Mary's Beer Bread

My mom's good friend, Mary, brought a loaf of warm bread to dinner while we were in Oklahoma during the holidays. It was mouthwateringly delicious. When she told me there were 4 ingredients, I was shocked! I got the recipe and finally pulled it out a couple weeks ago to eat with pasta. Since then I have made this recipe at least 10 times. I've gifted 5 loaves of this bread in the last week alone. It is seriously simple, super quick to pull together, and only uses 4 ingredients we always have. I hope you run to try this recipe and love it as much as we do. My almost 4-year-old daughter deemed me the "very best bread maker in the whole wide world" because of this recipe. =)

Mary's Beer Bread

(adapted by me to lessen the butter)

3 cups self-rising flour (or 3 cups of all-purpose flour plus 3 3/4 tsp baking powder and 3/4 tsp salt)

1/3 cup sugar

1 can of beer - any kind

1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with oil. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Pour in the beer, and stir just until it all comes together. The dough will be very stiff and dense. Dump it into the loaf pan, and spread to fill. Bake for 45 minutes, then pour the butter over the top, and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve warm.

In the bread pictured above, I sprinkled the top with parsley, basil, oregano, and garlic powder. It was heavenly, but it is equally heavenly just plain with butter. Yum!

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf - Pinterest Deal or Dud

via

A month or so ago I tried this delicious bread that I found via Pinterest. It is absolutely fabulous - just as good as it looks. I wanted to write about it right away, but I ended up doubling the recipe and freezing a loaf. I thought I'd wait until we thawed the loaf so I could report about its freeze-ability. It turned out perfectly. I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for a delicious bread.

I followed the recipe exactly using frozen blueberries. They were blueberries that I purchased fresh, spread on a cookie sheet, then froze. I then placed them in a large freezer bag to store so I can measure out what I need to thaw. I've heard from commenters that store-bought frozen blueberries are too watery for the bread. So I would either use fresh blueberries or fresh frozen blueberries like I used. Also, the loaf that I froze I skipped the glaze. I thought I'd add it after it was thawed, but it turns out the bread is perfectly moist and delicious (and sweet!) without it. I think from now on I'll leave the glaze off altogether.

Hope you enjoy! Recipe can be found here.

A Sweet Tradition

When I had my first baby, my sister-in-law brought a couple dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies along with a little card to set out in my post-partum room. The card thanked the doctors and nurses for taking such good care of me. It got a huge positive response, and several of the nurses would just drop in to grab a cookie. It was also nice to have something sweet to offer all of our visitors.

It's become somewhat of a tradition in my circle of friends and family, and I loved sharing it with a friend who just had her second baby recently. Since she loves, loves, loves all things s'mores, I went with that theme. I made Golden Graham s'mores bars inspired by this recipe, cut them into 2" squares, stuck them in a plastic bag, and tied it with an "It's a Girl!" ribbon. I printed the sign above, and stuck everything in a cute gift bag for her to carry to the hospital. This might be one of my very favorite baby-related traditions now!

Garlic and Herb Pull-Apart Bread

I saw a delicious-looking recipe for pull-apart bread that I was dying to try. The problem is that it used homemade bread dough that incorporated most of the flavorings. Sure, it's ideal. But I don't often have time for all that. So, after consulting my sister, I came up with a shortcut recipe that was a huge hit.

Garlic and Herb Pull-Apart Bread

2 tubes of refrigerated flaky biscuits

1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

seasoned salt

black pepper

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Heavily grease a bundt pan, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, open your biscuit tubes, separate them, and cut them into quarters.

Combine the melted butter and seasonings in a bowl. Dunk each piece of biscuit in the butter mixture, and toss it into your greased bundt pan. Repeat with half of the biscuit pieces. Then sprinkle one half cup of the cheese over this layer making sure it falls between each nook and cranny.

Top with the rest of the biscuit pieces dunked in butter, and finish with the rest of the Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Turn onto a plate, and serve warm.

