Will Cook For Smiles

Skinny Piña Colada Float

lyuba — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:36:25 +0000

I have a very easy, skinny and such a delicious dessert idea today! It’s a Skinny Piña Colada Float…yummo!

I absolutely love the area where we live but it has quite a few drawbacks. These drawbacks include living within walking distance of Target, Michaels and Home Goods. Also, living across the street from Starbucks, Cold Stone and…the mall!! Yes, I stopped wondering why I don’t have any money.

The little man absolutely loves living across the street from the ice cream shop because mommy takes him there for a treat two-three times a month. Last week, he had a very good day at school so I took him there for an ice cream treat. While we were sharing our ice cream, I got a craving for a soda float.

It’s been years since I’ve had a float and you know, once you get a craving for something, it doesn’t go away easily. I thought for a while how I can cut some calories off a float and make it my favorite tropical flavor. First thing I decided to use is Sparkling ICE water. It’s my absolute favorite 0-soda. Then, I went on a hunt for a coconut frozen yogurt. I could have sworn that I’ve seen a coconut frozen yogurt before and tried it. Of course, once you are looking for something, every store happens to be out. I did find coconut frozen yogurt pops! Why not, I’ll just take it off the stick and cut it up. Totally worked!

This amazing skinny float is very easy to make!

You need:

1 to 2 Sparkling Ice Coconut Pineapple Water bottles

4 Coconut Frozen Yogurt pops (or frozen yogurt bars, 2 scoops per mug)

Steps:

1. Cool the mugs that you will be using for the floats. (in the fridge for about 30+ minutes)

2. Cut the frozen yogurt pops off the stick and cut them into chunks. (If using frozen yogurt just scoop two scoops per mug.)

3. Slowly, aiming to the side, pour in the sparkling water until full.

Sit by the pool and enjoy!! (Or pretend, that’s what I do!)

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Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

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The WCFS Award Show – Link Party #13

lyuba — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:17 +0000

Lucky link party number 13!!

Hope you had a nice Mother’s day weekend last week! I certainly did. I’ve been sharing the recipes that my sister and I whipped up last weekend. You can go and check out the Coconut Cheesecake, Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins and Smothered Sweet Potato Fries.

I have some exciting news to share! I got the Graduate Teaching Assistant position with the university! I’m so excited, it will be a great way to learn all the ins and outs since I want to eventually teach. Can’t wait for the fall semester to start.

We’ve had some awesome links at the last week’s link party, so much inspiration! Thanks for coming and enjoy the features:

Smothered Sweet Potato Fries

lyuba — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:29:55 +0000

I’m continuing sharing the recipes from our fun Mother’s Day weekend with Smothered Sweet Potato Fries. This delicious appetizer is made with pepper jack cheese and crispy bacon bits.

This smothered sweet potato fries was our lunch last weekend. My sister and I shared this and it was incredibly delicious and filling. The flavor combination works perfectly. My sister is gaga over sweet potato fries, so I thought it would be a perfect treat for us.

You can pre-cook the bacon and that way it will only take you about half an hour to make this fries. I also like to bake my fries instead of frying it to cut some calories.

Smothered Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

15-20 oz of sweet potato fries (I like Alexia)
1 cup of chopped, cooked bacon
3 oz pepper jack cheese
salt

Instructions

Bake the sweet potato fries according to the package until crispy.
Spread half of the fries over the plate that is oven safe. Lightly salt.
Grate half of the cheese over the fries and sprinkle with half of the bacon.
Spread the remaining half of fries over the top.
Grate the remaining cheese, evenly, over fries and sprinkle with remaining bacon. Add a little more salt over the top.
Bake for about 3-5 minutes at 400.

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Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

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Food Fight Party: Submit Your Ice Cream and Fruit Pops

lyuba — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:00:58 +0000

This was such a close food fight this month. Cakes put up a good fight but cheesecakes beat them just by a couple of votes.

Cheesecakes WON and here is the parade of the winning team:

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Cheesecake With Chocolate Mousse

To Die For Cheesecake

Rolo Brownie Cheescake

White Chocolate Cheesecake

Banana Split Cheesecake

No Bake Individual Cheesecake

Triple Treat Chocolate Cheesecake

Almond Joy Cheesecake

Halloween Candy Cheesecake

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Carrot Cake Swirl Cheesecake

Creme Brulee Layered Cheesecake

Mocha Oreo Cheesecake

Oreo Cheesecake

Cake Batter C heesecake

Lemon Mousse Cheesecake

Mocha Oreo Cheesecake

Vegan Pistachio Chocolate Cheesecake

Nutella Oreo Cheesecake Deep Dish

Strawberry Cheesecake

Upcoming Fights will be:

This is a monthly party for each upcoming Food Fight. This party is for June’s food fight, so go ahead and submit your homemade ice cream and homemade fruit pops.

