Fresh Cucumber Salsa

Delicious Homemade Cucumber Salsa

fresh cucumber salsa

If you are looking for something to make with all those cucumbers and tomatoes from your garden, make this amazing Fresh Cucumber Salsa. Our daycare provider sent home an entire bag of fresh cucumbers and we had no idea what we were going to do with that many! Our garden is really producing a ton of ripe red tomatoes, so I thought it’s the perfect time of year for some Fresh Cucumber Salsa.

Even kids like this Fresh Cucumber Salsa! At least mine do anyway.  As I was taking photos, Haydyn kept taking chips and reaching into the dip! It was really funny and I just happened to capture her little hand reaching in for some of that delicious Cucumber Salsa.

cucumber salsa recipe

The recipe I use doesn’t call for fresh tomatoes, but we love them so much with it that we used them in place of a 2nd can of Rotel tomatoes. Our household isn’t a fan of cilantro, so I didn’t add it either. You can make little adjustments to perfect the recipe to your tastes. I think some fresh onions would go nicely in this recipe as well.

This Fresh Cucumber Salsa has just enough of a little kick to it, but you could always make it spicier if you prefer. Just use Hot Rotel Tomatoes instead of Original.  My husband and I tend to disagree on how spicy some of our foods should be! He wants it to burn your nose hairs and I am much more conservative. Play with the flavors and see what works best for you.

Fresh Cucumber Salsa

Ingredients

  • 3 cucumbers diced and without skins
  • 1 can Rotel Original (if you don't want to add fresh tomatoes use 2 cans of rotel.)
  • 1 1/2 cups of fresh tomatoes
  • 2 packets of dry ranch dressing
  • 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  1. Mix together cucumbers, rotel, tomatoes, dry ranch dressing and apple cider vinegar. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a couple of hours. Serve with tortilla chips.
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I hope you love Fresh Cucumber Salsa as much as everyone in our house does. It would be a wonderful addition to fall parties, football food or those last barbecue’s of the season.

tomato cucumber salsa recipe

Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Dip – No BAKE!

Fall is in the Air at My House with this Caramel Cream Cheese Dip
Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Dip

Fall is upon us with this nice cool weather we keep having on and off, it is getting me in the mood for pumpkin cream cheese muffins and Caramel Apple everything! I made this delicious Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Dip the other day, and let me say it is heaven with each dip! I shouldn’t have made it, because I wanted to eat the whole thing it was that good!

For this dip I used a salted caramel, and it really paired nicely with the cream cheese. Dip your apple or other fruits you want and just dig in to the creamy goodness! I truly love this dip, and it would be great for any season, I just think it is perfect for Fall gatherings!

Caramel Dip

I am in full fledge prep mode for Clay’s Birthday coming up! We went outside and had a photo shoot for his invitations I will be creating here, and getting in the mail soon! We have a lot of decorations bought, I just can’t wait! It will be a perfect day I am sure! When we came in from pictures, I thought to make this dip as a snack for us. Clay really loved the cream cheese part of it, and much on the apples some!

Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Dip – Perfect for FALL

Ingredients

  • 1 block of cream cheese
  • 1 jar of caramel sauce I used Salted Caramel (you can make homemade sauce)
  • Apples or other fruit

Instructions

  1. Take your block of cream cheese and let it get to room temperature.
  2. With a spoon drizzle some of the caramel sauce over the cream cheese until you reach as much as you want on the block.
  3. Cut up your fruit or cookies and dip or spread to enjoy!
  4. Refrigerate after you are done eating on it, if you have any left!!
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Caramel Apple Dip

Okay so this recipe, kind of isn’t a full fledge recipe, as it is so easy! BUT I had to share it in case you had never tried this! I know it is fabulous and so easy to whip up, that everyone will love it to pieces!

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler

The Best Peach Cobbler Ever

easy homemade peach cobbler

As far as desserts are concerned, there is nothing better than fresh Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler. Top it with some ice cream and you can’t help but moan when you bite into it. This is by far my favorite Homemade Peach Cobbler recipe. It’s been keeping my family happy for years.

