This post, Ultimate Holiday Hot Chocolate Bar, is sponsored on behalf of Campfire® Marshmallows. All opinions are, as always, my own.

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the sheer amount of opportunities there is to get together with friends and family! Whether it’s a super duper planned out, menu planned shindig or an impromptu wine and cheese party – they are ALL good in my book.

One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is to have some epic hot chocolate bar fixings on hand. Now, before you get worried, this is nothing intimidating! Basically it’s having a somewhat stocked baking pantry and a few Christmas candies gathered. Oh, and marshmallows – you canNOT forget the marshmallows!

Campfire mini marshmallows are my favorite for an ultimate hot chocolate bar situation, but feel free to get fancy – pumpkin spice, gingerbread, regulars – whatever you have or are in the mood for is great! In addition to mini marshmallows, here are a few other hot chocolate fixings I like to keep handy:

Hot Chocolate Bar Fixings

• whoppers
• mint chocolate candies
• chopped peppermint bark
• chocolate chips
• toffee bits
• candy canes (crushed or whole for stirring)
• cookie wafer sticks
• truffles
• mini marshmallows (it had to be said again)
• whipped cream (homemade or from a squirt can for a super convenient topping)

The coolest thing about a hot chocolate bar is that everyone can jazz up their own mug of cocoa however they like. Take a good basic hot chocolate and serve it in a super cute thermos or pitcher to keep it hot all party long (I got this one at Amazon <— affiliate link)

Then, let guests stir in all the fun candies and flavors to customize their cup of hot chocolate! Seriously, this is the easiest and tastiest way to have hot chocolate.

Hot Chocolate Tips

• use whole milk (it just tastes the best, honestly)
• buy a great store-bought mix with quality ingredients
• make a homemade version like this stove top hot chocolate (I’d just leave out the cinnamon to keep the a neutral base for all the fixings

Serve all of your fixings in jars with lids so when the party is over, you can pop on the lids and save all of the toppings for the next party. Which if you are me, will likely be within the next couple of days.

SO. MANY. HOLIDAY. PARTIES.

And to finish off your festive ultimate hot chocolate bar, raid the cute bins at Target again for all of the most adorable bottle brush trees you can handle.

I’m not sure what I’d do without those bins.

And marshmallows.

And hot chocolate.

Let’s hope we never find out, ok?

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

Emily

The post Ultimate Holiday Hot Chocolate Bar appeared first on Jelly Toast.

This post is sponsored on behalf of Campfire® Marshmallows. All opinions are, as always, my own.

I have a bad habit of being a day late and a dollar short when it comes to holiday stuff. Food, decorations, crafts, you name it. I have big plans, buy all the things, then in a blink of an eye, the moment has passed.

My only saving grace is when I over plan for Halloween treats. If the idea involves skeletons, ghosts, or witches, I’m out of luck. But if it involves say, pumpkins, then Thanksgiving just got a new treat.

As it turns out, the day after Halloween, I realize I have a few bags of Campfire® HallowMallows in my pantry. I didn’t get around to making a batch of Halloween Brownie Krispy Treats this year so these little bags of cute marshmallows were left without a plan. Enter Thanksgiving!

It’s true – these fluffy orange marshmallows are perfect for Halloween, but they are equally delightful for Thanksgiving. Add a bit of almond bark and some white and gold sprinkles, and these Halloween marshmallows make the MOST adorable Thanksgiving hot chocolate toppers ever.

Add sticks for a cute little treat pop, or just keep them stick-less to float inside cups of Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa (see recipe below – SO easy and delish!).

Can we also talk about the shopping spree I had at the Target holiday bins? Um, it was somewhat out of control but I regret nothing. How magical is this Thanksgiving table runner?

This is what I love about the holidays – imagination, creativity, and seeing things in a new way. The holidays shouldn’t be stressful, they should be a time of love and kindness and enjoying the moments together. So coat some cute marshmallows in chocolate, go nuts with the sprinkles and have yourself a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

xoxo

Emily

The post Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate & Thanksgiving Ideas appeared first on Jelly Toast.

