momstestkitchen

Wonderful Food Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Welcome to
Wonderful Food Wednesday- #42

Can you believe another week has already passed?!? How's everyone's summer started off so far? Anyone wishing it was already time for school to start back up?? ;) I kid, I kid!

Y'all ready for another week of Wonderful Food Wednesday??! Thank you all so much for linking up each week! You have no idea how much the three of us appreciate each & every one of you helping make this party such a success!!

Want to be featured? Post your best and we'll pick a few of our favorites to feature each week. Check back next week to see if you've been featured on Wonderful Food Wednesday. If you're featured, your recipe will also be pinned to our Wonderful Food Wednesday Pinterest board.

Leave us a comment and tell us what you're cooking up!

Ready for this week's features?

Last week y'all were all about the copycat & DIY recipes so this week we're breaking out of the norm for features & we're showcasing all of them!! That's right ~ this week we've got 7 amazing recipes to feature!!

*if we missed any other copycat or DIY recipes that were linked up last week, we sincerely apologize!!!!

1. HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY VODKA shared by Pink Recipe Box

2. EASY HOMEMADE TWIX BARS shared by Back For Seconds

3. COPYCAT CHOCOLATE FROSTY shared by The Rehomesteaders

4. HOMEMADE HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE SYRUP shared by Cooking Is Easy

5. MALL COPYCAT SOFT PRETZELS shared by Stumbling Upon Happiness

6. COPYCAT NO REALLY THOUGH WAFFLE shared by Cooking For The Seven Dwarfs

7. HOMEMADE AMERICAN CHEESE {DIY VELVEETA} shared by Coffee With Us 3

Be sure to stop by all of these fabulous blogs to check out these recipes and lots of others.

If you've been featured, feel free to grab our button and place it on your sidebar:

RULES:

1. Follow your hosts Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel

and Jessica @ All She Cooks , Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen

*If you are a new follower please leave us a message/comment so that we can hop on over for a visit.

2. Visit as many blogs as you can, leave comments, follow and grab their recipes.

If you are interested in guest hosting for a week, please send an email to

twinstravelblog (at) gmail (dot) com

Corn & Zucchini Quesadillas

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:50:00 +0000

Raw veggies, fresh lime juice, golden buttery tortillas ~ these quesadillas were absolutely delicious.

I love corn in pretty much anything but in combo with the zucchini, jalapeno & cilantro ~ it was just perfect. The corn & zucchini mixture can be made in advance & kept in the fridge until dinner making this an even easier weeknight meal.

CORN & ZUCCHINI QUESADILLAS

YIELD: 4 quesadillas

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (11 ounces) extra sweet corn niblets
1 medium zucchini, quartered & thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded & diced
juice from 2 small limes
about 2 tablespoons olive oil
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add the corn kernels to a medium bowl. Add the zucchini, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, & olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to combine. Cover with a lid & refrigerate until ready to serve.

Brush one side of all tortillas with a small amount of butter; lay a tortilla, buttered side down, in a preheated skillet. Place a quarter of the filling on each tortilla, and sprinkle with a quarter of the cheese. Place the remaining tortillas on top, buttered side up; press down gently with a spatula to seal.

Saute until cheese has melted and tortillas are golden brown, turning once. Remove from the skillet & let cool slightly. To serve, slice each quesadilla into wedges.

Don't head out just yet! Stop by & check out these other quick & easy weeknight meals!

CHICKEN, BACON & RICE SKILLET

GARLIC CHICKEN TACOS W/ CORN SALSA

PEPPERED BACON & SWEET BALSAMIC PASTA SALAD

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

Cocoa Cayenne Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Does anybody else, any time you say birthday, automatically bust out into song in your head? I can't say birthday without

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry if I want to"

going through my head!

Well, today is Meghan's birthday and I'm so excited to be joining in her virtual Birthday Party!! Meghan is one of my favorite bloggers, I absolutely love The Tasty Fork! Her recipes are absolutely amazing ~ I even got the fun of making one of her recipes for one of the groups we are involved in & it was AWESOME!! So if you haven't been by to check out Meghan's blog yet, run over there now!! Well, once you get done checking out these birthday cupcakes for her ;)

So no birthday is complete without cupcakes right? And you of course can't go wrong with chocolate cupcakes ever. I knew I couldn't just do a typical chocolate cupcake for Meghan though, the girl went to culinary school for goodness sakes. Plain chocolate was not going to do! But no one said anything about not using a boxed mix! ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGHAN!! I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!!

COCOA CAYENNE CUPCAKES WITH ORANGE BUTTERCREAM

YIELD: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

for the cupcakes

1 box (10.6 ounces) Simply Organic Cocoa Cayenne Cupcake Mix
2 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, melted

for the orange buttercream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
zest of 1 large orange
3 cups powdered sugar
juice from half of 1 large orange
red & yellow food coloring (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

for the cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper baking cups.

