Win Donuts from Holey Donuts!

I am proud to present another awesome giveaway from Holey Donuts! Many of you may recall the review I wrote back in December for their fabulous cinnamon rolls and the giveaway we had where one lucky winner got three boxes of cinnamon rolls and some holiday cash.

And this February Holey Donuts is offering us another sweet giveaway! This time one lucky winner will get Holey Donuts’ very special February Love Assortment consisting of 4 Boxes of Donuts! But that’s not all! The winner will also receive $250 in Holey Donuts store credits, which are good for an entire year!

This is a fabulous prize! Not only are these donuts incredibly delicious, but they are low in fat and calories too!

Now I’m sure everyone would like to know how to win this fantastic prize. Right??
Well, It’s easy!

All you have to do to win is:

1.) Visit the Contact Page at Holey Donuts.
2.) Fill in your name & email address.
3.) And in the body of the message, mention Simply Sweet Home and something about the contest.
(*Please note: You must mention Simply Sweet Home in order for your entry to be properly counted.*)

Second Entry:
After you’ve completed the Mandatory Contact Form Entry you can get a second entry in the contest by joining the Holey Donuts Facebook page.

*Optional Bonus Entries for other Simply Sweet Home Giveaways* – If you enter this giveaway by filling out the Holey Donuts Contact Form & mentioning Simply Sweet Home, I will also give you a bonus entry for all of my Simply Sweet Home giveaways through the month of May. To qualify for this, simply leave a commment here telling me that you entered the giveaway at Holey Donuts.


Just take a look at some of the yummy treats you could indulge in from Holey Donuts!
If you’re still here, what are you waiting for?

Go over to Holey Donuts and fill out the form so you can win! And don’t forget to mention Simply Sweet Home in your entry!

(Oh, and please come back here after you enter!)


-Jerri

I’ll be linking up this post at
TMTT at
Blessed with Grace
Tasty Tuesday at
Beauty & Bedlam

MckLinky Blog Hop

Click here to see the entire Giveaway Blog Hop List….

Darn Good Chocolate Cake Drizzled in White Chocolate


This week I’m proud to present one of my favorite cake recipes yet! I got the recipe for Darn Good Chocolate Cake out of the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. This bundt cake is fabulous! The recipe doesn’t call for icing or any toppings, and let me tell you, it certainly doesn’t need any toppings.

 

But when I made it, I decided to give it a little something extra. I melted just a couple squares of white chocolate and drizzled it over the top. It added a light sweetness to this rich, decadent chocolate cake, and if I do say so myself, it made it a lot more attractive too! This cake would also be delicious with a milk chocolate icing if you prefer that.

 

And don’t forget to break out the ice cream or a jug of milk when you get ready to serve. You’ll need it!

(NOTE: Sweet Thursday round-up next week! Email your Valentine Dessert to me by next Wednesday if you’d like to be featured here. Also, I will be putting up a linky next week for anyone who wants to link up their Valentine treats!)

Here are just a couple of pictures of the cake without the white chocolate. Doesn’t that look delicious?

Recipe for Darn Good Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:1 Devil’s Food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1 package (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup war water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I left these out)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a bundt pan with cooking spray. Also, dust with flour if you like. (I skipped this.) Shake out the excess flour and set pan aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, war water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Bleand with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throught the batter. Pour the batter in prepared pan. Place in oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45-50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes. rung a long sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto the rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more. Or invert it onto a servig platter to slice and serve while warm.

*White Chocolate Instructions – I used a couple of squares of white chocolate. Place these in a bowl and begin heating in the microwave for up to 90 seconds, stopping to stir at 15 second intervals to prevent scorching.*




-Jerri
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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by
Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by
11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by
Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are That Family

DIY Monday is hosted by A Soft Place To Land

Jane’s Cornbread Cake

While Hubby was out of town on business he visited the family and returned home with a recipe for me to try. I’ve been told that this cake is called cornbread cake because it looks like cornbread and is cooked in a cornbread pan. For me, this cake didn’t turn out exactly right. The taste was okay, but the consistency was a little gooey like a brownie (despite cooking it longer than instructed to try to get rid of the gooeyness).

I’m guessing that I should have used an iron skillet rather than the 9×13 pan in the instructions. (Come to think of it, my hubby’s relatives probably have a 9×13 pan made of iron.) Anyway that’s the only reason I can think that it didn’t come out right for me. But when made properly I assure you it’s excellent. My husband is not a sweet eater at all, so if he liked the cake enough to bring home a copy of the recipe for me to try, that really says a lot, and he did seem to like the taste of mine as well.


