Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies

When my hubby turned 30 I got him tickets to the Blackhawks and Avalanche hockey game.  We drove to Denver and had such a blast.  On the roadtrip, I made my favorite snack, muddy buddies.  As we were driving we were talking about different kinds of muddy buddies that I have made on the blog.  I really am obsessed.  And then it came to me, Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies!  These were so simple to make and I think that they became my favorite version.  It reminded me of a snickerdoodle while I was eating them and they were fantastic and addicting!

Rating: 5 stars  Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies

• 5 cups chex mix cereal
• 12 oz bag white chocolate chips
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

1.  Measure out 5 cups chex cereal and set aside in large bowl.  

2.  Mix together the cinnamon and powdered sugar.  Put into a gallon size bag and set aside.

3.  Melt the white chocolate in the microwave stirring after every 30 seconds.

4.  Pour the melted chocolate over the chex cereal and mix with a wooden spoon until cereal is well coated with the chocolate.

5.  Scoop the coated cereal into the gallon sized ziplock and shake until coated with the powdered sugar.  Enjoy!

Time to Sparkle Link Party #12

Welcome to another week of our party!  Just so you know the switch to wordpress and my new blog design is happening this week!   So if you are following me through Google Friend Connect, please follow me through facebook, pinterest, twitter, or email.  I love all of my fans and don't want to lose any of you!  I will let you know when the change is happening because my site will be down, but I can't WAIT for you to see my new design!  And the best part is that the recipes will be printable! 

I am also celebrating my blog anniversary the week of June 10th with all of you!  So stay tuned for an awesome giveaway with all of my favorite things and awesome bloggers to guest post!  It will be a fun week that you won't want to miss!  :)

Welcome to Time to Sparkle Tuesday Link Party, where you can find all the newest creative ideas from around the web! Stop by every Tuesday, link up your posts, and check out what others are sharing! You'll discover some amazing new blogs and find inspiration for projects, recipes, and more! This party is hosted by four lovely ladies, so your projects will be shared on ALL FOUR blogs! 

Inside BruCrew Life | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

The Gunny Sack | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

The Recipe Critic | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Love Grows Wild | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Each week we will pick our favorite links as features, and share them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! 

- Make sure to follow our Time to Sparkle Pinterest Board to see all the amazing features! -

Let's see what your hosts have been up to this week:

Strawberry Fudge Poke Cake by Inside Brucrew Life

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade by The Recipe Critic

How to Grill Pizza & Easy Dough Recipe by The Gunny Sack

Asparagus with Lemon Dill Sauce by Love Grows Wild

**********************************************************

Here are the fabulous features from last week's party chosen by Alyssa from The Recipe Critic:

Raspberry Lemon Meringue Cookies by Oh Sweet Basil

No Bake Yogurt Pie by Eat Cake for Dinner

Black Bean Burger with Chipotle Mayo Sauce from Tastes Better from Scratch

Peach Lemonade by The Benson Street

DIY Party Banner by Rain on a Tin Roof

50 Summer activities for Kids from Six Sisters Stuff

DIY Pool Noodle Wreath by Brave New Home

Fathers Day Gift Idea from Echoes of Laughter

Grab a button if you've been featured!

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Now let's party! It's Time to Sparkle!

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LASIK Surgery Giveaway

*The giveaway is being provided by Davis Vision and Cade's surgery was provided for him*

Today is the opportunity of a lifetime. I've teamed up with a group of incredible bloggers, Favorite Family Recipes, Sweet Treats and More, The Recipe Critic, Baking with Blondie, Something Swanky, Taste and Tell, Your Cup of Cake, Brassy Apple, 365 Days of Slowcooking and Life of a Passeri to give away LASIK eye surgery worth $4800 to one lucky winner! Just scroll to the bottom of the post to enter! But, wait that's not all, I wanted this giveaway to not just be something fun, but something that could truly be a blessing to the winner and then we decided, well couldn't we help everyone out? So, even if you don't win you'll be sent an exclusive discount from Davis Vision and all of us so that we can take the burden of how expensive surgery can be and make it more affordable for everyone!   