Combine the eggs, water & butter in a medium mixing bowl. Add in the cake mix and stir until just evenly moist.

Fill the cupcake tins about 2/3 of the way full with the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely while you make the orange buttercream

for the orange buttercream

Cream together the butter and orange zest. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, a 1/2 cup at a time. Thin out the buttercream with the fresh orange juice ~ I used about all of the juice from 1/2 of the orange I zested. Mix until well combined and fluffy, scraping down sides as needed.

Optional ~ add in red & yellow food coloring to tint the buttercream a stronger orange color ~ I added 1 drop of red & about 3-4 drops of orange just to give it a nice pastel orange coloring.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost with the orange buttercream

ORANGE BUTTERCREAM INSPIRED BY: Minimalist Baker

Before you head out, stop by & check out these other treats perfect for a party!!

CHERRY LEMONADE CUPCAKES

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CUPCAKES

WITH CHERRY BUTTERCREAM

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH

STUFFED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

Sweet Onion Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:26:00 +0000

Cravings. Do y'all get them? I get them. But you know what, I never had cravings while I was pregnant with Princess P! I was so excited about being able to eat crazy foods & having an excuse & it never happened. I was a little miffed but that's a whole nother story.

Today, I'm over hanging out with Emily of It Bakes Me Happy talking all about my cravings for this amazingly awesome Sweet Onion Dip! Head over & grab the recipe ~ you won't be disappointed!! And maybe you'll have a new snack you crave!

Apple Butter Oatmeal Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

To all of you faithful MTK readers out there, I just want to say a quick thank you for hanging out with me day after day!! I hope that you have found a new family favorite recipe here!!

But I also want to say sorry! I want y'all to know that I do start every week with a schedule of recipes to make and every intention on posting every weekday. But I know that hasn't been happening lately. And let me just give you a glimpse into my excuse as to why...

*and let me just start by saying you are not about to hear ANY pregnancy news, I realized as I was typing, this sounded like it could be some sort of an announcement excuse*

Meet my blogging assistant...

If this kid doesn't nap, I don't work. If my stand mixer comes out on the counter, her stool comes in to the kitchen. If I need a spoon, she needs a spoon. The fact that she still has all of her fingertips is a miracle because I don't know how many times while I'm chopping vegetables she has reached up to grab what I'm chopping to ask what it is.

And believe me, I'm in no way complaining. I (99% of the time) love that she wants to spend time with me and wants to cook with me. But I also know I would rather spend an hour at the library watching a magic show with her than stressing over making sure I have a new recipe posted!

So I promise y'all lovelies, new recipes will always be coming, but if I miss a day, just know it didn't go to waste!! :)

APPLE BUTTER OATMEAL MUFFINS

YIELD: 4 dozen mini muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk
1/2 cup apple butter
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
additional turbinado sugar for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a mini muffin tin with paper baking cups.

Mix together the oats, milk, apple butter, and eggs in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle tops of the muffin batter with additional sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until done.

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Money Saving Mom

Before you head out, stop by & check out these other yummy breakfast ideas!!

CANDIED BACON MONKEY BREAD

CRAISIN CINNAMON ROLL COFFEE CAKE

NUTELLA MONKEY MUFFINS

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

Wonderful Food Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Welcome to
Wonderful Food Wednesday- #41

We're here for another week of Wonderful Food Wednesday. Thank you all so much for linking up each week! You have no idea how much the three of us appreciate each & every one of you helping make this party a success!!

Want to be featured? Post your best and we'll pick three of our favorites to feature each week. Check back next week to see if you've been featured on Wonderful Food Wednesday. If you're featured, your recipe will also be pinned to our Wonderful Food Wednesday Pinterest board.

Leave us a comment and tell us what you're cooking up!

Ready for this week's features?

This week we've got your whole day covered from breakfast to your after dinner dessert!!

Who wouldn't love to wake up to this feast in the morning?!? BREAKFAST KABOBS & MINI PANCAKES by Love Bakes Good Cakes

Since Jaime's husband survives on Dr. Pepper, we knew this would be a huge hit in the Mom's Test Kitchen household!! DR. PEPPER SLOW-COOKER ROAST by Busy Mom's Helper

Cotton candy & rice krispies have joined forces in this delicious dessert!! COTTON CANDY RICE KRISPIE TREATS by The Bitter Side of Sweet

Be sure to stop by all three of these fabulous blogs to check out these recipes and lots of others.

If you've been featured, feel free to grab our button and place it on your sidebar:

RULES:

1. Follow your hosts Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel

and Jessica @ All She Cooks , Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen

*If you are a new follower please leave us a message/comment so that we can hop on over for a visit.

