HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY

...because one day a week I have to be bad

Holly’s Junk Food Review Series: Ample Hills Creamery Mickey Mouse Celebration Ice Cream

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Happy Happy Friday y’all and welcome to another Junk Food Review!!! So in case y’all didn’t know, I’m a gigantic Disney fan, the movies, Walt Disney World etc., and Sunday is Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday.  It’s incredible all of the amazing things that have come from Walt’s creation of one little mouse.  Ample Hills Creamery (which, FYI there is a scoop shop at Walt Disney World’s Boardwalk) put together a wonderful set of ice creams specifically for Mickey’s 90th.  I originally ordered this ice cream back in August the moment they were announced, and the shipping dates kept changing, so when they finally arrived a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t wait to try, I mean come on, look at their cartons!

First, let’s try the Confetti Celebration, which is a ‘sweet cream ice cream with confetti cake, ribbons of yellow buttercream frosting and yellow Mickey-shaped white chocolate pieces filled with lemon cream’..

you can see some of the swirls of buttercream here…
Alrighty, I was definitely the most excited to try this flavor for sure.  This is a very sweet ice cream, the buttercream swirls taste just like the canned frosting you can get at the store (which to me is a good thing), I loved the crunch of the white chocolate pieces, but I didn’t really taste the lemon cream inside them, which is totally cool.  This ice cream is good, but it didn’t end up being as tasty as I had anticipated.  Just know if you get this ice cream it is super duper sweet.  I give this one a 7 out of 10.

Next we have the Peanut Butter Jamboree, a ‘vanilla bean ice cream with strawberry cake, ribbons of peanut butter frosting and Mickey-shaped peanut butter pieces filled with strawberry jam’…

you can definitely see that peanut butter swirl here…
Ok y’all, I really don’t like giving bad reviews but wowza this one needs some work.  I love love love strawberry cake, but whatever is in this ice cream pretending to be strawberry cake is some gummy, artificial strawberry flavored gunk, I almost didn’t eat any more of this ice cream after my first bite was filled with this stuff.  Luckily, I took another bite and it was pretty much all peanut butter swirl and it was fantastic.  If they had left out the strawberry flavored gunk, this ice cream would be a 10 out of 10, since it’s not, its a 4 out of 10.  I never did find any Mickey shaped pieces either, BTW.

Lastly, we have the Triple Chocolate Surprise, a ‘chocolate malted ice cream with chocolate fudge cake, ribbons of dark chocolate buttercream frosting and Mickey-shaped white chocolate pieces filled with fudge’…


look at all of that chocolatey goodness…

It’s funny how the one I was the most whatevs about, turned out to be my favorite flavor.  I don’t usually gravitate towards chocolate ice cream, but this one knocked it out of the park.  Lots of awesome layers of chocolate throughout (none bitter, even with dark chocolate buttercream) and the white chocolate pieces were really the icing on the cake-so to speak-because they added a wonderful crunch and sweetness.  I absolutely love this flavor and give it a 9 out of 10.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

Happy Birthday Mickey, 90 is looking great on you, haha.

Easy Cinnamon Pie

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Happy Happy Thursday y’all! and holy wow, it’s officially a week until Thanksgiving, my how it creeps up on me every year.  I would love if I had the power to move the holidays around a bit…you know, put them a little further apart? 

We seriously just got done with Halloween, and already Thanksgiving is here?  Wouldn’t it be awesome is Halloween could be moved to the beginning of October, maybe bump Thanksgiving up a week or two, so then, maybe it wouldn’t feel like Christmas is about a second from Thanksgiving, what do y’all think?

I think it’s genius, but as I stated earlier, I don’t exactly have the pull to make stuff like that happen haha.  What I can do, is maybe give y’all some totally awesome, and totally easy desserts for the impending holiday(s).  As an avid cinnamon lover, seriously I put it on just about everything, and when I heard about a cinnamon pie, I knew that it was absolutely something that had to be stuffed in my face made. 

