Cheesecake Dip for Fruit

Hi everyone,

This one's a little brief as I do not have too many pictures. The other day my Fiance J made this really good Cheesecake dip for fruit from a recipe I've been holding onto for a long time. But I've got a feeling a lot of people have come up with this simple "recipe", so I'll go ahead and share so you can make it too- perfect for all of the delish summer fruit!


Cheesecake Fruit Dip
-8 oz. cream cheese, softened (1 block)
-1 cup white sugar
-1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon vanilla, depending on how much you love vanilla.
-8 oz. cool whip (small container)
-8 oz. marshmallow fluff (small container)
Cream the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla, then fold in the rest. Enjoy with cut up fruit (or on anything you think of- it's wonderful!)

Here's the delish dip all finished and with cut up fruit! Thank you, J!!

Savor it!
love, rue

Advanced Popsicles 1

Hey again everyone!

It's getting to be awful warm out again, so it's time for popsicles! I know I've blogged a few popsicles in the past, but here are two more ideas that are a little more advanced in execution. As before, credit for the popsicle genius goes to my fiancé J!

This first recipe is for Apple Creamsicle Popsicles and uses apple soda as a base, then have some spiced apple syrup, half and half, and some caramel sauce to accent and make them creamy. These are approximately 50% soda, 25% apple syrup, 25% half and half, and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Keep in mind the cream can be added at the tip or bottom of the popsicle to make a cream end or it can be added to the mix to make the whole thing an apple creamsicle. In the same vein, the caramel drizzle can be added to the popsicle mix then poured into the molds, or it can be added directly to the molds themselves. Freeze well, then enjoy!

Ingredients for apple popsicles/creamsicles!

The apple creamsicles poured into their mold! Notice they are not poured all the way to the top, or they'll overflow!

For this second set of ideas, the base is the same and the add-in ingredients are different to get you differently flavored popsicles!

The base is approximately 85% milk, 10% half and half, and the last 5% is a dash of vanilla extract, a scoop or two (depending on how you like it) of brown sugar, and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

To make Butterscotch Popsicles, add in large chunks of broken up butterscotch candy (if the pieces are too small, then they will just dissolve away), add the butterscotch pieces to the molds directly and do not stir once they are added. Freeze well and enjoy!

To make Cookie Dough Popsicles, use either homemade or store-bough cookie dough and break into the amount and sizes you would like. Add the cookies dough pieces directly to the molds as with the butterscotch popsicles, and do not stir so the pieces do not break up or all fall to the bottom. Freeze well and enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue (and J)

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Hello again!

This time we've got a collaborative effort on the inspiration and execution of this recipe. The BF and I have been keeping a list of things to make and trying to get one crossed off now and again between everything else. So this last time we made Avocado Deviled Eggs. I love deviled eggs, and so does the BF, though we have our differences (I am not a pickle juice fan), and we both love avocado, so it seemed like a no-brainer. Also, healthier! Let's go!

Here's the arsenal- simple, and tweak according to your tastes!!

Here's the filling in my mini food processor.- for more eggs you'll need a bigger one, a mixer, or do batches! But the mini one sure is cute!

Alright, here are the eggs almost done- filling and whites, just waiting!

Avocado Deviled Eggs
-6 eggs, hard-boiled
-1 avocado
-1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
-2 teaspoons good mustard
-salt
-pepper
-paprika
-optional: lime juice, pickle juice, other spices, etc.- make it how you like it!)
Peel your hard-boiled eggs, cut in half lengthwise, and separate the yolks.
To the yolks add your avocado, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper to taste, and anything else you’re putting in the filling.
Use a masher, blender, or food processor to make your filling mostly smooth.
Pipe or spoon (both techniques are in the pictures- to pipe, put your filling in a ziplock and snip the corner, or use a pastry bag) your filling into the waiting egg whites, sprinkle with paprika, and you’re done! Enjoy!

You can either spoon or pipe the filling into the whites- my eggs had no lime juice or any acid, and I spooned them, while the piped ones are by the BF and are a little more zesty- make it your own!