2. Visit as many blogs as you can, leave comments, follow and grab their recipes.

If you are interested in guest hosting for a week, please send an email to

twinstravelblog (at) gmail (dot) com

Fabulous Bloggers Favorite Recipes #Mommy3

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to this month's MommyCubed with The Mommy Blog Hoppers!! This month we're sharing our favorite recipes!! I've gathered some of my favorite recipes from some absolutely fabulous bloggers for y'all to check out!!

CHICKEN PARMESAN by Cooking on the Front Burner

BLUEBERRY LEMON CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS by Frugal Foodie Mama

RHUBARB CRUNCH by It Bakes Me Happy

SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE by Mom's Test Kitchen

BUTTERMILK PIE BREAD PUDDING by Call Me PMc

BROWNED BUTTER ALMOND TORTE WITH BROWNED BUTTER GLAZE by Little Miss Celebration

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES by My Life As Robin's Wife

DEEP DISH BEER CRUST PIZZA by This Gal Cooks

MARGARITA CUPCAKES by The Mandatory Mooch

LEMON SUPREME CUPCAKES by Juggling Act Mama

RANCH BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD by Frugal Foodie Mama

LEMON BLUEBERRY RICOTTA PANCAKES by Cooking on the Front Burner

HOMEMADE MARINARA & MEATBALLS by Little Miss Celebration

TURTLE MUFFINS by It Bakes Me Happy

MOCK "ZUPPA TUSCANO" by My Life as Robin's Wife

MINI APPLE PIE TARTS by Juggling Act Mama

ORANGE MARMALADE ROLLS by Call Me PMc

AVOCADO CILANTRO CHICKEN SALAD by Mom's Test Kitchen

4 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES by The Mandatory Mooch

TOMATO BACON & SPINACH QUICHE by This Gal Cooks

So now lets see your favorite recipe!! Come on over to Mommy3 & link them up!!

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

Snap It or Bake It #Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Good morning and Happy Monday! Boy have we got a great giveaway for you!

Have you been dreaming of owning a new DSLR Camera? Or perhaps you want a brand new KitchenAid Standup Mixer. Well, you are in luck! Now you have your chance to enter this here fabulous giveaway to win your choice of either a Canon Rebel T3 DSLR Camera or a KitchenAid Mixer plus a $100 Amazon eCard! This giveaway is perfect for all bloggers. If you aren't a baker, you can choose the camera! If you're a baker who already has a DSLR camera but are in the market for a standup mixer, you can choose the mixer and the Amazon ecard. Already have both? One of these would make a great gift for one of your family members or friends. Whatever your situation, we have you covered.

Say hello to the lovely gals who made this giveaway possible:

Before we get to the fun stuff, we'll need to cover some basic legal stuff with you. For the full disclosure, please see the rafflecopter.

This giveaway is open to all US and International residents. However, international residents will receive a $450.00 Amazon eGift Card in lieu of the camera or mixer.
The winner will choose either a Canon Rebel T3 DSLR Camera ($450 value) or a KitchenAid Mixer ($350 value) plus a Amazon eGift Card. The gift card only comes with the Mixer.
The winner will have 48 hours to respond to Julie from This Gal Cooks via email. If the winner fails to respond within this time frame, another winner will be chosen.
The winner will be announced on Monday, June 24th, 2013.
This giveaway is not open to anyone participating in the giveaway (the hosts) or their immediate family members.

Now for the fun part. Enter to win! Remember, you can come back and complete the Tweet entry once per day. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now that you've entered the giveaway, stop by & check out these yummy treats that would be perfect to make in that new KitchenAid Mixer!!

BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING TRIPLE CHIP COOKIES

LEMON CITRUS COOKIES

VANILLA PUDDING SNICKERDOODLES

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

Baked Pepperoni Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I've been intrigued ever since I saw this recipe on Pinterest. Probably overly intrigued. Someone seriously decided to throw some pepperoni slices in the microwave & cook them like you do bacon?? Well, shoot, why not!

The only thing I didn't like about the recipe was all the talk about the grease that happens when you cook the pepperoni. This makes sense though, you're cooking it in the microwave. You get grease when you cook bacon in the microwave. You can also cook bacon in the oven so I decided to try that with the pepperoni. I put the pepperoni slices on top of a wire rack over a baking sheet just like I cooked the candied bacon & it worked great! The grease fell down on to the baking sheet & the pepperoni ended up just needing a little bit of patting with a paper towel.

The pepperoni ended up really crispy & was surprisingly addictive. I think it would be great as an alternative to bacon in this pasta salad ~ it would give that same nice pepper flavor! Only downfall ~ they are decently salty.

BAKED PEPPERONI CHIPS

YIELD: serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

1 box (1.75 ounces) pepperoni slices

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Lay the pepperoni slices out on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pepperoni slices are browned & crisp.

Remove from the wire rack on to a paper towel lined plate & pat the pepperoni dry.