I found a few recipes floating around, and I decided to take the (hopefully) best parts of each.  There was a slight hiccup with the first pie that I made, in that I think it had waaaay too much cinnamon, like, it was kind of burning my sinuses while eating it, so I definitely cut that down and then baked it for a little less time and voila! pure yumminess. 

Obviously I cheated and used a store bought pie crust, which you totally can too, but I feel like a homemade pie crust with a tad bit of sweetness to it would be fantastic.  I hope this recipe helps if you’re having a slight dilemma of what to make, but this is so perfectly Fall-ish and really really simple to make.  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

first, cream your cream cheese, then add the brown sugar…

  now, add your eggs…


now, the rest of your ingredients and mix, mix, mix…

ready to go into your pie crust…

yummm, ready for the oven…

bake, bake, and enjoy!!!

Cinnamon Pie
Delicious Thanksgiving pie, filled with Cinnamon.
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Ingredients
  1. 1-8 Ounces Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
  2. 1 Cup of Brown Sugar.
  3. 2 Large Eggs.
  4. 1 Egg Yolk.
  5. 1 1/4 Cups of Heavy Cream.
  6. 1/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour.
  7. 2 Tablespoons of Ground Cinnamon.
  8. 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla.
  9. 1 Teaspoon of Salt.
  10. 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg.
  11. 1-9" Pie Crust, Store Bought or Homemade.
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Roll your pie dough out into your 9" pie pan, cutting off any excess and crimp the edges of your dough, place in the fridge until ready to use.
  3. With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat your cream cheese until smooth, then add in the brown sugar and beat until incorporated to the cream cheese.
  4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs and egg yolk and mix until smooth.
  5. Now add in your heavy cream, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg and mix until well incorporated.
  6. Pour your pie mixture into your pie pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center isn't jiggly anymore.
  7. Cover your pie and let cool completely in the fridge.
  8. Let your pie stand for at least an hour before serving, and enjoy with a dusting of powdered sugar or ice cream!
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White Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles-Happy 4th Blogiversary!

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Happy Happy Saturday & Happy 4th Anniversary of HollysCheatDay.com!  I cannot even comprehend that I’ve already been food blogging for 4 years, my how time flies.  I figured the best way to celebrate the 4th anniversary would be to make something not only Halloween themed, but also something that contains a few of my favorite things (Reese’s Pieces, Peanut Butter & White Chocolate, FYI haha). 

My inspiration for these delightful balls that’s what she said  is due to all of these wonderful candy bars such as Kit Kat, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Snickers, coming out with white chocolate versions in recent months, which I actually think are even better than the originals and have made white chocolate one of my new favorite ingredients.  I think that white chocolate is especially delicious with peanut butter, hence today’s recipe. 

I had originally planned on putting mini Reese’s Pieces, but after a lot searching and only finding a 5 lb bag of these guys, I decided that regular Reese’s Pieces would have to do.  Luckily, the regular sized Reese’s Pieces were kind of chopped up with the paddle attachment while being mixed, so no biggie there.

Okay, so if you’re one of those weirdos  that is quick to think that something is ‘too sweet’ or ‘too rich’ then these are not for you.  If you’re normal not sensitive to really rich stuff then these little bad boys are for you.  Wowza these are so delicious, and I really think that the white chocolate coating bumped these up ten fold.  The little crunch of the  Reese’s Pieces bits in each truffle is just darn delicious y’all.  Also, these could totally be themed for anything in the next few months, red & green sprinkles..boom, Christmas, red & pink sprinkles..boom, Valentine’s Day…I’m just telling y’all you need these in your mouth life.  Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!!

butter ready to whipped in the mixer…


                                    mix, mix, mix, now add vanilla, powdered sugar and peanut butter…

                                                         mix again, then add in the Reese’s Pieces…

                                                                                  all mixed up…

                                                            white chocolate chips ready to be melted…

                                                        dip the wonderful truffles in the white chocolate…

                                                  mmm, ready to go hang out in the fridge for a bit…

                                      and here is the recipe, since my recipe card is again, not working…

PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLES:
1 Stick (8 Tablespoons) of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract.
1/2 Cup of Creamy Peanut Butter.
1 1/2 Cups of Powdered Sugar.
1 Cup of Reese’s Pieces.

