Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Raspberry Hazelnut Poke Cake

This cool and creamy Raspberry Hazelnut Poke Cake is the perfect choice for dessert tonight. It is also a great dessert choice to bring to any party or picnic this summer.

This vanilla hazelnut poke cake topped with a marshmallow raspberry topping is a cool and refreshing dessert. Perfect of those hot summer months!

I am usually one of those people who has to try something new at least once. If I see a new candy or cookie at the store, it's coming home with me. If a new treat comes out at the bakery or ice cream shop, I'm there. My jeans don't always agree with me on these things.

So, a few weeks ago (or has it been longer?) Starbucks came out with their birthday frappuccino for like 5 days. I kept telling myself I was going to get in there to try one before they ended, but I failed. The special drink came and went and I didn't try it.

So, what's a dessert blogger to do? Try to recreate the flavor combo in some sort of fun treat, of course.

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Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pull Apart Coffee Cake

This Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pull Apart Coffee Cake is a delicious treat to serve for Mother's Day breakfast or brunch.

Want to know something funny about me? I have become my mother. Oh, that's not the funny part. I realize all of us eventually resemble our parents in looks or actions. Let me tell you what my husband thinks is so funny about this.

I grew up with my mom checking our appliances and lights at least 10-15 times before leaving the house. More specifically, the iron was the one appliance that she would worry about the most. Sometimes she would pull back in the driveway, just so one of us could go in and check again. I always thought this was kind of funny.

Until my husband pointed out recently that I go through the house and pull plugs on appliances before we go away for a trip. A few months ago we went on vacation for a week. When we got home, my husband wanted a cup of coffee for breakfast. He turned the coffee maker on and walked away while it warmed up.

When he came back, he realized that it wasn't even plugged in. Believe me, I heard about that one for days!

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S'mores Latte

This fun homemade latte has the taste of your favorite campfire treat. Relax this afternoon with a mug of this S'mores Latte. The housework and dinner prep can wait.

This fun coffee drink has all the flavor of a s'mores without all the work. Perfect drink to relax with this afternoon.

Spring is pretty much here. The birds are chirping early in the morning, the grass is bright green from all the rain, and flowers are starting to appear in flower beds. With this nice weather comes lots of bonfires out on our back deck. And of course, when you have a fire, you have to make s'mores.

But s'mores are so messy...not to mention dangerous with children running around with pointy sticks. Whoever invented the first s'mores was not thinking clearly. I mean fire, sticks, and children? Ok, it had to have been someone who didn't have kids. Anyway, even with all this gooey dangerous talk, we let our kids roast marshmallows. We know to keep our eyes open and to duck when those sticks start moving.

Want to know another fun way to enjoy a s'mores without the mess of a fire? This S'mores Latte can be in your hands in a matter of minutes.

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Creamy Honey Chipotle Sauce

Looking for something delicious to dip your chicken and fries in? This Honey Chipotle Sauce is a great sweet and spicy dip that gets rave reviews.

A paper cone full of fries and dipping sauce.

After I graduated high school, I worked in a clothing store in the local mall for a year before heading off to college. With only 30 minutes for lunch breaks, I would head over to a fast food restaurant in the mall for a sandwich and fries every day.

Those salty fries dipped in mayonnaise were what got me through long days in the men's department selling shirts and ties.

Oh, how I wish I still had that teenage metabolism to be able to eat like that now. That's definitely not something I can even think about doing now!!

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Blackberry Yogurt Muffins

Starting out the morning with a healthy breakfast is important. These Blackberry Yogurt Muffins are light and fluffy and full of fruit goodness. Perfect for grabbing on the go on busy mornings.

These light and fluffy blackberry muffins are a little bit healthier when made with yogurt. Great for breakfast on the go.

One of my favorite memories from when I was little is going berry picking. Every spring and summer we would pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Of course as a kid, the best part was stuffing as many of those ripe juicy berries into your mouth instead of putting them in the bucket.

When I was really little we lived in a house in a small neighborhood in the woods. Along the road in the front of the house were tons of wild blackberry and raspberry bushes. It was always so much fun to hike up the hills along the road and try to find those berries. I'm sure my mom was hoping we would come back with enough for a pie, but somehow those berries always disappeared first.

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White Chocolate Lemon Funfetti Cookies

Hiding candy inside of cookies is a fun way to surprise everyone at dessert. These White Chocolate Lemon Funfetti Cookies have a sprinkles and a hidden pocket of candy inside. They are the perfect cookie jar treat to share with everyone this week.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday. We enjoyed two great services with our church family celebrating our risen Savior, then we headed out to do lunch with our family. There is never a shortage of food and laughs when we get together. And it just warms my heart to see how well the cousins all get along. Our kiddos are the oldest grandkids, and they are such big helpers with their little cousins.

