Herron Hacienda | Faith, Family, & Frugal Finds in Michigan

~ Coffee-Mate Baker's Brunch ~

I was so excited to be selected to host a Coffee-mate baker's party to celebrate the new Cafe Collection.  This collection is one of my favorites from Coffee-mate with three coffeehouse blends - Caramel Macchiato, White Chocolate Caramel Latte, and Cafe Latte!

It was a relaxed atmosphere with lots of good friends, good food and of course, coffee!!! 

 

 

 

 

I'm so excited to host a Coffee-mate party!  I can't contain it! 

 

Thanks Coffee-mate for a fun morning!

~ Champps Restaurant = Awesome! ~

I just read about THE MOST AMAZING mother's day deal for a restaurant.  Champps Restaurants announced that for each mother who eats in their restaurant on mother's day, they will receive a $15 gift card which gives her $15 EACH MONTH for the next year!  How awesome is that???  I am trying to figure out how I can possibly squeeze in a trip to the closest Champps on an already busy Sunday.  You should definitely check this deal out if they have a location near you!

~ Breakfast for Dinner - Easter style! ~

I think I have officially said good-bye to Bisquick thanks to this recipe!  I like to add a little bit of cinnamon and these turn out so yummy!  Tonight I decided to make Josiah's pancakes Easter-themed by adding strawberries and Easter sprinkles.  He loved them!  Oh, and of course there was BACON!

~ Chocolate + Peanut Butter = YUM! ~

If you are a chocolate and peanut butter lover (Andrea - you have permission to skip this post!), then I have the recipe for you!  This is the second time I have made this pie and it is so yummy and easy!  I spiced it up this time with crushed reese's peanut butter cups.  Thanks to Cooking during Stolen Moments for the amazing recipe!  You can find it here or read below...

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie w/ Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust

• 1/2 batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough (about enough to make 2 – 2 1/2 dozen cookies)
• 1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 T. milk, plus more if needed
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips, melted (optional)

1. Grease a pie plate and sprinkle bottom and sides with granulated sugar or flour. Press cookie dough into pie plate. Bake at 375 degress for 15 – 20 minutes, until browned and fully cooked. Immediately after removing from oven, gently press the center of the pie crust down with a spoon to help it flatten. These makes it more like a pie crust and less like bar cookies.

2. While pie crust is baking, beat together the cream cheese and peanut butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and mix about 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and milk. The consistency should be thinner than frosting but thicker than pudding.

3. Once pie crust is completely cooled, pour in filling. If desired, melt chocolate chips and pour or drizzle over pie.

~ Chocolate + Peanut Butter = Divine ~

Holidays have a way of stirring up old memories.  One of my favorite memories surrounding Easter time involves food - LOL.  I have a pretty big family with each of my parents having 4 and 5 siblings.  My dad's siblings are all older and some have passed on.  One of those was my Aunt Joan.  She was the only Aunt who lived in the same town we grew up in.  We saw her more than others because of this.  She was a humble lady and an excellent cook.  I remember every Easter she would make home-made chocolate eggs - usually peanut butter and marshmallow.  This memory got me inspired yesterday...

There are few food combinations that can surpass chocolate and peanut butter in this household.  Even Josiah seems to have inherited this trait!  (btw - Andrea, if you are reading this, you are crazy for not liking this!  LOL)  I found a great recipe to make my home made chocolate peanut butter eggs.  I had all the ingredients on hand (and plenty of peanut butter due to my stockpile!).  All we can say now is mmmm....

You can find this delicious and easy recipe here!  Enjoy!

~ Attention Pizza Lovers! ~

Pizza is HUGE in our house!  Both of my boys love pizza.  We have a weekly pizza night.  I think Jonathan would argue that it is a food group all it's own.  LOL.  I am always trying to find the best deal on pizza.  Probably home made is the answer, but one rule for pizza night is that I get the night off from cooking!  Recently, a Little Caesar's popped into town.  We have been going for the Hot 'n Ready because it is cheaper than even frozen pizza.  Not this week!!! 

Target has the best deal this week when it comes to pizza.  They have Digiorno 12" pizzas on sale for $3.99.  Now that's a great deal, but it gets even better!  You get a FREE 2 liter of coke with each pizza you purchase!  This is a great way to stock up not only on a fast, cheap dinner, but 2 liters.  I love that I have a little bit of a stockpile of drinks.  I don't have to run out and pay too much at the last minute when company is coming or my 242 Group is due to arrive!  I have a variety of drinks on hand.

Anyhow, that's my advice for the day - Go to Target this week!

~ Angel Food Ministires = Thumbs Up! ~

I picked up my first box of food that I ordered through my local Angel Food Ministries location.  I have to say that it did not disappoint!  The church who hosted it did a great job and everyone was so friendly.  They even carried my food to the car for me!  I feel like the overall value was great.  Sure, there are a few things I wouldn't normally purchase, but I think it will spark some creativity in my cooking.  There are plenty of easy to prepare foods as well.  I highly recommend giving this money-saving ministry a try!  I already ordered a box plus an extra meat pack for next month - all for less than my weekly grocery bill!

~ Fall Baking ~

One thing I love about fall is the smells and flavors - especially pumpkin!  We switched to pumpkin coffee creamer as soon as it was out on the shelves.  A couple weeks ago, I stocked up on my canned pumpkin to have on hand for whatever interesting recipes may cross my path. 

Last week, I made a couple of loaves of pumpkin spice bread found on the Family Fun website.  It was so yummy that even Josiah wanted seconds, saying, "More bread!"  You can get the recipe here.  I decided this makes a nice little fall gift for friends and family too.

Yesterday, I whipped up these...

Mmmm...these are sooooooooo good!  Baking them makes your whole house smell like fall!  I actually got the recipe for these Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze from Organized Christmas.  I knew I had to try them when I came across it.  The cookies are very soft and chewy (almost cake like) and the glaze topper gives them a sort of doughnut feel.  I won't say how many Jonathan ate in one sitting after he tasted them - but it was a lot!  You can catch this recipe here.

I hope this helps jumpstart your fall baking if you're into that.  Enjoy!

~ Calling All Chocolate Peanut Butter Lovers! ~

I have the recipe for you!  I made this tasty (and very rich) dessert last night for some friends.  It will definitely be a keeper!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

Prep Time:15 min  Total Time: 4 hr 15 min

Makes: 12 servings

12 NUTTER BUTTER Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, divided          

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tub (12 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

CRUSH 8 of the cookies in resealable plastic bag with rolling pin. Mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of foil-lined 9x5-inch loaf pan.

MIX cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in 3 cups of the whipped topping. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture into small bowl. Stir in melted chocolate until well blended; set aside. Spoon half of the remaining cream cheese mixture over crust. Top evenly with chocolate mixture; cover with remaining cream cheese mixture.

FREEZE 4 hours or overnight until firm. Invert onto plate. Remove foil, then re-invert onto serving platter so that crumb layer is on bottom. Coarsely break the remaining 4 cookies. Top dessert with remaining whipping topping and cookies.

Thanks Kraft Foods for this great recipe!

~ Thursday Night Treat ~

I happened across the recipe for a Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie while flipping through a Rachel Ray mag of Andrea's today.  I just knew we had to try it...and NOW!  It's not too bad, but the lemon kind of steals the joy for me so if I make it again, I'll skip the lemon.  Here's the recipe for those interested.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 3 ounces low-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups frozen strawberries

Directions

1. Using a blender, mix the boiling water, sugar and lemon peel until the sugar is dissolved, about 15 seconds.

2. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and blend until smooth.

3. Add the frozen strawberries and blend on high speed until slushy, about 30 seconds.