This recipe is sponsored on behalf of Campfire® Marshmallows. All opinions are, as always, my own.

Touring Epcot and eating our way through the World Showcase’s special feature kitchens was the most fun I think we had all week. Well, that and the Halloween parade.

And the fall decorations.

Ok, let’s just say it was one of the countless awesome things we did.

Last year, we went back to Disney over Thanksgiving. That time, we got to enjoy all of the amazing holiday kitchens that each country in the World Showcase had to offer. Again, every single dish was incredible, I have zero regrets!

Both times we went to Disney, it was during some kind of special holiday event, which while amazing, it made it so we never really ventured into the regular restaurants and eateries within Epcot.

Just the specialty stands and limited time menus.

So naturally, when we got home and I saw on Instagram that Germany’s bakery serves chocolate covered s’mores drizzled in caramel, I had some serious ‘wishing I was back in Disney’ moments.

At that point we had no immediate plans to return, I decided to make my own. I have a bit of German in my ancestry, after all.

I picked up these adorable gluten-free graham crackers for the grocery store for the base. They are nice and tiny and fit a roasted Campfire® marshmallow perfectly!

How to Make Chocolate Covered Caramel S’mores:

• Roast your marshmallow – I like the regular Campfire® marshmallows for these!
• Sandwich between two graham crackers – small graham crackers or even cookies work great here!
• Dip in melted chocolate – I like using dark chocolate, it cuts some of the sweetness of the treat
• Drizzle with melted caramel – you can use caramel topping, or melted soft caramels
• Chill to set, then serve!

Super simple and these will definitely tide me over until we head back to Disney and I can hit up the bakery in Germany to try the original.

And the best news : we won’t have to wait long, because we are heading back next summer!

Happy Friday!

The post Caramel S’mores & Video appeared first on Jelly Toast.

Hi!! Hello! How have you been? It feels like it’s been a while, and truly it has. Summer is, well, pretty much behind us. How was your summer, by the way? Mine was full of change, but good change. I started a new job (yay!), my kids were home with me, we traveled, we went camping, we did lazy summer stuff like eat platters of cheese and salami for dinner, we cooked everything else on the grill, we stayed up too late, we slept in too late, we spent time with friends, we spent time with family, we binged Netflix (hello, Mindy Project!!), we got into Harry Potter about 20 years behind everyone else (so obsessed now), and we sat around the campfire on an almost nightly basis.

For someone who doesn’t really like summer, I kind of loved this summer.

And you know me, if there is a campfire going, s’mores are 100% on the menu. Something we started doing this summer was throwing together an epic s’mores party platter. Don’t get scared, this is not fancy in anyway – although it’s looks may deceive you. This turned into the easiest and most fun way to build s’mores.

Follow these steps to build an epic s’mores party platter:

• Get a platter
• Empty pantry of cookies, crackers, random bits of chocolate, whatever else you might find while you’re in there
• Pop it onto the platter
• Top with a pile of marshmallows (I like these Campfire® Regular marshmallows because they go with any size cookie or cracker)
• Walk outside

Boom. Done. That’s it. There are no rules to this platter. Honestly, I wouldn’t follow them anyway. That’s why I can hardly ever make the same recipe twice. I will, however, spend hours making a fun stop motion video of my s’mores party platter just because that’s what kind of girl I am. I mean, who doesn’t love a dancing plate of cookies and marshmallows?

For me, s’mores season is just beginning. Fall is even better for campfires and s’mores making than Summer is. The cooler weather makes everyone want to huddle closer and just soak in all the crisp air, sweet family and gooey marshmallows. My good friends at Campfire® Marshmallows sent me this sweet S’mores Starter kit and it was almost too perfect. Clearly they know me well and know that the most important thing about enjoying s’mores is spending time with my family and just being around the fire together.

Are you a Fall s’mores maker like me? What is your favorite way to enjoy s’mores?

Happy August, friends!

xoxo ~ Emily

The post S’mores Party Platter & Awaiting Fall appeared first on Jelly Toast.

