Toasted Almond Bark

I have to admit, I am way behind on all things holiday. Until this week, putting up our Christmas tree was as far as I had gotten. Now that we're on break from our regular homeschooling routine, I'm huff'n to catch up. Enter, our favorite Christmas candy - Toasted Almond Bark.

This Christmas treat is a clear sign for our household that the holidays have arrived, and it's super easy to put together. Tons (and I mean tons) of toasted almonds get gently pressed into swirled dark and white chocolate. It still amazes me how something so simple and easy to make can be so gosh darn delicious!

Easy Sour Cream Crumble Pie

Easy pie is the best kinda pie. All of the amazing homemade flavor with very little of the homemade work? Now we're talk'n.

This apple version of my Easy Sour Cream Crumble Pie gets drizzled with salted caramel. Yum!

This Easy Sour Cream Crumble Pie can take on all kinds of glorious forms depending on your favorite fruit filling, spices, and drizzles.

Chocolaty Chocolate Dairy Free Ice Cream

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Did you miss me? I sure missed you. Lots going on in the Loverbee household this summer - new job, big move, diet overhaul, homeschool overhaul. More on these fabulous resets at a later date. But before our busy summer ends, I want to share one more ice scream recipe with y'all. This creamy treat is dairy free, intensely chocolaty, and a big favorite in our house.

Our favorite Chocolaty Chocolate Dairy Free Ice Cream!

We make this Chocolaty Chocolate Dairy Free Ice Cream all summer long - all year long, really.

Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl

Anybody else sad about the weather getting warmer? Only me? I know, I know, most people love it. Summer fun in the sun and all that jazz. As for me, I've been busy pretending it's not really happening and enjoying one of my favorite cold weather drinks in ice cream form - Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl.

Tea anyone? Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl, that is.

This creamy tea infused frozen treat is swirled with a touch of sweet and tangy lemon curd. Perfect for any summer tea party or for that tea lover in your life.

Loaded Coffee Ice Cream

If you don't have an ice cream maker yet, get one! I know, how bossy of me. Trust me on this one, though. You're not gonna regret it. See my Amazon pick below for the simple and affordable machine I use. Plus, this ice cream is worth every cent. You'll be glad you invested.

Chunks of sugar cone and swirls of hot fudge and caramel send this Loaded Coffee Ice Cream over the top.

This Loaded Coffee Ice Cream is Matthew's all time favorite. Loaded with sugar cone pieces this simple, but lovely, coffee flavored ice cream is a real winner. Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention the swirls of hot fudge and caramel. Silly me. This ice cream is a coffee lovers dream! Think jamoca almond fudge - but better!

Caramel Chai Ice Cream

Last summer I was obsessed with popsicles. (You may have noticed. Hee, hee.) The summer before that I was all about homemade ice cream. I thought I'd share some of our family's favorite creations with y'all since summertime is just around the corner. First on the docket is this fabulous Caramel Chai Ice Cream.

Ribbons of caramel get swirled into this perfectly chai spiced easy ice cream. You're gonna love it! If you have yet to purchase an ice cream maker, I highly recommend it. Making homemade ice cream is so fun and so yummy. I have a simple inexpensive machine. See my Amazon picks below to see the one I own. It does a bang up job!!

Rice Cakes 6 Ways

I know what you're thinking. Rice cakes? Really? Isn't that like soooooooooo 1980's? This blast from the past has come to be one of our favorite family snacking options. As I've been exploring the world of gluten free snacking for me and the fam, we've tried a variety of spreads and toppings to turn these gloriously blank canvases into primo snacks.

Expand your snacking horizons with our favorite rice cake spreads and toppings.

Here are a few of our favorite rice cake snacking options:

Victoria Sandwich Whoopie Pies

Anyone else addicted to all things The Great British Baking Show? I've been dying to make Mary Berry's Victoria sandwich cake and decided to turn it into a whoopie pie, 'cause, well, you know how I am. 😉

Fancy something fancy? Try these gorgeous Victoria Sandwich Whoopie Pies.

