Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

These Oatmeal Fudge Bars have a crumbly oatmeal topping and a rich chocolate center. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on one of these warm cookie bar is a magical dessert.

This summer I am working on updating the photos from some of the first recipes that I shared here on the blog from many, many years ago.

It has been fun seeing how much my photography has changed and improved over the years. Of course, it's embarrassing as well because some of these old pictures are bad. We are talking, really bad. I can't even believe I shared some of these.

But I guess that's what happens with anything. The more you work on something, the more you learn and improve. [Read more...]

Cherry Chicken Salad

Fresh cherries and cilantro add a fun twist to this easy Cherry Chicken Salad recipe. Serve it with crescent rolls for lunch or on salad for a delicious and healthy dinner.

Cherry Walnut Chicken Salad - this easy chicken salad is made with fresh cherries, cilantro, and walnuts. Try this delicious recipe on rolls or a salad for dinner! #chicken #salad #cherry #recipe #freshcherries #chickensalad

I had this Grape Pecan Chicken Salad a few years ago at a church event. This was the first time I had ever had chicken salad with fruit, and I admit I was a little bit skeptical at first.

After all, I had been eating chicken salad with pickles and eggs for years. But after one bite, I was utterly hooked on this easy fruit and chicken salad.

In fact, our whole family now loves eating fruit in different salads, like this Strawberry Orange Spinach Salad or this Hawaiian Chicken Salad.

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Parmesan Shrimp Scampi

A pan of this Parmesan Shrimp Scampi is so flavorful and so easy to put together in under 30 minutes. It's an easy and delicious skillet meal that is perfect for busy weeknights.

Most of the time, if I make a pasta dish for dinner, we will substitute zucchini noodles in place of the pasta noodles. After eating relatively clean and healthy for a few years now, we actually prefer these zoodles instead.

Well, my hubby and I do. The kids still like having the real deal.

I usually save my pasta dinners for the times when we go out to eat. Since we do not eat out that often, I do not feel any guilt in ordering a meal that is mainly carbs. Exercising frequently and eating in moderation is key to a healthy lifestyle.

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Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Craving brownies and cookies? These easy Chocolate Brownie Cookies are the best of both worlds. Try this thin and chewy cookie recipe filled with frosting or ice cream for a fun dessert.

A pink plate with a stack of six brownie cookies on it and mini chocolate chips scattered around it.

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One of the things I am trying to do right now is to use up all the baking supplies in the pantry that I have hoarded over the past year. There are bags and bags of chocolate chips, candies, sprinkles, and pudding mixes just hanging out, waiting for me to pick them up.

In reality, though, I haven't been doing much baking this summer. Number one, because I'm trying to put a stop to my sweet tooth, and when I bake, I snack. Number two, it's hot in Florida during the summer.

And number three, I have quite a few recipes already made and ready to share with you, so I'm working on editing and writing about those instead of baking more cookies and cakes.

So these brownie cookies staring back at you were actually made back in April. Yup, over three months ago, I made these soft chocolate cookies and then didn't share them with you right away.

Normally, I like to make these brownie whoopie pies using a brownie mix, but since I had some chocolate chips to use up, I decided to make a plain version of these moose tracks cookies instead.

They are so chewy, chocolatey, and delicious. My favorite way to eat them is as ice cream sandwiches because they do not get rock hard in the freezer.

If you love cookies and brownies, try out this brookie recipe!

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Oatmeal Cream Pie Berry Trifle

An Oatmeal Cream Pie Berry Trifle is great for serving at picnics, barbecues, or parties this summer. The layers of cream pies, no bake marshmallow cheesecake, and fresh berries make this an impressive no bake dessert.

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Berry Trifle

One of my all-time favorite treats is Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. I puffy heart love them so much! In high school, I used to buy a box and hide it in my room just for me. That metabolism from high school has long since disappeared, so hiding boxes of snack cakes is not something I can do now.

Although I bought a box of Oatmeal Creme Pies a few weeks ago because I had this fun idea for a berry trifle. I pulled out the box of cream pies, only to find out that someone else had started munching on the snack cakes.

It turns out my oldest has the same love for these cookies. I really should make another batch of these Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies and see which cream pie cookie he likes more.

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4th of July Marshmallows

Enjoy these Firecracker Marshmallow Pops at your Fourth of July picnics and parties this summer. Chocolate-covered marshmallows with a fun red, white, and blue twist are a treat that kids of all ages will love.

Three red white and blue marshmallow pops.