Recipe for Jane’s Cornbread Cake:
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup oil
1 cup nuts
4 eggs lightly beaten
1tbsp vanilla flavoring

Directions: Mix all ingredients. Pour into 9×12 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for minutes.


-Jerri



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I am pleased to share this post at the following events:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by
Blessed With Grace. Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by
Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by
We Are THAT Family.
Do It Yourself Day is hosted by A Soft Place to Land.

Sweet Thursday: Christmas & Holly Bloggy Edition

If you’re not hungry and craving sugar, you will be after today’s post! Today is the Christmas/Holly Bloggy edition of Sweet Thursday! For those of you who are new to my blog, Sweet Thursday is my monthly dessert recipe event. Each month bloggers submit desserts that they’d like to have featured here, and each month we have a different theme to follow!

For this month, the theme is Christmas Recipes of course! And today, I’m actually combining Sweet Thursday with the Holly Bloggy After Party. (Sorry to those of you who submitted non-dessert recipes at the Holly Bloggy. Originally I had planned to do Sweet Thursday separate from the Holly Bloggy features, but as we are pressed for time this week, I had no choice but to combine them!)

After you take a look at today’s featured treats, be sure to go over to the Holly Bloggy Recipe Event if you haven’t already. There are a bunch more desserts listed there, as well as other non-sweet Christmas recipes to take a look at.

Next Sweet Thursday Event: Due to my schedule (and a need for a little break), I’m skipping out on Sweet Thursday in January. However, I will have a round up on February 11. For the theme, you have two choices this time: “Winter OR Valentine Desserts.” Send your submission by email at simplysweethome@hotmail.com.

Chocolate Trifle from: The Kreative Kottage

Chocolate Coated Almond Toffee from: Lucy’s Kitchen

Frozen Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie from Sweet and Savory Says it All

Choco Chippy Sugar Cookies from Vanilla Strawberry Springfields

Caramel Pretzel Delights from: Magnolia Mom

Peppermint Pleasures from Moore Minutes

Black-Out Cake from Sweet and Savory Says it All

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies from: Frugal Femina

Mouse Cookies from: Almost Unschoolers

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake from: Marine Corps Nomad

Caramel Apple Accidental Upside Down Cake from: Go Ahead and Snicker

Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies from: Three A’s and a C

Chewy Chunky Blondie from Sweet and Savory Says it All

Red Velvet Cake Balls from Calamity Anne

-Jerri


Holly Bloggy Christmas Recipes: My Famous Chess Cake and Other Holiday Favorites

It’s Recipe Day at the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash. Be sure to link up below and leave a comment so you can be eligible for all the prizes we’re giving away! The linky will be up through next Friday. I can’t wait to everyone’s recipes!

Since I’m hosting today, it would be improper for me to hold back and not share the recipe that is most near and dear to my heart! So today I’m sharing my famous chess cake!

My mom used to make this every year around Christmas time, and it was always so good! It’s actually a perfect dessert for any occasion, but I still associate it with Christmas to this day, and of all the desserts I make, this one is definitely the most requested!

Today I’m also featuring some photos and links of some of my family’s favorite holiday appetizers and desserts! Hope you enjoy!

Don’t forget to stop by Tidy Mom tomorrow for the Holly Bloggy Christmas Memories and Traditions event!


Recipe for Chess Cake:
Ingredients:
For Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 stick margarine (softened or melted)

For Icing:
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick margarine (softened or melted)
2 eggs
1 box powdered sugar

Directions: For cake – Mix together the cake mix, eggs, and margarine. Press into a 9×13 inch pan. For icing, cream together cream cheese, margarine, eggs, and sugar. Pour over cake mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy!


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And Here Are Some More Of Our Holiday Favorites:

Creamy Salsa Dip

Black Bean Spirals

Sausage Balls

Crunchy Cheese Crisps

Christmas Pinwheels

Sour Cream Pound Cake (hubby’s fave)

Egg Custard Pie (Dad’s Fave)

Congealed Salad (aka – That Green Stuff)

Cake Mix Cookies

Photobucket

Thanks so much for stopping by my party!
Merry Christmas!

