Blue and Pink Swirl Cake Pops

My Blue and Pink Swirl Cake Pops have been featured on another blog, KC Bakes.

Click here to go to this post.

Thanks KC Bakes!
Go and check out her awesome blog HERE.
 She has lots of great ideas on parties, life, desserts and more!

My Precious Peach

So, I told you I was going to try a modified version of Peach Pleasure and tonight I did just that.

It was SUPER Great!

Sorry the picture isn't that great though...it's a smoothie.

I call it My Precious Peach.

My Precious Peach

12 ounces Jumex Peach Nectar

1 1/2 cups Frozen Peaches

1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries

1 small scoop Orange Sherbet

Combine my precious and blend.

We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious.

You better keep a close eye on this dessert!

Sneaky little hobbitses.

Strawberry Smoothie

I really like this one. It's strawberrily tasty. It has a tang from the yogurt.

I modified the original Strawberries Wild by Jamba Juice to get this one. {I took out the banana...you probably guessed that)

Strawberry Smoothie

3/4 cup Apple Juice

3/4 cup Jumex Strawberry Nectar

1.5 cup frozen strawberries

2 small scoops Greek Gods Honey Vanilla Yogurt

1 cup ice

Blend, Share, Enjoy.

Peach Pleasure by Jamba Juice

Today, I made Jamba Juice's Peach Pleasure for a snack.

It was tasty but I think it can be improved upon (for my tastes).

I love a true peach flavor and this had other flavors going on, especially banana.

Peach Pleasure

12 ounces Kern's Peach Nectar

1 cup Frozen Peaches

1/2 ripe Banana

2 scoops Orange Sherbet

1 cup Ice

Combine in a blender and blend.

I will post my revised recipe when I make it. Mmmmm....

This makes enough for at least 2 people so grab some friends, share and enjoy.

Banana Berry Smoothie

Here's another smoothie recipe.

Jamba Juice's Banana Berry Smoothie

It was a very tasty berry smoothie! My personal favorite are the more tropical flavors but I will definitely make this one again and enjoy every bit of it!

Banana Berry Smoothie

1/2 cup apple juice

3/4 cup strawberry nectar (I used Jumex brand sold in cans in the juice aisle)

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 banana

1 scoop of raspberry sherbet

1 scoop fat-free vanilla yogurt (I used Greek Gods Vanilla Honey *best brand*)

1 cup of ice

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Share and Enjoy.

This makes 24 ounces. It is not a super thick consistency. Perfect for drinking through a straw.

In case you are wondering, it does not taste overwhelmingly like banana even though banana is in the name. I always worry about that because I like other flavors a little bit better and banana seems to overwhelm other flavors easily. This is a wonderful balance. :) If you do love banana then you can make it more banana-y by adding another half or whole banana!

Ever wonder what to do with that 1/2 cup of smoothie that no one can fit into their stomachs?

I hate to waste anything (yes, we have a compost pile....) so I figured I could have the rest of the smoothie later if I could just save it in the freezer somehow. So this is what I do!

My leftover smoothie makes about 3 popsicles each time!

 These Popsicle Trays were only $6 on amazon. Deal. Definitely worth a tasty treat to enjoy later to decrease wastage and increase healthy sweet tooth satisfaction.

They are a perfect size too, only about 3 inches. Mmm.....
save money by not wasting AND making your own popsicles!

Caribbean Passion Smoothie {Thick Yummy Smoothie}

Ben (the hubster) has been wanting smoothies lately so we will be experimenting with new recipes.

This first recipe I am going to share with you was not actually an experiment. I have made it before and it is delicious. It is the recipe from Jamba Juice (or totally close enough) for Caribbean Passion.
This one is just a dang tasty thick smoothie that anyone would love. I mean, just look at those ingredients! Mmmmm......

Caribbean Passion Smoothie

1-1.5 cup Passion Mango Juice (comes in frozen concentrate)

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen peaches

1/2 cup orange sherbet

1/2 cup ice

Throw it all in an awesome blender like a Vitamix  and enjoy. Depending on how generous your "cup" of strawberries is, you may need to add a little more juice.
This makes about 4 cups (32 oz).

Super tasty. Super easy.

It is really quite pretty too! It would be really cute served in a fancy stemmed glass with an orange slice or strawberry on the edge.

Consider me your taste tester officionado for delicious smoothies..... I love them.
Sorry, I don't have a pretty picture for it. I drank it too fast....
{Ben said he just wanted a taste. I knew better so I poured him just a cup and he ended up drinking the whole thing of course.}

Luau Parasol Pops and Rice Krispie Treats {Cake Pops}

I'm not sure about you but I LOVE Spring and Summer and anything related to warmer weather.

I'm a California girl. I was raised there for a short part of my childhood and it branded itself on my inner psyche. If it weren't for my darn family that I love so much living here in Utah, I would definitely be there or at least somewhere tropical and warm all the time. I'm pretty sure I was meant to live somewhere like that. ;D  Oh, California.
{FYI: I live in Utah}

So some bad news: My brother just moved back from Mississippi and then moved out of state again!

The good news? He moved to California. :)

I hope I get to visit him some.

So in celebration of the warm weather we have been experiencing,

 I have for you some Luau Desserts.

Parasol Pops and Rice Krispie Treats

They are so bright and tropical. I love it.

Instead of using lollipop sticks, I used parasols.{Seemed quite natural} 

Just those kind that you can buy in the hundreds at any party store. Open some up (trying not to break them can be quite the feat!) and leave some closed.

I love the bright colors. Perfect for a luau!

Yes, that is snow in the background. I took these pictures a while ago. teehee.

I used Guitard Vanilla A' Peels (as always) and colored them (using OIL based food coloring gel) to get these vibrant colors. You can use pre-colored wafers if you care to go that route. There are many brands of pre-colored melting candy wafers. I do not like to use Wilton's product because it has an inferior quality to that of Guittard or Callebaut chocolate/vanilla candy coating. You can really tell a huge difference in the thickness of the shell you create on the cake pop. The Wilton brand wafers will not liquify enough to allow you to have a thin shell. They are always pretty thick. The higher quality products allow the shell to get thinner, which is much better (plus tastier). No one wants to bite into a hard thick shell of waxy tasting "chocolate". If you want a quality dessert then find the higher quality melting wafers. They actually can be cheaper too! Baking supply stores should have them and you can definitely get them online.

You can get them HERE.

This is where I get them. Orson Gygi is my Go-To baking store because they have a great variety.

For instructions on how to make these Rice Krispie Treats, see my previous post HERE.

For instructions on how to dip cake pops, see THIS post. You can use your favorite flavor of cake and frosting.