Healthy Italian Wonderpot

This recipe is a quick, super easy meal that is healthy and affordable.  I was leery of the recipe before making it because it seemed too healthy to actually taste good.  There was no reason to be leery -- this was delicious!  This is the first time I cooked with turkey sausage.  I have always thought healthy = lack of flavor.  While the turkey sausage did not have as much flavor as pork sausage, it was still very tasty and was a nice addition to the dish.  Also, you can see two different types of pasta noodles in the picture -- I had less fettuccine at home than I thought, so I added some angel hair pasta to make up the difference.  Next time I make this dish, I will make it with whole wheat pasta to make it even healthier. 

Adapted from: Budget Bytes


What you need:
1 lb Ground Turkey Sausage
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 tbsp Olive Oil
12 oz Fettuccine Noodles, broken in half 
8 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach
28 oz Diced Tomatoes (undrained)
1 Medium Onion, sliced
4 Cloves Garlic, sliced
1/2 tbsp Dried Basil
1/2 tbsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Peper
Feta Cheese for topping

What you do:

1.  Brown the Turkey Sausage.  Set aside. 

2.  Place the Chicken Broth, Fettuccine, Canned Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Frozen Spinach, Sliced Onion, Sliced Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Red Pepper Flakes, and Crushed Red Pepper in a large pot.  Make sure everything is submerged under the liquid and place a lid on top of the pot.

3.  Bring the contents of the pot to boil on high heat.  Remove lid and reduce heat to medium.  Allow the pot to boil for 8 minutes.  Add turkey sausage.  Continue boiling for 2-7 more minutes, or until the pasta is cooked.  Stir the pot about once every 3 minutes while it is cooking.

4.  Serve with crumbled feta cheese on top.  

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

   

  Right after the holidays, I picked up a box of this cupcake mix on clearance.  When I eventually made them, I wasn't all that impressed.  They didn't really remind me of hot chocolate at all.  It was basically a chocolate cupcake with a marshmallow glaze.  I know, I know -- I can't expect perfect from a boxed mix.  Of course, I considered this a challenge, though, and decided I had to come up with my own hot chocolate cupcake recipe.  The result was pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.  The cupcakes really taste just like a mug of hot chocolate and the marshmallow frosting is light and fluffy and dreamy.

     I usually take all the food that you see on here to work to be eaten, but I don't usually toot my own horn.  I just set it out and let it be eaten.  But let me tell you, when I made these and took them to work, I tooted my horn all over the whole building.  Seriously. I sent out e-mail blasts telling everyone how amazing my cupcakes were.  And they came.  And they ate them.  And they all agreed.  So, try them.  They're delicious.  

What you need for the cupcakes:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
4 Eggs
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Water
1 Box of Chocolate Pudding Mix 
12 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
6 Individual Hot Chocolate Packets

What to do for the cupcakes:
1.  Preheat the oven according to the directions on the box of the chocolate cake mix. 

2.  Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. 

3.  Put everything in a bowl and mix well. 

4.  Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake according to the directions on the box of the cake mix. 

What you need for the icing:
1 stick Butter, softened
1 jar Marshmallow Fluff (7 oz)
2 cups Confectioners Sugar
A Pinch of Salt 
1 tsp Vanilla 


Here's what you do to make the icing:
1.  Beat butter on high speed until light and fluffy. 

2.  Add marshmallow fluff and continue to beat until incorporated. 

3.  Add sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on high for 5-6 minutes, scraping down the bowl.

I piped the marshmallow frosting on top of the cupcakes to make them pretty.  I also found that if you toss these in the microwave for about 15 seconds, they're even more delicious when they're just a little warm.

Enjoy! 

Snickerdoodle Bread

I never knew I had a thing for Snickerdoodles until I made these Snickerdoodle Cupcakes.  And then, I had to try every Snickerdoodle recipe I found after that.  Some of them have been not so great.  Others have been okay.  And then ones like this one turned out fabulous.  So I share it.  I also have a recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies that I should be sharing soon. 

