Name: Copycat Star Crunch Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 24 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of salted butter, softened; 1/4 cup of chocolate chips; 1/2 cup of caramel bits; 2 cups of mini marshmallows; 2 cups of rice cereal

Copycat Star Crunch Cookies

November 6, 2022 by Rachel 6 Comments

I am a sucker for childhood nostalgia. I’m not the kind of person to refer to the time I grew up as ‘the good ol’ days,’ but we certainly had a significant bit of nostalgia from the 80’s and 90’s. For whatever reason, Little Debbie Star Crunch cookies are the perfect bit of nostalgia for me. And these Copycat Star Crunch Cookies are — dare I say it — even better than the original!

What you’ll need to make this recipe

I was amazed at how few ingredients it takes to make this bite of nostalgia. As much as I love using fancy kitchen gadgets, you’ll be happy to know that this doesn’t require any of those things. In fact, there are only five simple ingredients in these cookies.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 tablespoons of salted butter, softened
1/4 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of caramel bits
2 cups of mini marshmallows
2 cups of rice cereal

That’s it! Super simple and straightforward.

How to make Copycat Star Crunch Cookies

Yield: 8 cookies

Copycat Star Crunch Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes

Total Time 24 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of salted butter, softened
1/4 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of caramel bits
2 cups of mini marshmallows
2 cups of rice cereal

Instructions

INGREDIENTS -

Add the butter, chocolate chips, and caramel bits to a large microwave-safe dish. Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute.
Stir the mixture and microwave for 30 seconds at 50% until melted and creamy.
Add the marshmallows and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until smooth.
Add the rice cereal and mix until the cereal is fully coated.
Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop the mixture and roll it into a ball. Spraying your hand with oil makes this easy and less sticky.
Place rolled the ball on parchment paper and compress it with your hand or the flat side of the 1/4 measuring cup.
Repeat until 8 cookies are pressed.
Let sit and firm for a few minutes.
Serve right away or wrap individually in plastic wrap or parchment and store for lunch boxes!

If you love Little Debbie copycat recipes, you’ll also have to try these Cosmic Brownies! They are equally as delicious. And, if chocolate is your jam, they’ll be perfect!

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Air Fryer Doritos Chicken Tenders

November 2, 2022 by Rachel 2 Comments

When I first became a mom I swore up and down that my kids would eat all-organic, never try fast food, and all of the other things that people who aren’t yet parents think they’ll do! Ha! Turns out, I knew nothing about parenting before I was a parent. And, honestly, I’m happy about that. My kids have recently discovered how much they love Doritos. Ari likes the super spicy ones, but the girls both love the Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese. So why not combine the two things they love? These air fryer Doritos Chicken Tenders check all the kid-friendly dinner boxes. And that’s a total win for me.

What you’ll need

The awesome thing about this recipe is that it basically consists of all of the things we parents already have in our house. Sure, you’ll need an air fryer. But the other items (including the Doritos) are things we generally have on-hand. I’ll admit — I sometimes don’t have normal crackers for chicken tender breading. But ya know what I always have? Doritos. We always have Doritos in this house.

Here’s everything you’ll need:

1/2 bag (4.5 oz) of nacho cheese Doritos
3 cups of panko crumbs
1 cup of cornstarch
1 lb of chicken tenders (approximately 12-15)
1 tablespoon of parsley
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
3 eggs

My only other advice would be to use air fryer liners to help keep the mess at a minimum.

Air Fryer Doritos Chicken Tenders Recipe

Yield: 12-15 pieces

Air Fryer Doritos Chicken Tenders

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 bag (4.5 oz) of nacho cheese Doritos
3 cups of panko crumbs
1 cup of cornstarch
1 lb of chicken tenders (approximately 12-15)
1 tablespoon of parsley
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
3 eggs

Instructions

INGREDIENTS -

Add the chips to a blender or food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds until crumbs resemble the same size as panko with some larger pieces.
Mix panko and chip crumbs in a large dish. Set aside.
Mix the cornstarch and the spices in another dish. Set aside.
Beat the eggs in another dish. Set aside.
Toss the tenders in the cornstarch, then in the egg wash, and then finally in the chip crumbs. Fully coat the tenders. Repeat for each tender in each step.
Place the tenders on parchment paper in the air fryer basket and spray them with oil. Cook each batch at 400° F for 15 minutes, flipping and spraying with oil halfway. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160° F for food safety.
Remove tenders and let cool.
Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce!

