Grumpy's Honeybunch

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Gingerbread Cookies

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Gingerbread Cookies are a holiday classic with warm spice, deep molasses flavor, and a balance of soft centers and crisp edges. They bake up beautifully and hold their shape, making them great for decorating.

Gingerbread Cookie cut outs shaped like snowflakes and decorated with icing and pearl sugar candies.

These cookies take me right back to winters of my childhood in Northern New York, when my grandmother would let me help roll and cut the dough. It reminds me of the same joy I shared with my own sons, especially when we turned them into gingerbread snowflake cookies covered in icing and tiny sugar pearls.

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Why You'll Love This Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Perfect texture: soft in the center with lightly crisp edges that make decorating easy.

Holiday flavor: classic gingerbread spices with rich molasses for that timeless Christmas taste.

Festive fun: a great dough for cutting into snowflake shapes and decorating with icing and sugar pearls.

Key Ingredients for Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

Cookie dough rolled out onto a floured surface with snowflake cookie cutters for cutting.
  • Molasses: gives these cookies their signature deep color and warm, rich flavor.
  • Ginger and cinnamon: classic spices that bring the cozy holiday aroma.
  • Allspice: adds a subtle warmth that rounds out the flavor.
  • Butter: softened butter creates a tender cookie that bakes evenly.
  • Confections sugar icing: perfect for decorating and dries beautifully on snowflake shapes.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Use dark brown sugar in place of white sugar for a deeper flavor.
  • Swap milk for water in the icing if you want a slightly creamier finish.
  • Replace vanilla extract with almond extract for a different decorative icing flavor.

Variations on Gingerbread Cookies

  • Instead of gingerbread snowflake cookies make gingerbread men and decorate with festive icing.
  • Add a hint of orange zest to the dough to brighten the flavor.
  • Turn them into gingerbread sandwich cookies with a thin layer of vanilla or maple frosting.
Baked gingerbread cookies cut outs on parchment lined baking sheet.

Gingerbread Dough Tips

  • Chill the dough: cold dough holds its shape best when cutting out snowflake shapes.
  • Roll evenly: keep the dough ¼ inch thick to ensure consistent baking and soft centers.
  • Cool completely: wait until cookies are fully cooled before decorating so the icing sets neatly.
A piping bag decorating a gingerbread snowflake cookie.

How to Store

Store decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Can freeze cookies for up to 3 months.

For more seasonal baking, try my Air Fryer Eggnog Cookies, Lime Shortbread Cookies, Almond Filled Cookies, and Craisins Filled Cookies.

Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

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Upclose image of gingerbread snowflake cookie cutout.

Traditional Gingerbread Cookies with Icing

Shelby Law Ruttan
These Gingerbread Cookies are soft, warmly spiced, and perfect for decorating, especially when cut into snowflake shapes. They're a classic holiday favorite that brings families together in the kitchen with every batch.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Refrigeration time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 30
Calories 249 kcal

Equipment

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Ingredients
  

For the Cookie Dough:

For the Icing:

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in molasses and water.
  • In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Gradually add this to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out to ¼-in. thickness. Cut with 2-½-in. cookie cutters dipped in flour. Place 2 in. apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
  • Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.
  • In a small bowl, combine frosting ingredients and beat until smooth. Transfer to a decorator bag with a small tip. Cut a small hole in a corner of the bag; pipe frosting onto cookies. Yield: about 5 dozen.

Notes

 
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 2cookiesCalories: 249kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 80mgPotassium: 192mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mgNet Carbohydrates: 46g
Keyword christmas cookie recipes, cut-out cookies, Gingerbread cookies, gingerbread snowflake cookies, Holiday Cookies, iced gingerbread cookies, molasses cookies, Molasses gingerbread cookies, spiced cookies
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Vanilla Dark and Stormy

by 2 Comments

The Vanilla Dark and Stormy made with Spiced Rum, Ginger Beer, a tiny splash of vanilla, and a garnish of lime make this looks like a very sophisticated adult beverage! The rum tones down the sweetness in the ginger beer and the vanilla mingles well with the spices.

Vanilla Dark and Stormy

I made this Vanilla Dark and Stormy because my son Justin told me the Dark and Stormy was one of his favorite drinks. It took me a while to do so because I was hesitant about the ginger beer. After doing some searching on ingredients I bit the bullet and bought some ginger beer to try this beverage on my own!

Vanilla Dark and Stormy

I found the recipe on Food Network, however it made such a large amount that I had to make some changes in order to serve only two people. After all, we didn't need to drink two full cups of rum, that would have been 1 cup each! With Ginger Beer being carbonated, I felt that I needed to drastically downsize since storing a mixture of this in the refrigerator would not hold well to storage. I sat down and calculated what I would need to do to make this drink fit just 2 servings.

Vanilla Dark and Stomy

I'm normally not one who cares for a carbonated drink. For the most part I stick to wine or vodka and cranberry. When I'm super thirsty I will opt for a beer, but that is rare. This drink may have changed my mind in that aspect. I definitely enjoyed it and will be making it again and may even find other ways to change it up a little bit!

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When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

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Vanilla Dark and Stormy

Vanilla Dark and Stormy

Shelby Law Ruttan
The Vanilla Dark and Stormy made with Spiced Rum, Ginger Beer, a tiny splash of vanilla, and a garnish of lime make this  look like a very sophisticated adult beverage! The rum tones down the sweetness in the beer and the vanilla mingles well with the spices in the rum and ginger beer.
4 from 14 votes
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Course Beverages
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories 194 kcal

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Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Place lime slice and ice in two short cocktail glass.
  • Measure rum, ginger beer, lime juice, and vanilla into container and stir to combine. Divide between two prepared glasses. Garnish with another lime slice if desired.

Notes

Nutrition calculated on myfitnesspal. Results may vary depending on product used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 recipeCalories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 18gSodium: 8mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13g
Keyword Dark and Stormy, Ginger Beer, Rum, Vanilla Dark and Stormy
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

 

 

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Casserole

by 14 Comments

Thanksgiving is over, and you've got a fridge stocked with stuffing, turkey, potatoes, and probably enough cranberry sauce to last a lifetime. But before you throw together another plain old turkey sandwich, here's a game-changer: Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole.

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Casserole

This cozy casserole layers all your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers with a little cheesy, creamy twist (looking at you, cranberry mayo). It's like Thanksgiving in one bite, and it's the ultimate way to keep the holiday magic going for just a bit longer.

Besides this one dish recipe, I am always looking for ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers, like this Leftover Thanksgiving Eggs Benedict or this Mexican take with Turkey Tostadas that I think you will love!

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Why You'll Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole

No Waste: Perfect for using up every bit of leftover goodness from your Thanksgiving table without getting bored of the same flavors.
Comfort Food: The layers of turkey, stuffing, and potatoes baked together make it super hearty and satisfying.
It's Unexpected: This is not your average leftover recipe-it's unique enough to make everyone excited about eating leftovers.

Ingredients

Ingredients for leftover Thanksgiving turkey casserole.

Besides your normal turkey thanksgiving leftovers, you will need cheese and mayo for the sauce. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts.

  • Mashed potatoes
  • Turkey
  • Leftover stuffing
  • Whole berry cranberry sauce
  • Mayonnaise
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese

See recipe card below for full ingredient amounts.

How To Make Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole

Leftover stuffin in the bottom of a glass square casserole dish.

Stuffing Layer

Spray a 9x9 baking dish with olive oil spray and layer with leftover stuffing.

Turkey and stuffing and bottom of square casserole dish.

Turkey Layer

Spread leftover turkey over top of the stuffing mixture.

Cranberry sauce and mayonnaise spread.

Cranberry Mayo

Stir together the cranberry sauce and mayonnaise until well combined.

Cranberry mayonnaise layer.

Cranberry Layer

Spread the cranberry mayonnaise over top of the turkey layer.

Final layer of mashed potato, stuffin, and cheese.

Final Layer

Spread a layer of mashed potatoes over top of the cranberry layer, top with more leftover stuffing and cheese.

  1. Spoon leftover stuffing into the prepared casserole dish, packing it into the bottom of the pan to cover the bottom completely.
  2. Add a layer of leftover turkey over top of the stuffing.
  3. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of mayonnaise and cranberry sauce.
  4. Spread cranberry mayo over top of the turkey layer.
  5. Combine the remaining mayonnaise, the leftover mashed potatoes and cheese in large bowl. Evenly spread the potato mixture on top of the turkey mixture, then top with remaining 2 cups stuffing.
  6. Bake for 40 minutes or until heated through. Allow the leftover turkey casserole to stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Substitutions

Turkey: If you're out of turkey, any cooked protein works! Try shredded chicken, ham, or even crumbled sausage.

Stuffing: No leftover stuffing? Use a prepackaged box of Stove-Top stuffing instead!

Cheese: sub any of your favorite cheeses for the mozzarella. Cheddar or Gruyere are great choices.

Variations

Make it Spicy: Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or a drizzle of hot sauce over the cranberry mayo for a bit of kick.

Add some crunch: Sprinkle the top of the casserole with French Fried Onions.

Add Veggies: Green beans, roasted carrots, or any leftover roasted veggies make a tasty addition.

Top Tip

Use Room Temperature Leftovers: Cold leftovers can take longer to heat through, so let everything sit out for a few minutes before assembling.

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Casserole

Equipment

8' square baking dish, 

Large mixing spoon

Mixing bowls

Storage

Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

To reheat: warm leftovers in a covered oven safe dish at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with

Serve leftover Thanksgiving casserole with a leafy green salad or air fryer brussels sprouts.

If you give this 4-bean salad a try, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let me know if you kept the heat mild or went all in with the jalapenos. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your beautiful salad bowls!

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Featured image for Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole.

Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole

Shelby Law Ruttan
Turn Thanksgiving leftovers into a cozy casserole layered with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and a tangy cranberry mayo. This easy-to-make dish brings all your holiday favorites together in one bite for a hearty, comforting meal.
4.44 from 23 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 516 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°. Spray 8-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Spoon in 2 cups stuffing, then top with turkey.
  • Combine ¼ cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise with cranberry sauce; evenly spread over turkey.
  • Combine remaining ½ cup Mayonnaise, potatoes and cheese in large bowl. Evenly spread on turkey, then top with remaining 2 cups stuffing.
  • Bake 40 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired, with dried cranberries.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 516kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 25gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 830mgPotassium: 482mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 494IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 154mgIron: 2mgNet Carbohydrates: 31g
Keyword Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Mom's Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

by 19 Comments

Mom's Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits are tender, flaky layers of golden brown deliciousness topped with melted butter, jam, or honey. This family recipe makes the perfect addition to any meal.

I love to serve these mouthwatering old fashioned buttermilk biscuits warm with butter or with sausage gravy on the weekends to my family. They bring back the nostalgia of youth and being in mom's kitchen.

Mom's Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits baked and sitting on a baking sheet.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

✔️ The light and flaky layers of Mom's buttermilk biscuits are encased with an outer crisp surface giving the best of all textures.

✔️ It is a very versatile biscuit recipe that can be used as a side dish, part of a main dish, or dessert!

✔️ In just 30 minutes you can serve the family a warm buttermilk biscuit topped melted butter or their favorite topping as part of their meal.

Baked buttermilk Biscuits on a baking tray with one biscuit broken in half to show the inside.

Ingredients

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All purpose flour

Buttermilk (see tip below for substitution if buttermilk is hard to find).

Baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar all work together as leavening agents and aid in the biscuits rising and becoming fluffy.

Salt and sugar, to add flavor to the biscuits.

Butter or shortening for the fat.

Mom's hands holding a steamy biscuit topped with butter.

Equipment

A good biscuit cutter. I love this one that my mom had so much that I had to have one myself. I use it for biscuits and cookies!

Mixing Bowls

Pastry cutter, is used to cut the fat into the flour mixture. Or, you can use your hands like my mom!

Baking sheet and parchment paper or or large cast iron skillet.

An open cookbook, flour sifter, and mixing bowl on a moveable baking station

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cream of tartar.
  2. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles pea like crumbs.
  3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients; stir until just combined.
  4. Turn the biscuit dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 5-6 times to bring the dough together. Flatten to about 1" thick using your hands.
  5. Cut with a 3" biscuit cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, being sure to have the biscuits touch each other slightly.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.
A pair of hands cutting the butter into the dry ingredients.

Top Tips

  • Make Mom's buttermilk biscuits like she does and skip the rolling pin. Just use your hands to pat out the dough, then cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter for the perfect sized biscuits!
  • If the dough is too dry, simply add a tablespoon of buttermilk at a time to the biscuit dough to bring it all together.
Biscuit dough on a floured surface with a pair of hands patting the dough out.

Variations

  •  For a buttermilk substitute, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to a 1 cup measure and fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, allowing the milk to curdle.
  • Add ½ cup cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon of chopped chives to the flour mixture before adding the buttermilk.
  • For a golden brown top, brush tops of the unbaked biscuits with a beaten egg using a pastry brush before baking.
Rolled old fashioned buttermilk biscuit dough patted out into a circle on a floured work surface.

FAQ's

What kind of fat do you use to make buttermilk biscuits?

If you want flaky biscuits, use shortening. If you want flavor, use butter. Or, use a combination of both or just one of them. Whatever you use, be sure it is cold shortening.

Why do you use buttermilk in biscuits? 

Buttermilk has an acidity to it that helps the biscuits to rise and makes them more tender.

Do I have to sift the flour for my biscuits?

Sifting incorporates air into the flour and lightens it up. If the flour is not sifted before measuring, then the biscuits may be dry. 

Why did my buttermilk biscuits turn out tough?

The flour wasn't sifted or the flour was packed in tight when measuring into the measuring cup. Or, the dough was overworked.

Cutting the old fashioned buttermilk biscuit dough into a round shape using a biscuit cutter.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits hot with melted butter, jam, or honey. They also are a great recipe to serve with sausage gravy.

Storage

Store biscuits in an air tight container on the counter up to 5 days and in an airtight freezer bag up to 6 months.

Biscuit dough on baking sheet, close together, just touching one another.

Best advice for light fluffy buttermilk biscuits is to sift, then lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and don't use a rolling pin, just pat the dough with your hands.

Mom
A hand holding an old fashioned buttermilk biscuit that was broken in half and honey drizzling over top.

Vegetarian Tostadas - Mom's Lentil Tostadas Recipe

Oil Pie Crust - Mom's Favorite

Mom's Rhubarb Sauce Recipe

Mom's Caramelized Cinnamon Toast

Mom's Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

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Pinnable Image for Mom's Buttermilk Biscuits recipe.

Mom's Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Shelby Law Ruttan
Mom's Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits are a homemade recipe that produces buttery fluffy biscuits with flaky layers that are delicious spread with butter, honey, or jam.
4.70 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Breads
Cuisine American
Servings 10 biscuits
Calories 239 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cream of tartar.
  • Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles pea like crumbs.
  • Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients; stir until just combined.
  • Turn the biscuit dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 5-6 times to bring the dough together. Flatten to about 1" thick using your hands.
  • Cut with a 3" biscuit cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, being sure to have the biscuits touch each other slightly.
  • Bake for 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 522mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 323IUCalcium: 107mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Buttermilk Biscuits, Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits, Mom's Buttermilk Biscuits, Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Arugula Orange Salad

by 7 Comments

Chicken Pot Pie (rs)2

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PotPiePlease #CollectiveBias

A creamy chicken pot pie filling with a flaky pie crust is the perfect addition to a cozy family gathering imparting the feeling of nostalgia and warmth. Feeding your family a Marie Callender's Pot Pie contributes to that feeling by giving you comfort in a golden, flaky crust.

Marie Callendars Pot Pie unbaked (rs)

When fall hits and we edge into winter, the desire for comfort food increases. To me, comfort speaks the language of warm fires in the fireplace and family close by. I am looking forward to having both of my sons home for Christmas this year. Christopher's girlfriend Miriah, will be coming to New York with him for the first time and if she is lucky, we will have some snow for her! When they are here we want to enjoy time with them and what better way to save time and offer warmth than to serve them Marie Callender's Pot Pie with a special holiday side salad to compliment it!

cover pie crust edges with tinfoil (1 of 2)

What I love about these pot pies is they taste like homemade. The flaky crust has a buttery taste to it and is nice and thick. I have never had a problem with a soggy bottom crust with these pies. Grumpy says you have to follow the baking instructions to get the best result, and I totally agree with him! Always make sure your oven is preheated and always cover the edges of the pie crust with tin foil to prevent burning.

Chicken Pot Pie (rs)

We love these pot pies, and at my recent Walmart trip I picked up some extras to have on hand. I keep a stash of them in the freezer all the time! These pies not only taste like homemade, but they also are convenient for Grumpy to make when I am not home! They come in three different sizes, 45 ounce, 16 ounce and 10 ounce. I call these Family sized, Grumpy sized, and Honeybunch sized!

Instore Photo1-2

I also love to save cash on my purchases and I can do so with the Ibota app! It's easy to download onto your phone and submit a receipt. Before you go shopping you unlock rebates you want, buy the product, then verify your purchase. You will get the cash in your Ibota account within 48 hours! If you want to get started you can download the app right now and add this Marie Callendars Family Sized rebate offer plus earn $2.00 just for joining!

Chicken Pot Pie (rs)1

What bring comfort and warmth to your home? Is it family and a cozy setting or is it something else? 

Atmosphere is everything, right down to the side you may serve with your meal. This Arugula-Orange Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette is a perfect side. It has the freshness of peppery arugula and sweet oranges and pomegranate seeds adding the colors of  holidays, exuding a feeling of family and warmth that you get with your steamy hot pot pie!

Pomengrante Orange Arugula Salad with vinagrette (rs)

If your spending time with your family for Thanksgiving, this meal would be a great one to serve after your Black Friday shopping! Just add rebates with the Ibota app and grab some pies before you come home. What would you serve as a side to pot pie that would lend to the warm and cozy atmosphere of the season? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear them!

Chicken Pot Pie with Arugula and Orange Salad with Pomegranate Vinagrette #PotPiePlease
Author: Grumpy's Honeybunch
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 Clementine (Tangerine) Mandarin Orange, peeled and sectioned
  • ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 packet Splenda (or 1 teaspoon granulated sugar)
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 cups Arugula, raw
  • ¼ cup Pomegranate Seed Arils
  • 2 ounces Cheddar and Guyere, shaved
Instructions
  1. Place olive oil, vinegar, splenda or sugar, salt, and pepper in a small jar with a lid. Cover jar and shake well.
  2. Toss Arugula, Pomegranate seeds, and oranges in a large bowl. Arrange on plate and divide cheese between servings. Drizzle each salad with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette.

 

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Sirloin Roast with Red Wine Onion Gravy

by 16 Comments

Sirloin Roast Featured PhotoA Sirloin Roast seasoned with only salt and pepper, roasted to perfection and served with a Red Wine Onion Gravy that puts it right over the top. Sirloin Roast with Red Wine Onion Gravy is a picture perfect and delicious roast for any Holiday Table. All thanks to an app by Certified Angus Beef that I downloaded on my iPhone called #RoastPerfect! (Also available on your Android products)

This post is sponsored by Certified Angus Beef in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

RoastPerfect App

I have never been one who roasted anything unless it was a turkey. I'm ashamed to admit it. Even when it comes to Venison that Grumpy brings into the house, we never have roasts cuts made. I always felt intimidated and that my roast would turn out tough or dry- and not just because I thought they would, but because they have in the past. Thanks to Certified Angus Beef and Sunday Supper I'm not feeling so intimidated anymore, but am feeling more adventurous and confident!

Bottom Sirloin Roast

One of my biggest problems was not being educated, but with the RoastPerfect app, I'm learning my way and not only  has it taught me what cuts of beef to choose for roasting, it has given me tips on how to tie, roast, and carve! When I went shopping for my cut of beef, I had no trouble picking up what looked like a beautiful cut of meat and I knew exactly what I was looking for! I also felt quite confident that I had the highest quality beef on the market in my shopping cart.

Sirloin Roast - Seasoned

I found out that your recipe can be remarkably easy. As simple as only seasoning the roast with salt and pepper! I love that you can roast like that and make a sauce of your choice to go with it and compliment the beef.

