Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Merry Christmas 2017

We want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This year has been another one with major changes for our family. God has provided for us as we transitioned to a new state and to our oldest going to college.

I am so thankful to have a fun job that can go with us wherever we are. I also am so thankful for each and every one of you. It's so fun to get emails and comments from everyone who tries our recipes. Your support makes what I do so much fun! Thank you for letting me share stories and recipes from our kitchen.

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Spiced Apple Waffles

Serve these warm Spiced Apple Waffles with maple apple cranberry sauce and whipped cream. Make this homemade waffle recipe for weekend breakfasts or holidays.

A few weeks ago my husband was out of town for a work trip, so the kids and I were on our own making dinner. If you have been around here very long, you know that meant our main dinner maker was gone. I don't mind making dinner, and I'm not bad at it. But given the choice between making dinner or dessert, I'm going to go for dessert every single time.

I decided to let the kids choose what things they wanted for dinner that week. Our youngest absolutely loves this Spicy Chicken and Rice Soup with slices of cheese on the side, so I knew he would be asking for that again. Don't tell him that I substituted this Easy Cauliflower Rice in it though. Making it lean and green can be our little secret.

Our daughter doesn't mind eating healthy foods, but her choices for the week were Spicy Parmesan Ranch Chicken Tenders with fries and breakfast for dinner. Total comfort food both nights! [Read more...]

Peanut Butter Avalanche Fudge

Pockets of fluffy marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crunchy cereal makes this easy no bake Peanut Butter Avalanche Fudge a must make treat for the holidays.

It's that time of year. Time to make and eat all the fudge! The funny thing is that I love to make (and eat) fudge all year long. At one point I was trying to make a new fudge recipe every month because why should winter get all the fudge fun, right?

There are so many good ones out there like potato fudge and fantasy fudge! But then I got distracted and started making cake mix cookies and cheesecake.

Why do most people think fudge is just a holiday treat? Probably because fudge and cookies are the perfect thing to make for dessert exchanges or for giving away as gifts.

I actually have been holding out on a few fudge recipes. This peanut butter avalanche fudge was one I made this past summer for a church activity, and then I promptly forgot to share it with you.

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Lemon Gingersnap Cheesecake Tarts

Lemon Gingersnap Cheesecake Tarts: crunchy cookie crusts filled with a fluffy cheesecake mousse and topped with a gingerbread cookie is a fun and easy treat to make for holiday parties.

Gingerbread man cookie sitting on Lemon Gingersnap Cheesecake Tart.

This month is my husband's birthday, and all he wanted was to go see the new Star Wars movie with the family. So this past weekend we ordered tickets, bought matching shirts, and went to see the movie at the IMAX theatre. You guys. I grew up watching the old Star Wars, so those ones have a special place in my heart. Nothing beats them.

If you haven't seen the new one yet, just take what I say with a grain of salt. We didn't like it. At all. It was just strange. Almost like they were trying too hard to reach out to multiple generations. My husband said it was like Stars Wars meets Harry Potter meets Space Balls meets Mary Poppins. Yeah, it had all of those elements in it, plus a whiny old Jedi leader. Not worth it in my opinion to see it in the movies. It would be a good $1 Redbox pick.

But we still had fun going as a family in our matchy matchy shirts. Our kids gave us a few eye rolls when I gave them the shirts and told them they had to wear them. We got a few more eye rolls when I said I had matching flannel pants for everyone to wear on Christmas day. Our daughter said, "great, we are THAT family." Bwhahahaha! Yup, we are.

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Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet Tortellini

This Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet Tortellini is full of meats, veggies, and gooey cheese. A quick and easy comfort food recipe on a busy night makes everyone smile at the dinner table.

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

Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet Tortellini - this easy pasta dinner is loaded with meats, veggies, and cheese. Great recipe to have on the dinner table in under 30 minutes!

