Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Behind BruCrew Life

Last month was another busy one for the BruCrew family. We had fun doing some last minute family activities before the kids headed back to college and school.

One of the big things that happened in August was that my cookbook Cheesecake Love was featured in Woman's World magazine. It was exciting to see a few of my pictures on the front cover and also in a three page spread.

It has been almost a year since it hit shelves, and I'm still pinching myself that I had such an awesome opportunity to write all about cheesecake.

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Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins

Baking a batch of these Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins will make your kitchen smell like fall. It's the perfect way to welcome in the cooler season.

Last week sliced apples were on sale in our local grocery store, so I stocked up on a few extra bags. My plan was to bake all the apple things that I wanted to share with you this fall in one week.

So far we enjoyed pancakes, cake, scones, Mini Apple Fritter Waffle Donuts, a couple batches of the most amazing caramel apple topping, and these amazing Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins.

And that was just last week. I still have ideas for cheesecake, bread pudding, cookies, Apple Nachos, crescent braids, and donuts in the very near future. I have officially decided to add apples to all the recipes. Now that it is September, I'm not planning on holding back on apple and pumpkin treats.

Usually by now I'm totally and completely bonkers for pumpkin treats, but I haven't hit that point this year. It must be the year of apples for me.

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Cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line

Earlier this summer our family went Cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line. There are so many different activities, delicious food, and great excursions when you book a trip on Norwegian.

This pretty party boat left out of Miami and headed to two different Bahama ports with us onboard.

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We actually had a completely different trip booked, but unforeseen circumstances with the boats maintenance had us scrambling days before the other ship left port to find another cruise.

One of my sister in law's is a travel agent, so she was able to find us this short 3 day cruise on Norwegian for a good price at the last minute. The best part was that she found two balcony rooms side by side that were still available.

So after finding fun things to do while driving the Florida Keys and exploring Key West in a day, we drove to Miami and got on board the all inclusive Norwegian Sky.

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Easy Football Party Ideas

Planning a game day party does not need to be hard or exhausting. These Easy Football Party Ideas will get you excited to plan a simple party where you can enjoy food, friends, and cheering on your favorite team.

Did you know that "homegating" is the new tailgating? Please tell me I'm not the only one that didn't know this new phrase (which I'm loving BTW).

You don't need to go through the hassle of packing up your food, chairs, and drinks and driving across town to watch a game with friends anymore. Planning and hosting a party in the comfort of your own home with easy convenient snacks is the new way to do football parties.

I love putting together easy themed parties and having friends over to our house. Good food, fun decorations, loud cheering, and wonderful company is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. [Read more...]

Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini is a delicious and fresh way to get those veggies into your life. This easy low carb dinner recipe is full of flavor and color and will become your new go to meal.

Zucchini Boats

Eating healthy is not something that comes easy to me. I grew up eating comfort food, and we made a lot of comfort food early in our marriage.

The past few years we have learned how to eat better, how to hydrate more often, how to exercise regularly, and how to plan more healthy dinners. Some of our favorites are these lean and green stuffed peppers and this low carb fish taco bowl.

Trust me, making healthy meals isn't natural to me. I would rather bake a fun dessert instead of making lean and green recipes. But I actually really like eating these healthy meals, so I'm stretching myself more.

One of our favorite dinners right now are stuffed zucchinis. They are easy to make and can be stuffed with so many different things. I decided to add a delicious cheeseburger filling to these zucchini boats.

These Bacon Cheeseburger Zucchinis actually moved into our top five favorites very quickly. It could be the fact that they have bacon inside and on top of them. That's probably why.

Whatever the reason, these stuffed zucchini boats were extremely delicious, and our teenage daughter has requested them again and again. I'm calling that a low carb dinner win!

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Swirled Pumpkin Nutella Muffins Recipe

Swirls of chocolate make these soft Pumpkin Nutella Muffins a delicious way to start out any day in the fall. If you are a pumpkin and Nutella lover, these are the muffins for you!