-Jerri

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I’m linking this post up at Blessed with Grace, 11th Heaven’s Homemaking, and Beauty and Bedlam.


Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash: Homemade Gifts

Photobucket

Welcome to Day 1 of the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash! Today Jen at Tater Tots & Jello is hosting our Homemade Gifts Event! So head on over to Jen’s place and link up. We can’t wait to see your homemade gift ideas!

Also, don’t forget to stop by A Baby Changes Everything tomorrow as Teresa hosts our Christmas Tree event!


For my Homemade Gift post I’m sharing the Christmas Candy Boxes I made last year. I just love making Christmas candy, but I admit it can be a hassle sometimes. Fortunately I was able to select a “menu” of items that weren’t too difficult to make and easy to multitask and make together.

I basically spent an entire evening making and baking everything—that’s not too bad considering the amount of stuff I made, and considering that I did it all by myself. And in all, I believe I spent about $20 on all the ingredients, plus 6 containers. (And I had a lot of candy left over…probably enough to do 3-4 more boxes if I’d wanted.) So it’s an awesome value for the money and time I put into it.

Everyone liked them so much that I’ll be doing it again this year (except with different treats). Here are the recipes I included in last year’s Christmas Candy Boxes:

Rocky Road Candy

Cake Mix Cookies

Rice Krispy Treats

-Chess Cake (Recipe will be posted here on Thursday for the Christmas Recipe Event!)

I started with these lovely plastic containers. I got these at Wal-Mart for $1 each! And then I just lined them with red tissue paper I had on hand.


Before stuffing the containers, I made all my sweets so I could get an idea of how to divide it all out equally. Here’s my dining room table covered with all the goodies:

Put the goodies and the festive containers together, and you have a lovely package that’s perfect for gift giving!

For my assortments, I included 3-4 pieces of chess cake, 4 pieces of Rocky Road Candy, 3 Rice Krispy Treats, and 6-8 Cake Mix Cookies.


After dividing out all the goodies, I finished the project, placing name tags and bows on top of the containers.

-Jerri

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I’m also sharing this post for TMTT at Blessed with Grace, TT at Beauty and Bedlam, Newlywed’s Holiday Treat Week and WFMW at We Are That Family.

Holey Donuts Review & Giveaway

The other day the Fed-Ex guy left a big box at my door. I was thrilled and literally jumped for joy when I looked at the box label and read the words “Holey Donuts.” Today I’m pleased to tell you about my Holey Donuts Experience and tell you how you can win some Holey Donuts for your family.

Holey Donuts is a gourmet donut company that specializes in low fat, low calorie donuts. Obviously when we think of the word “donut” very few people think of the phrase, “low fat, low calories.” And then if we add the word “delicious” to that phrase, many would say, “Impossible. A delicious, low calorie donut? There’s no such thing.” Well, if you are one of those people, prepare to be amazed!

These premium, low fat gourmet donuts are made entirely by hand, requiring 22 steps from the mixing, hand rolling, cutting, and special patented cooking process. Donuts are then hand filled and each donut is decorated with the finest homemade care. They are then gently hand packaged and frozen and quickly shipped to you by FedEx.

Holey Donuts sent me a box of their Jumbo Reduced Fat Cinnamon Rolls, a box of Jumbo Reduced Fat Blueberry Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls, and a box of their Reduced Fat Mini Cinnamon Rolls. I can’t say enough about how great these are. Of the three, my favorite was the mini cinnamon rolls. The minis are the perfect size for a quick snack at home or work. I can heat up one or two and be perfectly satisfied. And because they come 16 to a box, they would be great to feed to your family in the morning. And they’d be an ideal snack to serve or take to a party.

I was impressed by the way the donuts were shipped and packaged. The donuts were shipped within a couple of days through Fed-Ex. Inside the cardboard shipping box was a Styrofoam cooler, and the bottom of the cooler was filled with packs of dry ice to ensure that your donuts remain frozen. And of course, inside the cooler each order of donuts is in a separate box. And they are high quality boxes that will protect your pastries from freezer burn.

The second thing that impressed me was the fact that the donuts can be prepared very quickly. I’ve grown accustomed to getting cakes and pies that need to be thawed over night and all day before they are ready to eat. With Holey Donuts, you just remove your pastry from the box, and place it in the microwave, cooking it at 5 second intervals. So in 30 seconds or less, you can have a hot fresh cinnamon roll. Imagine it: No more turning on the oven or heading out to your local bakery if you want a fresh donut or cinnamon roll. Excellent!