This is a sweet bread that I think can serve as a snack, a dessert, or breakfast.  It is delicious and super moist.  And, of course, it's easy to make.  Give a shot, you'll like it, I promise!

Slightly Adapted from:  Creations by Kara

What you need:
1 cup Butter at room temperature
2 cups Sugar
3 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla 
3/4 cup Sour Cream
2 1/2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 bag of Cinnamon Chips
Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture for Topping (I don't have specifics here -- I just winged it.  Combine the cinnamon and sugar to taste)

What you do:
1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

2.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add in eggs, vanilla and sour cream. 

3.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

4.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (or vice versa) and mix until fully combined. 

5.  Add the cinnamon chips and mix until chips are fully integrated. 

6.  Divide your batter among 4 mini loaf pans. 

7.  Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the loaves. 

8.  Bake for about 35 minutes or until the loaves are a nice golden brown. 

9.  Allow the loaves to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and allow to finish cooling on cooling racks. 

I have made these in muffin form as well and they were just as delicious, but a little easier to divvy up at work.  Instead of putting your batter into 4 mini loaf pans, put it into lined muffin tins and sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar topping on top of each muffin.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown.  

Enjoy!

Honey Corn Bread

This is the first time I made homemade corn bread.  I wanted to make it to go along with the Gumbo I was making.  I knew the gumbo was going to be spicy, so I thought the sweetness of a honey corn bread would nicely offset the spice of the gumbo.  When it's finished, the corn bread has just the slightest hint of honey.  The original recipe  says that it is similar to corn bread served at Tippin's restaurants.  I've never had Tippin's corn bread, so I don't know.  

I ended up eating this with the Gumbo, but I also added some peanut butter and honey and had it for a dessert a time or two.  And, I substituted this corn bread for pancakes or toast for at least one Sunday breakfast.  This recipe ended up being a lot more versatile than I would have initially imagined.  

Source: Dine & Dish

What you need:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups AP Flour
2 cups Cornmeal (I used yellow)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Kosher Salt
4 Large Eggs
2 cups Milk
3/4 cup Honey  

What you do:

1.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. 

2.  Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, 1/2 cup of honey, and 1/2 cup of butter. 

4.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. 

5.  Poor into prepared baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven when the cornbread turns a nice golden brown. 

6.  While the bread is baking, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of butter with the remaining 1/4 cup of honey.

7.  Immediately after you remove the corn bread from the oven, brush the honey/butter mixture over the top of the bread.  Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting. 

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Gumbo

I had homemade gumbo once a few years back and fell in love with it.  I've bought store-made gumbo since then and it just hasn't quite stood up.  So, I decided to give making gumbo a shot myself.  I'm not sure why, but I was very intimidated by the idea, thinking it was surely going to be quite complicated.  Turns out, it wasn't.  And, for bonus points, I made mine in my crock-pot so it's totally a set it and forget it gumbo which makes it doubly easy. 

I will warn you, though, that this recipe is quite spicy.  If you are shy about spicy food, I suggest you cut down the cayenne pepper a bit.  If it's too dull for you in the end, toss in a bit more cayenne pepper to spice it up.  I served my gumbo with homemade honey corn bread, which was a bit sweet and complimented the spicy gumbo very well.  Yum!

Adapted from: Cats and Casseroles

What you need:

1 lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

14 oz Andouille Sausage

28 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes (undrained)

1 Large Onion

1 Large Green Bell Pepper

1 Cup Chopped Celery

2-3 Cups of Chicken Broth

2 Tsp Dried Oregano

2 Tsp Dried Parsley

2+ Tsp Cajun Seasoning

2+ Tsp Cumin

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

2 Chicken Bullion Cubes

A Touch of Kosher Salt

1 Cup Cooked White Rice

What you do:

1.  Chop the onion, bell pepper and celery into large chunks.  Place in crock-pot.

2.  Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken broth, oregano, parsley, 2 tsp Cajun seasoning, 2 tsp cumin, cayenne pepper, and chicken bullion cubes to the crock pot. 

3.  Season both sides of your chicken as you would like.  I used a bit of kosher salt, Cajun seasoning, and cumin.  Wrap the chicken in foil.  Place the foil-wrapped chicken on top of everything that is in the crock-pot. 

