Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Chicken and Broccoli Pizza Rolls

These Chicken and Broccoli Pizza Rolls have three kinds of cheese wrapped inside an easy pizza crust. Melted cheese and chicken rolls get smiles any time we serve them here.

Pizza wheel appetizers stacked on a white plate.

Many, many, many years ago, I worked at the mall as a sales associate at Sears. Now you probably think that I worked in the woman's or junior's department because I do like shopping and putting outfits together so much, but I actually worked in the men's department.

Yup, I got the joy of measuring men for suits, picking out ties to go with their dress shirts, and of course selling socks and underwear to men of all ages. It was interesting some days.

Luckily I worked with some of the nicest, older ladies who were always looking out for me. They jumped in and helped do the measuring when it was kind of embarrassing or awkward. They also were pretty good at pointing out the cute boys and embarrassing me.

Thank goodness for lunch breaks when I could walk through the mall to find something to eat. One of my favorites was a little pizza shop in the food court. They had a tomato and broccoli pizza that was my favorite.

[Read more...]

Rocky Road Latte

Skip the lines at the coffee shop and make your own special coffee at home for a fraction of the cost. This Rocky Road Latte is an easy and delicious drink to have while enjoying some quiet time.

Do you hear that? That is the sound of nothing. No noise, no voices, no music...just silence. Well, other than the clanking of some pans and silverware in the kitchen from my hubby making breakfast.

Yesterday was the first day of school here. Our kids were ready to go. After a few months of doing nothing but sleeping in and doing chores around the house, they start to get that school itch about halfway through July.

As a work at home mom, I start to get that itch for quiet and routine about the same time. The first few weeks are great. We love the lazy days of randomly doing nothing and making whatever for dinner whenever. But that gets old after a while. I start to crave that routine of gym, school, work, practice, dinner, homework, and bedtime. So hooray for routine being back in place...it definitely makes me happier.

And hooray for making coffee drinks at home and saving money. Because after new school supplies and school clothes, we all need to pinch some pennies somewhere, right?

[Read more...]

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

Enjoy a double dose of chocolate in this rich and delicious easy chocolate cake recipe. This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake is made with shredded zucchini and lots of chocolate chips. Double the chocolate and a layer of frosting makes this zucchini cake disappear in a hurry.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

I love adding things to chocolate cake. Certain things enhance the chocolate flavor and provide an amazing texture to the cake. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out on something great.

These espresso brownies or this Dr Pepper cake are two examples of adding coffee or soda to chocolate to make them dynamite.

How do you feel about chocolate-covered veggies? Sure, we love eating zucchini in savory dinner recipes, but I absolutely love using zucchini in chocolate baked goods. The shredded zucchini adds so much moisture and makes chocolate desserts so fudgy and delicious.

I changed up the ingredients in this chocolate zucchini cake because I wanted a fluffier zucchini cake. There are two whole cups of shredded zucchini in this cake giving it such a decadent and moist texture. It has such a great chocolate flavor.

A creamy marshmallow cream cheese frosting makes this chocolate chip zucchini cake so rich and delicious. You are going to love it!

[Read more...]

Turkey Club Waffle Sandwich

Did you know that you can waffle just about anything? This Turkey Club Waffle Sandwich happens when you layer sandwich goodness inside a croissant and then put it into your waffle iron. This is such a fun way to change up lunch and dinner sandwiches.

This turkey club sandwich gets a fun twist when the bread is placed in the waffle iron!

Does anyone else have a picky eater that lives with them? We used to say what great eaters we have, and that we were blessed that all of our kids would eat just about anything.

Lately our youngest seems to be developing into a picky eater. He really did eat most things as a toddler and little boy. Now that he is heading toward those teen years, he doesn't want to eat most meats. In fact, that boy could live on mac and cheese and homemade brownies. Oh, and string cheese too. We don't buy it that often though because he devours them.

[Read more...]

Salted Caramel Shortbread Squares

Adding pretzels and pecans to the center of these Salted Caramel Shortbread Squares gives them a fun sweet and salty crunch. These dessert squares did not last long around here.

Pretzels and pecans in a soft caramel center gives these shortbread squares a fun sweet and salty twist.

Sometimes I get dessert ideas in my head, and I cannot think of anything else until I make said dessert idea.

