Skillet Spiced Apple Crumble

Get ready for Fall with this Skillet Spiced Apple Crumble:: Skillet Spiced Apple Crumble ::

We love fall!  As soon as the temperature drops a couple degrees, I make this light and simple Skillet Spiced Apple Crumble. 

Over the weekend my husband and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.  We spent the day going back to the town and winery that we got married at.  It was a beautiful day out in Temecula.  The weather was cooler and there was a slight breeze, a relief from the heat that we have had here in Southern California.  I know that most people don’t think that we have much of a fall, but we do have a few slight changes when this season arrives. I took full advantage of this fall feeling and I made this special Skillet Spiced Apple Crumble for my hubby.  It’s one of his favorite desserts. It was our anniversary after all {wink}! [Read more…]

Chewy Monster Cookies

chewy monster cookies:: Chewy Monster Cookies :: 

Did you ever daydream, as a kid, about the kind of parent you wanted to be? Clearly my thoughts weren’t too deep, as I remember wanting to be the type of mom that had fresh baked cookies waiting on the table for my kids when they arrived home from school. Ha! Since I have been blessed with four little ones, I try to make that happen on occasion. After all, what is better than walking into a home filled with smells of warm, chocolatey cookies?! 

chewy monster cookies-34

I’ve never met a kid that doesn’t love m&m’s! My children are completely drawn to the colorful candies, when we pass them in the store! The combination of chocolate with peanut butter is always a good mix… making these Monster cookies the ultimate kid treat!  [Read more…]

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

vanilla chia seed pudding:: Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding :: 

So… I’m on a healthy recipe kick this week on the blog! Could you tell? I made this Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding for the first time last week, and absolutely LOVED it! I’ve made a few chia pudding recipes in the past, but none were successful until this recipe. I have a few tips for you that should make it thicken nicely and come out with a pudding-like consistency. I think this would be lovely as a healthier dessert, but honestly… I’ll be eating it for breakfast! There are no refined sugars in this lovely dish – just a little pure maple syrup to sweeten things up! 

I actually plan on making this pudding again tonight, in preparation for my son Ryan’s 10th Birthday on Friday! Since the poor guy has to go to school, I thought he could at least start his day on a tasty note! {Little does he know that we are also surprising him with a fun family getaway for the weekend, as well!}

vanilla chia seed pudding

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S’mores Malt

S'mores Malt:: S’mores Malt ::

Let’s squeeze a little more summer time fun in with this S’mores Malt! My kids are big fans of Ruby’s. Recently we had been walking around The Irvine Spectrum {one of our favorite places to go} when we were given a sample of their new S’mores Shake.  Mason begged to go to Ruby’s!  We tried the shake and I thought it was great, but Mason {my picky eater} said, “Let’s make these at home minus the coffee”… so, here is what we came up with {and by the way… I don’t think there was coffee in them in the first place}!

Delicious S'mores Malt [Read more…]

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

 peanut butter banana ice cream sandwiches

:: Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches ::

Oh, how I’ve longed for an evening to sit down and write a post for Simply! The last few weeks have been consumed with our move… so I have been looking forward to a little creative down time!

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

Today, I decided the kids could use a special treat! They’ve been such troopers living amongst boxes the past week… and doing without their favorite belongings, which are currently sitting in our over-stuffed garage. I wanted to make them something completely delicious, but didn’t have an abundance of resources to work with {if only you could see the state of my kitchen}!

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches-18

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Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

strawberry cheesecake cupcakes:: Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes ::

Well hello, friends! Happy 4th of July week! We have another heavenly cupcake recipe for you today… simply perfect for a celebration or date night at home! The cupcakes have a baked graham cracker crust, decadent vanilla cake with chunks of fresh strawberries, and an incredibly rich cream cheese frosting! Together, it creates the most divine Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes!  Enjoy!

strawberry cheesecake cupcakes Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes {Simply Happenstance}-3 Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes {Simply Happenstance}-14

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