Julie's Kitchen and Crafts

Cheese Ball

2009-09-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Man have I been busy. I thought September was going to be a pretty low key month at work once we got month-end close out of the way. I stayed at home with my son on Monday since he had his 9 month appointment and shots. I came into work Tuesday and got hit out of the blue. First, the coworker I backup was out on vacation until this coming Tuesday and I'm always extremely busy when she is out. And secondly, we have internal audit here for 3 weeks.

Wow

Needless to say I have not had a spare moment until now all week. (they just left to fly back home for the weekend).

I hate it when work interrupts my previously scheduled blogging.

Anyway, believe it or not this is the last recipe from Carson's baptism weekend. I feel like I've been blogging about it forever, which I kind of have since it happened over a month ago now.

Cheese ball

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese spread, softened
2 Tbsp blue cheese dressing, room temperature
1 Tbsp onion, grated really fine
1/8 - 1/4 tsp garlic powder salt (optional)
Chopped pecans

1. Let both cheeses sit until they are room temperature, about 2 hours. Mix together until well blended.
2. Mix remaining ingredients (except pecans) with cheese mixture until well blended. Put in refrigerator.
3. Once mixture becomes firm, roll it into a ball and then roll to cover in chopped pecans. Serve with crackers.

Source: my mother-in-law

Creamed Lima Beans

2009-09-11T06:06:00.001-07:00

This is my mother-in-law's recipe. She's been making it her whole life and whenever there is a potluck or family gathering, this is what she makes to bring. I don't remember ever eating lima beans before I met my husband and tried this dish but it surely was good. And when we served it baptism weekend my Mom didn't want to try it because she's "not a bean person" (her words). I told her to just take a taste (when did I become the parent?) so she did and then said she really liked them. So there! (Muah ... love ya Mom!)

The recipe below is as dictated by my mother-in-law as she was preparing it. There are not many measurements so the recipe will be more in paragraph form than anything.

Butter the sides of the pan and also add about 3 Tbsp butter to the boiling water. Then add 2 bags of lima beans (but these have to be fordhook lima beans, not baby lima beans ... to my mother-in-law this was VERY important). Add water to cover the lima beans (about halfway up the pan, cover and bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste.

When beans are cooked through, add half-and-half to bring to top of beans. Do not boil, but keep it hot. Dissolve about 3 Tbsp cornstarch with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the heated half and half. Then add that back to the bean mixture and stir until thickened. Watch it because you may end up needing to use more cornstarch to get it to the proper thickness. Check seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

Source: my mother-in-law

Sweet Restaurant Slaw

2009-09-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for that go-to slaw recipe. It's been difficult because my husband and I have completely different tastes when it comes to slaw. I prefer a tangy flavor like in this slaw. My husband prefers more of a vinegar flavor, like they serve at KFC. This was right up his alley. He loved it and really thinks should be our "go-to" slaw recipe. We'll see. : )

Sweet Restaurant Slaw
Makes 8 servings

1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix
2 Tbsp diced onion
2/3 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
3 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seed

1. Combine coleslaw mix and onion in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together salad dressing, oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, and celery seed in a medium bowl; blend thoroughly. Pour dressing mixture over coleslaw mix and toss to coat. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

Mini Cheesecakes

2009-09-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Oh cheesecakes .... you and I have a love-hate relationship. I love how good you taste. I hate how bad for my thighs you are. I'm scared to death to bake you (not quite sure) but I yearn to try one. My problem is that my husband does not like cheesecake so if I were to bake one I'd have to eat the whole thing myself (which brings me back to my thigh problem).

Then I saw these on a few differnt blogs in my google reader and I just knew I had to add them to the list of dishes to make for Carson's baptism.

They were very simple and so yummy. Even my husband liked them, which is a good thing. I ended up doubling the recipe since they were meant to feed a crowd so the measurements I used are in the recipe below.

Mini Cheesecakes

1 box Nilla wafers (you don't use the whole box)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
4 Tbsp sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Line mini cupcake tin with liners and place one Nilla wafer into bottom of cups.
3. In bowl of stand mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar.
4. Beat to combine well until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Add sour cream and egg, mixing well to combine.
6. Scrape down sides of bowl, add lemon juice and vanilla and mix to combine well.
7. Remove from stand mixer, scrape sides and hand beat to make sure mixture is combined well.
8. Using mini cookie scoop or teaspoon, fill each liner almost to top.
9. Place in oven and bake 15 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool.
11. Cover tightly and place in fridge overnight, or at leaast 4 hours before serving.
12. Top with whatever you want. I used strawberries, blueberries, hot fudge, and caramel.

Source: doubled from Good Things Catered as adapted from Elizabeth's Edible Experiment. Originally from Gourmet Magazine

Grilled BBQ Chicken

2009-09-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

We have been making this A LOT lately. My husband is cutting out carbs so this has been a go-to dinner for us lately. We've probably had it once or twice a week.

We season everything to taste so I don't really have any measurements.

Skinless boneless chicken breasts
Barbecue Sauce
Salt
Coarse ground black pepper
Seasoned salt
Garlic Powder

Season chicken with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Start cooking chicken on grill. Dredge chicken in bbq sauce everytime you turn chicken on grill. Serve with additional bbq sauce drizzled on chicken.

Alternately you can perpare this on the stovetop in a skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2009-09-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

One thing that is nice about having family to visit is that I get an excuse to make pancakes. I love them. I could eat them for any meal of the day. The problem is that my husband doesn't like them at all. So I rarely make them. Since I had a large crowd to visit for Carson's baptism I knew I'd be making these. I also mixed some blueberries and peaches into some of them. Blueberry Peach Buttermilk pancakes are to die for delicious!

Buttermilk Pancakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp white sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted

1. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs, and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready.
3. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! (If you're adding anything in like fruits, etc do it now). Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using about 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Source: allrecipes.com

Garden Garbage Dip

2009-09-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love "hiding" veggies in things. Mostly since I've become a Mom. Carson hasn't really fought any veggies yet but I know the day is coming. So whenever I make something that incorporates getting more veggies into my diet I'm game. I've thought of the easy things like spaghetti sauce, meatloaf/meatballs, etc. Then I saw this recipe and thought, "Hmmm ... so I can make a dip with veggies to dip veggies in?" Excellent!

And before you look at the recipe and think "Holy cow that's a lot of chopping!" Remember, if you have a food processor you can let it do all the work for you. That's what I did.

Garden Garbage Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped radishes (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (4 medium)
1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried dill weed, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into 1-quart serving bowl.

Source: Kim's Kitchen

Luscious Slush Punch

2009-08-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, this was GOOD!!!!! I really enjoyed this punch and it made a lot. We only ended up using half the recipe. We're having a tailgate party at work this coming Wednesday and I'll be bringing it with me to use up there. I'm already looking forward to tasting it again.

Luscious Slush Punch

1 1/2 cups white sugar
6 cups water
1 (3 oz) package strawberry-banana gelatin
1 (3 oz) package cherry gelatin
1 (46 oz) can pineapple juice
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 quart orange juice
2 (2-liter) bottles lemon-lime flavored soda

1. In large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and gelatin. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture in half and freeze in 2 separate containers. (I used gallon-size ziploc freezer bags).
2. When ready to serve place frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl and stir in 1 bottle lemon-lime soda until slushy.

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

Marshall Field's Chicken Salad

2009-08-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

When we first started to attend our church last year I received an invitation to attend a ladies luncheon for new women who were visiting the church. It was a lovely afternoon and I met some fantastic women. However one very memorable thing for me was the chicken salad that was served. I'm not sure if this is the same recipe but it was very close. I had never considered adding grapes or crunchy nuts to it before (I was very much a rookie in the kitchen at this point). It blew my taste buds away.

When I was planning Carson's baptism lunch I knew I wanted to have chicken salad sandwiches and had this recipe that I wanted to try. It was fantastic. My babysitter actually still mentions how great it was every morning when I drop Carson off and the party happened nearly 2 weeks ago.

Marshall Field's Chicken Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I used honey dijon)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (I used coarse ground black pepper)
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken breast, cooked
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup pecans, toasted & chopped
1/4 cup seedles grapes, halved

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Source: Recipezaar

Peach Tea

2009-08-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

My in-laws went peach picking (is that even the right term?) a few days before they came down for Carson's baptism and mentioned they would be bringing a lot of peaches for us. So I went hunting for ways to use them up. Babyfood won out for most but I did want to incorporate them into the baptism party food in some way.

I personally don't care for tea so I can't say whether this was good or not but there really weren't any leftovers so take it for what you will.

Peach Tea
3 cups water
3 family size tea bags
2 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp stevia powder

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the tea bags, and steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags.
2. Meanwhile, place peaches with 1 cup water into the jar of a blender (I used food processor), and blend until very smooth. Pour the peach mixture, tea, and stevia powder into a 1 gallon pitcher. Fill the pitcher to the top with water, and stir until blended.

Source: Allrecipes.com

French Toast

2009-08-25T05:47:00.001-07:00

I love French Toast. When I was pregnant I had my husband make it probably every other weekend. Ok, so that is exaggerating but I do love it. When I was trying to plan out what to make when I had everyone at the house for Carson's baptism I knew one morning I'd want to make it. I chose Saturday morning because it was just my husband, parents, Grandma, and I. My in-laws aren't really into French toast and they weren't getting into town until later that day.

Usually I just wing it but I actually used a recipe this time. I thought they were good but I'm still going to keep looking for that jaw-dropping fabulous recipe.

French Toast
Makes 6 servings

12 thick slices bread (I used texas toast)
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Beat together egg, milk, spices, and vanilla.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Dunk each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place on griddle and cook on both sides until golden. Serve hot.

Source: recipe doubled from allrecipes.com

Honey Yogurt Dip

2009-08-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

I knew I wanted to have a fruit tray at Carson's baptism and I immediately thought of this dip. I had seen it on this blog and thought it sounded absolutely delicious. Let's just say that it did not disappoint. Absolutely fabulous! Do yourself a favor and give it a try. I served it with both green and red grapes, strawberries, blueberries and sliced granny smith apples. I think the strawberries were my favorite to dip in it but everything tasted just great.

Honey Yogurt Dip

1 (7 oz) container 2% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup honey
Ground cinnamon, to taste

Combine the yogurt and honey in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly until smooth and well combined. Add a very small amount of cinnamon, taste, and adjust accordingly. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with fresh fruit.

Source: Annie's Eats as adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Mini Banana Creme Pies

2009-08-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

I made another Banana Creme Pie for dinner Saturday night and had more creme filling and meringue than I could use with the pie crust. So we decied to make some mini-pies using Nilla Wafers and ramekins.

Use this recipe to make the creme and then place some Nilla Wafers in the bottom of a ramekin. Top with creme filling and then with meringue. Bake in oven alongside the pie to brown meringue.

Soooo delish.

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

2009-08-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

I made these mashed potatoes to go along with the pot roast for dinner Saturday night.

It thought that while they were good, I'll keep looking for my "go-to" mashed potato recipe.

Source: Cooking Light

Pot Roast

2009-08-20T05:27:00.001-07:00

My parents and Grandmother came into town on Friday night (when I served the lasagna and strawberry spinach salad). On Saturday we were also joined by my in-laws. A friend from high school also mentioned she was going to be passing through town that night and she, her husband, and daughter *may* stop by as well. So I wasn't sure if I would be cooking for 7 or 10. A pot roast sounded just about right.

This recipe wasn't based on any one in particular but more just me combining many different recipes that I looked through. None of them looked just right to me so I combined the best parts of many to create this. I'm not a huge pot roast lover but this was pretty good.

Pot Roast
1 (4-5 lb) beef pot roast
1 can coke
2 cans cream of roasted garlic and mushroom soup
3-4 carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 packet French onion soup mix
Salt and pepper to taste.

Place chopped onion at bottom of crock pot. Place roast on top and season with salt and pepper. Place remaining vegetables around the roast. In a mixing bowl combine coke, soups, and onion soup mix. Pour mixture over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Soure: A Julie original

World's Best Lasagna

2009-08-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

I tend to be leery of recipes that proclaim to be "world's best" because given how diverse the world is, I can't imagine anything being declared the best. However this recipe was very highly rated on allrecipes.com by nearly 3000 reviewers so I figured it was definitely worth a shot.

My Sicilian Grandmother was coming down to visit for the weekend and was getting into town on Friday as well as my parents. I wanted to make something that I knew they would like that would also easily feed 5 adults. I knew it had to be lasagna. I have made baked ziti before and lasagna rolls here and here, but never have I actually made a lasagna.

I served the lasagna alonside a strawberry spinach salad. It was a very delicious meal.

World's Best Lasagna

1 lb sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed and crumbled
3/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
18 lasagna noodles
16 oz ricotta cheese
Dash nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 lb mozzerella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large stockpot, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 2 Tbsp parsley. Simmer, covered for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you simmer the better the flavor.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse in cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, nutmeg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. Layer as follows: Spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish (I used a disposable 9x13 pan since it is deeper and it worked better. I think it would have gone over my glass 9x13 pan). Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with 1/2 of ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of mozzerella and sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Top with last 6 noodles and remaining mozzerella and Parmesan. (Next time I make this, and there WILL be a next time, I will top the top layer of noodles with meat sauce and then the remaining cheeses).
5. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

Strawberry Spinach Salad

2009-08-18T04:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, if you are a female, this salad is to die for. I made this our first night of company when it was my parents, my grandmother, my husband and I. Carson is still too young for table food so he was a silent (well not so silent) observer. Pretty much everyone said it was 5-star good...except my husband. But let's face it, if it's got veggies in it and no meat he's typically not too thrilled. He said it was good, but not 5-star good. I disagree. Try it for yourself and you can decide. I personally think all you need to do is add some grilled chicken or shrimp and you'd have a truly lovely dinner.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp minced red onion
1 bag baby spinach
1 quart strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and sliced
2-3 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, worcestershire sauce, and onion. Cover, chill fot 1 hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, walnuts, and feta. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

Cranana Bread

2009-08-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

The houseguests have mostly left (my in-laws are still here) and thankfully my baptism-party, many houseguest cooking and baking is finished. I will have a flurry of posts related to all the cooking that was done. My kitchen was VERY busy for the last few days. At one point my Mom, Grandma, myself, and my son (who was in his backpack carrier) were all in it at once preparing things. It was great!

I made this recipe about a week ago and ended up taking it into work to share. Everyone thought it was delicious. I'll definitely be making it again.

Cranana Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
4 bananas, mashed
1 cup greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs, mashed bananas, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix in cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and flours. Stir in dried cranberries and walnuts. Bake 70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Source: A Southern Grace

Sausage & Mushroom Pizza

2009-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Since I had leftover chicken sausage and mushrooms from the lasagna rolls I decided to make a homemade pizza. I'm still not brave enough to try from-scratch dough but I know I will eventually.

All amounts here are approximate since I didn't really measure anything.

1 tube Pillsbury pizza crust dough
3 links chicken sausage sliced into about 1/2 inch thick slices
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup or so pizza sauce - enough to generously cover pizza dough
2 cups four cheese pizza blend shredded cheese (yes we like our cheese so we use a lot)

1. Roll out dough according to package directions. Preheat oven as directed on dough package.
2. We prefer a crisper crust so I baked the crust by itself in the preheated oven about 5 minutes.
3. Coat dough generously with pizza sauce.
4. Place toppings over sauce. Cover all with cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is fully cooked.

NOTE: My chicken sausages were already fully cooked but if you are not using precooked sausages make sure to cook them up separately prior to placing them on the pizza.

Source: A Julie original

Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls

2009-08-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

As with most things cooking, once you learn the method you can substitute in pretty much whatever you want and voila - a new meal. Last month I made these lasagna rolls and both my husband and I really enjoyed them. I wanted to make something similar but this time with some meat in them.

I keep seeing people posting about chicken sausages in their food blogs and I couldn't find them at either our Food City or Kroger here so I headed out to Earth Fare (no Trader Joe's here) to see if they had them. Much to my delight they did so I bought them and decided to make lasagna rolls. I had leftover mushrooms and spinach from another meal so those got added as well. Oh my goodness ... can you say yummy!

Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna

6 lasagna noodles, cooked to package directions
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, diced
2 links chicken sausage, casings removed and crumbled
2 cups primavera sauce
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Prepare an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. combine ricotta, 1/4 cup mozzerella, Parmesan, egg white, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat skillet on medium-high. Add olive oil and saute mushrooms and sausage for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute or so until fragrant. Add spinach and stir until it wilts. Remove from heat and let mixture cool slightly.
4. Combine sausage mixture with ricotta mixture. Spread the cheese mixture over noodles in a thin layer. Roll up noodle and place in baking dish seam side down. Repeat process with remaining lasagna noodles.
5. Spoon primavera sauce over each and cover with foil. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining mozzerella and bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes.

Source: adapted from bakin and eggs

Hamburger Cupcakes

2009-08-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ok I know I took a little bit of a break. I'm an accountant and last week was our month-end close. It's always a really busy time for me so I don't get to really blog like I want to. And this weekend I decided to just take time and relax since we're having both sets of parents and my grandma down next weekend for Carson's baptism. But I'm back now.

I first saw these cupcakes on Bakerella and thought they were super cute. She took more time in decorating that I did since I was in the middle of close. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to make them for a guy's birthday and my boss's birthday was last week. They turned out really cute. The pictures don't do them justice. Everyone thought they were just adorable and a great idea.

And really they couldn't be simpler. It's not really a recipe so much as a process. Normally I like to bake things from scratch but since it was close and the finished product is more about the cuteness than the taste I took some help from the grocery store and used boxed products.

So in order to make these you'll need:

1 box brownie mix, plus ingredients to prepare per box
1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare per box
1 container white frosting
Red, Yellow, and Green Food coloring

1. Mix yellow cake mix and bake in standard size muffin cups. I got 24 muffins. Allow to cool completely.
2. Mix brownie mix and bake in 9x13 pan. Allow to cool completely.
3. Slice each cupcake in half horizontally to make the bun.
4. Cut brownies into 24 pieces to make the patties. (Bakerella uses her cute round cutter but I didn't have one and so my "patties" were square like at Wendy's) Place brownie piece on top of bottom cupcake half (bottom bun).
5. Divide frosting into three bowls and use food coloring to make red (ketchup), yellow (mustard), and green (lettuce). Place frosting into piping bags or make your own bag with ziploc sandwich bags and snip a hole in the corner. Frost the top of the brownies as you would top a burger.
6. Place cupcake top on top of frosting. If desired, you can brush some water on the top and sprinkle sesame seeds to make the buns look even more authentic.

Bakerella also make super-cute sugar cookie fries with hers and I tried but my fries looked REALLY bad so I scraped them.

Source: Bakerella

Zucchini Bread

2009-07-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make Carson some more babyfood and Zucchini is his favorite. It just so happened that the Food City grocer had a huge basket of zucchini on reduced for quick sale since it needed to be used in the next day or so. I ended up with 2 1/2 lbs of zucchini for $1.60. Not bad at all.

So I decided I would make myself a treat as well. I found this recipe in a book my mother-in-law gave me. She compiled it as a fundraiser for her church a number of years ago and the recipe happens to be her aunt's (my husband's great-aunt).

While I was mixing the batch my husband happened to call (he was out of town at the time) and our conversation went something like this:

Him: "What are you doing?"
Me: "Making zucchini bread. It's your Aunt Hilda's recipe."
Him: "I didn't know she had a recipe."
Me: "It's in the book your Mom gave me."
Him: "Hilda wasn't a very good cook. I liked the nights we went out to eat the best."

And he says this while I have the batter already mixed and I'm just waiting for the oven to preheat. I decide to go ahead and make it anyway. Who knows, maybe I'd love it.

I must confess. While it was good, it wasn't great. I did give one of the two loaves to my babysitter and she said how much she and her husband enjoyed it but I don't know if they were just being polite. That said, it is a healthy recipe and some additional substitutions could make it even healthier.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil (I used canola)
2 cups sugar
2 cups zucchini, raw grated course zucchini with rind
3 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose)
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

Grease and flour pans. Combine eggs, oil, sugar and zucchini in large mixing bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add vanilla and chopped nuts. Spoon batter into loaf pans. Bake at 325F for 1 hour. Yield: 2 loaves.

Source: my great-aunt-in-law

Paula Deen's Strawbery Cake

2009-07-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

I first had this cake at a bridal shower back in June. It was absolutely delicious. My coworker, Sue, was also at the shower and she requested that I make this cake for her birthday. So I did.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake.

1 (18.25 oz) box white cake mix
1 (3 oz) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin (I used wild strawberry flavor)
1 (15 oz) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed & pureed (My grocery did not carry any frozen strawberries in syrup so I purchased 2 20-oz bags of whole strawberries to use for cake and frosting)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10 oz) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed & pureed (see my note above)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
7 cups confectioners' sugar (I used only 2 1/2 cups, I thought it was plenty sweet)
Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes (mine took 30 minutes), or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electirc mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat). Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh berries, if desired.

Source: Paula Deen

NOTE: I wasn't sure how much this frosting would make so I made a double batch of it. Since I had only bought 20 oz total of frozen strawberries I just pureed them all together and then removed 1/2 cup of strawberries for the frosting and used the rest of the puree in the cake. I thought this worked out just about right. And it make A LOT of frosting. I would not have needed to double the recipe. But since I did I decided to make cupcakes!

I used the same general recipe as the cake recipe, however instead of doing strawberries again I used a 12 oz bag of frozen mixed berries, and berry blue gelatin instead of the strawberry stuff. I lined 24 standard muffin cups and baked them for 20 minutes. Let cool and frosted with the leftover strawberry cream cheese frosting. I honestly thought the mixed berry ones tasted phenomenal!

Crescent Dogs

2009-07-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

One item my husband did request for his poker night was crescent dogs. I guess his Mom made them all the time so that's what he wants. I can't stand hot dogs so he never gets them in our house. Until now. I made these for him and though I didn't eat any myself, I hear they were pretty good.

Crescent Dogs
Adapted from pillsbury.com by my mother-in-law

3 rolls crescent rolls
2 packages bun-length hot dogs

1. Cut hot dogs into thirds.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and separate into triangles along perforated lines. Take eaach triangle and cut in half to make 2 triangles.
3. Place hot dog section on top of crescent roll triangle half and roll up. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Perfect Brownies

2009-07-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

My husband was having poker night last Saturday with some of his friends. It was requested of me to make some brownies. I said I'd make some from scratch, but the response to me was, "The box ones taste great. Just make those." Uh, ok. So I did. And then I made these for myself. I have to say that mine were so ooey gooey and altogether delicious. The box ones were good but these were delicious.

Perfect Brownies

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, eggs, and melted butter and mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated to the wet. Do not overmix. Stir in the chocolate chips. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment (I used 8x8 pan). Pour the batter and spread it out. Bake at 325F for 20-30 minutes (Mine needed 45 minutes due to thicker brownies). It's done when a toothpick inserted in the tallest part comes out clean. Keep in mind you've got chips in there. If you hit one with the toothpick you'll have melted chocolate on it. Let cool in pan a few minutes. Then carefully lift parchment out of the baking dish. Peel the edges and let cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Just a note, on the original recipe it says to use a high quality chocolate since the recipe list is so simple. I was just making mine on the fly so I used Nestle since that was what was in my pantry. I thought they were simply delicious. I'll probably try a higher quality chocolate next time but they were seriously good with the common brand too. (Just an FYI).

Source: How to cook like your grandmother

Veggie Lasagna Rolls

2009-07-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

My husband is probably the world's biggest meat eater. Anyway, so he was out of town a couple of days last week and I decided to make this. He had asked me earlier in the day what I was planning on doing for dinner so I told him. Then I said, "I'd make it for you, but I know you like to have meat with dinner and this is only veggies." To which I received this reply: "That sounds good, I'd eat it." So I decided to delay making it until he got home. It was worth the wait. So yummy. Even my carnivore hubby loved it and said he'd eat it again. It was very flavorful and made my kitchen smell fabulous.

Veggie Lasagna Rolls

7-8 lasagna noodles, cooked to package directions
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1/2 cup zucchini, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, diced
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
Cooking spray
2 cups marinara (I used primavera sauce)
2 cloves minced garlic

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine ricotta, 1/4 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg white, parsley, basil, salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Heat skillet on medium-high. Add olive oil and saute red pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add spinach and stir until it wilts. Remove from heat and let mixture cool.
4. Combine veggie mixture with ricotta mixture. Spread the cheese mixture over noodles in a thin layer. Roll up and place in baking dish, seam side down. Spoon marinara over each and cover with foil.
5. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining mozzerella and bake uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes.

Source: bakin and eggs

See how delicious this looked with all the veggies cooking in the pan! So colorful and fragrant!

And here is the finished product. Please forgive the really ugly plates. My husband cannot throw anything that is still functional out. Would you believe these plates were his aunt and uncle's wedding china? It's like 40 years old.

Cooking for Carson - Summer Veggie Blend

2009-07-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

My husband works in the plant sciences department at a University and so from time to time we are able to get some great veggies to use at home. He brought home some nice looking snap beans the other day and so I decided to make Carson some more babyfood. Now he doesn't like straight green beans so I have to mix them with other stuff. I had zucchini and summer squash at home and I know he likes both of those so I decided to cook them all together for him. In total I believe I used about 3 cups of green beans, 3 zucchini, and 4 smallish summer squash. Just cooked them all in a large stockpot with boiling water, drained off the water and then pureed in my food processor.

Since he is getting older now I'm trying to get him use to more complex flavor combinations than a simple one veggie or fruit puree. He did seem to enjoy this. It made a lot. Enough to fill two ice cube trays.

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

2009-07-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner the other night so I quickly made up the following. Measurements are estimates.

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup italian-seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1 cup primavera spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzeralla cheese
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Spray an 8x8 glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Take chicken breasts and pound with a meat mallet to 1/2 inch thickness.
4. Place egg and breadcrumbs in separate small bowls. Dip chicken in egg and then coat in breadcrumbs. Place in prepared baking dish.
5. Cover chicken with the pasta sauce and then with mozzarella cheese. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.

Source: me

I won!!!

2009-07-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

I entered this giveaway and found out last week that I had won! I just received the package and this was inside! I can't wait to make some delicious dinners with these salsas!

Blueberry Oat Muffins

2009-07-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

I had some blueberries that I needed to use or toss since they were not far from going bad and saw this recipe and knew I needed to make it, except substitute blueberries for peaches.

Blueberry Oat Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups blueberries
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.
2. Combine flours, oats, spices, baking soda, and salt in bowl.
3. In a separate bowl combine applesauce, oil, eggs, and sugars.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine. Fold in blueberries.
5. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes.

Source: Woman with a Whisk

Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake

2009-07-11T13:57:00.001-07:00

I saw this recipe pop up in my Google Reader a couple of different times and it looked so delicious to me that I marked it down to try at some point. Well that time arrived and I was not disappointed. This was delicious!

Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake
adapted from Crista's Kitchen Creations via Jenn and Food, Perfect Together
Makes 6-8 servings

12 ounces farfalle pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of basil, oregano, parsley
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs (I used italian flavored breadcrumbs)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. (Or, use this method to make two separate dishes.)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as directed, to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-heat. Add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken and herbs and red pepper flakes and cook until heated through. Remove from heat, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken mixture, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, and cooked pasta.

Transfer to prepared baking dish(es). Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. In small bowl, combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta and continue baking, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2009-07-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

I made these cookies for my Father-in-law for Father's Day. I have to say that they turned out fantastic. Not only do they not use butter, they were very crunchy and delicious. I plan on making them again for myself very soon however I may substitute dried cranberries for the raisins and whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. Yum!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 3-4 dozen (depending on how big you make them)

1 cup canola oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, mix canola oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the oats and raisins last. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2009-07-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make something festive for the 4th of July and thought about doing a red white and blue cake but since we were going to a bbq I thought that cupcakes would work better and be easier to transport.

I really like the frosting and will probably continue to use this recipe for any cream cheese frosting that I need. I personally don't think these cupcakes taste like true red velvet cake but as my husband says, "They taste better than red velvet". He REALLY enjoyed them. I think they were good, but I was expecting more of a red velvet flavor.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 24 cupcakes

Cake dry ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used all-purpose replacing 5 Tbsp with cornstarch)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp cocoa powder

Cake wet ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vinegar (white distilled)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 oz red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake directions:
Sift together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to an electric mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Slowly add dry ingredients to bowl, until all ingredients are combined.

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill cups 3/4 full (about 1/4 cup of batter). Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool thoroughly before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar (I used 2 1/2 cups)

Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Add extract, blend to combine.

Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and blend with the mixer on low speed until the ingredients are moistened, 30 seconds. Add enough sugar to desired sweetness. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 2 minutes more.

Chill for 30 minutes to thicken. Scoop frosting into a piping bag or a heavy duty zip top bag and snip the end. Forst by swirling from the outside in.

Source: adapted from Cake Man Raven via Cathy's Kitchen Journey

Peanut Butter Temptations

2009-07-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

These are my FAVORITE cookies ever. Yum Yum Yum. Pretty much anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter is tasty in my opinion.

Peanut Butter Temptations
Makes about 40 cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
About 40 mini reeses peanut butter cups

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Sift dry ingredients and blend in.
4. Shape batter into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup into the top of each cookie.
6. Let stand awhile before removing cookie from cookie sheet and cool completely prior to eating.

Source: An old family friend

Sausage-Hash Brown Casserole

2009-07-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

My in-laws came to visit Father's Day weekend so I wanted to make this breakfast casserole one morning for them. I had actually never made a breakfast casserole before but I knew that pretty much anything out of Southern Living would have to be good. This was did not disappoint. It had a bit of a kick to it but was good nonetheless.

Sausage-Hash Brown Casserole
Makes 8 servings

2 (12 oz) packages reduced-fat ground pork sausage
1/2 cup water
1 (30 oz) package frozen shredded hash browns
1 tsp salt, divided
1 cup (4 oz) shredded 2% reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
6 large eggs
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well and set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
2. Cook half of the hash browns and 1/4 cup water over medium-high heat in skillet 8 minutes; turn hash browns over, and contine to cook for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove hash browns from skillet. Repeat with remaining uncooked hashbrowns and 1/4 cup water.
3. Stir together cooked hash browns, sausage, cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and black and red peppers. Spoon into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
4. Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Pour evenly over hash brown mixture.
5. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

Source: Southern Living Home for the Holidays

Parmesan Rosemary Crescents

2009-06-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make some sort of stuffed bread item to go along with the Garlic Lime Chicken I made for my parents and I had a can of crescent rolls so I thought I'd play with this. I'm blogging it however I'm not happy with how the recipe turned out. It was a little too rich. I'm thinking it would work better in a pinwheel shape instead of in the crescent because then the cheesy flavor would be spread out better instead of in one big blob in the middle of the roll. Oh well, live and learn.

1 8 oz can crescent rolls
1/2 cup regular cream cheese spread
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tsp fresh snipped rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Separate dough into triangles.
2. Place cream cheese in small mixing bowl. Add grated cheese and rosemary. Mix well. Spread in center of each triangle and roll up.
3. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Garlic Lime Chicken

2009-06-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

My parents came up to visit a couple of weeks ago and I decided to make this dish for them. It is quick, easy, healthy, and tasty. Everything a girl can want.

Garlic Lime Chicken
Source: www.savingdinner.com

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup chicken broth

1. On a dinner plate, mix together salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown (about 5 minutes per side). Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to pan, whisking up browned bits off the bottom of pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan. Heat through and coat to serve.

Easy Chicken Taco Casserole

2009-06-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

I made this dinner one night when work was a little busy. I really wanted some Mexican flavor but I also wanted something quick.

Easy Chicken Taco Casserole
a Julie original

1 pound chicken breasts cut up into bite size pieces
1 small can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can green chiles, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 container Pace Salsa
1 cup taco shredded cheese blend
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning to skillet. Then add corn, beans, and chiles and mix thoroughly.
3. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken mixture into casserole dish. Cover with salsa and then with shredded cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

It does actually taste better than it looks. Casseroles just don't photograph well.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to bake my Dad some chocolate chip cookies for Father's Day. So when I saw this recipe I figured Best Ever? Ok, worth trying. Dad really liked them, and he actually wants me to send him some more. I'm not sure they're the best ever, though.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Allrecipes.com

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups jumbo semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (I omitted because Dad doesn't like them)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Blend in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Creme Pie

2009-06-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

My Dad's birthday was June 9th and so when they came to visit us the following weekend I knew that instead of making him a birthday cake I would make his favorite dessert ever .... Grandma's Banana Creme Pie. Please forgive the mountain of meringue. I had to go and nurse my son so my Mom put the meringue in and used all of it which made a HUGE pile of meringue.

Banana Creme Pie
Source: My Grandma

1 deep dish pie crust (I use frozen store bought, prepared according to package directions)
8 Tbsp cornstarch
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 12 Tbsp for meringue
1/2 tsp salt (I omit)
6 eggs, separated
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
2-3 sliced bananas
1/2 tsp Cream of tartar

1. Mix cornstarch and milk. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and salt. Cook on medium heat and slowly stir.
2. When thick, add 6 egg yolks and cook 2 minutes longer. Add butter, vanilla, and combine. Then add sliced bananas. Let this mixture cool to room temperature. Place it in baked pie shell.
3. Whip 6 egg whites and add 12 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp at a time mixing very well after each addition. Add 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and keep mixing until stiff peaks form. Spread over banana mixture. Brown in oven for about 10 minutes at 375F.

Barbecue Sauce

2009-06-18T13:39:00.001-07:00

My husband's uncle gave us this barbecue sauce recipe. It is my husband's favorite. In fact he prefers it to store bought barbecue sauce. Since my parents were coming up to visit he wanted to make this sauce to pair with my Dad's pulled pork recipe. We all really enjoyed it.

Barbecue Sauce
Source: My uncle-in-law

2 Tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups apple cider vinegar
6 Tbsp Texas Pete Hot Sauce
2 cups Worcestershire sauce
64 oz ketchup
1 cup mustard

Start with mustard and gradually add the ketchup until they are well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients to this mixture (I use a large stockpot). Cook on medium and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Simmer on low heat and stir occasionally for 2-3 hours.

Quilted Table Runners

2009-06-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yes I am still here but work has been really busy so I have been making more convenience foods, or my husband has been cooking and I don't feel right blogging about something he prepared.

So I figure that in the meantime I can put some of the crafts I have finished up here. I made these table runners for my Mom and Mother-in-law for Mother's Day in either 2006 or 2007 (I can't remember).

I will have some more recipes this week. I promise

Mexican Casserole

2009-06-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Sparkpeople.com a couple of years ago and it quickly became one of our favorites. I probably make this dish at least once every other month (probably closer to once every 6 weeks or so) and it is one of my comfort foods.

I dont have a picture because last night my husband made it and since it is close I was on the couch, nursing the baby, with my laptop on my free side working so couldn't quite get the camera within reach to snap a photo, but casseroles don't photograph well in general so I figure it's fine. Take my word though, this is very yummy!

Mexican Casserole
adapted from Sparkpeople.com

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 package Uncle Ben's ready rice - Whole Grain santa fe flavor
Tostitos, crushed
Taco seasoned shredded cheese
Other desired taco toppings - we use just sour cream but you could use guacamole if you like it too.

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Brown meat in skillet. Near end of browning add in onion and cook until translucent. Drain off fat.
3. Add in taco seasoning and mix well. Add in bag of rice and then cream of mushroom soup and tomatoes and mix well.
4. Add layer of crushed tostitos to the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Top with half of the meat mixture. Then add another layer of crushed tostitos and top with remaining meat mixture. Put taco cheese over top the whole thing and cover pan with aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted.
6. Serve with sour cream on top.

Yummy!

Cooking for Carson - Zucchini

2009-05-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

This was the first thing I decided on my own to make for Carson. At his four month apointment the pediatrician said there were 9 weeks until his next appointment and to give him the following. Two weeks of cereals (rice and oatmeal), then 3 weeks of yellow/orange veggies (squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots) and 4 weeks of green veggies (he only mentioned peas and green beans). I figured since he liked squash that he would enjoy zucchini so I made that. It was super easy to make.

Slice 2 zucchini into thin slices and place in pan with water.

Bring water to a boil and boil cook until zucchini is soft. Drain off zucchini slices and place in food processor. Pulse until desired consistency.

Voila.

Penne alla Betsy

2009-05-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have seen this recipe in several blogs I follow in my Google Reader and it looked really yummy so I decided to make it (with a few changes).

Penne alla Betsy

Olive Oil
Butter
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined (I substituted diced chicken breasts because I don't like shrimp)
3/4 lb penne or other short pasta
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine (I substituted chicken broth since I am still nursing my son)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper (I accidentally omitted because Carson started crying heavily at this point and I got distracted. Would be better with the salt and pepper)
Parsley
Basil (My store didn't have fresh basil so I just used extra parsley)

1. Put water on to boil for the pasta.
2. Heat a large frying pan and melt 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil in pan. Saute shrimp (chicken) until opague (cooked) and then remove to a plate.
3. Melt anotehr 2 Tbsp butter and olive oil in same pan and cook garlic until slightly browning. Add onion and cook until translucent.
4. Add pasta to boiling water and cook per package directions.
5. Add 1/2 cup wine (broth) and allow to cook down for approximately 1 minute. Then add tomato sauce, stirring to combine, and cream.
6. Chop parsley and basil and add to sauce to taste. Add salt and pepper (whoops to me on this part).
7. Remove shrimp tails and chop shrimp into bite-size pieces (Obviously I omitted this step since chicken was already in bite size pieces). Return to sauce and stir to combine.
8. When pasta is cooked, drain, and then add to sauce, tossing to cover.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

I enjoyed it a lot. My husband thought it was a little bland, but then again I did unintentionally leave out the salt and pepper. He reheated leftovers the next night and he added garlic salt, seasoned salt, and pepper to his and he did like it that time.

I'm also sure there would have been more flavor to it had I used white wine in the sauce instead of the chicken broth so I'll have to make this again once I have weaned Carson.

Crowd Pleasing Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese

2009-05-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

We had a Memorial Day potluck celebration at work today and I decided to make macaroni and cheese. Why mac & cheese? Well because the main course of the lunch was hotdogs which I think are the most foul of things ever so I wanted to bring something that worked as both a side dish for hot dogs and a main dish for me.

But since it wouldn't need to be done until lunchtime I didn't want to make anything too fancy that needed to use an oven since I would be at work all morning. So I decided to cook up the noodles, pack up the ingredients, bring my crock pot and cook it at my desk.

Unfortunately I left my camera at home so no picture (I know I know).

Here are the ingredients I used for this creamy mac & cheese:

16 oz cooked and drained noodles
3 cups whole milk
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
1 stick melted butter
8 oz shredded mild cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 16 oz loaf Velveeta, diced
a couple of handfuls shredded Monterey Jack cheese*

*I just threw this in as an aftersight. I probably used 2 oz of it.

Grease a crockpot with shortening or cooking spray (I used a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner). Put the noodles in first and then stir in all the above ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Frosted Rice Krispie Bars

2009-05-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is the bar my Mom always made us when we were growing up. In fact I always thought Rice Krispie bars were made with peanut butter and not marshmallow creme. To this day I prefer these to the marshmallow kind. Yum!

Frosted Rice Krispie Bars

1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
6 oz chocolate chips
6 oz butterscotch chips
Butter - for pan

Heat sugar and syrup just to boiling in a saucepan. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and rice krispies. Put into 13x9 buttered pan. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together and spread over krispie bars. Chill until frosting is set. Cut into bars and serve.

As I was making these a couple of weeks ago I thought to myself that I thought they would be really good with Honey Nut Cheerios so I made them again earlier this week. While I do like the hint of honey flavor I don't care for the underlying Cheerios taste in the bar. I think next time I will try the honey flavored peanut butter to see if I like that better.

Southern Casual Dinner

2009-05-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Enough about the Saturday get-together. I have finally gotten a chance to post all the recipes and here is a recap of our menu. A great time was had by all.

Appetizers
Store Bought French Onion Dip (for my husband)
Buffalo Chicken Dip

Dinner
Buttermilk Coleslaw
Kenny Rogers Cornbread
Baked Beans, Texas Ranger
Cheesy Potatoes
Pulled Pork

Dessert
Rainbow Cupcakes

As for drinks we asked that each couple bring whatever their children would like to drink and also served assorted beers and ginger ale for me (I'm still nursing my son).

Baked Beans, Texas Ranger

2009-05-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is the final recipe I made for our Saturday get together, and it was the one thing my husband just raved about. He can be leery to try new recipes, especially if he likes the say something is made already but I stood firm and made this and he loved it.

Baked Beans, Texas Ranger
Makes 6 servings

1 (28 oz) can baked beans with pork
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
4 links spicy pork sausage, cut into chunks (I used regular...no spicy in the store)
2 Tbsp chili powder
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt to taste
Dash cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all in a Dutch oven (I do not have a Dutch oven so I used a covered casserole dish). Cover and bake one hour in preheated oven.

Source: allrecipes.com

Pulled Pork

2009-05-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my Mom. I'm not sure where she got it, but my Dad has tweaked it and honestly I like it better with his changes. We ended up doubling this recipe for our dinner party and still had a ton of leftovers.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup ketchup
1 3/4 cups barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3-4 lb boneless pork roast (I use tenderloin)

Combine all ingredients except pork in a slow cooker. When well mixed, add pork. Cover, cook on high for six hours. Shred the meat and return it to the sauce.

Rainbow Cupcakes

2009-05-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is not so much a recipe as it is a method. Since there were going to be 3 kids of eating age (my son is just 5 months and there was another baby there too) I wanted to make a dessert that would appeal to the kids. So I made these cupcakes.

Rainbow Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix plus other ingredients as called for on box
Food coloring

Put cupcake liners in muffin tins. Mix cake batter according to box instructions. Divide batter into 5 bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl to make desired colors (I did red, orange, yellow, green, and blue). Spoon colors one at a time into cupcake liners. Cook cupcakes in oven according to box instuctions. Frost as desired.

Cheesy Potatoes

2009-05-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

I just love Paula Deen. I mean what is there not to love with all that butter? Now granted it is not the healthiest of fare but soooo delicious.

This was also a dish I made for the get together last Saturday evening.

Cheesy Potatoes
Makes 8 to 10 servings

6 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup cubed processed cheese
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup diced onion
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. In large Dutch oven, combine potatoes and water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain well.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add cheese, milk, onion, butter, egg, salt, and pepper. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover, and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Source: Cooking with Paula Deen, January/February 2009

Kenny Rogers Cornbread

2009-05-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

I also made this dish for our Saturday get together. I had just made cornbread for work's Cinco de Mayo lunch celebration and to be honest, I thought that one was much better than this one. I personally felt that these muffins were dryer than the other cornbread. But they didn't taste bad so if you're still looking for a go-to cornbread recipe, this one may be worth the try.

Kenny Rogers Cornbread

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen yellow corn

Preheat oven to 400F. Cream butter, sugar, honey, eggs, and salt in large bowl. Add flour, cornmeal, and baking powder and blend. Add milk while mixing. Add corn to mixture and combine by hand until corn worked in. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and fill each cup with batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins begin to brown.

Source: I got this on a message board about 3 years ago. I did a quick internet search and also found the same recipe here.

Buttermilk Coleslaw

2009-05-14T06:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another recipe from our get together on Saturday night.

I really liked it. My husband prefers more vinegar flavor so I think he wants me to try another recipe next time, but if you prefer a sweeter, less vinegar-based coleslaw this is the recipe for you.

Buttermilk Coleslaw
Makes 12 servings

2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 (16 oz) packages shredded coleslaw mix
1 Tbsp lemon juice (I added)
1 Tbsp hot sauce (I added)
1 Tbsp vinegar (I added)

In large bowl stir together the mayo, buttermilk, sugar, celery seed, and pepper. Fold in coleslaw mix and refrigerate until serving. Tastes best of refrigerated a few hours.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2009-05-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

We hosted two other couples at our house on Saturday night and over the next few days I will be highlighting the recipes that we served.

I selected one of my favorite dip recipes to start with. Buffalo Chicken Dip. I had gotten this recipe from one of my friends a couple of years ago and everytime I have served it people have enjoyed it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 (10 oz) can of chicken, drained
1 (8 oz) bottle ranch dressing
1/2 to 3/4 cup hot sauce (I typically use 2/3 cups)
2 (8 oz) bricks cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (this time I used a mix of sharp cheddar and white mild cheddar)

Heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet until heated through. Add ranch and cream cheese and mix until well blended. Add 1 cup cheese and stir until blended. Place in crock pot and cover with rest of cheese. Cook on low until it bubbles and is ready to eat (I skipped this step altogether. Since I already had stuff cooking in the oven I transfered my dip to a casserole dish, covered with remaining cheese and heated in a 350F oven until bubbly). Serve with celery, tostitos, or crackers. (I prefer tostitos with this dip, but I ate some leftovers the other day with Fritos and they were FABULOUS!)

Cleaning out the pantry

2009-05-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

I'm an accountant and last week was month-end close for me. Which means, (especially now that I have a baby at home), chaos. I definitely do not have the time to go grocery shopping let alone prepare fabulous home-cooked meals. I work until 5, go pick up my son, and then immediately get back online and work from home until my boss says everyone is leaving for the night, usually between 8 and 9pm.

I do try and make things quick so we can eat something other than sandwiches or Papa John's pizza. Last Thursday I decided to see what I could make quickly and based on using items out of our pantry. Below is what I came up with.

Here are the items I ended up using:

And I made this:

It may not look appealing, and I can't say it was the best thing I've ever made but it was edible and my husband even enjoyed it. On the positive side it was very quick and easy to make.

Pantry Cleanout Casserole

1 can of chicken
1 can cream of whatever (I used cream of mushroom with roasted garlic)
1 can veggies, drained (I used peas and carrots)
1 package of instant mashed potatoes (I used cheddar and garlic flavored)
Shredded cheese (I used monterey jack)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Make potatoes according to package directions.
3. Combine chicken, soup, and veggies in a casserole dish. Mix in shredded cheese, if desired.
4. Top with prepared mashed potatoes.
5. Top that with shredded cheese.
6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

That's it, like I said there's really nothing to it. Not the best food you'll ever eat but quick and easy on those busy nights.

Very Belated Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-11T11:22:00.001-07:00

Last week was close week and it really got away from me so I am just now getting a chance to post my Cinco de Mayo recipes. We had a potluck celebration at work (the bad economy has made us prepare food to pass instead of having lunch brought in). I brought in two recipes and had zero leftovers.

Bean and Corn Salsa
Makes 16 (1/4 cup) servings

3 cups chopped seeded tomatoes (about 3 medium)
3/4 cup Vidalia or other sweet onion (I used a red onion for the color)
1/2 cup chopped tomatillos (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed & drained
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp hot sauce

Combine all and chill for at least 2 hours. (I chilled mine overnight).

Source: Southern Living Magazine, August 2005

Mexican Cornbread

1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided (I used canola oil)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 1/2 cups cornmeal mix
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat; add onion and next 4 ingredients. Saute 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, and cool.
2. Stir together cornmeal mix, next 5 ingredients, and 1/4 cup oil until blended. Stir in onion mixture.
3. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet 10 minutes. (I did not have one so I omitted this step). Pour cornmeal mixture into skillet (I sprayed a 9x13 glass dish with nonstick cooking spray and then poured mixture in.)
4. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes or until done (Due to different pan mine was done after 20 minutes).

Source: Southern Living Magazine, November 2001

This was DELICIOUS! I'm not much of a salsa fan but the cornbread was fabulous! I think it would go great alongside a bowl of chili. I will definitely be making it again.

Mother's Day boxes

2009-05-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

I sent boxes to my Mom and Mother-in-law this year for Mother's Day. I picked up nice boxes from Michaels, gave each a gift certificate, a framed picture of our family from Carson's 3 month photos, a loaf of the garden harvest bread I have previously blogged about, and this homemade granola recipe (picture below).

The only change I made was to substitute raisins for dried cranberries since I had none, and I used Splenda brown sugar instead of brown sugar since my mother-in-law is diabetic.

I know my Mom is enjoying her box since she is incorrigible and doesn't wait to open things. : )

Silly me didn't even think about taking a picture of the boxes all put together.

Cooking for Carson - carrots

2009-05-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

There really isn't much to this recipe just carrots and water. Just take a bag of frozen carrots (I used crinkle cut but it doesn't matter) and boil in water until soft and gummable. Drain and place in blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. If it is too thick then thin with water. If too thin then thicken up with cereal.

Place pureed carrots in ice cube trays. You can freeze them and then thaw cubes as needed for feeding.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Mexican food. I could probably eat it every day. So needless to say I don't need a holiday like Cinco de Mayo to put me in the mood for Mexican flavors but I'll use it.

Even though it is close week they are having a Cinco de Mayo celebration potluck at work today. I'll have to share the recipes for the salsa and southwestern cornbread I made for that tomorrow once I download the pictures off the camera. But in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo I did make this casserole a couple of weeks ago so I will post it.

Now it's nothing great to look at, and was quite simple to make, but it tasted great.

Taco Bake

1 box macaroni & cheese, plus ingredients to prepare per box
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I used Colby Jack)
1 cup salsa

1. Heat oven to 400F. Prepare mac & cheese as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, brown beef with taco seasoning. Drain fat as necessary.
2. Stir sour cream into prepared mac & cheese. Spoon 1/2 mac & cheese mixture into 8-inch square baking dish. Top with layers of meat mixture, 1 cup cheese, and remaining mac & cheese mixture; cover with foil.
3. Bake 15 minutes; top with salsa and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Bruschetta

2009-05-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

My parents were up this weekend. It was so wonderful getting to see them. I also was excited to prepare them a (hopefully) wonderful meal. Since we had thoroughly enjoyed the Boursin Spinach Stuffed Chicken I knew I wanted to make that for them.

I also decided to try my hand at Bruschetta. I personally do not care for tomatoes, but I want to like them so I figured why not. My parents LOVE bruschetta and always order it when out at Italian restaurants.

This recipe was good (I liked it as well as I could like anything with tomatoes) and very easy. In fact my Mom commented once she saw how simple it was that she would just make her own bruschetta from now on and not buy store bought (YAY Mom!)

Here is our creation:

Bruschetta

3 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp garlic powder, divided (I didn't have minced garlic on hand)
1 loaf Italian bread sliced in 1-inch thick slices
1 Tbsp dried basil
4-5 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Put oven rack in middle position. Heat to 450F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place cut pieces of bread on pan.
2. Mix 1 1/2 Tbsp oil, 1/2 the garlic powder, and 1/2 the Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Brush top cut side of bread with oil mixture. Bake 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.
3. Meanwhile, combine remaining oil, garlic powder, the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper.
4. Place tomato mixture on top of bread slices and top with remaining Parmesan. Return to oven for 1-2 minutes to warm through.

Would you like to win a $200 gift card to ANY restaurant in the US?

2009-04-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

If so click on this link. You can pick any restaurant you so desire in these great United States.

I personally selected Ruth's Cris Steakhouse but don't let my vote sway your own choice.

Click Here

Boursin Spinach Stuffed Chicken

2009-04-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make something special for our anniversary which was on April 23rd but then our oven wasn't working so we ended up going to Macaroni Grill to celebrate. Then I was going to make it on Friday but my husband wanted something quicker since he was really hungry so we reheated some leftover casserole we'd had earlier in the week. And then Saturday he was volunteering all day and didn't get home until after 8pm so definitely too late for something like this. But Sunday was the day. The oven is still broken, in fact, I'm at home this morning waiting for a repairman to come and look at it, so I ended up cooking it in our toaster oven so cooking times probably WILL vary in a standard oven.

This dish was delicious and my husband said it tasted like something he could eat in a restaurant. He definitely wants me to make this again. I can't say it was based on any particular recipe but more based on every stuffed chicken recipe I've ever seen.

Boursin Spinach Stuffed Chicken
Makes 2 servings

1/3 package boursin garlic/herb cheese
1/4 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 chicken breasts pounded relatively flat
1/2 italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 stick butter or margarine, melted (I used margarine)

Lay chicken breasts on a plate or cutting board. Put a layer of boursin cheese on each breast. Top with a layer of spinach. Roll up chicken breasts and use a toothpick to keep rolled. (For me I had to basically fold them in half and needed 2 toothpicks to keep them in place). Dip rolled breast in melted butter and then cover in breadcrumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes in a preheated 400F oven (again I used my toaster oven so bake times will likely vary in a standard oven).

Strawberry Bread

2009-04-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

I had purchased some strawberries to make a fruit salad on Easter but completely forgot about it on the day so I needed to use them up before they went bad. My Mom mentioned a Strawberry Bread recipe she had made awhile back so I decided to try it. She got it from sparkpeople.com so I knew it would be relatively healthy as well.

Strawberry Bread
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup melted margarine
1/4 cup canola oil

1. Slice strawberries and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp sugar.
2. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Combine oil and margarine; beat eggs until fluffy and add to oil/margarine.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet and incorporate. Add strawberries.
5. Place in greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes.

Overcoming my homemade pizza fear

2009-04-21T03:30:00.000-07:00

When I was little my Mom made homemade pizza every Friday. No offense if you are reading this, Mom, but I hated pizza Fridays. In fact I thought I hated homemade pizza. But I had leftover pepperoni and pizza sauce from the Pizza Slider Burgers and sausage from Easter breakfast so I decided to give it a try. I wasn't quite ready to try homemade crust yet (that's what I didn't like from Mom's) so I bought the refrigerated Pillsbury kind.

I rolled it onto a cookie sheet and baked for about 4-5 min in a 425F oven. Then I covered it in pizza sauce, then browned and crumbled pork sausage, then pepperoni and then a mixture of shredded mozzerells and monterey jack. Back in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

I thought it was really delucious. So I'll try another few varities before I tackle my next pizza fear which is homemade crust.

I won!!

2009-04-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

I was just notified that I won another blog contest. Thanks Jessica and I'm looking forward to receiving the recipe book.

Buttermilk Banana Blueberry Muffins

2009-04-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

I had leftover buttermilk from the Italian Cream cake and blueberries from the Easter fruit salad that wasn't (I completely forgot) so I decided to make some muffins.

I based my recipe on one found at Recipezaar which came from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking. I omitted the nuts and added blueberries. The original recipe said it would make 12 muffins. However since I added the blueberries to the batter I ended up getting 15 muffins out of it.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 2 medium)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 container blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Spray 12 regular muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, banana, oil, egg, and vanilla.
5. Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir until blended.
6. Add blueberries to the batter and incorporate throughout.
7. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
8. Bake until lightly brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 15-20 minutes.
9. Allow to cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

I thought these were good but there was not enough banana flavor for me. I think next time I make these I will add another mashed banana to the batter to increase that flavor.

Italian Cream Cake

2009-04-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of my Karen's (one of my coworkers) Birthday. So I made her an Italian Cream Cake. Whenever the deli in our building has this cake for sale she has to stop in and get a piece so I knew I needed to find a recipe and make it for her. Now I had never had one of these cakes but once I saw the ingredients I knew it had to be delicious. Everyone said how great this cake turned out and Karen said it was much more delicious than the one the deli made. It was very moist as well.

Italian Cream Cake
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter
5 egg yolks
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 egg whites
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut

1. Cream together butter, egg yolks, and sugar. Alternately mix in flour and buttermilk. Add baking soda and mix in nuts and coconut.
2. Beat egg whites and fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in preheated 350F oven.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 cup butter
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients and spread onto cooled cake. Top iced cake with additional chopped pecans.

Cooking for Carson - Homemade Baby Oatmeal Cereal

2009-04-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

Carson had his 4 month appointment yesterday and at it our doctor suggested starting him on cereal. My goal is to make as much of his babyfood at home as possible so that I know exactly what is going into his system. I have found some great recipes at Wholesome Baby Food.

I had old fashioned oats in our pantry so I ground about a cup or so in the food processor until they resembled a powder.

Then I cooked 1/4 cup of the powder and cooked it in 1 cup of boiling water, whisking to remove as many clumps as possible. I took 1 Tbsp of cooked oats and mixed it with about 2 Tbsp of pumped breastmilk and voila. Homemade babyfood.

The problem was that Carson still hasn't quite figured out the whole swallowing thing, plus it is still thicker than store bought oatmeal cereal so I will stick with the store stuff until he is better at eating from a spoon and then give him the thicker stuff again.

Little Cheddar Meat Loaves

2009-04-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

I honestly couldn't tell you where I got this recipe but right before my son was born my Mom and I had an all day cooking session where we made freezer friendly food to use after we came back from the hospital. This was one of those freezer friendly meals that we just got around to trying.

Little Cheddar Meat Loaves

1 egg
¾ cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 lb lean ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ tsp prepared mustard

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion, and salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into eight loaves; place in a greased baking dish. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard; spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered at 350F for 45 minutes.

NOTE: This recipe freezes great before baking (without the sauce on top, just make the sauce after you defrost the loaves). It also doubles really well.

I did what the NOTE part said and froze it uncooked without the sauce, then thawed it and prepared the sauce to put on top. Actually my husband technically did that part since I was feeding the baby.

They were really good even though they had been frozen for 4 months. We served them with Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes.

Mini Egg Casserole Cups

2009-04-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to make some sort of Breakfast Casserole for Easter morning but my husband wanted to just have sausage and eggs on their own. So, I improvised. I made him his sausage and eggs and I made these mini casserole cups in my muffin tin.

And really the recipe is very versatile since you could substitute any meat or cheese you wanted. You could also add any veggies or herbs you desired as well.

Here's how I chose to make it yesterday and they were delicious.

I used about 1/8 lb of bulk pork sausage (about a 1 1/2 inch thick slice) and browned it in a skillet. I then combined that in a bowl with 4 whisked eggs, 3 torn slices of american cheese (I had some I wanted to use and didn't want to use up my shredded cheese that I would be using for the homemade mac & cheese I was making later in the day). I sprayed my muffin tin with cooking spray and then filled my muffin tins about 3/4 full with the mixture. It took 6 tins to use up the mixture. I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top and baked at 350F for 20 minutes.

Simply delicious. Next time I will dice up some onion, green pepper, use bacon instead of sausage and use sharp cheddar cheese.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

This year it was just my husband, son, and I, although only the hubs and I ate the food (Carson is 4 months old so no food yet).

Here is a plate and links to the recipes. I had intended on making a fruit salad but totally forgot. I also made a lemon cake (from a box since that's how Greg likes it), but we're both so full we still haven't eaten it.

Menu:
Tangy Honey Glazed Ham
Creamy Mac & Cheese
Creamed Spinach
Italian Crescent Rolls

It was so delicious.

Tangy Honey Glazed Ham

2009-04-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

For the ham I used this recipe from allrecipes.com:

Tangy Honey Glazed Ham
12 servings

1 10 pound fully-cooked, bone-in ham
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup honey
1/3 large orange, juiced and zested (I used 1 small)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Place ham in roasting pan.
2. In small saucepan combine all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
3. Bake ham in preheated oven uncovered for 2 hours. Remove ham from oven, and brush with glaze. Bake for an additional 30-45 minutes, brushing ham with glaze every 10 minutes.

Creamed Spinach

2009-04-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

This was also a Julie original recipe and was very simple

2 10-oz boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup Parmesan

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add cream and nutmeg and cook until it slightly reduces, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and Parmesan and combine.

I'm not a huge spinach lover but thought this was really good.

Creamy Mac & Cheese

2009-04-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

This was a complete Julie's original. I did look through a bunch of mac & cheese recipes online for inspiration but made this up on my own.

Creamy Mac & Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup whole milk
1 1-inch thick slice from velveeta loaf
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Breadcrumbs

Cook pasta to al dente, about 5 minutes. Since you are baking this you don't want the noodles fully cooked. Drain pasta. In same pot melt butter and cheeses. Add in milk. Then sprinkle in nutmeg and mustard and thoroughly combine. Add drained pasta back to pot and be sure to fully coat noodles with sauce. Pour mixture into baking dish. (I used a 9x13 glass dish, but thought the layer was too small. Next time I'll use a 9x9 or a casserole dish.) Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes.

This was both Greg's and my favorite part of the Easter spread this year. I will definitely be making this again.

Italian Crescent Rolls

2009-04-12T16:41:00.001-07:00

I based this "recipe" (it's hard to call it that) based on this one here.

Basically what I did was take a tube of crescent rolls, unrolled them, brushed melted butter on them, sprinkled with Italian seasoning, and rolled them up. Then baked at 375F for 11 min.

They were absolutely delicious.

A Belated "I won!"

2009-04-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

This week has been extremely busy as it is quarter-end close, which is busy normally, but this is also my first close after having my son which has made it even more chaotic. So needless to say I have not really been cooking this week. We've been eating sandwiches, leftovers, and pizza.

Anyway, I was pleasantally surprised last week to have won Foodie Freebie Friday last week. I won (and have since received) this. Thanks Joelen!

I've finished our menu for Easter dinner and will be blogging about it next week once everything is done, photographed, eaten, and reviewed.

I hope everyone has a very Happy and Blessed Easter weekend!

March Close Cake

2009-04-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

I'm an accountant and today is the start of close week. My coworkers and I do not look forward to this week since we are so busy so I decided to start a new tradition and bake something sweet for close week. Karen requested a chocolate peanut butter cake so I decided to try this recipe.

Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Good Housekeeping, February 2002
Prep: 30 min + cooling; Bake: 1 hour
Makes 16 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk
Rich Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease decorative 10-cup metal loaf pan or 10-cup fluted baking pan; dust with flour.
2. On waxed paper, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.
3. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat peanut butter and butter with sugars until blended, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until creamy, about 3 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl.
4. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until smooth.
5. Spoon batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
6. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Loosen cake from side of pan; invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Glaze cooled cake with Rich Chocolate Glaze.

RICH CHOCOLATE GLAZE – Prep 5 min, Cook about 3 min, makes ½ cup

3 oz milk chocolate, broken into pieces
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp milk

1. In a 1-quart glass measure, heat chocolate with remaining ingredients in microwave on HIGH 1 ½ to 2 minutes until smooth, stirring twice during cooking.
2. Immediately pour glaze over top of cooled cake, allowing it to run down sides. Let cake stand for at least 30 minutes to allow glaze to set before serving.

I'm not sure why it's called Peanut Butter cup when there are no peanut butter cups in it. It may be better having some crushed pb cups sprinkled on top.

Simple Lemon Cookies

2009-04-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

A (now former) coworker's wife made these cookies last week for his last day. As soon as I tried it I thought of my husband since he absolutely loves lemon cake. I have tried cake after cake but he only seems to like lemon cake out of the box with store bought frosting. Since this recipe used a lemon cake mix I thought he may like them and a cookie is much easier to take along to work than a frosted slice of cake. So I decided to give them a try.

Simple Lemon Cookies

1 lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Mix together. Roll into small balls. Bake at 350F for 8-9 minutes.

Then glaze with powdered sugar/lemon juice glaze.

I ended up using my cookie scoop to make these but they ended up a little larger than I had hoped so next time I will just use my hands and make smaller balls than the cookie scoop. I do really wish that she had included the measurements for the glaze because I ended up just adding lemon juice while mixing the powdered sugar until I got my desired consistency, however my glaze was quite sour. I'm guessing she used a milk/powdered sugar combo for her glaze because it tasted like regular glaze. I'm liking the sweet/sour combo but my husband did not. So I guess it's back to the cake mix/store frosting for him.

I am going to try this recipe again but I think next time I am going to use strawberry cake mix and make a glaze with some pureed strawberries.

Pizza Slider Burgers

2009-04-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

This recipe was attached to the McCormick's coupons on my Sunday paper and looked so yummy that I couldn't wait to try it.

Pizza Slider Burgers
Makes 4 servings

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp McCormick basil leaves
1/2 tsp McCormick garlic powder
1/2 tsp McCormick oregano leaves
1/2 tsp salt (I used garlic salt)
1/4 tsp McCormick Ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup pizza sauce or tomato sauce
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 small dinner rolls
Pepperoni slices (optional)

1. Mix ground beef and seasonings in a medium bowl until well blended. Shape into 8 patties.
2. Grill burgers over medium heat or cook in non-stick skillet 4-6 minutes per side or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165F).
3. Top each burger evenly with sauce and cheese. Cook 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted. Serve on rolls with pepperoni slices, if desired.

For all the seasonings except salt, I ended up using closer to 1 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp since my husband and I really like the extra flavor. I thought it was perfectly seasoned. Also, instead of just using dinner rolls out of the bag I ended up cutting them in half for use as the bun, laying them cut side up on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Spraying the cut side with canola oil spray and then sprinkling garlic powder on top of them. Then I toasted the buns in the oven while the burgers were cooking.

Both my husband and I just loved these. They are definitely becoming part of our dinner rotation. Please forgive the crappy picture. It tasted much better than it looks.

Garden Harvest Cake

2009-03-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

When I got my latest issue of Cooking Light this recipe leaped out at me. I just love carrot cake, zucchini bread, and banana bread and this recipe looked very similar. Honestly I'm not sure why they call it cake since it is much more similar to a bread but it was very yummy. Cooking light does not allow reprints of their recipes on blogs so you can get the recipe here.

I will definitely be making this recipe again but I will add some raisins to it next time. It was very moist and delicious. I also shared with my coworkers and they all were quite impressed.

Chocolate-Chip Brownie Double-Deckers

2009-03-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

My husband, son, and I are having dinner tonight at one of H's coworker's homes. I was asked to bring either brownies or cupcakes. Well since my last "from scratch" adventure was cupcakes I decided to do brownies. Originally I wanted to make a mint layered bar but my husband suggested I do something else since they may not like mint. I went through my recipes and saw this one which I thought may appeal to their 3 and 5 year old daughters.

Chocolate-Chip Brownie Double-Deckers
Woman's Day 11/1/2005
Makes 24 bars
Active: 15 min; Total: 1 hr 15 min

CHOCOLATE CHIP LAYER
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut up
1 cup packed light-brown sugar (I only had about 1/3 cup light so I used dark for the rest)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

BROWNIE LAYER
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut up
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1. Heat oven to 325F. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick foil, letting foil extend above pan on both ends.
2. Chocolate Chip Layer: Melt butter. Whisk in brown sugar until smooth. Cool.
3. Meanwhile, make Brownie Layer. Melt butter. Whisk in cocoa until smooth. Whisk in sugar and salt, then eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Stir in flour with a rubber spatula just until blended. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
4. To finish Chocolate Chip Layer: Whisk in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt with a rubber spatula until blended. Stir in chips. Drop spoonfuls over brownie batter, spread to cover.
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutse until top is set and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs. (Don't overbake, or they won't be fudgy). Cool in pan on wire rack.
6. Lift foil by ends onto cutting board. Cut in 6 rows crosswise and 4 lengthwise.

Per serving: 279 calories, 3g protein, 1g fiber, 15g fat, 9g saturated fat, 58mg cholesterol, 107mg sodium

DO-AHEAD: Can be completely prepared, cut, tightly wrapped and frozen up to a month. There's almost no thawing necessary - about 20 minuts - as these brownies are delicious even when partially frozen.

Ok, I did not use the above tip but thought I would include it as it was part of the recipe in the magazine. I haven't gotten anyone else's opinion on how these turned out but I did try a sliver of one this morning just so I could give a review. I thought the brownie part of the layer was delicious. The chocolate chip part was just ok. When I first bit into it I didn't like it but after I had chewed it then I did like the taste.

I'm not sure if I will make this recipe again or not. If I do make it again I will spray the aluminum foil with some cooking spray before putting the brownie batter in as I still had some pieces sticking to the foil.

UPDATE ON THESE BARS: When I had tasted a full bar (instead of just a sliver) I actually really liked them. The 3 & 5 year old girls who I made them for just loved them and wanted to keep eating them. The family we took them too kept most of them and we brought about a half dozen home ourselves. I had yet another one this morning and still enjoyed it. I probably will make these again.

Finished Cross-stitch projects

2009-03-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

I was a crafting "machine" before my son was born. I would work on crafts whenever I was watching television (which sad to say is more than I should). But since he has been born my hands and attention have been otherwise diverted. Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my son in for any number of craft projects, but I was recently able to finish two different cross-stitch projects that I have been working on. One is his birth announcement. The other is a kit I saw on Black Friday in 2006 (yes, 2006). It was of three cats. Now I have had three cats in my adult out of college life. Callie, passed away in 2006 and was tortoise colored (close to striped for you non-cat people out there). Then we got our orange cats Tommy and Princess. So when I saw this kit I saw three kitties on it. One striped, and two orange. I immediately knew I needed to get it since it had my three "babies" on it. I was just able to finish it.

Below are the pictures of the completed projects. Now I just need to get some frames to put them in.

Baked Ziti

2009-03-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

Back in November (right before my due date) my Mom and I had a cooking day where we made several dishes to freeze to use after my son was born. One of them was my baked ziti recipe. I froze them in single serving size dishes to make it even easier. Anyway I don't have a picture because reheated thawed baked ziti just doesn't look as nice as freshly made baked ziti, but trust me, this dish is delicious. I got it several years ago on the Married Life board of the nest from a user named weeirishlass. I'm not sure where she got it though.

Baked Ziti

1 lb dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
2 (26 oz) jars spaghetti sauce
6 oz provolone cheese (I use sliced deli provolone)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 oz mozzarella cheeese, shredded
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Drain off fat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, all the provolone cheese, all the sour cream, 1/2 sauce/meat mixture, remaining ziti, all the mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce/meat mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheeese. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven or until cheeses are melted.

Reheating note: I thawed in the fridge overnight and then heated at 350F for about 30 minutes. It is not as tasty reheated as fresh so I would add some appropriare herbs to add flavor.

St Patrick's Day Cupcakes

2009-03-17T16:20:00.001-07:00

I decided to make some cupcakes to take in to work this year for St. Patty's Day. It was my first attempt at cooking either a cake or cupcakes from scratch so I was nervous about it turning out all right. I took 12 cupcakes to work and my husband took the remaining 12. Both sets of coworkers gave great reviews and there were no cupcakes left at the end of the day. I even had another coworker bring in store-bought cupcakes and mine were all gone but she had to take nearly all her's home with her.

Here are the recipes that I used:

Black Chocolate Cake
From Allrecipes.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch salt (I omitted this)
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups boiling water
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. (I placed cupcake liners in 24 standard size muffin cups.) Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
2. Melt the shortening in the boiling water, then stir into the flour mixture until blended. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the vanilla.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes (25 minutes for me with the cupcakes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

I then frosted them using this Buttercream recipe from Allrecipes.com.

1/2 cup margarine (I used butter)
1/2 cup shortening
1/8 tsp salt (I omitted)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups confectioners' sugar (I used 3 cups and it was still very sweet).
1/4 cup milk

In a large bowl, cream margarine and shortening until light and fluffy. Add salt, vanilla, confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat well.

(I also added green food coloring since these were for St Patty's Day).

Comfort Food

2009-03-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite comfort foods my Mom would make when I was little was this Chicken Pasta Salad. Since this is my first full week back at work after maternity leave I decided to make a big batch of this salad to help me through the lunches when I'm missing my son. There are no real concrete measurements as it is really a "to taste" combination but I will put approximate measurements after each ingredient.

Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken - I used 2 large cans of chicken, you could also use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken or turkey, etc.

Peas - I used 2 cans drained

Celery - I used 3 stalks, diced

Pasta - I used one bag of whole wheat egg noodles

Hard-boiled egg - I used the whites only of 3 hard boiled eggs

Other desired veggies, if any - I diced about 10 baby carrots

Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing - I used Miracle Whip

Combine all together in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Whenever I use canned chicken it looks too pink for my taste so this time I put some extra virgin olive oil in a skillet and cooked the canned chicken until no longer pink. I also seasoned it with garlic powder, black pepper, and basil.

I had some for lunch today and soooo yummy!

Italian Spinach Meatloaf

2009-03-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

My in-laws were visiting last weekend and I decided to make a meatloaf. I wanted to add veggies to it to up the nutritional content so I winged it. The measurements I included are approximate only since I did not measure anything.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 egg

1 cup italian breadcrumbs

2-3 cups fresh spinach leaves

3 cloves garlic

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 tsp cumin

2-3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1 can diced tomatoes, drained, divided

1 1/2 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp oregano

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Put spinach leaves, garlic, carrots, and onion in a food processor and pulse until well minced. If no food processor then cut all into tiny pieces.

3. Put spinach mixture into a large bowl and add beef, egg, breadcrumbs, cumin, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, 1/2 can of the diced tomatoes, fennel, and oregano. Mix until well combined.

4. Form mixture into a loaf in a 9x13 baking dish.

5. Cover loaf with the remaining diced tomatoes and black pepper to taste.

6. Bake 45-60 minutes until meatloaf is fully cooked.

(For my oven I covered with foil for 45 minutes, and a small portion in the middle of the loaf was still pink so I baked it for another 7 minutes uncovered and it was perfect).

I got rave reviews from my husband and in-laws. I personally thought it tasted great but was soggier than I would have liked so next time I make it I will increase the amount of breadcrumbs to hopefully make it a bit firmer. I may also add some more veggies like celery or green bell peppers.

Here is a picture of the finished product.

First Post

2009-03-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a place to show recipes that I have tried, as well as craft projects that I have completed.

A little about me, I'm a Wife, a Mom, and an accountant. I like to try new things in the kitchen, quilt, crochet, cross-stitch, and swedish weaving, but since my son has arrived I have less and less time to do these. I am hoping that keeping this blog will give me extra incentive to find the time to do more.

If something looks interesting or you have any questions, please let me know!