Sirloin Roast - Roasted

I was aiming for the warm red center you get with medium rare, so I cooked it until it was about 10 degrees below the target temperature, which is 135.

Sirloin Roast with Red Wine Onion Gravy

I ended up with the perfect holiday roast and am no longer intimidated by roasting beef! I actually look forward to this Christmas with anticipation of creating a meal of beauty as well as a meal full of flavor!

 

Wine-Braised Chuck Roast
Author: Grumpy's Honeybunch
Ingredients
  • 4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 1 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 fresh rosemary
  • 1 fresh rosemary sprig
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
  1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Pat beef dry and rub all over with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place on rack in roasting pan and place in preheated oven for 15 minutes total.
  3. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and continue to roast for about 55 minutes longer for medium rare. Be sure to use an instant read meat thermometer to check the temperature.
  4. When beef has come to temperature, remove from oven and transfer to a platter. Cover with a foil tent and let sit for 15 minutes.
  5. While beef is resting, make the Red Wine Onion Gravy. Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Add beef broth and bring back to a slow boil. While gravy is hot, stir together cornstarch and water until combined. Add to gravy stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until gravy has thickened.
  6. Slice beef to serve and cover with onion gravy.

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 You can also follow along on Periscope for live roasting action!
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Holiday Roasts

 

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
Plus Selecting the Perfect Roast by Sunday Supper Movement
Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

strong>Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Roasted Sirloin with Red Wine Onion Gravy - Making the perfect roast for the holidays just got easier! #RoastPerfect #SundaySupper

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Spinach Salad

by 18 Comments

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Spinach Salad - steaks that have a hot sear and finished in the oven paired with a warm salad bed of farro that has been simmered in beef broth, and tossed with spinach, and pan roasted grape tomatoes. A quick, easy and nutritious weeknight meal for your table!

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Spinach Salad

While there are fair share of indulgent dishes here on my blog, there also are just as many healthier recipes. Eating healthier in our home is always my goal to achieve so when I can make a recipe that is not only delicious, but is quick and easy to put on my dinner table, then I'm a real happy camper!

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Spinach Salad

So, after enjoying Applebee's Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Spinach Farro Salad, I knew I had to try making it at home. I like to rotate meals during the week to include different proteins and change my table up and lean beef is one of our favorite proteins to choose from. And, the nutrition provided by the beef is just another reason to make it part of our weekly meal plan!

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Spinach Salad

I recently accepted a new job that takes me home a little later in the evenings now and this makes it even more important to me to have recipes I can go to as quick, easy, and nutritious.

There is nothing more comforting than knowing when I get home, in less than 30 minutes I can have dinner on the table and have minimal clean up after!

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Spinach Salad

One of my favorite new whole grains I have found that helps make quick weeknight meals a goal I can achieve is 10-minute farro. I love the slightly chewy grain with its nutty flavor and creating a warm salad with it to pair with the steak was going to be a match made in heaven!

Simmering the farro in beef broth with some Italian seasoning while the steaks and tomatoes are roasting in the oven makes it so easy and I even had time to do some clean up in the kitchen while dinner was cooking!

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Spinach Salad

The beef I chose for this recipe is a sirloin strip steak that was cut about 1 inch thick and was the perfect choice for tenderness and flavor! The entire meal itself adds up to only 370 calories which makes it not only a perfect dinner, but a great lunch too should you have leftovers!

Need some other quick, easy, and nutritious meal ideas for your busy weekday nights? Be sure to check out other recipes being posted this week for great ideas!

Grilled Teriyaki Steak and Noodle Salad
Bistro Style Steak and Onion Sandwich
Skillet Swiss Steak

Dry Steak Rub for the Grill or Grill Pan

📖 Recipe

A black plate with a bed of farro tossed with spinach and cherry tomatoes and topped with slices of pepper crusted sirloin.

Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Farro Spinach Salad

Shelby Law Ruttan
A copycat of one of Applebee's healthier meals for Pepper Crusted Sirloin with Warm Farro Salad. Sirloin steak is grilled to perfection, sliced, and served on a warm bed of farro, spinach, and tomato salad.
5 from 6 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 398 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces sirloin steaks 1 inch thick, patted dry (2 steaks)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1½ tablespoons coarsely ground black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup 10-minute farro
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes , sliced in half

Instructions
 

For the steaks

  • Heat the oven to 500°F. Sprinkle the steaks with salt on both sides, and then press the ground peppercorns into the steaks on both sides.
  • Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough olive oil to make a light film. When the oil is very hot, add the steaks, cooking until nicely browned on one side for about 3 minutes.
  • Flip the meat over and put the skillet in the oven. Roast for 5 minutes. Transfer the steaks to a warm plate and tent with foil and let set for 10 minutes prior to slicing.

For the farro salad

  • While steaks are roasting, add sliced grape tomatoes to a small baking pan coated with cooking spray and roast tomatoes in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to add to salad prior to serving.
  • In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring beef broth and farro to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and cover dish for 5 minutes to let spinach wilt into farro. Remove lid and toss tomatoes into spinach farro mixture.
  • Place salad on serving platter and top with thinly sliced steak strips.

Notes

 

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 33gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 1125mgPotassium: 987mgFiber: 10gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3465IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Pepper Crusted Sirloin, warm spinach farro salad
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Meat Lovers Skillet Pizza - Pizza Hut Copycat

by 23 Comments

Meat Lovers Skillet Pizza for the meat lover in your life!  A pizza topped with all your favorite meats, sauce and hot, stringy cheese then baked in your cast iron skillet making the crust crispy on the outside yet still soft and doughy on the inside! This  is everything the meat loving man in your life is going to love about this pizza!

Meat Lover's Skillet Pizza
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🍕National Pizza Month

October is National Pizza Month. I can't think of any better reason than to enjoy pizza and enjoy it often! This observance started in 1984 by the publisher of Pizza Today magazine.

While I probably won't eat pizza every day of the month in October, I will absolutely celebrate and enjoy the several pizza recipes I have on my blog! I also hope there is one here you will enjoy as well.

Meat Lover's Skillet Pizza

Copycat Pizza Hut Style Pizza

One of my favorite pizzas has always been the pan pizza you can get at Pizza Hut. I love the individual sized pizzas and how the crust bakes up nice and fluffy while still having the crispy edges on the outside.

This Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza has been a staple at our table for several years now and it still remains a favorite. I found that making the pizza in my glass Pyrex baking dish made a spectacular crust. However, since I do own cast iron skillets, I thought I should give the pan pizza recipe a try at home to see if I could replicate Pizza Hut.

I have discovered that everything made in that skillet tastes better and am about to ready to go out and buy a collection of cast iron cooking dishes and toss away all the others!

Meat Lover's Skillet Pizza

🥘 Ingredients

Pizza Dough, this is my favorite homemade pizza dough recipe.

Pasta sauce, make your own homemade pasta sauce or buy it.

Mozzarella cheese

Italian Sausage

Pepperoni

Canadian bacon

Thick cut sliced bacon

🍽 Equipment

2-10" cast iron skillets

Box cheese shredder

Pizza cutter

🔪 Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coate 2-10 inch cast iron skillets with a small amount of olive oil. Set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked sausage with the marinara sauce, reserving about ⅓ cup of the sauce to put a thin coating over top of the pizza dough.
  3. Press the dough out into the oiled skillets. Layer the pizza dough with a thin layer of pasta sauce.
  4. Top the pizzas evenly with the cheese, sausage mixture, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and regular bacon.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

💭 Top Tips

  • Make the pizza dough ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to use. This can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
  • Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and sit it in a warm spot for at least 30 minutes before using.
  • Use brick part-skim mozzarella and shred it yourself if you want a cheese that will brown quicker. If you want a cheese that melts faster, go with whole milk.
  • Pre-cook all of the meat before topping the pizza and store up to 5 days in the fridge. Any longer than 5 days the meat should be frozen until ready to use.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza is like a wing on a pizza! So delicious.

This Sausage Mushroom Onion Pizza is a deep dish favorite.

Add these Extra Crispy Maple Hot Wings to your pizza night!

📖 Recipe

Meat Lovers Skillet Pizza

Meat Lover's Skillet Pizza

Shelby Law Ruttan
This doughy personal pan pizza with all the meat toppings is sure to satisfy the meat lover in your life!
5 from 1 vote
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 599 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pizza dough recipe
  • 1 cup marinara sauce
  • 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup Italian sausage meat cooked and crumbled
  • 48 slices pepperoni
  • 4 slices Canadian bacon cut into bite sized pieces
  • 4 slices thick cut bacon cooked and broken into bite sized pieces

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide Pizza Dough between two 10 inch cast iron skillets, or use a pyrex 9x11 baking dish if you do not have a cast iron skillet.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked sausage with the marinara sauce, reserving about ⅓ cup of the sauce to put a thin coating over top of the pizza dough.
  • Press the dough out into your skillet that has been coated with a small amount of olive oil. Layer with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Top with cheese, sausage mixture, pepperoni and both Canadian and regular bacon. Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 599kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 28gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1761mgPotassium: 414mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 375IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 160mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Meat Lovers Skillet Pizza
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Bloody Mary Appetizer Tree

by 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. #HomegateHacks #TeamMary #CollectiveBias

bloody mary bar 2

Yay! Fall is here and the homegate gatherings begin! Crisp cool air and football just seem like the perfect match, don't you think? I also have some other perfect matches for you today  - an easy way to add something special to your LiDestri Bloody Mary drink! Let's make a Bloody Mary Appetizer Tree!

Grumpy and I both love a Bloody Mary but we don't make them ourselves from scratch all that often so I was pretty stoked when I saw that Walmart carried a drink that wasn't a mixer, but already had the alcohol in it! They not only have an original flavor, but a spicy flavor! My hands reached right out and grabbed the Spicy package from the bottom shelf! I love anything and everything spicy and it didn't hurt to read the tagline "hotness in a glass!" I was totally sold when I saw those words. (this product is also available at Wegmans).

Instore photo

I told Grumpy I wanted to make an appetizer tree and of course, since this product grabbed his attention in a big way, he was the one who ended up telling me what I should do. To appease Grumpy, I did his bidding and for the most part used garnishes he prefers. This little pouch of flavor doesn't need any additions to the drink since it is pre-made. Its in a pouch that is easy to keep in your refrigerator (or cooler if your tailgating) and keep cold, and is shelf-stable for up to 9 months! All you will need to do is drag out the garnishes to for your appetizer tree.

Bloody Mary Bar

Some other great items to include on your appetizer tree could be jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks or how about some meat and cheese cubes? For a dessert tree you could serve some mini doughnuts with maple icing and sprinkled with bacon! The ideas could be endless, what would you include on your appetizer tree?

Spicy Bloody Mary Appetizer Tree

Bloody Mary Appetizer Tree
Author: Grumpy's Honeybunch
Ingredients
  • 1 pouch LiDestri Bloody Mary Spicy
  • Shrimp cocktail
  • garlic stuffed olives
  • pepperoncini
  • mozzarella balls
  • grape tomatoes
  • candied bacon
Instructions
  1. Prepare candied bacon ahead of time. Pre-heat oven to 350, line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a rack over top of baking sheet and lay slices over rack. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes or until bacon browns and becomes crispy.
  2. When ready to serve beverage, pour a serving in a drink glass and create your tree! I used toothpicks to put the appetizers on the celery stick and the shrimp perfectly fit on the edge of the glass!

 

Pumpkin Cream Pie with Toffee Bits

by 8 Comments

This Pumpkin Cream Pie recipe is no bake pumpkin dessert made with a yogurt base and bits of toffee stirred in for an extra caramel flavor. Ready in just minutes, this makes a fun and healthier dessert for adults and kids alike!

No Bake Pumpkin Toffee Cream Pie in an individual pie shell topped with a pumpkin candy on a orange and tan plaid napkin.

Every fall, the grocery store shelves fill up with pumpkin flavored treats. Over the last several years, pumpkin flavored Greek yogurt has been showing up on the shelf. This gave me the inspiration to make this no bake pumpkin cream pie recipe!

I love yogurt and it is one of my go to foods for snacking. I also use it to make, Mango Berry Smoothie or Mango Lassi often!

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Why You'll Love Mini Pumpkin Cream Pies

Healthier recipe: made with a greek yogurt filling and canned pumpkin, this cream pie is lower in fat and a guilt free dessert to feed your family.

No bake dessert: absolutely no cooking or baking required! Just mix, fill, and serve!

Fall flavors: pumpkin cream pies are a great way to bring the flavor of fall to the table.

Ingredients

pumpkin cream filling in a mixing bowl with a red-handled white spatula.
  • Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Toffee bits
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Salt
  • Mini graham cracker crusts (4 ounce package)
  • Whipped topping
  • Candy pumpkins (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, pumpkin, toffee bits, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix together until completely combined.
  2. Scoop two heaping tablespoons of filling into each individual pie crust. If you have some leftover, evenly distribute across crusts. Top with whipped cream and garnish with candy pumpkins and sprinkles. Serve immediately.

Substitutions

Candy swap: substitute mini chocolate chips for the toffee bits.

Yogurt swap: use plain greek yogurt in place of the pumpkin flavored and add 2 teaspoons of your preferred sweetener.

Low carb option: eliminate the pie crust and toffee bits and serve the pumpkin cream filling in bowls sprinkled with sugar-free chocolate chips

Variations

Chocolate Shavings: add a sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings on top of the pumpkin cream pie for a bit of indulgence and to complement the pumpkin flavor.

Chai Spice: use chai spices (cardamom, cloves, and ginger) in the filling instead of pumpkin pie spice, for different flavor profile.

Top Tips

  • If 6 mini pies are still too many, these pies can be frozen after filling, up to 3 months. Add the whip topping and garnishes when ready to eat.
  • The pumpkin spice yogurt is not available year round and isn't guaranteed to be available from year to year. If you can't find it, then use vanilla greek yogurt in place of the pumpkin pie greek yogurt and add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the filling.
A hand holding a can of whipping cream squirting cream on top of one of the mini pies.
See more Pumpkin Recipes →

If you give this 4-bean salad a try, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let me know if you kept the heat mild or went all in with the jalapenos. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your beautiful salad bowls!

📖 Recipe

Pumpkin Cream Pie in a mini graham cracker pie crust.

Pumpkin Cream Pie

Shelby Law Ruttan
A delicious and healthy recipe for dessert made with Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, and toffee bits served in mini graham cracker pie crusts.
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 221 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 5.3 ounce Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 tablespoon toffee bits
  • ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 6 mini graham cracker crusts (4 ounce package)
  • 6 tablespoon whipped topping
  • 6 candy pumpkins (optional)

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, combine Greek yogurt, pumpkin, toffee bits, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whisk until ingredients are all well blended.
  • Scoop about two heaping tablespoons of filling into individual pie crusts. If you have some leftover, evenly distribute across crusts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • To serve, top with whipped cream. Garnish with candy pumpkins and sprinkles (if using). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 204mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 3267IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mgNet Carbohydrates: 28g
Keyword Pumpkin Cream PIe
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Caramel Apple Doughnuts

by 8 Comments

These Caramel Apple Doughnuts bring the cozy flavors of fall into your kitchen with every bite. Made with applesauce and a touch of buttermilk, they're fried until golden and finished with a creamy caramel frosting that tastes like autumn at the fair.

Caramel Apple Doughnuts with Caramel Frosting topped with candy pieces, chopped pecans, and fall sprinkles.

This recipe takes me back to the crisp fall morning of my childhood in northern New York, when Mom's Buttermilk Doughnuts and cider were a weekend tradition. Now, I love recreating that same comfort at home and these doughnuts deliver it perfectly.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Warm flavor: the combination of applesauce, caramel, and pecans gives that comforting fall sweetness you crave.

Homemade touch: nothing beats fresh-fried doughnuts with a glaze you mix yourself.

Fun to decorate: with caramel icing, pecan pieces, and colorful sprinkles, they look as festive as they taste.

Key Ingredients for Caramel Apple Doughnuts

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

  • Applesauce: adds moisture and a subtle apple flavor that keeps the doughnuts soft.
  • Buttermilk: creates a tender crumb with a slight tang that balances the sweetness.
  • Cream cheese icing: blended with caramel topping for a luscious, bakery-style finish.
  • Pecans and M&M's: add crunch and seasonal flavor to the topping.
  • Butter extract: gives that rich, bakery-style aroma that enhances the apple-caramel blend.
Dough rolled out with a hand cutting doughnuts.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Vanilla extract can replace butter flavor extract.
  • Sour cream may be used instead of buttermilk.
  • Chopped walnuts can stand in for pecans if that's what you have on hand.

Variations on Caramel Apple Doughnuts

  • Baked version: use a doughnut pan and bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes.
  • Maple glaze: swap caramel topping for maple syrup in the frosting.
  • Apple cinnamon: add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg to the dough for a spiced twist.
A tray of fried doughnuts.

Tips for Perfect Fried Doughnuts

  • Test the oil: use a deep fry thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil. If you don't have one, drop a bit of dough in to see if it bubbles right away, that's when it is ready.
  • Don't overcrowd: fry only a few doughnuts at a time to keep the temperature consistent.
  • Cool completely: let doughnuts cool before icing so the glaze doesn't melt off.

How to Store

Store cooled frosted doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Caramel Apple Doughnuts with Caramel Frosting topped with candy pieces, chopped pecans, and fall sprinkles with a tray of unfrosted doughnuts in the background.

More Recipes for Fall Desserts You'll Love

If you enjoy these doughnuts, you'll love Butternut Squash Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting, Brown Butter Banana Bars, Caramel Apple Cheese Danish, and Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies.

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Caramel Apple Doughnuts with Caramel Frosting topped with candy pieces, chopped pecans, and fall sprinkles.

Caramel Apple Doughnuts

Shelby Law Ruttan
These Caramel Apple Doughnuts are soft, golden, and full of warm fall flavor. Each bite combines tender apple dough, creamy caramel frosting, and a hint of crunch from pecans and candy toppings making the perfect homemade fall treat.
No ratings yet
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 24

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For the doughnuts:

  • 2 quarts oil for deep frying
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter softened
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup apple sauce
  • 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon butter flavor extract may sub vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk

For the Topping:

  • 1 cup cream cheese frosting
  • ⅓ cup caramel ice cream topping
  • M&M's Candies
  • ½ cup roasted salted pecan pieces
  • fall colored sprinkles

Instructions
 

For the Doughnuts

  • Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F. You can test this by dropping a small piece of dough into the hot oil. If it bubbles all around quickly, it is up to temperature
  • In a large bowl, using a hand whisk, beat together sugar, butter, eggs, butter flavored extract, and applesauce.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together flour baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Mix until a stiff dough is formed.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a ¾ to 1 inch thick sheet. Make sure to roll the dough to an even thickness. Cut out doughnuts with a doughnut cutter.
  • Carefully slide doughnuts into hot oil. Turn doughnuts as soon as they rise to the surface. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain and cool prior to icing.

To Make the Icing

  • Mix together frosting and caramel ice cream topping until combined.
  • Spread icing over top of cooled doughnuts and decorate candy piees, pecan pieces, and fall sprinkles if desired.
Keyword apple donuts, apple doughnut recipe, apple doughnuts, caramel apple desserts, caramel apple donut recipe, Caramel Apple Doughnuts, fall doughnut recipe, fried apple doughnuts, homemade apple doughnuts
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Raisin Filled Cookies: Nanny's Recipe

by 28 Comments

Nanny's Raisin Filled Cookies are an old fashioned cookie recipe with a soft cookie dough filled with a rum soaked sweet raisin filling . This raisin cookie is one of my favorite cookies my Nanny would make and brings a little bit of nostalgia with every bite.

A stack of 3 raisin filled cookies on a black plate.

❤️ Why you'll love it

Memories in every bite:  each bite brings back being in grandmas kitchen with a warm raisin filled cookie in your hand!

Versatile: the cookie filling is easily adaptable to using your favorite dried fruits, nuts, or chocolate.

Soft filled cookies: each cookie is soft with a delicious sweet rum flavored raisin filling!