WHITE CHOCOLATE COATING:
12-14 Ounces of White Chocolate Chips.
3-6 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil.
Decorative Sprinkles (Optional).

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLES:
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat your butter until smooth.
Then add your peanut butter, vanilla and powdered sugar and mix again.
Now add your Reese’s Pieces and beat until they are evenly combined and have broken into smaller pieces.
On a large baking sheet with wax paper placed on it, roll your dough into about 1 inch sized balls, and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

WHITE CHOCOLATE COATING:
Place your white chocolate chips into a medium to large sized bowl with 1-2 tablespoons of the coconut oil and microwave in 30 second intervals, taking out and stirring until completely melted. Add more coconut oil if needed to make the white chocolate coating thinner for ease of dipping the peanut butter truffles.
With a spoon or fork dip your truffles into the white chocolate making sure to completely cover, place back onto your baking sheet and add your sprinkles on top if desired.
Once all truffles are completed, place into the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!!!

Holly’s Junk Food Review Series: Halloween Treats

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Happy Happy Friday y’all and welcome to another edition of my junk food review series.  With less than 2 weeks until Halloween, tis the season for all things candy corn, pumpkin flavored and pretty much anything in the color of orange. 

Let’s get to it, the first junk food item are the White Candy Corn M&M’s which are not a new item this year, but I don’t think I ever got around to buying any last season…

look at all of those Fall colors…

So I totally get that Candy Corn is one of those food items that you either love it or you hate. I happen to love candy corn, so I was definitely excited to get a hold of these M&M’s.  Soo these are pretty good, I don’t necessarily think that they taste like candy corn, these are just really really sweet white chocolate M&M’s that have an almost caramel type flavor to it.  Overall these are tasty, but I won’t be stockpiling these to last me until next year, and let’s be real if I want candy corn, I’ll just go buy some.  These get a 6.5 out of 10.

Next, we have these adorable looking Brownie Pumpkins made by Little Debbie…


I mean, how cute is this?

Okay, so I was really excited about these, because Little Debbie products to me are always consistently delicious and consistently moist.  The only thing I wondered when I bought these were, is that pumpkin flavored frosting on top? Is there any pumpkin in these at all or are these just basic cute little brownies?  The box gave 0 description, so I just figured, what the heck?  Gosh, I don’t like giving bad reviews, but holy cow these were soooo disappointing, these were basically dry and extremely dense.  The orange ‘icing’ on top, if you can even call it that was indistinguishable from the rest of the brownie and added no moisture whatsoever.  I was hoping that these would taste like those  awesome little cosmic brownies, but they definitely did not.  These get a 3 out of 10, don’t waste your money on these.  

Anyways thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful Friday and weekend!!!

The Pumpkin Russian

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Happy Happy Tuesday y’all!!! It’s still pumpkin season and as far as I’m concerned it will continue to be until the end of December…haha who am I kidding, I seriously want all the pumpkin things year round, well almost all the things. 

As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, the only thing that I’m not a fan of pumpkin-wise are pumpkin spice lattes, just, no thank you.  Knowing my disdain for PSL’s you would think that would include all pumpkin drinks, well, not in this case y’all.  I have always thought that the White Russian is super tasty, and I thought it would be fun to put a Fall spin on it by adding some pumpkin. 