With fall on the horizon, fresh peaches and other fruits are making their appearance in our town. Our community did a fundraiser and had a bunch of cases of peaches sent in to sell. When I heard there were going to be fresh peaches, I almost did a back flip! We don’t usually get really good peaches in our grocery store, so when they are brought to town it’s something to get excited about.

This recipe calls for fresh peaches. You could certainly use frozen ones if that is all you have available, but I promise it won’t be as tasty.  Making it with frozen peach is still going to be a lot better than not making it at all! No matter what you use you will love this Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler.

best peach cobbler recipe

How to Blanch Peaches

In case you have never blanched peaches, I thought I better give you some instructions in case you are just starting out. I used to freak out just hearing the word “blanching.”  I figured it was some long and drawn process, but it is really easy. First get out a big pot and boil some water. I like to cut an “X” on the bottom of the peach, just enough to break the skin. Then put your peaches in the boiling water. Let them boil for 1 – 2 minutes. After you are done boiling, drop the peaches in a large bowl filled with ice water. I let them sit for around 45 seconds to a minute then I start pealing the skins off. You will be surprised by how easy the skin just falls off.  You can also use this method to blanch other fruits and vegetables.

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

  • 8 fresh peaches - skin removed and sliced into 1-2 inch pieces depending on your preference
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (fresh or concentrate)
  • Topping Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup boiling water (I use the water that I blanched the peaches with)

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
  2. Mix peaches, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, cornstarch and lemon juice.
  3. Bake peaches for 10 minutes.
  4. Cut up your butter into small chunks.
  5. Mix all topping ingredients. I use my fingers to blend it together and make a crumbly topping.
  6. Remove peaches from oven and sprinkle crumble topping all over peaches. I like to sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on and sugar on the very top.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden.
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I hope your family falls in love with this peach cobbler like ours has. It’s a great go to recipe for family functions and events too. Once it’s gone you will always be wanting more! Happy Baking!

Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara

Make your Eyelashes Big and Gorgeous with Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara

mary-kay-jpg

I immediately fell in love with Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara from the first second I put it on.  This Mascara is truly amazing and I love it so much, that I had to tell everyone about it! Recently I was invited to a Mary Kay facial party.  Trying new makeup is something that I love and couldn’t pass up an opportunity. Before this party I had never tried ANY of the Mary Kay products.

Mary Kay has so many products to choose from. They have a huge line of skin care products for all types of skin and lots of gorgeous makeup. Their colors are so pretty and they have great kits to get you started.

I ended up purchasing the Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara because even though I have long eyelashes, I wanted them to stand out even more. It’s becoming a popular practice for people to get lash extensions and I have even considered it myself. With the Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara, I feel like I get the look of big gorgeous lashes with only a fraction of the cost.

without mascara

Mary Kay products are so easy and great to use. When applying the Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara, put your first coat on and let sit for about 30 seconds. Then apply a second coat to make your lashes look even fuller and longer. The Mary Kay products I am wearing in these photos are the primer, foundation, concealer and mascara.  I am also wearing other products that aren’t Mary Kay, like my lip color and eye shadow.

lash intensity mascara

If you are looking for a new mascara, I highly recommend trying the Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara. You won’t be disappointed and neither will your pocketbook. Find the nearest Mary Kay Consultant near you.

Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef and Spinach Recipe

Stuffed Shells with Ground BeefStuffed Shells with Ground Beef is always something that is a crowd pleaser in our home! I try to add a little healthy to it by adding in some spinach! It is a great way to get some of your greens and still enjoy a very hearty meal! Adam is a huge meat lover so I can’t have a meal without some meat! I love to add ground hamburger to this, but you can also substitute with turkey or even sausage! Both will still go really well with the meal!

Now these are a little bit time consuming as you have to stuff each shell, but it is worth it in the end! I get tired of the basic spaghetti or lasagna, and want to switch it up at times! When I am feeling fearless I dive into making these stuffed shells with ground beef and spinach! 

Ground Beef and Spinach Stuffed Shells

stuffed shells with spinach

I love to use cottage cheese in my recipe, but you are welcome to use ricotta cheese, it is totally whatever you prefer taste wise! We grew up with cottage cheese in our pasta’s so I prefer that. As for pasta sauce, you can use homemade or just grab a jar of your favorite one. Right now we are using the Ragu Mushroom, it is my go to! I need to get on making up my own, and then freezing it to have on hand!

Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef and Spinach Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 - 24 oz cottage cheese
  • 1 - 16 oz box of jumbo shells
  • 1 large jars of spaghetti sauce
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup shredded spinach (can use fresh but I use frozen)
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. First off preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells as directed on the box. Put hamburger and cook it up, ground.
  2. In a 9x15 pan add about 1/2 the pasta sauce to the bottom of the pan and set aside.
  3. While that is cooking mix your eggs, cottage cheese, shredded spinach and 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan.
  4. Once your hamburger gets done you will add in the ground beef and mix well.
  5. Drain pasta when done cooking and let cool a little, once able to handle without burning yourself, start to stuff the shells with the mixture.
  6. Once all your shells are stuffed and in the pan you can then add the rest of the jar of sauce all over pasta. Top with the remaining shredded mozzerella and parmesan cheese.
  7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  8. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

I had leftover noodles, I went ahead and filled them and put them in an 8x8 dish for another meal. You can either serve it up then, or assemble and then just freeze for a meal later on. Don't cook in the oven if you will freeze, just do all the steps like you would bake it then wrap it up and store in freezer.

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The steps do take a little time, but really it is pretty easy to make. It is a nice change for sure from the basic pasta and sauce recipes we have do regularly! I hope you all enjoy this recipe, and make sure to check out some other ones we have.

Other Tasty Recipes to Try Out: 

best beef enchiladas

easy slow cooker meatballs

 

Easy Crowd Pleasing Party Mix

Keep Your Guests Happy With this 3 Ingredient Party Mix

Candy Corn Snack Mix

Never disappoint with this Easy Crowd Pleasing Party Mix! There are only 3 ingredients and you are sure to keep your guests happy and coming back for more.  Many years ago, during my days of working at Farm Bureau, my mentor would bring in this Easy Crowd Pleasing Party Mix as a special treat. We would always grab little paper cups and fill them with this delicious mix and eat until we were miserable! I loved every minute of it!

Now that my Farm Bureau days are long gone, I didn’t want this Easy Crowd Pleasing Party Mix to be gone too. So, every once in a while I make this special treat for my family. I can’t make it very often because we have no self control when it comes to it. As I am typing this I am literally thinking about getting my next helping!

Easy Halloween Food Party Ideas

This Easy Crowd Pleasing Party Mix is great for office, school or daycare parties. Assuming you are allowed to bring products with peanuts in them. If not, you can always omit the peanuts and replace them with something else you prefer. One of the great things about this mix is that you can make so many different variations of it. Some things I recommend adding are: marshmallows, chocolate chips, pretzels, chocolate covered pretzels, peanut M&M’s, peanut butter M&M’s, peanut butter chips, candy pumpkins, cashews, almonds, popcorn or really anything else you can think of. You can’t go wrong with customizing it to your tastes.

Easy Crowd Pleasing Party Mix

Ingredients

  • Bag of M&M candies (16 oz)
  • Jar of Dry Roasted Peanuts (16 oz)
  • 2 Bags of Candy Corn (6 oz)

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients in plastic container with a lid. Store in airtight container.
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Hope you enjoy making this easy mix and can adjust it to your liking. Your friends and family will be begging you for more, I promise!

Bacon Bowtie Pasta Salad Recipe – Crowd Pleasing Delicious!

Pasta Salad Lovers- Try this Bacon Bowtie Pasta Salad today! 

bacon bowtie pasta salad

Pasta salads are a hit in our house, my husband just loves them! So I try to mix it up and do different flavor combos in our salads. This is a really tasty bacon bowtie pasta salad, and it has tomatoes and onions in it!  His all time favorite is the Italian Pasta Salad, it is my go to salad.  This salad has a whole new flavor combo to please your palate! 

This bacon bowtie pasta salad has a nice crunch of bacon, tomatoes and a tangy sauce! I like to serve this with some garlic bread, it really pairs nicely I think. We love bacon in our house, so if it has bacon it will most likely get ate.

 Corelle Livingware Fun Packs 5 Pieces Winter Frost White April Cornell Blue and White Napkins, Set of 4

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If you are interested, here are the classic white bowls, that can be used to serve out of, similar to these! They are fun, and I love the crisp white of them, it really just makes the pasta salad pop! It lets the pasta be the star, and that is what I love! The napkins I have pictured above are very similar, if you are interested in them as well!

Bowtie Pasta Salad – Great for PotLucks! 

bowtie pasta salad

Bacon Bowtie Pasta Salad Recipe – Crowd Pleasing Delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 16-ounce box bowtie pasta
  • 1 16-ounce package of bacon
  • 1 large tomato, diced (appx. one cup)
  • 2 green onions, finely sliced
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions, rinse in cool water and drain well. Set aside.
  2. Chop the bacon in small pieces and brown it in a large skillet. When the bacon is crisp, drain on paper towels and allow to cool.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, bacon, tomatoes, mayonnaise, green onion, vinegar, and milk. Mix thoroughly to combine. Reserve a few of the green onions for garnish, if desired.
  4. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. At this point you can also add more mayonnaise and/or vinegar to your liking.
  5. Serve immediately or cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator.

Notes

As it sits in the refrigerator, it may absorb some of the dressing, so you may need to add more mayonnaise and/or vinegar before serving.

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This recipe really is pretty easy to whip up, I love the ease of it. The vinegar and mayo dressing has a nice tangy flavor to it, which is paired nicely with tomatoes and bacon. Plus you can never go wrong with bowtie pasta, it is so pretty and really adds a fun style to salads. If you don’t like green onions you can always leave them out, that is no problem. The green just adds a pretty garnish look.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin And Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins Recipe – Melts in your mouth

Try These To Die For Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese One thing I know is Fall couldn’t come fast enough for me! I finally decided it is close enough to September to whip out some pumpkin recipes! I am head over heels in love with these pumpkin and cream cheese swirl muffins! Y’all, if you love pumpkin and cream cheese, then you will love these beauties!

Pumpkin and cream cheese are like a match made in heaven, and I just had to get a little pumpkin fix! Granted pumpkin doesn’t have to be narrowed down to one season, so today is the day! I had a can of pumpkin puree staring at me, and these beauties are what I created!

pumpkin muffins with a cream cheese swirl

What I love about these muffins is the light pumpkin flavor they have, and then the little bit of cream cheese swirl on top really adds a whole new creamy texture to the muffins! They are so moist, I truly love these pumpkin muffins! What I did was bake them all up, allow them to cool completely then I tossed them all in the freezer! That way I can grab and zap in the microwave for morning time, and they take like new! They freeze and reheat beautifully! Now if you don’t want to freeze them just store in a air tight container in the fridge!

 KitchenAid 4.5-Quart Classic Series Stand Mixer, Onyx Black

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I use my KitchenAid Mixer when I make these, and then when I go to do the cream cheese mixture I rinse out my bowl and then use it It really makes the whole process so much easier, and we all know I don’t have a ton of time!!

Pumpkin Muffins with A Swirl of Cream Cheese 

pumpkin muffins with cream cheese

So enough chatter from me, lets get on to the recipe! They are pretty easy to make just do your pumpkin batter then a separate bowl for your cream cheese batter, and pour and bake!

Pumpkin And Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins Recipe – Melts in your mouth

Ingredients

  • FOR MUFFINS:
  • 1 Can of pumpkin puree 15 ounce
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Filling:
  • 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. First off preheat your oven to 375 degrees. While it is warming up, take your flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt and mix in a little bowl and set aside.
  2. In a KitchenAid Mixer or bowl if you don't have mixer, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla together.
  3. Once well mixed, slowly add the dry ingredients in until well mixed.
  4. Spoon out your pumpkin batter into muffin tins. Fill about 3/4 full.
  5. In a separate bowl mix your filling ingredients until fluffy.
  6. Then add a dollop on each muffin, and grab a toothpick and swirl it around. It will make the muffins look pretty when they are baked!
  7. Bake for 18-23 minutes. Mine took right at 18 but depending on where you live the cook time can vary.
  8. Enjoy, if you don't eat them right away store in a air tight container in the fridge.
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These muffins are a crowd pleaser for sure! I know we will be making more of these to have on hand! Clay absolutely loves them! I am all about baking and freezing goodies for the ease of it!