This post is sponsored on behalf of Campfire® Marshmallows. Thank you for supporting the brands I love and that make Jelly Toast possible

This summer is all about living my best life. Seems pretty obvious, but guys, I just am no longer going to waste my time with things that don’t matter.

Family matters. Friendships matter. Faith matters. Food matters.

Lot’s of important F’s here.

I’m getting my face out of my phone. Offline. I am going to be getting outside more with my family and enjoying our time together.

Last week we went on a trip to Macinack Island. There were no cars on the island.

I repeat: NO CARS.

It was so liberating. Everything was slow paced and just perfect. I’ll be sharing some more from that trip soon (you can see some highlights on my IG stories if you can’t wait). But what I realized is these are moments and experiences with my family are the ones that I’ll cherish forever. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true.

We are seizing the summer! Spending as much time by the pool, camping, and just hanging out together.

I realize the irony of this as I am typing and sharing this ‘recipe’ on the internet, but that’s where our friendship is based. Yours and mine. Because you are important to me, too.

My internet friends. 

So, I’m popping in here today to share with you a simple, but awesome treat that you can make the next time you and your family head outside for a campfire.

S’mores cones!

It’s like a slightly less messy version of s’mores in a fun cone shaped treat.

S’mores cones!

I found some gluten free ice cream cones as we are still leaning toward mostly gluten free these days. You can use any cone you’d like (although I think waffle cones would be life giving!)

Fill the s’mores cones with:

• Campfire® Mini White Marshmallows
• mini chocolate chips
• fruit
• nuts
• coconut
• candies
• whatever your heart desires!

Wrap them up in foil  and write names on with a Sharpie if everyone made a different kind.

Roast over the fire for about 1-2 minutes.

Let cool, unwrap, and devour!

A few tips for roasting:

• indirect heat works best to melt but not burn
• use long tongs to hold over fire, but not too close
• if using a grate set over fire (see video) turn often and don’t leave over fire for too long. We learned the hard way!

The kiddos loved these! Look at that melty marshmallow goodness!!

What are your favorite camping desserts to make with family and friends?

I’d love to hear about them!

Be sure to add these S’mores Cones to your list! For me, eating these surrounded by my family is living my best life.

Happy Thursday!

The post living my best summer life & s’mores cones appeared first on Jelly Toast.

This post is sponsored on behalf of the American Dairy Association Mideast. All opinions are, as always, my own. 

One of my favorite parts of being a parent is getting the chance to start our own family traditions – most of which revolve around food.

Take our movie nights, for example. Many Friday nights we like to kick back and relax together after a busy week. We are a movie loving family who are also huge Disney nerds which means most of our movie nights feature animated favorites, both new and old alike.

We can’t have a family movie night without snacks. Snacks are important. And, now that summer is just about here (guys, it was 96 degrees here last weekend – I wish I were joking) we are moving into summer-themed refreshments.

AKA: Milkshakes!

Back when the kids were really little, we made impromptu milkshakes for our movie night, and well, that’s all it took.

Now every time we watch a movie they ask if we’re having milkshakes. This is not a family tradition that took a lot to get started. Who doesn’t love a milkshake?

While they always ask for milkshakes, when it’s the middle of January, I steer them toward a more winter appropriate refreshment like hot chocolate.

But now that June is here – it’s all about ice cream and milkshakes! In fact, did you know that June is National Dairy Month and the month when the most ice cream is produced? Being a life-long Ohioan, I am proud to tell you that Ohio is the ice cream capital of the Unite States! Can you believe it?

If you’ve seen how my family can put down some sundaes, you may believe it after all. 

With years of milkshake making experience under my belt, I have figured out the perfect ratio of milk to ice cream to add ins for the ultimate milkshake. Creamy, drinkable, not too thick, not too thin – just perfect! 

Milkshake Basics for One Large or Two Small Milkshakes:

• 4 oz milk (I like to use whole but you can use low fat if you wish)
• 6 scoops ice cream
• 1/2 cup chunky add-ins
• 2 tablespoons sauce-y add ins (caramel, butterscotch, marshmallow, chocolate – if using)
• If you want a slightly thicker milkshake, add a touch more ice cream, if you want it thinner, add a bit more milk. 
• Do not add ice or you will regret it. It waters down the milkshake in both texture and flavor. Neither of which you want. 

This is one of my favorite combinations: The Turtle Milkshake. This features classic, creamy vanilla ice cream, cold milk, pecans, chocolate chips, and a few tablespoons of creamy caramel sauce. You can use homemade or your favorite store-bought. 

My kids LOVE this turtle milkshake – especially when you top it with all the extras and make it look super fancy. 

They like feeling fancy. Who doesn’t?

As I mentioned, June is National Dairy Month! It’s a time to celebrate America’s dairy farmers, who provide us with healthy dairy foods. 

Meet Ohio and West Virginia dairy farming families at Drink-Milk.com. Having grandparents who grew up on farms, I have a special place in my heart for all of the amazing, hardworking dairy farmers. 

Did you know that in Ohio and West Virginia, dairy farm families raise more than 274,000 dairy cows on about 2,500 dairy farms? In an average year, Ohio and West Virginia dairy cows produce approximately 5.6 billion pounds, or about 656 million gallons, of milk. That is a serious amount of milk! 

Our household accounts for just about half of that….kidding! Well, sort of. 

Dairy Nutrition Fun Facts:

• One serving of milk, cheese or yogurt provides a powerful package of 9 essential nutrients.
• Milk is the single greatest source of 3 of the 4 nutrients the Dietary Guidelines identified as lacking in the American diet: Calcium, vitamin D and potassium.
• Experts recommend 3 servings of low fat or fat-free dairy foods every day, yet most of us need to add 1 daily serving of nutrient-rich dairy to help meet recommendations.

Ice Cream Trivia: 

• June is National Dairy Month and the month when most ice-cream is produced. 
• It takes about 12 pounds of milk to make one pound of ice cream.
• Jersey dairy cows produce milk that’s perfect for making ice cream! Their milk has higher percentages of protein and butterfat.
• About 9% of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream. 
• One cone of ice cream can be finished off in 50 licks. Say what?
• 90% of American households eat ice cream. 
• The average American eats about 20 quarts of ice cream a year!

For more fun dairy facts and recipes, follow the American Dairy Association Mideast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. 

Happy Monday!

The post How to make the perfect milkshake + Turtle Milkshake appeared first on Jelly Toast.

This post is sponsored on behalf of Campfire Marshmallows.

It turns out that I’ve turned into an accidental collector of muffin liners. Like, anytime there are seasonal or even somewhat cute muffin liners at the store, I buy a package. And by ‘a package’ I mean two packages.

The kicker is that I BARELY bake. Like, almost never. It’s rare.

So what do I do when I come across an excessive amount of Valentine’s day muffin liners? Make some homemade almond butter cups. Because why not, right?

I’m fundamentally anti-baking this week anyway because Ohio decided it was the middle of July and turned 98 degrees and humid.

Turning on my oven?

Yeah, no.

Trying to make my hair behave?

Yeah, no.

We have officially entered cook-all-our-meals-outside-and-wear-our-hair-curly season.

It’s a fun season, you just have to go with it.

So, TECHNICALLY, I didn’t make these almond butter cups outside. I used the microwave which is still acceptable in this heat.

Homemade Almond Butter Cups

• Melt some chocolate (use the microwave, it’s super simple)
• Line a muffin tin with random holiday liners (the decorations make them festive, trust me)
• Drop a tablespoon of melted chocolate in the bottom of each liner
• Drop a teaspoon of crunchy almond butter in the center of each liner (press it down a little to flatten the bump)
• Cover the almond butter with more melted chocolate
• sprinkle with some sea salt because it makes everything taste better. EVERYTHING.

Boom! Homemade almond butter cups. You are also welcome to buy some at the store, because that’s pretty easy, too.

Now let’s build up some epic cherry almond butter s’mores!

While you are at the store buying your almond butter cups (I knew you’d go to the store!) pick up some fun waffle cookies. I found these guys on the top shelf near the fancy cookies.

fancy cookies = fancy s’mores.

Food math.