I don’t know what it is, but I think pumpkin tastes awesome with white chocolate, but mix it with regular chocolate, ewww, hence my desire to put pumpkin in this cocktail.  This cocktail turned out sooo awesome you guys.  It is the perfect mixture of rich and creamy, with the perfect hint of Fall flavors, and let’s not forget that nice adult kick of the libations.  This was a really easy cocktail to throw together and would be perfect for any of your Halloween get togethers, or just something nice to share with your basic b’s 😀  I hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far and thank you so much for stopping by.

The Pumpkin Russian
Yields 1
The traditional White Russian given a fun Fall Pumpkin twist.
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Ingredients
  1. 2 Ounces of Vodka.
  2. 1 Ounce of Kahlua.
  3. 1/2-1 Ounce of Pumpkin Spice Creamer.
  4. 4-6 Ounces of Milk or Heavy Cream.
  5. Ice Cubes.
  6. Dash of Cinnamon (Optional).
Instructions
  1. Fill your glass with ice.
  2. Add your vodka, kahlua, pumpkin spice creamer and fill the rest of the glass with milk or heavy ceam.
  3. Gently stir together, add a dash of cinnamon and enjoy!!!
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Holly’s Junk Food Review Series: Fall Cereals

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Happy Friday y’all and welcome to another junk food review.  We’re just going to go ahead and jump right in today, it’s almost the weekend and I’m just about ready for it.

First, let’s review the Frosted Flakes Pumpkin Spice variety…

 looks normal enough…

I really do not relish in giving bad reviews, but ewww this cereal is just sooo bad y’all. Just imagine a wonderful, delicious bowl of Frosted Flakes that someone spilled pumpkin potpourri on and you might be able to imagine what this tastes like.  A friend of mine said she thought it tasted like a cinnamon broom, which is not only hilarious but also very accurate.  Even if you’re a pumpkin spice fan, I don’t know if you’ll like this, it’s garbage.  This cereal gets a solid 1 out of 10…sorry Kellogs, you dropped the ball big time on this one.

Okay, next we’ve got a good one, and it totally makes up for the abomination that is Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes. Technically this S’mores cereal is not new, but I happened across it at Publix after having searched for it in stores for months prior, so here we go…


look at all of that goodness…

Y’all, this cereal is perfect. I feel like this is the Holy Grail of cereal that I’ve been on a quest for my whole life. ‘I have chosen wisely’–btw if you don’t get this reference, you can leave, just kidding, kind of…anyways…the base graham cracker cereal is identical to Golden Grahams, an absolute favorite of mine, but throw in the hint of chocolate and the adorable mini marshmallows and voila, you have an amazing cereal.  I would say it stays super crunchy even after sitting, but considering that I basically hoovered this cereal, I can’t really tell you for sure.  Dare I say that I give this a 10 out of 10? Okay, I dare.  I really really hope  that they make this cereal easier to find and not just a temporary one, it is sooo good!  Anyways, thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend! 

Easy Pumpkin Mousse

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Happy Tuesday y’all!  Well, it’s finally October which means it’s officially pumpkin season, woohoo!  I’m not sure if I’ve made it very clear how obsessed I am with pumpkin desserts (pretty sure I have) but just in case, now y’all know. 

I would like to say, the only area of pumpkin I absolutely do not like are pumpkin spice lattes, I know, I know, sacrilege to all of my basic b’s out there, but seriously y’all, it’s what I would imagine drinking potpourri would be like.  Anyways, obviously due to me writing this post, pumpkin mousse is very, very good and now a forever favorite fall recipe for me. 

Not only is this mousse insanely light, fluffy and delicious, but also, no bake which is convenient, since as I mentioned last week the weather hasn’t gotten the memo, that it’s not July anymore.  I think the best way to describe this mousse, is imagine blending up a pumpkin pie, then adding in cream which tones down the flavor just a bit and then serving it cold.  So not my best description to date, but just believe me if you like pumpkin you’re going to love this dessert.  I really appreciate you stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful day!   

