Hailey's Helpful Hints

Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be complete without sweets for your sweeties. This year shower your little ones with love by making them an extra special homemade dessert. Whether you’ve got ten minutes or two hours to spare, we’ve got an option that your Valentines will love. Here are a few of my favorites from Susie Foresman's list over at Red Tricycle . These will make you want to eat your heart out! Chocolate & Pink Vanilla M&Ms Bark Get your mini chefs involved in whipping up this simple but impressive treat from Food Family & Finds —just melt some chocolate and candy melts, swirl them together, then let the littles go to town topping with sprinkles and candies and breaking it into bite-sized pieces. Click here to get the full recipe. Deep Dish Red Velvet Cookies Red velvet is the perfect pick for Valentine’s Day, and this recipe from Show Me the Yummy is an easy way to make your loved ones smile. It’s the perfect size for sharing, and it gets even tastier with th...

  Great for breakfast, brunch, tea or dessert. A holiday staple.   ~Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cake~   Ingredients:   3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , at room temperature, plus more for the pan 3 cup(s) all-purpose flour , plus more for the pan      1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda 1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt 1 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar 3 ...

  I love the idea of Little Cuties. Translation: Fruit, custard, cream or meringue mini-pies baked in ½-pint, oven-safe mason jars. What a perfectly portioned treat. Just press the crust into the containers (available at Amazon, Walmart, even your hardware store). Choose a canned filling or whip one up yourself. Come dessert time, there’s no need to cut and serve. “People can grab a jar and dig right in,” says Shaina Olmanson, author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats That Shine . “They’re great for parties.” And your waistline - as long as you eat just one. Great as gifts too! :: 2 Crowd Pleasing Little Cutie Ideas ::   Mini Apple Pies: Who doesn't love apple pie!?!? Ingredients: 2 boxes refrigerated pie crusts 8 Tbsp. butter 1/4 C flour 1/4 C granulated sugar 1/4 C brown sugar 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp salt 6 C sliced apples 1/2 C dried cranberries (optional) Directions: 1. Heat oven to 350° and set out 8 wide-mouth 8 oz jars. Cut...

  Give the sweetest present this year; yummy treats wrapped in pretty packages! :: Sweet :: Peppermint Bark  : 2 pounds (4 small tins) at $1.96 each Chocolate-Peppermint Cake Pops  : 48 pops at $.23 each Layered Chocolate Cookie Mix  : 1 jar at $7.33 each; 3 1/2 dozen baked cookies Marbled Walnut Fudge  : 4 dozen pieces at $4.01/dozen Mixed Berry Granola : About 6 cups at $1.98 per cup Cranberry-Poppyseed Biscuits : three 2 3/4 cup bags at $1.55 each :: Salty :: Chunky Salsa : Makes 10 cups at $1.53 Trio of Rubs : 1 jar (11 teaspoons) at $1.50 each :: Fast and Easy Gift Packaging Ideas :: Raid your pantry and drawers for these items to repurpose on the fly... Mason or other lidded glass jars: These are ideal for holding homemade candies, nuts and other small bites. Just sterilize with a quick boiling water bath first. A ribbon around the top makes it extra special. Brown paper bags: Use lunch sacks or cut apart large bags to make wrapping paper. Add a gin...

  Scrambling for a last minute Thanksgiving dessert idea that's not the same 'ol pumpkin or apple pie? This is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Salty meets sweet in this grand finale, which turns classic candy into a delectable tart with a custardy no bake filling. And don't stress, if you're crunched for time or the thought of making your own butter crust is daunting, a store bought pie crust will work as well.   ~Salted Caramel Tart~   Ingredients:   For Butter Crust: Yields (2) 9 -inch crusts   3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter (no substitutions) , cut up, room temperature 1/4 cup sugar              1/8 teaspoon salt 1 l...

When fall hits (which it clearly hasn't in Southern California where it's still a sweaty 86 as I type), I crave apples. Maybe it's because I'm a born and raised Washingtonian that grows apples from far and wide but nonetheless, there is something about warm, gooey apple desserts that scream fall goodness. I found this amazing Apple Bundt Cake over at a FarmGirl's Dabbles  and personally think that it needs to be in everyone's fall baking rotation. It's moist, dense and filled with cinnamon-apple yumminess. The glaze is just plain fantastic, too. Its texture is thick and silky smooth. And the brown-butter lends it a deep almost caramel-like flavor, while the vanilla bean speckles tempt in the sweetest of ways. ~Apple Bundt with Brown-Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze~ Serves 12   Ingredients:   for the apple bundt: 1 T. butter and some flour for preparing the pan 4 medium apples – peeled, cored, & shredded (use the big holes on your grater), to make ab...

