Candy Cane Christmas Cookies

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I shared Brian’s grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe on the blog back in 2017, and today I’m sharing those same cookies with a twist that’s perfect for the holidays… candy cane! 

Before I talk about the new recipe, let’s revisit the original recipe… these chocolate chip cookies are the epitome of the perfect cookie.  They are gooey on the inside and chewy around the edges and they are, by far, my favorite chocolate chip cookies of all-time, homemade or store-bought.

Last Christmas, Brian decided to add a little twist to the OG cookie recipe to make something special for Christmas Eve, and y’all, just when I thought the original cookies couldn’t get any better, they did. 

These are spectacular!  They were so good that I literally grabbed a plateful to photograph last Christmas Eve right after Brian made them because I knew I’d want to post them on the blog this year.  So, the pictures you’re seeing today were actually taken last Christmas Eve!  We plan to have them again this year, and I can’t wait! 

Enough rambling… let’s get to the recipe!   

Use It

Large mixing bowl

Small mixing bowl

Chopper (Brian used this to chop the Hershey Kisses quickly and easily)

Cookie sheet

Cookie dough scoop

 

Buy It

2 1/4 cups sifted flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup shortening (we use Crisco)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla

30 Candy Cane Hershey Kisses, chopped (one bag is more than enough)

 

Make It

1.    Combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

 

2.    In a separate large bowl, combine shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar.

 

3.    Add eggs and vanilla to shortening and sugar mixture.

 

4.    Add flour mixture to shortening and sugar mixture.

 

5.    Stir in chopped Candy Cane Hershey Kisses.

 

6.    Drop dough in small balls onto a greased cookie sheet.  (We love this scoop.  It makes cookie baking so much easier.)

 

7.    Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

 

8.    Let cool.

 

Makes around 30 cookies.

The peppermint to cookie ratio is perfect… the mint isn’t overpowering at all, so you get the best of both worlds – the mint and the flavor of the actual cookie. 

These cookies are an absolute delight, and I hope you enjoy them!  Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make them!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

Five Quick and Easy Meals for Busy Nights

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During the school year, there’s little time to cook since I’m running the kids to all of their after-school activities, so most nights, I cook meals that are quick, that don’t dirty a lot of pots and pans (who has the time to clean up a massively filthy kitchen?), and that are fairly nutritious. 

Today, I’m sharing five of my favorites of all-time.  These are in our regular rotation always, and they’re all easy and delicious. 

One Pan Sausage and Vegetables

This dish is healthy, it only requires one pan (easy cleanup!), and if you use a chopper like this one, prep time is only 10-15 minutes.  The best part is that you can customize it to your family’s liking by omitting and/or adding different veggies to try a different combination every time.  And you don’t have to deal with any raw meat!  You can see the whole recipe here.

One Pan Beef and Parmesan Pasta

This meal is another one that only uses one pan, making cleanup a breeze, and the entire meal is ready from start to finish in less than 30 minutes.  It’s SO satisfying and delicious, too.  I’ve been making it for probably 15 years!  See the recipe here.

One Pan Chicken, Red Potatoes, and Broccoli

While this meal does have to bake for an hour, the prep time is minimal (about 15 minutes), and again, it only requires one pan!  Therefore, you can pop it in the oven, tackle some tasks while you wait for the oven to do all of the work, and then just pull it out and serve.  See the recipe here.

Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

This stir fry recipe is delicious, it packs a lot of protein and veggies, and again, you can customize this one by omitting and/or adding any veggies of your choice.  This recipe is ready from start to finish in just about 30 minutes.  You can see the recipe here.

Easy Mini Pizzas Using Biscuit Dough

And finally, if you’re looking for a real crowd-pleaser, these mini pizzas made on biscuit dough instead of crust are DE-LISH.  You can add whatever toppings you like, and these are ready in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  They also only dirty one sheet pan.  See the recipe here.

All of these are well-loved, most of them are healthy, and they’re all quick and easy for your busiest weeknight.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!

Quick and Easy Protein-Packed Microwave Egg Bowls

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One of my goals for 2024 was to add more protein to my diet, and I recently found a very quick and easy way to do that.  These microwave egg bowls take all of five minutes to make, they’re super easy, the ingredients are easy to keep on hand, cleanup is easy, and they pack a whopping 26.5 grams of protein per bowl.  Oh, and they allow you to get some greens, too. 

The best part is that they’re great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a midday snack!

Use It

Bowl (just a standard cereal or soup bowl)

 

Buy It

2 Eggs (I use extra-large)

1/4 cup cottage cheese (I use the low-fat Daisy cottage cheese)

Handful of baby kale, shredded (or you could add spinach, too!)