Enjoy!

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Fun Unicorn Party Snacks

October 30, 2022 by Rachel 4 Comments

Real talk: Kids with January birthdays have it rough. Not only is it right after Christmas, but in many places it is so darn cold. So no fun, outdoor parties. It’s usually dreary, cold, and just blah. This year I want to make her birthday is fun as possible. And what is more fun than a unicorn party!? These fun unicorn party snacks are going to be the perfect way to celebrate her birthday!

How to make a fun unicorn party snacking board

Let’s be real – a huge part of the allure of this is the presentation. And I’m the first to admit that I think pretty food also means the most delicious food. And delicious this is!

Here’s what you’ll need as far as ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of Butter
5 cups mini marshmallows
6 Cups of Rice Cereal
1 – 19 ounce package of golden sandwich cookies
1 bag of microwave popcorn
1 – 24 ounce brick of white almond bark
Pastel food colors: blue, pink, and purple
Unicorn sprinkles

Most of this is normal stuff that all of us moms have handy. But be sure to get those unicorn sprinkles linked above — because they are the absolute cutest.

How to make Fun Unicorn Party Snacks

Yield: 30

Unicorn Party Snacks

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons of Butter
5 cups mini marshmallows
6 Cups of Rice Cereal
1 - 19 ounce package of golden sandwich cookies
1 bag of microwave popcorn
1 - 24 ounce brick of white almond bark
Pastel food colors: blue, pink, and purple
Unicorn sprinkles

Instructions

INGREDIENTS -

Add butter to a large pot over medium heat.
Once the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and stir until the marshmallows begin to melt.
Once melted and creamy, add the rice cereal, mix and remove from heat.
Pour warm rice cereal mixture into a 13x9 dish. Flatten the mixture to fill the dish and level.
Set aside.
Melt 4 cubes of almond bark in the microwave 30 seconds at a time stopping once smooth and melted. Divide into three bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to respective bowls until desired colors are reached.
Dip a cookie halfway into the chocolate and set aside on parchment. Do this equally per color. Apply sprinkles before the chocolate sets.
Pop the bag of popcorn. When done, pour out onto a sheet pan with parchment. Pick out any uncooked kernels and spread the popcorn out.
Use the remaining colored chocolate to drizzle across the popcorn. Melt and color more as needed.
Apply sprinkles before the chocolate drizzle sets.
Let the chocolate cool and the break popcorn into handfuls of drizzled popcorn.
By this time, the rice crispy treats will have set. Cut into desired size portions.
Melt 3-4 more cubes of almond bark.
Insert a popsicle stick into the melted chocolate just a little bit the insert sticks into each treat.
Dip each treat halfway into the chocolate and set it on parchment. Let the chocolate set.
Use the remaining colored chocolate to drizzle over the dipped treats, melt and color more if needed.
Apply sprinkles to treats before the drizzle sets.
Once snacks have set and the chocolate has dried, serve at the next unicorn gathering for some fun-themed snacks!

Other Unicorn Party Must-Haves

I’ve crowd sourced other amazing unicorn party must-haves. Here are some of my favorites.

Check out these unicorn headbands! From Kitchen Table Classroom

Adorable Unicorn Dreamcatchers from Hello Wonderful.

No Sew Tulle Table Skirt from Press Print Party.

Unicorn Selfie Prop

What else would you add to your unicorn party?! Leave a comment below!

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Family Fun at Castaway Bay

October 25, 2022 by Rachel 11 Comments

As much as my family and I love to travel to faraway beaches, we have plenty of ground to cover here in Ohio. We love exploring all of the incredible places, museums, and amusement parks. And the cooling weather won’t stop us from getting in some family fun at Castaway Bay in Sandusky. Especially now that they are open year round!

The Waterpark at Castaway Bay

Arriving at the Castaway Bay Waterpark felt like we were stepping onto a tropical island. The wave pool was an immediate hit with all three kids (ages 9, 6, and 4). With zero-depth entry and regular wave cycles, it almost felt like we were back on the beach.

Ari, our 9-year-old, loved going down the waterslides with Chad. I would say that it wiped him out completely thanks to all of the up and down of the stairs. (Mom win, right?!).

In addition to the slides (and stairs!) there were plenty of other ways to wear my kids out in the water park. The “School Crossing” activity (where you use a combination of ropes and floating objects to cross without getting wet) was, hands-down, a favorite with our oldest.

He went on School Crossing at least 30 times — and he only fell in once!

Fun for All-ages

Mila is our youngest, and also the tiniest 4 year old. I wasn’t worried one bit about whether or not she would have fun. Sure, the waterslides are still a few years off for her; but she loved playing in Hank’s Hangout. Hank’s Hangout is an interactive water playground, of sorts.

Fernando’s Tadpole Pool was another hot place for younger kids. With age-appropriate slides, water pipes, and splashing gadgets, it kept her busy for hours.

As you can see, it kept the big kids busy for hours, too. Because you’re really never too big to ride a little water slide, am I right?!

Land activities at Castaway Bay

As much as our family loves playing in the water, we needed to take breaks on dry land. Luckily there is plenty to see and do without ever having to leave the resort. And the kids wanted to do these activities just as much as they wanted to be in the water (if not more!).

Gamer’s Grotto

Fun fact: All three of our kids (yes, even our four year old) are obsessed with arcade games. We are regulars at our local arcade at home. So I knew they were going to have a blast playing with the latest video games, racing games, and other classics like air hockey.

The game cards were easy to use, reloadable, and easy to track both tickets and plays.

We literally had to pull them away from the arcade to go eat dinner. And, that’s okay with me.

There were no tears. There was only an excessive amount of fun. And that’s what we were there for! The family fun at Castaway Bay that we were looking to have.

Club Castaway

Club Castaway is an awesome offering of dry activities suited for every age. From crafts, to puzzles, to music, there’s something for everyone.

Lobby Activities

Probably the best thing about staying at Castaway Bay is the fact that there is something interactive for the kids at every turn.

Mini Bowling

My husband and I used to go bowling regularly before we had kids. Our kids are finally at the perfect age to take them bowling, but we just haven’t made it yet. Starting out by introducing them to Castaway Bays Mini Bowling was the perfect way to introduce them to a tried and true American pastime.

With bumpers available at a literal push of a button, and bowling balls that fit even little hands.

They did great — especially for their first time. And, once again, they didn’t want to leave for our next on-site adventure.

Blacklight Mini Golf

On our last day at Castaway Bay we tried out the Blacklight Mini Golf, located just off of the lobby.

Blacklight Mini Golf consisted of 9 holes of neon fun! You swipe your card at the machine to retrieve your ball and grab a neon-colored putter before heading in to the blacklight zone. All the kids had so much fun.

Family-friendly dining at Castaway Bay

We really like to plan our trips around food. And I spend hours looking at menus, dreaming about what delicious foods I’m going to try when visiting a new place. Castaway Bay has so many options for every person in our family — even the pickiest of them!

Quaker Steak and Lube

If you’ve been around here a bit, you’ll know that I have a borderline obsession with chicken wings. It all started when I lived in Buffalo (the home of the chicken wing!).

While I’m not crazy enough to try the Hot Wing Eating Challenge (I like to *taste* my food, not die from it!), I did eat a lot of other flavors of wings.

It’s located on the property of Castaway Bay, which makes it super convenient. In fact, you can take the hallways to the back entrance — so you never even have to go outside.

With 25 featured sauces, and a whole menu of items for kids who don’t eat chicken wings, there’s something for everyone.

High Tide Café

We started both mornings at High Tide Café with their all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet.

The buffet was able to satisfy all of our morning cravings — as there was something for everyone. From cheesy potatoes with peppers, to pancakes, to lots and lots of bacon.

Ice Cream from the Sprinkle Shack

Is it really a trip or getaway without ice cream? I think not. We stopped mid-day at the Sprinkle Shack for a treat. And it was everything we needed.

Surfside Beach Bar and Grill

The Surfside Beach Bar and Grill is located within the waterpark area, which makes it perfect for a quick and easy poolside meal.

We ordered a pizza, half pepperoni, half cheese, to appease the masses. It was SO cheesy and definitely filled us up for some more pool adventures.

The Room and Amenities at Castaway Bay

I was so happy to hear that all of the rooms and public spaces at Castaway Bay have been newly renovated. And it certainly showed in our room. The floors were tile — which I love considering how many wet feet will be trotting in and out. The beds were beyond comfortable and the views of the lake were breathtaking.

Unlike some other places we have been, every speck of the resort was clean. Nothing felt even the slightest bit unclean. As a mom of three littles, that is super important to me.

