HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY

Chocolate Gelato Martini

July 24, 2015 By Holly

Happy Friday y’all!! I’m bringing you guys today an aammaazingly delicious drink that is sure to make it a happy Friday and get your weekend started off right.

I’m gonna be honest, I wanted chocolate, I wanted an adult beverage and I wanted ice cream like whoa last cheat day (yes it had been a silly week).

Sooo I figured I would merge those three awesome things into something spectacular. I really had no idea how this would turn out, but y’all, imagine the most incredible chocolate milkshake with a kick and you’ve got this drink.

I know, I know, it’s not technically a martini because I decided against putting vodka in it, but I did put it in a martini glass so there you go 🙂

I’m for reals already day dreaming about making another one my next cheat day, it’s that good! Have a wonderful weekend!!!

To make it look extra decadent, dip the top of the glasses in some delicious chocolate syrup…

then place all ingredients except the gelato (which is right before you serve) into your glasses and enjoy!!!

Yummmm!!!

Chocolate Gelato Martini

2015-07-22 10:21:03

Chocolate heaven in a martini glass.

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Ingredients

(This is for one drink).
1 Ounce of Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur.
1/2 An Ounce of Creme De Cacao.
2 Ounces of Milk.
3 Scoops of Milk Chocolate Gelato.
Hershey's Syrup, For Glass Rim (Optional).
1 Hershey's Chocolate Bar, For Garnish (Optional).

Instructions

Pour some Hershey's chocolate syrup onto a plate and dip you glass(es) upside down into the chocolate to coat the rim as well as a little up the insides of the glass (Optional).
In each glass (if making more than one) place all ingredients in each glass, with the gelato placed in the glass last then enjoy!

Notes

Don't add the gelato until you're right about to serve 🙂

By Holly

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Easy Peasy Ice Cream

July 22, 2015 By Holly

I know summer is hot and all (especially around these parts) but it has been exceptionally hot for two months y’all. No, I’m not saying I want winter back either, but when I walk outside and the humidity is completely suffocating all I can think about ~~other than AC and not wearing pants~~ is eating some totally awesome ice cream, which btw is all ice cream ~~except mint, sorry, not sorry, gross~~.

I’ve really been wanting to make my own ice cream, because I can never seem to find the flavors and stuff in it that I want. I was thrilled when I came across a super easy peasy recipe for ice cream, no ice cream maker, no salt, no cooking of anything etc.

I had this ice cream in the freezer ready to hang out for a while in about 20 minutes, tops. I personally love dulce de leche and Rolos (especially minis, so cute!) so that’s what I loaded my ice cream up with, but you could totally do whatever you love best. This ice cream is super rich and creamy, very sinful, but most importantly…cold 🙂

First, cold heavy whipping cream into your bowl…

whip, whip, whip…

sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream, mmmm…

all folded in…

cutting up my Rolos here…

putting them into my ice cream a few at a time so they’re evenly distributed…

now your dulce de leche (or whatever you would like)…

all mixed in…

freeze for a bit and enjoy!!!

Easy Peasy Ice Cream

2015-07-21 09:39:53

Only two main ingredients to this easy peasy ice cream.

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Ingredients

2 Cups of Heavy Cream, Cold.
1 (14 Ounce) Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk.
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract.
Mini Rolos, Cut Into Quarters (Optional).
1/4-2/3 Cup of Dulce De Leche (Optional).

Instructions

With a handheld or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, place your cream in your bowl and beat until it forms stiff peaks.
Now fold in your can of sweetened condensed milk, until fully mixed.
If you are adding in mini rolos and/or dulce de leche, do so now and fold in both a little bit at a time until evenly mixed in.
Place ice cream into another container with a lid and freeze for at least 6 hours, then enjoy!

Notes

You can add any candy, sauces you particularly like in your ice cream or none at all, this ice cream is still amazing all by itself.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Caramel Cream Pie

July 20, 2015 By Holly

I’ve had this recipe on my list of must makes for a while now, and after making it (and devouring it I might add) I wish I had made it much sooner. Y’all this pie is unbelievable, easy to make (bonus!) and hot dang ~~yes I just said hot dang~~ it is soooo freaking delicious.

I ~~almost~~ can’t say enough good things about it, it’s super light and fluffy but decadent without being sickeningly sweet. The hardest part of this whole pie was the dang crust.

I’m telling you, me and pie crusts are always blah, aka I consistently mess them up even when using pre-made dough ~~who does that?~~ My first crust, I didn’t poke holes in it with a fork (I promise I know better) and I didn’t cut enough off of it, so it weighed down and fell into the pan.