4.  Put the lid on your crock-pot and cook for 3-4 hours on low heat or 7-8 hours on high heat.  Cooking time will vary depending on your crock-pot. 

5.  After the cooking time has elapsed, remove the foil-wrapped chicken from the crock-pot.  USE TONGS!  It's hot in there, folks. 

6.  Set the chicken to the side to cool for a couple of minutes.  Meanwhile, add an additional 1-2 cups of chicken broth to the crock-pot if you would like for your gumbo to have more liquid. 

7.  Thinly slice the sausage and add it to the crock-pot. 

8.  Unwrap the chicken and shred it using a fork and knife.  Add it to the crock-pot. 

9.  Let the contents of the crock-pot continue to cook while you make the white rice according to the instructions on the package.  

10.  Serve the gumbo by putting some gumbo in a bowl and then adding a bit of rice to each serving. 

Enjoy!

**Tip**  If you add the white rice to the gumbo, the rice will absorb a lot of the liquid if you store leftovers.  That's why I tell you to make it separately and add a bit as you serve it.  Be sure to store the rice separately as well and your gumbo will remain moist. 

**Tip** Cooking the chicken in foil on top of the rest of the gumbo prevents the meat from deteriorating and become tough or dry.  A lot of people dislike meat cooked in a crock-pot for those reasons.  Trust me on this one -- cook the chicken in foil and you'll have super tender and delicious chicken for your gumbo. 

Lasagna Soup

I really like making lasagna from scratch, but it's so time consuming I rarely actually get to do it.  It finally got cold around here and it looks like it's going to stay that way, so I decided some soup was in order.  I've had this recipe pinned on Pinterest for quite a while now, so I decided to give it a go.  I was suspect though -- I thought that there was no way a soup could actually taste like lasagna.   I was wrong.  It really does taste like lasagna.  Don't believe me?  Give it a try.  You'll be surprise.  Bonus --  it is about a million times easier and faster to make than making a lasagna from scratch. 

Slightly adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

What you need to make the soup:
1 1/2 Pounds Sausage 
1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
6 Oz Tomato Paste
28 Oz Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (undrained)
6 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp Dried Basil
1/2 Pound Rigatoni Noodles
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese (for garnishing)

What you do to make the soup:
1.  In a large pot, cook the sausage for about 5 minutes on medium heat, breaking it up as you cook. 

2.  Add the onions to the sausage and continue cooking (stirring occasionally)  for about 5 minutes, or until the sausage is completely cooked.  Drain excess grease if necessary. 

3.  Add the garlic powder, oregano, red pepper, and tomato paste.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

4.  Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes (with the juices), chicken broth, and basil. 

5.  Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

6.  While the soup is boiling/simmering, cook the rigatoni noodles according to direction and make the ricotta cheese mixture (below).  Drain and fully rinse the noodles.


What you need to make the ricotta cheese mixture:
1. 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
2. 1/4 Cup shredded Asiago Cheese
3. 1/4 Cup shredded Romano Cheese
4. 1/4 Tsp Salt
5. 1/8 Tsp Black Pepper
6. 1 1/2 Tsp Dried Basil

What you do to make the ricotta cheese mixture:
1. Mix everything together. (Really. That's it.)


To Serve:

Place a couple of spoonfuls of rigatoni noodles in the bottom of a bowl. Top the noodles with a couple of ladlefuls of lasagna soup. Garnish with shredded mozzarella. Add a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture on the very top. Serve immediately.

This is goes great with a crunchy piece of garlic bread.




Enjoy!

Alice Springs Chicken

My favorite dish (maybe also the only one I've ever ordered) from Outback Steakhouse is the Alice Springs Chicken.  I've looked online several times in the past and have been unable to find a copy cat recipe.  Until I found this one.  Super excited to finally find a recipe, I gave it a go and was not disappointed. It was pretty easy to make and, although this is not Outback's exact recipe, it comes pretty darn close.  Close enough that I'll be making it again.  I'm not even going to try to tweak it to make it closer to Outback's -- it's that close. 

