Recipes

Christmas Snowball Fight Edible Centerpieces + Loads of GIVEAWAYS

4 · Nov 29, 2014 · 54 Comments

+ This Christmas Snowball Fight Edible Centerpieces post brought to you by Hostess #HostessHoliday +

Who’s up for a SNOWBALL FIGHT?!

I’m talking the tastiest snowball fight around….

We’re starting a new tradition here in the WhipperBerry house, we are going to have indoor, scrumptious snowball fights each Christmas.

As a kid I LOVED the snow, I still do, I just don’t love the cold very much.

I have magical Christmas memories of playing out in the snow for hours, building snow caves out of the drifts along our house. Snuggling in to making scores of snowballs in my cave, getting ready for the battle to come. The battle was never as epic as I had planned for, but I was prepared for darn sure!

This year I’m preparing in a much sweeter & easier way…

How fun is this edible centerpiece that you can simply create with some Hostess Sno Balls®, some peppermint bark and a fun banner?!

We run around like crazy during the Holidays,working tirelessly to create magical memories for our families and friends. Why not let Hostess do a little heavy lifting?!

The folks at Hostess not only want to make your Holidays tasty, they want to sweeten the deal with a Pin to Win Hostess Holiday Sweepstakes!

Wouldn’t it be cool if Hostess helped not only with some sweet treats, but helped pay for Christmas as well?! I’ll fill you in on all the details on how to win $1000 at the end of the post… First, let’s talk snowball fight!

Christmas Snowball Fight Edible Centerpieces

This is the easiest centerpiece you’ll ever make, not to mention the fact… Your kiddos will LOVE it, it’s magical and white so it will match any decor! I went to Walmart and stocked up on four boxes of Hostess Sno Balls®. That’s 24 Sno Balls® to make your epic fight!

First, on a cake plate, layer some peppermint bark. This step is optional, if you can’t find peppermint bark you can leave this step out.

Next, pile your Sno Balls® as high as they will go.

If you have a fun little red truck, you can add that in if you would like for a pop of whimsy and color. I found my truck at Target.

Now, all you have to do is make your Christmas Snowball Fight 2014 banner.

If you have a Silhouette it’s super simple, as a matter of fact… HERE are my Silhouette files for you to download and use!

All you have to do is print them from your computer…

and cut them on your Silhouette cutting machine…

Once you cut them out…

bend them along the perforated lines and that is how you get that fun 3D effect.

Using some glue dots, glue them onto some bamboo skewers that you can find in the kitchen section at the market. I dipped the top of my skewers in plain old glue and added some gold glitter first. I also added some glitter to the edge of a couple of the banners.

The tassels are made out of gold baker’s twine. They are simple to make…

Wrap some of the twine around three fingers about 8 times.

Using another piece of twine roughly 6 inches long. Tie the top of the wrapped twine.

Then using another small piece of twine roughly 4 inches long, tie around the top of the tassel.

Then trim the bottom of the tassel and voilà, you have a simple tassel to add to your banners!

How fun is that edible centerpiece?! It really takes minutes to make and it adds a fun, whimsical flair to your holiday table.

Pin to Win Hostess Holiday Sweepstakes

Who wants a go at $100o this Holiday Season? There’s even more…

Here is what you have a chance to win!

Grand Prize: One random winner will receive a $1,000 Walmart gift card and Hostess products.

First Prize: One random winner will receive a $500 Walmart gift card and Hostess products.

Second Prize: One random winner will receive a $250 Walmart gift card and Hostess product.

All you have to do is visit the Pin to Win Hostess Holiday Sweepstakes HERE to enter!

BONUS $100 GIVEAWAY

Want another way to win?

For a chance to win $100 Walmart gift card GIVEAWAY… follow the steps in the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more holiday inspiration, follow Hostess on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram or on Facebook…

Disclaimer // This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Hostess blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

Thanksgiving Pie Stencils

5 · Nov 25, 2014 · 3 Comments

When it comes to Thanksgiving… I’m the pie girl. I LOVE making pie. I even have the PERFECT pie crust recipe. However, I do understand that pies can sometimes be intimidating. Whether you’re baking your own pies or bringing store bought pies to your Thanksgiving celebration… I have a fun little way to add a little more bling to your pies… Have you ever thought to stencil your pies?

