Peppermint Bark Ritz Bites

 

Remember these Rolo Ritz Cracker Sandwiches? Well I made their minty Christmas cousins last weekend. I should have been cleaning my house for my upcoming party, or grading my one million research papers, or finishing my Christmas shopping but that just didn't sound too fun.

So instead I busted out my bin (yes I said bin) of red and green sprinkles, unwrapped a huge bag of Hershey's Peppermint Bark Bells and melted them between Ritz crackers and then dipped them in chocolate. Sound productive? It was.

The name of the second week of December game in this house is deny, deny, deny. Unless it is covered in sprinkles, I don't want to think about it. Which I will inevitably regret in a day or two when no amount of red and green candy will be able to distract me from the amount of things on my to do list.

But tonight, I will sit here and eat the last of these Peppermint Bark Ritz Bites and binge watch a Showtime series on demand because the thought of folding laundry or lesson planning is overwhelming.

And please forgive me for length of this post but I need to get back to not checking things off my list of things to accomplish before December 24th.

These Peppermint Bark Ritz Bites are the perfect thing to add to your procrastination holiday baking list. They would be adorable packaged up as a gift for coworkers or added to a cookie exchange plate.

 And they are easy to make. 5 minutes in the oven, a few minutes in the fridge, a dip in a tray of CandiQuik, cover in sprinkles and done!

Peppermint Bark Ritz Bites

• 24 Hershey's Peppermint Bark Bells 
• 48 Ritz Crackers (I used the holiday snowflake ones)
• Chocolate CandiQuik
• Sprinkles

1.) Place 24 Ritz crackers salted side down on a lined baking sheet.

2.) Place an unwrapped Peppermint Bark Bell on each cracker.

3.) Bake for 5 minutes at 300 degrees.

4.) Right out of the oven press a second Ritz cracker on top of each melty bell to create a sandwich.

5.) Refrigerate until hardened and then dip in melted CandiQuik, cover in sprinkles and let them cool/harden back up.

6.) Store in an airtight container.

Need more peppermint in your life? Check out my Peppermint Desserts Pinterest Board! 

Spent $27 for $110 Worth at Publix- Saved 76%

 

Well, I am getting a little better about my weekly sale ad grocery shopping. This week it only took me until Monday to shop the new sale that started last Thursday. I almost didn't get motivated to go but the sales were so good this week I couldn't pass up the chance to grab some great deals on frozen food and pantry staples.

I am hoping to do a big trip on Thursday or Friday of this week as our Christmas party is this weekend. I slowly stock up on things all year but I will need a decent amount of fresh ingredients for this as the week and the party prep go on.

The current Publix sale ad is full of great deals so make sure you hit it up before it ends on Wednesday night. Also, a lot of these deals are from some of the current in store Advantage flyers as well as using coupons from the current Publix holiday store coupon booklets (many of them are available to print). I used my typical two $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons and was very happy to stay under $30 today (technically last week's budget) since I know I will be spending a lot on my trip later this week.

Breakdown of today's Publix trip: 
Total retail value: $110.31
Total spent: $26.83
Total saved: $83.48
Percent saved: 78%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:

•  1 tube of Colgate Max Fresh Toothpaste, retails for $3.49, on sale for $1.99
• Used a .75 cents off blinkie coupon from in store
• Stacked with a $1 off target.com coupon
• Made it .24 cents
•  i box of Chobani Champions Greek Yogurt Tubes, retails for $2.89, on sale for $2.00
• Used a $1 off coupon
• Earned .75 cents cash back from ibotta
• Made it .25 cents for the box
• 1 container of Cottonelle Cleansing Clothes, retails for $4.99
• Used a .50 cents off coupon from the 11/17 SS
• Stacked with a .55 cents off Publix coupon from the Winter Family Savings Booklet
• Earned $3 cash back from ibotta
• Made them .94 cents
•  2 bags of Celentano Frozen Raviolis, retails for $3.99 each, on sale BOGO ($1.99 each)
• Used two $1 off Publix coupons from the Winter Family Savings Booklet
• Made them .99 cents a bag
•  3 Coffeemate Liquid Creamers, retails for $2.49 each, on sale for $1.50 each
• Used a $1.25/3 Target.com coupon
• Used a $1.25/2 coupon from the 12/8 RP
• Used a $1 off printable from Facebook
• Made them .33 cents each
•  2 packages of Immaculate Baking Company Cookie Dough, retails for $3.29 each
• Used a B1G1 Free Publix coupon from the All The Trimmings booklet
•  Used two .75 cents off printable coupons
• Made them .89 cents each
•  2 packages of All Free & Clear Laundry Detergent, retails for $5.99 each, on sale BOGO, made them $2.99 each
• Used a $2/2 coupon from the 12/8 RP
• Stacked with two .75 cents off Publix coupons from the All The Trimmings booklet
• Made them $1.25 each
• 2 cartons of Egg Beaters, retails for $2.79 each, on sale for $1.67 each
• Used two $1 off coupons
• Made them .67 cents each
•  2 Okios Greek Yogurt Dips, retails for $3.00 each, on sale for $2.50 each
• Used a $2/2 printable coupon
• Made them $1.50 each
•  1 carton of Friendship Buttermilk, retails for $2.15, on sale for $1.79
• Used a .70 cents off coupon from the All the Trimmings booklet
• Made it $1.09
•  2 Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausages, retails for $3.49 each, on sale for $3.00 each
• Used a .75/2 coupon from the 11/17 RP
• Stacked with two $1 off Publix coupons from the Winter Family Savings Booklet
• Made them $1.09 each
•  2 boxes of Cole's Breadsticks, retails for $2.99 each, on sale BOGO, $1.49 each
• Used two .50 cents off printable coupons
• Made them .99 cents a box
• 2 packages of Pillsbury Cookie Dough, retails for $3.45 each, on sale for $2.50 each
• Used a $1.50/2 printable coupon
• Stacked with a $1/2 Publix coupon from the Winter Family Savings Booklet
•  Made them $1.25 each
•  3 Voskos Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.25 each
• Used a $1/3 Publix coupon from the Winter Family Savings Booklet
• Used a $1/3 Publix digital man. coupon
• Made them .58 cents each
•  2 bags of Toasted Ritz Chips, retails for $3.69 each, on sale BOGO ($1.84 each)
• Used a $1/2 Facebook coupon
• Made them $1.34 each
•  1 box of Nabisco Rice Thin, retails for $3.55
• Used a mailed coupon for a FREE product from a Facebook promo
• Made them FREE
•  1 four pack of Starkist Tuna, retails for $6.55, on sale for $3.99
• 2 bags of Texas Toast Croutons, retails for $1.69 each, on sale BOGO made them .84 cents each
• 2 bags of Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips, retails for $2.89 each, on sale for $2.50 each
• Used a $1/2 Publix Winter Family Savings booklet coupon
• Made them $2.00 each

Christmas Party Dessert Bar With Walgreen's Good & Delish Candy

 I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

  

Every year Justin and I throw a huge Christmas party for all our family and friends. And while I love entertaining, I do not love the extensive party prep that can precede it. After a week of cleaning, decorating, shopping and cooking, it can be difficult to get it together to bake and decorate a bunch of desserts.

 So this year, I am keeping it simple and having a candy bar for dessert with lots of little chocolates, sweet treats, and nuts from Walgreen's Good & Delish Brand.

And the best part? Minimal prep work for me! I simply went to Walgreen's ahead of time and picked out a selection of candies and then I used inexpensive dishes and serving pieces that I already had at home to display them. After all the drinks, appetizers and heavy holiday meal, this will be the perfect thing for my guests to nibble on to satisfy their sweet tooth.

I have to admit that I had never heard of Walgreen's Good & Delish line of products before this campaign. But I was shocked at the huge selection they had. My store had an entire wall of candies as well as nuts, appetizers, snacks, ice creams, and even frozen foods.

These chocolates look exactly like something you would pick out at a gourmet candy store and my dessert bar looks like I spent a fortune instead of the just under $40 that I spent on all of it. You can also earn $2 in Walgreen's Balance Reward for every $10 you spend on Good & Delish Products right now too!

While all the treats were amazing, I have to say that my personal favorite are the Sea Salt Caramels. They tasted exactly like the ones I buy for over a dollar a piece at the candy store except that they were less than $4 for the entire bag! I purchased thirteen different varieties of Good & Delish desserts. See the list and picture below for specifics on what I got. While I loved everything I tried, there are over thirty other varieties of treats so you will be sure to find something perfect to go with your holiday spread.

• Sea Salt Caramels
• Dark Chocolate Mint Delights
• Dark Drizzled & Creamy White Covered Bites Red Velvet Caramels
• Maple Cream Charms
• Munchy Bites
• Pecan Clusters
• Mint Cremes
• Caramel Chocolate Domes
• Dark Chocolate Raspberry Charms
• Mini S'more Bites
• Chocolate & Caramel Brittle Bites
• Mint Cream Cookies
• Egg Nog Cream Cookies

Need more holiday solutions for party planning, last minute gifts and surviving the holidays? Make sure to check out Walgreen's Holiday Gift Guide in stores and online for ideas and inspiration. 