The second crust, I fixed the problems I made with the first one but for some reason one side fell down into the pan too, but there was enough pie filling that it covered it and you can’t see it anyhow haha.

I can’t tell y’all enough how much you need to make this pie, for reals. Happy Monday y’all!

First, pie crust into your pan…

Cream your cream cheese, add powdered sugar and a little bit of the dulce de leche…

all mixed up…

whip all your whipped cream and add your caramel, cream cheese mixture…

all folded in…

put the remainder of your dulce de leche into your pie crust…

then your caramel cream cheese mixture on top of that…

a little time in the fridge, some more whipped cream, dulce de leche and voila! an awesome pie!

Caramel Cream Pie

2015-07-17 11:18:02

Deliciously light and fluffy and full of caramel flavor.

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Ingredients

1 Unbaked Pie Crust (I Used Pillsbury).
1 (13.4 Ounce) Can of Dulce De Leche Caramel.
1 (8 Ounce) Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
1/4 Cup of Powdered Sugar.
2 1/2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream.
1/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar.
9" Pie Dish.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
Bring your pie crust to room temperature, place pie crust into your pie pan trimming off the edges and crimping the top with your fingers.
Poke your pie crust with a fork all over to make sure it doesn't puff up too much while baking.
Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden brown, let cool completely.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment beat your cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the Dulce De Leche and powdered sugar until smooth, set aside.
In a separate bowl (preferably cold) and with a handheld or stand mixer with whisk attachment put your heavy whipping cream and granulated sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
Remove about 1/2 a cup of the whipped cream to put as decoration on top of your pie.
Now fold in your caramel cream cheese mixture until fully blended.
Spread the rest of your Dulce De Leche in the bottom of your pie crust, then evenly pour your whipped caramel cream cheese mixture on top of the Dulce De Leche.
At this point I put my pie in the fridge for a few hours to chill before I garnished the top of the pie with my whipped cream.

Notes

To drizzle some more Dulce De Leche on top of your pie just zap a little bit of it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, and using a spoon or fork drizzle it on top of your pie.
To garnish the top of my pie with the whipped cream I used a Wilton disposable piping bag and an open star tipped piping tip.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

The Best Brownies

July 17, 2015 By Holly

Happy Friday y’all! I thought today I would do a fall back Friday with one of my posts from last year, not only because it’s one of my all time favorite recipes but because my little sister brought to my attention the other day that for some reason the original post wouldn’t open at all.

I immediately called my older sister (my webmaster) in a panic when I couldn’t make it work, and even with all of her computer smarts couldn’t make it work either…sooo here we are with a great recipe, old photos (obviously haha) and something super delicious and easy to make.

Speaking of photos, please don’t judge too hard these old photos, I was still learning the ins and outs of my camera (not that I’m an expert now) and was definitely struggling with food styling. I also can’t believe I didn’t make any step-by-step photos either, sheesh, I’ll definitely have to do some of those in the future for this.

Anyways, these babies are called The Best Brownies for a reason, this is more of a super moist chocolate cake than brownie, and is topped with an easy homemade fudge. These are rich, but amaaazing. If you are a chocoholic you’re gonna go crazy for these. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

The Best Brownies

2015-07-17 07:46:02

Moist chocolate cake topped with a decadent homemade fudge.

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THE BROWNIE

1 Stick (1/2) Cup of Unsalted Butter.
1 Cup of Sugar.
4 Eggs.
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla.
1 Can (1 1/2 Cups) of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup.
1 Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon of Plain Flour.
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Powder.
9x13 Pan.

THE FROSTING

6 Tablespoons of Butter.
6 Tabelspoons of Milk.
1 1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar.
1/2 Cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.

FOR THE BROWNIE

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream your butter and sugar.
Then add the eggs, vanilla and syrup.
Pour into your greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until it springs back slightly to the touch, don't over bake, and let cool.

FOR THE FROSTING

Once the brownies have cooled, in a small/medium saucepan place your butter, milk and sugar and bring to a boil.
Boil for 1/2 minute and remove from the heat.
Right away pour your chocolate chips into the pan mixing until smooth, then pour onto your brownies.
Let the icing set and enjoy!

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes

July 15, 2015 By Holly

It dawned on me the other day I had not made any mini cheesecakes in forever when one of my coworkers was asking when I was going to bring in some more.

When people ask me for a specific food to bring in, there is just no way that I can say no, ask and you shall receive and all that.