This party will be open until a week before the new food fight starts. In this case, it will be open until May 25th. This will give your submissions more exposure and everything will be nicely organized for me. Win/win!

June’s fight will be Homemade Ice Cream vs. Homemade Fruit Pops!

**So go ahead, submit your recipes, must be homemade.

**I don’t care how many you submit, the more for me to choose from!

**Visit others if you like what you see!

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Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

lyuba — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:55 +0000

This is another scrumdeliciousness that my sister and I made this Mother’s Day weekend. She loves my banana bread so I decided to make it for her and take it up a notch. We made some Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins and they were delicious!

I may have taken a few days off from the blog for Mother’s day but I didn’t take any time off from the kitchen. I love teaching my sister to cook and bake. Although, it can be a little challenging to teach a moody teenager to cook. She did very well though. She actually made the Coconut Cheesecake (with my supervision.)

We were busy this weekend and I will share all the stuff with made with you.

The muffins came out perfectly, so soft and moist! Dark chocolate and banana is a great flavor combination. These muffins can also be easily made into a bread. Just pour the batter into a 9-inch bread pan and enjoy.

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, unsalted and softened
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 medium bananas
4 oz Ghirardelli dark chocolate bar

Instructions

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin pan.
Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each egg.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave at half power for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
Beat in melted chocolate, vanilla and one banana until incorporated.
Mix in flour, baking soda and salt on low speed.
Mush the second banana and fold it in the batter.
Divide the batter between the muffin pan cups (about 3/4 full) and bake for 20-22 minutes.

Notes

Recipe from Lyuba @willcookforsmiles.com

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Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

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I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

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Coconut Cheesecake

lyuba — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:14:36 +0000

I’m back with some deliciousness! Today, I will share the cheesecake that my sister and I made for our mom’s birthday. We made her a coconut cheesecake!

It was Mother’s day this past weekend, as well as, my mom’s birthday. I spent the weekend with my sister and my son while mom had a mini getaway. We had such a wonderful weekend with my two favorite kiddos.

On Sunday, my baby sister and I made a birthday cheesecake for mom. Our mom loves cheesecake, so every year we make it for her birthday. This year, she left the flavor up to us.

We brainstormed for a little while and baby girl came up with coconut. Coconut cheesecake was a perfect decision because mom loves piña coladas, coconut and I noticed a lot of coconut scents around the house.

Truth be told, we all love coconut in the family. If you’re a fan of coconut, this is a perfect cheesecake for you too!

To add some extra coconut flavors, I wanted to use coconut flakes. Flakes are great but not the best for the texture of the cheesecake. Best solution is to mince it very finely. If you have a food processor, go ahead and pulse it a few times. If you don’t, just use a knife to mince the coconut flakes. That way, you can add it to the crust and the cheesecake.

Coconut Cheesecake

Ingredients

For Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 tbs butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbs finely minced coconut flakes
For Cheesecake:
3 8-oz cream cheese packs
3/4 cup of Cream of Coconut
2 tbs sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbs corn starch
1/2 cup of sugar
3 tbs finely minced coconut flakes
For Topping:
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
3 tbs of Cream of Coconut

Instructions

~ Grease a 9-inch spring form, set aside. Preheat the oven to 325.
For crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, minced coconut and vanilla. Stir very well, until all incorporated. Press graham cracker mixture into the pan, evenly, all over the bottom and about half way up the side.
Cheesecake:
Start beating the cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and cream of coconut. Mix until combined.
Add the eggs, one at the time, beating after each addition.
Add the corn starch and coconut flakes. Make sure that all ingredients are well combined.
For topping, combine the coconut flakes (not minced) and cream of coconut, mix well and set aside.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan with crust. Bake for 40 minutes.
Take the cheesecake out and spread the topping evenly over the top. Bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Notes

Recipe from Lyuba @ willcookforsmiles.com

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Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

Don’t leave yet! I have more cheesecake recipes that you can check out:

Almond Joy Cheesecake

Bananas Foster Cheesecake

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Layered Creme Brulee Cheesecake

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The WCFS Award Show – Link Party #12

lyuba — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:12 +0000

Happy Saturday, I hope that everyone is having a great weekend!