Slightly Adapted From:  The Finer Things In Life

What You Will Need:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Seasoning Salt to Taste
6 Slices of Bacon, cut in half
1/4 Cup Mustard
1/3 Cup Honey
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise 
2 Tsps Onion Powder
1 Cup Fresh White Button Mushrooms, sliced
2 Cups Shredded Colby Jack Cheese

Here's What You Do:
1.  Sprinkle season salt on the chicken breasts and rub in well.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

2.  While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook your bacon (I baked mine).  Save the bacon grease. 

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

4.  Saute the chicken in the bacon grease for about 5 minutes per side (until browned).  As you cook each piece of chicken, place the cooked chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

5.  In a bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayo, and onion powder.  Apply this mixture to each chicken breast. 

6.  Place a layer of mushrooms, bacon, and shredded cheese on each chicken breast. 

7.  Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes, or the cheese is melted and the chicken is completely cooked through.   

8.  Serve the chicken with the remaining honey mustard sauce that you made in step 5. 

I served my Alice Springs Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.   It was delicious!

Enjoy!

Breakfast Pizza

Sometimes, I have leftover pizza for breakfast.  Sometimes, I have leftover breakfast for dinner.  Pizza and breakfast food are two of my favorite things.  The only logical thing to do, then, is to marry the two together, right?  Right.  And, that is exactly what I did.  You can thank me later.

What you need:
1 Pizza Dough*
1 Can of Sausage Gravy
1/2 Lb. cooked breakfast meat of your choosing (I used bacon)
6 Eggs, scrambled
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Any veggie toppings you want on your pizza ( I added mushrooms)

*I make my own pizza dough using a recipe that I haven't been authorized to share.  You can always pick up a pre-made crust at the store or you can buy a can of pizza dough just like a can of biscuits and cook the dough yourself.

What you need to do:
1.  Cook and drain your breakfast meat and scramble your eggs.

2.  Preheat your oven according to the directions on your pizza dough.  Prepare your pizza dough and lay it out on your baking stone or pizza pan, but do not bake the dough.

3.  Spread a generous amount of sausage gravy on top of your cooked pizza crust (as if it were pizza sauce).

4.  Sprinkle your cooked breakfast meat on top of the sausage gravy.

5.  Sprinkle scrambled eggs on top of the sausage gravy and meat.

6.  Sprinkle any veggie toppings on top of the other toppings.

7.  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the pizza.

8.  Bake according to pizza dough directions. 

Enjoy!

Pepperoni Roll-Ups

My friend Amber bought a house earlier this year.  She had a housewarming party, like, a month later.  I bought a house last year.  I haven't had my housewarming party yet.  When I do have it, it will be more than a year later.  But, whatever.  I'm not bitter.  At all. 

Amber was nice enough to let me bring lots of food to her housewarming party.  That meant that I got to try lots of new recipes. This one was a big hit!  Everybody loves pepperoni and melted cheese.  Toss in a crisp, buttery crescent roll . . . Perfect!  Plus, these get bonus points for being really easy to make. 

Source:  The Girl Who Ate Everything

What you need:
2 packages refrigerated Crescent Roll dough, garlic flavored
8 Cheese Sticks, halved
48-64 pieces of Pepperoni
Marinara Sauce and Ranch Dressing for dipping

What you do:
1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
2.  Place 3 to 4 pepperoni pieces on the bottom of the triangle of each 
     crescent roll. 
3.  Place one cheese stick half on top of the pepperoni on each 
     crescent roll. 
4.  Roll up each crescent roll and place seam side down on a cookie sheet. 
5.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crescent rolls are cooked 
     thoroughly (until they are golden brown).
6.  You can put out small bowls of marinara sauce and ranch dressing 
     for dipping if you would like. 

Enjoy!

Copy Cat Recipe: Mini Warm Delights

I've eyed these Mini Warm Delights in the grocery store for a looooong time, but always refused to buy them because you have to pay about $3.00 for two teeeeeny tiny little single serving cakes.  I also thought that if I wanted a chocolate cake that bad, I'd just whip up an entire cake.  Well, in a moment of weakness, I finally bought them a few weeks ago.  I thought they were good, but still didn't think they were worth $1.50 each.  However, I was quite consumed with the idea of making myself a delicious little cake in just a couple of minutes. So, I decided I'd try to copy the recipe. 


I searched the Internet far and wide and found a lot of different recipes, but none were really all that appealing to me.  So, I experimented with my own recipe.  It turned out fabulous!  Much better than I ever could have expected.  And, I did a little taste test with my man friend and we both determined that my little recipe beats the Mini Warm Delights!  My cakes are more moist and more dense than the Mini Warm Delights.  I also think mine have a stronger chocolate flavor.  Take that Betty Crocker! ;-)  


I will warn you, the recipe below makes massive quantities.  But, you have options.  You can  make the recipe as directed below and store your mix in Tupperware at home.  I've even placed individual servings into small sandwich baggies and taken them to work so that whenever I need chocolate, it's there for me.  Or you can just cut the recipe down and have less on hand -- if you do so, just make sure you maintain the chocolate cake mix to brownie mix ratio (1:2). 


What you need for the cakes:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Box of Instant Chocolate Pudding
2 Boxes of Chocolate Brownie Mix
Miniature Chocolate Chips
Water


What you do to make the mix:
1.  Pour the chocolate cake mix and instant pudding mix into one bowl.  Stir well to combine the two powders.
  
2.  Add the two boxes of brownie mix.  Stir well. 


THAT'S IT!


When you want to make yourself a little cake, put 1/4 cup of the mixture and a teaspoon or two of miniature chocolate chips into a ramekin dish.  Add 7 Tsps (or 2 Tblsps + 1 Tsp) of water.  Stir well with a fork.  Microwave for 30-45 seconds. Then enjoy!


I put 1/4 cup of the mixture + some miniature chocolate chips into some baggies and took those, a ramekin, and a teaspoon to work.  So, when I need a little pick-me-up, it's there -- more delicious than the Mini Warm Delights, less expensive, and just as convenient!


Also, if you add about 1 Tsp of  Fudge Ice Cream Topping (like this, not like Hersey's Syrup) to the center of the ramekin before you microwave, you end up with a mini lava cake.  See the gooey fudge there:

Experiment away with toppings for these little cakes!  We've added whipped topping and ice cream and loved both! 


Enjoy!

Breakfast Lasagna

Sooooooo . . . I've been on a bit of a hiatus from the blog.  Sorry about that!  I got to the point where I wasn't making progress on my house and I was getting quite frustrated.  I decided that I was juggling too many balls and I'd need to make a cut if I was going to get anythying completed.  So, I put blogging on hold and focused on the house.  All the while I continued trying new recipes, so I've got lots to share with you. AND, I'm in like *this* close to perfecting an amazing recipe, making all the waiting soooooo worth it!


Anyhow,  the good new is:  I'm done with all of the substantial painting!  The bad news is:  I'm far from done with the renovations. 


Back to good news, shall we?  I think I'm far enough along with the house that I can start blogging again and maintain progress!  So, here I am.  And to make up for lost time, I bring you breakfast lasagna.  This is "man's man"'s dream!  You'll love it too, I promise!  


I got the idea from I Breathe . . . I'm Hungry . . ..  Except, she made hers low carb and healthy and stuff.  That's not really my style.  So, using the basic idea, I made my own breakfast lasagna.  It's actually quite easy and quite filling.  One of these lasts me a full week for dinner.  Here it is:


What you'll need:
1 Can of Biscuits (I used flaky buttered flavored biscuits)
1 Can of White Sausage Gravy (I used this)
1 Lb. of breakfast meat of your choice (i.e. bacon, sausage -- so far I've used ground sausage, link sausage, and patty sausage)
8 Eggs
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese


What you'll do:
1.  Bake your biscuits according to the can.  Leave the oven on when they're done baking.
2.  While the biscuits are baking, fully cook your breakfast meat. 
3.  Put the can of sausage gravy in a small pot on the stove to heat just until    warm.  While the gravy is warming, crack your eggs into a small bowl and whisk for scrambled eggs.  Cook eggs.
     *Hint:  I like to cook my eggs in a little of the grease left over from the meat I cook.  
       Clearly, not that healthy, but, seriously worth it.*
4.  In a 13 x 9 baking dish, put one layer of biscuits in the bottom.
     *Hint:  I cut all of my biscuits in half to make a more stable base.  I ended up using 
       three full biscuits (six halves) to cover the bottom of my pan.
5.  Spoon about half of the gravy on top of the biscuits.
6.  Layer about half of the scrambled eggs on top of the gravy.
7.  Layer about half of your cooked breakfast meat on top of the eggs.
8.  Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on top of the meat.
9.  Repeat steps 4 through 8, using the rest of your ingredients (I had two biscuits left over).
10.  Throw the pan in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until your cheese is thoroughly melted.


Enjoy!


I've made this with link sausage and sausage patties.  I prefer the patties, but for no good reason, except they  are easier to cut when you're cutting the lasagna than links are.  I think bacon could be used as well.  I always add ground sausage to my gravy as well. I served mine with hash browns.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I had another Christmas gathering this past week.  Yes, I realize we are well into January.  And, yes, I did say a Christmas gathering.  What can I say?  I'm a lucky lady with lots of people to share holidays with. . . which can result in awkwardly timed holiday celebrations.  


Anyhoo, I was in charge of bringing a dessert.  But, I was in the middle of my $4 a Day Challenge, so my options were limited.  I headed over to my Pinterest account and browsed through my Recipe Board for a recipe that I had the ingredients for in my cabinets.  This was the winner. 


I followed the recipe exactly and it came out fabulously!  There were some leftovers from the party, so I heated those up for breakfast once or twice.  Why?  Why not?  


Cake for breakfast?  Yes, please.  


And, it really did taste just like a cinnamon roll, so it was practically breakfast anyway. 


Source:  Chef in Training


Here's what you need for the cake:
3 cups Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Sugar
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 cups Milk
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Butter, melted


Here's what you need for the cake topping:
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Flour
1 tbsp Cinnamon


Here's what you do to make the cake:
1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with nonstick spray.  Set aside. 


2.  Mix together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. 


3.  Slowly stir in the melted butter. 


4.  Pour into the baking dish.  


5.  Set aside. 


6.  Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon for the topping.  Mix until well combined and creamy.


7.  Drop evenly over the cake batter in the pan by tablespoonfuls.  


8.  Use a knife to swirl the cinnamon topping into the cake batter. 


9.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 


10.  While the cake is baking make the glaze as directed below. 


11.  After removing the cake from the oven, let it cool slightly.  Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. 




Here's what you need for the glaze:
2 cups Powdered Sugar
5 tbsp Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

Here's what you do to make the glaze:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk. 

Although this taste great cold, I preferred it served warm. 

Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Rice

(Please excuse the terrible photo.  Apparently I was so excited to eat

my cilantro lime rice that I didn't have time to take a decent pic.)

If you like Chipotle's rice, you're gonna LOVE this stuff.  It's one million times better than Chipotle's rice.  Trust me.  It's like the crack of rice. 


Apparently, it's a copycat recipe for rice served at a restaurant called Cafe Rio.  I've never been there.  But, if they serve stuff like this, eating there is going on my bucket list.  I got the recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything. 


I use it as a side dish for Mexican meals.  I also use it to make burrito bowls, Chipotle style.  It's simple to make and uses relatively few ingredients. 


Slightly adapted from:  The Girl Who Ate Everything. 


Here's what you need:
2 Tb. Butter 
1 ¼ White Rice
Juice of 2 Limes 

2 ¼ cups Chicken Broth
2 Tb. chopped fresh Cilantro
¾ tsp. Salt¼ tsp. Cumin 


Here's what you do:
1.  In a sauce pan, melt the butter with the rice. 


2.  Add the juice of the limes, chicken broth, cilantro, salt, and cumin. 


3.  Bring to a boil. 


4.  Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. 


Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies -- Day 5: Oatmeal Cookies

This summer I found this recipe for Oatmeal Cream Pies.  I gave them a try and they were so good they disappeared before I had a chance to take pictures of them.  But, I'll make them again in the future and promise I'll get them posted.  Anyhow, I wanted to make an oatmeal cookie for the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, but (can anyone guess what's coming??) I don't like oatmeal cookies, in general.  I find them to be hard and dry, usually.  But, these Oatmeal Cream Pies were soft and moist.  And delicious.  So, I decided to use the "pie" part of the Oatmeal Cream Pies as my oatmeal cookies.  They stay soft for days.  And, I swear, because they've got molasses in them, they get softer as time goes on.  


Source: Running Around Normal


Here's what you need: 

6 tbsp Butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 tbsp Molasses

1 egg

1/4 tsp Salt

1 cup Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 cup Quick Cook Oats

1 tsp Baking Soda

1.5 tbsp boiling Water

Here's what you do:

1. Put a pot of water on the stove to boil.

2.  Cream together the butter and sugar. 

3.  Add the egg and the molasses until combined. 

4.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. 

5.  Gradually pour the and stir the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.

6.  Add the oats and the cinnamon and combine. 

7.  Add the baking soda to the water and stir until baking soda is dissolved. 

8.  Stir the baking soda mixture into the batter. 

9.  Wrap the dough in parchment paper and place in a baggie.  Refrigerate for about an hour or freeze for about 15 minutes. 

10.  While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

11.  After the dough has chilled, drop spoonfuls of dough on the baking sheet. 

12.  Bake for about 8 minutes. 

13.  Remove cookies to cooling rack upon removing the cookie sheet form the oven. 

Enjoy!

Baked Potato Casserole

I used to have the. most. delicious. recipe for baked potato casserole.  Now I can't find it.  If you've ever had a good baked potato casserole, you understand my devastation.  If you haven't, let me explain . . . 


Baked potato casserole is an amazing creation that everybody loves.  The recipe always makes about one million servings, so it's great for large gatherings (think -- holidays), or if you just feel like only cooking once this week (helloooooo college!).  It's a comfort food that compliments pretty much everything.  Or, it can be eaten as a meal by itself.  


Anyhow, I decided I wanted to make baked potato casserole for a work Thanksgiving luncheon.  That is when I discovered that I could find my recipe.  Devastation ensued.  Then I googled it.  I found Emeril's recipe, which definitely isn't my recipe, but it's at least kinda close.  And, it ended up tasting pretty good, so I scored. 


If I am ever reunited with my recipe, I'll post it here.  Hopefully, I'll find it when I finally get to move into my house and unpack (I promise I'm not making that up -- it will happen).  Until then, this will have to do. 


Adapted from Emeril


Here's what you need:

• 5 Lbs Red Potatoes
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 1 & 1/2 Cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 Teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Lb Bacon, cooked until crip and crumbled
• 1/2 Lb sharp Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3/4 Lbs mild Cheddar, grated (3 cups)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Additional butter for baking dish
• Additional sour cream for garnishing
• Additional diced green onions for garnishing
• Sliced black olives for garnishing

Here's what you do:

1.  Peel and cube the potatoes.

2.  Boil the potatoes until they are fully cooked. 

3.  Drain potatoes and put them in a large bowl.

4.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

5.  Add butter, sour cream, whipping cream, salt, and pepper to potatoes.  Mash until desired consistency. 

6.  Add 3/4 lb bacon, sharp cheddar cubes, half of the grated cheddar, green onions, and eggs.  Mix thoroughly.

7. Butter a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Spoon the potato mixture into the baking dish. 

8.  Top with remaining shredded cheddar cheese.

9.   Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. 

     Hint:  I halved the recipe and put part of it in a smaller baking dish and 

    part of it in a crock pot.  I refrigerated it over night and then  I took the 

    crock pot to work for the luncheon.  I cooked the potatoes on high for 

    about 3 hours and it was cooked all the way through.  It tasted just like 

    the pan that I had baked in the oven the night before.

10.  Garnish with additional sour cream, black olives and green onions. 

Enjoy!