I used a cake mix to bake up the cakes. I also subbed in my favorite vanilla frosting for the usual buttercream or whipped cream.

Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cake and ice cream. What's a birthday without cake and ice cream, right? Okay, okay. Some of us could totally do without the ice cream. Others of us could replace the whole shebang with a big ol' fat pie. But I digress.

Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches take cake and ice cream to a whole new level!

These Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches are the whole package. The flavor of vanilla cake speckled with sprinkles, beautifully swirly ice cream sandwiched in the middle, and no utensils or plates required. They're also wonderfully fun and spectacularly celebratory. Oh, and they're super easy to make. That's a win, win, and triple win in my book!

M & M Granola Bars

My 6 year old is a little mister picky pants (don't tell him I said that). I completely understand where he's coming from though, because I was the same way when I was little. I confess that I indulge his pickiness a little - okay, maybe a lot. But I get it. I used to gag on foods I totally love now. So there must be hope for him too.

These M & M Granola Bars hit just the right note with my picky eater.

As I'm trying to keep things more natural around these here parts I've been experimenting with homemade granola bars. Finding one that Ezra will accept is the challenging part. I often make a peanut butter version that he will only sometimes eat claiming he only likes peanut butter in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sigh).

Homemade Chocolate Fondant

I just happen to be one of those people that likes fondant. I know not everybody is with me on that one, but this Homemade Chocolate Fondant is particularly yummy. It's also fairly easy to make and so fun to use. I whipped up a batch to make dinosaur footprints to decorate goodies for my 6 year old dinosaur lover.

Dinosaur footprint decorations made out of Homemade Chocolate Fondant

Aren't they just adorable?

Blackberry Granola Mini Breakfast Pies

These Blackberry Granola Mini Breakfast Pies are simply adorable. I made them for Nora's second birthday and she absolutely loves them. They're semi-healthy and perfect for any special breakfast or brunch.

So, like I said, these puppies are semi-healthy. Since I was making them for my baby girl I used pure maple syrup in the blackberry filling and in the granola topping to keep things natural and lower in sugar. Feel free to add more sweetener to the filling. Just mix and taste adding in more maple syrup until it's as sweet as you like.

Grain Free Granola

So I've been making a grain free version of my favorite granola recipe that I just had to share with y'all. We were playing around with the idea of going grain free for a while last year. While we didn't make the switch, we did fall in love with this mostly nut version of our favorite granola.

Try this grain free version of our favorite granola recipe!

This version is lower carb, higher protein, and we are in total nut heaven over here. The hubster eats this granola almost every day over plain whole milk yogurt. How he can eat the same thing every morning is beyond me, but at least it's a delicious and healthy meal.

Field Trip Scrapbooking

We're going through a homeschool metamorphosis this year. At some point I realized that we were spending a lot of time and energy just trying to get through the material without losing it and experiencing very little enjoyment and excitement over new information and acquired skills. Next year we'll be shifting what we do and how we do it and possibly switching over to year-round school (gasp). One of my goals/hopes is to get more joy out of learning for all of us. I've already made some attempts to shift the scales with some project focused learning.




One of our new undertakings is scrapbooking our field trips. We usually come home with great pictures, brochures, free kid stuff, stickers, etc. What better way to put everything together than in a scrapbook. Thanks to Grandma, the boys already had scrapbooks ready to house their work.

Easy Carrot Cake

Ever feel like eating homemade carrot cake, but don't wanna go through all the hassle of whipping one up? Well say hello to my Easy Carrot Cake.

My Easy Carrot Cake is not only the easiest carrot cake you will ever make, but it's absolutely delicious too!

This carrot cake is sweet and moist, filled with plump golden raisins and a touch of cardamom, frosted with classic cream cheese frosting, and topped with loads of toasted walnuts. We do "loads" of nuts here at the Loverbee residence. I put mine on top so I can pick them off for my youngest guy - he's anti-nut.