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Red White and Blue Marshmallows

My husband and I have Disney season passes, and since we live nearby, we can just hop in the car whenever we feel like it. We love exploring the parks all year round!

I really love just wandering around, snacking, and soaking up the parks without any pressure. I'm all about those Disney treats, so we make sure to stop at every bakery we come across.

I spotted red, white, and blue marshmallows at Disney Springs while we were checking out all the desserts, and it reminded me that these dirt marshmallow pops were inspired by a candy shop there as well.

A bouquet of marshmallow pops in a jar of M&M candies.

With July 4th just around the corner, I had to make a batch of Fourth of July cupcakes and these red white and blue marshmallows. The sour straw on top makes them look just like little firecrackers!

BruCrew Tip: Add a large candy star to the middle of the white marshmallow to make the perfect party favor for Marvel-themed birthday parties.

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Vanilla Pound Cake

If you're looking for a dessert that never goes out of style, this Vanilla Pound Cake is it! It's rich, buttery, and packed with real vanilla bean specks in every bite. I love slicing it thick and serving it with juicy berries and a swirl of homemade whipped cream.

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Best Pound Cake

A few months ago, I came across boxes stuffed with old recipes I had written down in junior high and high school. I had forgotten about them being in there, so pulling them out and looking through them was fun.

The first recipe that caught my eye was an easy recipe for pound cake from scratch. Since I had never made a classic pound cake, I decided this was happening immediately.

The instructions were easy to follow, and the cake looked and tasted great. However, it was slightly underdone and had gummy streaks in places.

So, I tweaked the ingredients, the temperature, and the baking time. FIVE pound cakes later, I found the perfect ratios for this moist pound cake recipe.

What Is Pound Cake?

The name pound cake comes from the original recipe, which used a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Given the size and density of this cake, the recipe has been modified over time to make a smaller, lighter cake.

The ingredients for a traditional pound cake have also been changed slightly to give this cake a different texture. You can use other extracts and flavorings to give the buttery cake unique and delicious flavors, like in this key lime pound cake.

Why I Love This Recipe

Rich Buttery Texture - The flavor comes from the butter, sugar, and vanilla bean paste. It tastes like a yellow cake, but has a richer taste.
Heavy and Dense - The cake batter in this old-fashioned pound cake recipe bakes up so dense yet still light and fluffy. It literally melts in your mouth!
Best Vanilla Flavor - Using vanilla bean paste gives this cake a rich vanilla flavor. The black specks always make me smile!
Simple yet Elegant - I love serving slices of this delicious cake with whipped cream and berries or with lemon curd and blueberry sauce.

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Red White and Blue Bundt Cake

This Red White and Blue Bundt Cake is a fun and colorful Fourth of July cake that you can be proud to share at any picnic or barbecue this summer.

Every year around this time we look forward to going to Fourth of July picnics with friends and families and setting off fireworks and eating patriotic desserts.

Although, let me just say we are not super crazy about the part where we spend money on things we are just going to blow up. Don't get me wrong, fireworks and sparklers are totally fun, and we enjoy setting a few off each year.

But while we are holding our dollar sparklers, we will enjoy all the big fireworks that everyone else in the neighborhood are setting off.

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Sweet and Salty Trail Mix

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a bowl of this Sweet and Salty Trail Mix. Pretzels, peanut butter cups, peanuts, and cookies make this homemade snack mix taste so good.

Most of our vacations for the summer are over already. Right after school finished we took our kiddos on a short 4 day cruise to Cuba and Great Stirrup Cay.

We sailed on the same boat last year when we enjoyed a Beach Day on Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. The island is gorgeous, so we didn't mind stopping for another day of sunbathing and snorkeling.

Why is it when you are going TOO a vacation the hours driving in a car don't bother you as much? Our drive home from Miami sure seemed longer coming home.

I think it was: A. There was no cruise boat waiting for me in my driveway and B. I didn't have any Reese's snack mix left to munch on as we came home.

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Coconut Cream Fruit Dip

This sweet and tropical Coconut Cream Fruit Dip is a delicious choice to serve with fruit. It's an easy no bake dessert to bring to summer picnics or parties.

A few weeks ago we had a ladies meeting at our church. Of course, I had to bring some sort of dessert, right?

These Coconut Oreo Shortcakes were on my counter waiting to go over, but I wanted something else. I wanted something full of coconut goodness.

I opened the pantry and stared into it, then I heard angels start singing as I spotted the can of cream of coconut in the back.

Usually, I like to make a dark chocolate dip or this Lemon Cream Fruit Dip, but today my tropical loving tastebuds were craving a creamy, coconut dip.

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