Mini cheesecakes are so much fun y’all, all the deliciousness of cheesecake without all the hassle.

Obviously I wanted to add some extra fun to these cheesecakes, so I threw in some funfetti cake mix (hello sprinkles!) and put birthday cake golden Oreos (hello! even more sprinkles!) as the bottom crust.

These are phenomenal y’all!! They taste like an amazing cheesecake and cupcake hybrid, and I totally did the whole eye roll, mmmm thing because these are soooo good. Don’t even think about it, just make these 🙂

First, cupcake liners and Oreos…

cream cheese into the bowl…

mix it all up, then add the sugar and the vanilla…

mix, mix, then the eggs…

then the sour cream…

then the cake mix and extra sprinkles (which turned the batter a little pink btw)…

all mixed up (these sprinkles were too small and dissolved)…

into the liners…

bake, bake, bake…

yummies!!!

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes

2015-07-14 11:28:45

Yields 22

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Ingredients

22-Golden Birthday Cake Oreos.
2 (8 Ounce) Blocks of Cream Cheese, Softened.
1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar.
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract.
2 Large Eggs.
1/2 Cup of Sour Cream.
1 1/3 Cup of Funfetti Cake Mix.
1 Tablespoon of Rainbow Sprinkles Plus More For Garnish.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Place 22 cupcake liners into your cupcake tin, then place one golden oreo into the bottom of each liner and set aside.
With a handheld or stand mixer place your cream cheese into the bowl and beat until smooth.
Add the granulated sugar and vanilla and mix again.
Now add your eggs and mix.
Then add your sour cream and mix that in as well.
Now add in your funfetti cake mix and mix until smooth, intermittently scraping down the side of the bowl.
Using an ice cream scoop fill your cupcake liners to the top with your batter.
Bake your cheesecakes with 25-30 minutes (I took mine out at 27) let cool and place in your fridge for at least 3 hours to completely chill.
Top with whipped cream and garnish with sprinkles if you like.

Notes

The extra sprinkles I used in the batter were so small that they dissolved into the batter which made it a very light pink color, so I suggest using hardier sprinkles (sounds so weird) if you want to throw in some for more funfetti action.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

July 13, 2015 By Holly

I’m just going to be honest and admit that some good, nasty (a good nasty) fair food is just needed, weelll, maybe not needed but definitely wanted. This last cheat day I wanted a corn dog bad ~~don’t judge me~~.

I’m sure it had something to do with the Fourth of July being a couple of weekends ago, and per usual, hot dogs were everywhere.

I like hot dogs just fine, but a corn dog is a whole other story; the crunch of the fried corn bread batter, the slight sweetness of it that pairs so well with the hot dog, and just so awesomely handheld and dippable in ketchup or mustard.

Well, I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t have a fryer lying around my house to make corn dogs, so I think these mini corn dog muffins are the next best thing (maybe better).

These were beyond easy to make, and soo freaking good y’all. Since they’re baked, they don’t taste exactly like a corn dog, but the corn muffin part is slightly sweet, soft and the perfect amount of hot dog in the middle…yummy!! Happy Monday!!

For the cornbread start with melted butter and sugar…

all whisked together…

then add your eggs…

then add your buttermilk…

then add your flour and cornmeal…

all mixed up…

cut up your hot dogs into 1″ pieces…

place 1 Tablespoon of your batter into your mini muffin pans…

put your hot dog pieces into the batter…

baking…

and enjoy!!!

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

2015-07-09 10:13:07

Yields 36

All the flavor of delicious corn dogs in mini muffins.

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Ingredients

6-8 Hot Dogs, Cut Into 1" Bites.
1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter, Melted.
1/2 Cup of Sugar.
2 Eggs.
1 Cup of Buttermilk.
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda.
1 Cup of Cornmeal.
1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour.
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt.
Mini Muffin Pan(s).

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, add your melted butter and sugar and whisk together.
Then add your eggs and whisk together.
Now add your buttermilk and mix again.
Now add your cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt and mix together until combined and set aside.
Cut your uncooked hotdogs into 1" pieces and set aside.
Spray your mini muffin pans well with baking spray, then place 1 tablespoon of the cornbread batter into each tin and place one piece of hot dog into each tin leaving the top of the hot dogs out of the batter.
Bake your corn dog muffins for 9-12 minutes (I took mine out at 10) or until the cornbread is slightly golden around the edges.
Cool slightly, serve and enjoy!

Notes

You can use either beef or pork hot dogs, these mini corn muffins were made with beef hot dogs.

