a farmgirl's dabbles

Mom’s Peanut Butter Cereal Bars with {the best} Chocolate Frosting

June 17, 2013

I know most people have a variation of cereal bars in their own recipe box, but I get asked for this recipe so often that I felt it was obviously still worth sharing. These are the only Peanut Butter Cereal Bars I've ever known, a recipe from Mom. And they're one of my husband's favorite homemade treats. The bars are super easy to put together, with a minimum of ingredients. They set up perfectly every time, and are gooey and chewy, with just the right amount of peanut butter and chocolate. … [Continue reading...]

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Filed Under: Bars, Chocolate, Parties & Entertaining

Spaghetti Hotdish with Garlic Bread Crumb Topping {Land O’Lakes giveaway!}

June 13, 2013

This recipe for Spaghetti Hotdish with Garlic Bread Crumb Topping was created for the Land O’Lakes Kitchen Conversations with Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. Awhile back I featured our first conversation, where we talked about food trends for 2013, and I shared my recipe for Curried Cauliflower with Israeli Couscous and Grains. This time around, [...]

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194 Comments
Filed Under: Bakes, Hotdishes, & Casseroles, Beef, Contests & Giveaways, Pasta, Pork, Sausages, Sponsored Posts, Vegetables

Watermelon Mintini {and Seagram’s Escapes for summer}

June 10, 2013

I love to keep some light fruit flavored beverages in the fridge, especially during the summer. So when Seagram’s Escapes asked me if I’d like to try out their bottles and frozen pouches, I jumped at the chance. And I’m so glad I did, because I found a few new refreshing bevvies I know I’ll [...]

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Filed Under: Beverages, Contests & Giveaways, Parties & Entertaining, Sponsored Posts @ BlogHer

Dole Taste of Spain Salad Summit {Carmel, California}

June 3, 2013

Over the years, I’ve heard countless wonderful things about the natural beauty of Carmel-by-the-Sea and its surrounding Monterey Peninsula. So it was something of a wish-come-true when I received a personal invitation from Dole, the world’s largest provider of fresh fruits and vegetables, to spend a few days with them there, in the heart America’s [...]

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31 Comments
Filed Under: Salads, Travels, Vegetables

Mom’s Rhubarb Cream Cheese Bars

May 31, 2013

On this site, I reference more recipes from Mom than any other person I know. That’s a good thing, right?! I only hope that our own daughters will feel the same way about my recipes when they’re all grown up, preparing meals and baking cookies for their own families and friends. This recipe for Rhubarb [...]

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52 Comments
Filed Under: Bars, Cheesecake, Contests & Giveaways, Cookies, Fruits, Gardening

The Best Part of Wakin’ Up…

May 29, 2013

You’re already finishing that catchy little tune in your head, aren’t you?! “The Best Part of Wakin’ Up is Folgers in Your Cup®“ When Folgers asked me to help them spread the word about their annual Jingle Contest, I couldn’t help singing those famous lyrics out loud, right then and there. The song has been [...]

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Contests & Giveaways, Kids in the Kitchen, Sponsored Posts @ BlogHer

Six Awesome Recipes using Red Potatoes {farm trip giveaway!}

May 24, 2013

600afd_X_IMG_8090_grilled red potatoes with lemon dill and feta

I have so much great stuff to share with you today! Besides some awesome recipes using red potatoes, I am also featuring a farm trip giveaway to experience red potato harvesting firsthand. Pretty cool, huh?! Do you remember last summer, when I took a little trip down to Missouri for red potato harvesting? I was [...]

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35 Comments
Filed Under: Bakes, Hotdishes, & Casseroles, Contests & Giveaways, Dressings & Sauces, Potatoes, Sponsored Posts, Travels, Vegetables

Pickled Curry Cauliflower

May 22, 2013

There are days when my sweet tooth gets the best of me, when I’d love to just sit down and gobble up every last brownie in the pan. But I know I can’t. My waistline would take several days to forgive me, not to mention my chocolate loving husband and offspring. So I settle for [...]

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18 Comments
Filed Under: Appetizers, Parties & Entertaining, Pickles, Jams, & Preservation, Salads, Vegetables

Rhubarb Muffins with Cardamom Crunch Topping

May 15, 2013

The awakening of Spring 2013 was the slowest one ever. In a “normal” year, by the time the calendar was flipped to May, we would have already been enjoying lilacs in bloom. The yard’s dreary winter residue would have been raked clean, and the garden turned over, waiting for seeds to be sewn. And we [...]

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25 Comments
Filed Under: Breakfast, Muffins & Scones

Espresso Brownies with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Frosting

May 10, 2013

Give me a dark and decadent brownie, and all my problems are solved. Brownies are my go-to. My constant craving. My chocolate saviour. A couple months ago, I made some brownies with a thick layer of irresistible mocha buttercream, and shared them with my sister’s family and their friends who were visiting from out of [...]

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31 Comments
Filed Under: Bars, Brownies, Chocolate, Marshmallow, Parties & Entertaining

Shandy Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Green Olives

May 8, 2013

Shandy Dandy Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Green Olives

It never fails. Every time my family walks in the door, home from school and work, and our “big red pot” is in the oven…they all come sniffing their way to the kitchen, wondering what smells so awesome. That gorgeous piece of hardworking Le Creuset definitely has a higher calling than most kitchen pieces, cranking [...]

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147 Comments
Filed Under: Bakes, Hotdishes, & Casseroles, Chicken, Contests & Giveaways

Turkey Taco Bowls with Cilantro Lime Rice

May 3, 2013

My family is in love with Turkey Taco Night. It always brings “yays” and “hoorays”…and for Tessa, a little dancing and singing, too! Turkey Taco Night is never served the same way twice around here. Sometimes all the ingredients are wrapped up in flour tortillas, and other times hard corn shells (Blake’s favorite) serve as [...]

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