Hooray for food blogging!

OK, so I'm not much of a blogger...but I like sharing my ideas and opinions with the few people that care about them, so here I am for the two or three of you that might read this!!  I've enjoyed documenting our crazy life at "Life of Schafers" and I love sharing recipes, so this is going to be that kind of blog! 

I love food.  Mostly of the dessert variety.  I've been running a part time bakery out of my home for a couple of years now.  While that's been a really fun and creative adventure for me, my time constraints have started to limit how much I can take on, so I'm taking a bit of a break.  Hopefully, by sharing some of my favorite recipes here, I can still have the joy of helping make people's special days even better!

I'm a planner.  I like to start thinking of the kids' party themes and holiday parties well in advance.  I mean, good grief, I'm already planning my 30th birthday party for 2015 - in saying goodbye to my "20's", we'll be having a "flapper" party, so all of my friends should start collecting fabulous dresses now...consider yourself warned ;)  So you'll get to reap the benefits of my uber-planner personality as I think of holiday and party plans well in advance and share them here!

I love the holidays, especially the 4th of July.  What better way to celebrate our country's independence than to get together with my loved ones and eat good food while praying no one gets injured?  I love my family...I love spending time with them - crazy, right?!  We grill, we eat homemade banana ice cream, and we ooooooh and ahhhh at the massive fireworks that we spend way too much money on.  There is no pressure, no rushing...we just get to hang out and enjoy each other...it's wonderful. So I'm thinking about plans way in advance...cute decorations for our house, how much to spend on fireworks, cute outfits for the kiddos, and of course - what to make for the family get together!

My favorite red, white, and blue recipe to date is this Berry Cheesecake Trifle, adapted from a parfait recipe from Kraft Foods.  It's super easy and quick and such a great treat all through the summer!!!

Here's what you need:
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1.5 cups milk
1 pkg (3.4 oz) Jell-o French Vanilla instant pudding
1 tub thawed Cool Whip

1 box of Nilla Wafers

Sliced strawberries - approx. 1 carton

Blueberries - approx. 1 carton

Here's what you do:

-Beat cream cheese until creamy.

-Add milk

-Add dry pudding mix

-Mix well

-Whisk in half of cool whip

Here's how you make it pretty!

- Layer of Nilla Wafers

- Mix of strawberries & blueberries (as many as you want!)

- 1/3 of pudding mixture

- Repeat 3 times

- Top the whole thing with the left over Cool Whip and any remaining fruit & wafers

I'm going to have to learn to take better pictures!!!

I've also made this in individual cups for snacks for the kids at daycare and they are always a huge hit! 

Happy summer everyone!!