Savor it!
love, rue

Jalapeño Poppers

Hey everyone, this post is written by me, but all the work was done by the BF, so all credit to him for the idea and execution, start to finish!

So we were at the store and saw some frozen jalapeño poppers, but figured they were awfully expensive, so why not make his own? We already had cream cheese for stuffing, so we bought some jalapeños and bread for crumbs and below is the result!

Most of your ingredients- simple!

Your halved jalapeños and homemade breadcrumbs.

The stuffed jalapeños!

And here's your dredging setup, post-chilling.

Jalapeño Poppers
-jalapeños
-cream cheese, flavored, mixed, or otherwise, for filling
-breadcrumbs or bread for breadcrumbs (toast, then pulse in food processor)
-flour
-egg
-oil
Halve the jalapeños and de-seed and de-vein to your preference.
Fill with your choice of cream cheese based filling. Chill.
Put egg in one bowl, well beaten, flour in a second bowl, and bread crumbs in a third.
Dredge the stuffed jalapeños in egg, flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
Heat your skillet over medium heat. Place your jalapeños, however many will fit without crowding at a time, in the pan and fry until browned nicely.
Place jalapeños on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 5-7 minutes.
Serve with jam or your choice of sauce!
(p.s. next time the BF says he will try baking the jalapeños before stuffing so you don’t need to bake at the end for them to be tender.)

Frying up the poppers- just don't let them go past brown to burnt!

And the finished product- enjoy!!

Savor it!
love, rue (and BF)

Cookie Butter Popcorn

Hi again everyone!

This stuff is delish. "Like crack" delicious. And, it's super easy to make- what did you expect? This is based on the Peanut Butter Popcorn recipe I blogged a long time ago, I just tweaked it slightly and it's incredible. And I literally just had the very dangerous idea of drizzling chocolate on it or throwing in some mini chocolate chips- danger danger! Let's go!

Your ingredients: popcorn, sugar, honey/corn syrup, cookie butter, vanilla, and salt.

After melting your sugar, honey, and corn syrup together, add your cookie butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix well.

Pour over your popcorn and toss/mix/coat very gently but thoroughly and here's your finished product- yumm!

Cookie Butter Popcorn
-1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped (air popper, in a pot- just no toppings)
-1/3 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup honey & corn syrup, adjust ratios to your taste
-1/2 cup cookie butter (I used Biscoff brand)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon salt, or to your taste
Put sugar, honey, and corn syrup in a metal pot (not non-stick!) and stir over medium heat until melted together fully.
Pull off of heat and quickly add cookie butter, vanilla, and salt- stir well.
Pour mixture over your popcorn in one very large bowl or two large bowls- it’s good to have room to maneuver here.
Mix the popcorn and the cookie butter topping well, but very gently- I like to use two forks.
Store airtight, and enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Waffled Cinnamon Rolls

Hi there everyone!

This is more of an idea than a recipe- I mean, I totally "cheated" and used cinnamon rolls out of a tube- fast and cheap because I bought them at the discount store Grocery Outlet. Anyway, it's also an encouragement to use your kitchen tools creatively- your waffle iron is not just for waffles. So the BF and I decided it would be a great idea to take the cinnamon rolls we had grabbed up for fun and waffle them to see how that turned out- great! You should totally give it a shot- just waffle your cinnamon rolls on a well greased iron- simple as it sounds- let me show you!

Ingredients: cinnamon rolls from a tube, oil for the waffle iron, and you also need a waffle iron of course! This one is Belgian style.

Grease up the waffle iron, then put your cinnamon rolls on there!

Take them off when they've firmed up and seem cooked (this is not the conventional way of cooking, so use your best judgement- don't eat if the dough is gooey, for example).

Drizzle on your icing and enjoy a fun snack- way more fun, fast, and easy than making them in the oven- I've done this a couple of times since then because it really is a great way to make them!

Savor it!
love, rue

Peppermint Puppy Chow

Hey everyone!

