Funfetti Jello Poke Cupcakes

So I have been searching Pinterest for a simple, easy to make, few ingredients dessert. Upon my search I rediscovered Jell-O Poke Cake! This was a favorite of mine growing up and I am shamed to say I had forgotten all about it!
Problem #1 is that cakes don't do as well around our house. We are more of a cupcake type of family, they are easier to make, store, etc. So I found more pins where people were making Jell-O Poke Cupcakes. Which brings me to problem #2, I had none of the ingredients on hand for the recipes they were posting...
But the beauty of it? Jell-O Poke Cupcakes are very simple to make, so simple that you can tweak them however you want to. This ends in a perfect for you dessert, or perfect for whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand at the moment. Which is how I came up with...

Funfetti Jell-O Poke Cupcakes
::Ingredients::
1 Box Funfetti Cake Mix
(ingredients required to make the cake - usually eggs, vegetable oil, and water)
1 3oz. box of Jello gelatin (I used berry blue but you can choose your flavor or use multiple ones)
1 cup boiled water
1 container of Funfetti icing (you can also use whipped frosting or cool whip)

 

::Directions::
1) Mix cupcakes according the instructions on the back of the box.

 

2) Spoon cake mix into cupcake pan, and bake as directed...

 

 

3) Allow cupcakes to cool completely...

 

4) Poke holes into the cupcakes using a toothpick or fork. (I just used a fork). Poke plenty of holes in the cupcakes. Make sure you go a little deep so the jello mix can really seep down in there.

 

5) Boil 1 cup water, add entire 3oz box of jello mix, stir until completely dissolved.

 

6) Using a spoon, pour the gelatin over the cupcakes slowly, making sure it seeps into the holes.

7) Once the jello mix is poured over all the cupcakes, it's time to slide them into the fridge. They will need to be refrigerated like this for about 3 hours so the jello can set.

8) After sitting in the fridge for about 3 hours you are safe to pull out your cupcakes and begin icing them, and adding your toppings.

9) If you like your frosting cold you can refrigerate them again if need be, but however you want to do it these cupcakes are now ready to eat and enjoy. :)

These are fun, festive, and really easy to make. They are a fast treat for any sweet tooth. They require few ingredients, and there are so many ways you can tweak Jello Poke Cupcakes (or jello poke cake) to your own liking. Either way just have fun with it, and ENJOY!  :)

Shari's Berries is Elegantly Delicious!

As you all know, I have a major chocolate addiction. I have always had this uncanny addiction for chocolate for as long as I can remember so when I received the chance to try out Shari's Berries I simply could not wait. As soon as I visited their website it was enough to basically have me salivating. I could get lost on that website just looking at all the yummy sweets right at my fingertips.

They have so many delicious treats that you can treat yourself or loved ones too. Here's just a few: gourmet hand dipped strawberries, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, cake pops, flowers, gourmet gift baskets, etc. Shari's Berries has something to offer for every special occasion such as birthdays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Wedding, New Baby, Anniversary, etc. There is literally something for everyone and everything. The goods are so artfully made and they come just as perfect as they look on their website.

I decided to try for myself the:

Personalizable Three Layer Chocolate Cake

I didn't have anything added to it, but you can add words, flowers, etc if you are needing it for a special occasion.

I must say this cake blew me away and went above and beyond what my expectations were! This is no ordinary chocolate cake! You can definitely taste the quality ingredients that are used, and every morsel of it was completely delicious!

I chose the 6" three layer chocolate cake, but you can also choose a bigger size if you so wish. The 6" serves 8-10 people, and let me tell you, DO NOT be fooled by it's size! Although this cake appears small, each slice packs a wallop of chocolate sugary goodness that will have you savoring every last bite. This cake is really thick so the slices do not need to be cut large to get a proper serving. It is incredibly filling and the perfect dessert to curb those chocolate cravings so many of us have. I would say for all you chocolate lovers, this cake is the perfect accessory to any special occasion, or even for a just because. It is also certified Kosher Dairy by Orthodox Union.

This cake was delivered in a box (packed in another box), surrounded by non-toxic ice packs that you can keep and re-use as many times as you wish! It was packed with foam peanuts and other foam cushioning so there's no way this cake can move around. You can certainly see that special care is taken to pack and ship Shari's Berries items. This cake arrived looking as perfectly as the picture you see above.

This cake is best served chilled, due to it's icing it can melt quickly, but as long as it's covered it doesn't dry out in the fridge. I would eat in within a few days just in case, but to be honest this cake didn't even make it past dessert. My family was over the moon about it and since it was delivered right in time for a small family luncheon we were hosting it served easily all 7 of us.

The chocolate was so thick and creamy, and the cake just melts in your mouth. Every single bite was packed full of the perfect amount of cake and icing, and the quality was just out of this world amazing.

I will definitely be a permanent customer and I can't wait to gift my loved ones with some of the items on Shari's Berries. There is something for everyone, and for every occasion. Especially with Valentine's Day right around the corner I can assure that you are bound to find something for your special someone, or even a special little treat for yourself that's much deserved. 

If you would like some money-saving coupons to use on Shari's Berries you can visit: http://www.berries.com/coupon-codes.aspx

Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to review a complimentary product from Berries.com, however, all opinions expressed are my own.

Kroger Private Selection Frozen Foods Review

I had the delightful opportunity for me and my family to try out a few things from Kroger’s Private Selection Frozen Foods.
We tried:
Appetizers: Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets
Pizza: Margherita Napolitana Frozen Pizza
Dessert: Miniature Vanilla Cream Puffs

The Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets were my favorite. I didn’t expect much from them to be honest, particularly when I took them out of the box. For one thing there weren’t very many of them, probably only enough for a few people to enjoy as appetizers. However as a family of say four it is sort of a perfect appetizer. The second thing was they didn’t look like they would be much of taste. So then I cooked them up, and all I can say is WOW! They explode with taste! You can taste the southwestern flavors, and it just tingles your taste buds! These were amazing. Next time I host a get together I’m going to buy a couple boxes of these to serve as appetizers. They were a big hit in my house, and I am a huge fan of them. I served these with a little bit of ranch to dip them in and it only enhanced the flavor. The crusts turn out golden and flaky, the insides have chicken, blend of cheeses, green and red peppers, etc,. Even though you don’t get very much in the way of amount, the taste more than makes up for it. And with a little added ranch as the condiment they are just delectable.

Next, we tried the Margherita Napolitana Frozen Pizza. The picture on the box looked so tasty, but when I pulled it out of the box I was immediately disappointed. This is a great pizza for one or two people, but don’t expect to get more out of it than that. The size is definitely on the small side. There were plenty of toppings, but the only thing that actually stood out in taste was the cheese. You could definitely tell that there was a lot of cheese, and that it was high quality. The tomatoes were a great touch and they were plentiful, however the taste was sort of bland for this ingredient. I would be interested in trying other Private Selection Frozen Pizza’s in the future, but I doubt I would try this one again.

For Dessert we ended our night with the Miniature Vanilla Cream Puffs. This is a simple dessert to serve. It’s kept frozen, and you just leave it in the fridge until they thaw out. I was surprised that they tasted as if they were just freshly prepared despite the fact that they are kept frozen. The disappointing factor about this dessert was they lacked taste. The crust was good and flaky, but the vanilla was just way to bland. It sort of tasted like mildly flavored pudding, and I couldn’t even taste much vanilla. It is a clean simple dessert though if your looking for something quick and simple, and it is a good dessert for children. My son was quite fond of them so it could always be something to compliment a school gathering or something.


All in all I have to say that I was quite impressed with the Private Selection brand. I know I will be getting the chicken trumpets again, and there’s a Private Selection dessert I have my eye on that I didn’t get to try. They were completely out of these at my local Kroger, and those were the chocolate lava cakes. How about you, do you like to try out store brands? Here's a bit more about the private selection brand if your interested:

Disclaimer: As a BzzAgent I have been provided with a complimentary product mentioned above for review purposes. All opinions expressed are HONEST and are solely mine alone.