A stack of 3 raisin filled cookies with more cookies on a cooling rack in the background.


🥘 Ingredients

Unsalted butter

White sugar

Light brown sugar 

Large eggs

Pure Vanilla extract 

Baking soda 

Baking powder 

Salt 

All-purpose flour 

Sour milk

Applesauce

Raisins 

Rum 

Powdered sugar

Cut out cookie dough with a tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough.

🔪 Instructions

For the filling:

  1. in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the applesauce, raisins, brown sugar, rum, and butter. 
  2. Bring raisin mixture to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until mixture is thick and raisins have plumped. 
  3. Set raisin mixture aside to cool.

For the cookie dough:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lin a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar creamy. 
  3. Add eggs, one at a time and mix until well blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 1 cup at a time. Add sour milk a little at a time after each flour addition.
  6. By the time you are ready to add your last cup of flour, the dough should be sticky, but starting to stiffen some. Once you have added 6 cups, roll dough out onto a floured board and lightly knead the remaining ½ cup of flour into the dough.
  7. Divide dough into quarters and using a rolling pin, roll out to about ⅛-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using a round cookie cutter, cut two cookie rounds out for each cookie. 
  8. Place 1 cookie dough round on cookie sheet. Top with 1 tablespoon of raisin filling. Place another cookie round on top of cookie with filling. Press with thumb to seal.
  9. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and cool completely.

To Make the Frosting

  1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and rum together until well combined.
  2. Add more sugar or rum as needed to make frosting thin enough to run just a little when frosted.
  3. Let frosting sit while cookies are cooling and it will thicken up some and not run down the sides of cookie when frosting.
A thumb pressing the edges of cookie dough together to seal the filling inside.

🥄 Equipment

Medium saucepan

Wooden spoon

Large cookie sheet

Large Bowl

Medium bowl

Electric mixer

Rolling pin

Parchment paper

Tablespoon 

Cooling rack

🥫Storage

Room temperature: store cookies in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Freezer: store in a freezer safe container up to 3 month.

A parchment paper lined cookie sheet with raisin filled cookies ready to bake.

📖 Variations

Date filled cookies: substitute chopped, pitted dates for the raisins.

Rum free version: substitute water for the rum

💭 Tips

  • Allow frosting to dry completely before storing cookies.
  • When storing cookies, place a piece of wax paper over each layer to prevent frosting from sticking to stacked cookies.
Raisin filled cookies on a cooling rack with two frosted cookies sprinkled with autumn sugars in front.

If crispy edges with chewy centers are your thing, then you want to try these Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cookies.

This recipe for Nanny's Soft Oatmeal Cookies are another childhood favorite.

If you love rum in your sweet treats, then these Banana Rum Coconut Raisin Cookies are a must try!

My whole family loves this Best Carrot Cake with Raisins and Walnuts.

Nanny's Raisin Filled Cookies

🍽 Serve with...

Serve cookies with a glass of milk, cup of hot coffee or a hot buttered rum! They also are perfect for holiday gatherings, their versatile nature makes them a delightful treat all year round. 

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make these raisin filled cookies, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Nanny's Raisin Filled Cookies Featured Image.

Nanny's Raisin Filled Cookies

Shelby Law Ruttan
This is Nanny's recipe. My only changes are the butter (she used margarine) and rum (she used water). For decorating purposes (frosting not needed) I made some butter rum frosting and glazed a few of them. I will include the frosting recipe but you do not need it on these cookies 🙂
4.41 from 37 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Cookie Recipes, Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 36
Calories 173 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For the cookies:

For the Filling:

For the Frosting:

Instructions
 

For the filling:

  • in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the applesauce, raisins, brown sugar, rum, and butter.
  • Bring raisin mixture to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until mixture is thick and raisins have plumped.
  • Set raisin mixture aside to cool.

For the cookie dough:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lin a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar creamy.
  • Add eggs, one at a time and mix until well blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 1 cup at a time. Add sour milk a little at a time after each flour addition.
  • By the time you are ready to add your last cup of flour, the dough should be sticky, but starting to stiffen some. Once you have added 6 cups, roll dough out onto a floured board and lightly knead the remaining ½ cup of flour into the dough.
  • Divide dough into quarters and using a rolling pin, roll out to about ⅛-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using a round cookie cutter, cut two cookie rounds out for each cookie.
  • Place 1 cookie dough round on cookie sheet. Top with 1 tablespoon of raisin filling. Place another cookie round on top of cookie with filling. Press with thumb to seal.
  • Bake for 17-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and cool completely.

For the Frosting

  • In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and rum together until well combined.
  • Add more sugar or rum as needed to make frosting thin enough to run just a little when frosted.
  • Let frosting sit while cookies are cooling and it will thicken up some and not run down the sides of cookie when frosting.

Notes

The frosting recipe does not make enough to frost all of the cookies. If you want to do this, please double your ingredients. I tend to only frost a portion of my cookies for this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 173kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 123mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 165IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mgNet Carbohydrates: 30g
Keyword cookie recipe, filled cookies, Raisin Filled Cookies
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

 

Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans

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Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans are Bacon, onions, and garlic sauteed with a little bourbon added to de-glaze the pan then stirred into your baked bean mixture add tremendous flavor to these short-cut baked beans! They also made the perfect side for our Ball Park Park's Finest Jalapeno Cheddar hot dogs.

Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans with Ball Park Finest Jalapeno Cheddar Franks

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ball Park® Brand. The opinions are mine alone.

Ball Park Finest Jalapeno Cheddar Hot Dogs

Why I made Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans

A few months ago when my brother and his sons were visiting, we had a family celebration on our back deck and grilled some Ball Park Park's Finest Hot Dogs. I loved how the boys got into the excitement of grilling!

Since then, Ball Park Park's Finest hosted and live-streamed The Finest Grillathon in New York City, where they broke the previous world record for longest BBQ (previously held by England)! I think that's pretty awesome.

Ball Park Finest Jalapeno Cheddar Grilling

It is hard to believe that summer is coming to an end and kids are going back to school. For us here in the Grumpy house, it mostly means that we are getting closer to hunting season! Long gone are the days when I sent my kids back to school! However, we do like to celebrate fall and happy things, such as a record-breaking grillathon!

Ball Park Finest Jalapeno Cheddar Hot Dogs

When I told Grumpy I was going to make baked beans to go with our hot dogs, the first thing he said was "make sure you put bacon in them and don't give them some "funky" flavor." Who, me? Do that? I can't believe he even thought I would do such a thing!

Bourbon Bacon Baked beans on a white plate with a hotdog on the side

Kicking the beans up a notch

I decided that I had to kick them up a notch anyway. We were going to celebrate the new world record with some of Ball Park Finest! I sauteed some bacon, onion, and garlic, then I de-glazed that frying pan with about a tablespoon of bourbon. Bourbon and bacon make everything better, don't you agree?

Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans in a blue casserole dish

Grumpy must have also because he ate about ¾ of those beans all by himself with a couple of hot dogs!

Be sure to follow Ball Park on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
#FinestGrillathon

*If you made this recipe, please give it a star rating*

📖 Recipe

Blue casserole dish filled with bourbon bacon topped baked beans.

Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans

Shelby Law Ruttan
Baked beans with a boost of bourbon and bacon flavors.
5 from 1 vote
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 370 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325º F.
  • Pour navy beans into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  • In a medium skillet, add diced bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook until bacon is crisp and onion is tender.
  • Turn off heat and add bourbon. Stir to deglaze the pan and add to navy beans.Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard.
  • Stir to combine well. Pour into a casserole dish. Top with bacon and sprinkle top with brown sugar.
  • Place in oven and bake 45 minutes. Increase temperature to 425º F for 10 minutes to crisp bacon.
  • Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 17gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 357mgFiber: 16gSugar: 23g
Keyword Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Chocolate Strawberry Cream Puff Bites

by 20 Comments

Chocolate Strawberry Cream Puff Bites are a dreamy dessert, made with a light chocolate choux pastry, rich hazelnut spread, and juicy fresh strawberries. These little puffs are easy to love, bringing a perfect balance of crispy, creamy, and fruity in every bite.

Chocolate Strawberry Cream Puff Bites on a white plate.

This recipe was inspired by my fondness for special but simple treats like my Easy Cream Puff Recipe, and the flavor pairing idea came straight from those classic chocolate-covered strawberries I love to make every Valentine's Day. Adding hazelnut spread just felt like the perfect finishing touch!

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Why You'll Love Chocolate Strawberry Cream Puff Bites

Easy filling: No whipping cream needed - hazelnut spread makes it simple and delicious.

Perfect for gatherings: Great for Mother's day, birthdays, brunches, or date nights at home.

Elegant presentation: They look bakery-worthy but are very doable at home.

A white plate filled with chocolate baked puff pastry filled with. Nutella and chopped strawberries.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cream Puff Bites

Besides your basic pantry ingredients of flour, butter, and eggs, you will need some cocoa powder, hazelnut spread, and fresh strawberries.

Ingredient Substitution Ideas

  • Hazelnut spread → Use a chocolate almond spread or pistachio spread (affiliate link) for a different nutty filling.
  • Strawberries → Try chopped cherries, kiwi, or blueberries for a different fruit profile.
  • Cocoa powder in pastry → Omit cocoa powder for a more traditional vanilla-flavored puff.

Recipe Variations

Berry blend filling: Mix chopped strawberries with a few raspberries and/or blackberries for a berry medley.

Nutella whipped cream: Blend Nutella with a little whipped cream for an extra light, fluffy filling.

Chocolate dipped tops: Dip the tops of baked puffs in melted chocolate and let set before filling.

Up close image of chocolate cream puff bites.

Top Tips for Success

Cool fully before filling: You want the pastry cool so the hazelnut spread doesn't get too runny.

Get the dough right: Stir the flour mixture well over heat until it forms a smooth ball - this step is important for puff success.

Add eggs slowly: Beat well after each addition to get a smooth, shiny batter.

Don't underbake: The puffs should be firm, dry, and sound hollow when tapped.

How to Store

Freezing: Freeze baked, unfilled puffs for up to 1 month. Thaw and re-crisp in a warm oven before filling.

Unfilled puffs: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

Filled puffs: Store filled puffs in the refrigerator in an airtight container and enjoy within 24 hours.

Serving Suggestions

Make a dessert platter: Include these puffs along with chocolate-covered strawberries for a stunning spread.

Serve with a side of rhubarb sauce for a sweet-tart contrast.

Fill with butterscotch pudding instead of hazelnut spread for a different twist.

Drizzle with salted caramel sauce for a rich, buttery finish.

Pair with a cup of espresso or a latte for a cozy treat.

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Chocolate Strawberry Cream Puff Bites

Chocolate Strawberry Cream Puff Bites

Shelby Law Ruttan
Chocolate Strawberry Hazelnut Cream Puffs are made with chocolate-flavored choux pastry, rich hazelnut filling, and fresh chopped strawberries.
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 207 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium sized saucepan combine 1 cup of water, ½ cup butter and salt. Over medium heat, bring water mixture to a rolling boil.
  • Using a wooden spoon, beat in flour and cocoa being sure to stir constantly. When mixture begins to form a ball, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
  • Once cool, beat in eggs, one at a time until mixture is smooth.
  • Pipe dough into 24 tablespoon sized mounds onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely before filling.
  • To prepare: Cut top portion of cream puff in half horizontally. Remove soft dough from inside. Discard in the trash or your tummy! Spoon spread into bottoms of cream puff and top with strawberries. Place top of puff over strawberries. Garnish with strawberries.

Notes

Makes 24 cream puff bites with 2 bites per serving.
 
  1.  
 

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 137mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 330IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 2mgNet Carbohydrates: 16g
Keyword Chocolate Strawberry Cream Puffs
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Venison Satay with Peanut Sauce

by 34 Comments

Venison Satay with Peanut Sauce is skewers of venison marinated in an Asian flavored marinade, skewered and grilled to perfection, served with a spicy peanut sauce. 

Venison Satay with a dish Spicy Peanut Sauce in front of the satay and asian pickles to the right of the satay.

This Venison Satay is absolutely awesome Asian cuisine and so very tender and flavorful! It makes a tasty main dish or appetizer to serve guests at parties, game day, and picnics.

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Why I Love This Recipe

✔️Despite the length of the recipe, it is a very easy one to make!

✔️I love that it is grilled in just minutes and can be made with venison, beef, chicken, or pork meat strips.

✔️It is perfect for large crowds and every loves dippable food!

🥘 Ingredients

Venison: use tenderloin or backstrap.

Fish sauce, this is used in both the marinade and the peanut sauce. This is my favorite brand.

Soy sauce, used in the marinade of the cucumber salad. I use this one.

Sriracha sauce, this adds spicy heat to the marinade and peanut sauce.

Dark brown sugar adds a deep caramel flavor to the marinade and peanut sauce.

Fresh cilantro adds a fresh citrusy flavor to the recipe.

Peanut butter, to make the peanut sauce. This is my go to peanut butter.

Lime juice, fresh is best.

Garlic cloves, minced cloves of garlic add a pungent flavor with a touch of heat.

English cucumber, used for the pickles.

Rice vinegar, used in the marinade for the pickles. This is the brand I use.

Red bell pepper and jalapeno pepper, this adds sweet and heat to the salad.

skewered pieces of meat on a grill

Recipe FAQ's

What is satay?

Satay is a popular recipe in Southeast Asia. It is made of thin strips of marinated meat that is grilled and served with a peanut sauce.

Is satay and peanut sauce the same thing?

Satay is the marinated skewered meat strips while peanut sauce is what the satay is served with as a dip.

What does satay mean in cooking?

Satay is marinated skewers of meat cooked over a grill.

💭 Tips

  • If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes in water prior to threading the venison onto the stick. This will prevent the skewer from burning.
  • If the meat is frozen, allow it to be partially frozen when slicing into thin strips as it is much easier to thinly slice. If it is not frozen, freeze the meat for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Asian Cucumber Salad

📖 Variations

  • Substitute chopped shallot for the garlic cloves.
  • Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for the sriracha in the marinade and/or peanut sauce.
  • Add the white part of green onions to the pickles while sprinkling the skewers of meat with the green parts in place of the cilantro.

Serving Suggestions

Cucumber Kimchi, Cauliflower Fried Rice, or Garlic Scallion Noodles make a great side dish for these Venison Skewers.

🍽 Equipment

Wooden skewers, to thread the marinated meat on.

Mixing bowls

Table top grill or grill pan, to cook the satay on.

Chef knife, for chopping and mincing vegetables and slicing the meat.

Cutting board

Storage

The marinated uncooked strips of meat can be frozen up to 3 months. Just thaw, skewer, and cook when ready to use.

Cooked skewers of venison satay can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Venison Satay with Peanut Sauce

Air Fryer Steak Bites 

Venison Pot Stickers

Spicy Asian Venison Bowl

Venison Street Tacos

Venison and Chicken Skewers

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Featured image for venison satay.

Venison Satay with Peanut Sauce

Shelby Law Ruttan
Marinated strips of venison meat skewered and grilled served with a spicy peanut sauce and cooling cucumber salad.
5 from 3 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Marinade Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 25 minutes
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Asian
Servings 8
Calories 347 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For the marinade

  • 2 pounds venison tenderloin or backstrap , cut into thin strips
  • ⅛ cup fish sauce
  • ⅛ cup soy sauce
  • ⅛ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup cilantro , minced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced

For the peanut sauce

  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • ¼ cup hot water
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice , freshly squeezed
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro , minced
  • 1 clove garlic , minced

For the pickles

  • 1 English cucumber quartered lengthwise and cut into ⅛" thick slices
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ⅛ cup diced red pepper
  • ⅛ cup diced jalapeno pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup cilantro , chopped

Instructions
 

For the marinade

  • Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sriracha sauce, dark brown sugar, cilantro, and garlic to a ziploc bag.
  • Place the venison in the bag and seal, making sure the marinade covers all of the meat and to remove the air from the bag. Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

For the peanut sauce

  • Add the peanut butter, hot water, lime juice, sriracha sauce, fish sauce, dark brown sugar, cilantro leaves, and garlic to a blender. Process on high speed for 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are smooth.

For the pickles

  • In a mixing bowl whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, and salt.
  • Add the cucumbers and toss to coat. Garnish with cilantro.

To cook the venison satay

  • Preheat a grill or hot grill pan over high heat until hot.
  • Remove the meat strips from the marinade and thread onto skewers.
  • Grill the meat skewers over high heat for 2 minutes per side, until meat has slightly charred on the outside.

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 40gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1266mgPotassium: 689mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 211IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Venison Satay, Venison Satay Recipe, Venison Satay with Peanut Sauce
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Stove Top Fruit Crisp

by 10 Comments

I am sharing this post as a brand ambassador for Walmart®. All opinions in this post are my own. #gfwalmart

Stove Top Fruit Crisp
A fruit crisp made on the stove top with mixed berries,a little sugar, cornstarch and some Nature's Path Gluten Free Honey Almond Granola topping.  This makes a delicious dessert for your, or those in your life who need to eat gluten free.


Stove Top Fruit Crisp I like to come up with ways to make recipes to share with family or friends who have to eat certain diets. My dad chooses to eat gluten free because of his arthritis so I started to think about what I could make in the dessert field that would be gluten free, easy and delicious for him. That is how I came up with this fruit crisp!

Stove Top Fruit Crisp

When I was a young girl in elementary school I was a huge fan of apple or cherry crisp from the school cafeteria. When I would see either of those on the menu, it didn't matter what else was being served. I wanted that crisp so I would buy my lunch on those days.  Since I love crisps so much, I thought that would be a great dessert idea when I came across Nature's Path Gluten Free Honey Almond Granola at Walmart.  I decided to try making a stove top fruit crisp and use this granola as the "crisp" topping! I wanted to eliminate heating up the house by baking a crisp and it turned out that a stove top recipe was the perfect summer time solution.  Just four ingredients, less than 15 minutes on the stove, and you have a yummy fruit filling with crispy topping.

Stove Top Fruit Crisp

The next time you are in Walmart I highly recommend you grab some of this granola. When I got home the first thing I did was open up the bag to try the granola out. It was so good that I had to force myself to stop eating it for fear I wouldn't have any to make my recipe! While your there be sure to grab a bag of frozen mixed fruit too and share this recipe with someone you know who needs to eat gluten free  be sure to share with them Walmart's Gluten Free selection!

Stove-top Fruit Crisp #Gluten Free
Author: Grumpy's Honeybunch
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
A fruit crisp made easy and gluten free by cooking the fruit on the stove top and serving it with gluten free granola topping
Ingredients
  • 4 cups frozen mixed berries
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 cup Nature's Path Honey Almond Granola
Instructions
  1. Place fruit In large heavy bottomed sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Mixture will be bubbly and hot. Stir cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water. Stir cornstarch mixture into hot simmering fruit. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Fruit will thicken and become clear. Pour fruit into 4 individual ramekins. Let cool about 10 minutes. Top each ramekin with ¼ cup granola.

 

Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Glaze

by 85 Comments

These Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Glaze are packed with fresh blueberries and complemented with a light lemon glaze. Soft and cake like cookies, they are a version of my Nanny's old fashioned recipe that she used to always have in her cookie box.

A stack of Soft and tender Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Glaze
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Soft cookies: this is an old fashioned soft cookie recipe that is almost cake like and are the best cookies!

Blueberry flavor: if you love blueberry desserts, this blueberry cookies recipe is the best way to enjoy them.

Simple ingredients: these cookies are made with simple pantry staples you probably already have on hand.

adding egg to wet ingredients in mixing bowl
The eggs, oil, and milk will be whisked together and emulsified before the dry ingredients are added.
Adding the dry ingredients to wet ingredients
Be sure that you sift the flour before adding to the wet ingredients.
Dough that is too dry and needs more liquid
If the dough is shaggy and looks too dry, add a little bit of milk at a time until it comes together.
Folding the blueberries into the cookie dough
Gently add the blueberries so they don't burst.

Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Please refer to printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions

Granulated sugar

Large eggs

Canola oil

Vanilla extract

Milk

Baking powder

Baking soda

Salt

All-purpose flour: flour should be sifted then measured by lightly spooning into flour into a measuring cup and leveling the top with a knife.