This is a super-simple recipe, as are most of my Puppy Chow recipes! I usually have inspiration for the flavors, and the inspiration for this version were the White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms I saw while out shopping this holiday- whew. I made up the recipe as I went and it is just about perfect- but feel free to tweak whatever you'd like!

Your super simple arsenal of cereal, white chocolate, extract, M&Ms, and sugar.

Your white chocolate, melted, cereal in a large bowl, and the extract and M&Ms to add.

After you toss the peppermint white chocolate with the cereal, toss in the M&Ms.

And here's your finished product- totally delish! And I feel, not to be reserved just for the holiday season :)

Peppermint Puppy Chow
-8 cups Chex-style cereal
-12 oz. (1 1/2 cups) white chocolate chips
-1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (or more to your tasting, be very careful!)
-1 cup confectioner’s/10x/powdered sugar
-1 cup White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms (or other appropriate add-in)
Pour cereal into a large bowl, and have two large spoons ready.
Melt white chocolate slowly in the microwave or in a double boiler. Quickly stir in peppermint extract.
Quickly but gently toss cereal with white chocolate (it stiffens slightly with the extract, just work with it).
Sprinkle powdered sugar over top, and toss until all is covered.
Pour in M&Ms and toss. You’re done!

Savor it!
love, rue

Popcorn 'rice krispy' Treats

Hey there everyone,

Here's a really easy recipe for in between Halloween and Thanksgiving- takes minutes to whip up and is really deliciously tasty- and you can modify it to be however you'd like with whatever candy is your preference! Let's go!

Your popcorn, marshmallows, and chopped Rolos.

And here's your sugar, butter, and corn syrup.

Stir constantly until boiling.

Then pour over your popcorn mixture! (glass bowl for heat protection!)

And toss well, but gently.

Popcorn ‘rice krispy’ Treats
-12 cups popped popcorn
-10 oz. (1 regular bag) mini marshmallows
-rolos, reese’s, snickers- whatever candy and how much you want to add, chopped
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter
-1/2 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
Grease a 9x13’’ pan (or 8x8’’ for a 1/2 batch).
Mix popcorn, marshmallows, and candy in a large heat-proof bowl.
Place sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a not non-stick pot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Pour syrup over popcorn mixture, mix well but gently.
Pour into your greased pan. Chill.
Cut up and eat like rice krispy treats.

Your finished treats! Just pat out into a pan and chill- delish!

Savor it!
love, rue

Pumpkin Spice Halloween Puppy Chow

Hi there!!

I'm sorry (not that sorry) to share sweet snacks two weeks in a row, but I had to fit this one in before Halloween, because I think it's the perfect thing to have around the house as festive snack for a party or just watching a movie or reading a scary story :) If you've been following my blog for any time, you've probably read one of my puppy chow recipes/explanations before, so I won't go into too much detail, I'll just say that this is delish, super easy, and a number of people call it 'muddy buddies', in case that rings a bell where 'puppy chow' doesn't! Let's go!

Arsenal: cereal, white chocolate, confectioner's sugar, and extras!

Mallowcreme & Candy Corn M&Ms in the corner, then the white chocolate mixture,
cinnamon chips, and a large bowl with the cereal.

Toss cereal with your melted white chocolate, and toss in cinnamon chips if using- it'll look messy- that's good!

Then get all of your cereal into your gallon bag with confectioner's sugar and pumpkin pie spice

Last, pour out onto wax paper to let it harden, then store airtight!