Pumpkin Nutella Muffins - swirls of chocolate in these soft muffins will make them disappear. Make this breakfast recipe this fall. #breakfast #muffins #pumpkin #nutella #fall

There are certain days that I just want to forget. Last week I had a few of those days.

It seemed like everything that I baked just didn't go right. One cookie recipe I tried twice, and both times it flopped. I'm really bummed because it sounds good, but I haven't gotten the consistency right yet.

Then on Wednesday morning I was driving the kids to school, and apparently I was in my own little world because I looked ahead, saw that the light was green and that no one was coming either direction.

I think I need to drink another Salted Caramel Mocha Latte to make sure I'm really awake before leaving the house because then I was distracted by the red flashing lights at the new gas station on the corner.

I even pointed it out to the kids, and said something about someone must have been speeding and got pulled over bright and early.

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Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream is a classic dessert that is delicious any time of year.

Right now I really really want to start baking all things fall related. When the middle of August hits, all I can think about is all things pumpkin and apple. BUT here in Florida it is still over 90 degrees. Not very fall like at all.

It's kind of hard to get into the fall baking mood when it's so hot and humid outside. So instead of pulling out the fall ingredients, I bought some more fresh strawberries.

At first I was going to make another batch of these No Bake Strawberry Daiquiri Cheesecake Parfaits for our fridge because chilly treats are best when it's so hot.

But then I got this crazy craving for strawberry shortcake, so I made that instead. And I couldn't let summer end without sharing these easy strawberry shortcake biscuits with you. [Read more...]

Mini Butterfinger Cheesecakes

Mini Butterfinger Cheesecakes are an easy treat to make using a cupcake pan. Each one is topped with a creamy peanut butter mousse and candy bar pieces. They are the perfect dessert for any occasion.

A white board with mini cheesecakes topped with Butterfingers on it.

It's no secret that we love to make cheesecake around here. Sometimes there is just not enough time to make a full sized cheesecake. That's when I pull out the cupcake pan and make mini cheesecakes.

Some of our favorites lately have been these blueberry cheesecakes, mini peanut butter cheesecakes, these mini turtle cheesecake, and now these butterfinger cheesecake bites.

I mean what's not to love about a mini cheesecake loaded with lots of candy bars. Am I right?

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Sometimes you want a dessert that is easy to make and doesn't take much time. Most cheesecake recipes are complicated and can be time consuming to make.

These mini Butterfinger cheesecakes are the perfect solution. The batter is easy to make, and they can be made in a cupcake pan. Plus, who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate?

Each one is topped with a creamy peanut butter mousse and lots of candy bar pieces, so they will definitely impress your guests.

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Behind BruCrew Life

Last month was a crazy month of traveling and adventures for the BruCrew family. And of course, as soon as we got home it was right into work and getting ready for school.

So it has taken me a while to go through all the photos from our trips to be able to share the fun things we did and found in July.

Summer in Florida usually means lots of storms and rain in the afternoons. But that also means quite a few gorgeous skies and rainbows after the fact. We were headed into Sam's one afternoon after a rainstorm, and we got to witness this pretty rainbow. It was actually a double rainbow, but I didn't get a very good picture of that.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins

You have to try our irresistible Chocolate Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins! They are packed full of gooey chocolate chips and a lusciously creamy cheesecake center. Don't miss out on this heavenly treat!

Two chocolate zucchini muffins stacked on top of each other with a bite out of the top one.

Of course, I couldn't let the summer go by without chocolate coating some greens for you. Since I've made and devoured this chocolate zucchini cake and these zucchini brownies, I can't get enough of adding zucchini to my chocolate goodies. It's so delicious!

This week I made a muffin with a cheesecake center, combining cheesecake and chocolate into breakfast. My inspiration for today's chocolate muffins came from these carrot cheesecake muffins. I changed the shredded carrots to shredded zucchini and added some cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

After eagerly waiting for the first batch to cool, I finally sunk my teeth into a few zucchini muffins. I am pleased to report that this muffin makeover was a huge success.

Why You Will Love These Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins

These chocolate muffins have a creamy cheesecake center and are loaded with melty chocolate chips and shredded zucchini.

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