Butterfinger Poke Cake

Summertime is my favorite season of all!  Other than the heat....and having to wear bathing suits, it always makes me so happy.  There is just so much to do when it is warm and beautiful outside. 
We have been going to the pool with friends, fishing in our pond, meeting friends at the lake, and don't even get me started on the cookouts people have.

When it comes to cookouts I always want to make an AMAZING JAW DROPPING dish. I mean, I want people to know I can cook! I love it when others ask me for recipes, especially friends and family.  It makes me feel all gooey inside knowing others love my cooking :) So feel free to drop some lovely comments on by ;)

I am making dinner for my family tonight and I wanted something easy but delicious for desert.  I have been craving peanut butter and chocolate and thought back to this Butterfinger Poke Cake.  It has been probably 2 years since I have made it.  I sent my sweet husband to the grocery store and got busy as soon as I had time last night.

I usually make this cake with yellow cake mix, but I was craving chocolate and thought I would try it.  I tried to look up recipes on Pinterest to help me remember how to make mine since it had been so long.  However, I had no luck with the links downloading so I winged it.

Angie from Big Bears Wife was over when I putting this cake together.  It looked and smelled so good we had to taste test.  Ooops! Didn't even wait for it to cool!  Is it bad that we tore up the cake before I even had the guests over to try it?  Oh well.... it was worth it!  My husband even ate it which tells me it must have been AMAZINGLY JAW DROPPING !!  YES!  Score for me! I guess for dinner tonight I'll go ahead and place them on plates so no one knows our little secret ;)


Angie urged to me to post this to share with the world....so here it is :)
I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did! 

Butterfinger Poke Cake

1 box of devils food cake mix or yellow
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar caramel sauce
4 full sized Butterfinger candy bars
1 big container of cool whip
chocolate syrup


1)  Mix cake mix as bake as said on the back of the box in 8 by 13 glass dish.  It will bake about 30 minutes on 350.

2)  Let cool and poke several holes in the cake.  I use a straw but you can also use a fork.

3)  In a medium sized bowl mix the sweetened condensed milk with about 3/4 of the jar of caramel sauce.

4) Pour over the cake and let sit for about 5-10 minutes to let the cake absorb the sauce.

5) Spoon the cool whip evenly over the cake.

6)  Crush the Butterfinger bars and spread over the cool whip.

7) Drip the leftover caramel and a bit of chocolate syrup over the layer of Butterfingers.

Make sure to keep refrigerated while the cake isn't being served.

Watergate Salad #SundaySupper

This Sunday Supper is all about Spring!  I love spring!  It is my favorite season!  Out with the cold weather and in with the warm!

When I think of spring I think of flowers, baby birds, Easter, trees full of green again, and of course St. Patrick's day!  I do not really know much about St. Patrick's Day other than everything is supposed to be green.  It was always fun growing up trying to plan my outfits to make sure I was to never be pinched!  Now that I am a housewife with nowhere to go, my food has to be the same way.  I want green, delicious, and creative ideas for St. Patrick's day dinner.

When I was trying to come up with green food ideas the first thought I had was Watergate Salad "green stuff".  I was introduced to this a few years ago and LOVED it!  It a sweet chilled dessert, perfect for cookouts, and SUPER easy to make.  Plus it has my favorite ingredients...marshmallows and cool whip! MMMM!


This "green stuff" is delicious!  I have been trying to get my husband to try it but since it has pineapple he refuses :( I froze it and made it into ice cream (his favorite thing) so maybe now I have a chance ! I'll let you know how it goes! 

Watergate Salad:

1 - 3.4 oz package of JELLO Pistachio Pudding mix
1 - 8 oz package of Cool Whip
1 cup nuts.  I used walnuts.
1 can of crushed pineapple.  Do not drain!
1 cup of coconut
1/2 of a bag of mini marshmallows

Mix the pudding mix very well with the package of Cool Whip.

Add pineapples, nuts, coconut, and marshmallows.

Refrigerate for at least an hour.  If you want the salad in ice cream form just freeze in the freezer for a few hours.

Enjoy!


Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

#SundaySupper Spring Recipes

Published March 14, 2013 | By mamapoole

The warm weather is creeping in (did you smile, I sure did!) and our first day of Spring, March 20th, is right around the corner! Let’s warm up around the table with our friends from our #SundaySupper team and share delicious spring time recipes! Whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day green, green food or spring inspired, our group sure has a menu to please your taste buds!
Green and Spring Dishes Menu Includes:
Breakfast

• Baked Eggs with Shaved Asparagus and Proscuitto by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Shrimp and Leek Quiche by  Gourmet Drizzles
• Spinach and Cheddar Quiche for St. Patrick’s Day Brunch by Supper For A Steal
• Asparagus and Spring Onion Frittatta by Country Girl in the Village
• Savory Crepes with Prawns, Broccoli and Hollandaise Sauce by Masala Herb
• Egg Bake with Spring Onions, Asparagus and Artichokes by The Wimpy Vegetarian

Apps, Bread, Salads, Soups and Dressings:

• Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread by The Meltaways
• Strawberry, Avocado, Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette by Daily Dish Recipes
• Asparagus Gazpacho by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Spinach Bacon Salad by In The Kitchen with Audrey
• Anchovy and Egg Salad by Pescetarian Journal
• Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup by Fast Food to Fresh Food
• Asparagus Red Pepper Salad by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
• White Asparagus & Salmon Spring Salad by Family Foodie
• Chicken-Strawberry Field Green Salad w/Strawberry Balsamic Dressing by The Weekend Gourmet
• Bacon & Egg Spring Salad by Daddy Knows Less
• Green Garbanzo Hummus by Soni’s Food

Main and Sides:

• Pea Shoot Risotto by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Creamy Meyer Lemon Pasta by Juanita’s Cocina
• Sweet Ginger Scallion Noodles by What Smells So Good?
• Asparagus Pesto w/Heirloom Fingerlings and Orecchiette by Webicurean
• Coddle for St. Patrick’s Day by Noshing With The Nolands
• Corned Beef Cabbage Rolls by Curious Cuisiniere
• Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts with Gruyère and Hazelnuts by Hip Foodie Mom
• Raw Cucumber Sandwich with Avocado and Spinach Sauce by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Berry Tacos by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Asparagus and Prosciutto Bundles by Diabetic Foodie
• Caramelized Grapes and Brie Whole Wheat Galette by Vintage Kitchen
• Pink Water Kimchi (Nabak Kimchi) by Kimchi Mom

Desserts:

• Key Lime Cheesecake by The Foodie Army Wife
• Irish Coffee Ice Cream with Caramel Whiskey Sauce by 30A Eats
• Key Lime Cream Cheese Empanadas by La Cocina de Leslie
• Coconut Raspberry Layer Cake by Gotta Get Baked
• Fresh Mango  Berry Mousse With Coconut Cream by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Gluten Free Carrot Cookies by Simply Gourmet
• Chocolate Mint Brownies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Strawberry Sorbet by Magnolia Days
• Cadbury Creme Egg Pull-Apart Sweet Rolls by Chocolate Moosey
• Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Meyer Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Lemon Roll Cake by The Ninja Baker
• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Candied Flowers by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Lemon Citrus Cookies by Mom’s Test Kitchen
• Mini Fruit Tarts by Big Bear’s Wife
• Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream by Buffy and George
• Faux Fried Ice Cream by Neighborfood
• Watergate Salad by Cupcakes and Pearls Blog
• Good-for-You Strawberry Tiramisu Cheesecake Cups by Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Beverages:

• Guinness Beer Milkshake by The Urban Mrs
• Wines to Pair with Springtime #SundaySupper Dishes by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Irish Spring Tea Party by My Cute Bride

Please be sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 p.m. EST for our weekly #SundaySupper  live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite cookout recipes!
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us throughTweetChat!

Pina Colada Cake

I LOVE the beach!  Anything warm and tropical makes me happy! Including things that remind me of being at the beach...such as coconuts, pineapple, and pina coladas!

My husband is the exact opposite!  He hates the beach, hates pineapple, and really hates coconut!
Usually we argue about who is crazier, but on this cake... I don't argue.  Why?  Because I am happy with not having to share :-)

My cousin introduced me to this cake when I was really little and I haven't had it since!  It has really been weighing on my mind for years, so I decided to recreate it my way....and MMMM!  It was good!

It's full of coconut flavor, pineapple, and cool whip.  If your feeling frisky...you can even add in some coconut rum :-)  I would have totally done that if I didn't have to share with my 1 year old!



Pina Coloada Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix (or your own made from scratch kind)
8 oz cool whip
1 can crushed pineapple
1 bottle cream of coconut
1 bag shredded coconut
coconut rum (optional)

Make yellow cake mix according to box and bake in a 13 x 9 pan.

When it is done, poke holes in cake and pour bottle of cream of coconut on top.  If you are using rum, now would be when you would sprinkle a few tablespoons on top of the cake.

Let the cake cool.  As it cools, the cream of coconut will soak through cake (making it really moist!)

When the cake is cooled spread coconut all over the top.  I only used half a bag but you can use the entire thing if you like.

Next, I spread cool whip on top of the coconut layer.

Evenly distribute the crushed pineapple on top of the cool whip.

Now sit back, eat your cake, and pretend you're in paradise!

Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Layer Pie

Before my husband and I lived together, he hated sweets.  He hated them so much he would not even try them!  I couldn't believe I married someone that didn't even like cookies!  Here I am a total chocoholic, sweet tooth, crazed cupcake fanatic!

However, I won him over to the dark side with this pie recipe I found on the Kraft site!  WOOHOO go me!  Not only is this a very very easy dessert to make, but it's loaded with cookies, chocolate, AND whip cream!  What can get any more sweeter than that?  

After making this pie, my husband was making me make it for everyone in the family.  We lived in Jacksonville so family would often drive to visit for the weekend.  His father is on a gluten free diet so before they would come down I would go crazy trying to think of food recipes without gluten.  It seemed that everything I thought of had some little part of gluten..even this pie. 

I had an idea! What about gluten free chocolate cookies instead of Oreos?  Yes, that's right...they do have them!  The pie was a huge hit for the in laws!  One of their favorites, and nothing is better than having your in laws rave about your food :)

Triple Chocolate Layer Pie:

1 package Glutino Vanilla Creme Cookies

1/4 c melted butter

2 small packages Jello chocolate instant pudding

2 c cold milk

1- 8 oz tub of cool whip divided in half

-  Finely crush 24 oreos until they are a create a fine powder texture like the above picture.


-  Mix with butter until all of crushed cookies are covered and then press them onto the bottom of a pie
    plate.

-  In a large bowl, beat pudding and milk with a whisk for about 2 minutes or until the pudding is very thick.

-  Spoon half of the pudding onto the pie crust and even out with a spoon.

-  Mix half of the cool whip with the rest of the pudding and it will create a mousse.  Spoon this over the
    pudding layer in the pie plate and even out with a spoon.

-  Top off the pie with the remaining cool whip and top with any remaining cookies.

-  Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.




OPTION:  1)  If you do not want gluten free, use Oreo's.
                 2)  If you do not want a whole pie you can use 1 c milk and 1 pk pudding.  Layer into glasses to 
                      make a trifle and just top with cookies instead of making a crust.