Crispy, caramelized Spam glazed in that perfect soy-sugar mix, pressed into warm rice that’s just sticky enough to hold everything together, then wrapped in a strip of nori like it’s holding the whole thing in place. It’s handheld, it’s satisfying, and it disappears way faster than you expect every single time.

For me, it’s more than just food, it’s one of those things that instantly takes you somewhere. Late-night bites, quick meals in between long days, something you grab without thinking but always appreciate. It’s the kind of snack that doesn’t need explaining. You either know, or you’re about to find out.

Ingredients:

• Spam
• Soy Sauce
• Sugar
• Mirin (optional)
• White Rice
• Nori

Directions:

• Slice your Spam into thick pieces and pan-fry them until they get that golden, crispy edge.
• In the same pan, add a quick glaze, soy sauce, sugar, maybe a little mirin if you have it, and let it caramelize over the Spam until it’s glossy and slightly sticky.
• While that’s going, make some short-grain white rice. It should be warm and slightly sticky, not dry.
• Take a small handful of rice and press it into a rectangle (using your hands or even the Spam can as a mold).
• Place a slice of glazed Spam on top, then wrap it with a strip of nori to hold everything together.

That’s it.

Eat it warm, maybe make a few extra…because you will want more.

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There’s nothing quite like a delicious Gingerbread cookies, but I have to be honest I don’t enjoy my cookies crunchy so when I found this soft Gingerbread recipe and I haven’t looked back! This one is fun enough that the kids can help with, but also easy enough that fancy decorations are required because it’s so good on it’s own!

Supplies:

• Cookie Cutters
• Cookie Sheet

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• 1 TBS ground cinnamon
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• 1 TBS ground ginger
• 2 TBS milk
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¾ cup softened butter
• ¾ cup unsulphured molasses

Directions:

1. Mix together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt until well combined.
2. Add softened butter and combine until mixture is “sandy”.
3. Add molasses and milk and mix until combined.
4. Divide dough in half. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350.
6. Work with one section of dough at a time because it can become too soft. Roll out until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter of your choice.
7. Repeat until you’ve used up all dough.
8. Bake 9 minutes. Don’t overbake.
9. Move to wire rack to cool.
10. Decorate as desired.
11. Enjoy!

Notes:

This dough can become too soft if left out too long. It’s best to work in small batches. I cut all my cookies out and set aside on parchment paper until ready to bake. You could also pop into the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. These are honestly so good plain, but you may want to ice and decorate. The options are endless with this holiday classic. I hope your loved ones enjoy these delicious cookies as much as my family does!

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Ingredients:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 12 ounces chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Red food coloring
• Whipped Cream Vodka
• Whipped topping or marshmallows, optional

Directions:

• Heat the milk and sugar on the stove until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is steaming.
  • You don’t want it to boil and scald, so once you get lots of little steamy bubbles around the edge of the pot, it’s hot enough!
• Take it off the heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract.
• Whisk until melted.

• Add red food coloring to give it the red velvet look.

• For the adults, add a shot of vodka into your hot cocoa.
• For the children, top with whipped topping or marshmallows!

Notes:

• You know I always go for the special dark chocolate for my chocolate chips!

As always we ask that you please enjoy our recipes responsibly. Don’t ever drink and drive. Enjoy some delicious Red Velvet Hot Cocoa with your family this weekend!

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This recipe can utilize a whole heap of leftovers such as turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Pair these ingredients with your favorite cheese and some Hawaiian Rolls and you have a new finger food that everyone will love. You can even get fancy by using pretzel buns for your sliders.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pack Hawaiian Sweet Rolls 12 Count
• Turkey Leftovers
• Prepared Stuffing
• 1 Can Cranberry Sauce
• 6 Lg. Slices of Provolone or Swiss
• 1 Stick Butter
• 1 T Mustard
• 1 T Poppy Seeds (optional)
• 1 T Worcestershire Sauce
• ⅛ Cup Brown Sugar

Directions:

1. Cut all the Hawaiian sweet rolls in half and lay in the bottom half in a 9×13 baking dish.
2. Layer the rolls with a layer of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
3. Top with the slices of cheese. 
4. Place the other half of the rolls on top.
5. Run a knife in between all rolls to separate slightly.
6. In a small saucepan, combine butter, mustard, poppy seeds, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar and bring to a boil.
7. Spoon the sauce over the rolls. Do NOT pour the sauce on top.
8. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
9. Before baking cover with foil.
10. Preheat oven to 350°F
11. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
12. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes of baking so the tops of rolls brown slightly.
13. Serve & Enjoy!

Don’t toss out all that food you spent so much time cooking, because a little creativity can go a long way. Don’t forget to grab all the ingredients at your local Commissary.

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Ingredients:

• 1 can pie filling
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 boxed cake mix (or muffin mix)

Directions:

• Place pie filling into crockpot.
• Mix butter and cake mix – texture will be crumbly.
• Place cake mix mixture in crockpot over pie filling.
• Cook on low for 2-3 hours.
• Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream & Enjoy!

So, if you are looking for an easy dessert for your next meal or potluck, throw this deliciousness into your crockpot and watch your family and friends rave about how amazing it is.

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More than likely, you have enjoyed a Rice Krispies Treat that someone has made for you following the standard directions! However, I have been tweaking that original recipe for years and everyone LOVES my version, so I wanted to share it with you!

So, to start, we will look at the original recipe! This can be found on the box of cereal or on the bag of marshmallows.

Now it is time to reveal MY version of Rice Krispies Treats!