  Rich in antioxidants, high in fiber, and loaded with vitamins, this festive marriage of chocolate and pumpkin is delish. Dig in and savor the season! ~Pumpkin Swirl Brownies~ Adopted by Marta Stewart Ingredients: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 1 cup chocolate chips 4 large eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup pumpkin puree 3 Tbsp. canola oil 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg Directions: 1) Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9″x9″ cake pan with nonstick spray. 2) In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chocolate and remove from heat. Let sit for a few minutes, then stir until smooth. 3) In a large bowl beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla for 3-4 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat just until combined. 4) Put about a third of the batter into another bowl and stir the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg i...

Simple, insanely delicious, and a fun Halloween treat! ~Brown Butter Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats~ Posted by In Sock Monkey Slippers Makes 12 treats Ingredients:   5 Tbs butter, unsalted 1 16 ounce package of marshmallows 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, or paste 1/4 tsp sea salt 7 cups Rice Krispies Cereal or other puffed rice cereal optional ingredients: for squares: 1 cup dark chocolate chips (60% cacao or higher) for pumpkins: 12 tootsie rolls, green cookie icing Directions: 1) In a large, preferably non-stick, pot heat butter over medium-low heat until it turns light brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. It will bubble, foam, and then caramelize. This will give the treats a nice nutty background flavor. 2) Once the butter is browned, add marshmallows and pumpkin puree and turn the heat down to low. Stirring occasionally, cook the marshmallows until they are completely melted....

A little more time intensive than the desserts I usually like to blog about but so worth it. A delicious marriage between carrot cake and banana bread. Two of my all time faves. It's lighter than carrot cake, almost crumbly (though still in a moist way) yet bearing the distinct (though not overpowering) flavor of banana. It has a Cream Cheese Pecan frosting which gives a nod toward the Carrot Cake family. It's light and airy enough for a summer night but rustic and autumn'esk for the fall days to come. ~HUMMINGBIRD CAKE~ Modified from Country Home magazine (2008) Prep/assembly time: 45 minutes | Baking time: 25-30 minutes | Cooling time: 15 minutes Serves: 12-16 people Ingredients (cake): 3 cups flour (gluten free or regular) 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3 large eggs, room temperature 1 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup fresh pineapple, crushed ...

Gosh it's been forever since I've done a Sweet Sunday post. Lance had a runny nose this morning so I stayed home from church, went on a nice power walk and figured since I have a minute while Barney streams on the tv, I'll post a dessert for you to try this week. Saw these Jello Cookies on Pinterest and meant to post before 4th of July so you could do red, white and blue cookies but that clearly did not happen. Lots on my plate lately hence the lack of posts. Seriously though - who would have thought to put jello in cookies?!? What a fun bright and colorful cookie for summer. If you're brave enough to bring the kid's to the grocery store, you can make this a fun outing to pick out their special jello color/flavor. Another fun thing is the batter is moldable like playdough. Wash up their hands, whip up the batter and let them create sculptures while the oven heats up like they did over at I Heart Naptime blog ... ~Jello Cookies~ Yields: 2 dozen | Prep: 20 min | Cook...

Citrus meets creamy sweetness in this refreshing dessert. A low fat summer hit around my house courtesy of Shape.com. ~Lemonade Mousse~ Serves: 12 Prep time: 10 min Ingredients: 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, crushed 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp light butter, melted 1 14-ounce can fat-free sweetened, condensed milk 3/4 cup (6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed 2 cups frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed Directions: 1) Using a fork, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. 2) Lightly press 3/4 of the graham-cracker mixture on the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan (or single serving cups). 3) In a large bowl, mix together condensed milk and lemonade. 4) Fold in the whipped topping. 5) Pour over the graham cracker crust. 6) Sprinkle remaining graham crumbs over the lemonade mixture. 7) Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Nutrition Score per serving: (1/2 cup) 183 calories, 73 g carbs(2.9%), 4.16 g fat(20%), 0.3 g fiber, 7 g protein(35.5%) I hope this ends ...

Who doesn't love kabobs?! I mean seriously, this might just be the easiest summer dessert evah. No baking and ready in minutes. Plus they look cute too. You could even doctor them up with bananas or blackberries. Your call. And I like to serve with a dollop of whip cream for dipping. Perfect for a summer BBQ or 4th of July shindig. Or better yet - whip them up tomorrow for Memorial Day! ~Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs~ Ingredients: Serves 4 16 medium strawberries, hulled                                                  Angel food or pound cake, purchased at local grocery store                           ...

Courtesy of Sport'n'Fitness Need a healthy substitute for ice cream or sugary frozen treats? Try JELL-O Pudding Pops. I love treats like this for my night-time sweet tooth. Just the right amount to satisfy without a ton of calories. Double the recipe and make a large batch in 3 oz. Dixie cups and keep on hand for those warm days. A big hit with the kids! ~Jello-O Pudding Pops~   What you'll need: 3 oz. Dixie cups Wooden popsicle sticks   Ingredients: 1 package JELL-O Chocolate Sugar-Free Pudding 2 cups Fat-Free Milk 1 cup Sugar-Free Cool Whip Directions: 1) Beat pudding mix & milk in medium bowl with whisk for about 2min 2 Stir in Sugar-Free Cool Whip 3) Spoon mix into small paper/plastic cups 4) Insert wooden sticks into the middle of each 5) Freeze for 4 hours or until firm. To remove from cups, run under warm water. I hope this ends your weekend on a sweet note!

Thanks to Tobi Fairley's Pinterest page , I found this easy peasy no bake recipe from My Baking Addiction  that uses the ever so popular chocolate goodness, Nutella. Wondering who the heck Tobi is? Unfortunately, Tobi is not a friend of mine. Nor does she even know I exist. She just happens to be one of my favorite Interior Designers that I love to follow who uses colorful, bold patterns to liven up her fresh and simple design. If you want to be inspired like I continually am by her, check out her blog here . ~No Bake Nutella Cheesecake~ Yields: 4-6 Prep: 15 min Ingredients: For the Crust: 12 Oreo Cookies, crushed into crumbs 3 tablespoons unsalted butter ,  melted For the Filling: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup Nutella 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed For the Garnish: whipped topping, optional chocolate shavings, optional toasted, chopped hazelnuts, optional Directions: 1. In a medium b...

Mini Buns. Majorly quick. Yes please. Now. These gooey cinnamon rolls take just 20 minutes and pack few than 75 calories apiece. Hooray for healthy shortcuts! ~Cinnamon Rolls~ Ingredients: Pillsbury Simply Buttermilk Biscuits (they're made without high-fructose corn syrup or trans fat) Land O' Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Spread Reduced Fat whipped cream cheese (optional) Cinnamon Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray. Flatten 10 biscuits on a cutting board. Top each biscuit with a teaspoon of the sugar spread. Roll and cut into thirds. Place in pan overlapping as needed, top with cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool; frost with cream cheese (optional) I hope this ends your weekend on a sweet note! (Or starts your morning off right!!)

How adorable are these little bird's nests? Too cute and too easy. No baking. Minimal ingredients. The perfect treat on a busy week leading up to Easter. ~Chocolate Nests~ Courtesy of Pastry Affair  (with a few variations) Yields 8-10 3-inch nests Ingredients: 3 cups crispy chow mein noodles or pretzel sticks 1 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup peanut butter or butterscotch chips 30 candy robin eggs (picture shows mini whoppers, but you could use jelly beans, foil wrapped eggs, or anything egg shaped) Directions: 1) Place the chow mein noodles (or pretzel sticks) in a medium mixing bowl. 2) In a small saucepan, melt together the chocolate chips and peanut butter (or butterscotch) over low heat. Stir until smooth. 3) Pour over the noodles/pretzels and stir until evenly coated. 4) On a cookie sheet covered in parchment or wax paper, take a handful of noodles/pretzels and form a nest, making an indent in the center or form in a muffin tin. Continue doing so until all the nood...

Courtesy of Can You Stay for Dinner What if I told you that you could have your cake and eat it too for only 100 calories? And whole grain. And nonfat. And made from real, wholesome ingredients? 'Nough said right? Thanks to the cookbook,  Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World , you can now enjoy a dessert that both feels good and tastes good too! Each of these cupcakes is moist, tender, soft crumbed, and plenty chocolatey. And unlike lots of healthy baking projects, these are ones I would serve to someone other than my husband. Healthy yet fabulous enough to share with friends and strangers. They’re gently sweet and have a decidedly lighter texture than most of the non-fat cake recipes I’ve tried. Splendid. Courtesy of Can You Stay for Dinner ~100 Calorie Chocolate Cupcakes~ Ingredients: 1 cup nonfat or low fat milk, dairy or nondairy 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1 cup all purpose flour –OR- whole wheat pastry flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 teaspoon baking sod...