Fresh blueberries: wash and pat dry to remove any excess water. If using frozen blueberries, they must remain frozen.

Powdered sugar: I recommend sifting the powdered sugar to prevent clumps of sugar in the icing.

Lemons: you will use the juice and lemon zest 

dough on mat being pat down prior to rolling out
Pat the dough gently to flatten
Gently rolling the dough with rolling pin
Roll with a rolling pin with a light pressure
Cookies into circles cut and ready to place on baking mat
Cut with a round cookie cutter

🔪 Instructions

To make the cookies

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, or hand whisk, mix together sugar, egg, canola oil, and vanilla and milk until well combined. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well. Stir until almost combined, then add 2 cups fresh blueberries.
  5. Continue to gently fold ingredients together being careful to not stir too hard in order to keep blueberries intact.
  6. Turn dough out onto well floured hard surface and gently knead dough to form a soft dough, adding more flour as needed.
  7. Using the palms of your hands, or a rolling pin lightly coated with flour, gently roll out cookie dough to about ¾ inch thick. Cut cookies with biscuit cutter that has been dipped in flour and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
  8. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until cookies have puffed and no indent is made when top of cookie is touched with your finger.
  9. Remove cookies from oven and cool completely on wire rack

To make the icing

  1. In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest until lemon glaze is smooth and slightly thick.
  2. Frost cookies with glaze and place back on cooling rack until glaze has completely dried.
Cut out cookies on baking sheet before putting into the oven
Tender Blueberry Cookies cooling on cookie rack

Top Tips

  • Don't skip sifting the flour before measuring.
  • Scoop the flour lightly with a large spoon into the measuring cup. Then, level it off with a knife being sure to not pack the flour tight into the cup.
  • If your mixture is too wet, add a little more flour at a time until you form a dough ball.
  • If your mixture is too dry, add a little more milk at a time until it forms a dough.
  • Be gentle when folding the blueberries into the dough so you don't crush them.
  • Try not to handle the dough too much. Doing so will make the cookies drier and tougher.
  • Be sure you have a pastry mat on your surface that you have generously sprinkled flour over top of.
  • Pat the dough into a ball. Be gentle when doing this so you don't burst the blueberries.
  • Flatten the dough out with the palms of your hands.
  • Flour your rolling pin and applying light pressure, gently roll the dough out, keeping it fairly thick. About ¾ of an inch.
  • To prevent your cookie from sticking to the cookie cutter, be sure to dip in flour before you cut each circle.

Icing Tips

  • Be sure you cookies have cooled completely.
  • Your glaze should be thick enough to spread, but thin enough to drizzle down the side of the cookie.
  • Let the icing dry completely before storing the cookies.
  • If stacking the cookies in a storage container, place a sheet of wax paper between the cookies to prevent them sticking together.
Blueberry Cookies with a lemon glaze on a plate with one broken in half to show the inside of cookie.
A stack of 3 lemon glazed cookies on a plate with a few fresh blueberries beside them and some lemon zest sprinkled over top.

Storage

Room temperature: not recommended

Refrigerate: store cookies in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Freeze: store in a freezer safe, airtight container up to 3 months.

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins are a great grab and go breakfast.

If you love chewy cookies, then you want to try this Chewy Mocha Toffee Chip Cookie.

This is the best Blueberry Coffee Cake!

Check out my Top 10 Blueberry Recipes.

You will love this delicious Blueberry Pound Cake recipe!

This Blueberry Crumb Cake is great for brunch or dessert.

Soft Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Glaze

The Last Word

These cookies are very soft and tender due to the fresh blueberries. Because of this, they will tend to weep a blue color through the cookie onto the icing. The longer they sit, the more they will do this.

It does not affect the taste, just the visual. If you prefer, you can add the lemon glaze to the cookies right before serving. This way you will have a visually perfect cookie every time!

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Featured image for Soft Blueberry Cookies

Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Shelby Law Ruttan
Tender and soft cookies are an old fashioned cookie recipe made with fresh blueberries with a tangy lemon glaze, these are the best Blueberry Cookies with incredible bright fresh flavor.
4.45 from 113 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 194 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For the Cookie Dough

For the Icing

Instructions
 

To make the cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, or hand whisk, mix together sugar, egg, canola oil, and vanilla and milk until well combined. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well.
  • Stir until almost combined, then add 2 cups fresh blueberries. Continue to gently fold ingredients together being careful to not stir too hard in order to keep blueberries intact.
  • Turn dough out onto well floured hard surface using remaining flour and gently knead dough to form a soft dough, adding more flour as needed.
  • Using the palms of your hands, or a rolling pin lightly coated with flour, gently roll out cookie dough to about ¾ inch thick.
  • Cut cookies with biscuit cutter that has been dipped in flour and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
  • Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until cookies have puffed and no indent is made when top of cookie is touched with your finger.
  • Remove cookies from oven and cool completely on wire rack

To make the icing

  • In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest until lemon glaze is smooth and slightly thick.
  • Frost cookies with glaze and place back on cooling rack until glaze has completely dried.

Video

Notes

  • These cookies are very soft and tender due to the fresh blueberries. Because of this, they will tend to weep a blue color through the cookie onto the icing. The longer they sit, the more they will do this.
  • The texture of your cookie dough will depend on how much flour you are using. For those who say they are too dry, it is likely that the flour is being packed into the measuring cup without sifting, and/or you are tapping the cup to fill it up.
  • You cannot use extra large blueberries in this recipe and expect them to not break! Use regular sized blueberries or wild blueberries (which are naturally smaller).
  • Lastly, I created the video for a visual aid. Please refer to the video if you have any questions or concerns about how the cookies should be made.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 58mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 24IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mgNet Carbohydrates: 34g
Keyword Blueberry Cookies, Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Glaze, Soft Blueberry Cookie
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Mixed Berry Scones

by 7 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.
All opinions are mine alone. #QuakerRealMedleys #CollectiveBias


Mixed Berry Scones

Mixed Berry Scones are chock full of berries and baked to perfection making your breakfast Breakfast is probably the hardest meal for me to eat. While I do have a lot of breakfast posts, they are mostly from our weekend meals. Weekday breakfast is much tougher. I'm not a person who can eat as soon as I get out of bed. As a matter of fact, I normally don't start to feel hungry until I've been awake about 4 hours, sometimes more! That said, I am a very early riser and am known to be out of bed and exercising by 5 pm!

Mixed Berry Scones

I find that I need to take breakfast with me to work, something I can sit at my desk and eat that is quick, easy, as well as delicious and filling. I found these New Quaker® Real Medleys® Yogurt Cups at Walmart in the cold cereal aisle when shopping for items to have on hand that I could keep in my cabinet at work. I grabbed the Strawberry & Almond Granola & Yogurt Blend. I absolutely love almond and I love that this product is filled with real ingredients.You can also find Apple Cinnamon and Raspberry Pecan Yogurt Blend.

Mixed Berry Scones

I thought it was pretty cool that I could have a shelf stable yogurt where I could add cold skim milk and in just a couple of minutes have this Crunchy. Cool. Yum breakfast right at my desk! I loved how satisfying and delicious it was with 25 whole grains and 10 grams of protein.  Getting my protein in for the day is very important to me so this was a really big plus for me!

Mixed Berry Scones

I decided that I would also make some scones to accompany my morning yogurt treat. While this yogurt is pretty satisfying on its own, its nice to sometimes have a little something else to go with it. I tossed together some fresh strawberries and blueberries with my scone mix and baked them up. I packed them in my trusty carry all container and took them to work with me. Before setting them out for everyone else at work to eat, I grabbed a scone for myself, sat at my desk, opened my yogurt cup, added milk, stirred and enjoyed!

Mixed Berry SconesDownload the Blippar app from your Apple or Android store to scan your package and receive information tutorials on Quaker® Real Medleys® Yogurt Cups.

Find more recipes with Quaker Real Medleys Yogurt Cups at Quaker Love and tell me what your favorite would be! You can also follow them on their social channels at Facebook|Twitter|YouTube|Pinterest

Mixed Berry Scones
Author: Grumpy's Honeybunch
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • ¾ cup blueberries
  • ⅛ cup confectioners sugar
  • 1-¾ cups flour
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter (1-½ sticks)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Toss strawberries and blueberries with confectioners sugar. Place in freezer until ready to use.
  3. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to food processor. Pulse 1-2 times to combine. Cut butter into tablespoon sized pieces and add to flour mixture. Pulse until flour and butter make pea sized pieces, approximately 15 pulses.
  4. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Toss in berry mixture. Whisk milk, egg and egg yolk together in a separate bowl. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and pour in milk mixture. Stir until a dough begins to form, being care to not over stir. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead briefly to bring dough together.
  5. Shape into a 12x4 rectangle and cut into 4 pieces. Cut those for pieces in half, then cut the halved pieces diagonally. You will have 16 scones. Transfer scones to a baking sheet leaving about an inch between each scone. Bake for 18 minutes.
  6. While scones are baking, combine melted butter and honey. Remove scones from oven after 18 minutes and brush top of scones with mixture. Return to oven to bake 5 minutes more, until golden brown.

What would you like to pair with your Quaker® Real Medleys® Yogurt Cup? I'd love to hear your favorite!

 

Applebee's Shrimp and Broccoli with Pasta

by 14 Comments

This Shrimp and Broccoli with Pasta is a seafood dish served in a light alfredo sauce and topped with grilled seasoned shrimp. This is an Applebee's Copycat recipe from an older (now retired) healthier recipe for Shrimp Broccoli Cavatappi, and now you can make it right at home!

When dinner needs to be quick, easy, and healthy, making a pasta recipe is one of the best ways to accomplish the task. This Shrimp Broccoli Pasta dish is a low fat satisfying dinner recipe that you will feel good about serving the whole family.

Pinnable image for Shrimp and Broccoli with Pasta.
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❤️ Why you'll love it

✔️ One generous serving is only 350 calories and 14 grams of fat.

✔️ You can have a restaurant quality meal right at home in just 30 minutes!

✔️ This creamy shrimp pasta is super satisfying and its lower calorie content leaves room for dessert!

🥘 Ingredients

Medium to large shrimp, I buy raw, peeled and deveined shrimp

Cavatappi pasta, this is my preferred pasta, but others will work (see variations)

Broccoli florets, save time and buy just the crowns.

Extra virgin olive oil (or butter)

Garlic cloves, I buy the whole cloves and press them myself.

Low-fat milk the main ingredient in the sauce

Flour, this thickens the alfredo sauce

Fresh Grated Parmesan cheese, added for flavor

⅓ less fat cream cheese, added for creaminess.

Fresh ground black pepper, Salt to season the recipe

Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

A bowl of dried cavatappi.

🔪 Instructions

Cook the shrimp

  1. Cook shrimp on hot grill or grill pan for 2 minutes on each side until pink. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Cook the pasta

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions until just al dente. Remove pasta from water by scooping out with a slotted spoon into colander.
  2. Return pasta water to stove and blanch broccoli for 5 minutes. Strain broccoli into a colander and rinse immediately with cold water to stop broccoli from cooking.

Make the alfredo sauce

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until broccoli is lightly browned.
  2. Whisk flour into the butter garlic mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook the alfredo sauce for 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
  3. Stir 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt.
  4. Toss sauce with hot pasta and broccoli.
  5. Top with cooked shrimp and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice, and lemon zest.
  6. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using).
Grilled shrimp on a teal plate.

🥄 Equipment

Large pot

Large skillet

Slotted spoon

Colander

Flat head wooden spoon

Measuring cups

Hand whisk

🥫Storage

Store any leftover Shrimp and Broccoli with Pasta in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

📖 Variations

  • Substitute frozen broccoli for the fresh broccoli florets.
  • Chicken broth can be substituted for the low fat milk.
  • Instead of grilling, saute shrimp in a saucepan over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan coated with cooking spray.
Shrimp and Broccoli with Pasta in a skillet tossed with alfredo sauce and a serving spoon in the dish.

💭 Tips

Choose a pasta shape that is almost the same size as the shrimp and one that has curls or ridges to allow the sauce to nest in the pasta.

Quick and Easy Chicken Alfredo is creamy and delicious and a family favorite.

Cinnabon lovers will want to try this Copycat Cinnabon Recipe!

Meat Lovers Skillet Pizza - Pizza Hut Copycat, made in a cast iron skillet!

If you love shrimp and pasta, you will want to try this Lemon Pepper Shrimp Linguine.

🍽 Serve with…

Serve this creamy shrimp broccoli pasta with a green side salad topped with your favorite salad dressing.

🏫 The last word

My preferred pasta for this shrimp recipe is cavatappi. Cavatappi pasta is a hollow tube that looks like a corkscrew. Other pasta types that would work well in this recipe would be bow tie pasta or campanelle pasta.

One serving of seafood alfredo with broccoli.

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Shrimp Broccoli Cavatappi

Shelby Law Ruttan
A copycat recipe for Applebee's Shrimp Broccoli Cavatappi. A light creamy Alfredo sauce coats pasta that is tossed with broccoli and topped with grilled shrimp, Parmesan cheese and lemon zest.
4.84 from 6 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 349 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

Cook the shrimp

  • Cook shrimp on hot grill or grill pan for 2 minutes on each side until pink. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Cook the pasta

  • Cook pasta according to package instructions until just al dente. Remove pasta from water by scooping out with a slotted spoon into colander.Return pasta water to stove and blanch broccoli for 5 minutes. Strain broccoli into a colander and rinse immediately with cold water to stop broccoli from cooking.

Make the alfredo sauce

  • Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until broccoli is lightly browned.
  • Whisk flour into the butter garlic mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook the alfredo sauce for 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
  • Stir 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt.
  • Toss sauce with hot pasta and broccoli.Top with cooked shrimp and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice, and lemon zest.Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using).

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 18gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 935mgPotassium: 426mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 838IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 420mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Broccoli, Pasta, shrimp, Shrimp Broccoli Cavatappi
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

by 2 Comments

"This is a sponsored conversation written by me of behalf of Ball Park® brand. The opinions and text are all mine."

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

I absolutely love it when I get to spend time with my family. Especially when we only get to see each other about once a year! This year, my brother and two nephews came for a visit. It was the first time they visited since Grumpy and I bought our new home. Little did they know what I had in store for them when they arrived! We were going to have a Ball Park Frank Grill party!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

I'm gearing up and getting excited about Ball Park's Finest Grillathon to be hosted in NYC this August.  Food Network is holding a contest where you can have a chance of winning a trip for two to NYC on August 13th or a spot on the team of grill masters that will attempt to break the world record.  Wouldn't it be cool to be a part of the team that will attempt to break the world record of grilling non-stop for 30 hours? I think it would be pretty awesome!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

When I told my brother what we were going to do he was all for it and I knew Austin & Matt would be up for the calling of grilling and photo ops and of course eating the finished product!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

For our grill party I chose to use Ball Park Angus Beef Franks. I love the fact they are 100 percent beef and with no artificial preservatives, no artificial flavors, colors or fillers, and no nitrates added!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

Matt chose to eat his frank with just ketchup and Austin, he chose to eat his with no topping at all!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks are a premium hot dog with big bold flavors and in Austin's words "The  BEST hot dog I've ever eaten!"His face tells the story pretty well after he's taken a bite of the hot dog!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

Matt got into the spirit of sharing his enjoyment also!

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

In anticipation of the Grillathon in NYC I bought some potato hot dog rolls (the best!) and decided to make some NYC Pushcart Onions to top my own hot dog with. I've also topped them with some mustard and mild banana peppers or some sauerkraut and mustard! Grumpy likes to put sweet relish, a little ketchup and mustard on his.

Ball Park Angus Beef Franks with Pushcart Onions

We had a great grill party and definitely a memorable one. The kids were great sports about photos and are anxiously waiting to see themselves star in my blog post 🙂 So will you plan to enter the Grillathon contest? Look for the flavors below in your local store!

  • Available in five great-tasting, bold varieties including:
  • NEW Jalapeno Cheddar
  • NEW Slow Cooked Chili
  • Signature Seasoned
  • Slow Smoked Hickory
  • Cracked Dijon Mustard

 

Pushcart Onions
Recipe Type: condiment
Author: Grumpy's Honeybunch
Spicy and slightly sweet onions to top your plump, juicy hot dot....NYC Style!
Ingredients
  • Cooking Spray
  • 2 medium onions, sliced thinly
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tablespoons tomato paste
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and add onions. Cover with lid and turn heat to a low simmer, cooking onions until soft. Stir in honey, cinnamon, chili powder, ketchup and water. Simmer about 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and simmer another 5 minutes. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ball Park. The opinions and text are all mine.

Rhubarb Custard Bars

by 16 Comments

These Rhubarb Custard Bars have a shortbread crust, a custard filling, and a creamy whipped topping. They are light and delicious with plenty of rhubarb flavor coming through with just enough sweet to cut the tart of the rhubarb.

These rhubarb bars are also known as dream bars because they are so heavenly in your mouth! This is the first recipe you should make at the start of rhubarb season!

Rhubarb Custard Bars on a lime green plate topped with a green mint sprig.

❤️ Why you'll love it

✔️ It is a rhubarb recipe that is a delicious springtime dessert that you will love to eat all summer long!

✔️ The shortbread crust is sturdy and holds together well with the baked rhubarb custard topping.

✔️ It's super easy to make and is the perfect summertime dessert to share with friends at picnics, bridal showers or baby showers.

Washed rhubarb stalks on a cutting board with part of the stalks sliced.

🥘 Ingredients

All purpose flour, the flour is used to make the shortbread crust and to aid in thickening of the custard.

Sugar, this is needed to sweeten the dish and counterbalance the tang from the sour rhubarb.

Unsalted butter is used in the shortbread crust.

Large eggs, aid in forming the rhubarb custard filling

Milk, is used in the custard filling. Any type of milk works here.

Vanilla extract, is a flavor enhancer and used in the custard.

Fresh rhubarb, is really a vegetable, and is super sour. It needs the sugar to sweeten it but the rhubarb lends a unique flavor to the dessert.

⅓ less fat cream cheese, is used to make the cream topping. If calories don't matter use full fat cream cheese.

Cool whip, is mixed with the cream cheese and sugar to make the cream topping for the rhubarb squares.

Cooking spray is used to prevent the shortbread crust from sticking to the dish.

pressing the shortbread layer into the 9x13 baking dish

🔪 Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the Crust

  1. Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Drop in cold cubed butter and process until crust forms crumbles.
  2. Place crumbles in 9x13 baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  3. Press crumbs in bottom of pan covering entire bottom. Bake for 15 minutes, until crust starts to brown slightly around the edges.

To prepare filling

  1. While the crust is baking, mix together the rhubarb custard.
  2. Using a hand mixer, combine milk, flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl, blending until creamy. Stir in diced rhubarb.
  3. Pour the rhubarb mixture over the partially baked crust and return to oven.
  4. Bake for another 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the dessert. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To prepare the topping

  1. In a medium bowl combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.
  2. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping.
  3. Spread over completely cooled bars.
Rhubarb custard mixture in mixing bowl with baked crust in the background.

🥄 Equipment

Baking pan

Mixing bowls

Rubber scraper, to scrape down the sides of the bowls while mixing ingredients.

Electric hand mixer

🥫Storage

Store these Rhubarb Custard Bars in the fridge up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended.

📖 Variations

  • Substitute half of the rhubarb for sliced strawberries
  • Omit the cream cheese topping and serve the bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

💭 Tips

  • If using frozen rhubarb for this recipe, do not thaw it. Doing so will make the rhubarb soggy and extra wet.
One rhubarb bar on a lime green plate.

🍽 Serve with…

These Rhubarb Custard Bars make the perfect ending to any spring or summertime meal.

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Featured image for Rhubarb Custard Bars

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Shelby Law Ruttan
Rhubarb Custard Bars are a layer of shortbread crust, custard filling and creamy topping. Filling all the senses for the perfect comfort food!
4.38 from 54 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 201 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Shortbread crust:

Custard filling:

Cream topping:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the Crust

  • Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Drop in cold cubed butter and process until crust forms crumbles.
  • Place crumbles in 9x13 baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Press crumbs in bottom of pan covering entire bottom. Bake for 15 minutes, until crust starts to brown slightly around the edges.

