Banana Split Brownies | Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes

When signs of spring begin cropping up outside, so do the outdoor activities. Cookouts, picnics and potlucks start filling up the weekends, and with them come the need for go-to recipes to share with family and friends.

There are times, though, that the week gets busy... or that I'm exhausted ... or that I just want to hit the "easy" button. Like, "please do most of the work for me" kind of easy. I'm sure you have those moments, too.

So, I'm going to tell you exactly how to prepare for these times: During your next trip to Walmart, take a little stroll down the baking aisle. Cruise over to the Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes... and stock. up. Then head home and put them in your pantry and be prepared to thank yourself the next time you need to make something on the fly.

Last week I mentioned how Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes have come in handy for the times that I've made treats for GF friends and family. With the amount of people that are choosing to go gluten free for allergy or diet purposes, making GF options is always smart when you're bringing food to a gathering. But sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to experiment with a bunch of different flours and binders to make sure that the finished product will be tasty {read: Not have the texture of a pencil eraser.}, so I appreciate the predictability of a boxed mix.

As much as I love the classics {cookies, brownies, sheet cake, etc.}, I always like to bring something original and creative to the party. You know me... I can never leave well enough alone. My friends would probably take my temperature and tell me to lie down if I showed up to a party with plain brownies. {Not that there's anything wrong with plain brownies. I'm a fan.}

So, Banana Split Brownies it is. Because who doesn't love something inspired by ice cream when the weather heats up?

These brownies look complex, but they are SO EASY to make thanks to starting off with a box of Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Brownie Mix. Freeze dried strawberries give these rich chocolate treats just the right amount of fruity tartness, and whole bananas {cut lengthwise just like a real Banana Split} can be found in each fudgey bite, while walnuts lend some texture and crunch.

Just look at that banana peeking out! <3

The toppings are completely optional, of course... but how can you resist all the classic Banana Split fixin's? They're the perfect way to invite some customized DIY decorating to take place!

Springtime is here, so take my advice and squirrel away a few boxes of Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes {and earn 75 cents cash back with Ibotta in the process} for the times when you need to "mix up a moment!"

Banana Split Brownies

1 box Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Brownie Mix
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoon water
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped {plus extra for garnish}
1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries, roughly chopped
2 medium bananas, cut lengthwise

Optional Toppings:
Whipped Cream
Sprinkles
Cherries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil, leaving some overlapping as "handles", and coat with non-stick spray.

2. In a large bowl, prepare brownies as directed on box. Stir walnuts and freeze dried strawberries into the batter.

3. Pour half of the brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Arrange whole bananas in pan, pushing them lightly into batter. Top with remaining batter and smooth the top.

4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.

Let cool for about 20 minutes before lifting out by foil handles. Cut into 9 equal pieces. Embellish with toppings if desired!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones | Nutri Ninja® Auto-iQ™ Pro Compact System

My husband and I will be celebrating our 8 year wedding anniversary in June, and while I'm happy to say that we're still going strong, the appliances that we acquired upon the start of our married life together are not. About a year ago, everything we received from our registry started going south -- chipped plates, broken blender, dysfunctional food processor. {Meanwhile, my mother-in-law is still using things she received for her bridal shower over 40 years ago.}

We sailed past the fabled "Seven Year Itch", but instead encountered a "Seven Year Glitch."  Little by little, our kitchen tools have begun to turn on us, leaving me in a bit of a bind.

I really dislike the process of researching all the newest gizmos and doo-dads on the market, especially because it seems like every month there's one that's bigger, better and more efficient than the last. Who has time to keep up with all that? So you can imagine the intense joy I felt when I received an email asking me if I'd like to try out the Nutri Ninja® Auto-iQ™ Pro Compact System, which is basically {not basic at all} an all-in-one blender and food processor that will pulverize just about anything to smithereens in seconds. {These gadget guardian angels are also sending me a state of the art coffee system, too, which works out perfectly as mine is on its last leg. But more on that in another post!}

Anyway, that big, beautiful box arrived {the same day I also received my new spiralizer}, and it was all-out culinary Christmas up in my kitchen. Naturally, I wanted to try everything all at once. It reminded me of shopping with my mom as a kid; as soon as we'd get home I'd want to wear my new purchases immediately. ALL OF THEM. Not much has changed.

