HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY

Blackberry Thyme Cocktail

April 24, 2015 By Holly

Well, Belles Organics has done it again with this Blackberry Thyme Cocktail. Seriously, these folks are drink geniuses, because they take their already amazing drinks then add different bits and pieces and make a totally separate (and not to mention totally awesome) drink.

This lovely libation includes their Belle on The Beach which alone is amazing, that includes vodka, cranberry, and orange, then you throw in some fresh Thyme and blackberries and it is completely elevated to something else.

This drink is so light and fresh, then the added aromatics of the Thyme make a wonderfully different and flavorful cocktail.

I don’t know about where y’all are, but it’s been insanely beautiful here in Atlanta the last several days (after what felt like weeks of non-stop rain) and I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing on my cheat day than sitting on my porch and enjoying one of these. Y’all have a wonderful weekend and Happy Friday!

Let’s start with some Thyme (I promise no lameness about taking some time to take the leaves off of your Thyme–oops, oh well hehe).

now just a splash of some Belles…

muddle these all together…

now the blackberries…

muddle these little guys up…

all squished…

now the rest of your Belles…

now the club soda and voila!

Sooo good y’all…

Blackberry Thyme Cocktail

2015-04-22 11:09:51

A lovely cocktail filled with fresh blackberries, vodka and fresh Thyme.

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Ingredients

6 Ounces of Belles Organics Belle on the Beach.
5 Large Blackberries.
1 Teaspoon of Thyme Leaves.
3 Ounces of Club Soda.
Ice Cubes (Optional).

Instructions

Always make sure to shake your bottle of Belles before opening due to organic fruits tend to settle at the bottom.
Tear the leaves off of your Thyme and drop into your glass or shaker.
Pour a small amount of the Belle on the Beach onto your Thyme, then muddle aka squish your Thyme and Belles together.
Now add your blackberries and muddle those into your mix.
Now add the rest of your Belle on the Beach and stir.
Now time for the club soda and stir all together.
Pour into your glasses over ice (if you like) then serve.

By Belle's Organics

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

Corn Jalapeño Dip

April 22, 2015 By Holly

The fact that it is now officially the end of April again is completely blowing my mind, I mean didn’t we just do this?

Well, to assuage my feelings of panic that time is just flying by, I present to you this ahhmaazzing corn jalapeño dip. Y’all, it’s creamy, cheesy, it’s got texture, just an itty bitty hint of sweetness from the corn, and spicy?–heck yeah it’s spicy.

Not to the point where you will be left incapacitated or anything but just enough that you will be all ‘yeah, that’s hot, but awesome, I want more’ (or maybe that’s just me).

Trust me, you will want more, this is most definitely addictive. Also, this would be the most perfect dip ever to go with your Cinco de Mayo margaritas, which is apparently just around the corner. If you like it super hot, then you could most definitely add another can of jalapeños or add fresh ones if you’re fancy 🙂 Also, if you’re not the onion sautéeing type then you could totally put them in raw, but I thought they really added a lot more flavor cooked. Happy Hump Day!! 🙂

Onion time! (doesn’t sound fun, but it does sound delicious)…

Nice and browned…

Place your cream cheese in your bowl…

Nice and smooth, and with some sour cream…

now the onions …

and the mayonnaise…

Now all of that delicious cheese…

the jalapenos (juice and all)…

the corn and some salt and pepper…

all mixed up…

mmm, baking up…

Delicious!!!!

Corn Jalapeño Dip

2015-04-21 13:15:48

Creamy, savory and perfectly spicy this dip is the perfect party appetizer.

