peanut butter Archives - Inside BruCrew Life

Sweet & Salty Trail Mix

June 10, 2012 17 Comments

Summer vacation number one is done. (insert sad face here)

We just got in a few hours ago from the long 17 hour drive.

I would say I am tired from driving so much,

but honestly I didn’t drive at all.

Not that I can’t or wouldn’t…

my hubby likes to do all the driving when we go long distances.

(I really think he doesn’t like my driving:-)

Why is it when you are going TO vacation

the long hours don’t bother you as much?

It sure seemed longer coming home.

I think it was:

A. There was no cruise boat waiting for me in my driveway

B. I didn’t have any snack mix left to munch on as we came home.

The long drive there was very much worth it though.

We had such a great time on the cruise…

the kids loved it.

And spending time in the Bahamas wasn’t too shabby either:-)

We did some snorkeling,

some sun bathing,

and a whole lot of nothing else.

It was totally laid back and totally relaxing.

I will have some pictures for you later in the week

after I get them loaded on the computer.

Until then, how about some pictures of our travel trail mix???

A few days before vacation, we were at Walmart picking out some travel food.
I had a bag of the new M&M Trail Mix in my cart,
when I had a lightening bolt of inspiration.

Why not just buy all the ingredients and make a giant batch of the goodness?
Sure I was spending a little bit more that way,
but I had a much bigger bowl of goodness for the long drive in our van.

This is the perfect snack mix too
because you can totally customize it with whatever you have in your cupboards
or with whatever you are craving at the moment.
Feel free to substitute something different to make it your own:-)

Sweet & Salty Trail Mix

by Inside BruCrew Life

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 c. pretzels
1 1/4 c. salted peanuts
2 c. mini chips ahoy cookies (8 oz. bag)
2 c. mini marshmallows
1 c. M&M’s
1 c. mini peanut butter cups
1 c. mini oreos (bite sized)
2 c. Reeses Puffs cereal

Instructions

Combine everything in a bowl and toss gently until all combined. Store in an air tight container.

Note: Feel free to substitute with something different from your cupboards. I also added 2 c. Golden Grahams cereal after I took the pictures.

Shared with: Market Yourself, Mix it Up, Mouthwatering Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth, Making You Crave, Mingle Monday, Crazy Sweets, Talent Show, Tasty Tuesday, A Little Birdie Told Me, Tasty Tuesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Sweet Party, Creative Party, It’s a Keeper, Chic & Crafty, Sweet Tooth, Strut Your Stuff

Thank you so much for reading my blog. If you liked this post, please leave a comment. Comments are a great way for me to see what is a blog hit or miss:-)

Filed Under: chocolate, miscellaneous, oreo, peanut butter Tagged With: candy, chocolate, oreo, peanut butter, pretzel

Buckeye Buttons

December 19, 2011 21 Comments

Christmas is only one week away.

Did you hear me?

ONE WEEK!!!

Now it is officially freak out time…

We need to finish shopping,

wrap everything,

bake cookies,

and finish cards.

Then bake my husband’s birthday cheesecake!

Yup, freaking out just thinking about it all!!!

I’m not sure why,

but every year I get more and more behind.

I tell myself that I am going to start shopping early

but that never happens.

So the few weeks before we go from one store to the next

in a rush hoping to find the perfect gift.

And then there are the cards…

I’m a huge fan of making my own cards.

But this poses a slight problem when you start

a week before Christmas.

(maybe everyone will get them by New Year’s)

I’m sure that more chocolate and peanut butter

will calm my panic mode.

In fact, I have a whole jar of these buckeye buttons

just waiting to give away…

but maybe just a few will make it all better.

No one will notice if the jar isn’t completely full, right???

Buckeye Buttons

6 tbsp. salted butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. marshmallow cream
2 c. powdered sugar

mini ritz crackersmelting chocolate
shortening

In mixing bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, and marshmallow cream until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the sugar. Roll into small 1 inch balls. Place on top of a mini ritz cracker. Top with another cracker and gently press down. Melt chocolate in microwave stirring every 30 seconds so the chocolate doesn’t scorch. Stir in a small amount of shortening to thin slightly. Dip buttons coating both sides. Tap on side of bowl gently. Place on wax paper lined baking sheet. Top with sprinkles. Let set.

Linked to:

Makin You Crave, More the Merrier, Melt in your Mouth, Market Yourself, Sweet Party

Chef in Training, NapTime Creations, Mandy’s Recipe Box, Tea Party

Thank you so much for reading my blog. If you liked this post, please leave a comment. Comments are a great way for me to see what is a blog hit or miss:-)

Filed Under: chocolate, miscellaneous, peanut butter Tagged With: chocolate, peanut butter

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Banana Butter Cream

July 26, 2011 25 Comments

Want to know a common misconception about me?
Most people thing I am an awesome cook…
but you guys know better, right?
I mean do you ever see “real” food on here?
Nope! Just loads and loads of sugar!

(I should probably do something about the sugar overload!)

Now honestly I can cook…I just don’t LIKE to do it.
When dinner time comes around, my mind hits a brick wall
and I seriously can’t think of a single thing to make.
Well, other than chocolate chip cookies and brownies:-)
Thinking of desserts is the easy part!