Adapted from IowaGirlEats.com

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Mac-N-Cheese Pizza Pie

July 10, 2015 By Holly

Happy Friday Y’all!! I may not be bringing you a cocktail today for your weekend, but I’m certainly bringing you a recipe I’m super excited to share with you guys.

Today’s recipe comes courtesy of a happy accident. I had had this amazing idea (if I do say so myself) of making mini mac-n-cheese calzones. I figured, homemade mac-n-cheese is awesome, calzones are awesome, and mini foods are super awesome, how could this be wrong?

Well, it’s still definitely a great idea, but my attempts at making them were extremely frustrating…I’m just going to chalk it up to my continuing issues working with dough. After an hour, I finally eeked out a few that didn’t completely fall apart before baking, and they looked, well, interesting to say the least…ok, let’s be real, they looked terrible. Seeeee…

the one in the front left looks like a deranged taco, and the others…murdered clams…

So, I totally wanted to scrap the whole thing, but realized I still had an entire bowl of mac-n-cheese awesomeness, as well as an entire pound of dough and didn’t want to waste it, so I thought throwing it all in my iron skillet and baking that up would make for an amazing savory treat.

Guess what? I was right haha, this was soooo dang delicious y’all, and I couldn’t believe how perfectly it cut into perfect deep dish slices. Y’all just make this, for reals, it was decadent and awesome.

Cook some macaroni…

drain it and add to your bowl…

add butter…

add eggs…

add all the cheese, milk and salt and pepper to taste…

all mixed up…

dough on a floured surface…

all rolled out (I rolled it even more to make it thinner after this pic btw)…

into the skillet…

then mac n cheese into the pan…

bake, bake, bake and enjoy!!!

Mac N Cheese Pizza Pie

2015-07-08 11:13:49

A deep dish macaroni and cheese pizza.

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Ingredients

1-16 Ounce Publix Premade Pizza Dough.
1 1/4 Cup of Dry Macaroni, Cooked.
5 Tablespoons of Cold Butter, Thinly Sliced.
4 Ounces of Mild Cheddar Cheese, Shredded.
2 Ounces of Parmesan Cheese, Shredded.
4 Ounces of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded.
1/2 Cup of Ricotta Cheese.
4 Eggs.
1/2 Cup of Milk.
Salt and Pepper to Taste.
10" Iron Skillet.

Instructions

Take your dough out to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium/large saucepan cook your macaroni until soft and drain.
In a large bowl, place your macaroni, then add your butter, eggs, cheese, milk then salt and pepper to taste (I usually salt pretty liberally).
Mix very well and set aside.
Place your dough on a floured surface and using either a rolling pin or your hands flatten and stretch out your dough until large enough to be placed in your iron skillet with a slight overhang that you can trim off or just fold over which I did.
Pour your macaroni and cheese mix into your dough and bake for 30 minutes uncovered, then loosely place foil on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Let cool slightly and serve.

Notes

You can put more or less cheese, or any variation of types of cheese that you may like better 🙂

By Holly

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

No-Bake Mango Pie

July 8, 2015 By Holly

So, after my first attempt at a mango pie that failed so hard as mango that it turned into the Ooey Gooey Custard Pie instead, I finally made a real mango pie. On my hunt for a mango pie recipe (trust me there were a billion of them) this one really jumped out to me, not only because of the vibrant mango color but because it was no-bake.

Sometimes, I am just not feeling turning on the oven (especially in this heat), letting stuff cool, etc., etc., hence the appeal of the no-bake aspect.

This pie was incredibly simple to make, which I simplified even more by using a pre-made crust that I put into my own pie pan (soo lazy haha) which did end falling apart but still yummy. Honestly, the hardest part of this pie was finding the sweetened mango pulp.

No regular grocery stores carried it around me, but luckily I found a lovely Indian grocery store that had it. If you have never had mango pulp before, omg, I recommend it like whoa, I could have sat there and drunk it with a straw it was so good. If you love mango, you’re going to love this pie. Happy Wednesday!

I would show you putting the gelatin in the hot water, but the pic was insanely blurry…In a bowl, add your cream cheese…

cream until smooth…

the delicious mango pulp…

mix, mix, mix, then add your gelatin…

mix again, then place in your (hopefully unbroken) crust…

then let it set up in the fridge for a while and enjoy!

yummy!!

No-Bake Mango Pie

2015-06-26 13:05:21

Full of all of the flavors of mango, and so easy to make.