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons Butter/Margarine
• 15-16 oz. Mini Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
• 6 Cups of Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, melt your 4 T of butter or margarine on a low to medium heat.
2. Add in the 15 (10 oz. bag and a half) – 16 oz. (large bag) of mini marshmallows.
3. Stir while coating the marshmallows with the butter/margarine as the marshmallows melt fully.
4. Remove the pan from the heat.
5. Add in the 6 cups of cereal in the melted marshmallow mix.
6. Using a spatula that has been sprayed with cooking spray, stir the cereal into the melted mixture until the cereal is full covered with it.
7. In a greased 9X13 pan (I spray mine with cooking spray), pour the mixture into the pan.
8. Using a spatula that has been sprayed with cooking spray, press the mixture down evenly into the pan. (Sometimes I spray my clean fingers with cooking spray to press the treats down evenly, too!)
9. Allow the treats to cool, then cut them into squares, and serve!

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Supplies:

• Ninja Creami/Ninja Creami Swirl

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Peanut Butter
• 1 cup of Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 of a Banana
• Milk
• Zukes Mini Naturals

Directions:

1. Add ingredients to Ninja container or freezer safe container if not using a Ninja Creami.
2. Freeze for 24 hours.
3. Add container to Ninja and spin.
4. Add a splash of milk and re-spin
5. Add to Ninja Creami dispenser and dispense into a bowl!
6. Add Zukes Mini Natural Treats to the top!
7. Share with your pup and enjoy!

Notes:

• When choosing your yogurt and peanut butter options make sure you avoid any with xylitol as it is toxic to dogs!
• If you don’t have a Ninja Creami as an option, I would recommend combining ingredients and blending to make a smoother texture before freezing.

This recipe was loved by both of my fluffy friends and we all had a great time including them in our family fun!

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Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper.
3. Thaw frozen meatballs.
4. Slice the rolls horizontally and separating the buns from each other, but them close together.
5. Put the bottom buns on the prepared baking sheet
6. Spread 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce on top.
7. Place the meatballs on top of the sauce, so that each roll will have its own meatball or two (depending on size).
8. Pour the remaining sauce over the meatballs.
9. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the meatballs.
10. Place the top rolls on top the cheese.
11. Bake for approximately 15 mins. until the cheese melts and the topping turns golden brown.
12. Carefully remove individual sliders to plate.
13. Serve.

Notes:

• While the original recipe is great, we like to flavor it up a bit!
  • Combine melted butter and garlic salt.
  • Brush over the sliders.
  • Sprinkle additional cheese on top before baking.

These sliders are super simple, but so yummy! Our family loves this delicious recipe and hopefully yours will too!

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Fall is coming and I can’t wait! It’s time for camping, fires, s’mores, flannels, and hoodies! It’s also time for pumpkin. What better way to bring fall into your life than some pumpkin bars. Most times they have cream cheese icing, but I’m telling you this icing is reminiscent of those amazing classic old fashioned maple donuts. You won’t stop with just one. I’m sorry in advance to your waistline, but you’ll have no regrets. Plus, it’s fall…so sweatpants are totally acceptable attire!

Ingredients For Bars:

• 1 cup flour
• 3 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ginder
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Ingredients For Caramel Icing:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 9×13 pan.
3. Mix together dry bar ingredients in your KitchenAid Mixer. ***This prevents lumps in the bars.***
4. Add in wet ingredients; pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs.
5. Mix until well combined.
6. Pour into pan and bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool.
7. For icing; combine brown sugar and butter and bring to boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes. Add in milk and continue to boil until thickened.
8. Slowly add in powdered sugar.
9. Whisk to remove lumps.
10. Pour over cooled bars.
11. Enjoy and try not to eat 4 of them.

Notes:

• This icing sets faster than I found my husband in a crowd after a deployment, so do not let it sit too long or you won’t be able to pour it over the bars. It does harden and will crack when cutting it, but that doesn’t impact the deliciousness in any way.

I shared these bars with as many people as I could, not because I wanted to, but more so in an attempt to not eat them all. Hence why they’re the perfect bars to bring to your next fall soirée. Everyone will enjoy them. Also, if you make them just for yourself that’s okay too. Your sweatpants and I don’t judge!

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Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Baby Potatoes
• Spice Mix
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Garlic
  • Onion Powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
• Olive Oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make a spice mix from the smoked paprika, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
• Rub the chicken with olive oil and the spice mix.
• Put the potatoes on a pan and drizzle with olive oil.
• Place the chicken on the pan.
• Bake for an hour or until the internal temp of the thickest part of the breasts are at least 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven and let items rest for 10 minutes.
• Serve & Enjoy!

Notes:

• I love a good one pan meal and this is no exception.
• You can use whatever spices you want to create your spice mix.

Now that we have everything plated up, I let the boys in on a little secret…we are going to eat with our hands! They totally flipped and I may have just become the coolest mom ever!! As a reminder…make sure you have LOTS of napkins ready to go! You are going to need them!

Next up, I made a delicious spiced wine for the adults. This is super easy to make and a tasty adult beverage to SPICE the fun fare up a bit!

Ingredients:

• Red Wine
• 2 Cups Pomegranate Juice
• Orange Zest
• Sliced Oranges
• Knob of Ginger
• Cinnamon Stick
• 1/4 – 1/2 Cup Sugar (optional to taste)

Directions:

• In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients.
• Simmer the spiced wine for 30+ mins.
• Pour into your favorite wine glass.
• Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can let this simmer all day as it smells amazing!!!
• I LOVE my Rachel Ray stockpot and I know you will too!

We had a blast eating dinner with our hands and laughing our heads off while going through a TON of napkins. Maybe next time we’ll add some good old fashioned jousting after dinner. So, to all me Lords and me Ladies, we hope you will all enjoy this savory fare with your family and friends!

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