I got to experience first hand how incredible Davis Vision Center is.  I met up with all of the bloggers and Carrian, who blogs at Oh Sweet Basil, was completely surprising her hubby with the surgery.  He had no idea that he was getting it done!  We all were dying with excitement for her to finally tell him that he was receiving the surgery!

1. Dr. Davis has performed over 25,000 vision correction procedures
2. Every person has seen an improvement in vision.
3. Advanced Blade Free LASIK can have outcomes as good as 20/15
4. Dr. Davis has several options available because everyone has different eyes.
5. Some who weren't candidates in the past are now candidates due to technology advancements.
6. Dr. Davis also performs ICL and cataract surgery.
7. Dr. Davis helped develop the technology that is used in LASIK as an electrical engineer in the 1980's
8. Care Credit is available to patients who qualify, (0% interest is never a bad thing)
9. Dr Davis and his staff are kind, and more concerned with the patient and what a great privilege it is to change their life through corrected vision than prices, gimmicks etc. (This was a really big deal for us)
10. Lasik is performed with the intralase laser which means that the surgery is less complicated, lower risk and easier to recover from versus the blade procedure. Plus it only takes 10-15 minutes to do it!!

We all got to learn about the state of the art equipment that they use and took a tour of the facility.  It completely amazes me that the procedure only takes 10 minutes!  10 minutes to change someones life!  I was planning on it being an all night affair and got a babysitter for the entire night.  :)  As we were touring the facility, one of the nurses, Robyn suggested someone get into the booties, hat etc so we could see what a patient looks like. All of us girls quickly said, "Not me!" so Cade had to do it. When he came back Carrian finally told him HE was going to get the laser eye surgery!

(This was the moment we told him he was getting LASIK right then and there)

Carrian said, "Well Cade, we're actually here to watch you get your surgery done!" He of course said, "What? haha, yeah right!" And we all chimed in, "No, really. You're getting LASIK right now!!" Best. Moment. Ever. He started laughing, we all started laughing, and then he teared up and we all did.

Next thing you know everyone is drying their tears and Cade walked into surgery. Within minutes they had his eyes numbed and the surgery began. We waited out in the room chatting and eating snacks.  They had it on a TV screen to watch the entire procedure being done.

This was Cade right out of surgery and already he had noticed a difference in his vision!  This is so amazing to me!

When he got home he had to put eye drops in every 30 minutes to keep them moist, and 4 times a day his two eye drop prescriptions. Oh, and they put awesome little goggle things on him that he wears to bed every night for almost a week.  Cade felt no pain, and although his eyes did feel a little dry at times he was perfect. The next morning he woke up and headed in for a post operation appointment. He was already at 20/15 (which is better than 20/20!) and the best part, it only gets better/sharper every day. The next morning he kept saying, "Holy crap, I can see you (Carrian)! Holy crap I just read that paper from here!!!" Isn't that amazing?  Here is a picture of Cade the next morning at his appointment.

My hubby has dreamed of getting this done and I feel so much more comfortable and confident after experiencing this that Davis Vision Center is the one to do the job!

And now it's your chance to have the surprise/experience of a lifetime! Enter the giveaway below and not only will you receive a special discount just in case you don't win, but if you do you'll receive a $4800 surgery for free!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway --

Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto

I loved the way my basil pesto turned out so I was excited to try something different with making parsley pesto.  Using a flat leaf parsley makes the sauce balanced so that you can really taste the nuts, olive oil and parmesan.  This sauce was great with the spaghetti, but is so versatile that you can spoon it over grilled veggies, or spread over a sandwich.  Loved the flavor it gave to this spaghetti and it made it a great side!

Rating: 4 stars  Difficulty of Recipe: 3 stars

Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1/2 cup unsalted, roasted almonds
• 4 cups (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• kosher salt

1.  Cook pasta in a large pot until al dente.  Rinse the noodles very well in cold water so that they no longer stick together.  Reserve 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

2.  Pulse the almonds in a food processor until smooth.  Add parsley, chives, oil and parmesan.  Process until smooth.  Season the pesto with salt and pepper.