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Food.com

Don't run off just yet! Check out these other simple snacks

CHICKEN SATAY BITES

FRIED PICKLES

MARSHMALLOW CARAMEL CORN

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

Peppered Bacon & Sweet Balsamic Pasta Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I typically go grocery shopping every Sunday. If for some reason I can't make it on Sundays because we've had a busy weekend then I will go Monday night after the Hubs gets home from work so I can leave Princess P home with him. Before I go shopping I typically spend a few hours at least planning the menu for the week & checking sales at the store & coupon match-ups for those sales. Then add in checking Pinterest for meal ideas & my day is shot. That's where the hours of time comes in, Pinterest sucks me in :)

This past weekend we spent Sunday celebrating Princess P's 3rd birthday with family so I had no time to work on the menu or a list. I planned on just working on it Monday & then going shopping Monday night. But then I got this wild hair to at least head to the dollar store to grab what I needed from there & then I would just have to hit up the grocery store on Monday. Well once I got done at the dollar store, I got the additional crazy idea that I would just go ahead and get it all done now. No list, no plan, no coupons. Just up & go. I highly don't recommend this because you end up forgetting vital things like toilet paper.

I sat in the parking lot of the grocery store jotting down some of the things I remembered we had in our pantry & fridge to use for meals so at least I wasn't going in blind. I knew we had a box of pasta so I decided I would grab some veggies and a bottle of dressing and we'd have pasta salad one night.

When I made the pasta salad on Monday for our dinner, on a whim, I decided to fry up some of the peppered bacon we had & throw that in. I wasn't overly confident on how all of the flavors would blend but it turned out great! The sweetness of the dressing was a great contrast to the spice of the bacon. This is definitely a recipe that will make another appearance on our weekly menu.

PEPPERED BACON & SWEET BALSAMIC PASTA SALAD

YIELD: serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

1 box (16 ounces) rotini pasta, cooked
1 medium cucumber, cut into half moons
1 box (16 ounces) grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 bottle (8 ounces) Kraft Sweet Balsamic Dressing
12 slices peppered bacon, cooked crisp

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the pasta, cucumber, tomatoes & green onions in a large bowl. Add in a small amount of the dressing to coat the pasta. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Right before serving, add the rest of the dressing & the bacon. Toss to combine.

Don't run off just yet! Stop by and check out some of these other quick & easy dinner ideas

AVOCADO CILANTRO CHICKEN SALAD

CAPELLINI POMODORO WITH ITALIAN HERB CHICKEN

ROASTED TOMATO & ZUCCHINI PESTO PIZZAS

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

Wonderful Food Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Welcome to
Wonderful Food Wednesday- #40

We're here for another week of Wonderful Food Wednesday. Thank you all so much for linking up each week!

Leave us a comment and tell us what you're cooking up!

Ready for this week's features?

This week our sweet tooth has kicked into high gear & featuring some delicious desserts!!

Peanut Butter is one of the greatest things ever so we are in love with this Peanut Butter Brittle Ice Cream from With A Blast

Cookie dough ranks a close second to peanut butter, add in double chocolate & we're sold!! Our next feature is this Double Chocolate Cookie Dough Cake from Sift, Stir & Savour

And this beautiful Strawberry Shortcake from Annie's Noms is not only perfect for summer, but it might make me want to lick my computer screen

Be sure to stop by all three of these fabulous blogs to check out these recipes and lots of others.

If you've been featured, feel free to grab our button and place it on your sidebar:

RULES:

1. Follow your hosts Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel

and Jessica @ All She Cooks , Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen

*If you are a new follower please leave us a message/comment so that we can hop on over for a visit.

2. Visit as many blogs as you can, leave comments, follow and grab their recipes.

If you are interested in guest hosting for a week, please send an email to

twinstravelblog (at) gmail (dot) com

Charleston Chew Cookie Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I made these delicious, chocolately, scrumptious candy cookie bars for my dad-in-law. Next to turtles, Charleston Chews are his favorite candies. He's been practically living at the car lot for the past few weeks so I thought these candy bars would be a nice treat for him :)

I got them all bagged up & sent them to work with the Hubs. That night Hubs came home & told me how much they were loved.

By my brother-in-law!!

The Hubs couldn't even say for sure if his dad had gotten to try any!! Needless to say, the bro-in-law got a jokingly nasty text message from me that night that some how turned to I should try to make beer brownies but that's a whole nother story!

I am happy to report that the dad-in-law did eat 2 of the bars & it's been decided that the next time I make them, he'll find a really good hiding spot!

CHARLESTON CHEW COOKIE BARS

YIELD: about 42 bars

INGREDIENTS:

1 box (18.25 ounces) white cake mix, dry
5 oz evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 boxes (4 ounces) Charleston Chew Minis, halved

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

With your mixer, beat the cake mix, evaporated milk and butter until combined. Mixture will be thick and sticky. Divide batter in half and press 1 half into the bottom of the pan. Bake until just set, about 8 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and place Charleston Chew candies on top of baked cake mix. Drop remaining batter on top of the candy in teaspoon sized amounts. Bake for 20-25 minutes longer until top begins to turn golden brown.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

*nutritional info*

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Cookies & Cups

Let Me Pintroduce You

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Fri, 31 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Good morning everyone!! Carrie from Frugal Foodie Mama and I are so happy to have you here for our fifth Let Me Pintroduce You Party! :)

Make sure you spread the word about the party- the more the merrier, right??