To prepare filling

  • While the crust is baking, mix together the rhubarb custard.
  • Using a hand mixer, combine milk, flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl, blending until creamy. Stir in diced rhubarb.
  • Pour the rhubarb mixture over the partially baked crust and return to oven. Bake for another 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the dessert. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To prepare the topping

  • In a medium bowl combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping.
  • Spread over completely cooled bars. Keep refrigerated.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 201kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 65mgPotassium: 144mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 273IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Custard Bars, Rhubarb Bars, Rhubarb Custard Bars
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Chipotle Beer Grilled Chicken

by 9 Comments

Chipotle Beer Grilled Chicken is smoky, spicy, and a little bit sweet with a bold flavor from chipotle peppers and a splash of beerin the marinade. It's the kind of grilled chicken recipe that works just as well on a salad as it does wrapped in a soft tortilla.

A plate of romaine lettuce topped with chopped grilled chipotle chicken, diced avocado, and tomato, with a bottle of Blue Moon beer and bottle cap beside it.

This marinade was inspired by a warm Saturday at home, the grill going and a cold drink in hand. I wanted something with a hint of heat and a touch of sweetness that would make our backyard lunch feel l little more special, just like my Chipotle Zucchini Cheddar Biscuits do for brunch!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Big flavor, simple ingredients: The beer and chipotle blend together perfectly to create a bold, balanced marinade.

Make ahead friendly: Marinate the chicken in the morning and it's ready to grill for lunch or dinner.

Great for grilling season: This is a perfect recipe for summer cookouts, picnics, or a casual weekend meal.

Raw boneless chicken thighs marinating in a chipotle beer marinade inside a blue rectangular container.

Key Ingredients

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Juicy and flavorful, these hold up well on the grill and soak up all that marinade.

Beer: Any light wheat beer or ale works here. It tenderizes the meat and adds depth to the marinade.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Smoky and spicy, they're the star of the marinade.

Brown Sugar: Adds a little sweetness that balances out the heat from the chipotle.

Oregano and Cumin: Earthy spices that round out the flavor and give it that Tex-Mex vibe.

Ingredient Substitutions

Chicken Breasts instead of thighs for a leaner cut.

Maple syrup or honey in place of brown sugar.

Smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes if you don't have chipotle peppers.

Grilled chipotle chicken thighs with visible grill makrs served on a white plate.

Recipe Variations

Burrito Bowl Style: Serve over rice (or cauliflower rice for low carb) with black beans, corn, and avocado.

Chipotle Chicken Wraps: Slice and roll into a wrap with romaine lettuce leaves and ranch dressing.

Taco Night: Dice the grilled chicken and use it for tacos with shredded cabbage and lime crema.

Top Tips for Grilling Chipotle Beer Chicken

  • Let the chicken marinate at least 4 hours (overnight is even better)
  • Use indirect heat on the grill to prevent flare-ups from the marinade sugars.
  • Let the chicken rest before slicing to lock in the juices.
Chopped grilled chicken piled on a white plate showing juicy, charred pieces of cooked meat.

How to Store

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This chicken also freezes well. Just slice it before freezing (if desired) and defrost in the fridge when ready to use.

Serve With...

This Chipotle Beer Grilled Chicken is perfect over a crisp salad, tucked into a tortilla with some creamy coleslaw, or paired with Bacon Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for a backyard-style meal.

Southwest-stile chopped chicken salad with avocado, tomatoes, and romaine lettuce, next to a small pitcher of chipotle dressing and a plate of diced grilled chicken.

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Beer Grilled Chipotle Chicken thighs with visible grill marks served on a white plate.

Chipotle Beer Grilled Chicken

Shelby Law Ruttan
This Chipotle Beer Grilled Chicken is marinated in a smoky, slightly sweet beer and chipotle blend. Juicy, bold, and perfect for grilling season.
5 from 1 vote
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 5 hours
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 14 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 4
Calories 311 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor, blend together the beer, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, and brown sugar until smooth.
  • Place the chicken in a large bowl or ziploc bag and pour ½ of marinade over top. Cover and refrigerate 4-5 hours.
  • Preheat grill to high. Turn heat off on one side of the grill. Place chicken thighs on the half of grill that you turned off the heat. (cooking over indirect heat)
  • Grill chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side, until chicken is no longer pink.
  • Remove chicken from grill and let sit 10 minutes. Drizzle with reserved marinade for extra boost of flavor.
  • Serve as as a warm salad with your favorite ingredients or wrap in a tortilla with your favorite taco toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 33gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 161mgPotassium: 487mgFiber: 3gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 72IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 3mgNet Carbohydrates: 17g
Keyword Chipotle Beer Grilled Chicken
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Cherry Pound Cake with Lime Glaze

by 30 Comments

Cherry Pound Cake with Lime Glaze - A buttery pound cake filled with fresh cherries, baked to a dense perfection and drizzled with a lime glaze. Easily portable making it easy for packing in lunches, it's also a great afternoon snack or after dinner dessert.

Cherry Pound Cake loaf that has been cut.

❤️ Why you'll love it

Classic Pound Cake: this cherry pound cake has that old fashioned pound cake texture.

Dessert or Snack: this pound cake makes the perfect dessert or afternoon snack with a hot cup of tea!

Portable: this is a dessert that is easily portable making it perfect for potlucks, picnics, and reunions.

🥘 Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe card with full ingredient list and instructions.

Unsalted Butter

Granulated sugar

Large eggs

All-purpose flour

Baking powder

Salt

Fat-free Greek yogurt

Fresh cherries, pits removed

Confectioner's sugar

Fresh limes: for juice and zest

Cherry Poundcake with Lime Glaze

🔪 Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9x12 loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer at medium speed, mix butter, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of lime zest until fluffy.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
  5. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until combined.
  6. Using a wooden spoon, fold in Greek yogurt and cherries. Divide batter between prepared pans.
  7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Let cake cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove pound cake from pans and cool completely.
  9. Once cakes are cooled, in a small bowl, mix together the confectioner's sugar, lime juice and 1 tablespoon lime zest. Drizzle onto cakes prior to serving.

🥄 Equipment

Mixing bowls

Electric mixer

Wooden spoon

Cooling rack

Large rubber scraper

🥫Storage

Room temperature: store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Freezer: store in a freezer safe airtight container up to 3 months.

📖 Variations

  • Substitute maraschino cherries for the fresh cherries. You can also substitute blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries.
  • Add a teaspoon of almond extract to enhance the flavor of the cherries in the pound cake.

💭 Tips

  • Be sure to cream the butter, sugar, and eggs well. This beats air into the batter, increasing volume and texture.

📚 Related Recipes

Blueberry fans will love this Blueberry Pound Cake.

Cherry Poundcake with Lime Glaze

🍽 Serve with...

Serve pound cake as dessert with a scoop of ice cream or as a snack with a glass of milk, hot cup of coffee, or hot tea.

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Featured image for Cherry Pound Cake.

Cherry Pound Cake with Lime Glaze

Shelby Law Ruttan
A dense sweet old fashioned pound cake full of fresh cherries and finished off with a drizzling of lime icing.
4.50 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 151 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9X12 loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix butter, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of lime zest with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
    Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating well until combined. Stir in Greek yogurt and cherries. Divide batter between prepared pans.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on cooling racks.
  • In a small bowl mix together the confectioner's sugar, lime juice and 1
    tablespoon lime zest. Drizzle onto cakes prior to serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 50mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 71IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Cherry Pound Cake
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Homemade Potato Chips - Window Pane

by 32 Comments

These Homemade Potato Chips are an amazing way to wow your guests at your next party. Given the "window pane" effect, these potato chips have your favorite fresh herbs layered between two thin slices of Idaho® Potatoes baked with a little sea salt to a crisp perfection making a potato chip a thing of beauty!

[Read more...]

Magic Pudding Dessert

by 18 Comments

This Magic Pudding Dessert is the easiest no-bake treat made with just four simple ingredients. Layers of saltine crackers soften under creamy chocolate pudding and whipped topping, creating a dessert that tastes just like it was made with pie crust.

Magic Pudding Dessert on a cream plate with a gold rim.

This recipe brings back memories of quick desserts I used to whip up when time was tight but dessert was still a must. It's just as fun and simple as my Strawberry Shortcake Dessert Shooters-both come together with minimal effort but always feel special when served.

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Why You'll Love Magic Pudding Dessert

Simple ingredients: Just four pantry staples and you're ready to go.

No bake: A great summer dessert that keeps the oven off.

Make-ahead: Best when chilled overnight-perfect for planning ahead.

Lightened-up: Uses sugar-free pudding, fat-free milk, and non-fat Cool Whip.

Magic texture: The crackers soften and become almost pastry-like by the next day.

Magic Pudding Dessert Ingredients

  • Saltine crackers: the base layer that softens into a crust-like texture after chilling.
  • Sugar-free instant chocolate pudding: gives a rich chocolate flavor without extra sugar.
  • Fat-free milk: keeps the pudding light and creamy.
  • Non-fat Cool Whip: the finishing touch that adds fluffy sweetness to every bite.
Layers of chocolate pudding and salting crackers in a square glass dish.

Substitution Ideas

  • Use graham crackers instead of saltines for a sweeter base.
  • Try vanilla or butterscotch sugar-free pudding instead of chocolate.

Variations

  • Add a layer of sliced bananas or strawberries between the pudding and crackers.
  • Sprinkle mini chocolate chips or cocoa powder on top of the whipped topping.
  • Add a swirl of peanut butter into the pudding mixture before layering.
  • Make individual portions in jars or dessert cups for a fun presentation.
Magic Pudding Dessert on a cream plate.

Top Tips for Preparing This Dessert

  • Make sure the crackers are fully covered by pudding so they soften properly.
  • Let it chill for the full 24 hours-this gives it the signature "magic" crust effect.
  • Use a rubber spatula to spread layers evenly and gently.

Serving Suggestions

Serve chilled with a sprinkle of cocoa powder or chocolate shavings on top. This dessert pairs well with light meals like my Cucumber Tea Sandwiches or Avocado Sprouts Sandwich, and would be a sweet ending to a lunch or potluck table.

It's especially refreshing after summer dinners like my Shrimp Caesar Salad or Red White and Blue Potato Salad.

How to Store

Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This dessert does not freeze well due to the whipped topping and pudding texture.

When you make this Magic Pudding Dessert recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Magic Pudding Dessert

Shelby Law Ruttan
This no-bake Magic Pudding Dessert layers softened saltine crackers with sugar-free chocolate pudding and Cool Whip for a simple, light treat with a surprise crust-like texture.
4.80 from 15 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 10 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 9
Calories 107 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box instant sugar-free chocolate pudding
  • 2 cups fat-free milk
  • 8 ounces non-fat cool whip
  • 36 saltine crackers

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk instant pudding and milk together.
  • Place 16 crackers in bottom of 8×8 pan.
  • Pour half the pudding mixture on top of crackers, spreading evenly.
  • Place the other 16 crackers on top of pudding, and then pour the other half of the pudding mixture on top of the last set of crackers.
  • Top with the whole container of cool whip.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The "magic" part - after the dessert sits long enough, the crackers taste exactly like a thin layer of either phyllo or pie crust! Serves 6.

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 4gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 136mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 155IUCalcium: 101mgIron: 1mgNet Carbohydrates: 17g
Keyword Magic Pudding Dessert
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Banana Rum Coconut Raisin Cookies

by 4 Comments

 
Banana Rum Coconut Raisin Cookies
A cookie made with no butter, chock full of banana, coconut, and raisins and flavored with rum. These Banana Rum Coconut Raisin cookies have a special ingredient that is the cause of their success and nobody will ever guess that is what you put in your cookies!

I'm always game for finding new recipes that include bananas. I almost always have them around the house and more likely than not, they will get overripe before we eat them all. That has been especially true lately because we have been gone the last couple of weekends visiting Grumpy's family. The second weekend we went back to help deliver the new living room furniture we bought for Grumpy's mom!

Banana Rum Coconut Raisin Cookies
I originally wasn't going to blog these, even though I had taken a zillion photos of them. Grumpy raved about these cookies and I have to admit, they really are worth raving about! They are so good, that I actually made another batch and while I kept some here, we did take some to share with his mom.
Banana Rum Coconut Raisin Cookies
 
I found the recipe in a Cooking Light magazine. The testers over at Cooking Light used light mayonnaise in their recipe. I, on the other hand, never have that stuff in my house. While I like to eat healthy, I prefer to eat what is also tasty and I don't care for the flavor or texture of light mayonnaise. I felt it was not going to hurt to use the real deal in my recipe and I wasn't wrong. I also omitted the ginger the recipe called for and rather than quick oats, I used whole oats and a brown sugar blend (Truvia) and I didn't see that it affected the recipe in a negative way.
 
My motto is, eat what you want as long as you're eating good, nutritious food in moderation. Also, a little bit of a treat once in awhile is not going to hurt you. These cookies, I would consider them my treat as I would any sweet, but I would also consider they have some good nutritional value also. After all, there is oatmeal, coconut, raisins and walnuts in these delicious cookies!
 

📖 Recipe

Banana Rum Coconut Cookies

Shelby Law Ruttan
Soft and delicious made with mashed bananas and less sugar. This is a healthier, lower fat cookie recipe that the whole family wlll love.
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 20
Calories 129 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add brown sugar, banana, mayonnaise, and rum and mix with a hand mixer until well blended.
  • In a medium sized bowl combine flour, oats, coconut, raisins, walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredient mixture and stir until just combined.
  • Drop dough using large cookie scoop (about ¼ cup of dough) on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 19-22 minutes. Cool completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 7IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mgNet Carbohydrates: 13g
Keyword Banana Rum Coconut Cookies
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Slow Cooker Clam Chowder

by 11 Comments

This Slow Cooker Clam Chowder is creamy, comforting, and simple enough for a busy weeknight. Tender potatoes, sweet onion, and briny clams simmer together in a rich broth that feels classic without being overly heavy.

A blue ceramic bowl filled with creamy slow cooker clam chowder topped with several oyster crackers and a sprinkle of paprika, served with a spoon on a blue checkered napkin.

Clam Chowder was always a favorite of my dad's, and I remember sitting at the table watching him crumble oyster crackers into his bowl. I did the same thing, loving how they softened in the creamy broth, and this version - from my friend and fellow blogger Sarah Olson's Magical Slow Cooker Cookbook - brings that same cozy comfort right back to my kitchen.

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Why You'll Love Slow Cooker Clam Chowder

Set-and-Forget: everything cooks gently in the slow cooker, making this an easy weeknight comfort meal.

Creamy Texture: blending part of the potatoes gives this creamy clam chowder body without making it overly thick.

Classic Flavor: onion, thyme, and tender clams create that familiar New England clam chowder taste.

Key Ingredients for Creamy Clam Chowder

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

  • White potatoes: small diced potatoes can cook down beautifully and help thicken the soup when blended.
  • Onion: adds a gentle savory base that makes this crockpot clam chowder tastes traditional.
  • Minced clams: the star of this clam chowder recipe.
  • Full-fat cream cheese: melts into the broth for a smooth, rich finish without needing heavy cream.
  • Chicken broth: forms the base of this crockpot seafood soup and keeps it flavorful.
  • Fresh thyme: a subtle herb note that compliments the clams.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Use russet potatoes instead of white potatoes.
  • Swap fresh steamed clams for canned minced clams.
  • Replace fresh thyme with ½ teaspoon dried thyme if. needed.

Variations on Slow Cooker Clam Chowder with Potatoes

Bacon Boost: cook chopped bacon separately and stir it in at the end for a smoky finish.

Extra clam flavor: stir in up to ½ cup reserved clam juice just before serving for a deeper seafood taste.

Chunky style: skip blending and leave all the potatoes whole for a heartier texture.

Tips for the Best Crockpot Clam Chowder

  • Dice evenly: keep potato pieces small and uniform so they cook evenly and blend smooth.
  • Blend carefully: if using a standard blender, secure the lid and cover with a towel. An immersion blender works beautifully right in the slow cooker.
  • Add clams last: stir clams in at the end and keep the soup on warm. This keeps them tender and prevents overcooking.
A blue ceramic bowl of creamy white seafood soup topped with several round oyster crackers and a dash of red spice, sitting on a blue and white checkered napkin with a spoon resting inside.

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftover clam chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. You can microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until warmed through.

Serve With

Serve this Slow Cooker Clam Chowder with a slice of crusty bread or alongside one of my homemade quick dinner rolls for dipping. It pairs beautifully with a crisp salad like Strawberry Spinach Salad for contrast.

More Soup Recipes You'll Love

If you enjoy this creamy clam chowder, you'll want to try my Chipotle Corn Chowder, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Broccoli Dal, or Pumpkin Sage Soup.

If you give this 4-bean salad a try, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let me know if you kept the heat mild or went all in with the jalapenos. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your beautiful salad bowls!

📖 Recipe

A blue ceramic bowl filled with creamy slow cooker clam chowder topped with several oyster crackers and a sprinkle of paprika, served with a spoon on a blue checkered napkin.

Slow Cooker Clam Chowder

Shelby Law Ruttan
This Slow Cooker Clam Chowder is a creamy, comforting American soup made for chilly evenings and easy weeknight dinners. With tender potatoes and briny clams in a smooth broth, it's a classic cozy winter soup you'll make again and again.
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 5
Calories 387 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 32 ounces chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 5 cups peeled and diced white potatoes
  • ½ tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 8 ounces cream cheese cut into chunks
  • 13 ounces minced clams drained OR 1 lb fresh steamed clams
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Oyster Crackers Paprika, and fresh thyme leaves for serving

Instructions
 

  • Combine the chicken broth and cornstartch in a 6-quart slow cooker until smooth. Add the potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours without removing the lid during cooking time.
  • Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add ½ of the potato mixture and broth to blender (secure lid well and cover with towel to prevent burning or explosions!) Pulse until smooth. Add this mixture back to the slow cooker. Add clams and stir. Keep on warm until ready to serve. Serve with Oyster crackers, sprinkles of paprika and fresh thyme leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 11gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 838mgPotassium: 1145mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 685IUVitamin C: 50mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 2mgNet Carbohydrates: 45g
Keyword American seafood soup, clam chowder recipes, Cozy Winter Soup, creamy clam chowder, Crockpot clam chowder, Crockpot Seafood Soup, New England clam chowder, potato clam chowder, Slow Cooker CLam Chowder, weeknight comfort meal
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles with Cilantro Lime Sauce

by 10 Comments

These Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles are the ultimate fall comfort food. A savory twist on the Southern classic that brings crispy baked chicken together with tender, cheesy sweet potato fries.

A plated dish featuring a crispy piece of chicken served over sweet potato waffle fries, topped with a creamy green sauce and garnished with a lime wedge.

This recipe came about one chilly weekend when I wanted a cozy dinner that felt indulgent but still had a fresh homemade touch. The spicy sweet potato waffles add warmth and depth, pairing perfectly with the oven-fried chicken for a meal that's both satisfying and fun.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Sweet and spicy balance: the blend of cheddar cheese and spicy sweet potato fries adds jut the right kick of heat.

Comfort with Freshness: a drizzle of creamy cilantro lime sauce brightens the plate and keeps it from feeling heavy.

Baked, not fried: The chicken turns out crisp and golden in the oven, cutting back on oil without losing crunch.

Key Ingredients for Spicy Sweet Potato Waffles

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

Seasoned sweet potato fries cut into short strips, spread across a cutting board.
  • Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries: a quick shortcut that adds both sweetness and spice to the waffles.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese: adds richness and helps bind the waffle mixture together.
  • Chicken tenders: tender and juicy, coated with panko and seasoned breadcrumbs for a light, crispy crust.
  • Cilantro lime sauce: made with Greek yogurt, lime juice, and honey for a creamy, tangy topping that ties everything together.

