Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

These Lemon Coconut Cupcakes are an easy and refreshing dessert! Lemon frosting and pie filling make these coconut cupcakes a delicious recipe for spring events like Easter or Mother's Day. Trust me, though, you will want to make them all year long.

A coconut cupcake with lemon frosting and a raspberry with a bite taken out showing the hidden lemon pie filling center.

It's official. Spring is here, and it's time to add lemon to everything. I used to avoid lemon desserts because I wasn't a fan of the tart flavor. Anyone else with me?

A few years ago, I made these Easy Lemon Bars, and the sweet crust paired with the tart filling convinced me that I should give all lemon dessert recipes a second chance.

Baby steps, right? One of these days, I will be able to say I'm a full-blown lemon lover!

I decided that cupcakes needed a lemon upgrade, so I added a hidden pocket of lemon pie filling to the coconut cupcakes. Best decision ever!

[Read more...]

No Bake Mini S'mores Pie

This easy Mini S'mores Pie is loaded with chocolate, marshmallow, and Oreo cookies. They are the perfect no bake treat when you need a sweet fix in a hurry.

S'mores Pie

Woo hoo! It's national pie day! Time to get a pie and do a face plant, right? Oh, wait...I've got the wrong day. It's actually PI day...without the E! The day that all math freaks go nuts over!

But since I don't get all excited over numbers and accounting, and because my brain thinks crust and fillings when I here the word "PI", I'm going to go with celebrating with a dessert pie today!

Anyway, I realized that I haven't made a s'mores treat in a while, so I grabbed some Golden Oreos, chocolate chips, and marshmallows and my favorite mini tart pan. Ever since I made this cookies and cream fudge tart, I have been wanting to make another tiny version similar to the size of these strawberry tartlets.

A mini S'mores Pie is the easiest treat to make when you are craving something sweet.

[Read more...]

Smoked Sausage Pasta

This Smoked Sausage Pasta is a creamy, cheesy skillet dinner loaded with kielbasa, veggies, and melted mozzarella on top. Ready in just 30 minutes, this delicious meal always disappears quickly at the dinner table.

A black plate filled with a pasta and smoked sausage.

[feast_advanced_jump_to]

Let's be real. Baking is a piece of cake for me, but making dinner? That's a whole different story. I can bake cookies or brownies without even thinking about it, but ask me what's for dinner tonight, and my mind goes completely blank. Every. Single. Time.

I cannot tell you how many nights I have stood in the kitchen staring at the pantry hoping something will magically come to me. Sometimes I'm inspired by the random ingredients, and sometimes we just eat cereal or order pizza and call it a day.

But this smoked sausage pasta recipe is one of these inspired accidents. I grabbed noodles and canned tomatoes from the pantry, and then added some smoked kielbasa and mozzarella from the fridge, and just threw it all together. Everyone in my family went back for seconds, so I knew we had another dish to add to our meal rotation.

Why You'll Love Pasta With Smoked Sausage

Ready in 30 minutes. The food is on the table fast, which is exactly what you need on those busy nights when everyone is asking about dinner.
A hearty and satisfying meal. Smoky kielbasa, creamy mozzarella sauce, and tender pasta in one skillet. This is the kind of meal that fills everyone up.
Easy to customize. Swap the meat, change up the veggies, or use whatever pasta shape you have on hand. This recipe is very flexible and works with what you have.
The whole family will love it. A cheesy pasta dinner is guaranteed to get thumbs up around the whole table.

[Read more...]

Cranberry Poppyseed Apple Salad

This Cranberry Poppyseed Apple Salad is loaded with fruit and nuts. The bright colors and textures make it a delicious addition to your picnics or Easter dinner table.

*This post was sponsored by Crunch Pak apples. I am partnering with them as a blog ambassador creating delicious apple recipes.

Have you ever noticed how hanging pictures on the walls makes the room look entirely different? We have been in our new house for 2 months now, so last week I decided it was time to decide on some decor for the bare walls.

Well that...and we had invited people over for dinner. That will get you motivated to finish decorating. We added a few pieces to the walls, and instantly it made the rooms feel warmer and cozier. Nothing else changed in the room, but it still felt so different. It was definitely a good different.

Of course that has me wanting to go out and buy more pictures for the rest of the walls now... [Read more...]

Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones

Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones are a delightful way to start out any morning. Who can resist the perfect-for-your-Valentine combo of chocolate and cherries?

Our morning routine is getting later and later each day. We started off last month with everyone getting up early for school and having extra time in the morning before we had to leave. Everyone was getting used to a new area and routine, so getting up early was easy to do. As the weeks have gone by, everyone is starting to hit the snooze button a little bit more each morning.