Have you tried any of Walgreen's Good & Delish products yet? What's your favorite?

Make sure to check out the Walgreen's Holiday Gift Guide Pinterest board for more fun ideas and Walgreen's holiday solutions!

Follow cbSocially's board Walgreens Holiday Gift Guide on Pinterest.

Weekly Shopping Totals Link Up: Saved 57% at Publix

 

Are you already feeling the stress and rush of the holidays? I know I am. I finally made it to Publix on Monday (to shop last week's sale ad and advantage flyers) and I had all intentions of going yesterday for this week's new ad but life just got the best of me. Between end the semester school/work stuff, planning a big Christmas party, and a few upcoming sponsored blog posts (get excited), I just never had time to get a list together and go to the store.

Thank goodness for a freezer full of Zaycon chicken, getting our produce share this week, and having lots of milk and eggs on hand from a past sale or else I wouldn't have been able to make meals or bake this week. I will probably be doing lots of shopping in the next week as we get ready for our Christmas party so it is a good thing I have been saving extra grocery cash.

Our produce share was great this week. See the photo below to see everything we got.

My trip wasn't anything special this week but I did have a few freebies and was able to get everything we need plus paper products for under $30. Can you tell that we had enchiladas this week? As usual, I used a $5/$30Have you already shopped this week's Publix ad? Get any good target deals? Make sure to link them up below so I can add them to my list for next week!

Breakdown of Monday's Publix trip:
Total retail value: $64.49
Total spent: $27.32
Total saved: $37.17
Percent saved: 57%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:

• 1 package of Brawny Paper Towels, retails for $9.25, on sale for $6.49
• Used a $1 off printable coupon 
• Made them $5.49
• 1 package of Quilted Northern Double Roll Toilet Paper, retails for $9.25, on sale for $6.49
• Used a $1 off  printable coupon 
• Made it $5.49
• 2 Quaker Oatmeals, retails for $2.93 each, on sale BOGO, made them $1.46 each
• 3 Yoplait Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.20 each, on sale for $1 each
• 2 bags of Mission tortillas, retails for $2.79 each, on sale BOGO, made them $1.40 each
• 2 packets of Publix Taco Seasoning, retails for .85 cents each
• Used two coupons for FREE product WYB any Mission Tortillas from the Winter Family Savings booklet (found in stores or printable HERE)
• Made them both FREE
• 1 box of Bear Naked Power Pack Granola, retails for $4.99 on clearance for $1.99
• 2 two liters of 7up Ten and Canada Dry Ten, retails for $1.99 each, on sale BOGO (.99 cents each)
• Used two .75 cents off coupons (only for Ten products) from the 11/17 SS
• Made them .24 cents each
• 4 Stoneyfield Greek yogurts, retails for $1.50 each, on sale for $1.00 each
• Used a $1/4 Publix digital coupon
• Made them .75 cents each
• Bananas (to hold us over until our produce share the next day), .54 cents
• Archway Gingerbread Men, $3.29 (Made this amazing Gingerbread Twix Dip with them!)
• Yucatan Guacamole, retails for $2.99, on sale for $2.49
• Used a $3 off Facebook coupon
• Made it FREE plus .50 cents in overage
• 1 Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste, retails for $3.49, on sale for $1.99
• Used a $1 off Target.com coupon
• Stacked with a .75 cents blinkie coupon found in store
• Made it .24 cents
• 1 box of Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cake Mix, $2.39

How did you do this week? Inspire me (and everyone else) with your amazing savings and deals this week. Please link up directly to your specific post. Do not link up to your blog's home page, giveaways, or etsy shops please. You can also "like" Couponing & Cooking on Facebook too! I would love it if you would link back to this post or grab my button from the sidebar : )

45 Gingerbread Dessert Recipes

  

Are you officially in Christmas mode yet? Here are 45 Gingerbread Dessert Recipes to help get you in the holiday spirit!

Many of these photos are not mine but I have rounded them up for you to enjoy. If you want to pin an individual recipe or specific photo please click through to the original post and share from there. If you want to pin this post and the entire collection just pin the collage above!






Want even more Gingerbread recipes? Make sure to check out my Gingerbread Treats Pinterest board!

