Guest Post: Lemon Ginger Biscotti from Tanya at Lemons for Lulu

Today I’m pleased to present another Christmas treat guest post.  This one is from Tanya at Lemons for Lulu, and she will be sharing her scrumptious looking Lemon Ginger Biscotti!  Everyone please welcome Tanya!

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I’m so excited to be here today! Thank you Jerri for having me. My name is Tanya and I blog over at Lemons for Lulu. I’ve been blogging since March. I started out sharing all sort of recipes, but realized my true passion is dessert! The truth is, I can’t live without my sweets! Here’s one of my latest creations. Lemon Ginger Biscotti.

Lemon Ginger Biscotti

I love gingerbread! Ginger is one of my favorite flavors, it is the quintessential spice of Christmas! I find it pairs beautifully with lemon. The smell of these biscotti baking in the oven was absolutely amazing! It was warm, cozy and mouth-watering!

Biscotti is an easy cookie to make, but it does take a little time, as it is twice baked. I love giving biscotti as gifts this time of year! I hope you enjoy this lemon ginger biscotti as much as I did! Happy Holidays!

Lemon Ginger Biscotti

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 whole, large lemon, zested

2 eggs

3 tablespoons molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, chopped (adjust amount to taste)

1/2 lb white chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed until blended. Add in eggs and molasses, mixing well. Blend in lemon zest. With mixer on low, carefully add in flour and baking powder beating until well blended and dough starts to come together. Mix in crystallized ginger.

Shape dough into a long log, (the length of your baking sheet, or divide into two logs) onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown and slightly cracked. Remove from oven and let stand on baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Reduce oven to 325. With a serrated knife, slice log into 1/2 inch slices and place on baking sheet, cut side down. Bake for an additional 9 minutes. Turn cookies over and bake another 5 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt chocolate in microwave. Drizzle chocolate over cookies. Let cookies stand so that chocolate can set. Store in an air tight container.

Thanks so much for being here today Tanya!  Everyone be sure to visit Tanya’s blog Lemons for Lulu.

 

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Guest Post: Hot Chocolate Floats from Keri at Shaken Together

Today we have another fun guest post! This one is from Keri at shaken together, and she’s made us a yummy treat:  Hot Chocolate Floats.  Take it away Keri!

Hi there, Simply Sweet Home friends!  My name is Keri and I blog over at shaken together!!

Shaken Together

It’s my home away from home where I share recipes, easy crafts/DIY projects, giveaways, a weekly link party and snippets of our life with 12 years of marriage and counting, two kids and two cats … you know, our life, shaken together!  I would love to connect with you at my blog, on FacebookTwitter or Pinterest!

Today, I am so excited that Jerri invited me to share one of our family’s favorite holiday treats …

There is nothing better than a rich mug of hot chocolate on a cold night, right?!  Well, unless it is topped with a scoop of ice cream, sprinkles and maybe a drizzle of hot fudge!

Whip up a batch of hot chocolate – you can use instant mix, I won’t judge – but there are tons of easy recipes for homemade hot chocolate that will probably rock your socks off 🙂  I am dying to try this hot chocolate mix from Something Swanky!

Anyway, gather your mugs and fill about 2/3 full with your hot chocolate.  Add a scoop of ice cream (we used peppermint!) and sprinkle on your favorite toppings.  I added a drizzle of warm hot fudge and festive holiday sprinkles!

This is seriously the best of both worlds … an ice cream sundae and a sweet steamy mug of hot chocolate!!

Jerri, thanks so much for the opportunity to share this sweet treat with your readers!  Hope to see you all again soon!  And happy, happy holidays!

Thanks again to Keri for posting here today!

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Introducing Mrs. Smith’s Signature Deep Dish Pies and a Giveaway!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mrs. Smith’s for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

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You can’t have holiday get togethers without dessert! Now with Mrs. Smith’s Signature Deep Dish pies making dessert just got easier, and it is just as delicious!



Mrs. Smith’s Signature Deep Dish pies come in 4 varieties:

 

-Signature Deep Dish Dutch Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce
-Signature Deep Dish Cherry Pie with Butter Fudge Sauce
-Signature Deep Dish Peach Pie with Cream Cheese Icing
-Signature Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie with Cream Cheese Icing

The pies go straight from your freezer to the oven and bake up in 80 to 100 minutes (plus a 2 hour cooling time before serving).  This is such a great time saver!  Without having to make or bake crusts or mix ingredients, you can have a dessert that tastes like homemade! And you’ll be ale to spend that valuable time making your other dishes, getting ready for the party, or just having holiday fun!

Beyond their convenience and great homemade taste, these pies are also easily customizable with their yummy toppings.  Use the topping that comes with each pie to decorate and add flavor, and also mix and match your pies and toppings!


I recently had the opportunity to try these pies.  Today I’m sharing the Pumpkin Pie with you.  This pie fills your home with the fresh aroma of cinnamon as it bakes.  And the taste is just like homemade!  You will love the creamy blend of pumpkin and cinnamon, and to top off this pie, it comes with cream cheese icing!  I think you will love the sweetness the icing adds to this classic dessert so much so that you may never want a slice of pumpkin pie without cream cheese icing ever again!


Mrs. Smith’s Pies are available at most Wal-mart Supercenters nationwide.  Look online to find retailers near you.

 

Connect with Mrs. Smith’s Pies on Facebook and Pinterest.

Giveaway!  One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a full value coupon for a Mrs. Smith Signature Deep Dish Pie (up to $8.99 value) and a $50 William-Sonoma card.

To enter, please leave comments letting me know which of the four pies you’d most like to try and tell us how you would use this gift card.  Then use the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also gain extra entries by following Mrs. Smith’s on Facebook and Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit Sponsor's Site

Guest Post: Snow Globe Cake Pops from Karyn of Pint Sized Baker

Today we’ve got another guest post for our Six Weeks of Christmas Treats!  This one is from Karyn of Pint Sized Baker, and she has some adorable Snow Globe Cake Pops for you.  These are too fun! Hope you enjoy!
Hi Everyone, I’m Karyn from the Pint Sized Baker. I’m a wife to Mr. Quart and a mom to my Little Cup. The best part of writing a blog about baking treats, is that they enjoy eating them!
Christmas is a great time for sweet treats and I’m sharing some of my favorites, so pop on over and check out all the fun things I’ve made; like THIS, THIS and THIS!
Every Friday I post a new Cake Pop Tutorial or Cake Pop Kit Review. I really enjoy making cake pops. Once you figure out how to get the right consistency for the cake pop batter and candy melts, making them is totally addicting!

Today, I wanted to share an easy Cake Pop tutorial that I know everyone can make!

These snow globes are very similar to the Gumball Machine Cake Pops I made during the summer.

These cake pops are very easy using some pre-made ingredients.

The base of the snow globe is a bell shaped caramel candy and the snowman is a Wilton cupcake topper.

You can go the extra step and make the base and decorate a centerpiece. It all depends on your time, creativity and willingness to go the extra step.

To make these, you will need to make your cake pop batter with 1/2 of a 9×11 cake and two tablespoons of frosting. Combine them with a paddle attachment until the batter is smooth.

I find that box cake and caned frosting work best. These pops were yellow cake and lemon frosting. YUM!

I took two of my standard pops and made one BIG pop. Make them round and then flatten them slightly. You should get a dozen larger pops from half the cake.

Place them into the fridge  while you get the candies ready.

Take the bell candies and pierce them with a skewer. This skewer is smaller than a lollipop stick. Once the hole is made, then slide the lollipop stick through the candy. Because I used a caramel filled bell, I did not add anything to adhere the candy to the stick. It stayed in place just fine. Push the candy down so that an inch of lollipop stick is above it. 

Melt your candy low and slow in the microwave being careful not to overheat it. I used 90% white candy melts and 10% blue candy to get this pale blue color. 

Dip your stick into the candy melt and then insert it into the cake ball. Allow it to dry upright as you adhere all the cake pops to the sticks.

Dip your cake pop in the candy coating it completely. Attach the snowman and sprinkle on the snow.

Dry upright and then store individually wrapped or in an airtight container. 

Cake Pops freeze well, so you can make these now for your holiday gift giving and cookie exchange.

If you need any more tips on how to make cake pops, please come on over and check out my videos and other cake pop tutorials.

Thanks for having me over, Jerri!
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Season!



Pint Sized Baker
 

Thanks again to Karyn for posting here today!

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Thanksgiving Desserts with Country Crock: Blackberry Cobbler and Pound Cake

With Thanksgiving around the corner,  it is time to put together the final preparations for my Thanksgiving menu.  Sometimes I make a complete meal for two here at home, and other times  I just have to bring a dessert or two over to a family member’s home for the big celebration.  But either way, I can always count on Country Crock to  help make my recipes healthier and  taste great.  Today I’ve got 2 fantastic Thanksgiving desserts that were made using Country Crock.

The first one is a blackberry cobbler.

 

One of my dad’s favorite desserts is Blackberry Cobbler.  Over the summer, I found this great cobbler recipe that is super easy to make!  I originally brought it to him for Father’s day, and he loved it so much, I told him I would make one for Thanksgiving.

Recipe for Blackberry Cobbler:

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh blackberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 large egg

1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons Country Crock, melted

Directions: Preheat oven to 375°. Place blackberries in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; sprinkle with lemon juice. Stir together egg, sugar, and flour in a medium bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit. Drizzle melted Country Crock over topping. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

And the second recipe I have to share is a pound cake!

When I was a kid, pound cake was always on the Thanksgiving dessert menu!  Pound cakes are perfect for Thanksgiving because, they are simple and they are loved by almost everyone.

Today I enjoy experimenting with different pound cake recipes.  I recently tried out this new pound cake, and again for this recipe I substituted Country Crock for butter.

Recipe for Pound Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

5   eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

3 cups sugar

1/2 cups vegetable shortening

1 cup Country Crock

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  With a mixer, cream Country Crock and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

 

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?

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Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

12 Recipes for a Full Thanksgiving Meal

Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving yet?  Are you in charge of making a full meal for family and friends? Or do you just have to make a dish or two for the family potluck?  Today I’m sharing twelve foods that will help you to make a complete Thanksgiving meal.  I’ve got casseroles, side dishes, rolls,  dessert, and of course, the turkey! [Read more…]

Friday Favorites – Week 140

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Happy November! Thanks for stopping by for Friday Favorites!  Before we get to this week’s party, I want to let you all know that I’m having two great Thanksgiving Giveaways.  I’m giving 2 copies Perfect Pies, and I just launched a fabulous Thanksgiving giveaway, which includes some Thanksgiving candleholders, a 10″x6″ Italian Baker, and a Baker’s rack. Be sure to check it out! [Read more…]

Perfect Pies Giveaway

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With Thanksgiving coming up in just a few short weeks, it’s the perfect time to start planning your menu.  I, for one, always associate pie with Thanksgiving.   If you are looking for some inspiration to get you through the holiday season, considering checking out the book:   Perfect Pies: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes from America’s Pie-Baking Champion by Michele Stuart. [Read more…]

Friday Favorites – Week 139

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Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by for this week’s Friday Favorites party!   I’d like to remind everyone to enter my final Blogiversary Giveaway.  You’ll get jewelry, store credits, and ad space, and it’s a prize pack valued at around $90.  Also, stay tuned for some great Thanksgiving and Christmas giveaways coming your way starting next week! [Read more…]

Banana Bundt Cake

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Fall is such a great time for apple, pumpkin, and other fruit-based desserts.  A couple of weeks ago, my mom made this fantastic Banana Bundt Cake, which I immediately had to try out myself.  You’ll love it, because it’s very sweet and moist, and it’s also super easy!  And did I mention that one of the ingredients is a cake mix? Yeah!

[Read more…]