Pumpkin Spice Halloween Puppy Chow
-8 cups Chex cereal (I used half regular rice Chex-type cereal and half cinnamon Chex)
-12 oz. white chocolate chips (usually 1 bag) or candy melts (use orange for even more festivity!)
-1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
-1/2 cup cinnamon chips (optional)
-1 cup confectioner’s/10x sugar
-1-2 cups mallowcreme pumpkins or autumn mix
Pour cereal into a very large bowl, and get out two spoons for tossing.
Prepare your gallon ziploc bag by pouring in the 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, shake around.
Melt your white chocolate slowly in the microwave or on a double boiler. Once melted, take off heat and add 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice.
Pour white chocolate mixture over cereal and toss well. If using, add cinnamon chips as well.
Transfer cereal mix to the gallon bag, toss well.
Pour out onto wax paper to harden and throw away bag and excess confectioner’s sugar.
Sprinkle with mallowcreme pumpkins or autumn mix.
[When I made this recipe this time, I put half of the mallowcreme candy in before shaking with the confectioner’s sugar, and half after, hence the pictures being a little off from the recipe. It’s delicious both ways but for visual appeal, I’d add it all at the end]

And here's your finished product- festive, and super yummy and addictive!
Good thing I have great people to share my goodies with, or else I'd eat it all!

Savor it!
love, rue

Cinnamon Sugar Chex Mix

Hello there!

This recipe is super simple and easy, and I actually made it by combining two recipes from the back of cereal boxes- so this is soo not high cuisine, but is delish and a great snack, especially now that the leaves are changing colors and Halloween is almost upon us! I'll have a great Halloween snack/treat for you all next week. But first, let me show you this one...

Arsenal: popcorn, cereal, butter, cinnamon, and white sugar.

Your cereal popcorn mix, cinnamon-sugar, and melted butter. Time to assemble!

Pour the butter over and toss well, and gently.

Microwave for 1 minute then toss, then repeat.

Then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and toss well again.

Microwave another minute, toss, then another 30 seconds. Toss, then...

let cool on waxed paper! You're done!

Cinnamon Sugar Chex Mix
-2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal (or similar)
-2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal (or similar)
-4 cups plain, air popped, popcorn (2-4 tablespoons popcorn kernels, unpopped, depending on your brand- you will probably have a little leftover, just save it for the next batch! airtight!)
-1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted
-1/4 cup white sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon, mixed
Mix cereals and popcorn together in a large microwaveable bowl.
Pour melted butter over cereal and popcorn and toss well (and gently!).
Microwave for 1 minute, toss. Microwave for another minute, toss.
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over cereal and popcorn and toss well, evenly coating all of it.
Microwave 1 minute, toss. Microwave 30 seconds, toss.
Cool on waxed paper. Store airtight. Enjoy!

All finished and in a cute little tin- great to give away as a little present, but make sure you don't eat it all first! It's a good thing it's easy to make more!

Savor it!
love, rue

Fluffy Peanut Butter Honey Dip

Hey there everyone!

This recipe/idea is super easy and simple- it really feels like cheating to me, but we have to give ourselves breaks every once in a while and whip up what's quick, easy, and completely delicious. This Fluffy Peanut Butter Honey Dip is awesome on apples, tastes like PB&J with berries, and is also great on cookies, graham crackers- whatever you can think of, I'll admit I've even had just a spoonful alone! Let's go!

I told you- super simple- 3 ingredient arsenal of cool whip, peanut butter, and honey.

Put cool whip and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl.

And whip until uniform and fluffy!

Add in your honey- 2 to 3 tablespoons depending on your tastes.

And then beat for 2 more minutes in your mixer. You can also definitely use a hand mixer, no problem.

Fluffy Peanut Butter Honey Dip
-1 cup peanut butter (regular or natural, regular or reduced fat)
-1 (8 oz.) container cool whip (lite, extra creamy, store brand- whatever your preference)- put in fridge for 1 hour prior to making
-2-3 tablespoons honey
*Both stand and hand mixers will work just fine with this recipe
Whip peanut butter and cool whip together until fluffy.
Add honey and beat 2 minutes, until incorporated and uniform.
Store airtight in the refrigerator.
Delicious with apple slices, graham crackers, other fruit, whatever you can think of- even a spoonful by itself is delish!

Your finished dip- just minutes and you've got 2 1/2 - 3 cups of delicious dip for fruit, graham crackers, whatever you like.

You should definitely whip this up, soon. It stores great in the fridge and is awesome to pull out for a snack with an apple or whatever your preference is. Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue