Jalapeno Popper Chicken Hoagies

Only five more days till the Superbowl!  Not that I care about the game...I care about the food!  We're still completely undecided on the menu this year - it might be a gametime decision.  In preparation for the food fest big game, I've been making some fun possibilities.  This chicken popper hoagie is definitely on the short list (maybe in slider form):
 

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Hoagie
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (1/2 inch)
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup milk
oil for frying

2 hoagie buns (12 inch)

4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup jarred jalapenos (or more to taste)
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
2-3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled


Chicken
1 - Heat oil over medium heat
2 - Dip chicken in milk and coat with bread crumbs
3 - Fry chicken in small batches until golden brown and juice runs clear, about 4-5 minutes on each side

Popper Spread
1 - Melt cream cheese over low heat
2 - Remove from heat and mix in mayonnaise, Monterrey jack cheese and jalapenos

3 - Return to low heat and continue stirring until Monterrey jack cheese melts
4 - Stir in crumbled bacon and remove from heat

Buns

1 - Slice buns lengthwise

2 - Spread each half with 1/4 of the melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder

3 - Place under the broiler (or on the grill) for 3-5 minutes until golden brown

To assemble

1 - Spread each bun half with 1/4 of the popper spread

2 - Add 1/2 of the chicken to the bottom half of each bun

3 - Add the bun lid

I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to Z, The Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring Creations, Romantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter, One Artsy Mama, Dittle Dattle, Southern Lovely, Naptime Creations, Ladybird Ln, Sew Many Ways,

Valentine Countdown

Here's a repost from last year - a few days early in case anyone else is looking for a cute countdown...  We'll be doing our Valentine countdown again this year :)

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Valentine Countdown

I started with my sweet dollar-store-tray turned magnetic-chalkboard-tray from last year.  I bought a few packs of these conversation heart boxes from Walmart.

I like that they're Valentine-y without being pink.  This is, after all, a boy's Valentine countdown calendar.  While I like the colors, I did not like the words on them.  Enter a little Goo Gone from the Dollar Store

A few wipes of the Goo Gone and that print was, well, gone

To make the heart boxes magnetic, I just cut up a few old advertisement magnets and adhered a piece to the back of each box with a dab of hot glue.

Now for the fun part - numbering the boxes.  That part'll be easy I thought - just buy some white number stickers and {bam} cute countdown.  Oh silly me.  Nothing is ever that easy.  I couldn't find any white numerical stickers that were the right size for these boxes.  So instead, I cut each number out of felt and hot glued them on.  After all the boxes are numbered, just fill with a few Hershey Kisses, or your sweetheart's candy of choice:

On a totally random tangent, I think all month's should have fun countdown calendars.  Idea for Christmas gifts - a year of Kisses.  A Hershey-Kiss-a-day calendar.  Now that's my kind of calendar!

I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to Z, The Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring Creations, Romantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter, One Artsy Mama, Dittle Dattle, Southern Lovely, Naptime Creations, Ladybird Ln, Sew Many Ways,

Blackberry Filled Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Here's a sweet recipe sure to impress your Valentine...or coworkers...whatever the case might be.  Dark chocolate cupcakes filled with blackberry preserves and then topped with a sinful chocolate frosting.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 eggs
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin liners
2 - In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt
3 - Mix together and create a well in the center
4 - Disolve instant granules into the coffee
5 - Add coffee, buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients (in the well)
6 - Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed - batter will be thin
7 - Fill muffin tins 2/3 full
8 - Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Filling
Once cooled, fill each cupcake with blackberry preserves (or filling of your choice)
1 - Remove a cone shaped piece of cupcake
2 - Fill void almost full with preserves

3 - Cut bottom point off of the cone of cake
4 - Top with remaining cupcake piece

Double Chocolate Frosting


1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup heavy cream (+ additional 2-4 tablespoons)
3 oz semi sweet chocolate
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


1 - Combine butter, chocolate & cocoa in a small saucepan
2 - Cook over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring constantly
3 - Remove from heat
4 - Add sugar, vanilla and heavy cream
5 - Beat well until combined
6 - Add additional cream 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved

I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to Z, The Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring Creations, Romantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter, One Artsy Mama, Dittle Dattle, Southern Lovely, Naptime Creations, Ladybird Ln, Sew Many Ways,