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Tropical Blonde Brownies

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These Tropical Blonde Brownies are loaded with white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and shredded coconut. The texture and flavor of this blonde brownie recipe will transport you to a tropical place after one bite.

A stack of four tropical blonde brownies on a white and yellow plate

When the kids were little we would always go to the beach every summer for our family vacation. Now that we live near the beach, we have changed up how we vacation.

Last month we spent a week on a lake in Tennessee with family. Our kids had so much fun hanging out with their cousins. They pretty much lived in the water and on the boat all week long. All the teenagers had a blast getting thrown around on the tube.

As much as I enjoyed being at the lake, I have to admit that I'm still a beach kind of girl. Give me the sand in my toes, the sound of the ocean waves in my ears, and a pina colada in my hand.

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Gooey S'mores Pull Apart Bread

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Celebrate National S'mores Day with a pan of this Gooey S'mores Pull Apart Bread.  Chocolate and marshmallow goodness on canned biscuits make this a fun and easy s'mores recipe that you need in your life ASAP.

A loaf of gooey s'mores pull apart bread drizzled with marshmallow glaze with one slice lying down

I feel like this summer I slacked off on making s'mores desserts. Usually through the summer months, I try to add chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers to everything.

Maybe I should make another batch of these S'mores Cookie Cups will help me get my s'mores mojo back!

I have to admit that I love food related holidays.  Any reason to celebrate with food, right?

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Pina Colada Fruit Dip

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If you like piña coladas and lying by the pool, you need to try this fluffy fruit dip. This Pina Colada Fruit Dip has the pineapple and coconut flavors of a piña colada drink in a light, fluffy mousse.

It is the perfect sweet dip to enjoy with fruit and cookies.

A white bowl with red striped filled with pina colada fruit dip and surrounded with pineapple wedges and vanilla wafers

We are stilling enjoying lots of hot summer days here. There is no end in sight for the heat and humidity...yet. Give it another month or two, and we will see fall start creeping in.

Until then, lots of easy dinners and no bake desserts are all I'm planning on eating. Well, unless the urge to bake hits me.  Then we all know that I can't resist a good baking session.

I actually made this easy fruit dip a few months ago and then totally forgot to share it with you.  I blame it on the lack of routine that has become the new norm around here.

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Chocolate Cherry Cobbler

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Enjoy a big bowl of this Chocolate Cherry Cobbler for dessert tonight. The sweet layer of homemade pie filling under soft, fluffy, chocolate biscuits tastes so good.

Serve this cherry cobbler recipe with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a decadent treat.

A white bowl filled with chocolate cherry cobbler topped with homemade whipped cream and a cherry

Why Make a Cobbler

A few weeks ago I made this Easy Strawberry Cobbler again. That inspired me to make a cherry crisp. As I was eating it I started wondering if I could incorporate chocolate into the topping.

The answer is yes.  I added some dark cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips to the dough along with a little bit more heavy cream to get the perfect chocolate biscuit topping.

This sweet chocolate cobbler is a Cracker Barrel copycat recipe that tastes just like the seasonal dessert you can sometimes order in restaurants.  

The gooey pie filling AND chocolate biscuits on it will have you fall in love with this sweet summer dessert!!! Chocolate and cherries are such a delicious combo.

Get ready to top this black forest cobbler with ice cream or whipped cream and DIG IN!!!

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Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

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This easy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is loaded with bacon, spinach, and tomatoes giving it a delicious BLT flavor.  This easy pasta salad recipe is a great side dish to share at summer picnics or barbecues.

A white bowl filled with a creamy ranch BLT pasta salad and cut avocados behind it

Summer Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is my go to during the hot summer months.  If we get invited to picnics or dinners it is safe to say I will be bringing some type of easy pasta salad recipe.

I also make a Caprese pasta salad or this Veggie Salad when I have no idea what else to make for dinner.  It's safe to say veggies and pasta are always my go to.

It's ok though, because pasta goes with just about any meal, right? Burgers, pulled pork, chicken tenders...it all goes together.

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Banana Nutella Snack Cake

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This Banana Nutella Snack Cake is so easy to make. Adding swirls of Nutella and a drizzle of glaze to this soft banana cake recipe makes it the perfect treat to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee.