Ingredient Substitution Ideas

  • Swap the spicy sweet potato fries with plain sweet potato fries and add a pinch of cayenne.
  • Use Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese for a milder or spicier flavor.
  • Crushed cornflakes make a great gluten-free alternative to the bread crumbs and panko mixture.
An upclose look at breaded chicken pieces baked on a baking stone with a golden, crispy coating.

Recipe Variations

  • Buffalo style: toss baked chicken in buffalo sauce before serving.
  • Breakfast style: add a fried egg on top and drizzle with maple syrup for a sweet, savory brunch.
  • Tex-Mex twist: top with diced avocado, jalapeno, and extra cilantro lime sauce.

Tips for Perfect Cilantro Lime Sauce

  • Use fresh lime juice: bottle juice can taste bitter; fresh adds brightness.
  • Don't over blend: pulse until smooth but still flecked with bits of cilantro.
  • Chill before serving: let the sauce rest 10 minutes for flavors to meld.
A waffle maker filled with sweet potato fries and shredded cheese before cooking.

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftover waffles and chicken separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat chicken and waffles in the toaster oven or air fryer to bring back their crispness.

Serve With...

Serve these Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles with a side of Air Fryer Green Beans for the perfect cozy meal.

A plated dish featuring a crispy piece of chicken served over sweet potato waffle fries, topped with a creamy green sauce and garnished with a lime wedge.

More Fall Comfort Dinners You'll Love

If you love hearty meals on chilly Fall days, try my Sheet Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Ham and Noodle Casserole, and Instant Pot Venison Stew with Sweet Potatoes.

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles with Cilantro Lime Sauce on a blue plate with a lime wedge garnish.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Shelby Law Ruttan
These Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles combine crispy oven baked chicken with cheesy, spicy sweet potato waffle fries and a refreshing cilantro lime sauce for a cozy fall comfort dinner everyone will crave.
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 336 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For the waffles:

For the chicken:

For the Cilantro Lime Sauce

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Prep fries by chopping them into smaller pieces and tossing in a large mixing bowl with the beaten egg and cheddar cheese. Set aside.
  • Place breadcrumbs, panko, paprika, garlic powder, and chipotle chili powder in a small mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Place the egg, honey, and lime juice in another mixing bowl and whisk well.
  • Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, then dip in breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat. Place on baking stone or cookie sheet. (If using cookie sheet, be sure to spray with non-stick cooking spray first). Spray top of chicken pieces with cooking spray.
  • Bake chicken 10 minutes. Flip pieces over and bake 3-4 minutes more.
  • While chicken is baking, add cilantro, lime juice, Greek yogurt, and honey to a food processor or blender. Process for 1 minute or less until gravy is well combined.
  • Scoop ⅓ cup fry mixture onto a hot waffle iron that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Close lid and let cook 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned.
  • Assemble meal by placing waffle on a plate, top with a piece or two of chicken and a spoonful of the Cilantro Lime Gravy.

Notes

 

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 25gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 564mgPotassium: 600mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 345IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 2mgNet Carbohydrates: 25g
Keyword Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles, chicken and waffles recipe, cilantro lime sauce, crispy oven fried chicken, fall comfort dinner, savory waffles, spicy sweet potato waffles
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle

by 7 Comments

This Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle is a light, layered dessert filled with homemade custard, sweet-tart rhubarb sauce, and fluffy angel food cake. It's a refreshing treat that's perfect for spring and summer gatherings.

A clear parfait glass with a strawberry rhubarb trifle layers topped with whipped cream.

I've always loved how rhubarb adds a bright, tangy flavor to desserts, and pairing it with strawberries brings back memories of family picnics in northern New York. The creamy vanilla custard ties it all together beautifully. It's simple, nostalgic, and delicious.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Sweet tart balance: the rhubarb sauce adds just enough tang to complement the sweetness of the strawberries and custard.

Homemade touch: From scratch custard gives the trifle a rich, silky texture you won't find in boxed pudding.

Easy assembly: using store-bought angel food cake keeps prep time short without sacrificing flavor.

Key Ingredients for Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

  • Rhubarb: brings a refreshing tartness that pairs perfectly with strawberries.
  • Strawberries: sweet, juicy, and vibrant. They're the heart of this trifle.
  • Angel food cake: light and airy, it soaks up the custard beautifully.
  • Custard: made with milk, sugar, and vanilla for a creamy base layer.
  • Whipped topping: adds a soft, cloud-like finish to each bite.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Cake swap: use pound cake or sponge cake nstead of angel food cake for a richer version.
  • Dairy free option: replace milk with almond milk and use a coconut based whipped topping.
  • Cranberry sauce: substitute with raspberry jam for a sweeter sauce.
A clear parfait glass with a strawberry rhubarb trifle layers topped with whipped cream.

Variations on Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle

  • Mini Trifles: layer in individual jars for single-sere desserts at parties.
  • Berry blend: add blueberries or raspberries for extra color and flavor.
  • Lemon twist: stir a teaspoon of lemon zest into the custard for a citrusy note.

Tips for Perfect Custard

  • Constant stirring: prevents lumps and keeps the custard smooth.
  • Low heat: slow cooking helps the custard thicken without curdling.
  • Plastic wrap cover: pressing wrap directly onto the surface prevents a skin from forming on top of the custard.

How to Store

Store leftover trifle covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze as the custard will separate. Enjoy chilled straight from the fridge.

Serve With...

Serve this trifle after a light meal like Grilled Apricot Glazed Chicken and Classic Potato Salad. For an extra refreshing touch, pair it with a glass of Rhubarb Lemonade.

More Strawberry Rhubarb Desserts

If you enjoy fruit filled desserts try my Strawberry Rhubarb Pudding Cake, Strawberry Rhubarb Tart, Rustic Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Galette, and Strawberry Rhubarb Compote.

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Featured Image for Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle.

Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle

Shelby Law Ruttan
This Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle layers soft angel food cake, creamy homemade custard, and a tangy rhubarb-strawberry sauce for a show-stopping dessert that's as light as it is flavorful. Perfect for spring celebrations or summer cookouts.
5 from 2 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 235 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For the Custard

For the Rhubarb Sauce:

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup cranberry sauce
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 12 ounces frozen rhubarb , thawed and undrained

Remaining ingredients

  • 15 ounces angel food cake , cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 pound strawberries , sliced
  • 2 cups reduced fat frozen whipped topping , thawed

Instructions
 

To make the custard

  • Heat milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt in a heavy bottom saucepan and heat until bubbles just form around the edge of the saucepan.
  • Whisk egg and remaining 2-½ tablespoons of sugar, cornstarch, egg and egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in 1 cup hot milk, stirring constantly with a whisk.
  • Whisk egg yolk/milk mixture back into the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium low heat until thick and bubbly (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  • Place in a bowl and cover top of pudding with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

To make the Rhubarb Sauce

  • Place ¼ cup sugar, cranberry juice, salt and unthawed frozen rhubarb with the liquid in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes or until rhubarb breaks down and mixture thickens. Cool to room temperature.

To assemble the dessert

  • I used individual trifle bowls to serve my dessert however you can also make this as 1 large trifle. Layer the dessert as follows.
  • Begin with cake, place strawberries around edge and over top of cake. Spoon rhubarb sauce over the strawberries. Spoon custard over rhubarb. Repeat layers 2 more times. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Spread whipped topping over top just prior to serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 6gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 276mgPotassium: 271mgFiber: 2gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 184IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 129mgIron: 1mgNet Carbohydrates: 46g
Keyword easy trifle recipe, homemade custard trifle, layered trifle dessert, rhubarb trifle, strawberry rhubarb dessert, Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle, strawberry trifle
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars

by 19 Comments

Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CrispyIsBack #CollectiveBias

A brownie/oatmeal base, smothered in chocolate cookie butter and topped with a cookie butter creme, decorated prettily with M&M's® Crispy! These Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars are a mouthful of comfort with the chewy base and creamy fudge like cookie butter cream combination and the  M&M's® Crispy give them that crunch factor!

Do you remember the M&M's® Crispy? I know I do and I am super happy they are back! There were two reasons I love this M&M's® product. I love the crispy part and I loved the fact I could have a candy that was a lower calorie per snack bag (only 180 calories per serving!) and I could have a treat that wouldn't dig into my calorie allotment for the day too deep.
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars

 

I have to tell you that these M&M's® caused a slight altercation between Grumpy and me. Yup, we had a little bit of an unsettling moment between us because of them. I made my recipe more than once. That meant I needed more than one bag around the house. See that jar full of candy in the photo above? I filled that jar and happily left if for Grumpy to munch on while I was at my Food Blog Conference. You would have thought that would have been enough for him. I bet you can guess where I am going with this, right? A food blogger's worst nightmare is finding a product or finished recipe gone before they can make the recipe or photograph the final product. I had that nightmare last weekend as I prepared to do a final run of my recipe! I went to the pantry where I had put the bag of M&M's® Crispy only to find that there was only about a cup of them left in the bag! Bad, bad Grumpy. I have a feeling that won't happen again any time soon! Being a seasoned blogger, he knows that for the most part, certain items are "untouchable" until I say so. I think the fact he tasted the candy the week before, "thought" I was done baking, and liked the candy, well, I guess I can't entirely blame him for digging in!
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars
Two rules that should always be enforced in a food blogger home: 1.)Never do you ever eat anything without asking first and 2.) Hide whatever you don't want someone to find and sneak into on you! The effect of following those two rules? Nobody, and I mean nobody has to have any tears over the situation and yes. I did cry. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I only had enough left to make this recipe and no snacking for me while I was doing it.  Do you have any idea how much that hurt? Oh, that was so hard to do!
That said, I have to say that when I saw that my local Walmart had a big M&M's® display back in their candy aisle, I about went crazy. Everything we love and want in one spot! Grumpy's favorite choices have always been the almond and peanut, where mine has always been the crispy choice. I have a feeling after the "situation" I just told you about that Grumpy loves those crispy one just about as much as I do! I think when we go out shopping next weekend I may have to stockpile and "hide".
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars
I found my M&M's® Crispy in a big display in the candy aisle at my local Walmart
I was in a mood for something chocolate, chewy, creamy and crunchy. I was inspired by a few different recipes I had seen on the internet and came up with this particular outcome. A bottom layer made with chocolate, chocolate cookie butter, and oatmeal as the main flavors. I then spread some chocolate cookie butter over the bottom layer when it was nice and hot (so it would melt) and let it cool for my final part of the recipe - the creamy, fudge like (uncooked) cookie butter layer.
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars
Need to slip the finished product out of the pan to cut into perfect squares? No problem! I used both a ceramic baking dish and a glass baking dish in testing of this recipe. I only sprayed with cooking spray and these bars slid out very easily when I wanted to cut them.  They need to be completely cooled and sit a few hours after completion of the entire recipe, so if you can wait that long, you can cut them just like I did!
Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars
What would you do with these M&M's® Crispy? Would you create a recipe with them or would you be tempted to just eat them out of the bag (like Grumpy did!). I would tend to do both! If your looking for more great ideas for recipes or party ideas with M&M's® Crispy be sure to check out their social hub!
Optional ingredient suggestions: If you do not have or can't find chocolate cookie butter or regular cookie butter, feel free to use a hazelnut spread or regular peanut butter in place of cookie butter in my recipe. I'm sure the results will be just as tasty!

Cookie Butter Crispy Creme Bars

     Ingredients

  • Cookie Base
  • 1-½ cup whole oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup chocolate swirled cookie butter plus ⅓ cup for spreading on baked dough
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup toffee bits
  • Creme Base
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup regular cookie butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup (or more if "someone" hasn't eaten them on you!) M&M's® Crispy

    Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and toffee bits. Set aside
  3. In another medium mixing bowl, mix together the butter, cookie butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract until creamy.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mixed until well combined.
  5. Press the cookie base into the bottom of your 9x13 pan covering the entire bottom of pan.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately spread with ⅓ cup of chocolate cookie butter. Set aside and let cool completely.
  7. Make the creme base by mixing together the butter, cookie butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until well combined and creamy. Gradually add the flour to the butter mixture mixing well until thoroughly combined. Spread creme base over top of cookie base.
  8. Decorate with M&M's® Crispy and drizzle with melted cookie butter (about 2 tablespoons can be melted in the microwave up to 1-½ minutes).
  9. Cut bars into small squares and serve. Store in airtight container.
Makes 36 bars.

Caramel Popcorn Balls

by 34 Comments

This popcorn recipe for Caramel Popcorn Balls is chewy, sweet, and salty. They are the best and easiest gooey popcorn balls ever and they are perfect for fall gatherings, halloween, or anytime you want a sweet and salty snack.

Sweet and Salty Popcorn Balls
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❤️ Why you'll love it

  • The gray sea salt sprinkling over top puts this popcorn recipe at the top of all its competitors.
  • It is the easiest popcorn balls recipe to make, they are literally a no-fail recipe
  • They are perfect treat for fall parties, halloween, and christmas parties.
Ingredients for Caramel Popcorn Balls.
Just a few simple ingredients to make these caramel popcorn balls!

🥘 Ingredients

Popped popcorn kernels, I love this brand.

Sweetened condensed milk. Since the entire can is not being used, I recommend purchasing it in a squeeze bottle for convenience sake.

Brown sugar, light brown sugar is best for keeping the color light and still adding the caramelized flavor.

Vanilla extract for flavor enhancement.

Grey sea salt to sprinkle over the popcorn balls (optional but delicious!)

🔪 Instructions

  1. Air pop or stove-top pop the popcorn kernels. For 10 cups of corn, you will need ½ cup popcorn kernels. 
  2. Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl making sure there are no unpopped kernels in the bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Combine sugar and corn syrup with butter. Bring caramel mixture to a boil.
  4. Add the sweetened condensed milk and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Stir they syrup constantly to prevent scorching.
  5. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  6. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and stir gently to coat completely. Set mixture aside to cool about 5 minutes.
  7. Scoop out about ¼ cup measure of popcorn mixture and shape into balls. Place on waxed paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel.
Sweteened condensed milk measured out in a liquid measure.
The sweetened condensed milk and karo syrup are the secret to giving these popcorn balls their caramel flavor and chewy gooey texture.
Stirring the caramel syrup with a wooden spoon
Be sure to stir the syrup constantly the entire 5 minute cook time. You don't want it to burn.
Pouring vanilla extract into the caramel syrup.
Carefully pour the extract into the hot syrup, it will bubble up fast and steam.
Pouring caramel over popped corn.
Be sure to remove any unpopped corn kernels from the bowl before pouring the syrup over it.

🥄 Equipment

Medium saucepan (2-4 quarts), 

Large mixing bowl (will hold 10 cups)

Wooden spoon for stirring the caramel sauce

Silicone spatula, to scrape the saucepan clean of caramel sauce.

Air Popper for popping the popcorn

🥫Storage

I like to store these popcorn balls in an airtight container or individually in a bag at room temperature up to 2 weeks (if they last that long!).

📖 Variations

  • Add chopped nuts to the popcorn mixture.
  • Sprinkle the popcorn balls with some colored jimmies
  • Drizzle with white chocolate and sprinkles
  • Dip ½ of the ball in milk or dark chocolate
  • Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper into the syrup mixture to for a sweet hot popcorn ball
Sweet and Salty Caramel Popcorn Balls cooling on parchment paper.
Allow the popcorn balls to cool completely before storing.

💭 Tips

  • Remove any unpopped popcorn kernels from the bowl before adding the syrup. 
  • To prevent the syrup from burning, stir constantly the entire 5 minutes of boiling time.
  • Don't go over the 5 minute cooking time as you take the chance of hardening the syrup.
  • The vanilla extract will bubble quickly when added to the syrup, so be careful when stirring it in.
  • To prevent the caramel from sticking to your hands, rub some butter on your hands before shaping the popcorn balls.
  • To prevent burning your hands, don't be in a hurry to shape the popcorn ball

Pumpkin Spice Caramel Corn Snack Mix is another sweet popcorn recipe that I love to make for Halloween!

Love fudge? Try this Halloween Candy Corn Fudge Recipe!

Kids and adults alike will love to gobble down these Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats!

Grown-Up Halloween Party for more fun ideas.

Caramel Popcorn Balls overhead view.
These popcorn balls make a sweet treat for family and friends!

🏫 The last word

I can't stress how easy these popcorn balls are to make. If you have been popcorn ball challenged, then this is the recipe to try. The magic ingredient that makes these so gooey and also easy to make is the sweetened condensed milk. They are a fun treat and everyone loves them!

*If you made this recipe, please give it a star rating!*

📖 Recipe

Featured image for Caramel Popcorn Balls.

Caramel Popcorn Balls

Shelby Law Ruttan
These caramel popcorn balls are gooey, buttery, and chewy. This popcorn ball recipe is so easy to make and it is perfect for Halloween or parties of any kind. Make this tasty treat today to share with the ones you love!
4.43 from 19 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Candy
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 222 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Place popcorn in a large bowl making sure there are no unpopped popcorn kernels in the bowl. Set aside until syrup is ready.
  • In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Combine sugar and corn syrup with butter. Bring caramel mixture to a boil.
  • Add sweetened condensed milk and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent scorching.
  • Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
  • Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir gently to coat completely. Set mixture aside to cool about 5 minutes.
  • Scoop out about ¼ cup measure of popcorn mixture and shape into balls. Place on waxed paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel.
  • Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Top Tips

  • Be sure to remove any unpopped popcorn kernels from the bowl. 
  • Once the syrup has come to a boil, immediately add the sweetened condensed milk, then stir constantly the entire 5 minutes of boiling time. Not stirring constantly causes the syrup to burn.
  • Start a timer for 5 minutes as soon as the sweetened condensed milk is added to the syrup. Don't go over the 5 minute cooking time as you take the chance of hardening the syrup.
  • As soon as the 5 minutes is up, slowly pour the vanilla extract into it. The vanilla extract will bubble quickly when added so be careful when stirring it in so you don't spatter yourself with hot syrup.
  • Use cooking spray or butter on your hands when shaping the popcorn balls. This will prevent the syrup from sticking to your hands.
  • Don't be too anxious to start shaping the popcorn balls. Make sure to let it cool down enough to not burn your hands when shaping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1popcorn ballCalories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 31mgPotassium: 104mgFiber: 1gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 169IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 0.4mgNet Carbohydrates: 42g
Keyword Caramel Popcorn Balls, Popcorn Ball Recipe, Popcorn Balls, Salted Caramel Popcorn Balls
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Cherry Berry Trifles Recipe

by 37 Comments

These Berry Trifles are creamy and delicious packed with cherries and blueberries between layers of vanilla flavored yogurt and ladyfingers. This weight watcher berry trifle recipe can be breakfast and also works as a dessert!

I love to serve this Cherry-Blueberry Trifle recipe not only tastes great, but it is healthy for you too. ! With only 9 points per trifle, this is a filling and satisfying treat that fits the weight watchers lifestyle.

Featured Image for Berry Trifle Recipe
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❤️ Why I Love This Recipe

✔️ Blueberries and cherries have great health benefits. Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C while Cherries are linked to lowering risk factors to heart disease, reduce inflammation, and cholesterol

✔️ This weight watcher trifle recipe has only 9 points per serving (using the most recent calculator 2022).

✔️ This berry trifle recipe is sweet enough for dessert, but healthy enough for breakfast!

Ingredients

Non-fat Greek yogurt

Granulated sugar free sweetener

Pure vanilla extract

Blueberries

Cherries (if fresh cannot be found, frozen will work)

Sugar free brown sugar sweetener

Lady fingers , cut into thirds

Chopped pecans 

Brown bowl with greek yogurt.

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, toss the blueberries and cherries with the brown sugar sweetener. Allow the berries to soak for 5 minutes. 
  2. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, sugar free sweetener, and vanilla extract until well combined.
  3. Place ¼ cup of the berry mixture, with some of the juices from the berries, in the bottom of trifle bowl. Top with 2 tablespoons of the yogurt mixture.
  4. Add 1 layer of lady fingers.
  5. Repeat layers, topping with the last bit of yogurt. Cover and refrigerate up to 12 hours.
  6. Prior to serving, sprinkle each parfait with 1 teaspoon pecan pieces.