And finally the taste of these was just remarkable! They were hot and fresh. They tasted like something you would make at home or get from your finest bakery. They were incredibly sweet and flavorful. And it’s obvious that a lot of care went in to making them.

If you place an order with Holey Donuts, you won’t be disappointed. I would definitely recommend these to my friends and family, as well as my blogging pals. In case your curious, Holey Donuts has a ton of flavors to choose from. Here are just a few selections that I’d love to try:

Reduced Fat Boston Cream Oreo Cookie:

Low Fat Chocolate Crumb:


Low Fat Chocolate Fudge Crumb • Low Fat Vanilla Crumb • Low Fat Caramel Crumb:

Giveaway – One Winner Will Recieve the Following:

1- Full box of Jumbo Low Fat Cinnamon Buns (4)
1- Full box of Our Awesome Jumbo Low Fat Blueberry Vanilla Buns (4)
1- Full box of Holey Donuts! Low Fat Cinnamon Bun Middles (16)
+$150 Holiday spending cash!

Giveaway Closed. Thanks to everyone who entered!

-Jerri

Win Free Donuts and $150 Cash

Another awesome giveaway for you just in time for the holidays!

Holey Donuts is giving away a special holiday prize pack for one lucky winner. Holey Donuts specializes in premium, low fat gourmet donuts. The donuts are completely homemade and hand packaged, and they taste incredible!

I had the opportunity to sample the donuts that will be up for grabs. In a few days I’ll be posting my review, but until then let me tell you: They are of the highest quality, and they are yummy!


The giveaway winner will receive:

1- Full box of Jumbo Low Fat Cinnamon Buns (4)
1- Full box of Our Awesome Jumbo Low Fat Blueberry Vanilla Buns (4)
1- Full box of Holey Donuts! Low Fat Cinnamon Bun Middles (16)
+$150 Holiday spending cash!



Here’s how to win:

1.) Enter to win by sending an email to info@holeydonuts.net .

2.) You MUST put the name of my blog SIMPLY SWEET HOME in the subject line in order for your entry to be counted.

3.) Please only enter once. Deadline to enter is December 15.

4.) Bonus Option – Everyone who enters this giveaway will qualify for an additonal entry in all of my blog giveaways till the end of 2009. (just leave a comment here, letting me know that you’ve entered in order to qualify for this.)

Thanksgiving Menu Must-Haves

Need a little inspiration to get you through the Thanksgiving holiday? Here’s a collection of recipes to get you started. Happy Eating! And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Cornbread Dressing from Southern Living

Chicken-Green Bean Casserole from Tablespoon

Sweet Potato Casserole from Taste of Home

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes from Good Housekeeping

Caramelized-Apple Spice Cake from Martha Stewart

Ultimate Pumpkin Pie from Food Network

-Jerri


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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by
Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by
11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by Life as Mom.
Friday Feasts is hosted by
Momtrends.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by
We Are THAT Family
Hooked on Fridays is hosted by Hooked on Houses

Sweet Thursday: Family Favorites Edition

Welcome to another edition of Sweet Thursday, my monthly dessert round-up. I hope you enjoy all of this month’s entries! If you’d like to be a part of this round-up, just send an email to me at simplysweethome@hotmail.com and I’ll add your recipe to the post.

Next Round-up: My Next Round-up will be posted on December 24. That’s right–Christmas Eve! I was going to post it a week earlier, but I don’t want it to conflict with the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash, which will include a recipe link-up. Anyway the theme for the next round-up will be Christmas/Holiday Desserts. I’ll most likely post the round-up late on Wednesday night (the 23rd) so please get your submissions in by then. Just email me a picture and a link to your recipe post. Thanks!

Chocolate Mousse from Chaya’s Comfy Cook Blog

Cookie Dough Truffles from Millie’s Place

Ginger Whoopie Pies from Millie’s Place

Peanut Butter Fudge from Millie’s Place

Apple Pecan Cheesecake from Ninas Recipes
Chocolate Eclairs with Vanilla Orange Cream Filling from Nina’s Recipes

Rocky Road Chocolate Mousse Cake from Nina’s Recipes


Raw Date Truffles from Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free

Miss Bonnie’s Pound Cake from Simply Sweet Home

-Jerri