No Bake Mango Cheese Pie

Monday, December 29, 2014
This is a 1970s-style no-bake cheese pie made with sweetened condensed milk, with the added Mango fruit topping this dessert is an absolute game-changer in flavor.

We love tropical desserts and it sure to get your imagination and palate soaring to warm sunny Islands with that first bite!.

The cream cheese together with the milk is a match made in creamy heaven, and can be made in a snap and perfect for that last-minute dinner party, backyard bbq or because you want to indulge in a tropical dessert experience.

The pie has a graham cracker crust and easy-to-find simple ingredients to make a smooth creamy filling with ripe mangoes.

Check out this vintage easy recipe not only simple to make but it's a no-bake delicious cheesecake pie with a fabulous mango glaze, whipped cream, and coconut tropical delight!

If you love no-bake treats you won't want to miss our Holiday No-Bake Treats for Christmas, they're so easy and lots of fun to make!

Also, the glaze on top can be made with any fruit you prefer, topped with whipped cream, and garnished with the same fruits!

Scroll down to the recipe card for our easy recipe and hit print to avoid any ads.


delicious no bake sweetened condensed milk pie with mango and toasted coconut


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Christmas Tree Recipe Ideas

Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Every year I try something new and creative with my Christmas Tree Pan here are just a few suggestions this year.

I used it for my Krispie treats tinted with green food coloring, always a favorite at any function.

This pan can be purchased at any dollar store or you can find one online. You can make some very festive treats with this shaped pan.

I left mine plain for a good visual but just think how festive you can dress this up. Use some color sprinkles, sugar decorations, maraschino cherries, cut out mini star cookies etc.

Use some creative imagination and this is perfect for school parties, events and more, anything disposable works great to and the perfect shaped mold for the holidays!!






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Cornflake Holiday Wreaths

Friday, December 19, 2014
Made with melted butter and marshmallows these 1960s-style Christmas Holiday Cornflake Wreaths are a great festive addition to your holiday cookie tray.

Fun and easy to make and the kids love to help decorate with the cinnamon red hot candies!

This recipe is super easy to make in minutes and brightens up festively on any table setting during the Christmas Holiday season.

Growing up we made these for the tops of our cookie trays for a festive finishing touch.

This easy cornflake and marshmallow cookie candy are just perfect for dressing up your holiday tables.

Besides tasting delicious they are so super easy to make in minutes with just a few ingredients.


cookie tray with cornflake wreaths



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Baked Pumpkin Spiced Rice Pudding

Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Just when you think you have had everything pumpkin imaginable comes along another great idea. This shouts fall and Holiday dessert all over the place. Love the ease of this recipe as it is baked in the oven. Delicious and a nice change of pace. Scroll down to see this is a smash hit this fall season using pumpkin!



this is a rice pudding with pumpkin and spices cooking on the stove top then baked then garnished with whipped cream and cinnamon sticks and a dash or cinnamon and sugar on top




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Sausage Eggs Potatoes Giambotta

Monday, December 15, 2014
In every Italian household we would have leftovers, and make it for breakfast or another meal for Sunday dinner we called Giambotta.

Although giambotta is really a stew in Italian with eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, potato, onion, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil are common ingredients and usually served as a main course, or alongside grilled meats, such as sausage or swordfish, pasta, polenta, or rice we do a breakfast version with all kinds of additions to eggs.

Whisk up some eggs and just about anything you have in the refrigerator goes into the pan and with the addition of fresh cubed tomatoes, you have a breakfast stew of sorts.

Meats, potatoes, cheeses, onions, and just about anything else your little heart desires.

The sausage peppers and potatoes were our classic favorites and like a big frittata.

Remember to use only Authentic Italian crusty bread when making a giambotta sandwich never American bread.





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Rugelach Filled Butter Horns

Friday, December 12, 2014
Rugelach (pronounced rug-a-lah) is a buttery pastry-style cookie with a variety of fillings.

This cookie originating in the Jewish communities of Poland is a delicious addition to your cookie collections.

These flaky buttery cookies are very popular in Israel, commonly found in most cafes and bakeries.

Traditional rugelach is made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling.

You may also seen this cookie/pastry spelled differently IE rugelakh, rugulach, rugalach, ruggalach, rogelach, rugalah, rugulah, rugala.

The dough is made with butter and cream cheese, the filling has jam, nuts, and spices and we have several recipe fillings to choose from in our favorite filling section below.

Scroll down to this easy rugelach recipe and let's get baking!


these are little horn shaped cookies filled with nuts, cinnamon in flakey pastry dough


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Make Your Own Homemade Sanding Sugars

Wednesday, December 10, 2014
If you are looking for How to Make Colorful sugar at home you found the right page!