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Ingredients

1 (8 Ounce) Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
2 (12 Ounce) Cans of Sweet Corn, Drained.
1 (4 Ounce) Can of Chopped Jalapeños.
1/2 Chopped Onion, Sautéed.
1/2 Cup of Mayonnaise.
1/2 Cup of Sour Cream.
1/2 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Shredded.
1/2 Cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded.
1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder.
Salt and Pepper to Taste.
10" Baking Pan.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small pan on medium high heat, drizzle some olive oil then place your chopped onion into the pan, stirring until the onions are browned thoroughly.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your cream cheese, and thoroughly beat it until smooth.
Now place your sour cream, sautéed onions, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese & monterey jack cheese, jalapeños, corn and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix all together until thoroughly incorporated.
Pour your mix into your pan and bake 22-25 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned and bubbly.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

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

Strawberry Cake Truffles

April 20, 2015 By Holly

Because it’s Monday, and Mondays can be super blah, I have decided to bestow upon y’all one of my new most favoritest things ever to eat, and I have a sneaky feeling it will be one of your new fav things too.

First off, the basis of this dessert is strawberry cake and cream cheese frosting, which, hello! is always a good idea. Then, all of that strawberry cake and cream cheese loveliness gets smooshed into balls and then dipped in white chocolate, OMG…I knew these would be good, but I didn’t know they would be awesome.

I brought these into work and they were gone in an hour, with one co-worker admitting to me they had eaten 6 of them. I definitely wasn’t judging because for reals, one truffle will not be enough.

If some of y’all are super fancy and want to make your own homemade cake, you’re welcome to, but I wanted to save some time and just used a boxed mix, which btw you totally can’t tell.

I’m so in love with these truffles, I’m over here thinking of how many different variations of cake truffles I can make now, mmmm. Happy Monday y’all!!

Alrighty, lets start with some cake mix shall we?

now some water…

now oil and eggs…

all mixed together, how pretty and pink…

into the pan…

baking…

once cooled completely, crumble it up (and ignore that my hand looks like a claw here for some reason)…

put it into your bowl…

now cream cheese frosting (do you see my adorable furry friend standing there hopeful for a bite?)…

mix all together…

now into balls (this is after they had been frozen, because I forgot to take a pic, oops)…

almond bark & shortening…

all melted…

strawberry balls into the white chocolate…

look, strawberry balls covered in white chocolate, time to get your cheat day on…

yummy, yummy…

Strawberry Cake Truffles

2015-04-17 11:28:03

Yields 30

Delicious strawberry cream cheese cake balls wrapped in white chocolate.

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THE CAKE

1 Package of Strawberry Cake Mix.
1 Cup of Water.
1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil.
3 Eggs.
3/4 Cup of Pre-Made Cream Cheese Frosting ( I used Pillsbury).
9x13" Pan.

THE COATING

20 Ounces of Almond Bark.
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Shortening.
Red Food Coloring (Optional).
Red Decorating Sugar (Optional).

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray your 9x13" pan with baking spray and set aside.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your cake mix in the bowl, then the water, oil and eggs mixing all of these ingredients together until well incorporated.
Pour your bake batter into your pan and bake 22-24 minutes (I took mine out precisely at 24).
Cover and place in your fridge to let it cool completely.
Once cooled, crumble the whole cake with your hands into your bowl, then place your frosting into the bowl as well and beat until evenly blended.
Line a pan with wax paper and using a mini ice cream scoop or spoon roll cake mixture into 1.5 inch balls and place on the paper, cover and freeze for at least an hour.

FOR THE COATING

Using a double boiler (which I used) or a microwave safe bowl, place your almond bark and shortening, heating until completely melted and smooth.
Now drop your cake balls into your melted coating making sure to completely coat each ball, carefully removing them using a spoon or toothpicks and placing back onto your wax paper.
If you would like to put decorating sugar on top, make sure to do it as soon as you place onto your paper because this coating sets very quickly.
These can be served immediately or covered and placed in the fridge.

Notes

You are welcome to use white chocolate chips instead of almond bark, but I find the almond bark holds up so much better.
For some of the 'designs' on top of the truffles, I just added some red food coloring to some of the melted white chocolate, and put in a sandwich baggie and piped it on top.

