Ginger Casa

Tyler, TX blogger - parenting, cooking, DIY-ing, crafting, sports, and life with three boys!

Gena is the mother of three boys, wife to DFW Dad, gardener, cook, crafter, DIYer, former teacher, and more! They live in the Tyler, Texas area.

Mother’s Day Gift Guide – Over 50 Ideas for What to Give Mom for Mother’s Day!

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Mother's Day Gift Guide 2021

Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2021

Mother’s Day is next month, so I will be your official nudger and remind you to get the Mom, Grandma, motherly figure, or wife a special gift this year! Moms are amazing and they work so hard! 

So what is the perfect Mother’s Day gift?

Well, it depends on your mom’s personality and likes, of course. Some moms love flowers, some jewelry, and others would love a new basketball goal or badminton set so they can spend time with their kids doing something they love! If you need a few new ideas, check out this Mother’s Day Gift Guide that I and 9 other fabulous bloggers put together for Mother’s Day! Leave me a comment with what you will be buying this year.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom to enter the giveaways, too! Winning a gift for Mom would be awesome, right?View Post

How To Clean The Air In Your Home

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how to clean the air in your home - molekule air purifier

How to Clean the Air in Your Home was brought to you by Molekule. All opinions are mine. Contains affiliate links.

I walk outside and see a thin layer of green pollen on EVERYTHING. When I remove the grill cover or get the hose off of the holder to water the garden, pollen flies. With five people in and out of the house all day, I had to know how to clean the air in my home to reduce the allergens inside. 

Molekule air purifiers work at the molecular level to destroy pollutants. Allergens, mold, bacteria, VOCs, and viruses are all destroyed with Molekule’s PECO technology. Not just collected, but destroyed! The air feels cleaner and that makes me very happy! If you want to learn more about Molekule’s technology, visit the website, it’s very fascinating information!

Our three boys are in school all day and there is no telling what they are bringing home, so I placed my Molekule Air where we spend the most time, in the living room. We all enjoy hanging out together and the clean, crisp air!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

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I’m the type of girl who eats the cookie to get to the icing. “Minimize the cookie, maximize the icing” is the way I look at it. I know some prefer the cookie, and that’s okay, but I think everyone will agree that these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups are delicious and a winning combo for everyone!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

The cookie cups themselves are super easy to make.  I just used a store-bought sugar cookie mix, followed the package directions for rolled cookies, then rolled balls and flattened them out inside a mini muffin tin. For this recipe, I also added a 1/2 tsp of cocoa powder.  SO yummy and pretty simple, too!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

The cheesecake icing or cheesecake filling is rich and creamy and I just added the finished product to a sandwich bag, clipped off one corner, squeezed it in and added mini chocolate chips. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

I did find that these crisped up pretty quickly, so make sure to store in an airtight container and place an apple slice inside to make them moist!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

Who wouldn’t love all of that peanut butter cheesecake icing??

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

These decadent peanut butter chocolate chip cheesecake cookie cups have a really long name, but are packed with delicious flavor!!

Ingredients

  • one 17.5 oz package dry sugar cookie mix
  • 3 TBSP flour
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 egg (check your specific package to make sure)
  • 1 TBSP cocoa powder
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • dash salt
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Make cookie dough according to package directions. (My package said add one stick of softened butter, one egg) and 3 TBSP flour.
  2. Add 1 TBSP cocoa powder and mix well.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°.
  4. Spray a mini muffin tin with spray oil.
  5. Roll out individual balls of dough, about 1-2 TBSP of dough in each ball.
  6. Place one dough ball in each cavity of mini muffin tin.
  7. Press down on the ball and press out to make a cup.
  8. Cook for about 10 minutes and check for done-ness.
  9. Cook for another 5 minutes. If done, remove from oven.
  10. Dough will reform while cooking, so upon removing the cookie cups, use a round teaspoon to make indentions in cookie cups.
  11. While cookie cups are cooling, make the filling.
  12. Cream together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and peanut butter.
  13. Slowly mix in powdered sugar.
  14. Fill a pastry bag or sandwich bag with icing, cut off a small corner, and fill each cooled cup with icing.
  15. Top with mini chocolate chips and enjoy!

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© Gena
Category: Dessert

Easy Shirley Temple Cake with Grenadine Glaze

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This easy Shirley Temple Cake with Grenadine Glaze is an impressive, delicious dessert that is really simple to make!

shirley temple cake with grenadine glaze

The other day I was scrolling Facebook and I saw an ad for a local person selling Shirley Temple Cakes. So, apparently I have been living under a rock because I had never heard of such a thing. I searched a few recipes on pinterest but could not find exactly what I was looking for, so I bought a few ingredients and made this delicious cake that turned out amazing the first time!!

shirley temple cake with grenadine glaze

My kids had never had a Shirley Temple, which is essentially, 7UP, grenadine, and maraschino cherries. My husband introduced me to this non-alcoholic drink years ago, and it’s really a delicious treat!

shirley temple cake with grenadine glaze

So my kids’ worlds were rocked when I made this Shirley Temple Cake, but also when I let them have a Shirley Temple drink! They all said it was delicious!

shirley temple cake with grenadine glaze

I found that some recipes on the internet said to poke the cake before pouring on any icing or glaze or the maraschino cherry juice, and maybe that would have been good, as well, but when the glaze collects at the bottom, you just scoop it up and drizzle on your cake if you prefer! My guys like that the cake itself was not super soggy and could choose the amount of glaze they wanted on their piece.

shirley temple cake with grenadine glaze

This easy Shirley Temple Cake with Grenadine Glaze is a great Spring cake! Serve at your Easter meal for a delicious, impressive dessert!

Easy Shirley Temple Cake with Grenadine Glaze
Yield: 16 servings

Easy Shirley Temple Cake with Grenadine Glaze

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour5 minutes

This Shirley Temple cake with grenadine glaze is so easy to make! Made with boxed cake mix, it's a treat for all!

Ingredients

  • one boxed white cake mix
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup 7UP
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 cup drained maraschino cherries
  • for the glaze:
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 TBSP grenadine
  • 3 TBSP milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Prepare cake mix by mixing cake mix, egg whites, 7UP, oil, and lemon extract together in a mixing bowl for 1 minute.
  3. Fold in cherries with a spoon.
  4. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.
  5. Gently pour cake mix with cherries into bundt pan.
  6. Bake cake for 35 minutes and check. Rotate in oven if not evenly browning.
  7. Cook for another 5-10 miutes, or until a toothpick or knife is inserted and comes out clean.
  8. When done, carefully remove from oven and flip on a plate or cake stand. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  9. Prepare grenadine glaze by combining powdered sugar, grenadine, and milk and mixing well. Add more powdered sugar if too thin, more milk if too thick.
  10. Pour generously over cake.
  11. Serve and enjoy!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 164Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 1g

The writer is not a doctor or nutritionist and this nutritional information is just a guideline. Please consult your doctor or nutritionist for more accurate information.

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© Gena

Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars – No Bake Treat!

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I know what brought you here. Your love for Reese’s peanut butter cups. Or maybe it was simply your love for peanut butter? Either way, you will love this recipe for Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars!

reese's peanut butter chocolate crispy bars

Delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Treat!

I am a supreme lover of no bake treats. Rice Krispie treats and no bake peanut butter cereal balls were some of my favorites growing up. SO easy to make and the best part is that you do not have to wait for them to cook to eat them! And scraping the bowl is so a delicious part, too!

In case you didn’t know…chopping Reese’s peanut butter cups is pretty exhilarating…

reese's peanut butter cups, chopped

These no bake peanut butter bars are SO DELICIOUS! Anything with peanut butter is delicious, obviously, but these are over the top good. The icing is rich and decadent and is a perfect complement to the crispy bars underneath.

(Sidenote: I always always always recommend that if you are taking a dessert or dish to a potluck or somewhere that others will possibly eating your food, to either label it with potential allergens or at the very least, crumble something distinguishable on top to signal to potential allergy sufferers that there is peanut butter inside. I have a child with tree nut allergies, and oh how I wish that people would do this. Food allergies are no joke, y’all. Also, peanuts aren’t tree nuts, in case you were wondering. Thank goodness because he lives on peanut butter.)

reese's pb chocolate crispy bars

Carrying on…I love how these turn out! They’re dense and delicious, so it feels like an actual dessert and not just a rice krispie treat snack. There is peanut butter throughout and every bit of it is delicious.

reese's pb chocolate crispy bars ginger casa

reese's pb chocolate crispy bars ginger casa.com

check out my peanut butter Chex mix recipe! 

 

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars - No Bake Treat!
Yield: 20

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars - No Bake Treat!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

These Reese's peanut butter chocolate crispy bars are no bake and very decadent!