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I like Kraft extra sharp)

Sprinkle of salt (I use Himalayan pink sea salt)

 

Make It

1.    Crack both eggs directly into your bowl and whisk until smooth.

2.    Add cottage cheese and whisk together.

3.    Toss in baby kale and salt and stir until combined.

4.    Pop in the microwave on high for 1-minute.  Remove and stir.  Put back in the microwave for 1 more minute and stir.  If not totally cooked through, add 30 additional seconds until eggs are fully cooked.

5.    Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.

 

The cottage cheese will take your eggs to a whole new level – it makes them SO fluffy and delicious – and even if you don’t like cottage cheese, you can totally eat this because you don’t taste the cottage cheese at all!  I’m telling you, you will never want to eat eggs without it again!

That cottage cheese is also the key ingredient for that extra protein! 

This entire meal takes about two minutes of prep time and then 2-2.5 minutes of cooking time so it’s a great way to get a healthy meal in a hurry, and it’s PACKED with protein.  Here’s the breakdown:

2 extra-large eggs = 14 grams

1/4 cup cottage cheese = 6.5 grams

1/4 cup shredded cheddar = 6 grams

And if you’re looking to add even more protein to your bowl, you can add two tablespoons of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides for an additional 18 grams bringing your bowl to a whopping 44.5 grams!  Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides is awesome because it adds not only protein, but also 20 grams of collagen which is essential for healthy hair, skin, and nails.  They are flavorless and add zero texture or taste to your bowl!

I started taking it a couple of weeks ago and I can’t wait to report back and let y’all know what I think!

I usually pair my egg bowl with an apple or some blueberries and that keeps me full all morning or afternoon.

Happy eating!

Valentine’s Day Fruit Board

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I made this sweet little fruit board for my Galentine’s Day brunch last weekend, and it was a hit… and it was soooo easy to put together!

Use It

Board or serving tray (this heart-shaped board is cute, too!)

Ramekins

Heart-shaped cookie cutters

 

Buy It

Strawberries

Watermelon

Blackberries

Vanilla yogurt (or chocolate, etc.)

Chocolate covered pretzel hearts (or any other festive candy)

 

Make It

1.    Cut watermelon into slices and then punch out hearts with your cookie cutter.

2.    Arrange ramekins on the tray.

3.    Arrange fruit around the ramekins.

4.    Fill ramekins with yogurt and treats.

 

Simple, yet adorable!  This would be perfect for any breakfast, brunch, party, or get-together.  It would even be cute for a class party!

Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day, y’all!

*Linking up with Slices of Life for Encouraging Hearts and Home: Crafty Inspiration

Easy Chocolate Ghost Cupcake Toppers

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I’ve been seeing these adorable ghosts all over social media, and I wanted to try my hand at them.  It turns out that they’re super easy to make, and they’re tasty, too.  You could make a batch of these little guys and put them on any treat to make them instantly festive for Halloween.  I decided to add mine to some cupcakes, and they make the absolute cutest little cupcake toppers! 

The best part about the recipe is that you can make the ghosts any color you want!  All you need is a little bit of food coloring.

Use It

Parchment Paper (we use this brand)

Cheese Spreader (these are great!)

 

Buy It

White Melting Chocolates (I used these)

Food Coloring (whatever color you want the ghosts to be... I used these)

Black Writing Gel or Frosting (I used this)

 

Make It

1.    Add melting chocolates to a bowl.  I used about 1/4 cup, and it made seven ghosts.

2.    Heat melting chocolates in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir.  Add back to the microwave until chocolates are completely melted.  Remove and stir again. 

3.    Add one drop of food coloring to your melted chocolate and stir.  To make pink, I used one single drop of red food coloring, but you can add additional drops of color until the desired color is reached.  Trust me, though, a little bit of food coloring goes a LONG way.

4.    Spoon melted chocolate onto parchment paper.

5.    Using the cheese spreader, smear the chocolate down into a ghost shape.

6.    Repeat steps four and five for however many ghosts as you need.

7.    Wait for chocolate to harden.  It only took about 15 minutes to harden while sitting on my countertop, but you could put them in the refrigerator to cool and harden them faster.

8.    Using writing gel or writing frosting, draw faces on each of the ghosts.

You can then peel the ghosts right off of the parchment paper.  They come off so easily, and once hardened, they’re sturdy enough to use for all kinds of things… like my cute little cupcake toppers!  They would also be cute on brownies, on a cake, on a dessert or charcuterie board, or even on a plate all by themselves!  The possibilities are endless!

If you make these, I would love to see them!  Be sure to tag me @lindsayssweetworld on Instagram!  