First, whip your heavy whipping cream, just when it starts to froth then add your powdered sugar…

Then continue whipping up stiff peaks form, set aside…

In another bowl, whip your cream cheese, then add pumpkin puree, vanilla and spices…

Now, add your whipped cream to your pumpkin mousse…

Fold it all in until smooth…

and enjoy!!!

Easy Pumpkin Mousse
Delicious and easy mousse filled with all of the flavors of Fall.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream.
  2. 1 Cup of Powdered Sugar.
  3. 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla.
  4. 8 Ounces of Cream Cheese, Softened.
  5. 1 Cup of Pumpkin Puree.
  6. 2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon.
  7. 1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg.
  8. Dash of Ginger.
Instructions
  1. With a handheld or stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat your heavy cream until it gets a little frothy looking, then add your powdered sugar, then beat until stiff peaks form, set aside in the refrigerator.
  2. In another bowl with a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat your cream cheese until smooth, then add your vanilla, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, mixing until well combined.
  3. Now fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until well mixed and smooth, I recommend chilling for at least an hour before serving, and enjoy!
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Holly’s Junk Food Review Series: Reese’s Crunchy Cookie Big Cup

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Happy Sunday y’all.  Just a heads up, this is going to be a little bit different of a junk food review today. I usually try to review stuff that’s pretty new in stores, but today’s has been out for a while now, but I’ve waited for quite a bit to review this one for a very special reason.  

You see, last year, my little sister, a fellow Reese’s lover raved to me about a new Reese’s that had just come out that had cookie dough in it, and I just had to try it.  The next day she brought me one and said that I had to review it for my blog.  Well, I’ve had that Reese’s hanging out in my freezer since then, but today is her birthday and I figured it was about time to review it.  It probably seems silly, but she did love silly & really loved Reese’s, so here we go…

These, as you might imagine, if you are also a Reese’s fan are really good.  Honestly, you’re not going to be fooled and think that it tastes just like cookie dough inside, but it’s a really great texture with the crunch of the mini chocolate chips.  These certainly won’t be replacing the classic Reese’s peanut butter cups but they are quite good and I definitely recommend these.  Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful day and obviously, Happy Birthday April.   

No Churn Apple Pie Ice Cream

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Happy Happy Wednesday y’all!!!  The calendar people, the Celts or the weather people (I really have no idea) may have officially declared it Fall, but around here and for the time being, Fall is 90 degrees accompanied with boob sweat.   I probably shouldn’t mention boob sweat prior to discussing food, but this isn’t the Food Network guys, this is my thunder dome of inappropriateness. 

So yeah, it’s still very hot and humid here, not that any of the stores have been informed either,  because they’re all happy bringing out sweaters and boots.  Sweaters and boots?! come on, it was almost 80 degrees when I walked into the gym at 4:45 this morning you guys, putting on a sweater at this time literally sounds like a form of torture.  I’m glad that folks up north can start throwing on semi winter gear, but not around here folks. 

Ok, so now that I have made it abundantly clear that it’s still hot as the surface of the sun here, it still doesn’t keep me from longing for all foodie things that are Fall-ish.  Pumpkin, apple pie, cinnamon, caramel, yes please…Since baking anything is a big no for me right now, what better way to get my Fall fix than with Apple Pie Ice Cream, mmmm.  Y’all this is freaking mmmm too, and darn easy to make.   No ice cream machine or anything fancy, just some heavy whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, apple pie filling, and caramel sauce, you’re welcome 😀  Do not let the looks of this ice cream deceive you either, this is very, very rich, but oh so incredible.  The hardest part is waiting for this to freeze so you can eat it.  Anyways, thanks so much for dropping by and I hope you have a fantastic (Fall-ish) day.      

this is the pre-made apple pie filling I just chopped up…


your heavy whipping cream whipped…


sweetened condensed milk being folded nicely into the whipped cream…

folded in completely…

now for the layering, first layer of the ‘ice cream’

then a nice drizzle of caramel sauce…

then some of your apple pie filling on top of the caramel…

  Cover the apple pie with the remainder of the ice cream, then caramel sauce then stir it all together with a knife…

now, ready to go in the freezer for a few hours…

and enjoy!!!

