Savin' Maven Monday: No Fire S'mores

Happy Monday my loves!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is off to a great start today. My weekend was pretty productive; I was finally able to sit down with my family and get invitations made out for my upcoming baby shower-that literally took all night and I'm still not even finished yet.

Before I get into my post, I would like to give a special 'Thank You' to all of those who have served or are currently serving our country-your fight for our continued freedom is very much appreciated.

I had recently taken a huge break from blogging in order to focus on preparing for my lil man but blogging just wouldn't escape from my mind. Though my posts probably won't be as regular as they used to be, I still wanted to make sure that I dropped in every now and again if for no other reason than to keep my writing skills fresh.

So today, I'm bringing you a quick and easy recipe that I've been craving lately.

No Fire S'mores!!!

Now, I looovvveee s'mores, however, I don't have a fireplace nor am I much of a camper so I had to find the easiest way to create this delightful snack without the use of the aforementioned things. So here's what an economically resourceful gal uses to make s'mores at home.

(All of these things were purchased while couponing, by the way!!)

As you may have noticed from previous recipes, I don't do measurements. I just use the ingredients as my heart desires. Here, I poured into a small cereal bowl a decent amount of marshmallows, approximately a tablespoon (or larger) scoop of butter, and milk chocolate morsels. You would obviously use more or less of the ingredients depending on the serving size you desire.

Place bowl and ingredients in the microwave for about 40 seconds-stopping every 20 seconds to mix and stir.

The consistency of your mixture should look like this when fully nuked...

Add your desired amount of Golden Grahams and stir, making sure to evenly coat all of the cereal.

You can eat these warm or you can place them in the fridge and indulge later. 

Whatever you do though, don't leave them sitting on the counter!!!!

What do you think?

Are you all going to try this recipe in the near or distant future?

I can't wait to hear from you!!

OHHHH....one thing before I go. 

Don't forget to enter my $25 Target gift card giveaway going on right now until the end of the week. It's super easy to enter-just visit this post!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Savin' Maven Monday: DIY Lifeway Kefir Parfait

***I received this product complimentary to test through Influenster's Vox Box Program***

Happy Monday my loves.

I hope each of you had a very great and prosperous weekend. Mine was actually a good mix of rest and productivity. I was finally able to get a few things done around my house, snap some OOTD pics for the week, and my favorite part was going shopping for this all new Lifeway Kefir product that I was able to try compliments of Influenster.

I've never eaten Kefir before, let alone even heard of it. I assumed it was some type of tofu or some other sort of gross organic product that I would regret agreeing to sample. Needless to say, I was very pleased when I went into my local Harris Teeter and saw that it was a smoothie type concoction.

Being that I'm attempting to eat a little better, I knew immediately what I would do with the product. At first I was thinking that I would make a yummy smoothie but then I decided against that and figured I would try my hand at making a parfait.

Upon tasting the product, I fell ALL.THE.WAY in love. Its yogurt like consistency made perfect for my idea of parfait.

Since this was my very first time making a parfait, there was no rhyme or reason as to the exact measurements of the ingredients. I just poured about 1/4 cup of Kefir into a huge wine glass, added some fresh bananas and strawberries, and instead of granola, I topped everything with Special K corn flakes cereal.

Talk about the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. I can't wait to make more for snack time. I'm hooked!

What kind of recipes have you tried lately?

I can't wait to hear from you!

Thanks for reading.

XOXOXOXOXO

FBFF: I Wanted to Make Something Sweet...

If you've read my 'Bout My Blog' page, then you would know that Fridays are totally RANDOM.

With that being said, I'm doing something different today. Katy from ModlyChic suggested that we share one of our favorite recipes for this week's entry in FBFF.

I'm goin' in....

I love food.

Wait, lemee get this straight. I love well prepared food.

My grandmother makes thee best homemade Sweet Potato Pies-they are soooo good that my aunt and uncles fight over them during Christmas. Mom is a beast in the kitchen-she makes the greatest beef stew when it's cold out. My Auntie makes a banana pudding that is to die for, you hear me! Annnd my Sisah makes some mean fried chicken-she's the designated 'chicken bringer' when the family has holiday potlucks.

That only means one thing.....

You guessed it! I, too, am a mastermind in the kitchen. I like take traditional dishes like spaghetti and add my own flair. I like to marinate my meats with impromptu creations-a dash of Apple Pucker Liqueur here and freshly squeezed orange juice there.

Over the years, I've taken notice that I'm a 'sweet' cook. And I'm not tooting my own horn, it's true.

I like to add sugar, flavored juices, and vanilla extract to any and everything.  

I especially like different kinds of desserts and delectables. It's a wonder how I'm so slim considering how many sweets I eat.

My favorite recipe of all times was introduced to me by my Auntie (yes, the one who makes the banana pudding) by way of Paula Deen (I guess she has a thing for sweets too).

Introducing....dundundadah ----> DRUMROLL

The Gooey Butter Cake.

GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

It tastes like heaven. It's really sweet and extremely rich so please pace yourself.

Above all else, it's the most inexpensive and conveniently accessible dessert you can think of.  It fits perfectly with the mission of my blog-to be THRIFTY!

GENERAL HEALTH WARNING: If you are trying to adhere to a diet-DO NOT-I repeat-DO NOT try this at home!! There are at least 1,000 calories in one serving!

Here's what you need:

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix (for some fun variation, you may use any flavor cake mix you like-Mmmm strawberry)
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.  Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. 

Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well.  Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Difficulty: Easy

HOW GOOD DOES THAT SOUND?

I can't wait to link up to FBFF and see what everyone else is making!

Post Title from: Make Something Good by Laura Viers