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Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Water.
1 Tablespoon (or 1 Packet) of Unflavored Knox Gelatin.
2 Cups of Sweetened Mango Pulp.
8 Ounces of Cream Cheese, Softened.
1-9" Pre-made Keebler Shortbread Crust.

Instructions

In a small saucepan, place your water and heat on medium/high heat until it starts to boil.
Once it starts to boil, remove from the heat and add your gelatin, stirring continuously and quickly to dissolve it, set aside until it comes to room temperature.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your cream cheese in your bowl and mix until smooth.
Now add your mango pulp and mix until completely blended and smooth.
Now add your gelatin to your batter (the gelatin will be very jelly like).
Pour your batter into your pie crust, making sure it is even and smooth.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, and enjoy!

Notes

You are welcome to make your own crust, but I so didn't feel like baking anything haha.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Raspberry Fool

July 6, 2015 By Holly

This is probably the least amount of effort I’ve ever spent making a dessert, but with the biggest pay off. For reals y’all this is definitely a new favorite. I’m sure you’re thinking ‘yeah, add it to the list Holly’ but seriously, I only stopped eating it when it ran out (no shame), it’s that good.

Not only delicious, but they’re just so darn pretty, they definitely have that wow factor. Once I layered the raspberry and whipped cream, I took a large toothpick and scraped up the sides to get some pretty swirlies (a culinary term obviously).

You don’t have to put this dessert in shot glasses like I did, but not only are mini desserts adorable, but you can see the colorful layers.

I will definitely be trying these with other fruit, because I think strawberry or blueberry would be just delicious too. Have a Happy Monday y’all!

Start with the raspberries in the blender…

now the sugar and salt…

blend, blend, blend…

now add your whipping cream and sugar into your bowl…

all whipped…

start layering with 1 tablespoon of the raspberry layer…

whipped cream…

then more raspberry…

then more whipped cream…

then garnish and enjoy!

Raspberry Fool

2015-07-02 13:31:11

Delicious whipped cream layered with a sweetened but tart raspberry layer.

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THE RASPBERRY LAYER

1 (12 Ounce) Bag of Frozen Raspberries, Thawed.
1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar.
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt.
Tall shot glasses.
Fresh Raspberries For Garnish, Optional.
Long Toothpick (Optional).

THE WHIPPED CREAM LAYER

2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream.
1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar.

FOR THE RASPBERRY LAYER

Place your thawed raspberries, sugar and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until pureed, set aside.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM LAYER

With a handheld or stand mixer with whisk attachment, place your whipping cream and sugar into the bowl and whip until light and fluffy.

ASSEMBLY

In your shot glasses, alternate 1 tablespoon of the raspberry mixture with the whipped cream until full, end with the whipped cream and garnish with a raspberry if you want 🙂

Notes

I used a long toothpick to scrape the sides to just slightly mix the layers, you don't want to mix too much unless you want it to become pink 🙂

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Pimm’s Cup

July 3, 2015 By Holly

Guess what?! It’s cocktail Friday! I know, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a drink but I’ve been on a real cooking/baking kick and have just not been feeling a cocktail. Well, I definitely was this last cheat day.

Y’all, it’s been hot here, like, suffocating, oppressive, want to ~~take a nap in the freezer~~ stay in the AC kind of heat. When I’m running around the gym (literally) at 5:30 A.M. and I’m already sweating my be-hind off, you know it’s dang hot. Not gonna lie, I have seriously considered jumping on a plane to L.A. for a weekend just to have some reprieve from this Southern summer.

Anyways, after having the AC break in my office for several days last week (I was about ready to turn into the Hulk–Holly SMASH!!), all I could think about (other than cool air) was a light refreshing drink to enjoy while sitting around doing nothing. I had heard about this drink from my neighbors for forever and how light and fresh it was, sooo I figured it was about time to make one.

Apparently this is a very British drink (which in my mind makes it even better) and honestly I was skeptical at how light this drink would be when I saw the Pimm’s Liqueur. The liqueur is a very dark color, which to me screams very strong and bitter (kind of like how I felt melting in my office).

Y’all I took my first sip of this cocktail and did the whole ‘aaaaahhh,’ you know, like they do in all of the drink commercials? This drink is just lovely… sweet, but not too sweet and light and bubbly from the Sprite, did I also mention nice and cold? 🙂 This drink is typically garnished with cucumbers and lemons, and I just loved the cucumber slices in it, definitely added to the lightness of the drink. Happy Friday! and have wonderful long (hopefully cool) holiday weekend!