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, so if you’re a mom, make sure you sleep in and let everyone pamper you! I’m planning on laying by the pool and having fun with the kiddos. My sister and I will also be baking a cheesecake for mom’s 50th birthday. We’re planning on having loads of fun and wishing you the same!

Last week’s party was great, so many great link-ups! I’m also seeing a lot more clicks! Way to go on checking out each other’s posts.

Let’s get the show on the road by introducing our nominees:

Rocky Road Oatmeal Cookie Bars

lyuba — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:00:54 +0000

I love Rocky Road ice cream and now I have a new favorite! Rocky Road Oatmeal cookie bars are a new kins of special cookie. I’m sharing this special recipe with you today.

I love oatmeal cookies. Even though, I don’t like to discriminate between the cookies, I have to admit that I like oatmeal cookies the most. Ever since I made the Coconut Oatmeal Cookie Bars, I’ve been dying to play around with different types.

A few weeks ago, I got a chance to make some dishes for a potluck study group at school and I made these cookie bars. Yes, it does sound like a fun study group and it was! These oatmeal cookie bars were even more fun.

I’m sorry that it took me so long to share these great cookies, hope you forgive me!

This is going to be a great Mother’s Day weekend for me. I will be spending it with my sister and my little man. We are also celebrating my mom’s 50th birthday! My sister and I are planning on whipping something special for our mom and I can’t wait to share it with you.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!

Rocky Road Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Ingredients

Oatmeal Cookies:
1/3 cup of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of dark brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of old fashioned oats
Topping:
1 cup of mini marshmallows
2/3 cup walnuts
2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350 and lightly greasing the 9x9 pan.
Beat butter and dark brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. It will probably take a couple of minutes.
Add the eggs, one at the time, beating until combined. Beat in the vanilla extract as well.
Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt, mix on low speed until all incorporated.
Add the old fashioned oats and mix it on low speed as well, until just combined.
Spread evenly in the 9x9 pan.
Bake for 20 minutes. Combine the topping ingredients and spread them over the cookie bar. Bake for another 10-13 minutes.

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Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

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Hanging Out With LilLuna – Strawberry Topped Oat Pancakes

lyuba — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:44:37 +0000

Today, I’m hanging out at Kristyn’s while she is preparing for the arrival of her new baby! How perfect would that be if she had her baby this weekend?

That would be wonderful…also because I am betting on this weekend in the little pull that she has (wink.)

Well, I’m sharing a sweet idea for a Mother’s Day breakfast and you should definitely check it out!

Strawberry Topped Oat Pancakes! (Click for the recipe!)

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Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Dip

lyuba — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:09:36 +0000

Happy week before Mother’s Day! I have a nice treat that you can make for your mom or wife or any other special woman in your life. I’m sharing a Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Dip and hoping you will make it and she will love it!

Is everyone excited about Mother’s Day? Do you have big plans this weekend? I bet moms plan to stay in bed while dads take care of the kids, cooking and chores. Waking up to a breakfast in bed prepared by husband and kids would be perfect. Then a day of pampering and being taken care of is just what every woman needs.

I’m sure that we are not all lucky enough to have husbands that can cook so they need some easy ideas to treat their lovey ladies. I have a couple of easy recipe that will help! Today, I am sharing a chocolaty treat and tomorrow, I will share a special breakfast. This hot chocolate cheesecake dip will definitely put a smile of her face. Just about everyone loves chocolate and deserves to indulge on the special day.

It’s also very easy to make, you just need a mixer (hand or stand up), a Handi-foil baking pie dish (so you can easily take it to a special lady if you need to), and 6 ingredients.

Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Dip

Ingredients

2 8oz packs of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbs sugar
1 cup of marshmallows

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8-inch round baking pan.
Combine the cream cheese, heavy cream, vanilla and sugar and mix together.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave at half power for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
Add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture. Mix until all combined.
Transfer the mixture into the baking pan. Cover with marshmallows.
Bake for about 13-15 minutes, until the marshmallows are golden brown.
Serve with some fruit and cookies.

Notes

Recipe from Lyuba @willcookforsmiles.com

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Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

The post Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Dip appeared first on Will Cook For Smiles.

Gift Card Extravaganza! GIVEAWAY

lyuba — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:43 +0000

Good morning and Happy Monday! I know, Monday are not a happy day… Mondays are evil… I hate Mondays…

This is exactly why, I have something to make this day a little better for you!