Candy Corn Fruit Skewers

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If you’re looking for a fun and festive and EASY snack for your Halloween party or Halloween dinner, I have you covered!  I came up with this idea recently when I was brainstorming potential Halloween snack ideas, and after searching the internet high and low I couldn’t find anything like it anywhere!  It’s so hard to be original these days with blogs and Pinterest and social media, so I’m excited to share these today!      

How stinking cute are these candy corn fruit skewers?!  Y’all, they were the absolute easiest things to throw together and we already had all of the ingredients at our house.  I also love that they’re healthy for the most part, but that they do have that one little pop of sweetness on the top.  It’s the perfect balance.

Use It

Pineapple corer (we have this one)

Toothpicks (you could use plain ones or even fun Halloween ones)

 

Buy It

Pineapple (we always purchase them whole and slice our own)

Mandarin oranges (we love Cuties, but you could also use pre-packaged)

Mini marshmallows

 

Make It

1.    Cut the top off of your pineapple.

2.    Use the pineapple corer to extract the pineapple.  This will create a big tower of rings.

3.    Using a knife, slice each ring into quarters to make 2-inch wide slices as seen in the pictures.

4.    Peel your oranges.

5.    Load one slice of pineapple onto a toothpick.

6.    Load one slice of orange onto a toothpick right above the pineapple.

7.    Top with a mini marshmallow.

You’re done!  So easy, right?  Brian and I purchased this pineapple corer years ago, and we haven’t bought pre-sliced or canned pineapple since then.  You can buy an entire pineapple for just $2.99, and it only takes about one minute to core it and slice it.  It’s one of our favorite kitchen gadgets ever and it has saved us a ton of money!  Have you ever priced pre-cut pineapple?!  OMG. 

Anyway, these little candy corn fruit skewers were cheap and easy to make… you could even put your kids to work making these!  Just remind them to be careful with the toothpicks.  ;o)

If you make these and share them on Instagram, I would love to see them!  Be sure to tag me @lindsayssweetworld!   

Happy snack-making, y’all! 

The Best Hot Toddy + Immune Booster for Everything That Ails You

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A steaming hot toddy is always the first thing I reach for when I’m feeling under the weather.  In the south, hot toddies are a widely used remedy for everything that ails you, particularly when you’re experiencing a sore throat or a cough.  Since I was raised in Georgia, I’m certainly no stranger to the hot toddy, and today I’m going to share my family’s recipe with a little twist that I added a few years back… it’s the key to helping jumpstart the immune system!    

The ginger mint tea is a great immune booster, honey is great for soothing a scratchy/sore/itchy throat, and lemon juice can help loosen mucus.  The whiskey helps your body sweat out toxins (seriously, you will sweat like crazy as you drink it!), and it will also give you the best night of sleep of your life… there is no sleep like hot toddy sleep!  Sometimes it’s the only thing that helps me sleep when I’m not feeling well.  And the best part is that I always wake up feeling refreshed!

My Mama Cass was the first person to ever make a hot toddy for me one time when I was sick with the flu, and it was the only thing that gave me enough relief to allow me to sleep.  Ever since then, I’ve been a huge fan, and I now make them for many different reasons – when I’m sick, when I feel like I could possibly be getting sick, when somebody else in the house is sick and I’m trying to avoid getting sick, when I can’t sleep (which is rare), and even when I’m experiencing extra aches and pains from my period. 

Every time I post one of my hot toddies on social media, I get tons of DMs from people asking for the recipe, so I thought I’d finally go ahead and type it up to live here on the blog forever.  I’ve sent the recipe out dozens of times already, so this is long overdue!

For this recipe, I use all of the ingredients my Mama Cass uses in hers, and I put my own spin on it by adding a teabag that helps boost immunity.  It’s never a bad thing to add an extra layer of protection for the immune system when you’re under the weather!

Use It

Coffee Mug (so many cute options here)

 

Buy It

4-8 oz. hot water (I typically use only 4 oz. because I like mine to be strong)

1 Ginger Mint Tea Bag (I use Celestial Seasonings Daily Wellness Organic Ginger Mint)

2 oz. Bourbon/Whiskey (I use Jack Daniels, but you can use anything)

1 Tbsp. Honey (I always use local honey as it can help build immunity to local allergens)

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (I use bottled, but you could use fresh squeezed, too)

 

Make It

 1.    Steep tea bag in HOT water for 3-5 minutes.

2.    Add bourbon/whiskey, honey, and lemon juice.

3.    Stir.

4.    Drink it as hot as you can stand it.

 

It’s simple, it’s easy to make, and the ingredients can easily be kept on hand so you’re always prepared.  Sick season is upon us, my friends, so be sure to stock up!

Bottoms up!