Mini Easter Treat Baskets

We've been raiding the recycle bin again, and just in time for Easter fun. The boys and I put together these simple little Easter treat baskets for giving away sweets. We love turning boxes into all sorts of wonderfulness - especially for giving away.

These Mini Easter Treat Baskets are made out of tea boxes.

These Mini Easter Treat Baskets are just perfect for giving out your favorite Easter cookies, candies, and goodies.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

I'm desperately trying to enjoy what's left of California's chilly weather. I love being cold and all the fun things that come with it - sitting by a fire, snuggly blankets, a mug of hot tea in the middle of the day, and warming up with a batch of these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes. Of course, I'll settle for the cupcakes any day.

Warm up with these delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes!

I made these cupcakes with a doctored chocolate cake mix, filled them with a creamy dreamy marshmallow filling, and topped them off with sweet and spicy milk chocolate buttercream and a grating of Mexican chocolate. The perfect treat to enjoy in front of a cozy fire with a steaming mug of whatever you like.

Caramelized Banana Bread

The hubster looooooves him some banana bread. He's all about the muffins and quick breads, but banana bread packed with nuts is his very favorite, by far. I have several recipes that I like to use, each with it's own subtle nuance. I bake whichever I'm in the mood for or whichever I have all the ingredients for at the time. This caramelized version is one of our favorites.

The toffee flavor in this Caramelized Banana Bread is a total winner!

What I love about this Caramelized Banana Bread is that it only requires two bananas. Well, that and the fabulous caramelized flavor the bread gets as it bakes. The bread is soft, moist, and fluffy, with subtle notes of caramel - not to mention, the huge and plentiful chunks of toasted walnuts.

Budget Talk & Meal Prepping Sunday Brunch

We've been moving our money around (she says mischievously as if she had an offshore account somewhere). Well, in a virtual sense anyway. The hubs and I are trying to increase certain areas of our budget (more on this exciting endeavor at a later date). To do that we've gotta lower other line items and eating out, for us, is a real doozy. That big fat budget item just had to pay up. So, we took a deep breath and went for it. Geronimo!

One of our biggest spending days is on Sundays after church. We've made a delightful, yet pricey, habit of going out to eat after church every week. Pre-kids, it was a great time to connect with our church community. Post-kids, it's a special time for us to connect with each other and enjoy being together as a family. It's also a wonderful time of enjoying the delicious food our local restaurants have to offer. We've scoped out where to get the best burgers, the best nachos, the best omelettes, etc. 😍 We're suckers for a great mom-and-pop and we love our Sunday brunches!

Distracting the Distraction & Toddler Fine Motor Sticker Practice

I may have already mentioned this, but this has been a tough school year for the Loverbees. Mateo's work load has significantly increased and we got off to a rocky start with two trips and two horrible rounds of sickness right off the bat. All that to say, we really didn't get into a groove until right before Christmas break.




Another factor in our homeschooling saga (okay, "saga" may be a tad dramatic) this year is a little miss pretty pants who loves to distract us while we're trying to work. She's a total people person, so there aren't many things she can do on her own that will keep her attention. But that girl looooooooves her some stickers.

Sourdough Beer Bread

Don't you just love soup season? I have to admit, I try and drag it out as long as I can. And for me, soup season also means homemade bread season. But I don't always wanna be spending precious time and energy coddling dough and waiting hours for it to proof, so I have a few quick bread recipes I turn to for fresh homemade bread in a flash. This Sourdough Beer Bread is one such recipe.

This Sourdough Beer Bread is one of my favorite "go to" quick breads.

I love that this Sourdough Beer Bread is quick and easy. I also love that I can use up my sourdough starter discard - even straight from the fridge.

Pizza Crust Bread Pudding

If your family is anything like mine, a pizza dinner always ends in a big ol' pile of pizza crusts. Unless the crust is stuffed with cheese or incredibly yummy a few pieces might get eaten with dipping sauce, but that's about it. So I did something about it. Save the pizza crust!