Almond Flour Pancakes

We eat a LOT of pancakes around here. It's one of the handful of things that I can count on actually getting into my kids on a regular basis, and it's so nice to have them already cooked and ready-to-go in the mornings. Both of my kids eat them plain and even cold, so I can grab the straight from the fridge as I'm making my cup of coffee and toss them at the hungry babes. =)

I'm always trying new things to increase their nutritional punch, and I recently stumbled upon recipes using almond flour. At my last visit to Sprouts the raw almonds were only $3.99/lb, so I grabbed a bunch. Using my coffee grinder, I ground all of them into flour, dumped it into a Mason jar, and stored it in the freezer. It can be used just like regular flour to boost the protein in things like pancakes, muffins, etc. A word of caution - it is incredibly bland. I'm looking to test out roasting the flour a little before baking with it. I wonder how that would affect the flavor.

So, here's my newest pancake recipe using almond flour. It's an evolving recipe for certain, and I'll be sure to post updates.

Almond-Flour Pancakes

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup fruit/veggie puree (these were banana and sweet potato)

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk. Add the wet ingredients, and stir just to combine. Let this sit for 10 minutes, then cook on a hot griddle. I set my griddle to 375 and cook them for approximately 3 minutes per side. But I've found that this varies tremendously depending on the cooking method, so make sure to test it out.

Serve with butter and syrup. Or, for the kids, serve cut into strips to dip into applesauce, yogurt, syrup, or fruit puree. Yum!

Baked Ziti

The past week or so I've been doubling my dinner recipes so I can have meals to freeze. After making a recipe that turned out way too big for our family and splitting it into 2 8x8s instead of 1 9x13, I realized how easy it would be to just make 2 of some things. During these summer months it seems like we're much busier during the day. It makes it hard some days to plan dinners, and we've gotten into a bad habit of eating out way more than we should. This baked ziti is one of those recipes that is simple to make and easily doubles. I'm actually going to post the doubled version since I never ever make the regular recipe.

Baked Ziti

2 boxes of ziti, cooked according to the directions

1 large jar of Prego (or I usually do 3 of the heart healthy smaller jars)

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork sausage

16 ounces of sour cream

8 ounces of ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozarella cheese

8 slices of provolone cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute the onion for 5 minutes. Add the ground pork sausage and ground beef and brown. When it is all cooked, pour the meats and the pasta sauces into the cooked ziti, and stir.

In a seperate bowl, stir together the sour cream, ricotta cheese, and mozarella. I usually add a sprinkle of dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, and fresh black pepper.

Grease 2 9x13 baking dishes. Spread a layer of the pasta with sauces (1/4 of the total in each dish so you'll use half of the pasta in this layer) in the bottom of each dish. Top with a spreading of the sour cream/ricotta/mozarella mixture, then 4 slices of provolone cheese per dish. Repeat the pasta and sauce layer then the sour cream/ricotta/mozarella layer, then top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

If you're going to freeze them, wrap them tight with plastic wrap and freeze them now.

To finish (a fully-thawed dish), bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheeses are melted.

Swiss Chicken

I logged on to post an update to my Swiss Chicken recipe only to find that I had never posted the original recipe in the first place! I can't believe this staple hasn't made the blog yet. It's my favorite go-to for nights when I just need comfort food. It works perfectly in the crock pot, freezes easily, and uses mainly pantry ingredients I always have on-hand. I've taken this to church potlucks, dinner clubs, and to friends who have just had babies. Hope you love it as much as we do. (And sorry I don't have a picture. I'll try to remember to snap one the next time I make this.)

Swiss Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts (frozen are perfectly fine)

4-6 slices ofSwiss cheese (1 per chicken breast)

1 can reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup

1 cup of milk

1 box of stuffing mix, any flavor

1 stick of butter, melted

Grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, and preheat the oven to 350. Lay as many chicken breasts as will fit in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cover each breast with a slice of Swiss cheese. Stir together the soup and the milk, and pour over the top. Sprinkle the entire box of stuffing mix (still dry) over the top, then drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 55-60 minutes.