Carrie and I originally brainstormed the idea for a Pinterest linky party when the two of us were emailing back and forth one day after discovering how much of our blog traffic was a direct result of some of our recipe posts being pinned and then repinned and repinned again on Pinterest. We thought why not host a monthly Pinterest party? And thus, Let Me Pintroduce You was born!

We have decided to add a special Bloglovin linky seeing as how Google Reader just announced it's July 1st exit. So after you have linked up your Pinterest accounts below, be sure to scroll down a bit and add your Bloglovin link as well! Just remember to give your hosts and co-hosts a follow. ;)

*Just a note- there will not be a Let Me Pintroduce You Party in June or July. We will be taking a little summer break, and returning on the last Friday in August with a whole new party! Have fun this week, make some new Pinterest friends, and HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER, FRIENDS! :)

This month's co-host is...

Lisa from Cooking With Curls

So, how does the Let Me Pintroduce You Party work? Easy!

Please follow Carrie (Frugal Foodie Mama) and Jaime (Mom's Test Kitchen), and this month's co-host Lisa (Cooking With Curls).
Try to follow at least two other Pinterest accounts that have linked up and maybe repin a few things that catch your eye while you are at. ;)
Grab our button above and slap it on your sidebar or your party page on your blog. Help us spread the word!
Be sure to link up your main Boards page of your Pinterest account only, not individual board pages or individual pins.
Then hop down to the Bloglovin linky & do the same!
Send out a tweet & let the Twitterverse know that we would like to Pintroduce them to everyone!

Link up your Pinterest accounts here! :)

Link up your Bloglovin blogs here! :)

Candied Bacon Monkey Bread & a Bacon #Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:48:00 +0000

Father's Day is quickly approaching & I have the perfect Father's Day breakfast all picked out for you! Seriously, what dad wouldn't want to start his day with bacon??

Growing up, my dad had one meal that he would fix that I would always ask for. Every Christmas morning started out with his monkey bread. Without fail, I knew I was getting monkey bread for breakfast that morning. I was almost as excited about that as I was about the presents. 32 years later & I still try to work having monkey bread into our family Christmas get-togethers :)

So in honor of my dad, I've made his monkey bread on a whole new level! Bacon added to monkey bread?? Good. Candied Bacon added to monkey bread??? AMAZING!!

CANDIED BACON MONKEY BREAD

YIELD: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

For the Candied Bacon

12 slices Petit Jean Meats Bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
pepper to season

For the Monkey Bread

2 cans (16 ounces) jumbo butter biscuits
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon maple extract
candied bacon

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

For the Candied Bacon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Put the bacon slices in a medium bowl. Season the bacon with pepper & then toss with the brown sugar and maple flavoring making sure they are nicely coated.

Lay the bacon out on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the slices over and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the slices over again and bake for another 5-10 or until the bacon is browned & crisp.

For the Monkey Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees again if necessary. Heavily grease a tube or bundt pan. Crumble 4 pieces of your candied bacon & sprinkle in to the bottom of the pan.

Working with one can of biscuits at a time, cut the biscuits into quarters. Add the cinnamon and sugar to a medium bowl with a lid or large Ziploc bag & shake it around until well combined. Add the biscuit quarters to the bowl & cover with the lid. Depending on your bowl size, you might have to work in batches. With the lid tightly closed, shake the bowl until all of the biscuit pieces are well coated. Pour the pieces into the pan on top of the crumbled bacon.

Crumble 4 more pieces of your candied bacon and sprinkle on top of the biscuit pieces in the pan. Repeat the same steps with the second can of biscuits. Crumble the remaining slices of bacon on to the top of the biscuits. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over the biscuit pieces (this is totally optional but definitely worth it!)

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter and then stir in the brown sugar and maple extract until just barely combined ~ I do not completely melt the butter, just enough to make a nice caramel. Pour the mixture all over the biscuit pieces. Let the liquid settle for a second & then place in the oven. Depending on how full your pan is, you might want to place with a baking sheet below the pan so you don't have any overflows to the bottom of your oven.

Bake the monkey bread for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the biscuits are golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes to cool. Turn the bread out on to a large plate & let cool some more if you can resist the temptation of digging in!

My favorite bacon makers, Petit Jean Meats, wants to help me help you give your dad the gift of bacon this Father's Day! One lucky winner will receive the Petit Jean Meats Bacon Sampler ~ we're talking 4 pounds of bacon here y'all!! You could feed your dad bacon at every meal!! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLAIMER:I was provided with the Petit Jean Meats Bacon Sampler for recipe development purposes. No other compensation was received.