Salvage those pizza crusts and make this fabulous Pizza Crust Bread Pudding!

I turned those sad and lonely, unwanted pizza crusts into a pizza crust bread pudding. It turned out fabulous! I went with a pizza flavor profile. It is pizza crust, after all.

What's for Dinner? Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup

Whoever first thought of putting tortellini into a soup - from the bottom of my heart, thank you. What an amazing idea that was. My version started as a Costco recipe that I've tweaked over the years to fit my personal preferences. This Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup is one of my favorite soups to make (never mind that I say that about every soup I post).

Cold weather calls for a bowl of my Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup.

The soup starts with crumbled Italian sausage, browned onion and fennel for amazing flavor, a pinch of spice, and a bag of spinach stirred in at the end. Lots of recipes call for kale, but I prefer spinach. It wilts into the soup far more quickly and is actually more nutritious than kale. Surprise!

Red Velvet Pudding Pie

My poor heart shaped pan. It gets so little use. Sure, it gets to hold the occasional Valentine's Day heart shaped cake, but what kinda life is that? I thought I'd get it out for one more go before it's time to put away all the heart stuff and move on to Easter eggs. So, I put a pudding pie into it.

Make a Red Velvet Pudding Pie to put that heart shaped pan to good use.

A Red Velvet Pudding Pie, that is! This pie is super easy to make. A chocolate cookie crust gets filled with red velvet pudding, drizzled with hot fudge right from the jar, and topped off with puffs of Cool Whip and pretty valentine sprinkles.

Valentine Party Cupcakes

If you've got a Valentine's Day party coming up, or just wanna make something sweet for your sweeties, I've got the perfect cupcake for ya.

Party perfect Valentine Party Cupcakes.

I baked up a batch of Valentine Party Cupcakes for my friend, Cara, over at Fork and Beans. I have the wonderful opportunity of being a regular contributor on her awesome blog. If you haven't checked it out yet, Fork and Beans does some of the funnest kid food around. You're gonna love it!

Matters of the Heart: An Unnatural Leader

I'm so proud to bring you this post from my husband, Matthew. He is such an awesome husband, father, manager, and leader. I hope y'all enjoy his offering.

"... in my weaker moments I fall into the belief that I am a total fraud who will eventually be found out."

I'm a leader. I still feel a bit funny when I say that.

For some time now I've been on a journey toward leadership. Which is funny because I used to be the type of person that never wanted that kind of thing. The issue, for me, is that I am naturally wired to be deferential and reluctant about being a decision maker. I've even dragged my feet in making decisions that would only impact myself.

What's changed? Well, several years ago I got an inkling that God wanted to make a leader out of me. I saw that I'd been given a natural ability to see the big picture and that I have a good way with people. On top of that, I was raised to champion the underdog and heard a lot about power being abused and corrupting people. Therefore, I had deeply pondered the impact of a leader on those in their charge. A close friend once encouraged me that I might make a good leader because the best leaders are those that take their responsibility seriously and never make decisions lightly. For some reason that thought has always stuck with me and remains foundational to how I approach leadership.

White Chocolate Cherry Cake Mix Cookies

I can't stop with all the cake mix creations. It's so nice not to have to measure out flour and baking soda and all that kinda stuff. And I love having a quick and easy recipe to pull out for last minute holiday baking.

These White Chocolate Cherry Cake Mix Cookies are such a lovely Valentine's Day treat. They're soft and pretty and full of maraschino flavor. First, almond flavored cookie batter is loaded with chopped maraschino cherries and toasted almonds. Then, I finish the baked and cooled cookies with a drizzle of white chocolate. What a sweet treat of a cookie!

DIY: How to Turn Any Box Into a Gift Box for Valentine's Day

My guys love making gifts. I mean LOVE it! They're always on the look out for a good cardboard box - both for creating and for using to stuff their creations into. I took a cue from them this week and turned a bunch of boxes inside out to use as gift boxes for Valentine's Day. The boys were, of course, thrilled.