Also, the staff were wonderful. The lifeguards and attendants in the waterpark were always available. They were helpful, knowledgeable, and very attentive to safety. At one point, Ari (our oldest) hurt his toe from dragging it on the bottom of the pool. A lifeguard assisted us with getting him cleaned up and made sure to check on him later during our stay.

Why you should take your family to Castaway Bay

There are so many reasons that you should take your whole family to Castaway Bay. A good three days on the resort property will be all that you need to make memories to last a lifetime.

You can make your reservation here for year-round fun!

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One-Pan Steak and Potatoes

October 3, 2022 by Rachel 6 Comments

Confession: I have been slacking on meals lately in a major way. I mean, our family has basically been eating quick and easy frozen foods for the past three weeks straight. Even if I prep in advance, I don’t seem to have my life and schedule well enough together. But now that we are 32 school days into the year, we’ve dealt with first and second illnesses, as well as have a good handle on our extracurricular routine, I’m back to my regularly scheduled easy HOMEMADE meals. Thank goodness! And what better way to start the week than with an easy One-Pan Steak and Potatoes recipe!

What you’ll need for this recipe

The best thing about one-pan (or, sheet pan) recipes is that there are minimal steps involved. Even better? Minimal dishes! Which is just perfect.

So besides a sheet pan, here’s what else you’ll need:

7 ounces of Baby Potatoes
10 ounces of Green Beans
2 Steaks, at room temperature
1 small Red Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Pepper
1 Tablespoon of Garlic
1/3 cup of Butter, melted

That’s it! How easy, right?!

How to make One-Pan Steak and Potatoes

Yield: 4

One-Pan Steak and Potatoes

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 21 minutes

Total Time 2 minutes

Ingredients

7 ounces of Baby Potatoes
10 ounces of Green Beans
2 Steaks, at room temperature
1 small Red Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Pepper
1 Tablespoon of Garlic
1/3 cup of Butter, melted

Instructions

INGREDIENTS -

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the potatoes into halves and place them on the sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Combine the melted butter and garlic.
Coat the potatoes with garlic butter.
Bake for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, sprinkle the steaks with salt & pepper.
Remove the sheet pan from oven & turn the oven to broil.
Place the green beans & onion onto the sheet pan.
Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Coat with garlic butter.
Then place each steak onto the sheet pan coating each with butter.
Place the sheet pan back into the oven and broil for 6 minutes for medium steaks.
Remove and ENJOY!

If you’re looking for more easy recipes, check this one out.

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Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bites

September 18, 2022 by Rachel 10 Comments

School and after-school activities are back in full swing. Like, my husband and I are coordinating via google calendar invites and a giant whiteboard. I know that many families have operated like this for years, but our kids are finally old enough for it to be the very beginning of our craziness season. I know I’ve been making quick meals for a long time, but even I need to step up my game right now. These air fryer sausage and egg breakfast bites are helping to keep our lives on the fast track.

What You’ll Need

There are only a few actual ingredients in this recipe. Here’s what they are:

1 pound of ground breakfast sausage
3 cups of shredded hash brown potatoes
2 3/4 cups of shredded cheese, cheddar, divided
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
12 eggs
Parsley for garnish

In addition, I would add that you can use your favorite sauces or dips to accompany the breakfast bites.

The most important part (aside from the ingredients) are the air fryer and the jumbo silicone baking cups. If you’re looking for an air fryer, this is my favorite one!

How to make Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bites

Yield: 12

Air Fryer Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bites

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound of ground breakfast sausage
3 cups of shredded hash brown potatoes
2 3/4 cups of shredded cheese, cheddar, divided
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
12 eggs
Parsley for garnish

Instructions

INGREDIENTS -

Divide the sausage meat into 12 patties.
Place in air fryer basket at 350° for 10 minutes, when cooked, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the hash browns, 2 cups cheese, spices, and oil.
Place 2-3 tablespoons of hash brown mixture in jumbo muffin liners. Form along the base and wall of the liner.
Place liners in the air fryer basket and cook at 400° for 10 minutes or until they start to brown and crisp up.
Place one sausage patty in a cup and press down to seat it. Crack one egg over each cut and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat for every cup.
Continue to cook at 350° for 10 minutes or less for a softer yolk.
Garnish with parsley. You can serve it with hot sauce, gravy, or ketchup.

If you’re looking for more air fryer recipes, check out these.