Gingerbread Twix Dip {Only Three Ingredients!}

 Cool and creamy gingerbread dessert dip made with only three ingredients and just a hint of holiday spice.

 

  

Did you know that I am a full time teacher? Yep, I am at school from 7:30 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon Monday through Friday. And while I love my job, it doesn't leave much daylight for baking, cooking and photographing. Which is why I almost didn't put up my Christmas tree on Black Friday this year for the first time in like, ever.

What does my Christmas tree have to do with food photography you ask? Well, there is only one place in my entire house that the natural light is right in the afternoons/evenings to take photos of food. And you guessed it, that spot is exactly where my Christmas tree goes. And for a brief moment, I actually considered not doing my traditional Black Friday Christmas tree shopping and then spending a whole crazy week making and taking pictures of all the recipes I have planned from now until Christmas and then putting up my tree.

Thankfully, my husband brought me back to reality and made me realize how completely ridiculous it would be alter the holiday decor of my home simply because I am a weirdo who photographs my food. As it turns out, we were able to find a much smaller table and I can still do my shoots right in front of the tree with it as the perfect holiday food background. It might look a little weird to people that there is a folding table basically on top of my tree but hey, it's all about compromise right?

So back to me being a high school teacher...if there is one thing that teachers look forward to it's Christmas break. Between the piles of research papers, distracted students, and midterm writing, I am going to need a whole lot of this Gingerbread Twix Dip.

It is so easy with only three ingredients and it has the perfect combo of creamy cool sweetness with a hint of gingerbread spice and the random surprise crunch of chopped up Gingerbread Twix Bars in every bite. I served mine with store bought gingerbread men but you could always make your own if you don't have 100 five page papers to grade hanging over your head.

So get out a spoon (and your red pen if you're a teacher) and snack on some of this insanely good dip while you check things off your Christmas to do list.

Gingerbread Twix Dip

• 8oz tub of Cool Whip
• 1 cup of Gingerbread Cake Mix (just the mix)
• 6-8 bite sized Gingerbread Twix Bars, roughly chopped

1.) Beat together the Cool Whip and cake mix until smooth.

2.) Stir in chopped up Gingerbread Twix Bars.

3.) Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving with gingerbread men, cookies or other treats. 

Want even more Gingerbread recipes? Make sure to check out my Gingerbread Treats Pinterest board!

Gingerbread Oreo Batter Bars

Sweet, spicy gingerbread cake batter mixed with crushed Gingerbread Oreos on a buttery graham cracker crumb crust makes for the perfect treat for your next holiday cookie exchange!

Things we have established about me:

1.) Gingerbread makes me nostalgic.

2.) Bars are my answer to any dessert dilemma.

3.) I am a sucker for any and all holiday/limited edition flavored items.

4.) I make Christmas treats for Thanksgiving. #foodbloggerproblems

So it should be no surprise that my family enjoyed these Gingerbread Oreo Batter Bars for one of Thanksgiving desserts last weekend.Despite the fact that I have explained the whole "baking a season ahead" thing to my family, I found myself repeatedly answering questions like, "What are these again?" "Gingerbread for Thanksgiving? Isn't that more of a Christmas flavor?" and "Gingerbread Oreos? What are those?"

Honestly, I am not sure that many of my family members even read my blog. If they had they would clearly know that Oreo makes every seasonal flavor known to man and that I obviously must try and incorporate each and every one of these flavors into a seasonal dessert. Duh. BTW, Candy Cane Oreo recipes are on the way.

But really, these bars were the perfect dessert for after a big holiday meal. They are just rich enough without being overpowering and their sweet, spiciness is the perfect contrast to all of the heavy pies and intense fudge covered everything that tends to dominate the dessert table (please tell me your family has a dessert table too).

So run out to the grocery store, buy every gingerbread flavored item in sight and make these dessert bars asap.

Gingerbread Oreo Batter Bars

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
• 1 box of gingerbread cake mix (just the mix)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 12 Gingerbread Oreos roughly crushed

1.) Preheat the over to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, melt the butter in a 9x13 pan in the oven.

2.) Once the butter is melted, sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs to make a crust of sorts.

3.) In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, and oil. 

4.) Stir in the crushed Gingerbread Oreos

5.) Evenly spread the batter over the graham cracker crust.

6.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until they are firm to the touch.

7.) Let the bars cool completely, then cut, serve and enjoy!

Want even more Gingerbread recipes? Make sure to check out my Gingerbread Treats Pinterest board!