Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Bars

Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Bars will make your whole crew cheer. Say hello to holiday breakfast done right!

A white plate with three gingerbread oatmeal bars drizzled with white chocolate on it

The other day I had a dentist visit for a routine cleaning. The nice lady taking care of me let me know that I was slacking a little bit in my flossing duties.

It's something that I always mean to do each night, but then I don't. I know, I know. Brush, floss, repeat. It's not like it's that hard.

To soothe my ego and my mouth, I headed over to Target for a few items. Hahaha! Did anyone else just laugh at that?

A few items always turns into a cartful. This day was no different. It is Christmas shopping season, and Target has the cutest things to stuff stockings with. Plus, I had to get more candy canes for another batch of peppermint brownie truffles.

Yeah, we'll go with that and not mention that half the items in my cart may or may not have been for me.

Some of the items were actually for the house, but my hubby always says those purchases are for me. I guess no one else cares about pillows and tree collars.

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Peppermint Mocha Fudge Tart

One bite of this Peppermint Mocha Fudge Tart will send you to your holiday happy place. Chocolate and peppermint layers make this easy dessert an impressive dessert to share at Christmas parties.

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Oh, the weather outside is frightful...nah not here. We live in Florida where it's been sunny and 80 degrees all week. In fact, I needed a break after a long week, so the kids and I headed over to the beach for an hour. Yup, it's December, and we went to the beach. I love my life!

It was so relaxing to just sit in the sun without a care in the world. The weather app is showing sunny skies for the next three days. So, I'm very temped to take a break in the middle of the day from all things baking and blogging to sit in the sun for an hour.

I also looked ahead for the rest of the week and the app said it would be in the 60's by Friday. Brrr! That's chilly! I have a feeling I should pull out a few sweatshirts and jeans!

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Chocolate Mint Oreo Fudge

Cookie chunks and mint chips make this Chocolate Mint Oreo Fudge a creamy no bake treat that will disappear off your holiday dessert tables in no time at all.

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3 pieces of chocolate fudge loaded with green mint cookies and mint chips on a white doily.

I'm trying really hard this year to get into the holiday spirit. This is our first winter living in a very warm climate. Not going to lie. It's kind of strange to look over at our decorated tree by the patio door and see the open blue pool and bright sunny skies behind it.

It's also so strange to be driving around town and see all the holiday decorations around the beach and palm trees. We are totally loving beach life, but I think this first Christmas will feel different no matter what we do.

So in order to keep our holiday spirits up, I am taking it upon me to keep the air conditioner blasting cold air while I make tons of festive treats. It's a mission I think I am up for.

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Peppermint Whipped Cream

Trust me and keep a batch of this Peppermint Whipped Cream in your refrigerator at all times this holiday season. It's the perfect topping to just about every Christmas dessert!

Well, it's official. I am completely smitten with all things peppermint at the moment. It's funny how quickly my flavor of the month changes. It seems like just yesterday I couldn't get enough pumpkin.

It's like a switch in my head (or stomach) gets flipped, and my tastes change just like that. Mostly it's just a seasonal thing.

Does anyone else crave specific things at certain times of the year? Of course, since the tree is up and Christmas songs are on repeat, all I want in life is peppermint goodness.

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Peppermint Cheesecake Oreo Brownies

Peppermint Cheesecake Oreo Brownies: layers of homemade brownies, holiday cookies, and peppermint cheesecake will put a smile on your face this Christmas.

Do not forget the swirl of Peppermint Whipped Cream because it adds just the right touch of holiday love!

*I am partnering with ADA Mideast this month to bring you a holiday recipe. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Peppermint Cheesecake Oreo Brownies - layers of homemade brownies, cookies, and cheesecake make this an impressive dessert to serve for holiday parties. Great recipe for Christmas!

It's the most wonderful time of year. Christmas decorations are up, and everywhere you go there is Christmas music playing or bells ringing. I don't know about you, but hearing those ringing bells outside most stores gives me the warm fuzzies. It's the sound of people giving back because they care.

The church that we have been attending for the past few months had a big donation drive earlier this month. We participated by shopping for children from other countries with our two youngest children. They had fun picking out items for each box.

They also do different food drives and work days through the year, so we are looking forward to helping out even more. We want our children to see how much it means to help out and give back to others that are in need. My desire is that they will remember these giving moments instead of the gifts under the tree each year.

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Frosted Mocha Shortbread Cookie Sticks

These easy Frosted Mocha Shortbread Cookie Sticks are a pretty treat to add to your holiday trays this year. Lots of fun sprinkles make them stand out and disappear first.

*Stevia In The Raw® sponsored this post. I am partnering with them to create recipes for the fall season. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Frosted Mocha Shortbread Cookie Sticks - sweet chocolate cookies topped with white chocolate and lots of sprinkles will stand out on your cookie trays. Easy recipe for holiday parties!