It doesn’t matter that we just made a meal list the day before
AND went shopping for all the ingredients.
Poof!
It just vanishes!
I seriously can’t think of a single thing to make:-(

Kids, we are having mac-n-cheese AGAIN!
(Insert groaning)

We can survive on mac-n-cheese and cereal, right?
Because that is about the extent of my dinner planning:-)

LOL! I’m kidding about the noodles and cereal…
but not about the poof part.
Totally true.

It is a very good thing that I have a husband that LOVES
to cook and plan meals, otherwise it could get boring.
There is only so much mac-n-cheese we can handle!

Now when I get an idea for a cupcake…
that never disappears.
(Even though I try very hard not to think about it!)
But seriously, cupcakes with whole reeses baked into
the bottoms are very unforgettable!
I mean look at that delicious cupcake bottom!!!
You want one, don’t you?

What’s that?
You don’t want one???

OH, you want TWO!!!

I understand♥
You don’t need dinner!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Banana Butter Cream

1 white cake mix
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. oil
4 eggs
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp. honey
reeses pb cups

Preheat oven to 350*. Add all ingredients EXCEPT the reeses in a mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute on low, and then 2 minutes on medium. Place cupcake liners in pan and place an unwrapped reeses cup on the bottom of each liner. Fill liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until the tops spring back to the touch. Cool on wire rack. Top with a little bit of chocolate glaze. Pipe on the banana butter cream. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Keep refrigerated when not being eaten.

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 stick butter
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. milk

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove when melted. Combine the cocoa powder and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add the butter, vanilla, and milk and beat until creamy.
If you have leftover glaze, it is very tasty over ice cream:-) Keep it stored in the refrigerator if you don’t inhale it right away.

Banana Butter Cream

1/2 c. mashed bananas
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 stick butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
8-9 c. powdered sugar

Stir the lemon juice into the mashed bananas and set aside. Beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add the vanilla, salt, and bananas and beat again. Slowly start adding the sugar 1 c. at a time. Continue to beat until all is incorporated.

*this will frost 24 cupcakes when piped generously…if you don’t want that much frosting, just make half the recipe.

Linked to:
Today’s Creative Blog, This Chick Cooks
Rook No. 17, Lady Behind the Curtain
Mandy’s Recipe Box, The Trendy Treehouse
Reasons to Skip Housework
33 Shades of Green
HoosierHomemade
Six Sister’s Stuff

Thank you so much for reading my blog. If you liked this post, please leave a comment. Comments are a great way for me to see what is a blog hit or miss:-)

Filed Under: banana, chocolate, peanut butter Tagged With: banana, candy, chocolate, cupcakes, peanut butter

Peanut Butter Easter Bunnies and Eggs

April 19, 2011 31 Comments

Why is it that as a kid
things seem so much larger than what they really are?

My husband just cracks up
when I talk about the chocolate bunnies
we used to get in our Easter baskets.

I swear they were 2 feet tall and solid chocolate!!!!

He just laughs at me and says,
“Do you realize how much one like that would cost?”
“There is no way your parents bought 5 of those!”

I don’t care how silly I sound…
I still say they were that big:-)
and I always ate them ears first!!!!
They pretty much lasted a good month or more!

This time of year also brings back
great memories of going to my grandparent’s house
for our annual Saturday egg hunt.
The best part was the huge peanut butter eggs
that had our name on them!!!
(they were at least a pound each;-)

They were the absolute best!
I am not sure where they got them…
but they were delicious!

I found this homemade peanut butter egg
recipe in an old Quick Cooking annual recipe book…
and it intrigued me so much that I had to try it.

GUESS WHAT?
It totally reminds me of the huge eggs
that had our names on them.
You know where I am going with this right?
Yup my kids are getting huge peanut butter eggs
with their names on them.
I think it is a great tradition to start up!

I adapted the recipe just slightly and
decided to fill an old bunny candy mold
that I had from when I was little….
but you could totally shape it into eggs
and dip those too.
(some time this week I am making those big eggs)

Peanut Butter Easter Bunnies

by Inside BruCrew Life

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

6 tbsp. salted butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. marshmallow cream
2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. melting chocolate, melted
2 tsp. shortening

Instructions

In mixing bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, and marshmallow cream until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the sugar. Melt the chocolate and shortening in the microwave 1 minute. Stir. Heat for another 30 seconds. Stir and paint the inside of your candy mold. Refrigerate for 2 minutes. Check mold to see if there are areas that need a little more chocolate. Refrigerate again. Fill with peanut butter mixture and top with more chocolate. Refrigerate until firm. Flip the mold over and pop out the yummy bunny. You can also just shape the peanut butter mixture into eggs and freeze for 20 minutes. Then dip into the melted chocolate, set on waxed paper, and add some sprinkles.

Linked to:
seven thirty three, A Glimpse Inside
33 Shades of Green
Crafty Soiree

Thank you so much for reading my blog. If you liked this post, please leave a comment. Comments are a great way for me to see what is a blog hit or miss:-)