3.  Toss pasta and pesto in large bowl.  Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls until saucy.  Season with additional salt pepper and sprinkle the top with parmesan.  Cover and chill pesto until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Chicken Enchilada Puffs

I have made these delicious little puffs twice this month already.  And the first time I made them my sister came over for a visit.  She loved them so much that she made me make some more to take home to her hubby.  When you pay a visit to The Recipe Critic you never leave hungry or empty handed. :)  I loved how easy these are to make.  I was even able to show my sister who isn't very confident at cooking step by step how to make them.  You can have them in the oven by the time that the oven is preheated.  These puffs are packed with amazing flavor and the cream cheese inside is awesome!  This is one of those recipes that is especially great when you want to have a great meal that doesn't require a lot of effort!

Rating: 5 stars  Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Chicken Enchilada Puffs

• 1 package jumbo crescent rolls
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Mexican Blend shredded cheese
• 3/4 cooked diced chicken (I used Tyson's in the refrigerated section)
• 1/3 cup enchilada sauce
• 2 teaspoons enchilada or taco seasoning mix
• 1/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese for sprinkling on top

1.  Preheat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.

2.  Soften cream cheese in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  Stir in chicken, seasoning mix, enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup and Mexican shredded cheese until combined.

3. Unroll crescent rolls on pan.  Place a heaping tablespoon of chicken in the center of the two short ends of the crescent.  

4.  Pull outer corners of the crescent roll over the chicken mixture, and then pull the long end over completely enclosing the filling.

5.  Sprinkle the tops of the puffs with the Mexican shredded cheese.  

6.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Adapted from Tidy Mom

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

I don't know what it is about me and strawberries, but I am obsessed!  I made a special trip to Costco just to get their amazing strawberries.  I love buying strawberries when they are in season and perfectly ripe and juicy.  I love using them in recipes, especially homemade jam.  That is if they make it to the recipe!  I ate one pound all by myself yesterday!  They were just so good I kept eating them one by one.  Needless to say I had to make another trip to get some more strawberries because we ended up making 3 batches of this amazing strawberry lemonade.

I have always loved strawberry lemonade and I order it wherever we go.  Since I didn't grow up on soda I have always preferred strawberry lemonade and it quenches your thirst so well especially on a hot summer day!

Let me just tell you how amazing this turned out.  I had a little helper in the kitchen today. We cut the fresh strawberries and squeezed the lemons by hand into the blender.  This recipe is the perfect amount of lemon and the perfect amount of strawberries.  I sliced up some fresh strawberries and poured the drink into into a glass with ice on top.  And oh yum...  the froth on top of this made the drink incredible.  We will be making this weekly at our house and it also makes such a fun summer drink!

Rating: 5 stars  Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

• 1 1/2 cup strawberries
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• 1/4 cup Agave Nectar
• 2 1/2 cups cold water
• extra strawberries for garnish

1.  In a blender, combine 1 1/2 cup strawberries, juice of 2 lemons, and agave nectar.  Blend on high until smooth about 2 minutes.

2.  Pour into a pitcher and whisk together with the cold water.  Refrigerate until chilled about an hour.

3.  Serve with ice and garnish with strawberry.  Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted From Cooking with my kid

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Grilled Monterey Chicken

This recipe has been in my top 5 recipes of all time.  So when my parents wanted to have a BBQ this weekend I couldn't wait to try this on the grill!  Of course I already knew that it would turn out perfectly!  You can't go wrong when you marinate chicken in an amazing sauce, wrap it in bacon, and then top it with BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese at the end.  It was grilled to perfection and the bacon was crisped perfectly.  The chicken was perfectly moist and the flavor was amazing.  This was a huge hit with my family!

Rating: 5 stars  Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Grilled Monterey Chicken

• 3 Tablespoons Honey
• 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 cup shredded monterey Jack Cheese
• 8 slices apple-smoked bacon
• 8 tablespoons barbecue sauce

1. Mix the honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and salt together.  I cut my chicken breasts in half making them tenders.  Marinate your chicken breasts in this sauce for at least an hour but can be marinated overnight.
2.  Wrap each chicken piece in bacon securing the bacon with a toothpick.  Place on the grill and cook until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.
3.  When finished cooking, top each chicken breast with BBQ and sprinkle with cheese.  Leave on the grill until it is melted and serve! 
For the baked version click here

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