Stack of four banana nutella snack cake squares on a cream plate

Whenever I have to bring a baked item for a breakfast or brunch, I usually make this Lemon Strawberry Snack Cake. It is such an easy cake to change up the filling on.

This week we had a bunch of over ripe bananas sitting on our counter that needed used and a jar of Nutella in the pantry that was calling my name.

I love tweaking and changing recipes, so this week I decided to make a banana cake using my favorite snack cake recipe as the base.

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Peaches and Cream Cake Roll

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This beautiful Peaches and Cream Cake Roll has whipped cream and cinnamon sugar-coated peaches all rolled up in a sweet sponge cake. If you are looking for peach recipes this summer, this is the one you need.

A white plate with a slice of peaches and cream cake roll on it and the rest of the cake roll behind it

I love learning all about baking. One of the things that I had always heard was that cake rolls HAD to be rolled up immediately after baking, so it could "remember" its shape. 

But I recently learned that rolling it warm for memory is a bit of an old wives' tale.

The amount of sugar in the batter and the chemical reaction while baking actually determines whether a cake will be pliable or tender.

This particular cake roll has just enough sugar that it can be rolled warm OR you can flip the pan over and let it cool flat with a pan over it. Either way, you can roll it up with your filling and it will not crack.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

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This Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake has two layers of ice cream on top of a crunchy cookie crust.  It is an easy frozen dessert that can be enjoyed all year long.

A white plate with a slice of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake on it and cake behind it

Ok, so I'm kind of sort of obsessed with ice cream cakes lately.

Although, I kind of feel guilty calling these "recipes". I mean can you really call it a recipe when you open two cartons of ice cream and layer them in a pan?

The answer to that is yes, yes you can. At least that's my take on the question.

Plus, after one slice of this cookie dough ice cream goodness, you will be happy for this non-recipe.  

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Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

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This easy Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake topped with a fluffy cheesecake mousse, graham cracker crumbs, and fresh strawberries will make you the star of every summer picnic. 

A blue plate with a square of strawberry cheesecake poke cake with a strawberry on top.
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By now you know that I am slightly obsessed with poke cakes.  It all started with this chocolate coconut cake years ago, and I haven't been able to stop making them. Or eating them...

There is just something about the chilled cake drizzled with milk and topped with a fluffy mousse frosting that gets me every single time.

Why Make a Poke Cake

If you love tres leches cake, you will adore a strawberry poke cake. They have the same gooey consistency.

  • Easy to make. All you need are a few store bought ingredients to make a cake that everyone will enjoy.
  • Gooey and delicious. Sweetened condensed milk and strawberry topping add a moist and amazing texture to the soft cake.
  • Great spring or summer dessert. The strawberry flavor and cheesecake topping will make this sweet cake disappear at any party, picnic, or event.

So, take our word for it and make this strawberry cheesecake poke cake for your family this week.  I think they will love it just as much as we did.

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Pina Colada Bundt Cake

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Pineapple and coconut add a fun summer twist to this easy Pina Colada Bundt Cake. It is a delicious tropical dessert for summer picnics or barbecues. Watch everyone smile as they grab a slice.

If you love pina coladas, make sure you try out these Pina Colada Sugar Cookie Bars too They are another crowd pleasing dessert.

A white plate on a red and white towel with a slice of pina colada bundt cake on it

Baking always makes me happy. Now I know there are some of you that love baking from scratch.  Now don't get me wrong, I love baking this way too, but I also love doctoring up mixes.

There is nothing wrong with jazzing up a cake mix to give you the look of a bakery style cake, right? I mean look how gorgeous this Strawberry Mousse Cake looks. Yup, it started from a box mix too.

My feelings on the matter is that someone took the time to calculate all those ingredient measurements into a box, so I'm going to go ahead and use them.  

It saves me a little bit of time in the kitchen, which translates into baking a cake faster for my mouth!  You do what you feel is best for you though!

For now I'm going to continue to go the semi-homemade route.  Giving pre-made ingredients that homemade with flair pizzaz is how I like to roll!

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