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

Creamy Coconut Margarita

April 17, 2015 By Holly

Wow y’all it’s finally Friday, sheesh. This week has been crazy banana pants. Maybe because everyone (and I mean everyone) has arrived back in town from Spring Break which has made traffic exceptionally terrible (even for Atlanta) and my short ~~don’t you love working Saturday?~~ & busy last weekend has had me looking forward to this weekend basically all work week.

I started dreaming of having this coconut concoction again (had it last cheat day) probably Tuesday night because as I have mentioned before, coconut is pretty much amazing in anyway I can ~~devour~~ consume it, and I spent almost 3 hours ~~!!!!~~ sitting in traffic on my way home that night—seriously when are teleporters going to be invented???

When I was originally thinking of a drink I wanted, I knew it had to be bursting with coconut flavor, but still have that awesome kick to it ~~y’all know what I’m talking about~~ and this is so it.

I must admit that while making this I kept singing “you put the lime in the coconut” over and over, I’m telling you it adds something, you should too 🙂 This drink is soo delicious y’all, and definitely boozy ~~hello Tequila~~ so I recommend drinking slowly, you don’t want to be hungover all weekend haha. Enjoy y’all!

Okay, let’s go ahead and make our glasses pretty (you know, if you feel like it), lime juice on the rim of your glasses…

dip into the coconut…

So, now for the real deal…orange liqueur into the pitcher…

now the tequila…

now the lime juice…

and the cream of coconut…

all mixed up…

Now Enjoy!!!

Creamy Coconut Margarita

2015-04-16 07:15:20

A smooth and creamy margarita filled with coconut flavor.

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Ingredients

1 Cup of Orange Liqueur (Triple Sec).
1/2 Cup of Tequila (White or Silver).
3/4 Cup of Lime Juice.
2 Cups of Cream of Coconut.
Flaked Coconut (Optional).
Fresh Lime Wedges (Optional).

Instructions

In a pitcher combine your liqueur, tequila, lime juice and cream of coconut and stir until well combined and chill in the fridge.
If you like, you can rub the rims of your glasses with your limes and dip in your flaked coconut for a pretty and festive look.

Notes

You could totally squeeze your limes, but I totally didn't feel like it and bought it pre-squeezed 🙂

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

Hawaiian Pizza Dip

April 15, 2015 By Holly

I can guarantee some of y’all are reading the title of this recipe and already making a grossed out face, so I’ll just go ahead and apologize that my most favorite type of pizza in the whole wide world is Hawaiian.

Trust me, I have been the recipient of the ewww nasty faces when I suggest to a group we order Hawaiian pizza, and I know that I fall into a smaller group of people that have this as their preferred flavor.

You know it’s bad when you order a pizza with your dude on your cheat day, and he is afraid that an ingredient of your ~~super delicious~~ half might remotely ‘infect’ his side (his word not mine). I just can’t help myself, it’s that sweet and salty mix that I just love ~~I’m talking about the pizza not the dude hehe~~.

I kept seeing all of these pizza dips on Pinterest, but ~~obviously~~ not my favorite kind, so I figured I needed to remedy that asap. Honestly this dip made all of my Hawaiian pizza dreams come true ~~I’m such a dork~~, and I’m gonna go ahead and ~~optimistically~~ say that you will like this dip even if you are not a huge fan of this flavor. It was perfectly cheesy, pineapple-ey, ham-ey, and just bursting with pizza goodness. It didn’t hurt that I dipped delicious fresh French bread slices into it, drrooool, soo good y’all.

Mmm, look ham that needs to be sliced…

all chopped up…

pineapple all chopped up…

place 2 cups of your mozzarella in the bottom of your pan…

now the pizza sauce…

now place your ham on top…

now parmesan on top…

your pineapple, which obviously you can put as little or as much as you want…

now your pesto (optional of course)…

now more mozzarella…

bake, bake, bake…

once out of the oven you can garnish with more cheese, ham etc…

then enjoy!!!