I thought I would experiment with ways to make you look like a rockstar when you serve your pies, homemade or store bought!

First step… If you are bringing a store bought pie, put your pie in a pie plate if you have one. That will mask the store bought pie tin.

If you don’t have that… No worries.

Bust out your Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait. (I’m giving away TWO Silhouette Portraits this week!) I have created some fun Thanksgiving pie stencils that are super easy to cut and dress-up your pies with.

Download the Thanksgiving Pie Stencils Silhouette Files HERE

Cut your stencils out of just basic 8 1/2 x 11 card stock.

Once they are cut, set them aside until you are ready to serve your pies. When you are ready to serve them place your stencil right onto of the pie.

Put some powdered sugar into a mesh strainer and gently tap the mesh strainer with a spoon and dust the top of the pie.

Remove the stencil and voilà… Your boring old pie has a little flair!

Now with pumpkin pies, your powdered sugar will melt, so make sure you do this right before you serve. Other pies like apple will stand-up for quite a while.

And… They look amazing!!

All three of these pies are from the store, and they don’t look boring anymore!

If you have a Silhouette cutting machine… this is a fun way to dress-up any pie.

This is reason #586 why you need to have a Silhouette cutting machine!

I will have some GREAT Black Friday Deals here in a day or two will all the details on how you can grab a machine of your very own!

Disclaimer // This is not a sponsored post.

Holiday Nog Pull Apart Bread + Neighbor Gift

74 · Nov 12, 2014 ·

+ This Holiday Nog Pull Apart Bread post brought to you by Silk +

I’m so excited for this time of year… I LOVE baking and creating goodies for my friends and neighbors. I grew-up with a Mom who kicked it into high gear for a few weeks in December every year, pumping out Holiday goodies like peanut brittle, chocolate peanut butter bars, and fudge along with cookies galore. I remember watching both my parents working together on those scrumptious neighbor treats, and it always made my heart happy.

I remember the year when I ate SO MUCH of my favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, I swore I would never eat chocolate again! It took me a few years, but I eventually found my way back.

Now that I’m the Mom, I try to come up with some fun goodie each to year to share with our friends. A few weeks ago, I was at the Pillsbury Bake-Off and was inspired. A few of the entires were fun pull-apart breads with various different flavor profiles. I thought it would be fun to have a Holiday Nog Pull Apart Bread for a neighbor gift.

This is really just a simplified cinnamon roll with the addition of a Silk Holiday Nog glaze on top. Why Silk Holiday Nog you ask?

Well… First off, I LOVE it! It has all the Holiday flavor without all the guilt. It is free of dairy, egg, casein, MSG & lactose. It has no cholesterol or saturated fat and has a fraction of the calories of traditional Egg Nog. It’s the perfect Holiday treat minus the guilt. I thought it would be the perfect flavor profile for my pull-apart bread!

Now, the real secret to this pull apart bread is how EASY it is to make! You will look like you slaved over it for hours, but no… It really only took minutes to make. Here’s how you make it.

Holiday Nog Pull Apart Bread Recipe

1 can of Pillsbury Crescent Seamless Dough Sheets

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of Swedish Pearl Sugar (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon Silk Holiday Nog

pinch of salt

non-stick baking spray

Preheat the oven to 350˚

You will need small paper loaf baking pans to bake your bread in. This will also make it easier to give as gifts to your friends. Spray the pan with a non-stick baking spray and set aside.

Open your Pillsbury dough and unroll on a clean surface and brush with melted butter.

Then sprinkle the entire surface with pumpkin pie seasoning and sugars.

I like to add the Swedish Pearl Sugar to my bread, but it’s not totally needed. It just gives it that little extra something. You can find this in most grocery stores these days in the baking isle.

Next, cut your dough into squares roughly the width of your baking pan.

Stack your squares, and place them in your pan.

You should have some extra room for the dough to expand. Brush the top with more melted butter and sprinkle with more sugar.