Crockpot version: Just layer the ingredients in the same way, and set the crockpot for 8 hours on low. It will most likely be done before then, but I've never had the problem of overcooking or burning with this recipe.

Notes: I had a craving for Thanksgiving dinner the other day, so I made this recipe. I had some leftover whole cranberry sauce from my pork tenderloin recipe, so I topped the chicken with a spoonful of that once I served it, and it was delicious. It definitely hit the spot. It made me realize that this dish would taste delicious using turkey instead of chicken too.

Father's Day Casserole

We had a Bible study dinner for my husband's birthday the evening before Father's Day. I made the pork recipe I recently posted in addition to a cheesecake. I had planned on also throwing together a casserole that I could put in the oven the next morning for a Father's Day breakfast in bed, but I completely forgot. We woke up Sunday morning with no plan and very few ingredients. While scouring the refrigerator, I came up with the idea to make a manly casserole with some of the leftovers and ingredients. It was a hit, so I thought I'd share.

Father's Day Casserole

6 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt & pepper

4-6 slices of bread

1 cup of leftover shredded pork and about 2 tablespoons of juices

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup your favorite shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

Tear bread into pieces, and toss in the bottom of a well-greased 9x9 baking dish. Lay the pork over the top, and sprinkle the juices all over the bread.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and cream cheese. Pour over the top of the bread and pork, and press down with the back of a spoon ensuring that the bread soaks up all of the liquid. Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the egg is set and the top is browned slightly.

PW's Spicy Pulled Pork, Crockpot-Style

A year or so a great friend of mine had us over for dinner and made PW's Spicy Pulled Pork. It was absolutely delicious, and I've made it a handful of times since. But, the whole having two little kids thing makes it difficult to tend to a hunk of meat once an hour for 6-7 hours. I had to come up with an easier version. Once again, I turned to my trusted crockpot, and it was a success. I'm not sure I'll make this in the oven again. [Note: The oven variety calls for cranking the heat at the end of the cooking time to make a really crispy crust on the meat. I'm not a crispy meat fan. If you are, you can just transfer this to a roasting pan just before serving to crisp it up.]

The Pioneer Woman's Spicy Pulled Pork, Crockpot-Style

(almost fully copied from The Pioneer Woman's recipe found here)

7-lb pork shoulder (I usually use a bone-in pork butt shoulder because they tend to be less expensive)

1 whole onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tablespoons salt

sprinkle of black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (PW calls for white wine vinegar, but I never seem to have any)

1/4 cup brown sugar

Place the pork shoulder in the crockpot. Throw the rest of the ingredients into a blender, and pulse until smooth and well-combined. Pour over the pork shoulder. Then, using your hands, rub the mixture into all of the nooks and crannies of the pork turning to coat. Add about 1/2 cup of water, and set to cook on low for 10 hours.

Just before serving, remove the pork to a large platter or 9x13 baking dish, and shred with two forks. Pour the juices over the top. Serve on your favorite tortillas with plenty of fresh limes, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, beans and rice. Yum!

Apple Pancakes

Growing up in South Bend, Indiana, we frequented Bibler's Pancake House. Owned by the family of our neighbors and a classmate of mine, and part of the Original Pancake House chain, Bibler's served up amazing breakfasts. My grandparents loved taking us there any weekend we could go. The line that always ran right out the door and out onto the sidewalk - even despite the often brutally-cold weather - was a definite indication of the meal to come. The atmosphere was old-fashioned, the coffee was hot, and the food outstanding. No longer owned by the Biblers, the Original Pancake House still stands, and it still boasts the same menu. My favorite? The Apple Pancake. It is absolutely amazing - a food you will dream about months (even years!) after tasting. The pancake takes over an hour to prepare, so the wait can be long...but well worth it.