Wonderful Food Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 28 May 2013 23:36:00 +0000

Welcome to
Wonderful Food Wednesday- #39

We're here for another week of Wonderful Food Wednesday. Thank you all so much for linking up each week!

Leave us a comment and tell us what you're cooking up!

Ready for this week's features?

Here's a delightful Caprese Pizza from A Bright and Beautiful Life.

Curves and a Camera guest posted at Frugal Foodie Mama and shared her Oreo Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes:

These Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms from Busy Mom's Helper are a bite full of goodness:

Be sure to stop by all three of these fabulous blogs to check out these recipes and lots of others.

If you've been featured, feel free to grab our button and place it on your sidebar:

Rules:

1. Follow your hosts Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel

and Jessica @All She Cooks , Jaime at Mom's Test Kitchen

*If you are a new follower please leave us a message/comment so that we can hop on over for a visit.

2. Visit as many blogs as you can, leave comments, follow and grab their recipes.

If you are interested in guest hosting for a week, please send an email to

twinstravelblog (at) gmail (dot) com

Instagram + Vine Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 28 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the Instagram + Vine Blog Hop! If you're new here, the Instagram + Vine Blog Hop is a party where you link up your Instagram and/or Vine accounts, find and follow new friends, and be continually inspired by what you see in your feeds! No need to have a blog, just an Instagram and/or Vine account!

How to PLAY:

1. Follow your HOSTS:

Kimberly | Instagram: @anightowlblog | Vine: anightowlblog

Emily | Instagram: @mrsemshhh | Vine: emily emshwiller

Angie | Instagram: @blogali | Vine: Little Inspiration

2. Follow your CO-HOSTS:

Jaime | Instagram: @momstestkitchen

You can find Jaime here:

Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

***

Emily | Instagram: @empri88

You can find Emily here:

Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

3. Link up your Instagram Web Profile:

Just link up your new Instagram Web Profile (http://instagram.com/username) -OR- your web viewer of choice in the linky below!

Note: this URL will not let you choose a profile pic from your feed, so be sure you have a picture you can upload from your computer if you use it! If you get a "Error: The requested URL returned error: 500" error that just means it can't find a picture to use NOT that your link is bad. Just click on "Direct Image URL" if you have one or "Upload from Computer". If you still have trouble, try sticking with Followgram or Webstagram to upload your profile.

4. NEW! Link up your Vine Username and/or Video!

Add your Vine username (so folks can find you) to the list below! Or link up a Vine video so we can see your cinematography at work! This is new, so there aren't web profiles just yet, but hopefully they'll be out soon! How do you find your video link? If you post your video on Facebook or Twitter, you will be given a URL that looks like this: "http://vine.co/v/bJegq22datT." Just link that up below with your username so we can find you! If you don't have a URL to one of your videos, simply link up your blog URL, but make sure the title is your Vine username so we can find you!

5. Check out and follow a few fellow Instagram or Vine friends.

Tell folks you follow that you found them through the Hop!

6. Spread the word!

Tweet about it, share it on Facebook or post about it on Instagram!

Now let's link up!

Nice To Meet You {Blog Hop}

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Mon, 27 May 2013 21:00:00 +0000

It's blog hop time again! Thank you so much to all of those who have linked up on Nice to Meet You.

So let's get this party started!!

Do you want to find more blogs to read? Do you want to meet fellow bloggers? I do! That's why my friends Brenna and Mariely created the Nice to Meet You {Blog Hop}. Let's make some connections with people who like blogging, just like us!

We would love to have you follow the hosts and co-host via GFC, RSS Feed, Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter OR Pinterest. Whichever works best for you ;)

Mariely @ Sensational Creations
Blog/ Bloglovin/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Instagram/ Google+

Brenna @ Life After Laundry

Blog/ RSS Feed/ Bloglovin/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Google+

And our amazing co-host for this week

Jaime @ Mom's Tets Kitchen
Blog/ Bloglovin/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Google+/ Instagram

• Link up your blog (home page).

• Be sure to visit other blogs, leave comments and/or follow.
Remember: this Blog Hop is to get to know fellow bloggers. Play nice :)

• You can invite fellow bloggers to join the party!

**New followers: please leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can follow you back. Tell us from where you are following us (for example Bloglovin) so we can return the favor. Thanks!

"Bloggers are your community... not your competition!"

-Jamielyn Nye

Link up your blog below!

Oatmeal White Chocolate Bars #SecretRecipeClub

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Mon, 27 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to this month's installment of the Secret Recipe Club!! This month for my secret assignment I got to stalk the lovely Sally of Bewitching Kitchen. Sally has been blogging since 2009 so to say she has an amazingly extensive recipe index to choose from would be an understatement!