Place in a 350˚ oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

In the meantime, you can whisk-up your glaze. In a small bowl add 1 cup of powdered sugar and pour 1 tablespoon of Silk Holiday Nog into the sugar, whisk together. The sugar should melt right into the Holiday Nog. Play with the consistency, If you like a thick glaze, don’t add as much liquid, if you like a thinner glaze, add more. Once you get your desired consistency, add a good pinch of salt. Carefully drizzle glaze over your pull-apart bread.

Package it up in a cellophane bag for your friends and neighbors. I think I am also going to add a carton of Silk Holiday Nog to the basket when deliverthis treat! It will taste so good with the bread!!

Now this recipe makes one loaf. If you are wanting to make more than one, you will need to grab more cans of dough and double or triple the recipe.

I will have you know… NONE of the bread that I made for this post even left the house! My husband and the kiddos got to it first and they inhaled them before they even had time to cool and be photographed. Yep they are that tasty!

For more fun holiday treat ideas from Silk, sign-up for their club and get special deals as well. You can also find great ideas on the Silk Facebook page.

What’s your favorite Holiday treat to share?

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Roasted Grape Pork Chops with Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe

2 · Nov 10, 2014 · 4 Comments

+ This Roasted Grape Pork Chops with Twice Baked Potatoes post brought to you by the folks at Pompeian +

Several years ago, when my sweetheart and I were first married, I decided to try and learn how to cook a really great meal for him. I did a bunch of research and found a menu from one of my favorite Food Network Chefs, Tyler Florence. It was a bit ambitious for my early culinary skills, but I decided that I wanted to give it a go. It was a fun Fontina and Prosciutto Pork Chops with Grilled Polenta Squares and Roasted Grapes.

I followed the recipe to a “T” and I learned two things…

1. Those 30 minute cooking shows don’t equal 30 minutes in the kitchen for the real home cook. UGH!

2. With an amazing recipe, following each step precisely you can look like a total ROCK STAR in the kitchen!

It was one of my kitchen “ah ha” moments. I could cook, I just needed some direction. The meal was aaaamazing! We felt like we were eating at a restaurant. From that point forward, my approach to cooking was totally transformed. I took the time to learn, not just execute. I tasted things along the way, really TASTING what I was doing. I explored as much as possible so that I developed a palette that was educated and refined. I fell in love with the art of cooking!

My husband just celebrated a birthday and when I asked what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he basically said surprise me! I decided to recreate elements of that special meal from so many years ago. Of course… This time I put my own spin on the menu!

We had Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes along with Twice Baked Potatoes, my husband’s favorite!!

I made both of these dishes with some of my new favorite cooking oils… Pompeian Avocado and Grape Seed Oil Sprays.

Pompeian Avocado & Grapeseed Oil Spray is an innovative, unique and eco-friendly cooking spray that utilizes a powerful pouch system without the use of propellants or other artificial additives, so not a single drop is wasted and the oil is never mixed with any chemicals.

The unique spray can and pouch system also help to protect the oil from sunlight and oxygen, keeping the product fresher for longer. Pompeian Grapeseed & Avocado Oil Spray has triple action use—drop, stream, or spray—to allow for flexibility and total portion control when cooking. And it’s FANTASTIC for high heat cooking! I’ve used it two different ways. To brown my chops before I put them in the oven and I used it to crisp my potato skins for my twice baked potatoes. Here’s how you make them…

Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes + Recipe

1.0 from 1 reviews

Roasted Grape Pork Chops with Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe

Save Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

You will never eat porks chops the same... This brine along with the sweet grapes makes for the best pork chops ever!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

4-6 thick cut pork chops
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole all-spice
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
4 cups of water
1-2 cups of ice
Pompeian Avocado Spray
1 large bunch of red grapes