Hawaiian Pizza Dip

2015-04-14 08:43:13

All the flavors of a Hawaiian pizza in an easy to throw together dip, baked wonderfully in an iron skillet.

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Ingredients

1-2 Cups of Fresh Pineapple.
8 Ounces of Ham.
3 1/2 Cups of Mozzarella, Shredded.
8 Ounces of Pizza Sauce (Any pre-made you like).
1/2 Cup of Parmesan, Shredded.
2 Tablespoons of Pesto (Optional).
8" Iron Skillet.
French or fresh bread for dipping.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut up the desired amount and size of pineapple you like, as well as the ham.
Place 2 cups of your shredded mozzarella in the bottom of your greased skillet.
Then evenly spread your pizza sauce on top of your mozzarella.
Now layer half of your ham onto the pizza sauce, then sprinkle your parmesan on top of the ham.
Now place your pineapple on top of your parmesan, and you can place your pesto amongst the pineapple if you want to use it too.
Now place 1 cup of your shredded mozzarella as the top layer and bake for 25-30 minutes (I took mine out at 27) until bubbly and cheesy.
Once I took mine out of the oven I sprinkled the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and ham on top.
Serve immediately, and I suggest with french bread 🙂

Notes

Note that all ingredients I used can be doubled, tripled, halved, etc completely according to what you like, that's what is awesome about cheesy dips.

By Holly

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

Summer Strawberry Pie

April 13, 2015 By Holly

In the South the weather is always so baffling, it will be so darn cold ~~well, to me anyway~~ for what feels like forever, then it will be Spring for about a week, then straight into a super hot & humid summer.

This year is no different, because that is exactly what it did this week, it was already in the 90’s yesterday, and honestly I’m so not gonna complain because I am no fan of cold weather, but with the high temps comes my yearning for this pie.

This is another recipe that comes from my mom, I can say I have been eating this pie my whole life, because during the summertime this pie was a constant fixture in the house.

I can see why now, this pie is darn easy to make, light, cold, full of fresh summer strawberries, and no reason at all to turn the oven on.

This pie is ready in no time, and trust me you won’t be able to have just one slice, Happy Monday Y’all!

Jello-O Mix into the bowl…

now your boiling water, all dissolved in…

now your ice cubes…

someone still has remnants of a little cool whip on her, and waiting for more 🙂

now remove your ice once it has thickened a bit, and add your cool whip…

mixed up…

now time for your strawberries…

all mixed up and pretty…

into your pie crust…

and all smoothed out…

yummy, yummy…

Summer Strawberry Pie

2015-04-09 09:37:54

A light, fluffy, no-bake strawberry pie perfect for those hot summer days.

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Ingredients

1 (3 Ounce) Package Strawberry Jello Mix.
2/3 Cup of Boiling Water.
1 (8 Ounce) Tub of Cool Whip, Thawed.
1 Pre-Baked Shortbread or Graham Cracker Crust.
2 Cups of Fresh Strawberries, Sliced.
5-6 Ice Cubes.

Instructions

In a bowl, place your jello mix, and pour your boiling water over it making sure it dissolves the mix completely.
Now add your ice to your jello mix, stirring until it is thickened, make sure to remove your ice cubes before they all melt.
With a handheld mixer add your cool whip to your jello mixing until smooth.
Now fold your fruit in, until they are evenly distributed.
Now place your mix into your pie crust smoothing the top and chill for at least an hour before serving.

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

Georgia Belleini

April 10, 2015 By Holly

It’s Friday y’all, which means one thing ~~other than really bad traffic~~, it’s cocktail time! 🙂 Today is another one courtesy of my favorite cocktail line Belles Organics, and what’s even better it’s using one of my favorites from their line The Georgia Belle.

The Georgia Belle is their peaches n’ cream vodka which is so super yummy already by itself, and then they added champagne to it which makes it so bubbly and wonderful.

I’m just in love with this Georgia Belleini, it’s fruity and sweet (but don’t worry not too sweet) and just perfect for a lazy afternoon. It doesn’t get much easier to put together a drink than this, so definitely get in on this 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend y’all!