While most peoples' minds immediately think "smoothie" or "soup" when they see a food processor, mine did not. Once I found out that this new contraption had a dough blade, I knew that baked goods would be the very first thing that my Ninja would help me make. {You can at least pretend to be surprised.}

Yes, this thing has all the bells and whistles you need if you're trying to extract the nutrients from just about any fruit or veggie, but I wanted to see how it handled sticky situations -- namely doughy ones. So, scones.

If you've ever made scones, biscuits or pie dough, you know the importance of "cutting in" cold cubed butter to get flaky results. {Cold butter cut into flour  melts in the oven and creates steam pockets and layers that give you those tender results!} The process is easy enough, but it also happens to be one of those things I have no patience for. Before I had the NutriNinja, I'd throw everything into my blender and get the job done that way, leaving me with a dough-covered sharp blade that was hard to clean without slicing off a digit. Luckily, the NutriNinja makes it SO much easier. Just pulse, pulse, pulse and then easily wipe the blade without any trips to the hospital.

I'm really excited to try out all the cool features this thing has... those shiny buttons are calling my name! But for now, I'll just be enjoying my Lemon Poppy Seed Scones and maybe a cup of tea with my pinkie up {and thankfully in tact!}. I have a feeling that this new kitchen tool and I have a long, happy relationship ahead!

What would be the first thing YOU'D make with this beauty?!

Disclosure: This appliance was sent to me in exchange for review. As always, all opinions here are my own! 

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Slightly adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling out
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup {1 stick} cold butter, diced
1/2 cup buttermilk {or 1/2 cup plain yogurt, or 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup milk}
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Optional: Sanding sugar for tops of scones

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking pan by lining with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add diced butter. Cover and pulse until the butter is chopped into the flour {the flour will resemble wet sand.}

3. In a measuring cup with a pouring spout, whisk together buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, vanilla and poppy seeds.

4. Open the feed spout on the lid of the food processor and slowly pour in the liquids while pulsing. The dough will begin to come together and eventually form a ball. Do not over pulse.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, pressing it together to form a uniform piece of dough. Quickly flatten with your hands {or use a rolling pin... but that's one more thing to wash.}, and pat the dough into approximately an 8 inch square.

6. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into nine equal pieces, then cut each square in half diagonally. {You can also punch these out using a biscuit cutter.} Place each scone on the prepared baking sheet and brush with a little buttermilk {or yogurt/milk mixture}, then sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired.

7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the scones are baked through and slightly golden.

Remove from oven and let cool on a baking rack.

Note: If you don't have this magical appliance, you can definitely still make these the old fashioned way using a pastry blender and incorporating the liquids by hand. But who wants to deal with that mess?! :P

Bacon & Asparagus Faux-sotto {Risotto} | OXO GoodGrips Spiralizer

Here's a sad little truth: Bloggers do not get Spring Break.

Had someone told me this back when I was wielding a red pen as I graded neverending stacks of papers and biting my nails down to the quick during standardized test season thinking, "Whyyyyyyyyyy?", I may have stuck with that whole teaching thing... HAHAHA, Ok, I can't even say that with a straight face. So not true.

No, but really -- bloggers definitely don't get Spring Break. If anything, they work harder while other people are off so they can capitalize on all the fingers that will be Googling recipes and eyeballs that will be scrolling newsfeeds. With that said, I may have given myself a dispensation this year and spent the week going from story time to egg hunt to Easter activity with my little dude because, you guys, no one told me that 16 months is where it's at with kids. THEY ARE SO MUCH FUN. {And exhausting. Let's not forget exhausting. But mostly fun.} I mean, if you don't melt into a puddle of goo upon watching your toddler fill his basket with pastel eggs while wearing his spring best, then we might not be able to be friends. {Right now, anyway, because I'd be pretty annoying with all the "AWWW!!" Call me back when he turns 12 and I'm over it.}

Anyway, this is my way of telling you that I haven't made you anything in the shape of a bunny, duck or egg this year, and I'm sorry. But don't lose all faith in me just yet. You might love me even more for spending the limited moments I had in the kitchen this week creating this amazing recipe.