Instructions

You need to start your pork chops the day before you plan to serve them. The secret to these amazing chops is the brining process. You'll need a large bowl, add all of your spices.Then your salt and brown sugar.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and the pour over your salt, sugar and spice mixture. Stir to help the salt and sugar dissolve.
Once the salt and sugar have dissolved into the water, add a cup or two of ice to bring down the temperature of the brine. Then slide your pork chops into the brine mixture. Add more water if needed to make sure all of the meat is totally covered.
Cover and refrigerate overnight. Once you are ready to cook, remove the pork chops from the brine and dry with paper towels.
Prepare your oven safe pan (I like to use cast iron) with a generous spray of Pompeian's new Avocado Oil Spray. Also, Preheat your oven to 400˚.
I take the dry pork chops and season with salt & pepper and add them to a hot pan over high heat and then turn down the temp to medium high. Brown one side of the pork chops and then turn after 2 minutes or so.
Add your washed grapes to the pan.
Spray with the Pompeian Grapeseed Oil and place in the 400˚ oven for 10 minutes or until your pork chops are fully cooked and sitting at 145˚.
Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

You need to start your pork chops the day before you plan to serve them. The secret to these amazing chops is the brining process. You’ll need a large bowl, add all of your spices.

Then your salt and brown sugar.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and the pour over your salt, sugar and spice mixture. Stir to help the salt and sugar dissolve.

Once the salt and sugar have dissolved into the water, add a cup or two of ice to bring down the temperature of the brine.

Then slide your pork chops into the brine mixture. Add more water if needed to make sure all of the meat is totally covered.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Once you are ready to cook, remove the pork chops from the brine and dry with paper towels.

Prepare your oven safe pan (I like to use cast iron) with a generous spray of Pompeian’s new Avocado Oil Spray. Also, Preheat your oven to 400˚.

Then I take the dry pork chops and season with salt & pepper and add them to a hot pan over high heat and then turn down the temp to medium high.

Brown one side of the pork chops and then turn after 2 minutes or so.

Add your washed grapes to the pan.

Spray with the Pompeian Grapeseed Oil and place in the 400˚ oven for 10 minutes or until your pork chops are fully cooked and sitting at 145˚. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

Twice Baked Potatoes + Recipe

1.0 from 1 reviews

Twice Baked Potatoes

Save Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour 20 mins

Total time

1 hour 50 mins

These are my husbands all-time favorites. We have them every year for his birthday... YES, they are totally worth the extra time!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: Side Dish

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 large baking potatoes
Pompeian Avocado Oil Spray
1 cup chive flavored cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
½ cup bacon bits
fresh chives
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Wash and poke your potatoes with a knife and bake at 350˚ for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit. Cut potatoes in half, remove the flesh of the potato into a large bowl.
Spray your potato skins with Pompeian Avocado Spray.
Place in a 400˚ oven for 10 minutes to crisp the potato skins.
In the mean time add your other ingredients the cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, cheese salt & pepper and fresh chives to the potatoes.
Using a potato masher, mix well, but don't over mix.
I prefer my twice baked potatoes to still have the look and feel of potato rather than a smooth mashed potato consistency.
Spoon your potato mixture back into the crisp potato skins and place in a 350˚ oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with more shredded cheddar cheese and place back in the oven just until the cheese is melted. Remove and garnish with fresh chives.
Serve along side the pork chops and roasted grapes. You'll be surprised... if you like apples with pork chops, you're going to LOVE roasted grapes with your favorite meat! Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Wash and poke your potatoes with a knife and bake at 350˚ for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit. Cut potatoes in half…

Remove the flesh of the potato into a large bowl.

Spray your potato skins with Pompeian Avocado Spray.

Place in a 400˚ oven for 10 minutes to crisp the potato skins. In the mean time add your other ingredients the cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, cheese salt & pepper and fresh chives to the potatoes.

Using a potato masher, mix well, but don’t over mix.

I prefer my twice baked potatoes to still have the look and feel of potato rather than a smooth mashed potato consistency.

Spoon your potato mixture back into the crisp potato skins and place in a 350˚ oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with more shredded cheddar cheese and place back in the oven just until the cheese is melted. Remove and garnish with fresh chives.

Serve along side the pork chops and roasted grapes. You’ll be surprised… if you like apples with pork chops, you’re going to LOVE roasted grapes with your favorite meat! Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer + This post is brought to you by Pompeian. I have received product and compensation for my time and recipe development. Please know, that I will only post about products that I truly love and use in my everyday life!