Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Recipe source: bakeat350.blogspot.com

Here at our house, we started celebrating half-birthdays.  Nothing big and fancy, just small and simple. Just enough to make the half-birthdayee feel special.  For half-birthdays we have cupcakes instead of a cake.  The half-birthday boy or girl gets a couple small gifts.  Today we had Keyan's celebration.  I spent a total of $2.50 on his little presents, but it was enough to put a ginormous smile on his face.  He loved being the center of attention and getting to open something, even if it was small.


For his cupcakes I tried out this recipe from Bake at 350.  They turned out great, and we all loved them.

For the Cupcakes
1 & 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla exrtact
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme

For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips.)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Icing (This makes a ton.  I ended up using less than half.)

1 stick unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk 
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place paper liners in muffin tin for about 20 cupcakes.

Prepare the cupcakes: Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Using a mixer, beat the eggs into the chocolate, then mix in the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

(They will sink in the middle...they'll puff up when filled later)

For the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.

For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.

Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a medium star tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake top; fill until the cupcake is heavier (do not overfill). (It's OK if some of the filling peeks out, it will be covered by the ganache.)

Spoon a little ganache on each cupcake and lightly spread with an offset spatula or a knife. Chill for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip (I used a #2 plain tip);pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate.

Store in the refrigerator.

The Ultimate Caramel Apples

Recipe source: adapted from jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com

I last made these apples a couple years ago, and little Russell requested them for our Family Home Evening treat this week, so here they are!  (Oh, don't worry.  Our FHE treats are typically nothing this fancy...) These are pretty easy to do, and kiddos can help.  Trey was my buddy with this project. (Keyan helped a little, too.)  It's fun to choose what candies and cookies to use.

So sorry the pictures are awful.  We don't have a great camera, and my cell phone does the best job, sadly enough.

10 small apples

10 craft sticks

2  14 oz bags wrapped caramel candies

4 T water

1 t vanilla

2  12 oz bags milk, semi-sweet, or white chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet and white.)

2 t shortening

Crushed oreos, m&ms, or other candies and cookies (We did christmas Oreos, plain M&Ms, pretzel M&Ms, and Reese's. The Reese's and Pretzel M&Ms were my favorite ones.)

1. Wash your apples, and wash them well. Rub your fingers roughly all over the tops to get any of the waxy coating off.

2. Push your sticks into the center of your apples and put them in the freezer for 40 minutes. 

3. Unwrap your caramels. (Or have your kids unwrap them for you.  They love that they are helping and don't mind the grunt work!) :-) Put them in a medium sized sauce pan with the water and vanilla. Turn the heat to medium and let the caramels melt. Stir them often. You don't want them burning to the bottom of your pan.

4. Dip each apple into the caramel. It will begin to set up pretty quickly. Hold the apple over the caramel to let excess drip off.  Then turn it sideways and rotate it a few times as the caramel starts to harden.  Finally, turn them upside down for just a bit so the bottom part can start to set. Just 20 seconds or so will do fine. Place the apple on a piece of tin foil (not wax paper) that has been sprayed with cooking spray. 

5. Place the caramel apples in the refrigerator to continue setting up, while you work on melting the chocolate.

6. Put each bag of chocolate in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Melt the chips in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time stirring after each cooking interval. Add 1 t shortening to each of your chocolate mixtures and stir to incorporate.

7.  Grab your apples out of the fridge. Take each apple and mold the bottom of it with your hand to get rid of the flat bottom. Dip the apples into the chocolate. Hold the apple above the chocolate container to allow excess chocolate to drip off.  I liked to hold it over the bowl and do kind of a spinning motion to get excess chocolate off.

8. Roll the chocolate covered apple in the crushed candy or cookie of your choice.  The way I do it is more of a pressing than a rolling motion. Since the chocolate is still pretty runny, it seems to work better.  Press first onto the bottom, then press a side, turn and press, etc.  I found I had to rotate it several times around to get the whole thing covered.

9. Set the dipped apple back on the sprayed tin foil to set up.

10. Place them back in the fridge to finish setting up. It should only take about 20 minutes for the chocolate to be totally set up. 

11. To cut for serving, place an apple on your cutting board.  Slice the apple in half, putting your knife right next to the stick.  Once you cut it, the stick should come free.  Put the apple flat side down on the board, and cut in half again.  Place the quarter apple on the board on one of the flat sides and slice off the core diagonally.  Cut this piece in half, and you will have two slices (two eighths) of the apple.  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin cupcakes w/ cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Recipe source: browneyedbaker.com

These cupcakes are so delicious.  Every time I make them someone asks for the recipe.  They are so fun because they are perfect for the season and make your house smell delicious while they are baking.

I did a few things differently than the recipe states.  First, I halved the cupcake part.  I was still able to get 23 cupcakes out of half of the recipe.  Second, I only used 8 ounces of cream cheese in the frosting and added 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the frosting.  And third, I skipped the sifting.  

For the Cupcakes:
4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups canned pumpkin (not pie filling)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used 8 ounces.)
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

To Make the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until just combined. Add pumpkin; beat until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers.

4. To finish, use an offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a decorated tip to top the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

To Make the Frosting:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, ½ cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Banana Walnut Toffee Cinnamon Pancakes

That title is a mouthful, but I assure you these pancakes are so delicious.  They are more like eating a dessert disguised as a pancake.  I personally like strawberry yogurt on top of mine, but some others in my fam stayed traditional with syrup.  So yummy!!

1 1/4 cups pancake mix (I used Krusteaz brand.)
3/4 cup to 1 cup water (Depending on your consistency preference.  I used 3/4 cup plus a couple tbsp.)
2 bananas, 1 mashed and 1 chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate toffee pieces (from the baking aisle)
Cinnamon (I didn't measure.  Maybe 1-2 tsp)

Mix water and pancake mix until the mixture is the consistency you would like.  Add in bananas, walnuts, toffee, and cinnamon.  Cook as usual.  I made ours on the small-medium side and got probably 12-13 out of this mix. (Actually, I doubled this and got 26 or so pancakes.  There were no leftovers.  The kids and Russell all loved these.)

Chocolate cobbler

Recipe source: thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen

I made this yummy dessert for Russell's Father's day dinner.  It was gooey, warm, chocolatey, and so yummy.  We ate it with ice cream, but the next day I had some with some whipped cream on top, and I may have liked that better.  The warm cobbler melted the whipped cream....MMMMM!  You can try both, why not??

•1 cup All-purpose Flour
•2 teaspoons Baking Powder
•¼ teaspoons Salt
•7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided
•1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided
•½ cups Milk
•⅓ cups Melted Butter
•1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
•½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
•1-½ cup Hot Tap Water



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.

Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish.

In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.

Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set.

Let stand for a few minutes if you can hold yourself back. Serve with ice cream using the gooey sauce to spoon over all.

Breakfast Pancake Cake

Recipe source: savorysweetlife.com
Photo credit: savorysweetlife.com

Yeah, so this isn't the one I made, but let's just pretend that mine looked as pretty as Alice's from savorysweetlife.com. 

This recipe is a great one to use when you have company or if there is a special occasion.  I made this for part of Russell's Father's day breakfast.  It was fun and really yummy.  When you do the strawberries on top, be sure to do a complete layer of strawberries and then put the whipped cream on top of the strawberries.  I made the mistake of putting whipped topping on top with strawberries around the outside, and it melted off of the warm pancake and fell off the sides.  Ooops!


4– 8″ pancakes

1 cup of whipped cream
1 cup of sliced strawberries
1.5 cups of roasted potatoes
1.5 cups of scrambled eggs
1 lb. of cooked bacon


Lay the first pancake down on a plate or serving platter. Add a layer of roasted potatoes all the way to the edge. Add another pancake and add the scrambled eggs. Add the third pancake and add your bacon. Add the final pancake. At this point if everything is cold, you will want to microwave everything for 3 minutes right before serving. Top off with strawberries and whipped cream and serve immediately. Cut carefully just like a slice of cake.

PW's Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe source:  thepioneerwoman.com/cooking

Here's Pioneer Woman's recipe for cinnamon rolls.  I thought they were delicious.  I have another recipe that I love, too, but I will not deny that these were awesome!  I loved the maple flavored frosting.  I also love cream cheese frosting on cinnamon rolls, so I guess I'll have to alternate. :-)  The only thing I would do differently with these is make them bigger.  I think I rolled out the dough too much and so the rolls themselves were small.  But then I guess you can eat more of them, right? 

I made these rolls for a special breakfast for Russell on Father's day.  Since I didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night to start said breakfast, I discovered the fridge and freezer methods.  This is so nice, because I halved PW's recipe, and it still made a lot.  So now I've got a couple dozen cinnamon rolls in the freezer to have whenever we want without as much work! 

Here's what I learned:  Make the cinnamon rolls all the way up to where you roll the dough into a log and cut them into individual rolls.  Then if you are going to have the rolls the next morning, you can put the rolls into the pan they will be baked in (in PW's case, in the pan with the butter), cover them with saran wrap or a lightweight towel, and leave them in the fridge overnight.  The rolls will slowly rise overnight.  In the morning set them in a warm place for 30-60 minutes, then bake like normal. 

If you don't need to use all of the rolls, or if you'd like to make the rolls way ahead of time, after you cut the dough into individual rolls, lay them in a pan and freeze immediately.  Once they are frozen, stick 'em in a freezer ziploc bag, and keep them in the freezer till you need them.  When you are ready to use the rolls, place them in the pan you will bake them in and sit them on the counter overnight, covered with saran wrap or a lightweight towel.  Then bake them in the morning.  Voila!

Ingredients

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon

_____

MAPLE FROSTING:
1 bag Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee  (I left this out and used more butter or milk to replace it.)
⅛ teaspoons Salt


Preparation Instructions


Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Cheddar Biscuits

Recipe source:  cassiecraves.blogspot.com

These are supposedly a knock-off recipe for Red Lobster's cheddar bay biscuits.  I don't know how close they are because I've never had Red Lobster's biscuits or even been to Red Lobster, for that matter.  But I can say that they were super simple to make and really yummy!

2 cups Bisquick
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup butter, melted (I used spray butter.)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I used Lawry's garlic salt.)


1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Mix Bisquick, parsley, onion powder, pepper, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms.

3. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I got 10 biscuits out of my dough.) Bake 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Mix butter or margarine and garlic powder. Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.  (I used spray butter and Lawry's garlic salt here.)

Giant Cookie

Recipe source: melskitchencafe.com

This is such a fun thing to make to take to a neighbor or for a special occasion.  I was REALLY impressed with how this cookie turned out the perfect texture.  It was so yummy.  I made this as a surprise for Russell when he came after taking his BIG test last month. 

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line a large (11X17-inch) baking pan with foil and press the cookie into a circle. I press my cookie into a 9-inch circle, about 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick. When it bakes, it spreads to about 11 inches, which fits perfectly onto a 12-inch round cardboard circle you can find at most craft stores.

If desired, top the cookie with M&M’s or any other garnishes. Bake for 13-16 minutes until the cookie is lightly golden brown. Let the cookie cool completely on the baking pan – this helps the cookie stabilize and set so it can be easily lifted off the pan. Once cool, gently use the foil to lift the cookie off the pan.

Barbecue Chicken Salad

Recipe source: sisterscafe.blogspot.com


I was surprised how delicious this salad was.  This is pretty fast to throw together.  We made and ate this after the kiddos went to bed while we watched a movie together.  You can cook up your own chicken, or even easier, you can grab a rotisserie chicken from the store on your way home, pull off all the chicken and mix w/ barbecue sauce.  Fast and easy! 

Oh, yeah, and the recipe gives instructions for making some crispy tortilla strips out of tortillas to put on the salad, but I forgot to do that, so we used lime flavored Tostitos.  Also delicious.  I may try the tortillas next time, or I just might use my favorite:  Fritos!

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped (I just dumped in a bag salad.)
1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 can corn, drained (I left this off.)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Haas avocados, diced

shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar
crispy tortilla strips

Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Of course you can use less or more sauce, it's up to you! Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy! (We found that the salad didn't need any dressing because of the bbq sauce on the chicken.)


*to make crispy tortilla strips simply slice about 10 corn tortillas in narrow strips and place on cookie sheet. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Place under the broiler and let bake until crispy and brown around the edges.

New York Times Ch.Chip Cookies

Recipe source: New York Times

These cookies are THE perfect chocolate chip cookies.  (in my humble opinion...)  I love these.  They are super good.  They do take a little advance preparation because the dough is supposed to sit in the fridge for a few days, but to me it is well worth it.  If I know I'm going to make these, I just make the dough a few days ahead of time, and it's no big deal!

P.S. The recipe says to use 3 1/2 ounce scoops of dough for each cookie.  That makes a REALLY big cookie, which is sometimes really fun.  But I've also found that anywhere from 2 1/2 ounces up also makes a big cookie, and you can get more out of the batch.

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I couldn't find disks, so I just used whatever dark chocolate chunks, chips, whatever that my grocery store had.)
Sea salt

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Pasta Italia

This is a pasta that came from my brother in law Pasquale. He brought it home with him from Italy, and we love it! It is a really easy fun thing to make especially in the summer.

Ingredients:

1 lb spiral pasta (we use wheat but whatever floats your boat)
1 loaf fresh mozzarella (you can find 2 loafs at costco or you can usually find it near the deli in the grocery store)
4 medium roma tomatoes
2 cans black olives
olive oil
salt

Directions:

Boil pasta, while pasta is boiling dice the mozz and tomatoes and put in a large mixing bowl. Add olives (whole), then add pasta once cooked to desired softness and drained (if still hot run cold water over so it won't melt the mozz). Lightly coat with olive oil and then salt to taste (the salt brings out the taste in the mozz and the tomatoes so don't be stingy!)

All of the amounts of these ingredients can be varied, like less olives if you have olive dislikers in your fam or more mozz or whatever I just try to put an even amount of everything in.

I try to make lots so there are leftovers cuz its yummy that way too!

Enjoy!

Feta Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Burger Sliders

Recipe source: picky-palate.com

I always trust Picky Palate to come through.  She is always posting yummy recipes, and I love this one.  They were so cute, too.  I found mini hamburger buns at my grocery store, so hopefully they are anywhere.  We paired these little sliders with oven roasted corn on the cob.  Tis the season!

I learned a great tip for shaping burgers from savorysweetlife.com (one of my favorite sites!).  Find a jar lid that is slightly larger than your hamburger bun.  Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over it, then press the meat right into the lid.  Pop it out and you have a perfectly shaped burger.  Also, press down and make an indentation in the middle to keep it from getting really thick in the middle.  For these little sliders, the lid to my mayo jar was the perfect size.  A quarter cup of the burger mix was just the right amount. 

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 Cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 Cup sun-dried tomatoes, jarred in olive oil
1/2 Cup fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
Pinch of Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley

Sun-Dried Tomato Mayonnaise
1 Cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, drained
Baby hamburger buns or dinner rolls, split and warmed
2 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves

1. Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Place turkey, feta, sun dried tomato, spinach and seasonings into a mixing bowl. Mix until just combined. Form 1/4 Cup little patties and place onto a cookie sheet. Once all are formed, place batches in hot skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through.


2. Place mayonnaise and tomatoes into a bowl; mix to combine. Spread over insides of warm rolls. Layer bottom roll with spinach and the burger. Close with top roll.

Milky Way Cake

Recipe source: Sunday Baker @ comeandpeek.blogspot.com

I made this cake to go along with Russell's birthday dinner.  It was so, SO good.  Beware, though.  This cake is pretty sweet.  I had no problem though, as I could eat a bag of sugar and be fine.  Just kidding, but seriously, this cake was delicious.  We paired it with Heath bar flavored ice cream...  YUM!

Milky Way Cake

1 bag Milky Way mini candy bars (you'll need 2 bags total if you make the icing below)
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 stick butter (real)
1 c. finely chopped walnuts
1/2 t. baking soda
2 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1-1/2 t. pure vanilla extract


Icing
20 Milky Way mini candy bars
1 stick butter
1 c. powdered sugar (may need more)
1-3 T. milk

For the cake:
On low heat, melt the stick of butter with the candy bars (the entire bag). Melt them slowly or the butter will boil and scorch the chocolate. Melt it until all of the nougat from the candy bar is melted and it's smooth and creamy (use a whisk). Set aside for a few minutes to cool a bit.

Mix together the flour, soda, and walnuts; set aside. In a mixer, beat eggs well. Beat in the sugar. Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined. Add the buttermilk and vanilla, mixing well. Fold in the candy bar mixture and pour into a greased/floured bundt pan or 2 round pans. Bake on middle rack at 325 degrees for about an hour, checking with a toothpick for doneness. Cool completely.

For the icing:
Melt the candy bars and butter over low heat. Pour into mixer bowl and slowly beat in the powdered sugar and milk, adding more powdered sugar if you want it thicker, more milk if you want it creamier. Pour the icing over the cooled cake and add any remaining cut-up candy bars over the top.

White Chicken Enchiladas

These are definitely not a regular on our menu.  Once you glance through the line-up of ingredients, you'll understand why!  But occasionally we splurge. Like for birthdays!  Russell requested these for his birthday dinner.  We had coconut cilantro rice to go along with these babies (minus the cilantro for the kiddos). 

5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I cooked my chicken in the crockpot on high for about 5 hours, then shredded it.  You don't even need to put anything in with the chicken, just season with salt and pepper.)
8 oz cream cheese (I used low-fat)
1 1/2 cups sour cream (Again, used low-fat)
20 ounces green enchilada sauce
Flour tortillas (I was able to get 16 out of this recipe.)
1 1/2 lbs monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
Chopped cilantro (optional)

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together cream cheese, sour cream, and enchilada sauce until cream cheese is melted and smooth.

Spray 2 9x13 pans lightly with cooking spray.  Fill tortillas with sauce, chicken, cheese, and beans.  Roll and place side by side in pan.  If you have any remaining chicken or beans, sprinkle over top of enchiladas.  Spread remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered.  Sprinkle cilantro over top if desired.

Just like Carrabbas Chicken Bryan

Recipe source: thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen

Okay, so I've never had Chicken Bryan at Carrabbas.  This was just the title of recipe given, but I can say that this was dang good.  Make this.  You won't be sorry!

FOR SAUCE

2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Garlic
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Yellow Onion
½ cups Chicken Broth
¼ cups Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (I did not use fresh.)
10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces (if you use salted, be sure to leave the rest of the salt out, or else it will be TOO salty!)
1-½ cup Finely Sliced Sun-dried Tomatoes
¼ cups Chopped Fresh Basil
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ teaspoons White Pepper
_____

FOR CHICKEN:
6 whole Chicken Breasts
1 Tablespoon To 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
8 ounces, weight Goat Cheese, Softened To Room Temperature (I found this over by the deli, where you can get specialty cheeses.)

For the Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce:


Place butter, garlic, and onion in large skillet over medium heat and saute until garlic and onion are tender and transparent.

Add chicken broth and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer to reduce by half.

Reduce heat to low. Add cold butter one piece at a time. Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper and stir to blend ingredients. Set aside.

For the chicken:


Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then place on skillet. Cook evenly on both sides until cooked through

Divide goat cheese evenly between chicken breasts, placing some on each breast for the last two minutes of cooking.

To serve, place cooked chicken on serving platter and spoon Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce over chicken.

Peanut Butter and Maple Granola

Recipe source: cookingwithkrista.blogspot.com

I am not a big fan of oatmeal, but I do like things that have oats in them.  I've stumbled across granola, and I really love it.  I eat it my smoothie that I have every day, and now I love having it with yogurt and a banana for breakfast or a snack, too.  Russell and the kids like it with yogurt also, but they like eating it as cereal, as well.  I really like Special K's new granola they just put out.  However, typically granola can be pretty spendy.  I have been interested in making it so I wouldn't have to buy it, but the recipes I've seen either have a ton of ingredients or they have ingredients I don't want to use, like wheat germ or something.  This recipe came up in my google reader, and I immediately saved it to try.  I'm so glad I did. We all LOVE it. 

The recipe says to use regular ol' peanut butter, which would be GREAT, but my grocery store has cinnamon raisin peanut butter.  I thought it would be yummy, and it was!  The same brand also has a white chocolate peanut butter and a dark chocolate peanut butter that you can bet I will be trying soon in this recipe!  Also, the recipe makes quite a bit, so you don't have to make it very often.


6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
2 cups chopped nuts (I used chopped pecans)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Dash salt
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter


Preheat the oven to 300F. (I ended up having to raise the temp to 350 towards the end, because it was taking too long to cook.)  Put a 9x13 inch roasting pan (you will need one with high sides) over medium-low heat (put the pan over 2 burners if it's convenient). Add the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to change color and become fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the nuts and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, salt and maple syrup, 1/2 cup peanut butter and put in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice so the peanut butter doesn't burn.


Cool on a rack, continuing to stir once in a while until the granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.

White Velvet Sugar Cookies

Recipe source: melskitchencafe.com

This is my very favorite sugar cookie recipe.  It is so delicious.  Delicious enough to eat without frosting, although so, so good with frosting, too. :-) 

One other thing:  My best friend when baking is parchment paper.  Lay some down on your cookie sheet, and you will always be able to get your cookies off easily!

2 cups butter, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/2 - 4 ¾ cups flour

Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour. The dough will be VERY soft; don’t worry, it gets firmer after chilling. Cover and chill two hours or until firm. Roll out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into shapes; place on greased baking sheets (or use parchment paper). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set (but not browned). Cool 5 minutes. Place on wire racks to cool. Frost as desired.

Pizza Rolls

Recipe source: sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Another kid-friendly recipe comin' at ya.  All of these recipes have been kid-friendly, but I've loved them, too!  This one is especially good, because it is so flexible.  You can change it up really easily according to your own tastes.

For the kiddos, I used pepperoni and cheese in the rolls.  For mine I did half with turkey pepperoni, ham, olives, and cheese, and half with low-fat cream cheese, shredded chicken (you could use any chicken), artichokes, and cheese.  They were SO good!  I think it would be yummy to do pineapple and ham or maybe barbecue chicken.  Maybe next time!  Also, the recipe says to use a homemade pizza dough (I used this one.), but you could use a thawed loaf of Rhodes dough, too. I love Rhodes!!

My favorite tip for rolling out dough like this is to lightly grease your countertop and rolling pin with crisco.  This makes the dough stick a little and makes it much easier to roll the dough out without it shrinking back on you.  I just stick my hand in a small ziploc and use that as a "glove" to grease with.  Works great!

You can go here to see pictures of the process and of the finished product.  With this recipe, I think it helps to have a visual. :-)  Someday, I would really love to have a good camera and a good lesson on photography.



pizza dough
mozzarella cheese, shredded or cubed
pepperoni, cut into fourths (I used the mini-pepperonis.)
Whatever toppings you'd like to stuff your rolls with!

Roll pizza dough out into a large rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 12 pieces. (One time I made this, I got 12 out of the dough.  Another time, I got 16.)  Layer the toppings in the center of each square of dough; about 2-3 Tb total of toppings on each. Now stretch and fold the dough around the toppings, pinching to seal edges. This is the tricky part - the more toppings you use, the harder it gets to tuck them all within the dough! (fyi: pepperoni and cheese or ham and pineapple are much easier, as you can imagine.) Now place seam side down in a lightly greased casserole dish or glass baking dish. Brush with melted butter (I used spray butter) and sprinkle with garlic salt. (I used Lawry's garlic salt with parsley.) Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until rolls are light brown. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Choc.Chip Pancake Bites

Recipe Source: bakerella on thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen

Here's another kid-friendly recipe that I tried in the absence of dad.  The first time I tried these didn't actually go very well.  I KNEW I had a bag of mini-chocolate chips, so I didn't add them to my grocery list.  Mysteriously, I could not find the bag anywhere when I began making these on the appointed night.  Frustrating!  What I did have was a bag of mini m&ms.  So I tried those....bad idea!!  Once I stirred them into the batter, the colors all bled together, and the batter turned a muddy swirl color.  Then while baking, the m&ms all sunk to the bottom and stayed in the bottom of the pan when I took the pancake bites out.  So, DON'T follow my bad example and be sure to use mini chocolate chips for this recipe!  The original recipe calls for regular milk chocolate chips, so those would work, too.

These were a big hit at our house. (More so the second time around.)  The recipe says to use maple syrup for dipping, but we loved ours dipped in strawberry yogurt.  The strawberry and chocolate go really well together!  The first time around we had these with strawberry yogurt fruit salad.  The second time we had them with peanut butter maple granola over vanilla yogurt and bananas.  (I'll share the granola recipe soon.  It is SO good!!)


1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
⅔ cups Buttermilk (You can make your own buttermilk by putting 2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add enough skim milk to make 2/3 cup. Let sit for 5 minutes.)
1 whole Egg
2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup (I bet you could substitute pancake syrup, but I haven't tried it.)
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
½ cups Mini Chocolate Chips
More Maple Syrup or Strawberry yogurt For Dipping

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Generously grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk. In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the top of muffins before placing in the oven.

Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.

Serve immediately with more warmed butter if you like and/or a small bowl of maple syrup for dipping.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Recipe source:  cassiecraves.blogspot.com

Russell has been super busy getting ready for his exam coming up in June, so he hasn't been able to make it home for dinner lately.  Usually when he eats with us, I love trying new recipes and some oldies and favorites.  Sometimes that means the kids don't care for what we're eating.  Sometimes they are hungry enough to try what we are having and are so surprised when they actually like it!  Since Russell isn't around for dinnertime right now, I have been trying some new kid-friendly recipes out on the kiddos.  Tonight we tried these pepperoni pizza puffs.  They are basically mini pizza muffins.  I don't know about your kids, but mine love to dip things, so they liked having these to dip in pizza sauce.  They turned out really yummy, everybody ate, and everyone was happy. :-) 

Of course, you can mix in whatever pizza toppings your family prefers, but we were safe and stuck with pepperoni.  I doubled the recipe and did one tray with those cute little baby pepperonis and one tray with chopped turkey pepperoni to be calorie-conscious.  Both were delicious.  Pair these cute muffins with whatever fruits and veggies you can get your kids to eat, and you've got a great kid meal.  My kids love fruit salad.  TOTALLY EASY and delicious.  Chop one apple, one banana, and 5-6 strawberries and mix with
1/2-1 cup of strawberry yogurt.  YUMMY.


3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon pizza seasoning
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or whatever you've got. I used a monterey jack/colby blend.)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup mini pepperoni rounds (or 1 cup cubed pepperoni)
1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce (I used a jar of spaghetti sauce.)

 
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and pizza seasoning; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.


2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Easy-peasy ranch chicken sandwiches

I was looking for something fast and easy and DELICIOUS for dinner the other night.  What's easier than canned chicken and a few mix-ins?  Seriously, I was surprised how good this was.  The bread for the sandwiches is the focaccia bread from an earlier post.  You can even make it ahead of time to make things even quicker.  The bread is what took these sandwiches over the top.  I doubled the focaccia recipe and topped one with tomatoes, olives, and parmesan cheese and the other with only parmesan cheese.  Both were delicious!  We had some really yummy roasted potato wedges to go along with the sandwiches.  They seriously tasted like french fries!  I'll post that recipe on another day, but it is definitely one that I make over and over as will this sandwich recipe!

Focaccia bread
1 can shredded chicken breast
5 tbsp light mayo
1/2 pkg dry ranch dressing mix (1/2 oz.)
1/3 cup craisins

Mix chicken, mayo, dressing mix, and cranberries.  Slice open focaccia bread and spread mixture between slices.  And enjoy!

Spaghetti w/ Artichoke hearts and Tomatoes

Recipe source: thepioneerwoman.com/cooking

I love getting recipes from the Pioneer Woman.  Almost everything I make from her recipes turns out deeee-licious.  Seriously.  For easter we had her Pork loin with cranberry sauce, her Caesar salad, and her Buttered rosemary rolls.  Each one turned out perfectly and absolutely yummy.  And I have a ton of her other recipes on my "to make" list.  I really want to get her new cookbook.  Has anyone out there gotten it yet?  You'll have to let me know if you like it!

Tonight I was looking for a light, easy and low-cal pasta dinner.  Of course one of the first places I looked is PW's recipes.  I decided on this Spaghetti with artichoke hearts and tomatoes.  (Click here if you'd like to see her step by step pics, which I LOVE!) To be honest, I really didn't think I would like the chunks of artichoke hearts, but actually they turned out to be my favorite part.  This ended up being perfect, delicious, and just what I had in mind! 

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
1 can Artichoke Hearts (14.5 Oz. Quartered Or Whole) Drained
1 can Diced Tomatoes With Juice (14.5 Oz.)
1 cup Heavy Cream (I used half and half to save on calories.  It worked fine!)
½ cups Chicken Broth (More As Needed)
½ teaspoons Nutmeg (I forgot this, but I bet it would have been great!)
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 pound Thin Spaghetti
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives (or Other Herbs) Chopped


Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.


Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.

Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

Black Bean Burgers

Recipe source: ablogaboutfood2.blogspot.com

Please don't be scared away from the title.  These burgers really are so delicious.  And beans are so great for you!  Give them a try, I promise you won't be sorry you did.

One recipe will yield about 5 burgers, so I usually double it for our family.

1 can Black beans, drained and rinsed, a 1/4 cup of them set aside
1/2 cup green onion
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used a colby/monterey jack blend that was delicious, but you can use whatever you have on hand.)
1 egg beaten
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp barbecue sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Lettuce
Sliced tomato
Sour cream
Salsa
Red onion
Buns (We used these new sandwich thins.  I sprayed them with the no-cal spray butter and toasted them in my grill pan. You could toast them in any skillet.   They were delicious!  They're only 100 calories each!)

Use a potato masher to smash black beans. In a large bowl combine mashed beans with remaining ingredients, including whole beans. Mix well. Form into five patties on a parchment or wax paper covered cookie sheet, cover in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Cook patties in a large skillet at med/high heat for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side or until outsides are crisp and cheese is melted.  In another skillet or grill pan, toast buns while the burgers are cooking.

Serve on bun with whatever fixings you like. We topped our buns with sour cream, salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes.  So good!

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Recipe source: picky-palate.com

This pizza is super fast to make and is so delicious, I could seriously eat a whole pie!  It's SO good and actually can be very calorie conscious.  This is another one where I don't mind the fat free ranch.  The ranch taste is very subtle, so it's not obvious when you don't have the good stuff.  Also, I am too lazy to make my own barbecue chicken for this, but that's what makes it so fast!  I swear by the brand "Curly's".  It is my favorite to use in this recipe.  You can buy the prepared tubs of pulled barbecue chicken over by the lunch meat (that's where ours is). 

As far as the cheese goes, you can use whatever you love.  My favorite cheese to use on pizza is the Sargento brand mozzarella/provolone blend.  But anything works for this recipe, even cheddar.  For this recipe, I use one recipe of pizza crust to make two pizzas.  It creates a thinner crust, but it works well, plus it's half the cals!  But if you'd like thicker, just use one recipe for one pizza.  I also divide the tub of chicken between the two pizzas, but again, you can pile it all on one, if you're up for it!  Anyway, here you go!

One recipe pizza dough (Click here for the one we love)
1/2 cup fat free ranch dressing
1 tub Curly's pulled barbecue chicken
8 ounces shredded cheese
Chopped cilantro (if you are anti-cilantro, you can leave it off.  But if you aren't, don't , because it's so good on this pizza!)

Press pizza dough into two round pizza pans.  Spread 1/4 cup ranch dressing over each crust.  Divide tub of chicken between two pizzas, and spread evenly over pizzas.  Sprinkle 4 ounces of cheese and chopped cilantro over each pizza.

Bake at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Focaccia Bread

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

I'm always looking for new things for sides to go with dinner.  This foccacia bread is perfect for that.  We've used it as a side for things like chicken, fish, and spaghetti.  It's nice because you can choose whatever you want to put on top.  Typically I do sliced tomatoes, black olives, and parmesan cheese.  But once I made one separate for the kids and did a few pepperonis, black olives, and a monterey jack/parmesan cheese blend, and they loved it. (Except for little Russell, who will pick the black olives off of or out of anything.)  The best thing about it is it's pretty simple, pretty quick, and REALLY delicious!

Disclaimer: I did not take this photo.  Photo credit: Allrecipes.com username: pelicangal

1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Toppings: sliced tomatoes, black olives, other cheeses, pepperoni, etc.

1.Dissolve sugar in the warm water in a large bowl, then sprinkle yeast over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to foam. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, onions, basil, oregano, and 2 1/2 cups of flour until the dough comes together. If using a stand mixer, continue mixing with dough hook until smooth and elastic. If by hand, knead on a well floured surface until smooth and elastic. Spray inside of a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.



2.Preheat oven to 415 degrees F (215 degrees C).


3.Place dough onto oiled baking sheet (I use a cookie sheet), and flatten to cover the whole sheet evenly.  Here instead of oiling a baking sheet, I cover the bottom of the baking sheet with parchment paper.  It works great!! Use the tips of your fingers to make indentations all over the dough spaced about 1 inch apart. Drizzle the focaccia with 2 tablespoons olive oil, then top with tomatoes, olives, Parmesan cheese, (or whatever toppings you've chosen) and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt over the top. Let rise for 10 minutes


4.Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes until golden brown.

Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Chowder

Recipe source: tasteandtellblog.com

This was a fast and easy crockpot dinner.  We had it with Liz's cornbread from the last post.  The cornbread was so yummy dipped in the chowder!  We put sour cream and these tortilla strips on top.  It was delicious.  (P.S. I found these tortilla strips in the salad dressing aisle right beside the croutons.)   

To make this even faster, you could use those frozen grilled chicken strips instead of chicken breasts. Those would just need to be nuked for 3-5 minutes and then cut into chunks.

 

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
4 chicken breasts


In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, drained tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.

Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Cut chicken into bite sized cubes. Cook over medium heat until cooked all the way through. Add into soup.

Stir in shredded cheeses. Can be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.

Creamy Cornbread

I got this recipe from Grandma Mitchell's cookbook, and we loved it!

3/4 Cup yellow corn meal
1/4 Cup sugar
2 Tbl baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Cup flour
1 Cup sour cream
1/4 Cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbl melted butter

Mix ingredients just enough to blend.

Bake in greased 8 inch pan in 425 degree oven for 20 min.

This recipe is very yummy, enjoy!!!

Parmesan baked salmon

Recipe source:  kraftrecipes.com

Here is our other favorite salmon recipe.  We had this tonight, and it's just delicious and easy-peasy.  We LOVE it.  I like to serve this with potato wedges and fresh green beans.  I'll post those recipe another day. :-)

1/4 cup Mayo (I used light.)
2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (I used black pepper.)
4 salmon fillets (1 lb.), skin removed
2 tsp. lemon juice
10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup) (I used the honey flavored ritz, and we like those better than original ritz.)

HEAT oven to 400°F.

MIX mayo, cheese and pepper until well blended; set aside.

PLACE fish in shallow foil-lined pan; drizzle with lemon juice. Top with mayo mixture; spread to evenly cover fish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs.

BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Carmelized Onion & Prosciutto Pizza

Recipe source: thepioneerwoman.com

I cannot begin to describe the delicious-ness of this pizza.  Please, please, please make this.  This is me begging you to make this pizza for dinner.  I wish I could have you all over to feed you this pizza, but I'm so sad that I can't.  So you'll have to make it!  I would definitely pay to eat this pizza, it is to-die-for good.  Okay, I think I've gone on enough.  Just trust me, this is so, SO good.  I don't know if kiddos would like it, so I just did a plain ol' pepperoni pizza for them.

I'll give you the recipe, but go here for step by step pictures.  I did actually refer to the pictures when I made this today.  Pioneer Woman gives a pizza crust recipe to use for this pizza.  Her crust is supposed to be made at least 24 hours in advance.  I didn't want to do that, so I used a half recipe of my pizza crust (below), and it was still amazing.  I'm sure PW's recipe is great, too, if you remember to make the crust beforehand. 

Also, she says to find prosciutto in the specialty cheese section of the grocery store.  In mine, that section is close to the deli.  That's where I found the fresh mozzarella, but I didn't find prosciutto, so I used pancetta.  Prosciutto is an italian style ham, and pancetta is an italian style bacon.  So if you use prosciutto, you don't have to precook it.  If you use pancetta, chop it in pieces and cook it up like you would bacon, and put it on the pizza in place of the prosciutto. 

Okay, enough chatter.  Here it is:

Pizza Crust
Olive Oil, For Drizzling

1 whole Large Red Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced
¼ cups Brown Sugar
Kosher Salt To Taste
Parmesan Cheese, Grated
10 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Thinly Sliced
8 slices Prosciutto (more To Taste)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.


Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and brown sugar and toss/stir for several minutes, or until onions are brown and cooked. Set aside.

Roll out pizza dough to a rectangular shape.  (I pressed mine into a regular round pizza pan.)  Drizzle on olive oil, sprinkle on a little salt, followed by a little Parmesan.

Lay slices of mozzarella evenly over the top of the crust. Arrange caramelized onions over the top of the mozzarella. Randomly lay slices of prosciutto over the onions.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Barbecue Pineapple Chicken

This recipe is easy easy easy.......is that too many easy's??? NO WAY! I cannot get enough easy's when it comes to cooking and this one is really great.

These amounts can be changed with how many people you are feeding, but this is what I do for our family:

1 bottle bbq sauce of choice
1 big can pineapple chunks (including juice)
*6-8 frozen chicken strips (or 2-3 chicken breasts cut into strips, and it doesn't have to be frozen if you don't want, you will just cook it for less time)

There are two ways of cooking this meal, I have tried both and it is delicious either way

1.) Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours (I did all day because I was at work all day but it doesn't need that long.)

2.) Put all ingredients in baking dish and put in 35o degree oven for 45 min to an hour, or until the chicken is done.

And I usually serve this with mashed potatoes but it is great with rice too.

*This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce depending on the bottle of bbq sauce you use, and so you can add more chicken to go with the amount of sauce and the amount of people you are feeding :)

See, I told you EASY EASY EASY!!!!! (and scrumptious of course!!!!)

Liz

The best & easiest pizza dough, no kidding!

Recipe adapted from realmomkitchen.blogspot.com

Seriously, guys.  This has to be the easiest pizza dough out there.  It is my backup meal that I make when there's nothing else to make.  I always make sure I have the stuff for this, because I can throw it together and have it in the oven in about 10 minutes.  The kids love it, and we love it, too.  This dough is thick and doughy, which I love in a pizza crust.  I usually double it so we have two pizzas for our fam.  If you are trying to be calorie conscious, I often halve the dough for a thin crust pizza, and it's still yummy.  I've used this recipe for traditional pizza, chicken alfredo pizza, chicken pesto pizza, barbecue chicken pizza, and we also love veggie pizza. Oh, and you can also use this dough for grilled pizza, if you are into that sort of thing.  I tried grilling pizza last summer, and it was so fun!  I'll put the instructions at the bottom, just in case you want to try it.



3 cups flour, more or less (I know humidity and elevation affect how much flour is necessary. 2 1/2 cups of flour is perfect here, but I'm not sure about anywhere else.)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon garlic salt
I also have a pizza seasoning grinder that I bought in the seasoning aisle at the grocery store, kind of like the pepper grinders.  I do several twists of the grinder, but it tastes great without it, too.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix all pizza dough ingredients together, except the flour. Add flour and knead for a bit then press into pan.  I use a stand mixer to do the kneading; it just takes a minute or two. Top dough with sauce and toppings. Bake 12-15 minutes. Makes 1 large pizza.


To grill pizza:

Make 1 ½ recipes of the dough to make 6 personal sized pizzas that are about 7 inches in diameter. 

Turn your grill on and set it to high for 15 minutes. While the grill heats up, roll out your dough. I rolled it out to about 7 inches in diameter and I'd guess it was around 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Roll out your first piece of dough and brush one side with olive oil. Place oil side down on a piece of aluminum foil and brush the other side. Then top with a piece of foil. Follow this same process with the next piece of dough. You're gonna make a little stack of oiled dough in between foil pieces. The oil keeps the dough from sticking to the foil and grill and adds to the flavor of the crust. I am able to fit 4 of these pizzas on my grill at a time. Now you're ready to grill the dough. So now you turn the grill down to medium. Place the dough on the grill. Just take off the top layer from your stack using the foil and flip it on the grill. Once the dough is all on the grill close the lid and let it cook for 2 minutes. Now, no peaking during the 2 minutes even though you may want to. After the 2 minutes check the dough to see if it's done. The dough will get nice and puffy, about twice the size it was when you put it on there. If not let it go a little bit more. Now you want to have a cookie sheet nearby. Remove the dough from the grill with your tongs and place on the cookie sheet grilled side up. Now you get to top your pizzas however you like. Once topped carefully place the pizzas back on the grill with the aid of your tongs, to cook the underside of the dough. I turned my grill down to low at this point because the underside of crust was cooking faster than the toppings were getting heated. Close the lid again and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese is all melted. Remove from the grill using your spatula and enjoy!

Bajio Chicken

Recipe source: realmomkitchen.blogspot.com

This chicken is so, SO good.  We LOVE to use it in taco salad, but I'm sure it would also be great in tacos or burritos.

5 chicken breasts
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
3/4 cup Sprite (Sprite Zero works great! And it has NO calories.)

Salad dressing: mix 1 part ranch with 1 part salsa.  So good!  (I am usually not an advocate of fat free ranch, but I actually didn't mind it in this dressing since it is mixed with the salsa.) 

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high 2.5-3 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Thicken the juices with a little cornstarch mixed in water. (I mixed 1/4 cup of cornstarch with 1/4 COLD water, and then mixed it in to the chicken, and it seemed to do the job.)

Serve with corn chips, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, green onions, red or yellow bell pepper, and anything else you like on your taco salad.