Sweet

Rainbow Bit Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

~ sweetlifestyle

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The kids came home from camp last week and my husband asked if I was going to bake a cake.  I think he secretly wanted one because I had never baked a welcome home cake for them before!  He chose a rainbow bit cake with cream cheese frosting which was a great idea because it is so colorful and happy.

This cake comes from a Betty Crocker cake mix which was easy enough. Finding the Rainbow Bit flavor was a bit harder.  As I made several calls to find a retailer that carried this flavor, I got to wondering about the origin of a rainbow bit cake.

What I found out is that this is basically a funfetti cake in a box.  I had never heard of a funfetti cake before!  It’s a white cake with sprinkles or rainbow chips (made with colored white chocolate bits) baked in. There are many recipes online and one even includes a recipe for making homemade sprinkles, here. Continue reading →

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Peach and Strawberry Crumble – It’s Summer!

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 3 Comments

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It’s summertime and that means fruits like strawberries, cherries, peaches, and blueberries are in season!  Whether you pick your own or buy them at local farmers’ markets or the grocery store, having them at home just says summer.

Last week I picked up a basket of peaches, specifically to make a crumble. When I was searching for recipes, I found tons and ended up making up my own.  Confession: I love the oat crumble on top of the fruit and I like it to be thick.  That’s why I ended up using a crumble topping recipe for a 9 by 13 inch pan on my 8 by 8 inch crumble! Continue reading →

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Mango & Blueberry Salad – That’s It !

~ sweetlifestyle

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At a kids’ year end party a few years ago, a mom brought this salad and it was such a hit.  It only has mangoes and blueberries in it but the mangoes are cut up using a melon baller making the salad look elegant and fancy.

There is something about the combination of the golden yellow of the mangoes and the dark bluish purple of the blueberries that makes the salad look good, too, especially in a white serving dish.  The salad looks healthy for you, and it is! Continue reading →

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Frozen Strawberry Banana Daiquiris

~ sweetlifestyle

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These frozen daiquiris have become a summer favorite!  Made using Bacardi’s Strawberry Daiquiri Mixer with the addition of a ripe banana, these drinks are smooth, tasty, and easy to make.

By definition, a daiquiri is made with rum, lime juice, and a sweetener. Daiquiris originated in Cuba over 100 years ago as a shaken drink.  According to Kitchn.com, drinks made with fruit juice, creme, or eggs are shaken to introduce air bubbles that give a frothy appearance.  Try making a shaken recipe from a fellow blogger at Charly’s Bar, here.  You may find other drinks you might like there, too!

Bacardi’s Strawberry Daiquiri Mixer does in fact contain sugar, lime pulp, and lime juice as part of its ingredients, as well as crushed strawberries.  You can find this mixer in the freezer section of your grocery store, next to the lemonade and orange juice.

Try these daiquiris with rum for the adults and without rum for the kids!  Let me know of any other variations that you like. Continue reading →

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Homemade Oh Henry Bars

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 4 Comments

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Homemade Oh Henry Bars – Yum!

The summer always reminds me of my teenage years when I spent every evening swimming a mile at dusk at the local community pool. I think I must have swum those miles for one simple reason: having eaten too many sweets, especially homemade Oh Henry Bars!

As teens, we used to have girlfriend get-togethers, watch movies on our VCRs, and consume sugar. This Oh Henry Bars recipe made the rounds. Continue reading →

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Sprinkle Chocolate Chip Cookies

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 3 Comments
Photo Copyright 2015 SweetTrendyAndNeat

I think I can make a chocolate chip cookie recipe from start to finish in 40 minutes. That includes cleaning up and eating the cookies. Hands down, making chocolate chip cookies is like coming home. They are memories of my childhood and they are memories of baking with my kids. They are the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag. They are the reason I gained 40 pounds for each of my pregnancies!!

But why are chocolate chip cookies so loved? Why are they so popular in North America? How come everybody seems to follow a similar recipe but everybody’s cookies are different? Why are these cookies on dessert menus even in the fanciest of restaurants? Continue reading →

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A Weekend Brunch

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 5 Comments
A Weekend Brunch photo copyright 2015 Alex R
A Weekend Brunch
photo copyright 2015 Alex R

My parents recently visited from overseas for 3 weeks. It was great!  They live in a part of the world where heavy meals are usually lunch-time meals and dinner meals tend to be much lighter fare.

Our North American lifestyle was hard to change during this period: because the kids were in school, their lunches were light and so they needed a substantial dinner meal. So, my poor parents had to eat heavy meals at dinner to accommodate their hosts.

On the weekends, I thought I would try and balance things out by treating them to a North American brunch! Continue reading →

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A Yummy Lemon Carrot Cake

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 3 Comments
Yummy Lemon Carrot Cake photo copyright 2015 Alex R
Yummy Lemon Carrot Cake
photo copyright 2015 Alex R

When I moved to North America, it was to go to a boarding school to complete high school. My roommate’s mother made us mouth-watering cakes on each of our visits to her home. I fell in love with her carrot cake and still have that index card with the recipe on it, in my teenage handwriting. I have made slight modifications to the recipe like substituting yogurt for some of the oil and using light cream cheese and more icing sugar in the frosting.

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I also make the cake in 2 eight inch round pans instead of 3 because I only own 2 round pans! I use a third pan – a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. We eat the loaf cake as soon as it gets out of the oven, or I ice it for a quick family dinner dessert. The cake is so good that my kids would think I was cruel if I made a big round cake for someone else and didn’t make something for them! Continue reading →

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