Get a bag of these epically delicious Campfire® Cherry Roasters because who doesn’t love almond with cherry. Remember my cherry amaretto pie?

Bookmark that recipe for the fall when the weather cools down and you actually want to bake again.

Also, is epically a word? My computer’s not yelling at me, so we’ll go with it.

Back to the s’mores! Roast these cuties and pile them on top of an almond butter cup  and one of your fancy cookies.

Or your gluten free graham cracker.

Or whatever you feel like putting it on.

Just put it on something and you can’t go wrong.

Happy Friday!

The post Cherry Almond Butter Cup S’mores appeared first on Jelly Toast.

This post, gluten free graham crackers, is sponsored on behalf of Campfire® Marshmallows. All opinions are my own.

Did you know that making homemade graham crackers is totally easy? True, buying a box at the store is arguably easier, but here’s the thing.

Sometimes I just don’t want to go shopping. And a bonus of making your own graham crackers is that you know exactly what’s in these guys.

While our household is not entirely gluten free, we have been making an effort to reduce the amount of gluten that gets consumed. Our kids struggle with pretty bad seasonal allergies, and April is notoriously the worst month for A. We wakes up with swollen eyes and deals with constant congestion.

It’s pretty pathetic.

We’ve been making some changes to their diets and lifestyle and one part of that is reducing gluten. Our efforts seem to be paying off.

No puffy eyes in the mornings and less congestion (although it’s not entirely gone).

Friends, please understand that this is by no means medical advice and that ultimately, I’m a complete supporter of talking with your doctor and doing what is best for your own family.

Period.

But, as they say, this is my blog so I’m going to talk about what I know. And what I know is that these gluten free graham crackers are amazing! And with more and more people I know needing to avoid gluten, it’s a recipe I’m so excited to have on hand for this summer.

S’mores season is around the corner and our fire pit works tirelessly all summer long. With fires comes marshmallow roasting and s’mores making! To get ready for the season, I wanted to try my hand at making a batch of gluten free graham crackers.

I have used various traditional graham cracker recipes in the past, but with all of gluten free baking flours available now, gluten free baking is more accessible than ever. I tried a few of my favorites to see what translated best into gluten free and I found a winner!

These gluten free graham crackers are sweetened with honey and spiced with cinnamon. The gluten free flour kept them a little on the pale side, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone because they were gobbled up in no time. Here are a few tips that will help with your gluten free graham crackers.

Gluten Free Graham Crackers Baking Tips

• Use store bought gluten free flour blend or homemade. I tried this recipe with a few popular brands of gluten free baking flour and they turned out great. Be sure to use a brand that says it can be a 1 to 1 replacement for wheat flour.
• Add milk slowly. I found that I needed to add a bit more milk as I finished stirring together the dough. Add it in slowly so that you don’t over do it.
• The rolling of the dough is easy! I hate rolling out dough. It’s really not my jam, but this dough rolled very well. Just sprinkle a little extra gluten free flour on your parchment and rolling pin to keep it from sticking. Voila!
• The thinner you roll the dough, the crispier the crackers will be. These gluten free crackers have that distinctive graham cracker flavor and texture – they’re incredible!
• A batch of gluten free graham crackers stays fresh at room temp in an air tight container for about 1 week. But, you can seal them up and pop them in the freezer for longer storage.

Did you know that Campfire® Marshmallows are gluten free? Pair them with these gluten free graham crackers and some gluten free chocolate (most chocolate is, but just double check yours) and you have an epic gluten free dessert!

In fact, Campfire® marshmallows are free from most major allergens. They are THE BEST to keep on hand whenever you’re planning a s’mores night or need to whip up an allergy friendly treat.

We made some indoor oven s’mores using Campfire® mini white marshmallows. It’s been hovering around 40° here and indoor s’mores were all I had the energy for.

And they were perfect! Crispy, sweet, and held the melty chocolate and toasted marshmallows just the way a graham cracker should.

Looking for more gluten free desserts?

• Toasted Coconut Marshmallow Treats
• Tropical Fruit Marshmallow Fluff Salad
• Almond Butter & Jelly Marshmallow Treats

Happy Monday!