I have been trying for years to re-create this gem to no avail. Most of the recipes I've found are way too cake-y. Bibler's is egg-y, dense, and rich-as-can-be. Most of the recipes are made in a pie pan. Bibler's was made in an iron skillet on the stovetop and finished up in the oven. Most of the recipes take 15-20 minutes. Bibler's, start-to-finish, takes an hour and a half. I'd long-abandoned my search and had settled on a visit to Bibler's every time we make the trek back to South Bend...until yesterday. My daily recipe from Allrecipes.com was one for a German pancake - another dish Bibler's does well. It set my apple-pancake-craving wheels in motion once again, and I found a recipe that looked promising. I was feeling pretty terrible with a head cold, I had cranky kids, and we were in the middle of a minor home-improvement project. But, as I sat thinking about this pancake, I knew it couldn't wait. So, in the hustle-and-bustle, I made my way into the kitchen and got to work making only a few minor changes out of convenience. This recipe is almost exactly the same as the apple pancake I know and love! I know all of the ingredients are staples in my house. If you have any doubt whatsoever about whether you should jump off the couch and go make this right this very minute, doubt no more. You will not be sorry!

Bibler's Apple Pancakes

(adapted from a recipe found here)

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 medium gala apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Melt the butter in an oven-safe skillet* over medium heat. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Dump in the apples, and saute stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the apple mixture sit for 1 hour to cool. (At this point I set a timer for 40 minutes so I could come back, make the batter, and preheat the oven by the time the 1 hour was up.)

Batter:

3 eggs

2/3 cup half-and-half (I used fat free, and it was perfectly fine)

1 Tablespoon of vanilla

2 Tablespoons of sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of flour, sifted

Beat the eggs with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add the half-and-half, vanilla, sugar, and salt, and mix until well-combined and until the sugar has dissolved. Add the flour, and stir slowly until it is completely mixed in. Let this sit for 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 475 degrees.

When the apple mixture is completely cooled and has been sitting for 1 hour, slowly pour the batter over the apple mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the top begins to brown. (The recipe I followed says to bake for 16-18 minutes, but mine was well done at 15. This largely depends on your oven, I imagine.)

Your finished pancake will look like this:

Let sit for 1 or 2 minutes, then loosen the edges with a rubber spatula. Place a large plate or platter upside-down on top of the skillet, and flip it over. Your pancake should drop easily onto your plate.

I love this pancake as-is, but Bibler's served it with powdered sugar to sprinkle on top. This just may become a new Christmas morning tradition around here. Delicious! If you make this, please make sure to stop back by and let me know how you like it.

*My skillets are oven-safe to 450 degrees. But I learned a trick years ago that I've used up to 500 degrees, and it has worked just fine. There is a small rubber grip on the underside of the handle on my pans, and that is the only part that is not oven-safe. I just wrap the handle with aluminum foil loosely before placing in the oven, and my handles have never been affected.

Crockpot Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

I love trying new recipes and combinations that I wouldn't have ever thought to put together. And I even love long, complicated dishes. So when I tried The Pioneer Woman's Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce, I fell in love. It is a perfect dinner for entertaining. But it is not at all a weeknight dinner possibility for me. This will not be news to mothers of small children, but the dinner-cooking-hour around here often resembles a WW3 battlefield. Neither of my kids enjoy that time of day on a regular basis, nor are they willing to suck it up and sit quietly while I lovingly slave over a dish like this. Instead they stand at the doorway of the kitchen whining and carrying on. (I have a "no whining in the kitchen" rule so at least they're not at my feet.) Anyway, I saw a similar recipe on a message board, and it inspired me to try to recreate PW's loin in a much more weeknight-friendly package. This was a HUGE hit. It is so quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive. I used a tenderloin that I had gotten on clearance at Target for $4. So our entire meal including sides was less than $10 and tasted like a million bucks. Yum!