Fill your glasses 2/3 full with The Georgia Belle…

and fill the rest of the glass with champagne and dunzo!

Delicious!! 🙂

Georgia Belleini

2015-04-07 10:52:48

Yields 3

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Ingredients

Belles Organics Georgia Belle Cocktail, Chilled.
Champagne, Chilled.
Fresh Peaches (Optional).

Instructions

Fill your glasses 2/3 of the way full with your Georgia Belle.
Fill the rest of your glass with your champagne.
You can garnish your glasses with your peaches or cut up your peaches and place in your glasses before serving if you like.

By Belles Organics

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

Peanut Butter Pie

April 8, 2015 By Holly

If you are a peanut butter hater ~~don’t worry I won’t love you any less~~, now is the time to turn away and I’ll see you on Friday, because this pie is all things peanut buttery, chocolate and awesome. Peanut butter is definitely one of the things I miss most keeping a healthy diet.

I’m not saying you can’t eat peanut butter in a healthy way because you totally can, I just can’t…I have zero self control with peanut butter, if I have the recommended serving size ~~basically the size of a thimble~~ I’ll then have 10 more, trust me, that’s no exaggeration.

Soo knowing my complete lack of self control with my beloved peanut butter I just stay away from it ~~sigh~~. I decided early in the week that I just haaad to make my favorite peanut butter dessert (you know other than Reeses, mmm) which is this pie.

This pie is insanely easy to make, and honestly the most difficult part of this pie is probably making the crust (which still isn’t hard), and you could always buy pre-made if you didn’t feel like fooling with it. This pie is creamy, light, sweet, and just bursting with peanut butter goodness. You definitely need to get in on this pie if you’re a PB fan 🙂

Let’s make the crust…Oreos into the food processor…

nice and crumbly…

Oreo crumbs into the bowl, and add your butter…

All mixed up…

Now into your pie pan…

press into your pan and up the sides a little, then bake this off…

peanut butter into your bowl…

then the cream cheese…

mix together…

Now the powdered sugar…

mix all together…

Now the cool whip all mixed in…

Into your crust…

and all smoothed out…

Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Pie

2015-04-07 08:35:25

An easy and delicious peanut butter pie in an Oreo cookie crust.

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THE PIE CRUST

24-28 Oreo Cookies (I used 26), crushed.
4 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter, Melted.

THE PIE FILLING

1 Cup of Creamy Peanut Butter.
1 (8 Ounce) Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
1 Cup of Powdered Sugar.
1 (8 Ounce) Tub of Cool Whip, Thawed.
9" Pie Pan.

FOR THE PIE CRUST

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place your cookies in a food processor and pulse until they're small crumbs.
Place your cookie crumbs into a small separate bowl and add your melted butter, stir with a fork to combine, press this mixture into your pie pan and bake for 7 minutes or until set.
Allow to cool completely.

FOR THE PIE FILLING

With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment combine your peanut butter and cream cheese and beat until smooth.
Add your powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
Now add in the cool whip and blend until well incorporated.
Pour mixture into your crust, smoothing out the top, chill for at least an hour before serving.

Notes

If you don't have a food processor, you could use a blender or place your cookies in a large ziploc bag and beat/roll it with a rolling pin.
I garnished the top of my pie with miniature Reese's Oreo cookies, which was awesome.

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

Easy Banana Pudding

April 6, 2015 By Holly

Maybe it’s because I made ~~and devoured~~ a banoffee pie in all of it’s banana glory a couple of weeks ago, maybe because it’s getting warmer outside, or maybe it’s because I saw Spring themed Chessman cookies and I knew I needed to buy them.

Whatever it was, I knew I needed to make a banana pudding. Okay, maybe need is a little dramatic, but whatevs y’all, I wanted banana pudding so I made one. This is a recipe I’ve had floating around in my menagerie of recipes for a while, and apparently just hadn’t gotten around to making yet, which I am now realizing has been a big mistake.