Turn any box into a homemade Valentine's Day gift box!

I love how each box has the artist written all over it. Can you guess who made which box?

You can use just about any box in your home. We used a snack box, a waffle box, and a rat glue trap box. You heard me.

Nacho Round Up

SUPER BOWL! The Super Bowl is just around the corner, y'all. Are you football food ready? If you're in need of upping your nacho game, you've come to the right place. I'm talking more nachos than you could ever dream of making - and they can all be made in a sheet pan in less than 10 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos

One of my favorites are these Buffalo Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos smothered with sharp cheddar and chunks of chicken, drizzled with spicy buffalo sauce and sour cream, and sprinkled with celery, green onions, fresh matoes, and crumbled blue cheese.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Sheet Pan Nachos

I also love this dip inspired version - Spinach & Artichoke Dip Sheet Pan Nachos topped with Mozzarella, Monterey jack, Cotija, and an easy peasy stove top spinach and artichoke dip. Creamy, cheesy, and packed with flavor!

Matters of the Heart: Waiting in the Pain

Why can’t I just fix things? Why won’t my loneliness go away? Sometimes my loneliness feels so massive that it threatens to envelop me.

I was in a vortex the week between Christmas and New Year’s, with contributing factors including family drama, singleness, cancelled plans, and crazy hormones. In retrospect, these are considerable issues, but I never realize how much they impact me until I am sobbing with my friend about how much my life sucks (purely a hypothetical situation, of course).

Here’s what you need to know about me. I am single and moving towards the back half of my thirties. While I would love to be married, I enjoy living as fully as I can within my circumstances. I’m fine to go to movies on my own and generally try to not let my lack of a spouse stop me. I am coming out of a time of confusion over work, church, and my vocation. This experience has led me to seek and pray about every part of my life. It has led to some fun changes too, such as pursuing improv comedy. However, some areas of my life feel very much in process. I’m still figuring it out. (Note: I will never figure it all out on this side of life).

Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding

I hope all of you having a true winter are reveling in it. I'm so jealous. Over here in California life is pretty moderate. Even though it's gotten colder this last week, a light sweater will do during the day (sigh). Not my favorite, to say the least. But, carry on we must. I'm still cooking and baking up my favorite cold weather favorites in spite of the lack of a real winter. Maybe even in defiance to it.

Get your chocolate fix in a comforting bowl of Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding. So yum!

This Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding is comforting and satisfying whether you're enjoying a true winter or just pretending to, like me.

This Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding is the best way to use up leftover cupcakes.

I actually baked this pudding with grain free chocolate cupcakes that I made from a recipe over at Living Healthy with Chocolate, but any chocolate cupcakes will do. Just make sure they're unfrosted. If they are frosted, just push off the frosting (I'm wincing as I say that) and use the cake part only.




Start by breaking up 10 to 12 chocolate cupcakes into a buttered dish. Sprinkle on a handful of chocolate chips and pour your custard mixture over the top.

Just look at that chocolaty goodness swimming in a sea of luscious custard. Oh baby!

Be sure to push the goodies down into the custard.




Bake 45 to 55 minutes until center is set, but still jiggly. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in.

I serve this Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and chocolate sprinkles.

I serve this pudding with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate sprinkles. It is a cupcake pudding after all. Nuts would be totally awesome, too. 😉

Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS
butter for greasing your dish
10 to 12 unfrosted or de-frosted cupcakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
4 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate sprinkles for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 3 quart casserole dish.
2. Break the cupcakes up into your dish.
3. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips.
4. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
5. Add the milk, vanilla, and sugar, and whisk to combine.
6. Pour over the cupcakes and push all of the goodies down into the custard mixture.
7. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the center is set, but still jiggly.
8. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in.
9. Serve with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate sprinkles.