Crockpot Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin (fresh or frozen - doesn't matter!)

1 onion, sliced

1 packet of dry onion soup mix (like Lipton or, as I used, generic)

1 can of whole cranberry sauce (or 2 cups of homemade)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

black pepper to taste

Dump the onion into the bottom of the crockpot to act as a liner. Lay the pork tenderloin on top (you do not have to thaw the loin - just add cooking time), and sprinkle the dry soup mix evenly.

Spoon the cranberry sauce as evenly as possible over the loin and onions. You want the flavor to soak into every nook and cranny as it cooks, but it's not easily spreadable.

Put the lid on, and cook on high for 4 hours. Mine was done at 3, although I can't imagine that this would dry out too badly as it is very liquid-y after an hour or so of cooking. I also can't imagine that this would be bad if you cook it on low for 8 hours while you're out.

When the loin is done, remove it from the crockpot, and set aside to rest on a cutting board.

Strain the juices that are leftover in the crockpot, and set aside. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the tablespoon of flour, and stir with a whisk to create a roux allowing it to get slightly brown. Slowly pour in the reserved and strained liquid whisking until well-combined. Allow to heat through and thicken to your desired consistency (a gravy consistency), sprinkle with pepper, and remove from the heat.

Slice the tenderloin, and top with the gravy. Yum!

New spin on an old classic

I absolutely love the green rice recipe I've been making for quite some time now. But tonight I made these enchiladas (HIGHLY recommend them...and everything else I've tried from this site!), and I didn't have any green enchilada sauce. I made a few changes, and I think I may even prefer this way now. I made the rice in the exact same way. I also made the same sauce base just without the enchilada sauce. Instead I put the cilantro, spinach, and some lime juice in the food processor with 1/4 chopped onion, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1 garlic clove. I pulsed it until it all came together, then dumped it into the rice after it was done cooking. We haven't sat down to dinner yet, but I can't keep myself from grabbing a spoonful from the bowl every time I walk past the kitchen. Yum!

Mother's Day 2011

I hosted my 5th annual Mother's Day at our house on Sunday. This is something I look forward to all year, and I'm always dog-earing recipes to try. I normally do a brunch, but it just didn't work out schedule-wise, so we decided on an after-dinner dessert bar instead. Yum! My stipulations for this sort of thing are to not have to do anything on the day of (since it is Mother's Day, after all - who wants to be cooking and cleaning on Mother's Day?). I did almost everything Saturday including setting out all of the dishes, so just before our family came, I had very little prep to finish. Here are the specifics:

On the Menu:

Fruit Pizzas

Nutella and Sea Salt fudge

Mini Strawberry Shortcakes

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies

Decaf Coffee

Fruit Pizzas
Cookie:
2 sticks of softened butter
1 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Then add the baking powder and one cup of flour at a time mixing well between each addition. The dough will be very, very dry and stiff. If it doesn't come together in the bowl, knead it with your hands until it does. Split it into 2 balls, and do not chill. Roll the dough out to approx. 1/8 inch, and use cookie cutters in your desired shape. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 5-10 minutes until the edges begin to brown lightly.

Frosting: I used the cream cheese frosting from this recipe. Refrigerate if you're not going to use it right away.

You can make everything a day ahead of time, but you should wait until just before serving to assemble the pizzas. Make sure to set the frosting out for 10-20 minutes or so to soften to make it spreadable. Frost the cookies, then arrange your favorite fruit on top.

Simple Mini Strawberry Shortcakes
This is a great way to put to use all of your empty babyfood jars!
I used a store-bought strawberry angel food cake. I sliced it with a bread knife, then cut circles out with a small biscuit cutter. You'll need 2 circles per jar. Slice a pint or so of strawberries, and sprinkle them with sugar. I did this the day before and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. They become juicy and more like a sauce than sliced fruit. Just before everyone arrived, I layered the angel food cake and strawberries and topped with whipped cream. You could also tie ribbon or tulle around each jar to match a party theme.