No Churn Apple Pie Ice Cream
Absolutely decadent ice cream filled with all of the flavors of apple pie, this is a must make.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream.
  2. 14 Ounces of Sweetened Condensed Milk.
  3. 21 Ounces of Apple Pie Filling, Chopped (and I used about 1/2).
  4. 5-7 Ounces of Caramel Sauce.
  5. 1-Loaf Pan.
Instructions
  1. First, chop up your apple pie filling until the desired size of the apple pieces is obtained, set aside.
  2. With a handheld or stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat your whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
  3. Very gently, but thoroughly fold in your condensed milk in your whipped cream.
  4. In your loaf pan, spread about 1/2 of your whipped cream mixture into the bottom.
  5. Now pour your desired amount of caramel sauce on top, then top your caramel sauce with about 1/3 of your apple pie filling or however much you desire.
  6. Now pour the rest of your whipped cream mixture on top of that, then top it with more caramel sauce.
  7. With a knife, gently swirl all of this together, cover and let freeze for at least 4 hours, best if overnight.
  8. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
  1. I originally made this using 1 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream, but I believe an extra 1/2 a cup makes the correct amount needed.
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Fig Toast

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Happy Happy Tuesday y’all!!!  For the last couple of years, it seems my seasonal allergies have become so much worse this time of year (thanks so much Ragweed, you jerk), and even though Fall now stinks in that regard, one good thing, is that it’s fig season, woohoo!…Ok so that may not sound very exciting to some of y’all,  but I’m personally obsessed with figs (and not just in Newton form). 

I seem to remember that when I lived in California, figs were always available year round, and so I ate a lot of them while I lived there.  Well, around these parts, they don’t start showing their delicious faces in stores until September, so color me happy.  I know that the idea of fruit on toast doesn’t seem like the usual crazy cheat day thing to eat, but on non cheat days, I try to avoid bread at all costs because 1 slice of sprouted/low carb/fake/some version of something that looks like bread just isn’t going to cut it, you know?

Sooo, I thought it would be super delicious to make a kind of fig/sweet version of avocado toast (which I am also equally obsessed with).  I initially thought of putting cream cheese on the toast as the base, because cream cheese is delicious on everything, but I ultimately decided on Ricotta, because I find it just slightly sweeter by itself. 

To add to the sweet factor, I drizzled a bit of honey as a nice topper for this toast, and y’all, this turned out so fantastic.  The buttery crunch of the toasted bread, the very mild sweetness of the figs mixed with the creaminess of the Ricotta, and that small amount of super sweetness of the honey was just delightful. 

I think there is so much that can be done with this ‘recipe,’ next time I might broil the figs for a bit just to get a nice caramelization on top, or maybe even sweeten up the Ricotta and make it more like a frosting.  This to me is just such a wonderfully simple, yet delicious treat, I definitely recommend y’all make some of this.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful day! 

Fig Toast
Deliciously simple toast covered in Ricotta, fresh Figs and a drizzle of honey.
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Ingredients
  1. 2-4 Slices of Thickly Sliced Bread.
  2. 1-2 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter.
  3. 1/2-1 Cup of Ricotta Cheese.
  4. 4-5 Fresh Figs, Cut In Thin Slices.
  5. 1 Tablespoon of Honey.
Instructions
  1. Toast your slices of bread with butter to your desired done-ness.
  2. Let bread cool, and spread desired amount of Ricotta cheese on your bread slices.
  3. Place your sliced figs onto your Ricotta, drizzle honey on top of your toast and enjoy!
Notes
  1. Feel free to substitute cream cheese for the ricotta.
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