Southern Strawberry-Coconut Punch Bowl Cake

So you've heard of a trifle, right?  Well, what about a punch bowl cake?  Your familiarity with this term probably depends upon where you live!

In the South, we call these beautifully layered, absolutely creamily delicious desserts punch bowl cakes ... layers of cake pieces, fresh fruit, and something-yummily-creamy all piled together in a gorgeous glass bowl ... yum.  The glass bowl, of course, just so happens to quite frequently double as a punch bowl ... and you guessed it, that's how these cakes got their name.

Soil Property Pudding Cups {a.k.a. Dirt Pudding Cups}

My 1st grade class has been cooking again!  Well, maybe we should make that assembling ... not exactly cooking.  Assembling Soil Property Pudding Cups, to be exact.  I know, I know ... most people call these Dirt Pudding Cups.  But I tweaked them to make them go along with our soil property science unit ... so Soil Property Pudding Cups is what these are!

I just love it when a cooking with kids project brings together what we've been learning ... relating content to food is fun and really cements information in students' minds.  And that's just what we did with the different soil types with these super fun Soil Property Pudding Cups!

Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

Do you ever come across one of those recipes that you just know you have to make, like, immediately??  Well, these Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers from Peace, Love, & Low Carb were one of those for me!  I mean, seriously, stuffing all the yummy flavors of a Philly Cheese Steak into a pepper is genius.  And I had to try it.

Mom's 16 Sweet Treat Favorites ~ 'cause she couldn't pick just 10! {Playground Round-Up}

Happy Mother's Day to all Mom's out there!  In honor of this special day, I decided to ask my very special Mom to pick her top 10 sweet treats from The Kitchen is My Playground to share with all of you.  Well, you see that the title of this post is "Mom's 16 Sweet Treat Favorites," right?  That's because Mom couldn't pick just 10!  

Barbecue Roasted Mixed Nuts {& the story of a photo shoot}

Okay, these Barbecue Roasted Mixed Nuts ROCK!  I absolutely love barbecue potato chips.  I mean, like could totally lick the inside of the chip bag kind of love ... but as I say in random fact #11 on my {About Me} page, I can't be left alone with a bag of chips.  It's detrimental ... to both me and the chips.  Well, I've discovered with these Barbecue Roasted Mixed Nuts, you can get that same great barbecue flavor without the potato chip guilt.  Mmmmmmm ~ potato chips step aside ... I've got a new love.

Now, the photo shoot for these ROCKIN' barbecue nuts did NOT rock.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Dip with Fresh Strawberries

It's almost strawberry season in my neck of the woods!  And I.  Can't.  Wait.  I absolutely love fresh-from-the-field strawberries, eating most of them 'straight-up.'  Just a quick little rinse ... and then a big ol' bite into the sweet, juicy goodness.  Yes, my favorite way to enjoy strawberries.

But sometimes I do want to jazz my strawberries up just a bit.  Like, with a really simple, flavorful dip.  Oh, like with, say ... Lemon-Poppy Seed Dip?  Yeh, that sounds good!

25 Foods for Cinco de Mayo Fun! {Playground Round-Up}

Oh, baby, with all the jalapenos flying around in these dishes, it's gettin' hot in here!  There is never a shortage of jalapeno peppers in our house ... they're a staple ... like, as much as flour, sugar, and milk it seems.  Though I have to admit, I didn't really realize how much of my cooking is Mexican-and-spicy-flavors inspired until I pulled together this Cinco de Mayo post.  We sure do love our spicy food!

If you love it too, here are 25 fabulous foods for some Cinco de Mayo fun!