Get ready to smile on a Monday morning in 3…2…1

That’s right … It’s a gift card extravaganza! The fabulous ladies who bring you the blogs listed below and I have come together to bring you the chance to win four fantastic gift cards (that’s right, winner takes all!) What would you do with $200 to Amazon.com? Or how about $100 to Target? Need a coffee fix? (and we all need one of those on Monday morning.) We’ve got you covered with a $50 Starbucks card. And breakfast, lunch and/or dinner is covered too! With all of the fantastic choices at Panera Bread and your $50 Panera Bread gift card, you won’t starve! Please note, if you live outside of the US and are selected as the winner, you will be given a $400 gift card to Amazon.com. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter.

Thank these wonderful ladies and then enter to win this FANTASTIC prize pack!

This giveaway runs from 8am est, Monday, May 6th and ends on Sunday, May 19th at 11:59pm est. A winner will be announced on Monday, may 20th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Almond Joy Bites

lyuba — Sun, 05 May 2013 14:00:51 +0000

I’m sharing an quick and easy dessert today that can be a perfect addition to any party, from a cocktail party to a kid’s birthday party! I’m sharing Almond Joy Bites, clusters of coconut goodness mixed with toasted almonds and drizzled in chocolate!

Honestly, this was not on the editorial calendar for today. I was going to share something completely different but after making these bites yesterday, I had to move everything over and squeeze them in! These Almond Joy Bites are so easy to make and they are absolutely addicting. I see them being a huge success at a party with kids and adults alike.

I do want to mention one change that I would make the next time I will be making these bites. Next time, I would chop the coconut before mixing them with condensed milk and almonds. It will stick a little better and be less stringy.

Almond Joy Bites

Ingredients

2 cups of shredded coconut
4 1/2 tbs sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (or toast them yourself)
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tbs butter

Instructions

If toasting the almonds yourself: Preheat the over to 400. Spread raw almonds over a baking sheet. Bake for about 4 minutes. Let them cool a little and chop them up.
Chop the coconut flakes and add them to a mixing bowl.
Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the coconut, mix well until all incorporated. (Don't be afraid to mix with your hands because you can mix it much for evenly. Make sure to wash your hands first.)
Add the toasted, chopped almonds and mix until combined.
Form balls with the coconut mixture, pressing them together, hard.
Lay the candy bites on the parchment paper (waxy side up) and chill them for about an hour.
Melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave at half power for about a minute, stirring every 20 seconds.
Drizzle chilled Almond Joy Bites with chocolate.
I recommend keeping the candy in the fridge (and covered of course, so they don't dry out) until ready to serve. They taste great and stay together better after being chilled.

Notes

Recipe from Lyuba @ willcookforsmiles.com

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Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

More Almond Joy and Coconut inspiration:

Almond Joy Cheesecake

Coconut Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Homemade Coconut Syrup

Coconut Cupcakes

The post Almond Joy Bites appeared first on Will Cook For Smiles.

The WCFS Award Show- Link Party #11

lyuba — Sun, 05 May 2013 00:00:02 +0000

Another week has come and gone! I hope your week has been much better than mine though. We haven’t been able to enjoy it as much because it’s been raining non-stop for days! Such a yucky weather and I hate being stuck at home.

I you have any fun indoor activities, go ahead and link them up too!

I do have a peace of fun news to share with you. The babies hatched a little over a week ago and I finally got a chance to snap a picture. There are four of them and they are growing so fast. They are so cute but barely fit in their nest…

Alright! Time for the link party!!

Here are our wonderful nominees, visit them because they are awesomesauce!

Salt and Pepper Shaker Makeover from I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Chocolate Eclair Cake from Lea’s Cooking

Margarita Macaroons from A Sweet Baker

Almond Joy Popcorn from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Brown Butter Crepes Ice Cream Tacos from Half Baked Harvest

The post The WCFS Award Show- Link Party #11 appeared first on Will Cook For Smiles.

Samoas Poke Cake & FOOD FIGHT: Cake vs. Cheesecake

lyuba — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:07:46 +0000

It’s the 1st of the month and you know what that means! FOOD FIGHT!!

Today, the fight is between Cakes and Cheesecakes!

I am also bringing something to the fight…Samoas Poke Cake! Oh yes, you heard me right. I made it today and it is To Die For!!

We have such a wonderful food fight today. Who doesn’t live cakes and cheesecakes? Of course everyone does!

Before we move on to the fight, I want to share this AMAZING Samoa Poke Cake. Every year, when girl scouts start selling their cookies, I have to get a few boxes of Samoas for hubby. He likes them a little too much. If left unattended, he will eat an entire box. We will be lucky if he will stop at one box.