When I came across Sally's Oatmeal Fudge Bars I knew I had found the recipe to try! Princess P has been asking for nothing but oatmeal for the past 2 weeks so adding some chocolate to it was a huge hit!

The only change I made from Sally's original recipe was I used white chocolate chips instead of regular chocolate chips & that was done simply because of what I had available in my pantry :)

OATMEAL WHITE CHOCOLATE BARS

YIELD: 8 large bars

INSPIRED BY: Bewitchin Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup quick cook oats
1 & 1/4 cups light brown sugar, divided
1 cup flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons butter
1 & 1/2 cups chocolate chips {I used white chocolate}
1 egg
salt

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 inch square baker with aluminum foil, allowing excess to hang over the edges of the pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.
Combine the oats, 1 cup of brown sugar, 3/4 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter and stir into the oat mixture until combined. Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup flour, the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, and another small pinch of salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large bowl, microwaving at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each. Let cool slightly. Add the egg and whisk until combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
Pour the chocolate filling over the cooled crust and sprinkle with the reserved 3/4 cup oatmeal mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars from the pan and cut into squares. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Shane's Turned 21!! #Cheersto21

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:56:00 +0000

I'm so excited to be celebrating the big 2-1 with Shane from Whispering Sweet Nothings!! Be sure to stop by & wish Shane a Happy Birthday!!

The day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived! I became legal, and you ladies reap the benefits. Over $150 worth of my favorite things all to one lucky winner!

the prizes:

$45 to Target * $25 to Victoria's Secret * 2 Julep Nail polish * $20 to Etsy * $50 Starbucks * Starbucks Coffee * $20 to Mintgem * Chocolate * $10 Paypal cash * Nail polish + jewelry * 6 months WSN ad space ($90 value) * Surprise jewelry from my shop

a Rafflecopter giveaway All to ONE lucky winner chosen at random! **Come back daily to tweet/share for maximum entries!

National Salad Month w/ Green Leafs & Bananas #iLoveSalad

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:56:00 +0000

This post is brought to you by the Green Leaf's & Bananas who Foodie Blogroll has partnered with for this promotion.

Did y'all know that May is National Salad Month?? Well it is, & the yummy Green Leaf's Salads & Bananas Frozen Yogurt want to help you remember by entering Green Leaf's iLove Salad iPad® Giveaway !!

At Green Leaf’s, they serve made-to-order salads from the “Pick & Mix” salad bar, delicious wraps, grilled Panini sandwiches and hearty homemade soups. They use only top-quality, fresh ingredients … a difference you can taste in every bite.

For location details click here http://www.greenleafsalads.com/

Celebrate the start of National Salad Month by entering Green Leaf's iLove Salad iPad® Giveaway!

Click the link, fill out the form, and you’ll be in the running to win one of 3 iPad® Mini’s chock full of appetizing apps!

In honor of their crisp, fresh and savory salad offerings, they will be giving away an iPad Mini chock full of savvy salad recipe apps to three lucky fans! Winners will be chosen on June 6, 2013!

This post is brought to you by the Green Leaf's & Bananas who Foodie Blogroll has partnered with for this promotion.

Roasted Tomato & Zucchini Pesto Pizzas

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:34:00 +0000

Who doesn't love a good pizza right?? And who wouldn't love a good pizza that can be prepped early & then only takes about 5 minutes to cook!! Talk about dinner made easy!!

Today I'm hanging out with Abbey over at The Cards We Drew sharing this delicious & easy weeknight dinner!!

Want to add this meal to your weekly menu?? Head over to Abbey's blog to grab the recipe!!

Wonderful Food Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Welcome to

Wonderful Food Wednesday- #38

Thanks for joining us for another week of Wonderful Food Wednesday! We've had so many amazing recipe posts linking up each week. You guys are making us HUNGRY! Keep it up, because we absolutely love it and want to see this weekly link up grow by leaps and bounds. Help us spread the word about this link up on Facebook and Twitter. We'll love you forever!

Leave us a comment and tell us what you're cooking up!

Ready for this week's features?

Avocado and Cheese Stuff Buns from the cheeky Dixie Chik Cooks. I was just introduced to her blog and loving Shea's sense of humor!

For something sweet, we had to share these Coconut Lime Cupcakes. With that combination from Organized Island, they've got be great.

And we're loving this super simple Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich idea from Kitchen Korner Recipes- Wow!

Be sure to stop by all three of these fabulous blogs to check out these recipes and lots of others.

If you've been featured, feel free to grab our button and place it on your sidebar:

RULES:

1. Follow your hosts Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel

and Jessica @All She Cooks , Jaime at Mom's Test Kitchen

*If you are a new follower please leave us a message/comment so that we can hop on over for a visit.