This easy DIY way to make sand sugar is so easy, there will never be a reason to go out and buy those little jars of it anymore.

The more important ingredient to have on hand besides sugar is food coloring either in liquid or gel style.

The liquid will take longer to dry but both work perfectly in achieving results.

If you love saving money and making homemade staples like this one you may also like to visit our Homemade Pantry Recipes.

Just remember to also have either mason jars or ziplock bags to store the colors in especially if you're making of a bunch of colors.

For your convenience, I have typed out a printable recipe card so you can keep this one hand when needed at the bottom of this page.




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Santa Nutter Butter Hat

Sunday, December 7, 2014
Santa is made from the famous Nutter Butter Cookies, easy and festive looking for Christmas in a child's eye and young at heart.


These can be made sure easy or if you're a creative decorator, use professional cake decorating tools for a smooth look.


We took the easy way out and used melted chocolate, canned frosting, tic tacs, and red cinnamon hots for the nose.


All you have to do is put that creative juice to work and you can adapt away however you like.


We also used sanding red sugar for the Santa hat for a little glistening highlight.


Super easy instructions and really nothing to it, but the kids will love helping you make these festive Christmas Cookies.


If you're not a baker or like to make fun treats, these will be your new favorite cookies for the holidays.


santa nutter butter cookies made into santa


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Savory Filled Tarlet Dough Recipes

Tuesday, December 2, 2014
So versatile, making these open faced tartlet shells for savory appetizers. Bake and fill with whatever you want. Here will be the dough recipe and many filling suggestions to get that party started! Perfect for weddings, showers or elegant get together. These are a great appetizer for your
Holiday get togethers or game day fun!

You will need:
mini tartlet pans
spray oil to grease the tartlet pans


Recipe for Dough:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks cold unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 to 8 tablespoons of ice cold water


Place the flour and butter into a food processor pulse to blend looking like coarse meal. Add one tablespoon of water at a time until dough forms. Do not overwork or will result in a tough dough. Squeeze the dough in your hand to see if it holds together if not add more water. Refrigerator for an hour.
Roll out dough into small squares to fit tartlet pans that have been sprayed with cooking oil.

Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned. Cool completed and fill with suggestions below. 

Savory Avocado Feta and Tomato Recipe:


1 avocado cleaned then diced
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and fill cooled open faced pastry shells.


Crab Meat and Herb Filling Recipe:


2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup toasted cubes garlic bread
1/2 cup jumbo crabmeat
1 1/2 ounce Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt pepper to taste


Sauté garlic for 1 minutes in 1 tablespoon olive oil Add 1 tablespoons white wine and crab. Saute 1 more minute. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Fill tartlets.


Chicken Waldorf Salad:


1 Chicken breast boneless cubed, boiled and drained
1 small gala apple
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup cup golden raisins, craisins or other dried fruit
3 tablespoons or more peppercorn ranch dressing

Mix all together in a bowl and refrigerate over night for the best results. Add more dressing if  this seems a little dry for you.

Mexican Filled:

1 can Refried beans
1/2 cup Salsa
Mix together
Shredded Sharp Cheddar for garnish

Other fillings: egg salad, tuna salad, ham salad,  chopped turkey and mayo, chicken salad, bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Note:
For those who also would like to make dessert with these tartlets. Using your favorite pudding recipe or store bought. Fill cooled tartlets with pudding top with fruit of choice and a dollop of
whipped cream on top.


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Cookie Cutter Sandwich Idea Recipe Video

Monday, December 1, 2014

Hoping to impress the kids or guests with some creative food art that's easy? How about bringing them to work, school or any party.  Here is a great selection to match the theme of your event. Anyone can get creative and make these with little fuss and the whole family can enjoy the fun of eating them. These finger sandwiches are festive on any table no matter what the occasion or Holiday is everyone will love them!









Filling suggestions:

Turkey breast chopped fine to add some mayo or ranch dressing to moisten
Chicken chopped adding peppercorn ranch dressing, raisins, diced apples
Peanut butter and jelly
Egg Salad using chopped boiled eggs and mayo
Tuna Salad using canned tuna, mayo and some chopped black olives
Ham Salad using chopped ham, chopped pineapple, and mayo
Pepperoni, Capicola, Mortadella all chopped together in small pieces add some Italian dressing and shredded lettuce
Cream cheese spread on the bread and add canned drained crab meat or baby shrimp

Use any metal cookie cutter you like to the theme of the holiday or event. See examples below:

Valentines Day: Heart shaped Cookie Cutter
St. Patricks Day: Shamrock Cookie Cutter
Halloween: Pumpkin Cookie Cutter
Birthday: Use a favorite Character Cookie Cutter 
Christmas: Use a tree, star, snowman etc.
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