While I was baking this cake, he was hovering over me asking if it was ready yet. Seriously, it was not cool because I have a teeny tiny kitchen. I had to lock both of them out while taking the pictures and when I opened the door they were standing there with plates! It was worth the wait though, the cake is unbelievable!

Samoas Poke Cake

Ingredients

1 box of Yellow Cake mix (Plus ingredients required)
13.4 oz of Dulche De Leche
4 tbs heavy cream
7-8 oz of coconut flakes
3-4 tbs hot fudge

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease an 11x9 cake pan
Mix and bake the cake according to directions.
Once the cake is cooked, cool it for about 10 minutes and poke holes all over the cake.
In a small sauce pot, combine Dulche De Leche and heavy cream. Set the temperature on medium, cook whisking constantly until heated through. Take off heat. Separate in two portions.
Mix the first half of the Dulche De Leche mixture with coconut.
Pour the other half over the cake. Spread it slowly and evenly, pressing gently.
Spread the coconut mixture over the cake. Cool completely.
Drizzle with a hot fudge.

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Ok, ok….On To The Food Fight!!

In the LEFT corner, we have CAKES…

In the RIGHT corner, we have CHEESECAKES…

There were so many delicious recipes linked to the submission party, it was very hard to choose. I barely managed to narrow it down to 50. They will battle and then, you will VOTE! Leave a comment and tell me who do you think is the winner here. The winning team will be shared everywhere I can, for weeks (it will take that long to feature them all)!

The FOOD FIGHT happens right here, every month! I will post the schedule for the upcoming battles (in the side bar) and you can SUBMIT a recipe that you think will help the future team WIN at the party! June’s battle will be … wait for it…
…
…
Fruit Pops vs Ice Cream!

And…

FIGHT!

Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Mousse Heart | Rolo Brownie Cheescake

Watermelon Flavored Cake | Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Oreo Cookies and Cream Cake | Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Explosion Cake | Halloween Candy Cheesecake

Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Frosting | To Die For Cheesecake

Zebra Cake with Salted Meringue | Pumpkin Cheesecake

Chocolate Raising Cake | Almond Joy Cheesecake

Almond Orange Cake | Cheesecake With Chocolate Mousse

Blackberry Daiquiri Cake | Peanut Butter Cheesecake

No Bake Snickers Cake | Vegan Pistachio Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake | Creme Brulee Layered Cheesecake

Rainbow Heart Cake | White Chocolate Cheesecake

Samoas Cake (recipe above) | Banana Split Cheesecake

Carrot Cake | Nutella Oreo Cheesecake Deep Dish Cookie Pie

Strawberries and Cream Cake | No Bake Individual Cheesecake

Chocolate Mud Cake | Lemon Mousse Cheesecake

Strawberry Crumble Cake | Strawberry Cheesecake

Zebra Cake | Mocha Oreo Cheesecake

Jell-O Poke Cake | Cake Batter C heesecake

Triple Chocolate KitKat Cake | Triple Treat Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate Root Beer Bunt Cake | Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Chocolate Beet Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting | Nutella Oreo Cheesecake Cookie Pie

Glazed Blueberry Lemon Cake | Carrot Cake Swirl Cheesecake

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake | Oreo Cheesecake

Fresh Strawberry Cream Torte | Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

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I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

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The post Samoas Poke Cake & FOOD FIGHT: Cake vs. Cheesecake appeared first on Will Cook For Smiles.

Java Chip Muffins

lyuba — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:59:57 +0000

What’s the best thing to have with your morning latte? Java Chip Muffins, of course! There is coffee, there is fudge, there is chocolate chips, all the wonderful things in one.

I buy Silk Iced Latte pretty often, for those busy mornings when I don’t have time to brew a cup. A few days ago, when I got another carton, I decided to get creative and instead of just drinking it, I baked with it.

Cooking and baking is another art form for me, so here is the display of my art! What a delicious art it is!!

While enjoying our delicious muffins and iced latte (some may have been enjoying their second muffin), hubby and I came up with a fun poem:

Soft, moist, chocolatey with a hint of latte….mmmmm, Java Heaven!

Java Chip Muffins

Ingredients

12 tbs butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tbs hot fudge
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup Silk Mocha Latte
1/2 cup chocolate chips
About 2 tbs mini chocolate morsels for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In the large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the vanilla, sour cream, hot fudge and Silk mocha latte. Beat until well combined.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until just mixed.
Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup until almost full (but not completely.)
Sprinkle the muffins with mini chocolate morsels.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are lightly golden on top and a toothpick, inserted in the center, comes out clean.