2. Visit as many blogs as you can, leave comments, follow and grab their recipes.

If you are interested in guest hosting for a week, please send an email to

twinstravelblog (at) gmail (dot) com

Lemon Bars #SurpriseRecipeSwap

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:32:00 +0000

Have you ever had a day or a week or maybe even a month where it seemed everything possible was going to go wrong?? That's been our world for about the past two weeks or so. It started off with Princess P & I both being sick for over a week. Then during that same week, I found out my bank checkcard had been hijacked & someone had tried to buy a Zappos giftcard of all things. Then it all came to a head this past weekend when we found out the window in our daughter's room has been leaking & caused water damage to her chest of drawers & really bad mildew and wood stains on the carpet!! So our weekend was spent buying new bedroom furniture & yesterday was spent having the carpet replaced & construction guys out trying to determine what needs to be done to the window!!

So due to our weeks of when it rains, it pours, I am a day late getting this post up!! My partner this month for the Surprise Recipe Swap was Trisha from My Hobbie Lobbie! Not only does she cook & bake but she also creates some amazing party supplies!! Trisha has an extensive selection of delicious recipes to pick from and when I saw the Lemon Bars she had made, I knew that was the recipe I wanted to try! I've been dying to make lemon bars since the weather got warmer so it was the perfect choice!!

LEMON BARS

YIELD: 12 bars

INSPIRED BY: My Hobbie Lobbie

INGREDIENTS:

For The Crust

1/2 cup butter, softened (not melted)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

For The Lemon Filling

3 eggs

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

1 & 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest

juice from 2 medium lemons ~ about 1/4 - 1/2 cup

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

powdered sugar to dust over the bars

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

Mix the butter, flour and sugar in a medium bowl until well combined ~ I used my hands to mix the dough.

Spread the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until set and just beginning to turn color.

Prepare the filling while the crust is baking: using a mixer at medium speed, mix together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour.

Pour the lemon mix over the baked crust and bake for 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown.

Let it cool completely. Cut into bars and sift the powdered sugar over the top.

Interested in joining the Surprise Recipe Swap? We'd love to have you!!

Find out more by clicking the button below!

The Simple Way to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Private Selection. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm the type of person that has to end every meal with something sweet. I always want dessert but I don't always feel like baking or mixing or actually making the dessert. That's why I love Private Selections Upside Down Cakes.

Ending my meal with a delicious dessert doesn't have to be a time consuming effort any more! Private Selections Upside Down Cakes take only three simple steps to prepare

Warm
Flip
& Serve!

How easy is that???

Private Selections Upside Down Cakes are available in three new flavors!

German Chocolate Fudge with the classic combo of chocolate with gooey caramel, pecans & coconut. Or Amber Honey Apple Spice which is covered in apple slices drenched in a sweet Amber Honey Glaze. Apples not your thing? Then there's the Double Chocolate Molten! Double Chocolate people!!

Right now Private Selections is kicking off their "PS, Don't Forget The Cake" Campaign!! During the campaign, you can find a $1.00 off Private Selection Upside Down Cakes coupon to help you purchase one of those premium cakes without the premium price!!

And while you're loading your coupon to your shopping card ~ don't forget to stop by & like Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Facebook or follow Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Pinterest!!

Not sure if Private Selections Upside Down Cakes are available in your area? Private Selections is the premium private label brand carried exclusively at the Kroger Family of stores & affiliated stores including Baker's, City Market, Dillon's, Fry's, Gerbes, Pay Less, QFC, JayC, King Soopers, Owen's, Ralphs, Smiths and Fred Meyer. You can find the location closest to you HERE.

Please Note: Coupon ends 06/02/2013.

Official Rules: In order to load the coupons to your card, you will need to sign into your Kroger account or set up a new Kroger account & enter your card number. Limit one use per digital coupon. Digital offers are not eligible on Manager's Specials, cannot be combined with manufacturer paper coupons on the purchase of a single item, and do not double. Not all items are available in all stores. A limit of 150 coupons can be loaded per household at one time.

The Foley Fam {unedited} Blogiversary Event #giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen) — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:34:00 +0000

It's just giveaway central over here at the Test Kitchen huh?? I hope y'all have been loving all of the opportunites to win gift cards & ad space & everything else we've had going on!!

I'm so excited to be celebrating Kristine's blogiversary with her!! I love The Foley Fam {unedited} & wouldn't miss this party for anything!!

Casey Leigh :: Shaped By Grace :: Truly Lovely :: Coffee n Ink :: For Lauren & Lauren :: Essentially Eclectic :: Mom's Test Kitchen :: LaBelleMadeleine :: The Gnarly Whale :: Here's to You Mrs. Robinson :: At Home with The Hinkleys :: Pharr Away :: Two Red Birthstones :: Fierce and Fashionable :: Hairspray & High Heels

Please note: there is only ONE mandatory entry in the Rafflecopter below.

The other entries are optional.

You'll want to complete them all because the ladies are worth getting to know, and a bonus it increases your chances of winning! Click here to view The Foley Fam official rules.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway