Here’s the thing.

They can be as easy as throwing on a few items (ingredients you have on hand) for an afternoon or they can be super fancy for a celebration or wedding.

Don’t make it too hard, and don’t go too wacky using things that the guests or family members won’t eat.

I’ve also seen many charcuterie boards used as “Sunday Snack Boards” where you have the family visit around these boards for family events, gospel study, etc. These can be great traditions!

Let me show you a few, fun examples to get us started! I think this one is kid-friendly (great for the picky-eater) and delicious for all ages!

Have a holiday party or event at work you’re in charge of? Create a holiday charcuterie board!

Another idea is to do a food theme board like this Smores version!

I hope by now your creative wheels are spinning for your next charcuterie board! Customize it with favorite foods/recipes, diet restrictions, family traditions, flavors/textures you name it!

Well, to make it even easier here is a list of 100 things you can put on a charcuterie board by category!

Fresh Fruits and Veggies

• grapes
• strawberries
• bananas
• apricots
• oranges
• apples
• kiwi
• watermelon
• pears
• cantaloupe
• cherries
• blueberries
• pineapple
• raspberries (any berries)
• snap peas
• carrots
• celery
• cucumbers
• cauliflower
• broccoli
• cherry tomatoes
• olives
• pickles
• peppers
• fresh herbs

Crackers/Cheeses/Dips

• crackers (Ritz, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, etc.)
• pretzels
• bruschetta
• chips
• Goldfish
• baguette slices
• almonds
• walnuts
• peanuts
• cashews
• pistachios
• croutons
• sunflower seeds
• fruit dip
• peanut butter
• honey
• veggie dip
• jellies/jams
• hummus
• ranch
• salsa
• guacamole
• cream cheese
• balsamic vinegar
• cottage cheese
• cheddar cheese
• gouda
• goat cheese
• feta
• brie
• blue cheese
• soft cheese/ hard cheeses
• manchego
• pepper jack cheese
• Swiss cheese
• Colby jack cheese
• mozzarella sticks or slices

Meats

• turkey
• ham
• roast beef
• chicken
• beef jerky
• prosciutto
• salami
• bacon
• pepperoni
• cured meat
• shrimp
• summer sausage
• boiled eggs

Treats/Desserts

• marshmallows
• chocolate chips
• cookies
• fruit snacks
• licorice
• Skittles
• Reese’s peanut butter cups
• jelly beans
• candy canes
• conversation hearts
• caramel
• taffy
• chocolate
• gummy bears
• popcorn
• m&ms
• Swedish fish
• cereal
• brownies
• pudding
• mints

…or anything your heart desires!!

Tip: make sure to include spoons, forks, knives, small bowls, and tongs if needed!

Remember they don’t have to be difficult to create, they are customizable to your family/event, and you can be as creative as you want!

Do you have a fun idea or tips when making a charcuterie platter? Please share in the comments below!

Post by: Kari Sweeten

The post 100 Things to Put on a Charcuterie Board appeared first on U Create.

I recently threw a baby shower for my cousin with the theme “Ready to POP” with many different popcorn recipes for the guests to try.

Snickers candy bars are one of my favorite treats, so I threw this recipe together using only three ingredients — it was a hit and many asked for the recipe!

SNICKERS POPCORN RECIPE

5.0 from 1 reviews

Snickers Popcorn Recipe

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Kari Sweeten - U Create

Recipe type: Snacks

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• Popped Popcorn (I used 2 bags of microwave popcorn)
• 2 cups Milk Chocolate Candy Melts (or you could use chocolate chips)
• Snickers mini bars (about 10)

Instructions

1. Pop your popcorn by using your favorite method. I just used the super easy microwaveable kind – Smart Pop by Orville Redenbacher is my favorite and doesn’t have very much better. Lay out popcorn on a parchment or wax paper-lined cookie sheet.
2. Cut up Snickers mini bars into little pieces.
3. Melt the chocolate candy melts in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Stir.
4. Pour melted chocolate on top of popcorn and sprinkle the snickers bar pieces on top.
5. Mix all together while chocolate is still hot! Let sit for 45 minutes!

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Serves: about 10 people

Tip: Try this with any chocolate candy bar! Make sure to check out the Oreo Cookie Popcorn and Kit Kat versions below!

The post Snickers Popcorn Recipe appeared first on U Create.

Hi everyone! It’s Autumn here, from It’s Always Autumn, where I share tips and tutorials on photography, crafting, sewing, and baking, as well as free printables. Last week I shared instructions to make cookie mix treat bags with 12 different printable toppers, and today I’m sharing five pages of printable gift tags perfect for adding to the tasty treats you’ll be giving away this season.
I’m excited to be here at U-Create today to share one of my favorite holiday treats to make, eat, and gift: chocolate covered caramel pretzel bites….

You might think you already know all you need to about chocolate caramel pretzels. After all, pretzel rods dipped in white or chocolate almond bark are fairly common, as are the pretzels with the rolo and m&m pressed on top. But these chocolate covered caramel pretzel bites are in a league all their own. They’re simple to make but taste absolutely decadent. They don’t stick around long.

The main reason these chocolate caramel pretzel bites taste so much better than the other versions is that the proportions are perfect. First, using small pretzels instead of pretzel rods give you a much better salty outside to boring inside pretzel proportion. Sandwiching caramel inside two pretzels and dunking the entire thing in chocolate evenly distributes the caramel and chocolate so every bite is delicious. And finally, that chocolate dunk really maximizes the amount of chocolate on each and every bite, leaving you with a delicious, perfectly proportioned treat. (Plus they’re little, which is always fun.)
And they package up perfectly! Look how pretty 5 of them are in a sweet little handmade box:

Want to make your own box?
Click here for a post with free printable templates for four different treat boxes you can construct out of paper or cardstock!
You can make about 36 of these treats in under 1/2 an hour, and they package up nicely at 5 or 6 to a box, meaning you’ll end up with 6 tasty gifts, each one costing less than $1.50. Not bad!

Let’s talk chocolate before we get started. Most candy recipes like this call for almond bark because it melts beautifully and dries shiny and pretty. The only problem is that it’s not actually chocolate – it’s more like flavored shortening – and although it kind of sorta tastes like chocolate, there’s just no substitute for the real deal. The very best taste will come from dipping chocolate (or even the chocolate chips made by Guittard, which produces dipping chocolate). The only problem is dipping chocolate’s a little temperamental and unless it’s kept at the perfect temperature at all time it often dries with grey streaks, which doesn’t change the flavor but certainly doesn’t look very good.

So I compromise a bit and use Hershey’s milk chocolate chips. The flavor is still very good (way better than almond bark) AND the chips dry without grey streaks. You have to be careful not to heat chocolate chips too fast or they will sieze up and go crumbly, and even once melted it will be a little thicker than almond bark would, but those are easy things to deal with (and who doesn’t mind a little thicker layer of chocolate?).
Now that we have that out of the way, here’s what you do:

Chocolate Covered Caramel Pretzel Bites

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Autumn - It's Always Autumn

Recipe type: Snacks

Ingredients

• Small pretzel twists (you’ll use less than ⅓ of a bag
• Caramels (again, you’ll have lots left over)
• 1 bag (or 2 cups) MILK Chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Place wax paper on a large cookie sheet and lay out 36 pretzels.
2. Unwrap 18 caramels and cut each one in half.
3. Top each pretzel with a caramel half and place in a 250 degree oven for 5 minutes or so, until caramel is soft to the touch.
4. Remove from oven and top each pretzel with another pretzel, GENTLY squeezing in the middle of each pretzel to sandwich the caramel. If you break a pretzel, don’t worry, just grab a new one and be a little more gentle.
5. Melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until just melted. (I keep a handful of chips out while I melt the rest, then stir them in at the end – this helps ensure the chocolate won’t go grey when it dries).
6. Grab a pretzel sandwich and dunk it completely in the chocolate, then hold it between two fingers and shake to remove excess chocolate.
7. Place on another cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Use your finger to gently swirl the chocolate on top of the pretzel bite to make sure it looks pretty and no pretzel is peeking through.
8. Repeat with remaining pretzels and allow to set up completely at room temperature.

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If you’d like, melt some white chips and tint green with a little food coloring. Put the melted chocolate in a ziplock bag and snip a tiny piece off one corner, then pipe the white chocolate out in a Christmas tree design (white snowflakes would look really cute as well).
Let everything dry, then package them up and give away to six of your favorite people! Luckily for me, my six favorite people all live with me, so we didn’t actually give any away – we just ate the entire batch. I guess I’ll be forced to make some more…

The post Chocolate Covered Caramel Pretzel Bites appeared first on U Create.

Tis the season for holiday baking and I am thrilled to be sharing these fabulous Eggnog Cookies with you today! There is just something about the cooler nights and shorter days that has me firing up the oven more often. We love these moist, flavourful cookies that are a perfect addition to any of your Christmas festivities.

These Eggnog Cookies are essentially a seasonal take on the classic sugar cookie. They have the rich flavours of nutmeg, cinnamon and eggnog which is one of my favorite combinations. I like to serve them with eggnog shakes for the kids and a chai tea latte for momma. Are you with me? Seriously delicious!

Egg Nog Cookies

 

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Author: Heather Painchaud

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ cup margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup eggnog
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• For icing:
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup margarine
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 Tbsp eggnog

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Cream together first five ingredients until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients and carefully add to the wet ingredients. Mix well.
4. Drop dough by the tablespoon (walnut sized amount) onto greased cookie sheets. I like to use my Pampered Chef cookie scoop for even portioning.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until bottoms are just brown.
6. While baking combine ingredients for icing.
7. Allow cookies to cool before drizzling the cream cheese eggnog icing overtop.

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You may want to freeze these after baking or at the very least hide them in the pantry otherwise they will be gone all too soon. My kids like to wake up early and sneak a few from the cookie jar hoping that I won’t see the trail of cookie crumbs across the counter.

Be sure to visit Twin Dragonfly Designs for more holiday baking, Christmas craft projects and festive decor ideas!

The post Eggnog Cookies Recipe appeared first on U Create.

I’m thrilled to be here today sharing one of my favorite holiday treats. I’ve been making chocolate dipped pretzels as holiday gifts for about 8 years now and I never get tired of making them. Today I’m going to show you how to make peppermint bark pretzels.

Peppermint Bark Pretzels Recipe

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Crystal - Pumpkin and A Princess

Recipe type: Snacks

Ingredients

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips or CandyQuik
• White Chocolate Chips
• Crushed Candy Canes

Instructions

1. Begin by melting the chocolate chips over a double boiler. (I like to use Ghirardelli chocolate chips but another great option is CandyQuik which can be found in the Target baking aisle)
2. Once the chocolate is melted dip the pretzels in and use a fork to take them out. The fork helps avoid big clumps of chocolate piled under the pretzel.
3. Give them a light shake to remove any excess then place on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
4. Allow the chocolate to harden.
5. Melt the white chocolate chips in a separate bowl then place into a piping bag. Snip the tip of the bag and drizzle over the pretzels. Immediately sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.
6. Allow chocolate to harden a few hours or place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

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They are so easy to make and perfect for neighbor gifts. They can also be made in large batches, making them one tasty and inexpensive gift to give this holiday season.

For more holiday ideas check out my

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

The Easiest Salted Caramel Turtles Candy Ever!

Glass glitter pear ornament inspired by the 12 days of Christmas

Thank you so much for having me today. I hope you will stop by sometime and say hi.

Happy Holidays!

The post Peppermint Bark Pretzels Recipe appeared first on U Create.

I’ve been making this for years and cannot remember why we even call it chocolate mud pie, but it is a hit among them and all of my other extended family members!

This is also going to be one of the simplest desserts you ever make! I use a refrigerated pie crust because not all of us have those “pro baker” skills in the kitchen. If you do have them, I admire you!

Basically, this is a layers dessert with a couple of fillings. You’ll start with the cream cheese filling…

…spread over the crust…

Next you’ll spread the pudding filling.

Then you’ll top it off with Cool Whip and a grated milk chocolate bar!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chocolate Mud Pie Recipe

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

One of the easiest and yummiest desserts you will ever make!

Author: Kari - U Create

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• ready to bake refridgerated pie crust
• 1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 12oz container of original Cool Whip
• 1 large pkg (5.9 oz) chocolate instant Jello pudding (I use chocolate fudge)
• 1 small pkg (3.4 oz) vanilla instant Jello pudding
• 3 cups milk
• 1 milk chocolate bar (I use Hershey's)

Instructions

1. Bake pie crust (according to package) in casserole dish pan. I baked mine at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup of Cool Whip together. Spread over crust.
3. Mix puddings together with 3 cups of milk and ½ c. of Cool Whip. Spread over cream cheese layer.
4. Spread the rest of the Cool Whip as top layer.
5. Grate the chocolate bar to garnish the top.
6. Chill for at least one hour. Serve.

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You’ll want to get ready to have the recipe available because if you take this to an event, everybody will ask you for it!

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does!

POST BY: Kari Sweeten

The post Chocolate Mud Pie Recipe appeared first on U Create.

My Aunt Bonnie shared a recipe years ago that’s kind of been in the family (it’s AMAZING!) and I’ve adjusted it a little bit over the years and more recently to make with my Instant Pot!If you’re an Instant Pot lover I’m sure you’ve tried to boil eggs in your IP. They are perfect and I never cook them any other way.I decided to try potatoes a while back and they turned out awesome (I don’t even poke holes or oil them up …just scrub them clean and put them in the pot!).The dressing is soooo good. You’ll see below that I used Miracle Whip. I’m actually team Best Foods, but when making potato salad it just tastes so good with Miracle Whip.

Instant Pot Potato Salad

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Make a potato salad in no time using the Instant Pot for the potatoes and eggs! Great for picnics, potlucks, BBQs, and more!

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 10 potatoes
• 8 large eggs
• 1 small onion
• sliced can of olives
• ¼ cup of pickle relish or diced pickles
• 2 cups of Miracle Whip
• ¼ c sugar
• ¼ c white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of mustard
• 2 teaspoons of celery salt

Instructions

1. Place your potatoes and 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot and cook on manual for 20 minutes. Quick release. Set aside with tongs and wash out Instant Pot for the eggs.
2. Place eggs in Instant Pot and use the egg button or 5 minute on manual. Slow release for 5 minutes. Next, use tongs to place eggs in a bowl of ice water.
3. Mix the following in a blender or using a mixer to create dressing: Miracle whip, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt.
4. Peel potatoes with a butter knife and dice.
5. Peel eggs and chop.
6. Chop onion (I do this very small and fine)
7. Mix in a separate bowl: potatoes, eggs, onion, olives, pickles.
8. Add and stir the bowl of dressing.
9. Chill in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight before serving.

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POST BY: Kari Sweeten

The post Instant Pot Potato Salad appeared first on U Create.

BBQ TIP: My favorite party tip for a casual environment is to include the napkin, utensils and straw into a simple pint-sized mason jar that is used as their glass!

You’ll need the following for each guest:

• pint-sized mason jar
• decorative straw
• festive napkin
• fork, spoon, knife

Change up the napkins for any occassion, put a little surprise inside, add a tag with their name, or anything your heart desires! In case you are wondering where I purchased any of the supplies on this post, I found it all at my local Walmart.

SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS: Next? Have a little something for the kids to do. I created these printables to go along with two of the most popular kid-wanted items on the 4th of July – sparklers and glow sticks! My kids are so excited to light these up this weekend!

You’ll need the following for each child:

• 3-4 sparklers
• 2-3 glow sticks
• printables

Simply snip a slits and slide sparkler or glow sticks in place!

Find the FREE 4TH OF JULY PRINTABLES HERE.

SIMPLE, DELICIOUS FOOD: I went to my local Walmart and bought some King’s Hawaiian® rolls to make my Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls with lemon cream cheese icing. While I was there, I saw that they made King’s Hawaiian® hotdog and hamburger buns, too. I really liked how the hotdog buns had a slit on the top instead of the side – a fun twist from the ordinary hot dog bun!

GRILL TIP: Do you see how I grilled the hotdogs in a spiral pictured above? All you do is put the hot dog on a skewer or kabob stick, slice the hotdog in a spiral, take off the skewer, and grill. Your BBQ guests will love this!

SOMETHING SWEET: Provide a sweet treat your guests will LOVE! No joke, this delicious recipe will only take you 15 minutes to make! Get ready to give out the recipe…cause they will ask!

Easy Strawberry Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Kari Sweeten

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Pkg of King's Hawaiian® Original Sweet Rolls (12 count)
• 21 oz. Premium Strawberry Pie Filling (Duncan Hines)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 3 tablespoons butter (softened)
• ¼ cup half and half
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl combine strawberry filling, cinnamon, and sugar.
3. Cut Hawaiian rolls in half and spread filling inside. Spread the rest of the filling on top of the rolls.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
5. ICING: Mix the cream cheese, butter, half and half, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.
6. Spread generously on top and sides of the rolls while warm.

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Warning: you’ll want to make lots of these because they will disappear quickly!!

COUPON: Save $1 on TWO (2) KING’S HAWAIIAN® Hamburger, Deluxe Hamburger, Hot Dog Buns, Mini Sub Rolls, or 12pk Dinner Rolls for their 4th of July BBQ  (coupon here)

POST BY: Kari Sweeten

This post was sponsored by KING’S HAWAIIAN® and I was compensated to write it. Regardless, what I have written is my own opinion and experience, and I hope you find it of use.

The post DIY 4th of July BBQ ideas appeared first on U Create.

Basically they are cakes made up of cupcakes and decorated as one! Today you’ll find some of the cutest pull apart cakes out there!

This Unicorn Pull Apart Cake by Real Moms is so much fun because she uses rainbow colored cupcakes, too!

Cupcake Bouquet Cake by Living Locurto – what a beautiful idea to use real stems and a ribbon.

Lion Pull Apart Cake by Rada Cutlery

Pull Apart Rainbow Cupcakes at BHG – love the mini marshmallows to make fluffy clouds!

Cupcake Flowers by See Vanessa Craft – this is the perfect cake idea for a Mother, friend, someone who loves flowers!

Pull Apart Dress Cake at The Melba Cakes – use this template to make any princess dress with different colors and designs!

Balloon Cupcakes at Around the World in 80 Cakes – the best tasting birthday balloons!

Pull Apart Fish Cake by My Cake School – love this for a kid’s birthday party or an event at a preschool.

American Flag Pull Apart Cake at Cake Central – celebrate Independence Day with USA cupcakes!

Gum ball Pull Apart Cake – Use a rectangle cake and some cupcakes to make a fun gum ball machine!

The post Pull Apart Cake Ideas appeared first on U Create.

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