 

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe? 

 

VTech Light and Move Learning Ball – Interactive Toy Your Any Kid Will Love!

VTech Light and Move Learning Ball – Interactive Toy Your Any Kid Will Love!

VTech Light and Move Learning Ball Get your Baby Moving! 

My sister gave me this Vtech Light and Move Learning Ball for Clay when her daughter was done playing with it! I wanted to do the short video so you could see the ball and all that it does, by moving around, lighting up and singing to Clay! He has really loved this ball, it is great for babies- ages of 6 months to 3 years!

IN A HURRY? BUY THE VTECH BALL HERE: Click Here to buy

 

 

 VTech Light and Move Learning Ball, Red

This

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As you can see in the video this ball does roll very well on our carpet, it doesn’t seem to get caught or anything which is nice! Also our ball only speaks in English, I know some might be looking for a ball for Spanish or another language.

This Vtech Light and Move Learning Ball is great for teaching babies to crawl and to learn motor skills. Clay got this ball right when he was beginning to crawl! When he would see the ball moving around and lighting up, he was drawn to it! It gave him a drive to try and crawl to the ball. Now if your baby isn’t crawling yet, this could give them the boost they need to want to reach the fun ball! It is very interactive, which I love! 

Vtech Move and Learn Ball 

VTech Light and Move Learning Ball

Clay’s favorite part on this move and learn ball is the little chicken on the top! If you watch the video it moves around in a circle when a button is pushed, and it lights up under it. He is so drawn to it, he loves holding on to the chicken as it sings the songs!

We have found this is a win for us, and I thought maybe other babies out there might enjoy it light we have! I hope if you buy one, you all enjoy it as well!

move and learning ball
SHOP: 

Interested in buying the Vtech Light and Move ball, then click here to buy!

Crockpot No Bake Cookies – Simple to Whip Up!

Crockpot No Bake Cookies

When it comes to cookies I am not picky, I love them all, but my favorite are no bake cookies! I love the chocolate and peanut butter paired with oatmeal, it is the perfect combination! I wanted to share a fun new way to make no bakes, here is a crockpot no bake cookie recipe, I think you guys might enjoy!

Don’t own a crockpot? Then head over and buy one here!

I really love how easy it is to toss the ingredients into your crockpot and just let it do it’s magic, then stir and drop your cookies onto wax paper and your done! It is simple and painless and let me say the reward is worth it! 

If you are wondering how this compares to the classic stove top no bake cookies, it is very similar! I found that the flavors were very close to the same. The texture was ever so slightly different, but not enough to really worry about! I think to me this is a winner recipe for ease and taste, and we will be making more of these in the future! I love to make these up and then freeze them, so if I am craving some sweet I can pull one or two out of the freezer to munch on!

Chocolate No Bake Cookies 

no bake cookies

With this recipe, you whip up the wet ingredients, toss in the bottom of the crockpot, then sprinkle the oats on top DO NOT STIR THEM IN), and dollop the peanut butter dab in the center and turn to high to cook. Within 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours when it bubbles on the sides, you turn off, add your vanilla and stir then drop the cookies on to wax paper to set up. It is so easy, I mean genius! If you are not good at baking this is kind of fool-proof which is awesome! 

Crockpot No Bake Cookies – Simple to Whip Up!

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter softened
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1 tbs vanilla extract
  • 3 cups quick oats
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, whatever you prefer)

Instructions

  1. First off you want to grab a bowl and mix up the milk, softened butter that is room temperature, sugars, and cocoa powder.
  2. Once well mixed pour into your crockpot, then pour your oats over the top, do not mix oats in! Then dollop the peanut butter in the center of the crockpot on top of oatmeal.
  3. Turn to high and cook for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until the chocolatey part is bubbling. Mine took 1 hour but each crockpot heats differently so time varies.
  4. Once it is done, add in your vanilla extract and stir the mixture well, and spoon onto wax paper and let cookies set up!
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simple crockpot no bake cookies

Easy peasy like I said, and super delicious! I hope you all enjoy this recipe, and make sure to check out all the other recipes we have up for grabs!