Most of the time these ideas go on a list. Anyone else have lists everywhere? I have a list of food ideas on my phone, a notebook full of fun dessert ideas, and then scraps of paper all over my desk with half written recipes and ideas all over them. At this rate I have enough ideas to make desserts for at least 10 years.

Then there are those times when the dessert idea I have has to be first on the list of ones to make for the week. These caramel bars were one of those ideas.

[Read more...]

Peanut Butter S'mores Muddy Buddies

Covering Chex cereal and marshmallows in peanut butter chocolate and coating them in graham crackers makes an absolutely delicious snack mix that you will not be able to resist. I suggest making a double batch of Peanut Butter S'mores Muddy Buddies because it will disappear right before your eyes.

Peanut butter and s'mores add a fun twist to this easy muddy buddies snack mix!

Recently our oldest started driving. Talk about making you feel old. 16 years of preparation does not get you ready to see your baby behind the wheel of a vehicle.

I always wondered how I would do driving with our kids. Would I be calm and collected or would I freak out and tell them to slow down while clutching the door? Turns out I am actually mostly calm...yeah, that surprised me too. I really thought I would be a little more stressed out while having a young driver in control of our lives.

Maybe all the cookies and muddy buddies are keeping me mellowed out. And I thought all those sweets were just out to sabotage my jeans...

[Read more...]

12 Reasons to love CA Strawberries Tour in Pismo Beach, California

A few weeks ago the California Strawberry Commission invited me to Pismo Beach, California to attend their #12Reasons to Love CA Strawberries – Farm Tour and Culinary Event.

*This post was sponsored by the California Strawberry Commission. Travel, accommodations, and meals were all covered. I was also compensated to share about the trip.

The first day I arrived at the Dolphin Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa and was awestruck at the gorgeous view in front of me! I couldn’t wait to go for a walk before dinner and check out the views and the beach.

Then it was time to head to the restaurant to meet the others on the tour. We enjoyed drinks overlooking the water and then a delicious strawberry inspired dinner.

[Read more...]

Nutter Butter Reese's Pieces Cookies

Adding extra cookie chunks and candies make these Nutter Butter Reese's Pieces Cookies a fun treat to find in the cookie jar.

I don't know about your summer, but here in the midwest we are experiencing quite the chilly summer. Usually our summer's are spent chilling out at the pool trying to not sweat to death. Instead of sweating we are pulling out jeans and sweatshirts because it has only been 70 degrees.

Not that I mind too terribly because fall is my favorite season of the year. It just makes it hard for the kids who are trying to enjoy summer and want to go to the pool every day. The frugal side of me doesn't like to pay for swimming when it is so chilly. I mean they aren't going to enjoy it that much or stay in that long, so why pay for it. So "what are you doing?" and "can you play with me?" have become the questions we hear all day every day. [Read more...]

Peanut Butter Fudge Poke Cake

This easy Peanut Butter Fudge Poke Cake is topped with a creamy marshmallow frosting, peanut butter cups, and mini mallow bits. You will not have any leftovers when you serve this poke cake for dessert.

I have decided that getting older is for the birds. You all know how much I actually enjoy working out, right? My husband and I have been doing strength and conditioning at a local training facility for about a year and a half.

Even though I still do not eat as healthy as I should, I am definitely much stronger and in better shape than I ever have been. Until recently...

You see my knees must have realized how old they were, and that "old" people shouldn't be doing all these workouts and mud runs because all of sudden I have been having issues. Pains and aches and all sorts of dilemmas.

I personally think it was because I told my body it was time to get serious about eating better...aka no more cake.

[Read more...]

Cherry Blueberry French Toast Bake

Fresh fruit adds a pop of color and flavor to this Cherry Blueberry French Toast Bake. Make sure you buy a few extra boxes or bags of fruit the next time you go shopping, so you can try this delicious breakfast bake.

Lately we have been all about the fruit. Every time we go grocery shopping, we come home with boxes of blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries.

The other day I saw fresh cherries at the store, so a bag of those ended up in the cart too.

Most of the time I cannot keep the fruit monsters out of the fruit before I can bake with it. Not that I think that's a problem. With all the sugary sweets that come out of our kitchen, I am thankful our kids like to grab fruit instead of cake.

Having fresh fruit available is also great for making fruit parfaits or smoothies when we need a quick breakfast or snack.

[Read more...]

« Previous Page