Every year, right before the holidays get busy, I like to make a few lists of treats and sweets that I want to make for the holidays. Some of these desserts get made ahead of time because I like to test each recipe a few times to see if they will make the final list.

Right now I have a list that includes fudge, cheesecake, popcorn, pie, cookies, and a tart. I have a feeling I better get a move on testing recipes because the holidays will be here before I know it.

This past week I decided to test a few cookie recipes. Shortbread cookies always make the final list of treats that we make, and these peppermint snowball cookies are one of my all time favorite cookies for Christmas. They are always on the trays of cookies that we make and give away.

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24 Must Make Pie Recipes

Here is a list of 24 Must Make Pie Recipes that are worthy of bringing to any dinner party. Here is a list of fruit, cheesecake, chocolate, cream, and mini pies that need to happen in your kitchen right away. Grab a fork and get ready to dig in!

It's that time of year again. The time when everyone is making their Thanksgiving day menu. Or do you already have your list finished up? Maybe I'm the only one that has waited until the last minute to put together my menu. Actually, we haven't been at our own home for Thanksgiving in forever, so I never make a full list. Usually I just bring dessert and a side dish to where ever we are eating.

This year we will be spending the day with some of my husband's family. He has some aunts and uncles that usually spend a few months out of the year here in sunny Florida, so we will be joining them for a turkey feast. I am still trying to decide which dessert to bring and share. My brain tends to overthink these kind of things. I know I want to make pie, but which one?

As I was looking through all my pie recipes, I decided to put together a list of pies that I thought were worthy of sharing at dinner. Here are a few of my favorites that I have made over the years and a few delicious pies that I found as I was looking online too. I hope you find one or more that you just have to make for your family dinners this year. It's not too late to add another pie to your must make list!

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Cinnamon Toffee Pecan Banana Bread

A loaf of this Cinnamon Toffee Pecan Banana Bread is a delicious addition to your morning routine. Enjoy a slice with your coffee or milk for breakfast or for your afternoon snack.

I went from buying bananas all the time to hardly buying them at all now. I'm not really sure what happened. Usually every time we did some grocery shopping, I would grab a bunch of bananas for our fruit bin.

Oh, wait! I do know what happened. Our oldest son went to college a few months ago, and without him around the bananas just sit there all lonely like. He was usually the only one who would eat the fresh bananas I would buy.

We had a good system going on. I would eat the green bananas, then he would eat the ripe bananas. Anything that turned brown was then fair game for making banana pancakes or the best banana cake. I do really love baking with bananas. It's probably one of my favorite ingredients to use. Of course, nothing will ever top chocolate and peanut butter. [Read more...]

Pass the Pork Tour in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

About six weeks ago I had the awesome opportunity from the National Pork Board to go on the Pass the Pork tour in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Over the years I have visited a few dairy farms, a chicken farm, and strawberry fields. So, I was excited to add pig farm to that list. I love that my job as a food blogger gives me opportunities to see more about the food we eat.

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*The National Pork Board sponsored this trip. I am working with them to provide you this post.

Our first night there we walked along the famous Sioux falls to visit the Stockyards Ag Experience. Here we enjoyed some pork appetizers and had an opportunity to see pictures and displays showing the heritage of agriculture in the area. Then we headed to dinner where we met some of the people who have developed the Pipestone System for pig farmers.

As I listened to the different farmers, veterinarians, managers, and pork specialists on this trip, I heard the same love, care, and concern that I have heard before for the animals they take care of. Farmers across the board really do love the animals or plants that they provide for us to consume as food. They know that healthy animals provide healthy sustainable food for the world. [Read more...]

Chocolate Covered Apple Ring Turkeys

Cookies and sprinkles make these Chocolate Covered Apple Ring Turkeys a fun Thanksgiving craft. Perfect no bake treat to keep the kids busy before dinner.

*This post was sponsored by Crunch Pak apples. I am partnering with them as a blog ambassador creating delicious apple recipes. All opinions are 100% my own.

Chocolate Covered Apple Ring Turkeys - cookies and sprinkles turn these apples into the cutest turkey treat. Easy no bake recipe for kids to create on Thanksgiving day.

Do you ever have those moments where you wake up from a dream and remember it vividly? Usually it's because of something scary happening, right? Well, about a month ago, I was half way awake in the morning, but I decided to just lie down for another few minutes before hitting our garage gym.

The next thing I know, I sat up with a start. In my dream I was photographing the cutest little turkeys made out of apples. It was such a random and funny thing to be dreaming about.

My guess is that even after spending an entire week making these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Tarts, this Apple Pecan Upside Down Cake, and these Chocolate Dipped Halloween Apple Rings that I needed more apple ring fun in my life.

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