Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe was shared with me by an awesome lady who lives down the street. She is always talking about these yummy recipes she makes and this is the first one I've tried from her. And I've gotta tell ya, I'm going to need ALL her recipes if they are as good as this :) Mmm...

Here's what you need:

1 Butternut Squash
1 apple
1 onion
2-3 carrots (or about 1 1/2 cup baby carrots)
Chicken stock (about 2 cups)
Nutmeg or Curry
Brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350. Place squash on a cookie sheet (put foil down to help with cleanup). Poke a few holes in the squash with a knife and bake for 1 hour or until it is soft. (You don't need to peel or cut it up. Just poke it and toss it in the oven!) To check softness, poke the squash with a fork on the end closest to the stem. (The bottom half is semi-hollow where all the seeds are). Take out of oven and let cool. Once cool, cut the squash in half length-wise, scoop out all the seeds and throw them away. Scoop out all the flesh off of the skin into a bowl and set aside.

*I baked my squash in the morning and let it sit on the counter to cool for a few hours. It seemed a lot easier that way.

Peel and chop the apple, onion and carrots. In a pot, saute the apple, onion and carrots in olive oil until they're soft.

Puree veggies and cooked squash with chicken broth in a blender, food processor, or with an emulsion blender right in the pot, til smooth. If you're using the blender or food processor, don't forget to vent the lid so you don't get an explosion in the kitchen ;)

Season with salt and pepper, brown sugar, and nutmeg or curry (we did nutmeg) and heat thru. Just add the spices to your taste preference.

Enjoy! Thanks, Ingrid for sharing this with me. I'm definitely going to be trying the rest of your recipes in the future!

Fried Zucchini

This little number was created in the hustle bustle of our very own at-home Iron Chef competition with some friends. I didn't really measure anything, so this recipe is approximately what I think I put into the batter... Hope you like it!

What you need:
2-3 zucchini or yellow summer squash
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
vegetable oil for frying

Slice zucchini and/or yellow summer squash into thin rounds. In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs and set aside. In another bowl (I usually use an 8x8 cakepan for this step) mix flour, white pepper, and tsp salt.

Heat some vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a small sauce pan. When oil is hot, take a few zucchini at a time and soak them in the egg, then toss them into the flour mixture until they're covered. shake off any excess and put about 4-5 slices in the oil at a time. (If you add too many too quickly, the oil temp will drop to fast and not fry the zucchini correctly.)

You want the batter to be a nice golden brown. If it is too dark, turn down the heat and wait for the oil to cool before adding more zucchini. Once they're done, take them out and set them on a few sheets of paper towels to absorb some of the oil.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Leave your comments on these if you enjoyed them or if you think I need to add/use less pepper or salt to the recipe. I really have no idea how much I put in the mix haha! I also want to try something similar to this to try and make fried green tomatoes. mmmmm....

Homemade Pancakes

We like to have breakfast for dinner at least once a week at our house. And although we try to mix things up by having different styles of eggs, and sometimes french toast, our main B4D meal is pancakes.

But honestly... I'm not such a huge fan of the "just add water" variety even though that's what we always use. We like to add vanilla or other things to the mix to make them taste better, but there's just something off, ya know?

A few months ago I was visiting my sister and they have a family tradition that they eat pancakes (or waffles) for dinner EVERY Sunday. And they know how to mix things up! They had a few different recipes to try and I gotta tell ya, they were fabulous!

I'm sure I'll share some of the other recipes with you someday, but today I'd like to share the recipe that I will now use instead of buying the nasty pre-made stuff: a very simple, homemade, good old fashioned pancake mix.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

Mix them all together until the batter is no longer lumpy. Have a pan warming up on the stove to medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add 1/4 c of batter and wait til most the bubbles pop and flip over. Let cook a minute or two more and you're done!

Toss on your favorite fruits, cream or syrup and enjoy!! MMMmmmmm....

Homemade Potato Chips

My mouth is watering just thinking about these... mmmmm.... This is a pretty quick recipe to make as far as prep and cooking goes, but it does require some time to chill in the fridge. So make sure you plan ahead.

Start out peeling a few potatoes (not that many, maybe 3 or 4 if there is only a few of you).

Thinly slice your potatoes. If you have a mandolin, it'll be a lot easier to get a consistant size, but we've used a knife just fine.

Soak your chips in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for at the very least 10-15 minutes. But the longer you let them soak, the better they'll taste. I think they taste great if you let them soak around 45 min-1 hr.

Pull out your chips and dry them off on some paper towels. Have some vegetable oil heating up on med-high heat and put in a few chips at a time. If you put too many in at once, the temperature of the oil will drop too quickly and you won't get a crispy chip. Only let them sit until the edges start to get brown and pull them out. (They won't be completely cooked yet) After you've done this to all your chips, give them another dip in the oil just like before. Put them in a bowl with some paper towels to soak up the extra oil and sprinkle some salt on them.

Serve warm and enjoy! They taste a lot like french fries so if you want to dip them in ketchup, go right ahead :)

Sweet Land of Liberty!

First of all, I cannot take any credit for the inspiration of this cake. I saw it on another blog I read, who then gave the link for the original idea. And I have to admit, the original one looks MUCH MUCH MUCH better than mine. But I take solice in the fact that it was my first try, and I used store bought icing instead of making my own (which I knew I should have done but didn't have the time to) So- for next time, I know it'll turn out much better than this and won't be so goopy!

And now that we've cleared up all that, onto the cake!

I started out with 2 mixes of white cake.

Make 1 mix exactly as directed for a 2, 9 inch round cake pan recipe. Let cool 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Set aside.

Mix the second cake mix as directed and divide batter in half. Using regular food coloring, mix one half with blue coloring and the other half with red. Make sure to use enough to ensure a deep blue and red instead of pastels ;) Bake as directed and cool the same way you did with the white cakes.

Once your cakes are completely cool, take 1 white cake and cut it in half (so that you have 2 thin round cakes about an inch high) Do the same with the red cake.

Place one thin layer of white cake on your serving dish and add a thin layer of icing.


*Note* Here's where I went wrong using storebought icing. It was too runny and basically gave no support to the cake at all. If you have a homemade icing recipe (usually calls for powdered sugar, milk, butter and shortening) use that instead. It should help your cake look "cleaner."

Make sure you only pull the icing in one direction as you ice the cake or you will get little fluffs of cake all over and it will look messy.

Add 1 thin layer of red cake and add another thin layer of icing.


Here's the tricky part... Now you're going to take your remaining thin layers of red and white and cut a small circle out of the center, like a donut. I used a small bowl and pressed it down like a cookie-cutter to make sure I had the same size each time. Place the small white circle in the center of your cake, add a small layer of icing and then the red layer, ice.


Your blue cake should still be the original size. Take the same bowl or whatever you used to measure out the hole for the red and white cakes and cut out a hole in the blue cake. This time, however, you will be using the ring instead of the center. For this next step you will need a second pair of hands (I know because I ripped my cake trying to do this by myself...) Place the blue ring on the top of the cake, with your smaller white and red circles fitting inside.


If the blue sticks up too high (like mine did!) Use a knife and trim it until it is level with the red.

You can now fully ice your cake. When you're ready to serve, your cake should look like this (hopefully better) when you're done.


One great thing about this cake is all the scraps left over- Yum!


I'd like to thank 17 and Baking for this original idea. Click here to see her beautiful cake and don't laugh too hard at mine after you see how amazing hers looks ;)

Italian-Style Breaded Chicken

I found this recipe online and decided to make this for my husband's birthday dinner. We both LOVED it! I'll definitely be making this one again. The chicken was so moist and crunchy all at the same time and the lemon and rosemary had a flavor party in my mouth. Mmmmm!!


What you need:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dried rosemary, or 1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
juice from 1/4 lemon
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
1/4 c finely crushed almonds
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a casserole dish lightly with olive oil and set aside.

Combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, rosemary, and lemon juice in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine bread crumbs, almonds and cheese and mix well.

Place chicken in casserole dish and brush mayonnaise mixture on top. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the mayonnaise until well coated.

Drizzle olive oil on top of the bread crumbs and bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes or until chicken is done.

Enjoy!

I did change a few things from the original recipe, but I still would like to give them the credit they deserve for inspiring me. Click here for the original.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

I'm SO sorry for my severe lack of posts over the last month. I've been either on vacation, or recuperating from a vacation long enough to catch my breath before heading out the door again and haven't had time to post some yummy stuff.

*Whew!*

So now that I've got a few minutes to share something, I might as well take advantage of it before I'm hit with a round of birthday parties next month- my husband, little girl and myself all share bdays in July, so it's a pretty stressful fun-packed month. (So this is also my upfront apology in case you don't hear from me again for a few weeks ;)

Anyway, back to what you're all here for... the food!

I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who loves to cook. And even better, loves to try new recipes and even make up his own. :) So about 2 weeks ago he found this recipe online (not sure where because I forgot to write down the link) and I LOVED it!


Here's what you need:

2 tsp cornstarch
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb. frozen deveined shrimp (thawed)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dried parsley
8 oz extra thin spaghetti, cooked
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 tomato, diced

In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch, broth and lemon juice intil smooth. Set Aside.

Heat oil in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp, garlic and red pepper, stirring often until shrimp is warm (you don't want it to overcook and be rubbery). Remove from heat and set aside.

In same skillet add cornstarch mixture and cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Return shrimp to skillet, along with cooked spaghetti. Toss in tomatoes and stir. Heat thoroughly. Add parsley and a little red pepper for added flavor.

Serve warm. Makes approx 6 1/2 cups.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Pork

We recently stumbled across this recipe in one of our favorite cookbooks and I can't believe we haven't ever made this before! It is simply amazing! A few days after we made this we were eating at a local fast-food chinese place *COUGH!(Panda Express)* Did anybody hear that? I didn't think so... Moving on... After eating their sweet and sour pork I was determined that I didn't think I would ever order it again. I'd rather just make it myself. It's. Just. That. Good.

Here's what you need:

2 lbs lean pork- I bought pork stew meat because it was lean and pre-cut into the perfect size.
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c soy sauce
3 Tbsp oil
2 c carrots, cut into diagonal chunks
1 med onion, cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 can (20 oz) chunk pineapple
3 Tbsp cornstarch (yes for a seperate part)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 c white vinegar
1/3 c soy sauce

Cut pork into 2 inch strips/chunks if you didn't buy the stew meat. Mix 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 c soy sauce. Marinate pork in this mixture for 1-2 hrs or overnight in refrigerator.

Pour contents of bag into hot stir fry pan with oil until evenly brown and tender- about 10 minutes. Remove meat from pan and add carrots and onions to the pan, using more oil if necessary. Cover and cook on low heat until tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Add bell pepper and pineapple. Return meat to pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

While the meat and veggies are cooking, make the sweet and sour sauce. Mix cornstarch (3 Tbsp) and sugar in small saucepan. Add pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour over meat and veggies and serve with white rice.

Enjoy!

Click here for more info on the cookbook I got this recipe from.

Bajio Sweet Rice

Oh man... I LOVE this rice. It is so sweet and delicious and goes well with any Mexican dish. Use it on your mexican salads, burritos or as a side dish, but any way you have it, it is just wonderful! And because it isn't spicy, the kids will love it too. I know mine does!


Here's what you need:

1/2-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 of a white or yellow onion, chopped (add more or less to your taste)
1/2 bunch cilantro (we actually didn't use any because I don't like cilantro, but if you're going for authentic... haha ;)
1 1/3 cups white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/4-1/2 cup sugar

NOTE: The amount of sugar it calls for makes this rice very sweet. You can change the amount of sugar if you want, but just remember it is supposed to be sweet. Also, if you let the sugar dissolve in the stock before you mix it in with the rice, the sugar won't sit on the bottom of the pan.

Put a little oil in bottom of pan. Saute chopped onion until translucent. Add the chopped cilantro (no big stems) and saute a minute more.
Add the rice, cooking until it is light brown (being careful not to burn).
Combine the chicken broth and sugar, letting sugar dissolve. Then stir into rice until combined. Bring to a boil.
Cover and let cook on low, med-low until rice is done, about 25-30 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

I actually wish I had added a little bit of onion powder to this to help ground the sweetness, so if you want to try that, let me know how it turns out. :)

No-Bake Cheesecake

Mmm... yet another cheesecake recipe. I'm telling you, if you don't like cheesecake, this might not be the blog for you because I'm pretty sure at least 75% of my desserts will be some form of cheesecake ;)

And once again sorry for the slightly blurry picture... My camera just isn't so awesome sometimes.

This recipe is fast (except for refrigeration time of course) so it's perfect for if you know you're having company over and want to have a delicious dessert, make it in the morning before work and it'll be ready and waiting for you when you get home.

What you need:
2 8 oz packages cream cheese
1/2 of an 8oz tub of Cool Whip
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1 graham cracker pie crust

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Blend on med-high speed with an electric mixer into a creamy texture. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Fold in cool whip and stir gently with spoon until well blended. Spoon into pie crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

My wonderful hubby told me that he loved this cheesecake, but he said it would be even better with some sort of topping to go with it. So grab a can of your favorite pie filling or toss on some fresh fruit to jazz up this dessert.

If you're in a hurry just use a store bought graham cracker pie crust. They save time and if you're like me and can't make a homemade crust even (hehe) it'll look nicer too. ;)

BUT if you want to make your own crust, here is a quick recipe for that too:

1 sleeve of graham crackers (usually about 6 or 7 crackers)
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

Crush graham crackers into a fine powder. (This is when I love having a food processer) Mix in sugar and then add butter. Mix well and then press evenly into a 9 inch pie tin. Refrigerate 1 hour before adding pie filling.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I remember when I was a kid I didn't like mushrooms. Or at least I didn't think I did... that is until I was working at my first job- a hostess at a seafood restaurant- and I happened to try the stuffed mushrooms. They. Were. Divine.

So about a year ago I tried to make my own version of those mushrooms. I'm not gonna lie, they don't taste exactly as I remember, but seeing as how it's been 7 years since I had them and my memory can only take me so far when composing a dish, I think they turned out pretty tasty.

The last time I made them (besides last night) was Christmas Eve last year. We decided for lunch that day to do all appetizers (cheese and crackers, shrimp and cocktail sauce, artichokes and of course stuffed mushrooms). Our family seemed to enjoy them so I guess I must've done something right, right?

Well here's my recipe for you to enjoy as well.

What you need:

2 packages fresh mushrooms (try and pick ones that look like they have bigger mushrooms)
1 package Jimmy Dean Regular pork sausage
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
dash of salt and pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Clean your mushrooms by taking a damp paper towel and brushing the tops and stems until they look clean. Don't run them under water. To remove the stems just rotate them in a small circular pattern (like a joystick) with just a little bit of pressure and it should pop right out and leave the top looking like a little bowl. Set the tops aside. Chop up the stems into tiny pieces and set aside.

Brown the sausage until it's cooked all the way through, drain excess grease and put in a large mixing bowl. While the pan is still hot, put about 1 Tbsp EVOO in the pan and cook the stems for about 2-3 minutes. Toss sausage back into the pan with the stems and add the basil and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste and let cooke for another 2-3 minutes, then pour mixture back into mixing bowl. Add cheese and bread crumbs, mix until well blended.

Pour about 1/4 cup EVOO into small bowl and use a basting brush to brush oil onto the mushroom tops. Cover the smooth side and set in a 13x9 casserole dish. Once all mushroom tops have been brushed with oil, use a spoon and fill tops with sausage filling. Don't worry if not much will fit inside the mushroom. Most of the sausage mixture will be a little mound on the top anyway. Top with any shredded Itailian cheese you'd like and drizzle any remaining olive oil on top of mushrooms.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pockets

I'm all about a quick and easy dinner. When life is hectic (as it so often is with a toddler running all over the house...) I just want something tasty that won't take me an hour to make. Chicken Pockets to the rescue!

I've had several similar recipes of this fall into my lap, but the best by far came from my cousin-in-law Colie. Thanks for sharing this wonderful meal with me and my family!

What you need:

2 crescent roll packages (8 count each)
1 can of chicken chunks (about 14 oz)
1 8 oz package cream cheese
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1 column of Ritz crackers, crushed
1 can cream of chicken soup

In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, chicken chunks and green onions together until well blended.

Unroll crescent rolls- keeping them in rectangle shapes instead of seperating them into triangles like you normally would. Each package should only make 4 rectangles. Take a large spoonful of chicken mixture and place in crescent roll, fold over and seal off edges. Be sure to seal the little holes from where the triangle slits were.


Have melted butter in 1 bowl and crushed crackers in another bowl. Place chicken pocket in butter and make sure to get it well covered. Move it to the crackers and cover both sides with them.



Place chicken pockets on a cookie sheet and bake according to the directions on the crescent roll package. (Usually 375 for 13 minutes)

While they bake, mix cream of chicken with 1 can of milk and heat on stovetop. When the chicken pockets are done baking, pour over top and enjoy!

Chili's Awesome Blossom (sort of...)

While the hubby and I were discussing our menu for the week, we were trying to think of a good side dish to go with the hamburgers we planned on having tonight. Normally we have baked beans (which reminds me I really need to post that recipe cause my hubby makes a mean dish of baked beans...mmmm *licking lips*) but instead we decided to go with a recipe we had tried a while back and hadn't made in a really long time- Chili's Awesome Blossom. Now granted we don't actually make the blossom so much as we just make onion rings with the batter and dipping sauce, but they are delicious just the same.

Here's what you need:

2 yellow onions
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp McCormick Seasoned Salt (Season-All)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk on hand- cause I know we normally don't, just mix 1 cup regular milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice and let sit for 5 min)
Canola oil for frying

Slice onions into rings and let them soak in cold water for at least 5 minutes. I let them soak while I made the batter. Combine dry ingredients in one large bowl and have buttermilk in a seperate bowl.

Dip onion rings a few at a time into flour mixture, then buttermilk, and then back into flour mixture. Place ring in hot canola oil and fry til golden brown. Don't try and fry too many rings at once or your oil will drop drastically in temperature and you won't get a good crispy onion ring.

To make the dipping sauce, mix all these ingredients and serve in a small dipping bowl:

1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp McCormick Seasoned Salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

If you really want to try making the blossom, here's how. We haven't ever tried it, but be sure to let me know how it turns out:

Onion may be sliced like a blossom by cutting the top 1/4 off, the top has the stem. Then peel and be very careful to leave the root intact. Carefully slice from the top of the onion down but stop about 1/2" before you get to the root, taking care not to cut through the root. Slice the rest of the onion like a pie into many servings.

When complete soak onion in cold ice water for 1/2 hour so the onion's petals will start to open up and bloom. Drain onion and dip in flour mixture and dust well. Dip onion then in buttermilk and back in flour mixture. Place in hot oil and fry until golden. Oil should cover onion.

When done drain well and place on plate and cut center out of onion so the petals may easily be removed.


Hope you enjoy your delicious onions!

Sugar Cookies

I love sugar cookies!

I got this recipe from my friend Janell who is a self-proclaimed sugar cookie addict. She's tried them all, made them all and decorated them all so she knows what she's looking for in a sugar cookie. She shared this recipe with me back in December and I had the opportunity to make them again last week for a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. They turned out spectacular! And it is always fun to decorate them with icing and sprinkles too (although I have yet to get any cookie cutter sets of my own and keep having to borrow them from said sugar cookie addict, so I'm adding that to my wish list- just in case any of you were wondering what to get me for my birthday this year ;)

Here's what you need:

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup softened butter (not melted)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour

Mix shortening and butter until you get a creamy mixture. Add sugar, baking powder and salt, mix well. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in as much flour as you can.

Divide dough in half, chill in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Dust table or countertop with flour and roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutter and place cookie dough shapes onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes- *They will not brown if you use an airbake cookie sheet as you can see below- these have already been baked* If you don't own any airbake cookie sheets, you should go get some pronto. They are AMAZING. Nothing ever burns or sticks to them and everything is cooked evenly and perfectly.


If you're using a traditional cookie sheet they will start to brown around the edges a little bit. When that happens, pull them out right away or your cookies will be too hard and crunchy.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was always one of those people who bought the store bought cookie mix that you just add an egg, butter and water to. But as I was going through some old recipes I found my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe and decided to give it a shot. They turned out ok but I wanted to make the perfect cookie... It took me quite a few tries of altering the recipe here and there, but I've finally done it!!

So here it is, the perfect chocolate chip cookie- and I'm not joking when I say do it exactly as it is written. The technique in adding the ingredients, I've come to find out, is just as important as the ingredients themselves. You can use the exact same amounts of ingredients and one batch will turn out gritty, and another too runny depending on how you add them to the mix. So pay attention! ;)

What you'll need:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup softened (not melted) butter (not margerine :)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix shortening, butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla, baking soda, salt and egg and mix well. Add 1 cup of flour, mix well. Then 1 Tbsp milk, mix. Add 1 cup flour, mix. Add 1 Tbsp milk, mix. Add the last 1/4 cup flour and mix. Add chocolate chips and mix.

Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 10 minutes. The cookies should have just a little bit of browning on the tops. As you pull the pan out of the oven, hit the bottom of the pan on the stovetop to flatten the cookies (just a bit) and let them sit on the cookie sheet for at least 1 minute before taking them off. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

My husband actually prefers these to store bought (which makes me happy) and he frequently asks me to make them. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Stuffed Peppers

I hadn't ever had a stuffed pepper until just about a year ago. And let me tell you, I fell in love. I don't know what it is about it, but we have these almost every other week. I never liked spicy food growing up, and this definitely has a kick to it, but it has the perfect proportion of tomatoes, cheese, rice and bell pepper in each bite. Mmm...

What you need:

2-6 green bell peppers (depending on how many people you're making these for)
1 lb. pork chorizo
1/2 cup onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 cup cooked white rice (depending on how many peppers you have to stuff- I'll explain later)
1 cup cheese

Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the insides (remove seeds and white rinds on sides while keeping the pepper whole like a bowl) Boil peppers in water for around 15 minutes and set aside in a casserole dish.

While the peppers are boiling, brown chorizo. If you are using chorizo that has a casing, remove it before cooking it. You want it to be more like ground meat. We've found a very cheap chorizo brand at Walmart that is usually under $1 and doesn't have a casing. It is more like a spicy paste than a sausage. It comes in a plastic wrap with a green, red and white label. (Sorry for not having a picture- you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it though.) All you have to do is cut open one end and squeeze the chorizo out onto the pan. It doesn't "brown" when you cook it, so if you use that kind, don't worry about browning it first.

Add onions and garlic to skillet and cook until onions are soft. Season with a little salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, Worc. sauce and rice. Since there's usually only 2 of us, we only use about a 1/2 cup of rice so we don't have too much filling. But if you're making 4 or more peppers, use at least 1 cup of rice (you can add as much as you'd like to make more filling). Remove from heat and mix in cheese.

Stuff peppers and top with extra cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with a little bit of sour cream and sprinkle a little lime juice on and enjoy!

*An alternate recipe for those with children or who don't like too much spice:
Only use 1/2 - 1/4 of the chorizo (or none at all if you don't want it) and use 1 lb. ground beef. Just brown the beef, drain grease and then start adding the other ingredients as called for above.

This recipe will stuff about 4 medium sized peppers, so if there's only 2 of you, save the extra mixture and use it with some refried beans to make a great burrito.

Delicious!

Sweet and Sour Green Beans

The first Thanksgiving I had with my husband's side of the family they had the traditional green bean casserole. You know, the one with the cream of mushroom soup and crispy onions on top? Well I've gotta admit, I don't remember my family ever making those green beans growing up, so I wondered, "How traditional is this casserole?" At our house it was always my grandma's sweet and sour green beans. I've made it a few times for my husband's family (one of those times being last Thanksgiving which we celebrated at our house) and they all seemed to enjoy it.

So thanks Meme for always making such delicious green beans and for passing along the recipe.

Why are they so delicious you may ask? Well what if I told you there was 8 strips of bacon and a lot of sugar? hehehehe.... Cause we all know that bacon makes everything taste that much better!!

Here's what you need:

3 cans of french style green beans
1 medium onion cut into thin rings
8 bacon strips (or the whole package if you really feel like it. I know I usually do ;)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
6 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

*YOU MUST DO THIS THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU PLAN ON SERVING THIS DISH*

Drain beans and place in a 13x9 casserole dish. Place onion rings over beans. Cook bacon and set aside. (Leaving the grease in the pan) Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it and the almonds over the beans. Cook sugar and vinegar in bacon grease until dissolved. Pour over beans.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes and enjoy!!

Fajitas

My grandparents gave us a TON of elk meat a few months ago and we're still not done using it all. Basically we've been substituting any beef for this deliciousness and we've found some pretty creative ways to do it. (Once again, I apologize for my lack of photography skills. It tastes a whole lot better than it looks. Elk meat also looks a little darker than beef steaks would)

We decided to make fajitas with some of the steak we had, and they turned out pretty good! The best part is that this marinade can be used with pretty much any meat. So if you're on a budget and can't afford steaks, chicken will go perfectly with this.

Marinade:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp soy sace
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

You'll also need a bell pepper and an onion.

To get the most flavor into the meat, slice it up into the size of chunks you'd like BEFORE you marinade them. Let them soak in the marinade at least 3 hours (even better if you let it soak overnight).

Saute the meat in a pan on med-high heat. In a seperate pan, saute slices of bell pepper and onions.

Serve on warm flour tortillas with sour cream and/or any other toppings you'd like. (cheese, tomatoes, avacado, salsa, etc.)

All in all, this is a pretty quick recipe. Just make the marinade the night before and all you have to do is toss the meat and veggies in a hot pan, and a few minutes later you have a delicious dinner.

Happy Eating!

Banana Bread

At our house we call banana bread, "banana cake." It really is more like cake anyway, am I right? This is a great way to use up all the bananas that you didn't eat before they turned too brown and mushy. Here's a great recipe that always turns out perfectly-

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
3-4 ripened bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the mix. Set aside.


Here's about how ripe the bananas should be (maybe a little less... these were on the verge of being too ripe)

In a different bowl, mash up bananas. I always use a potato masher cause it works perfectly.



Add eggs, oil and sugar. Mix well. Add this mixture all at once to the flour mixture.





Mix well, but the batter should still be lumpy.

Pour into one greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch or two greased 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 inch bread pans.

If using the 9 inch pan, bake at 350 for 45 min, then cover in foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

If using the 7 1/2 inch pans, bake at 350 for 30 min, then cover in foil and bake for 15 more minutes.



Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Yummy!! I hope you enjoy this "cake" as much as our family does!

Oreo Truffles

Ok so this dessert is FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!! But it's also so rich that I can't eat more than 2 at any time. (And for me, that's saying something!) I got this from a friend who got it from Bakerella. Click here for the original recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

1 package oreo cookies (divided… use cookie including the cream center)
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
white chocolate bark- if you don't know what I'm talking about, it's this stuff.

Finely crush 7 cookies in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency. Set aside for later.

Crush remaining cookies (yes, the whole package of Oreos) and stir in softened cream cheese. I started to do this with a wooden spoon and gave up. For your sake, use an electric mixer.

Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. Stick them in the fridge for a few minutes and then do a second coating of the chocolate.

Sprinkle the tops with the 7 crushed cookies for decoration.



Refrigerate for a few minutes, grab a large glass of milk and enjoy!

Makes about 36 truffles.

Sidenotes: These are also good dipped in regular milk chocolate bark. And for an extra twist, use mint Oreos.

Taco Soup

I'm not the biggest fan of winter... so when it gets cold I love to have soup. This taco soup is so flavorful and not only warms me up when I'm cold, it gets me excited about my favorite season- SUMMER!!

Here's what you need:

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chopped green chiles
2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 avacado, sliced
sour cream

In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in corn, chiles, beans and chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.
Simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour soup into bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and avacado slices.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

My husband and I LOVE barbeque. So after trying a few places around town and thinking, "Well, that was ok, but not worth how much we paid for it..." we decided to make pulled pork ourselves.

This recipe is SO easy. It's perfect for letting the roast cook while you're at work and then will be ready about an hour after you get home.

What you'll need:

Either a Boston Butt or Picnic pork roast- (these two "shred" the easiest.)
1 small-medium yellow onion sliced into large chunks
1 1/4 cup water- it really doesn't matter how big your roast is. As long as it fits in your crock pot, always use the same amount of water.
salt
pepper
BBQ sauce
hamburger buns

Salt and pepper the outside of the roast (usually just a light even coat on both sides). Place roast and onion chunks in crock pot with water and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Drain liquid and take out onions. Shred pork and add about 1 cup BBQ sauce (this really isn't exact, I just keep adding til I think it's enough) Cook on low for at least 1 hour. Stir it up every 20 minutes to make sure it isn't burning or sticking to the bottom too much.

Serve on a bun with some extra sauce and enjoy!

You can use any kind of BBQ sauce, but after trying several different brands and varieties we've decided that we like Sweet Baby Rays Original the best. We bought 2/40 oz bottles at Costco for only $5. (The smaller bottles are usually around $3 at the grocery store so this was a STEAL!)

Mini Cheesecakes

I LOVE cheesecake. (As if you couldn't tell from the pictures on the sidebar and at the top...hehe) So this recipe is one of my absolute favorites- mini cheesecakes! These little cups of pure bliss are perfect for parties (bridals showers, baby showers, parties by yourself for absolutely no reason... is it just me who does that?) The best part is that if you get stressed out like I do before a big party, you can make these the night before and leave them in the fridge until party time!

What you'll need:

2 8oz packages of cream cheese (like I've said before, if you're making something sweet, I swear Philadelphia tastes better)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 Oreos

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until everything is well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended.

*CAUTION!* When you're making cheesecake, don't overbeat the mixture. It causes too many air bubbles in the mix and after it cools off the middle will sink- a lot. So just mix until everything is blended and then STOP. :)

Place 1 Oreo in the bottom of each muffin cup. Seriously, that's it for the crust! (Told you it was easy!) Fill each cup evenly with batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

For a topping, I used whipped cream and blueberries. In the summer there are all kinds of fresh fruit you can top these with and it would taste amazing. Do whatever you want! For all those times when fresh fruit is out of season, just buy your favorite can of pie filling and add a spoonful to each one. Or you can just enjoy these without topping cause no matter what, they taste great.

So sit down and enjoy one (or 7) of these delicious mini-cheesecakes. :)

Cafe Rio style Enchiladas

For anyone who hasn't ever tasted the awesomeness that is Cafe Rio's sweet pork, you are truly missing out on a life-altering experience.

The only problem is having to wait in line to get it... I once called a TAKE-OUT order at 5:00 on a Friday night and was told to pick up my burrito at 7:30!! But it was SO worth it that I waited.

I'm not claiming this recipe is exactly the same- but it's pretty darn close:



2 pounds pork
2 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can green chilies
3/4 can green enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a ziploc bag to marinade. Add 1 can of coke and 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and 1 c. brown sugar. If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Add shredded pork and cheese to taste to tortillas and roll into burritos. Pour any remaining enchilada sauce on top and add cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Just a sidenote, I have decided that using a mild enchilada sauce makes the enchiladas seem too sweet. I suggest using something medium or spicier, depending on your preference for spice. This will make at least 4 decent sized burritos, and are great as leftovers!

Enjoy!

Jambalaya

(This was originally from my regular blog, but for the sake of time I just copied and pasted)

Last night I made jambalaya for the first time. And it turned out SO good! I was actually quite impressed with myself (hehehe) which is why I decided to post it on here for you all to enjoy as well. Seriously, you HAVE to try this!

It started out as an adventure- McKenzie and I walked to the grocery store just to pick up a few items that I needed, one of which being the Andouille sausage that is called for in the recipe. After walking all the way there and searching high and low for it, I decided to ring the service bell at the meat counter.

Butcher guy- "Hello, how can I help you?"
Me- "Do you carry Andouille sausage?"
Butcher guy- "Uh.... If we did it'd be over by the breakfast sausages."
Me- "Well this isn't a breakfast sausage. It's kind of like keilbasa, but... not."
(We walk over together to look at all the sausages)
Butcher guy (after slightly glancing in the general direction of the sausages)- "I don't think we carry that brand."
Me- "Andouille isn't a brand, it's a type of sausage."
Butcher guy- "Hmm...I don't think we carry it."
Me- "Uh... ok. Thanks anyway."

In all honesty I think the butcher guy had NO idea what Andouille is. I've never bought it before so I just didn't know exactly where to look. After searching all the different kind of sausages I decided to just get Keilbasa and call it a day. I grabbed the "spicy" variety and almost walked away when I noticed it had expired last week- gross! I put it down and searched thru all 20 or so of the same kind only to find out that they were ALL expired. (It's a smaller grocery store that we usually only go to if we need one or two things and need it quick. And this has actually happened a few times before...) I was disappointed and grabbed a "smoky" keilbasa instead (not expired), hoping that it wouldn't ruin the flavor of the jambalaya.

As I got ready to start making it, I realized I forgot to buy an onion. *doh!* But luckily we had half of one from a few days ago still in the fridge and I only needed half or 1/4 anyway, so it all worked out in the end. :)

Ok- so here's where the recipe begins. Micah found this on Food Network's website and it comes from the King of Cajan himself, Emeril Lagasse.



Ingredients-

1 chicken breast, diced
1 Tb Creole seasoning (recipe will follow)
2 Tb olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 chopped green bell pepper
2 Tb chopped garlic
1/2 can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup rice
3 cups chicken stock
5 oz keilbasa sliced (about 1/3 the package)

Creole seasoning (I made just enough to get to the 1 Tb called for in this recipe. If you want to make a bigger batch and save some for later, click on the link at the bottom to see Emeril's bigger batch recipe)

1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp paprika

Combine all ingredients thoroughly

Directions-

In a bowl, combine chicken and Creole seasoning and mix well. Set aside.

In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion and bell pepper, 3 min. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Stir in rice and slowly add chicken stock. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 min. (I covered mine with a lid and that seemed to help get the rice to cook through a little better)

While the rice mixture is cooking, start cooking the diced chicken over medium heat. Once it looks about done, toss it and the sliced sausage into the rice mixture. Let it cook until the rice is done and most the liquid is gone. (About 7-10 minutes)

Add salt and pepper to taste and BAM! (Sorry, couldn't help myself. I get all excited about Emeril...hehehe.)


Oh yeah, and this is for about 3-4 people.


This is the way we made it, but the original recipe calls for a few extra ingredients that we decided not to use (shrimp, hot sauce, celery). You can either try our way or click here for his original. (There are also like a million different jambalaya recipes by him alone, this is just the one we thought sounded best.)

All in all, I 'd say this was perfect. I actually enjoyed the smokiness of the keilbasa and will probably just use that next time anyway instead of fussing about the Andouille. This had just enough kick for us, but if you're adventurous you should try the hot sauce, add extra Creole seasoning, and maybe you can get your hands on some Andouille sausage...haha

Fruit Pizza

This is one I've gotten a few requests for, so I figured it should be my first post.

I made this last year for my father-in-law's birthday (and since it turned out to be so delicious, my birthday as well!)



1 package (20 oz) refrigerated sliceable sugar cookie dough, sliced.

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened. (I used Philadelphia cause I swear it works better for "sweet" things)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Fruit- I used kiwi, strawberries, blueberries and mandarin oranges. I think pineapples, bananas, and raspberries would work great as well.

1/4 apricot preserves (I used apricot pineapple cause that's what I had at the time), pressed thru sieve to remove lumps

1 tablespoon water.

Preheat oven to 375. Line a pizza pan with foil; spray with cooking spray, press cookie slices together to make a "pizza" crust. Bake 14 min and cool. Invert onto serving plate; carefully remove foil.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium until well blended. Spred over crust. (I actually put a little spoonful of the preserves in the cream cheese part to make it more fruity)

Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer. Mix the preserves with water (enough to make it about the same texture as maple syrup) and brush/drizzle over fruit. Refrigerate 2 hours.

Enjoy!!

Welcome!!

I feel like such a copycat... a few of my friends have started food blogs and I decided to follow suit. I hope this way I can share many wonderful recipes that I've tried/created and you can enjoy some delicious food.

I hope I'll be able to make the food look as good as it tastes through pictures (because I always love pictures of the recipes I'm going to try), but I can't guarantee any fabulous photos. I'm just not blessed with the photography gene. *sigh*

I would LOVE to hear from you as to what you think of the recipes after you've tried them, so be sure to leave plenty of comments!