I wish I could say it was just the kids doing that, but that little snooze button on my alarm has been getting some good use lately too. My husband and I have good intentions of being up early to do our work out of the day, but lately we have been getting up in just enough time to only do a short routine.

Every night I set the alarm and tell myself that tomorrow is the day to start getting up with the first alarm, but then the warm, cozy bed convinces me otherwise in the early morning hours.

[Read more...]

Strawberry Mousse Cake

Layers of vanilla cake, strawberry filling, and chocolate frosting make this easy Strawberry Mousse Cake a pretty and delicious dessert.

*I am partnering with Lucky Leaf this year as a blog ambassador bringing you delicious recipes using pie filling.

Each month I have a new flavor that I tend to go crazy for. Sometimes it coincides with a holiday or what is popular at the moment. Obviously in the fall and winter, pumpkin and peppermint get plenty of loving in my kitchen. Then usually I turn to coconut in January because I am trying to think tropical thoughts while snow is falling outside.

Since February is the love month, anything red is fair game. Right now I am gaga for strawberry everything! It might be my new go to flavor every year at this time.

Lucky for me, my family likes the red fruit in just about anything I can think of to bake. They are just happy I moved on from coconut...that one never gets as many smiles. [Read more...]

Reese's S'mores Cookie Pizza

Layers of cookie, candies, and marshmallows make this Reese's S'mores Cookie Pizza a decadent and amazing dessert! This pizza is the perfect sweet snack for after dinner or on game day.

After a month of being in a new place, my hubby and I are totally failing at this home exercise thing. It's not for lack of equipment. We bought a few pieces that we could work out with, and my hubby built a rack with pull-up bars. I'm pretty impressed with how legit it looks.

The problem comes at 5:45 AM when the alarm goes off. Neither one of us are very good motivators in the getting up department. Part of that is that the garage is so cold early in the morning. That alone doesn't make me want to leave the warm covers. Not to mention squats, kettle bells, and burpees are killers!

A few days that we skipped the morning routine, I have gone to the garage later in the day and worked out. That is one good benefit to the gym being right there. I have no excuses for not doing something each day! Especially when I can't stop eating things like this Reese's s'mores cookie pizza. [Read more...]

Chicken Alfredo Calzones

These easy Chicken Alfredo Calzones are loaded with meat, vegetables, and cheese. Little stuffed pizza pockets made from biscuit dough are the perfect recipe for game day or for dinner time with kids.

A Chicken Alfredo Calzone cut in half and stacked on top of each other on a white plate showing the cheesy middle

Our family loves Friday pizza night. We usually have some sort of pizza and watch movies or play games every weekend. There are a few weeks that we change it up and order out, but for the most part we make our easy homemade pizza dough, and everyone creates their own personal pizza.

Since pizza for dinner is always a winner, I knew our kiddos would love these little hand-held cheesy calzones in the middle of the week.

[Read more...]

Almond Berry Baked Oatmeal

Almond Berry Baked Oatmeal is perfect for cold mornings. Get the kids out of bed with the wafting scent of this delicious breakfast.

Cold winter days call for a warm breakfast full of bright, cheery fruit. This almond berry baked oatmeal will make you smile no matter how cold your day starts. I have been trying to come up with some different breakfast options for our family to eat each weekday morning.

Our kids tend to get in a routine of eating the same foods over and over, until they get tired of it and do not want that any more. After two weeks of vanilla pineapple smoothies and other fruit smoothies, they have moved on to frozen waffles with peanut butter and chocolate syrup.

I have a feeling that by next week they will be looking for something different to start the day with.

[Read more...]

Chocolate M&M Cookies

These easy Chocolate M&M Cookies are rich, chewy, and loaded with Butterfingers and mini M&M's candies! Great treat for packing in lunches or snacking on after school!

Are you ready for some confession time? I have been slacking in the school lunch making department. Wait, before you get on me for not doing my job as a mom, let me clarify a few things.

I make three lunches every morning after my workout. But...the past three weeks the lunches have been packed with treats and snacks from the grocery store. Are you completely appalled yet? Yes, I am this crazy baker girl, yet my kids have been eating Little Debbie's and bagged chips. It happens.

We are still getting into the swing of things here in a new house and town. So, convenience from the grocery store has been a staple. Now that things are a little more settled and routine, maybe some frosted rainbow chip brownies or moose tracks cookies will appear in those brown bags. [Read more...]

« Previous Page