Ok, so second reason for celebrating this week...the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday is coming up in just a few days. Hahaha! That's 39 if you were trying to figure that out. Actually, I am totally ok with my age. In fact, I feel awesome, and I'm in the best shape of my life. Notice I didn't say best weight of my life though. It's a good thing I have decided I like to work out because my sweet tooth gets me every week. Just like these funfetti lemon cookies...they got the best of me. I finally had to get rid of them because I couldn't stay out of the cookie jar. [Read more...]

BruCrew Goes Carnival Cruising

Last month our family went on vacation. Ok, it really has been almost two months because I have been slow to get these pictures edited and shared. I hope you are ready for picture overload.

The school that our kids go to has a week off in February for conferences that the church holds there. Since it is always frigid and snowy that time of year here in the midwest, we like to take that opportunity to go on vacation as a family.

And when it is cold, warm tropical places are the best place to be. If you are looking for an affordable vacation for your family. I highly suggest looking into a cruise. There are so many out there that offer great prices and lots of activities. We have used the Carnival cruise line the past few times because if you book on one of their older ships, you can have 5 in a stateroom. Yes, it is a tight fit with teenagers, but it is totally doable. Believe me, there is so much to do and see that you only use your room for showering and sleeping.

What is there to do? Well, the first day is pretty much spent exploring the ship and seeing where everything is. We like to scope out the best places to grab a chair for those sea days. Of course, that is what everyone else is doing too, so good luck when it actually comes time to getting one.

This year we had the brilliant idea to wear matching shirts one of the days. Ok, so they weren't completely matchy matchy...we did a super hero theme day. So before the trip I was looking everywhere for different super hero shirts for everyone. The boys were pretty easy to find, but girly super hero shirts are not as common. We also did a Star Wars shirt day, but I totally forgot to get a picture of those! Bummer! [Read more...]

Peanut Butter Cookies and Cream Granola Bars

These no bake Peanut Butter Cookies and Cream Granola Bars have been kid-approved in our house. Peanut butter, chocolate cookies, and candy make these homemade granola bars taste so good.

Over the years we have gone through boxes and boxes of granola bars. My kids love packing them in their lunch boxes, eating them after school, or having one as a bed time snack. With three growing kids you can see how we would end up going through quite a few granola bars.

Fast forward a few years, and I realized that I could make my own granola bars customized with what my kids like to eat. We love coming up with fun new combos every time we make a new batch.

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Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Egg Salad

Use those extra hard boiled eggs from Easter to make this Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Egg Salad. It's great on sandwiches, wraps, or salad.

*I am partnering with the Ohio Poultry Association to share Easter recipes using hard boiled eggs.

A pita pocket filled with egg salad on a plate.

When I was younger my parents would have an Easter egg hunt every year for me and my brother and sisters to enjoy. We would decorate hard boiled eggs for her to hide, and then she also filled plastic eggs with candy. Each of us also got an Easter basket loaded down with candy and goodies. We even had a basket all the way through high school, although those baskets seemed to get smaller and smaller each year.

I have done the same thing for my kiddos ever since they were little. As babies, they got jars of carrot baby food in their baskets, then as they got older I started making a large peanut butter egg for each one.

When they were old enough to decorate eggs, I just couldn't do it. All those cups of colored water with kids trying to dip eggs in them just freaked me out too much!

Oh, we still decorated eggs, just not the same way my mom did with us. So, I'm sure you are wondering how those eggs got colored then? Our kids grew up coloring their eggs with non-toxic markers. It took all the stress out of egg decorating for me. No more cups of liquid stain for this family!

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Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

Adding a few extras to a box of macaroni and cheese always has my kids asking for extra helpings. This Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole was a big hit at our dinner table.

Two bowls of mac and cheese topped with bacon and tomatoes.

When our kids were younger, I used to dream of the days when they would be just a little bit older and able to do more on their own. There was someone always into something, someone fighting, or someone that needed to be changed. It felt like none stop busy each day.

Then my kids grew up and hit the teen years, and we are even busier than ever. Part of that is because as they have gotten older, they have become involved in different activities. Now I dream about those days when they were little and wonder why I was so anxious to move past the toddler years.

Add all those activities to parents that work full time, and you get one very hectic schedule. We try very hard to have dinner together most nights though.

It is an important time for everyone to just breathe, relax, and regroup before going to the next thing. With a busy schedule, I sometimes have a hard time putting together a fancy meal.

Let's be honest, some nights it is even fast food or pizza around here. That's why I am always on the lookout for ways to create a meal that starts with something simple.

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