Y’all this recipe was so darn easy to make and so darn good. It even looks kind of fancy (in my humble and nerdy opinion) but I’m assuming that’s due to the pretty cookies on top.

This banana pudding is perfect for a quick and easy dessert, and let’s face it, especially good if you’re so not in the mood to turn the oven on. Happy Monday y’all!

Alrighty, line your pan with these super fun cookies…

Now for your bananas…

In a separate bowl, your milk…

Now your pudding mix…

Mix, mix, mix…

Now in a separate bowl, place your cream cheese…

Now add your sweetened condensed milk…

all mixed together…

now add your cool whip…

mix, mix, mix…

now time for your pudding mixture…

all mixed up…

now onto the cookies and bananas…

all pretty and smoothed out…

now time for cookies on top, and enjoy!!!

Delicious!

Easy Banana Pudding

2015-04-05 14:36:20

A super easy banana pudding that is so delicious and so easy to make.

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Ingredients

1 (12 Ounces) Tub of Cool Whip.
1 (14 Ounces) Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk.
1 (8 Ounce) Package of Cream Cheese, Softened.
2 Cups of Milk.
6-8 Bananas, Sliced.
2 Bags Chessman Cookies.
9x13" Pan.

Instructions

Line the bottom of your 9x13 pan with your Chessman cookies.
Now layer your bananas on top of your cookies.
With a handheld mixer combine your milk and pudding mix together and blend well, set aside.
In a another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.
Now fold your cool whip into the cream cheese mixture, then add pudding mixture into the cream cheese, and blend well.
Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas then place more cookies on top of your pudding.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Adapted from Paula Deen

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

The Pink Bunny

April 3, 2015 By Holly

This time of year is so great y’all, my fingers and toes are finally thawed out from winter, flowers and trees are blooming, and candy comes in my favorite color…pink.

I know logically that chocolate doesn’t taste any better when coming from a pink wrapper, but because all of the chocolate bunnies, eggs, and all of the Peeps in bright colors are so cute, it makes it seem like they taste better ~~don’t judge me~~.

I had totally planned on making adorable cupcakes in beautiful pastels with bunnies or something on them for Easter, and being completely honest, I just didn’t feel like it 🙂 I feel like I have run all week and all weekend for weeks and I’m just plum wore out y’all. Buuuut, I did have enough energy ~~because it didn’t require much~~ to make these super beautiful and delicious drinks. The idea came from the fact that gin and tonics are always my go-to drink, they’re light and crisp and don’t give me a ~~hangover~~ headache, but I wanted to make them beautifully pink too for Easter, hence the pink lemonade.

Oh my goodness y’all, these turned out absolutely perfect, sweet, but with a tart kick (thank you pink lemonade)…you cannot taste the alcohol at all in these either, which could be a good or bad thing 🙂 Also, forgive me for using martini glasses for a non martini, but I just love how they look, so whatevs haha, these are easy, delicious and super pretty, a wonderful addition to your brunch…Happy Easter Y’all!

Start with your gin…

Now your tonic water…

Then the pink lemonade, mix, mix, mix…

if you want to make them extra pretty, you can do this…

Enjoy!! 🙂

The Pink Bunny

2015-04-02 07:25:19

A fun and delicious take on a gin and tonic.

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Ingredients

1 Can (12 Ounces) of Frozen Pink Lemonade (I used Minute Maid).
6 Ounces of Gin.
12 Ounces of Tonic Water.
Decorating Sugar in Pink (Optional).

Instructions

In a pitcher, pour your gin, tonic water and your frozen pink lemonade.
Mix all ingredients together and serve.

Notes

For the sugar rim on my glasses, I just rubbed water around the edges of the glasses and gently pressed the top of the glasses into the sugar until sufficiently covered.
This recipe made almost exactly 3 full martini glasses worth, if you would like more, this recipe can easily be doubled.

By Holly

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