What does this look like to you??

Risotto, right? {Humor me.}

Would you believe me if I told you that this sumptuous bowl of "risotto" is really summer squash? And that that rich, creamy white sauce is made entirely of cauliflower?!

Go ahead and sit down, I know you probably need a moment.

I can hardly believe it all myself. And I'm the one who made it. I did have a little help from my newest kitchen gadget, OXO's GoodGrips Spiralizer, which is probably one of the coolest things to arrive on my doorstep lately. While all you kids were sunning yourselves on the beach in Daytona {do people even go there anymore for Spring Break?! I'm so out of the loop.}, I spent Cole's nap times catching up with everyone else in 2016 who has already discovered the wonder that is a spiralizer. I'm a little late to the party, yes, but I think I've made a grand entrance with this recipe.

My veggied up version of risotto is as rich and luxurious as rice-based risotto, but without all the carbs post-meal heaviness! Save your trophies and medals of honor, though, because I went ahead and a little added bacon and cheese as a reward for not filling up on rice -- so, it's not all halos and six-pack abs, but LOOK AT IT.

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this blog where the author spiralizes everything and anything, because that's where I learned that you can make "rice" out of vegetables other than cauliflower. {Though some of the creaminess here actually does come from riced cauliflower.} And in that moment, I just knew that my spiralizer and I were destined for great things.

So, after I ripped apart the box, took out all the pieces {and spiralized a zucchini or two just so I could see how the whole thing worked}, I got to work on coming up with something beyond zoodles. {Zoodles = Zucchini noodles for all you spiralizer noobs.}

Gah. It's a thing of beauty. Buyer beware: You will definitely want to spiralize everything that will let itself be spiralized. You may be eating curly food for a while if you decide to invest in one of these gadgets, though in my opinion, that's a small price to pay for this wondrous tool that comes with several different blades and is super easy to clean. Can you tell I love this thing just a little bit?

Good news! Leftover Easter ham makes a great substitution for the bacon in this recipe, so now you'll definitely have an excuse to give it a try. Whether you're "vegging out" this spring break or spending your time spiralizing veggies, I hope you have the best Easter weekend!

Disclosure: My friends at OXO sent me the GoodGrips Spiralizer for me to try out. As always, all opinions here are my own. 


Bacon & Asparagus Faux-sotto {Risotto}

1 large {or 2 small} summer squash
2 slices bacon, diced
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup white wine {or broth if you prefer}
1 1/2 cups riced cauliflower {or just cauliflower florets}
About 1/2 cup almond milk {or regular milk or chicken broth, your choice}, divided
1 small garlic clove, smashed
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
Salt to taste

1. Spiralize your summer squash according to directions. You'll want the thinner "spaghetti" noodles. Once the squash is spiralized, place the "noodles" on a cutting board and, using a large knife, chop it into "rice". {I tried this by pulsing in the food processor but it came out a little too mushy every time. It only takes a minute or two to chop it by hand.} Set aside until ready to use.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the diced bacon until it is browned and crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Set aside.

3. Toss the chopped onion and asparagus pieces into the rendered bacon fat and saute until the onions are soft and translucent and the asparagus is tender. When the pan starts to become dry, pour in about 1/4 cup white wine or broth, scraping up the brown bits. Cook until the liquid is almost evaporated.

4. While the veggies are cooking, cook cauliflower. I used frozen riced cauliflower with 1/4 cup of almond milk added to the bowl and heated it in the microwave for about 4 minutes, but you can also just simmer fresh cauliflower florets and almond milk in a saucepan until it's fork-tender. Basically, you just want soft cauliflower, it doesn't matter how it gets that way.

5. Pour the cauliflower and 1/4 cup of almond milk, smashed garlic clove, olive oil and a pinch of salt into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. You may need to add up to 1/4 cup or so of almond milk while it runs to make sure the mixture is smooth and creamy; add a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

6. Pour the cauliflower sauce into the skillet with the onion and asparagus and toss to coat. Fold in the "riced" squash, coating it completely with the sauce.

7. Sprinkle in the bacon and cheese and fold until completely incorporated. Serve hot.