Life usually comes full circle. Growing up I was not a very big meat eater. My mom never had a problem getting me to eat my veggies, but I would always complain about having to finish a few bites of chicken or beef. Now I have that same conversation over and over with our youngest son.

He would much rather eat a big plate of Roasted Veggies or salad instead of eating any kind of meat. I know that he needs to get enough protein in his diet as a growing teenager, so we keep a lot of cheese and milk on hand for him.

There are a few different meats that he will eat without a big fuss, so we make those regularly. He likes pepperoni, so we make Homemade Pizza Dough and let the kids load it up with their favorite toppings. He will usually eat a juicy hamburger with all the fixings, so we grill out often too.

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Peppermint Cream Patties

These cute little Peppermint Patties are a fun and delicious treat to add to your cookie trays this Christmas. The homemade candy recipe is easy to customize with different colored sprinkles and chocolate.

A stack of 4 peppermint patties on a blue and tan towel.

I'm seriously freezing right now, and it's only 57 degrees outside. Yes, I realize a lot of you have all kinds of snow and freezing temperatures and you are probably laughing at me. Your blood definitely thins once you get adjusted to warmer weather. Just last week we were sitting on the beach enjoying 80 degrees and sun, so yes, my body is freezing right now, even if it isn't that cold here.

I'm kind of scared for our trip up north to see family for the holidays. My sister-in-law has been sending me pics of the weather there and laughing her head off at me because she knows I'm a big baby when it comes to cold weather. Trust me...I'm packing an extra bag with all our winter coats and extra layers for me. If you need me, I'll be the snowman inside by the fire trying to warm up.

The only way I like to see snowmen is when they are on a dessert tray and made of sugar. Actually, I was quite surprised to see that I have never done a snowman treat in all the years of sharing recipes. The closest thing I have are these marshmallow frosty hats that I made quite a few years ago. Since I found a bag of snowman eyes and carrot noses at Walmart, I had to incorporate them into a fun little snowman candy.

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No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake Bars

Bright colors and lots of sprinkles make these easy No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake Bars stand out on your Christmas dessert table. The bright colors make it the perfect dessert for all the elves in your life.

So, I did something scary last night. My husband and I did a live post on my Facebook page. Honestly, I thought I would be more nervous as it got closer to our start time, but it wasn't until right before he pushed the play button that I forgot everything I wanted to say.

The video started sideways, so it totally made me more relaxed because that's just life. Nothing is perfect, and you just have to roll with it, right? We shared some family holiday traditions and then answered some questions about blogging and baking. It was so easy and fun, that we are planning on doing more in the upcoming year. Does that sound good to you?

This fun, bright, colored, crazy cheesecake is another thing I just had to roll with. Earlier this year I made these fun no bake rainbow unicorn cheesecake bars, and everyone has gone nuts for them. The original video got a lot of views, and the pictures have been pinned tons of times on Pinterest. Well, that got me thinking. How could I turn those fun cheesecake bars into a holiday treat?

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Eggnog Thumbprints

These simple Eggnog Thumbprints and a glass of milk or coffee is a great way to end the day. Such an easy sweet to add to your Christmas cookie trays.

Eggnog Thumbprint cookies with white and red sprinkles on a white plate.

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So, I realized today as I was getting ready to share this cookie recipe with you that I missed National Cookie Day on Monday! A day dedicated to all things cookies, and I totally spaced out. I even had this recipe made, photographed, and ready to go. Apparently I wasn't supposed to celebrate cookie day! So today we are celebrating Wednesday with cookies.

I mean, your cookie jar needs some fun right now, right? Please say yes. Please say yes!

How many of you have started your holiday baking already? So far, I have made some frosted mocha shortbread cookie sticks, chocolate Christmas kiss cookies, and raspberry thumbprint cookies. That's just the cookie department. Lots of peppermint treats have been tested and posted too! Trust me when I say you need this peppermint mocha fudge tart in your life ASAP!

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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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