Calories: 288 Fat: 4 Carbohydrates: 48 Protein: 14

Recipe FAQ's

Can you use frozen fruit in trifles?

Yes, however the fruit should be thawed and drained before using.

Will this berry trifle recipe get soggy overnight?

No, the lady fingers will soften some, but they will not get soggy overnight.

An orange bowl with blueberries and another orange bowl with stemmed cherries in the background.

Tips

  • Fresh or frozen cherries can be used. If using frozen, all them to thaw completely before assembling the fruit mixture.
  • Making this trifle the day before it will be on the menu is highly recommended. Be sure there is at least 4 hours refrigeration time before serving.

Variations

  • Use any fresh berries of your choice in place of the cherries and blueberries. Raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries all will work interchangeably.
  • Substitute pound cake or angel food cake cut into cubes for the ladyfingers
  • Sugar free vanilla pudding can stand in for the yogurt. If you use pudding, do not add the sweetener or extract.

Equipment

Mini footed trifle dish

Mixing bowls

Wooden spoon

Upclose image of a stack of ladyfingers.

Serving Suggestions

When I serve these mixed Berry Trifles for breakfast, I generally pair it with a cup of coffee. If serving for desert it can be topped with a dollop of whipped topping made with sugar free sweetener and heavy whipping cream.

Storage

Store these Cherry-Blueberry Trifles in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Keto Blueberry Creme Brulee

Blueberry Sweet Rolls - Keto Recipe

Blueberry Waffles - Keto Recipe

Blackberry Parfaits

Ginger Lime Berries

Berry trifle recipe with layers of berries, yogurt and ladyfingers.

If you give this 4-bean salad a try, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let me know if you kept the heat mild or went all in with the jalapenos. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your beautiful salad bowls!

📖 Recipe

Featured Image for Berry Trifle Recipe

Cherry Blueberry Trifle Recipe

Shelby Law Ruttan
A delicious and fresh berry trifle made with greek yogurt to make a weight watcher friendly, healthier version of trifle with just 9 points per serving.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Refrigeration Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 15 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories 277 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For the yogurt mixture

For the berry mixture

For the trifle

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, toss the blueberries and cherries with the brown sugar sweetener. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, granulated sugar free sweetener, and vanilla extract until well combined.
  • Place ¼ cup of the berry mixture, with some of the juices from the berries, in the bottom of the trifle bowl. Top with 2 tablespoons of the yogurt mixture. Add ⅓ of the ladyfingers over top of the yogurt.
  • Repeat layers, topping with the remaining yogurt. Cover and refrigerate up to 12 hours.
  • Prior to serving, sprinkle each parfait with 1 teaspoon pecan pieces (if using).

Notes

WW Points are calculated with the most recent WW Calculator as of 2/22/22

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 15gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 85mgPotassium: 355mgFiber: 3gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 253IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 139mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Berry Trifle Recipe, Berry Trifles, Cherry Blueberry Trifle, Weight Watchers Trifle Recipe
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Open-Face Elvis Sandwich - lightened up!

by 6 Comments

I was craving peanut butter and bacon.  I had some bananas that were not "too" ripe just yet and had recently purchased Bobby Deen's new cookbook where he shared an Open Face Elvis Sandwich. My craving for that salty, sweet, creamy, and crunchy mouth comfort was about to be fulfilled, all without killing my diet!

Open-Face Elvis Sandwich
I have faithfully been tracking my nutrition since the beginning of the year as well as tracking my activity. While my activity hasn't been high due to my knee problem, I hope it will be getting better within the next few weeks!  I've been home recovering from a new procedure done on the knee called Subchrondoplasty so being home when food is readily available can at times be challenging. I admit I easily ate 10 Hershey Hugs one afternoon recently, and could have eaten more but forced myself to stop. The secret to not doing that is to first of all, not have it in your house, however if you must, then the next best solution (if you must have chocolate stash) is to not even have one to begin with if you know you can't stop at just one!
Open-Face Elvis Sandwich
Right now I have a lot of time on my hands, but not a lot of ability to move.  So, when these cravings hit me, I must find a way to do it and make it fit in my own personal nutrition plan and likes.  I have to say I did this and not only was I satisfied with my breakfast, I was under 400 calories and that included my orange!  While its true that loaded up sandwiches look absolutely delicious, its also true that sometimes less can be better.  I think that probably that is the case with this sandwich.  If you haven't tried this combination, I highly recommend it.  The salty, smoky bacon contrast with the nutty peanut butter, creamy banana and sweet hit of broiled and crystallized brown sugar is a perfect solution to satisfaction and extremely comforting!
Bobby Deen uses low-fat peanut butter in his recipe, I do not.  If you were to open my fridge, you would see that I do not buy much that is low-fat or no-fat unless it's yogurt and sometimes cream cheese. I don't like the taste of low-fat condiments in any way whatsoever, the biggest exception being cheese. I don't mind low-fat cheeses. Because of this, I make sure to measure what I do use so I can keep control of it. I used Truvia Brown Sugar blend in place of brown sugar and Bobby's recipe calls for regular sugar and went with light bread so I could have two slices rather than regular bread and only one.  For the pre-cooked bacon I used Oscar Meyer thick cut.  I felt like I was eating more and paying less for it calorie and nutrition wise by making my sandwich this way!
What do you do to make your favorite non-diet friendly recipes diet friendly?
Looking for more diet friendly recipes?  Be sure to follow my Weight Watcher Recipe Pinterest Board!
Open-Face Elvis Sandwich - lightened up!
Author: adapted from Bobby Deen
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 serving
A breakfast to fill your senses with all that comforts! Salty bacon, crunchy peanut butter, creamy bananas, and sweet brown sugar all for Weight Watcher 9 points plus! Ingredients
Ingredients
  • 2 slices light whole wheat bread (2 slices = approximately 90 calories)
  • ½ medium banana, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
  • 2 slices fully cooked thick cut bacon (like Oscar Meyer)
  • 1 teaspoon Truvia Brown Sugar Blend
Instructions
  1. Place oven rack in center of oven and turn oven to broil on high.
  2. Spread ½ tablespoon peanut butter on 1 slice of bread. Repeat with other slice. Evenly distribute banana over both slices.
  3. Microwave bacon 15 seconds. Cut into smaller pieces and place 1 slice bacon over each slice of bread. Sprinkle each slice of bread with ½ teaspoon sugar.
  4. Broil 2-3 minutes or until bread begins to toast and brown sugar begins to bubble. Do not leave unattended while cooking.

Oroblanco Cherry Martini Recipe

by 8 Comments

This Oroblanco Cherry Martini is a vodka based drink made with sweet cherry juice, and tangy oroblanco juice. It is tropical twist on the classic martini making it a great summer time beverage.

Oroblanco Cherry Martini in a martini glass with a oroblanco slice and maraschino cherry garnish.

❤️ Why I Love This Recipe

✔️ It combines a sweet fruit with a slightly sour fruit for an irresistible sweet tang.

✔️ It's easy to make in just minutes, and can be a fun party beverage in the summer time.

✔️ This recipe can easily be made ahead in a large batch and stored in the refrigerator until it is party time!

🥘 Ingredients

Vodka, your favorite brand works here.

Triple sec adds a little more sweetness.

Maraschino cherry juice and cherries (for garnish)

Fresh oroblanco

🔪 Instructions

  1. Using a fruit juicer, squeeze the oroblanco juice out of the fruit. Set aside.
  2. Pour the vodka, oroblanco juice, and maraschino cherry juice in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake well.
  3. Strain into martini glass and drop a cherry or two in the glass. Garnish with a slice of oroblanco and maraschino cherries. 

🙋 Recipe FAQ's

What is oroblanco?

Oroblanco is a hybrid fruit that looks similar to a white grapefruit with a sweeter flavor that has no bitterness.

Where can I buy an oroblanco?

Oroblancos are in season from September - December. They are sold in grocery stores throughout the us. They are mainly popular in the west coast, but can be found in the mid-west and east coast also.

What can I substitute for an oroblanco?

You can substitute either a polmello or grapefruit. I recommend a pink grapefruit as it is not as bitter as the white grapefruit.

💭 Tips

  • Use a citrus reamer to get as much of the juice as possible from the fruit.
  • Substitute regular cherry juice for maraschino cherry juice.
  • If the drink is not sweet enough, feel free to add simple syrup to taste.

📖 Variations

  • Use all cherry juice in place of the oroblanco juice and maraschino cherry juice for a full on cherry martini.
  • Blend the drink and ice in a blender for a frozen martini.

🍽 Equipment

Cocktail shaker

Martini glass

Cocktail skewer

Serving Suggestions

Serve this Oroblanco Cherry Martini at your next gathering with some of your favorite appetizers.

Storage

This Oroblanco Cherry Martini can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Related Recipes

Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

Pre-Historic Rum Martini

Rhubarb Martini - Easy Summer Cocktail

Dill Pickle Martini aka Dirty Pickle

📖 Recipe

Featured Image Cherry Martini.

Oroblanco Cherry Martini

Shelby Law Ruttan
A sweet and citrusy martini drink made with Oroblanco and Cherry juices.
5 from 1 vote
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Beverages
Cuisine American
Servings 1
Calories 260 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 2 ounces oroblanco juice
  • 1 ounce maraschino cherry juice
  • 1 ounce triple sec
  • ice

Instructions
 

  • Pour vodka, oroblanco juice, and maraschino cherry juice in over ice. Shake well.
  • Strain into martini glass and drop a cherry or two in the glass. Garnish with a slice of oroblanco and maraschino cherries. 

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg
Keyword cherry martini
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti

by 14 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SweetWarmUp #CollectiveBias
 
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti made with Truvia® Baking Blend and a steamy cup of Bigelow Earl Gray Tea is my grown up way of enjoying myself while cozied up on my couch with my reading material!

Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti

I love it when I am on vacation and have a few days to pamper myself and do what I want.  I have always loved to read and always loved to have a snack when I'm doing it!  Back in my younger days my friend Tracy and I would read a book and eat candy bars and cheese curls.  Yeah, not really the healthiest thing to do!  As I've gotten older I have moved to more natural ways to sweeten my reading time incorporating less sugar in my snacking.  Savoring this biscotti with my tea while getting into my novel being one of them!

Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
The first time I ever had Bigelow Tea was at my friend Phyllis' home.  She had a beverage bar and it included several flavors of Bigelow Tea.  My favorite became the Plantation Mint with Earl Gray being a close second!  I have continued on with my love of Bigelow Tea by drinking it through out the day at work, a much better alternative than sugar laden soda!  Everyone that knows me well at the office, knows I have a drawer full of tea.  I'm basically the go to person for just about anything anyone needs in the office, and I'm not just talking job duties!
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
With Grumpy being diabetic, I like to try to find ways to make recipes that are going to allow me to make it diabetic friendly and using a natural sweetener like Truvia® Baking Blend is a good way to do so.  Making smarter choices with my baking by cutting sugars in my baking without losing the taste of the sweet treat is a win/win situation when I can please Grumpy and myself at the same time!
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
The dark chocolate and almond flavors come through in this cookie with no bitter aftertaste from the sweetener.  These biscotti also turned out crunchy, but not break your teeth crunchy.
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
To get started with my novel adventure, I went to Target and picked up a few boxes of Bigelow Tea and some Truvia® Baking Blend.  I even was able to save 10% on my Truvia purchase by using my Cartwheel app!  (If you want to try Truvia® before you buy it you can request a free sample.) 
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
Now your ready to get started with your baking!  I have to tell you, I absolutely love the convenient pouring spout on the Truvia bag, Not only is it much easier to measure what you want, but you have a much more secure seal to close the bag and not worry about spilling sugar all over. Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
 Get all your ingredients in place.
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
Mix your wet ingredients

Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
Mix your dry ingredients
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
Then mix the wet and dry together!  My dough was pretty crumbly as you can see, but I was able to pull it all together into logs.
Shape into logs and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
Give the logs a bath with egg wash then bake.
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
Once the first baking is done, you will want to take the logs out to cool about 15 minutes.  Then slice the logs on a diagonal cut to prep for the second baking.
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
When second baking is done, cool completely and dip in chocolate (if desired) and enjoy with a good book and cup of Bigelow Earl Gray Tea!Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti
If you would like to connect with Bigelow Tea and Truvia you can do so on their Social Platforms. Bigelow Tea on Twitter, Truvia on Twitter, Bigelow Tea on Facebook,  and Truvia on Facebook. You can also follow Truvia on Pinterest and Instagram!
What do you like to do to pamper yourself?  Are you incorporating smarter choices in your diet for the new year?

Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti

Published 01/19/2015
recipe adapted from David Lebovitz
Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup Truvia® Baking Blend
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
  • chocolate candy coating (optional)
  • 1 large egg (for the egg wash)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the 3 eggs, Truvia® Baking Blend, and almond extract. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients. Mix in the almonds and mini chocolate chips until the dough comes together. Your dough may be a little crumbly. If you think its too crumbly to work with and shape into a log, add another egg.
  3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into two logs. Transfer to baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.
  4. Gently flatten tops of logs. Beat remaining egg and brush tops of logs liberally with egg. Place in oven and bake 25 minutes, until dough is firm to the touch.
  5. Remove logs from oven and cool 15 minutes. On cutting board, using serrated edge knife, diagonally cut cookies into ½ inch slices. Lay cookies cut side down on baking sheet and return to oven for 20 minutes, turning cookies over halfway during baking.
  6. Once baked, cool completely and store in airtight container. If desired, dip half of the cookie in melted chocolate and cool until hardens.

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 40 mins.
Total time: 60 mins.

Roasted Tomato Soup Shooters

by 2 Comments

Roasted Tomato Soup Shooters with Brie Grilled Cheese Bites are a homemade gourmet grilled cheese and soup appetizer recipe filled with flavor.  You have sweet, creamy, salty, and crunchy filling your senses for pure satisfaction. Paired with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc puts it right over the top perfect!

One roasted tomato soup shooter on a white tray with 3 grilled brie croutons.

For the month of January, the Virtual Supper Club group decided to celebrate "A Late Night Tapas with Beverage Pairing".  At first I wanted to make a beverage to go with my tapa but in the end decided that the best drink to serve with these shooters and grilled cheese bites would be a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Tapas, appetizers, small plates, this is the way I absolutely love to eat.  Small bites of a little bit of everything giving me variety and the ability to try everything I want to without over stuffing myself. Personally, I think this is how we should eat all the time!

featured image roasted tomato soup shooter on a white plate with mini toasted brie cheese croutons

My recipe I am sharing is an adaptation of Cooking Light's Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup recipe. I found this made the soup super creamy and think I prefer it this way myself. Grumpy on the other hand loves tomato soup with rice, so I now have a recipe I can use to make for his liking for future reference and will not blend it all together for him.

Low Carb Spicy Shrimp Tortilla Soup

Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

Pumpkin Soup with Sage Browned Butter

Quick and Easy Hamburger Soup

If you give this 4-bean salad a try, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let me know if you kept the heat mild or went all in with the jalapenos. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your beautiful salad bowls!

📖 Recipe

featured image roasted tomato soup shooter on a white plate with mini toasted brie cheese croutons

Roasted Tomato Soup Shooters

Shelby Law Ruttan
This easy to make tomato soup is creamy and delicious, made with fire roasted tomatoes for an extra boost of flavor.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 362 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

FOR THE SOUP

FOR THE GRILLED BRIE CROUTON BITES

  • 4 slices bread
  • 4 ounces thinly sliced brie cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
 

TO MAKE THE SOUP

  • Melt the butter n a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, until the rice begins to brown.
  • Add the garlic to the rice and saute for 1 minute.
  • Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper to the rice and bring the rice mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 40 minutes, until rice is cooked. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully transfer ½ of the soup mixture to a blender. Blend on low speed until smooth.
  • Strain the soup through a fine sieve over a bowl; discarding the solids. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup mixture.
  • Return soup to the soup pot and and add the heavy cream. Garnish with chives (if using).

TO MAKE THE GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

  • Evenly spread the butter on one side of each piece of bread.
  • Lay 2 slices of bread, butter side down on a hot skillet over medium high heat.
  • Evenly distribute the cheese on top of the bread, then top with the remaining bread, butter side up.
  • Cook for two minutes on each side, until golden. Cut each sandwich into quarters, then cut each quarter into quarters. There should be 16 croutons per sandwich and 8 croutons per serving.

Notes

Nutritional information is given for 4 servings/people, Nutrition information changes if used as a shooter appetizer.

Nutrition

Calories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 12gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 1405mgPotassium: 239mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1360IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 181mgIron: 3mg
Keyword roasted tomato soup, roasted tomato soup shooters
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Chewy Mocha Toffee Chip Cookies

by 20 Comments

Nothing says Christmas more than a tray of cookies and these Chewy Mocha Toffee Chip Cookies are a super sweet gift to include on your cookie tray.  The combination of coffee, chocolate, toffee and pecans is absolute perfection.  

A stack of four chewy mocha toffee chip cookies
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I would have to say this is my most favorite cookie and it doesn't have to be the holidays for me to enjoy them. They are great as a dessert or snack and go perfect with a hot cup of coffee!

These Chewy Mocha Toffee Chip Cookies are very easy to make and are the perfect cookie to give the chewy cookie lover as a food gift, or to take to a Christmas cookie swap.

The crisp edges lead way to a chewy but solid center that is bursting with nutty chocolate, mocha, and toffee flavors making it a great cookie for packing and shipping.

This cookie recipe yields two dozen very large cookies!

🥘 Ingredients

Granulated and Brown Sugar, the combination of sugars is what helps give this cookie is crisp edges and chewy centers.

Butter contributes to the flavor of this cookie as well as to the structure.

All purpose flour, I am very loyal to this brand.

Instant coffee granules, this is the instant coffee I used.

Baking powder for leavening and salt for enhancing the flavor.

Milk chocolate chips, I like the mildness of milk chocolate in this recipe in relation to the coffee flavor. I used this brand.

Toffee pieces give the cookie a little more chew. I used these toffee pieces.

Roasted pecans, be sure these unsalted and measure them before you chop them.

Brewed coffee and powdered sugar for the icing. Powdered sugar does make a difference, I have used many different brands but this brand is the best one.

Chewy Mocha Toffee Chip Christmas Cookie Recipe

⏲️ Baking time

These cookies are baked in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the cookie is lightly browned and is not wet on the top. Cool cookies for 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet.

🔪 Instructions

Step 1:

  1. In a large mixing bowl with hand mixer at medium speed, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the egg and beat until creamy.
  2. In a smaller mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Step 2:

  1. Using hand mixer on low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Dough will get a little stiff but is still very workable.
  2. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, toffee bits, and pecan pieces.
    Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough using ¼ cup scoop measure and place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Step 3:

  1. Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and do not look wet on top.
  2. Remove from the cookie sheet and cool on cooling rack until completely cooled.

Step 4:

  1. While cookies are baking make the icing drizzle by combining the powdered sugar and coffee. Add more or less coffee if needed to make smooth enough to drizzle.
  2. Drizzle over cooled cookies.
  3. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container up to 1 week on the counter top, and 3 months in the freezer.

🍽 Equipment

  • 2 large mixing bowls, one for the wet ingredients and one for the dry ingredients.
  • Electric hand mixer, this makes it easier to cream together the shortening and sugars and takes less time than mixing with a spoon.
  • Rubber scraper to scrape down sides of mixing bowl.
  • Wooden spoon, used to stir in the chocolate chips, nuts, and toffee bits.
  • A ¼ cup cookie scoop.
  • Baking sheets
  • Parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking to the baking sheets.
  • Spatula to remove the baked cookies from the cookie sheet.
  • Storage container for the cookies

💭 Top Tips

  • These cookies do spread out so be sure to leave at least 2 inches between the cookie dough on the baking sheet.

📖 Variations

  • Swap out the milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate or white chocolate chips.
  • Use toasted walnuts in place of the pecans.
  • Leave the nuts out all together if you aren't a fan of nuts in cookies.
  • Use the toffee bits coated in milk chocolate for extra chocolate in the cookie.