Ingredients

  • 6 cups crisped rice cereal
  • 2 lbs box or bag of powdered sugar
  • 4 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
  • Topping
  • 2 cups Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
  • 1/4 butterscotch chips
  • 1 TBSP coconut oil
  • 12 quartered or crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (large)

Instructions

    1. Line jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
    2. Combine creamy peanut butter, crisped rice cereal, powdered sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl.
    3. Press into prepared pan.
    4. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth (about 2 1/2 minutes)
    5. Pour and spread melted chocolate mixture over peanut butter crispy layer.
      Add quartered Reese's over top.
    6. Refrigerate until chocolate has set (about 30 minutes)
    7. Cut into bars and serve, keep refrigerated best served chilled

Notes

A quick rinse of water in your measuring cup prevents peanut butter from sticking to the sides.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 726Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 430mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 5gSugar: 39gProtein: 16g

The writer is not a doctor or nutritionist and this nutritional information is just a guideline. Please consult your doctor or nutritionist for more accurate information.

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© Gena
Category: food

How Do I Help My Child Prepare for the STAAR Test at Home?

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how to help your child prepare for the staar test

This post was brought to you by Merriam-Webster. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

 

If you are a Texas mom, dad, grandparent, guardian or, of course, teacher, you know that Spring = STAAR season for our public school kids! So many are left wondering….”So how do I help my child prepare for the STAAR test at home?” Luckily, the teachers do a pretty fantastic job at helping prepare our kids. BUT, there are a few things that you can do to bring it all home and ensure that your child does the best that he/she can do!

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Nutella Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips

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Our younger two boys love bananas topped with Nutella. This is the easiest snack/treat for them, especially on those nights where they are “starving” at bedtime but can’t think of what they want to eat. Nutella banana? YES! So when I had four old bananas that I needed to use, but didn’t want to make the traditional banana muffin, I made Nutella Banana Muffins instead! And my whole family LOVED THEM!

nutella banana muffinView Post

8 Tips To Improve Gut Health and Feel Better

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I received this product at no cost from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are mine. 8 Tips to Improve Gut Health and Feel Better!

It does not need to be said, but the past year has been rough on everyone. The stress alone is enough to wreak havoc on your body. But how do you improve gut health so you can feel better? 

gut health

Improve Your Diet

-Add fruits and vegetables, at least 1//2 cup to each meal, to boost antioxidants, fiber, and probiotics

-Eat smaller meals: eating 5-6 mini meals throughout the day can help prevent overload on your body

-Keep a food journal: writing down what you eat can help you to pinpoint culprits causing your gastrointestinal problems

Improve Your Lifestyle

-Start walking! Taking a 20 minute walk after eating can help stimulate digestion. I have started walking nightly and I really love the time spent with my 1-3 kids who want to tag along, depending on the day! Enjoying nature is a great way to relieve stress, too!

-Relax! I know, easier said than done, but find a way to relax and stick with it, because practice makes it easier. Sign up for a yoga class, watch YouTube channels about breathing techniques, take baths, or do something that you love to reduce the stress.

-Consider what you drink. Too much alcohol isn’t good, we know that. But did you know that it can inhibit the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine? Limit yourself to no more than two drinks per day or a drink on occasion to really help your gut.

-Find a hobby that you love! Take up gardening, get a houseplant (it will become a healthy addiction!), train for a 5k, paint something, take a class, whatever you love, go all in and find that it’s a great distraction and improves your mental health which will help your whole body and gut health!

improve your gut health with kyo-dophilus

Supplements that can Help

A good-quality probiotic can help support healthy digestion, while offering benefits for immune health. Choose the Kyo-Dophilus® product that’s right for you. I have been taking the Kyo-Dophilus Pro+ Synbiotic:

-great tasting chewable that come in single-serving packets and do not need to be refrigerated

-synbiotic is a term use for probiotics and probiotics, combined to provide the best benefits for your gut

-contains nine different strains, 20 billion CFU, and 2 g of prebiotic

-BioEcolians prebiotic has been clinically studied and documented to help maintain bacterial balance

-can maintain good colon health and relieve occasional digestive discomfort*

-a balanced digestive system also promotes a healthy immune response and inhibits the growth of bad bacteria*

-non-GMO and free of soy, gluten, dairy, and artificial colors and flavors

 

improve gut health

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I am not a medical professional. Always consult your doctor before adding supplements to your diet.

15 Minute Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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15 Minute Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce is a delicious family recipe that the family will love!

noodles with spicy peanut sauce

Pasta is always an easy, frugal meal for families. This recipe for 15 minute noodles with spicy peanut sauce is good with any noodles you may have in the pantry. You can also add sliced chicken or pork to add meat to the meal. I love recipes like this that are versatile and can be easily adapted for a meal that everyone will love. View Post

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