand to help create positive change? C Space specializes in bringing the customer and the brand closer together, so they can create impactful growth with their combined opinions and ideas.

YOU ARE invited by C Space to join one of their newest, private online communities, where you can be an advisor (WHAT WHAT) to all your favorite brands, like Twitter, Unilever, Colgate, or Godiva (to name a few). Interact with others like you, engage in activities, surveys and discussions that interest you, and earn Amazon gift codes (for reals?!) for your participation.

I’m a member! It’s easy to sign up, head over here to do so!

This is a sponsored post. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

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Filed Under: Reviews, Sponsored

Birthday Cake Crispy Treats

August 13, 2015 by amy Leave a Comment

Long time now see, eh? Only since February. That’s not too long is it? Nah. We’re all busy folks.

How have you been? That’s good to hear.

I’ve been doing well. Just a teensie bit busy, but good. I have been thinking about you and how I have left you hanging for months without a recipe. Then today, I whipped up something that I thought was worth sharing.

And here we are!

These, ladies and gentlemen, are Birthday Cake Crispy Treats. Made with all the same ingredients regular crispy treats are, except cake mix is added.

And sprinkles.

They are incredibly simple, uber tasty, and contain enough sugar to send you to the moon.

My 4 year old helped me in the kitchen to make these today. She is a great spoon-licker! And I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I am too.

Birthday Cake Crispy Treats

2015-08-13 12:34:09

Birthday Cake flavored Crispy Treats!

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Ingredients

4 tbsp Butter
1 Bag (10 oz) Mini Marshmallows
1/2 c. Dry Yellow Cake Mix
5 c. Crispy Rice Cereal
1 Container Sprinkles

Instructions

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows.
When the marshmallows begin to melt, remove from heat and add dry cake mix.
Stir in cereal until its coated well with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles. (Don't over-stir or the sprinkles colors will bleed)
Press the mixture into a greased baking dish. Top with the other half of the sprinkles.
Wait at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Before you stir the cereal together with the marshmallow mixture, you might spray the spoon with cooking spray to avoid sticking.

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Party Ideas

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