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I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

*** Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. All the opinions, photographs and text are my own.

The post Java Chip Muffins appeared first on Will Cook For Smiles.

Will Cook For Smiles

Skinny Piña Colada Float

This amazing skinny float is very easy to make!

You need:

1 to 2 Sparkling Ice Coconut Pineapple Water bottles

4 Coconut Frozen Yogurt pops (or frozen yogurt bars, 2 scoops per mug)

Steps:

1. Cool the mugs that you will be using for the floats. (in the fridge for about 30+ minutes)

2. Cut the frozen yogurt pops off the stick and cut them into chunks. (If using frozen yogurt just scoop two scoops per mug.)

3. Slowly, aiming to the side, pour in the sparkling water until full.

Sit by the pool and enjoy!! (Or pretend, that’s what I do!)

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I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

The WCFS Award Show – Link Party #13

Lucky link party number 13!!

Hope you had a nice Mother’s day weekend last week! I certainly did. I’ve been sharing the recipes that my sister and I whipped up last weekend. You can go and check out the Coconut Cheesecake, Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins and Smothered Sweet Potato Fries.

I have some exciting news to share! I got the Graduate Teaching Assistant position with the university! I’m so excited, it will be a great way to learn all the ins and outs since I want to eventually teach. Can’t wait for the fall semester to start.

We’ve had some awesome links at the last week’s link party, so much inspiration! Thanks for coming and enjoy the features:

Most viewed from last party was:

Cheddar Parmesan Bread from Mostly Homemade Mom

Here are the Runners UP:

DIY Herb Garden from Gingersnap Crafts

Candied Lemon Thyme Bread from Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Spring Sunburst Plastic Fork from Pursuit of Functional Home

Pizza Night from Cooking on the Frost Burner

PLEASE don’t link and run. PLEASE look around because we all come here for the same reason…to show off out wonderful projects! DO visit the link that are appealing to you!

Try to spread the word about the party. The more people come and link up, the more people will visit your links!!

Smothered Sweet Potato Fries

This smothered sweet potato fries was our lunch last weekend. My sister and I shared this and it was incredibly delicious and filling. The flavor combination works perfectly. My sister is gaga over sweet potato fries, so I thought it would be a perfect treat for us.

You can pre-cook the bacon and that way it will only take you about half an hour to make this fries. I also like to bake my fries instead of frying it to cut some calories.

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Don’t miss any new posts and recipes from me, subscribe to E-MAIL! Just enter your email in the side bar, you will receive an email for confirmation. Confirm and you are all subscribed! HUGS!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Food Fight Party: Submit Your Ice Cream and Fruit Pops

Cheesecakes WON and here is the parade of the winning team:

Upcoming Fights will be:

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

Coconut Cheesecake

Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

Don’t leave yet! I have more cheesecake recipes that you can check out:

The WCFS Award Show – Link Party #12

Most viewed from last party was:

Here are the Runners UP:

Try to spread the word about the party. The more people come and link up, the more people will visit your links!!

Rocky Road Oatmeal Cookie Bars

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!

Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

Hanging Out With LilLuna – Strawberry Topped Oat Pancakes

Strawberry Topped Oat Pancakes! (Click for the recipe!)

Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Dip

Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

Gift Card Extravaganza! GIVEAWAY

Almond Joy Bites

Make sure you follow me through your favorite blog reader (bloglovin or other), subscribe to emails of follow me through | Facebook| Twitter| Pinterest| so you don’t miss any more recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: I switched the email delivery system! The switch happened in the middle of March. If you subscribed before then, PLEASE re-subscribe to the email in the side bar! HUGS!

I will be sharing this recipe at the wonderful parties in my party tab + Weekend Potluck and Rattlebridge Farm. Swing by and link up your own projects!

Remember to come back and link up to my party on Saturday night!!

More Almond Joy and Coconut inspiration:

Almond Joy Cheesecake

Coconut Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Homemade Coconut Syrup

Coconut Cupcakes

The WCFS Award Show- Link Party #11

Alright! Time for the link party!!

The FOOD FIGHT happens right here, every month! I will post the schedule for the upcoming battles (in the side bar) and you can SUBMIT a recipe that you think will help the future team WIN at the party! June’s battle will be … wait for it…
…
…
Fruit Pops vs Ice Cream!