*If you made this cookie recipe, please give it a star rating*

📖 Recipe

A stack of four chewy mocha toffee chip cookies

Chewy Mocha Toffee Chip Cookies

Shelby Law Ruttan
A deliciously sweet and chewy cookie studded with milk chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and toffee bits. An excellent cookie to make for the holidays!
5 from 1 vote
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Cookie Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 160 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl with hand mixer at medium speed, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the egg and beat until creamy.
  • In a smaller mixing bowl, add the flour, instant coffee, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Using hand mixer on low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Dough will get a little stiff but is still very workable.
  • With a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, toffee bits, and pecan pieces.
  • Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough using ¼ cup scoop measure and place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake 15 minutes (longer if needed, cookies should not look wet on top). Remove from the cookie sheet and cool on cooling rack until completely cooled.
  • Make the icing drizzle by combining the powdered sugar and coffee. Add more or less coffee if needed to make smooth enough to drizzle. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 124mgPotassium: 34mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 176IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
Keyword mocha toffee chip cookies
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake

by 40 Comments

This Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake is a creamy, festive dessert with a bright cranberry ribbon running through every slice. It's a holiday favorite that brings the perfect balance of sweetness and tang to the table.

One slice of Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake sitting on a pool of blended amaretto cranberry sauce garnished with fresh mint on a silver trimmed dessert plate

It reminds me of the Christmas treats I loved making with my mom and grandmother, especially anything with cranberries. If you enjoy my Cranberry Upside Down Cake, then you'll love how this cheesecake brings the same comforting sweet and tangy flavors to a classic dessert.

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Why You'll Love Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake

Creamy texture: smooth, rich cheesecake filling with a velvty finish.

Holiday flavor: a swirl of tart cranberry creates that classic Christmas cheesecake vibe.

Beautiful presentation: the ruby swirl makes every slice look special without extra effort.

Key Ingredients for Cranberry Cheesecake

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

  • Graham crackers: the base for a sturdy, lightly sweet crust.
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder: adds depth to the crust and complements the cranberry swirl.
  • Amaretto cranberry sauce: blends into a smooth, vibrant swirl with holiday flavor.
  • Cream cheese: the foundation for a creamy, rich filling.
  • Light sour cream: softens the texture and brightens the flavor.
  • Vanilla and almond extracts: add warmth and a subtle festive note.
Whole cranberry sauce in a decorative glass bowl with festive red and green background.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Use vanilla Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
  • Replace almond extract with orange extract for a citrus twist.
  • Swap graham crackers for chocolate wafer cookies.

Variations on Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake

  • White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake: drizzle melted white chocolate over the finished chilled cheesecake.
  • Orange Cranberry Swirl: add fresh orange zest to the batter for a bright, citrus flavor.
  • Gingersnap Cranberry Cheesecake: use crushed gingersnaps instead of graham crackers for a spiced crust.

Tips for the Best Christmas Cheesecake

  • Let all dair ingredients come to room temperature for a smooth filling.
  • Tap the pan gently after adding the batter to release air bubbles.
  • Use hot water bath to prevent cracking and keep the cranberry swirl clean and smooth.

How to Store

Store cheesecake covered oin the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

One slice of Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake sitting on a pool of blended amaretto cranberry sauce garnished with fresh mint on a silver trimmed dessert plate

More Holiday Recipes You'll Love

If you love this holiday dessert recipe, try my Winter Wonderland Cake, Fireball Cheesecake Shots, Irish Cream Pound Cake, and Almond Filled Cookies.

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

One slice of Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake sitting on a pool of blended amaretto cranberry sauce garnished with fresh mint on a silver trimmed dessert plate

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake

Shelby Law Ruttan
This Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake is a creamy holiday dessert with a tart cranberry ribbon, perfect for Christmas gatherings and winter celebrations.
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 336 kcal

Equipment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 12 sheets graham crackers , crushed fine
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup cranberry sauce
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 20 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese (2½ packages)
  • 1 cup light sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 375℉. Coat springform pan with cooking spray, wrap the outside bottom of pan with heavy duty foil. Set aside
  • Place crackers in food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed. Add cocoa powder and pulse a few times to combine.
  • Slowly add melted butter while processor is running on low and process until combined.
  • Press mixture into bottom of spring form pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees.
  • Place cranberry sauce and water in food processor. Process until smooth. If mixture is still too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is thin enough to swirl into cheesecake. Set aside.
  • Combine 1 cup sugar and cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Mix at medium
    speed until smooth. Add in yogurt, vanilla, and almond extract and mix
    until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each
    addition.
  • Pour cheesecake mixture over prepared crust. Using a large tablespoon,
    spoon cranberry sauce over the filling. With a table knife, drag through
    cranberry sauce to swirl into cheesecake batter.
  • Place spring form pan into deep baking pan and add hot water to baking
    pan to a depth of 3 inches. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes or
    until center of cheesecake barely moves when pan is touched.
  • Turn oven off and cool cheesecake in oven for 3 hours. Remove from oven, run knife around outside edge. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 8gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 328mgPotassium: 241mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 511IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 1mgNet Carbohydrates: 42g
Keyword Cheesecake Swirl Recipe, Christmas Cheesecake, Cranberry Cheesecake, Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake, Cranberry Swirl Dessert, Holiday Cheesecake
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Turkey Hot Brown Sandwiches

by 17 Comments

Turkey Hot Brown Sandwiches are an open-faced sandwich made with your Thanksgiving leftovers of Turkey and a cheese gravy. Toasted bread is topped with cheese, tomato slices, and crispy bacon then placed under the broiler until browned.

Turkey Hot Brown Sandwiches
I don't know about you, but I get tired of turkey sandwiches and bored with leftovers.  That is why this week is so exciting for those of you who follow Sunday Supper.  I had never had a Hot Brown before.  I never really knew what it was until this theme came along and I did a little research about what I might want to make for today's post.
 
This sandwich originated from the Brown Hotel in Kentucky.  It is a version of Welsh Rarebit that was created as an alternative to ham and egg late night suppers.  I don't know about you, but since I'm not really that much of an egg person, this sandwich appeals to me much more anyway! It is so easy to make.  Just grab a slice of your favorite bread (I used rye), some leftover turkey, make a cheese gravy, crisp up some bacon, assemble the sandwich, broil, top with tomato and serve.  Oh so yummy!
Turkey Hot Brown Sandwiches

The second time around making this, I used some fresh chopped chives to top the sandwich.  They really added an extra flavor that was delicious. So, if you want to try something a little more exciting than bread, mayo, and turkey for a sandwich, definitely give this one a try and do not skip the tomato!  That is an essential part of this sandwich.  When I took a bite of the tomato with the sandwich it made me weak in the knees.  It was that good.

Check out the recipes below for more inspiration!
 
Breakfast:

Cranberry Sauce Muffins by The Foodie Army Wife
Leftover Stuffing Breakfast Strata by Ruffles & Truffles
Sweet Potato Casserole Muffins by Magnolia Days
Turkey & Chorizo Breakfast Hash by Brunch with Joy
Italian Mashed Potato Pancakes by The Weekend Gourmet
Cranberry Sauce'd Corn Bread Muffins by Rhubarb and Honey

Main Dish:

Leftover Pie by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Thanksgiving Leftover Waffles by Foxes Love Lemons
Stuffing Hash by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
Turkey Pizza by Meal Diva
Turkey & Caramelized Onion Risotto by kimchi MOM
Turkey with Creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce by Casa de Crews
Moroccan Turkey Stew by What Smells So Good?
Peruvian Cilantro & Turkey Soup by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
Turkey & Butternut Squash Stew by Cooking Chat
Turkey Kreplach Soup by Panning the Globe
Turkey & Stuffing Crepes by Peaceful Cooking
Cranberry Apple Pecan Chicken Salad by NeighborFood
Herbed Turkey over Cornbread Waffles with Cranberry Sauce by girlichef
Creamy Peanut Gochujang Pasta by Wallflour Girl
Cranberry Sweet Potato Soup by Take A Bite Out of Boca
Turkey Enchilada Pasta Bake by Curious Cuisiniere
Turkey Orzo Risotto by Family Foodie
Turkey Croquettes by Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Side Dishes:
Cheesy Mashed Potato Croquettes by Noshing with the Nolands
Whipped Carrots with Sriracha Butter by Healthy Delicious
Cranberry-Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower Wings by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes by Momma's Meals
Cheesy Jalapeño Potato Cakes by Bobbi's Cozy Kitchen

Sandwiches:
Cranberry & Turkey Sandwich by The Redhead Baker
Monte Cristo Sandwich by Nik Snacks
Turkey Hot Brown by The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
Sprouted Grain Turkey, Cranberry & Brie Panini by Amee's Savory Dish
Turkey Cranberry Flatbread by Peanut Butter and Peppers

Condiments & Sauces:
Cranberry Vinaigrette by Nosh My Way
Leftover White Wine Syrup by Food Lust People Love
DIY Yellow Mustard by The Texan New Yorker

Dessert:
Banana Cheesecake with Pecan Graham Cracker Crust by Desserts Required
Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Gluten-Free Lemon Cake by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Spiced Cranberry Sauce Buckle by The Wimpy Vegetarian 

Cocktails & Drinks:

Cranberry Orange Crush by The Messy Baker
Cranberry Bellini by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Be sure to Pin and Share Turkey  Hot Brown Sandwiches!

Turkey Hot Brown Sandwiches

📖 Recipe

Turkey Hot Brown Sandwiches

Turkey Hot Brown Sandwiches

Shelby Law Ruttan
The Turkey Hot Brown Sandwich is an open-faced sandwich made with your Thanksgiving leftovers of Turkey and gravy. Toasted bread is topped with cheese, tomato slices, and crispy bacon then placed under the broiler until browned.
4.50 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Course lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 307 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
  • ¾ pound turkey breast
  • 3 plum tomatoes sliced
  • 2 slices bacon ,cooked and crumbled

For the cheese sauce

Instructions
 

  • Make cheese sauce: Melt butter in sauce pan. When bubbly, add flour, salt and pepper and whisk until flour begins to brown slightly. Mixture will be thick and lumpy. Slowly add milk to hot pan, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add cheese. If cheese sauce is too thick, add a little bit more milk to loosen it up.
  • Preheat broiler on high. Meanwhile, toast bread.
  • Assemble sandwich on foil lined cookie sheet as follows: Place 4 slices of toast on cookie sheet. Cover evenly with turkey. Top with ¼ cup cheese sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Broil until bubbly, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from oven and top with tomato slices. bacon and chives. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 30gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 868mgPotassium: 471mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 773IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 321mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Turkey Hot Borwn Sandwiches
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

Cookie Butter Fudge

by 18 Comments

With my new found affection for cookie butter, I decided that one thing I had to try was a Cookie Butter Fudge.  The hint of cinnamon from the cookie butter, the creamy texture of this fudge, will have you wanting more!

Cookie Butter Fudge

With my new found affection for cookie butter, I decided that one thing I had to try was a Cookie Butter Fudge.  The hint of cinnamon from the cookie butter, the creamy texture of this fudge, will have you wanting more!

Cookie Butter Fudge
 

This yummy little cookie butter fudge treat made it in a goodie box that I sent to Christopher.  I have always been a fan of homemade fudge, but always have been candy challenged when trying to make it.  So, when it turns out for me, then I have to share it.

The secret to creamy delicious fudge!

I found this little secret out years ago when making peanut butter fudge and I don't know why I didn't just always use it when attempting fudge recipes.  There is one ingredient that will work magic in your fudge making.  It is 3 little words.  Cream of Tartar.  I found out that it helps to set your fudge by breaking down the sucrose, eliminating the graininess that you can get with sugar.  It turns your fudge into the creamiest, dreamiest, sweetest little bite of comfort you ever had and comfort was something my entire family has needed this past week.

Cookie Butter Fudge

My Uncle Lyle passed away on Saturday, November 15 and today is his memorial.  I won't make it home today for his memorial, but I will be there in heart and spirit.  He had just turned 80 this year and wasn't in the greatest of health.  Even so, his passing happened very quickly and was unexpected when it did happen.  I want to dedicate this post today to him.  I'm pretty sure he would have approved of this recipe.  I'm going to miss him and I am so happy I had the opportunity to see him in October when I went home for a visit.  May he rest in peace.  I will always have a super soft spot in my heart that will always be there just for him. Love you forever, love you for always Uncle Lyle.

MORE HOMEMADE FUDGE RECIPES

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge

Brown Sugar Fudge

Pumpkin Spice Fudge

Easy Chocolate Fudge

Salted Chocolate Praline Fudge

Eggnog Fudge

Rocky Road Fudge

📖 Recipe

Cookie Butter Fudge

Cookie Butter Fudge

Shelby Law Ruttan
A creamy cinnamon flavored confection made with cookie butter.
5 from 3 votes
Print FREE recipe card with your email address Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Candy
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 147 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, and milk.
  • Boil the sugar mixture until a 234 degrees or when a soft ball is formed when placed in cold water.
  • Remove the fudge from the heat and cool for 15 minutes, or until fuge mixture is lukewarm.
  • Add the butter, cookie butter, and vanilla. Stir to combine and pour into 8×8 pan that has been lined with foil. Let the fudge cool 5 more minutes, then cut and store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 147kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 4mgPotassium: 16mgSugar: 19gVitamin A: 129IUCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Cookie Butter Fudge
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Coconut Lime Thumbprints

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Thumbprint cookies are pretty popular around the holiday season.  This year I made a new cookie to share with you that have some of my favorite flavors.....coconut and lime!  To make them appealing to Grumpy, I also filled some with raspberry jam.  These Coconut Lime Thumbprints turned out amazing and they are a cookie you must try this year!

Coconut Lime Thumbprints - a shortbread cookie made with coconut oil and flavored with lime zest, filled with either a raspberry jam or lime buttercream
I decided to take a recipe I found in an old issue of Simple and Delicious and change it around.  The recipe called for oil in the cookie and I decided since I wanted to make a coconut cookie, I would use coconut oil in place of the canola oil.  I also swapped out the lemon zest for lime zest and made a lime flavored frosting to put in the center of some of the cookies.
Coconut Lime Thumbprints - a shortbread cookie made with coconut oil and flavored with lime zest, filled with either a raspberry jam or lime buttercream
Let me explain to you how good these cookies were.  So good they never left our house!  Grumpy loved them so much.  His favorite was the raspberry centered ones.  I liked the raspberry centers  but really loved that tangy lime frosting filled one too!
Which one would be your favorite?
Coconut Lime Thumbprints
Author: Grumpy's Honeybunch
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 48 cookies
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 teaspoon coconut emulsion (or coconut flavoring)
  • 2-⅔ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • raspberry jam
  • ½ cup confectioners's sugar
  • ½ tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 325. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In large mixing bowl, mix together butter and confectioners' sugar until combined. Add egg and mix until creamy. Add coconut oil, lime zest, and coconut emulsion and mix until creamy and all ingredients are incorporated.
  3. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine flour, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir to combine.
  4. Add half of the flour to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add remaining half of flour and continue to mix until flour is all incorporated. Batter will be stiff but not dry.
  5. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place on cookie sheet. Continue with remaining dough. I had 1 dozen cookie dough balls on my cookie sheet.
  6. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, place indent in center of cookie. You can also use your thumb but I like the deep well in the center of the cookie that you get by using the spoon handle.
  7. Place 1 teaspoon jam in ½ of the cookies. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until bottom of cookies are browned.
  8. Remove from oven and place cookies on cooling rack. Cool completely.
  9. Make lime frosting to fill cookies that you did not put jam in the center of. Combine ½ cup confectioners' sugar, 2 teaspoons butter and ½ teaspoon lime juice. Mix until smooth. Add a few drops of green food color if desired.
  10. Place frosting in piping bag with star tip. Pipe frosting into center of cookies.
Calories: 63 Fat: 2 Carbohydrates: 10 Protein: 1

Bourbon Steak Tips

by 39 Comments

Bourbon Steak Tips are tender bites of steak that have been bathed in a sweet, buttery bourbon sauce and have so much flavor!

Bourbon Steak Tips in a turquoise serving dish.
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❤️ Why you'll love it

Quick prep: rather than marinating the steak before cooking, these steak tips are already cut into bite sized pieces meaning less time to wait for dinner.

No marinating needed: the steak is cooked first, then coated with the sauce cutting prep time down a couple of hours!

Fast cook: the total time for cooking is around 12 minutes. The entire recipe is ready in under 30 minutes (including prep time)

Bursting with Flavor: the bourbon butter sauce is sweet and salty packs a lot of natural flavors from the meat juices.

Raw cubes of steak on a black plate.
Use a venison tenderloin or sirloin steak cut into cubes to make this quick and easy recipe.

🥘 Ingredients

Steak: pick a good steak for this recipe, you can use venison tenderloin or sirloin tips cut into 1-inch cubes

Extra-virgin olive oil: you will need just a little oil to coat the skillet and fry the steak tips

Bourbon: this doesn't have to be the most expensive bourbon out there, you can use whatever bourbon you have in the liquor cabinet

Maple syrup: adds a sweet complimentary contrast to the bourbon marinade.

Apple cider vinegar:

Salted butter: If you use unsalted butter, you will need to add enough salt to the recipe to suit your tastes.

Black pepper or red pepper flakes: for an optional addition of heat

Fresh chives: for flavor and garnish

A bottle of bourbon.
Use any bourbon you have in your liquor cabinet or substitute brandy or dark rum.

🔪 Instructions

  1. Pat the steak bites dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a hot skillet until just smoking.
  3. Place steak tips in hot skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes, until a rich brown color all over. Transfer steak tips to a platter and tent loosely with foil.
  4. Remove skillet from heat and add the bourbon, maple syrup, and cider vinegar.
  5. Return the skillet to the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet while the sauce is cooking. 
  6. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the butter and season to taste.
  7. Return steak pieces and any accumulated juices to skillet and toss to coat. Sprinkle with chopped chives to garnish.

🥄 Equipment

Cast iron skillet: I recommend a cast iron skillet because it holds the heat evenly, however a non stick skillet can be used in its place.

Hand whisk: to whisk the bourbon sauce together.

Bourbon Steak Tips on a plate with a side of mashed sweet potatoes.
Serve with a side of chipotle spiced sweet potatoes!

🥫Storage

Store any leftover steak in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.

📖 Variations

  • Brown sugar or honey can be substituted for the maple syrup
  • Substitute balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar for the apple cider vinegar
  • Use brandy or gold rum in place of the bourbon

💭 Tips

  • If using venison, remove any silverskin from the meat before cooking to prevent any gamey flavor that may come through.

Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops are another delicious recipe with bourbon.

I love this Salted Chocolate Bourbon Praline Fudge and it makes a great holiday gift.

This Crockpot Venison Stew is a rich and hearty comfort food meal.

🍽 Serve with...

Serve with a side of grilled onions, roasted red skinned potatoes, or garlic mashed cauliflower.

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Featured image for Bourbon Butter Steak Tips.

Bourbon Steak Tips

Shelby Law Ruttan
Steak tips (venison or beef) are quick cooked then coated in a sweet and salty bourbon butter sauce made with your favorite bourbon and maple syrup.
4.68 from 28 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 426 kcal

Equipment

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Ingredients
  

  • 1½ pounds venison steaks , cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup bourbon
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chives , chopped

Instructions
 

  • Pat the steak bites dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a hot skillet until just smoking.
  • Place steak tips in hot skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes, until a rich brown color all over. Transfer steak tips to a platter and tent loosely with foil.
  • Remove skillet from heat and add the bourbon, maple syrup, and cider vinegar.
  • Return the skillet to the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet while the sauce is cooking. 
  • Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the butter and season to taste.
  • Return steak pieces and any accumulated juices to skillet and toss to coat. Sprinkle with chopped chives to garnish.
  • Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the butter and chili pepper flakes (if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Use a sugar free maple syrup such as Lankato for zero carbs and to make this recipe keto friendly.

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 51gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 147mgPotassium: 735mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 245IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 7mgNet Carbohydrates: 7g
Keyword Bourbon Butter Steak Tips, Bourbon Steak Tips
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!