The post Gluten Free Graham Crackers appeared first on Jelly Toast.

This post is sponsored on behalf of Campfire® Marshmallows.

It’s Easter weekend and for me, the official start of Spring. A & C have the entire week off of school next week and I am planning on some serious chill time.

Chill time is mandatory on Spring break. Fingers crossed the weather will warm up a bit so we can get some much needed fresh air.

I am clearly on a fruity/coconut combination the last month. Remember my Tropical Fruit Marshmallow Fluff Salad?

Yeah, that fluff is awesome and should totally be on your Easter menu.

But let’s talk marshmallow treats. Specifically these toasted coconut marshmallow treats. Or cereal treats.

Whatever you call them, they’re #1 in our house.

In fact, one of my favorite things to make with marshmallows are classic cereal treats with a big old twist.

In the case of these toasted coconut marshmallow treats, the twist is using rice squares instead of crisp rice cereal. Then adding in big toasted coconut flakes and some fruity mini marshmallows for little pockets of flavor and color.

Two kinds of marshmallows mean double the fun

These toasted coconut marshmallow treats use two kinds of Campfire® Marshmallows: mini white marshmallows and mini fruit marshmallows.

The white mini marshmallows get melted with butter in order to hold these no-bake treats together. They bring a soft vanilla flavor that compliments all the other ingredients.

Then, a handful of colored minis adds fruity flavor while keeping the separate fruit flavors in tact.

It’s my favorite way to use the colored minis in treats!

Top the entire batch off with melted white chocolate, more toasted coconut flakes, and some sprinkles.

Because why the heck not? Let’s go big or go home.

I have lots of no-bake goodness planned for our kitchen next week. There is something about not baking that gets me really excited.

Like these Toasted Coconut Marshmallow Treats? Check out these other no-bake spring dessert recipes:

• No-Bake Marshmallow Cheesecake
• Almond Butter and Jelly Marshmallow Treats
• Marshmallow Ice Cream Pie

Have a very Happy Easter!

The post Toasted Coconut Marshmallow Treats & a Video appeared first on Jelly Toast.

Happy Thursday!

This week felt like a good week to catch up.

Lent has gone by so quickly. Has it gone fast for you, too?

I feel like the true start of Spring is after Easter. Being in Ohio, it’s always cold here until about the middle of April. True story, it’s been 30 degrees and rainy for the past few days.

So, let’s focus on some sunshine, colorful goodness, shall we?

Here are a few things that I’m loving right now! From Easter egg ideas, last minute recipe ideas, and just plain fun stuff (hello, Netflix, my old friend).

Let’s get to it!

• I’m pulling out this fun and simple Easter Egg dyeing ideas out this weekend for sure!
• Not into food coloring? Check out these Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs.
• When you get assigned a last minute vegetable side dish for Easter.
• When you want to bring something sweet and Springy that comes together in minutes.
• When you want to take deviled eggs to the next level!!
• The Good Place is positively the smartest and most clever show I have see in years. BINGE IT! (first season on Netflix, second season on the NBC app).
• The new (and last season) of New Girl is starting April 10th and I am feeling very happy/sad about the whole thing. (Seasons 1-5 are on Netflix, Season 6 is available on the Fox app)
• My kids have been reading the Wrinkle in Time series and have been loving them! We went and saw the movie a couple of weeks ago but it was just ok. Have you seen it? Did you like it?
• My mom and sister got me hooked on The Crown. Woah! As someone who really doesn’t care one way or the other about the royal family, I was shocked at how much I loved this show. Also on Netflix!
• I have been trying to find another show/movie on Netflix to watch, but have been struggling. I have started quite a few only to fizzle out when they get boring (Seven Seconds, The Five, the newest season of Grace and Frankie, The Frankenstein Chronicles, Santa Clarita Diet, Love). Do you like any of these? Do I need to give them another chance?
• What are you loving on Netflix right now? I need some new recommendations!!

I hope you all have a very happy and blessed Easter!

xoxo

Emily

The post Thursday Thoughts // Easter Edition appeared first on Jelly Toast.