Mom's Fudge (with a Nutella and Sea Salt spin)
2 sticks of butter
4 1/2 cups of sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 9.5 oz milk chocolate bar, chopped
2 squares of unsweetened baking chocolates, grated
1/4 cup of Nutella
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups chopped nuts
coarse sea salt

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add sugar and evaporated milk, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil continuously for 6 minutes. Remove from the heat, and add the marshmallows stirring until they all melt. Add the chocolate chips, chocolate bar, baking chocolage, Nutella, and vanilla, and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pour into a well-buttered 9x13 pan, and sprinkle with sea salt. Let it sit at room temperature until it is set, and store in the refrigerator.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies
I followed this recipe with only a few changes. Roll out the refrigerated pie crust, and cut into circles that fit your muffin tin. I have a set of biscuit cutters, and I used the biggest one (3 inches) for this recipe. Press each circle into a well-greased muffin tin, and fill with 2 tablespoons of the pie filling mix. Bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean.

Kale Chips

We LOVE leafy greens around here and have no problem getting them into our diet. So when I saw kale chips on a show a month or two ago, I knew we had to try them. They were a huge hit. But, even if you're not a fan of greens, these are VERY tasty. My 3-year-old and I finished the entire batch in two sittings. In fact, she ate 3/4 of the batch herself and was sorely disappointed when they were gone. I'm thinking we're going to be making these often.

Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale, rinsed and dried

1 tsp or less of canola or olive oil

seasoned salt

Tear the kale off the hard stems, and roughly chop them into small, bite-sized pieces. Toss them in a big bowl with the oil. At the suggestion of my sister, I put the oil in the bottom of the bowl, then added the kale to toss. It would work perfectly if you had one of those oil spritzers since the kale should be coated, but VERY lightly with oil. Sprinkle the kale with seasoned salt, and spread on a baking sheet coated with Pam. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. You want the edges to be barely browning, and the chips to be crispy. The timing really is the hardest part of this recipe. You'll want to check them often starting at 10 minutes, and they may be done then. I had a handful of chips ready at 10 minutes, but I had to bake the rest for at least 5 minutes more. They are delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

(Image courtesy of Nestle's Very Best Baking Site)

We had my mother-in-law over for dinner and dessert to celebrate her birthday last week, and I was looking for something a little different than a cake. I stumbled upon this recipe, and I knew it was a winner. This is absolutely the easiest pie I have ever made - it's even easier than making chocolate chip cookies. It took me less than two minutes from the time I started my mixer until the pie was in the oven. If you are looking for a SIMPLE, very quick, and delicious recipe, this is a great go-to. It's one of those recipes that you can remember and not have to even consult the recipe in the process. We served it warm with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Here is the link to the recipe.

I did make a couple of changes. I omitted the nuts since I didn't have any on hand, and I added a teaspoon of vanilla. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. In the future, I would use mini chocolate chips since mine all sank to the bottom. It didn't change the flavor at all, but it looked a little off when we cut into it. That didn't change the fact that we gobbled it up so quickly I was unable to get a picture, though!

Sidenote: My favorite restaurant dessert (at least my favorite every-day restaurant dessert) is the Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie from Chili's. It is the only one I crave. Of course, it was deemed one of the 20 worst-for-you desserts in America. =P This pie could be almost exactly the same by adding walnuts and coconut to the filling and hot fudge and caramel sauce to the top of the ice cream. Delicious!

Texas Caviar

I wish I knew who to give the credit to for the basis of this recipe. My mom has been making a version of this ever since we moved to Texas in the mid-90's. It's a part of most of our summer gatherings. I made up my version this afternoon for our dinner group tomorrow night, and I can't stop dipping into it. Yum!

Alicia's Texas Caviar

2 bell peppers (I do one yellow and one red), finely diced

2 stalks of celery, finely diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime

salt & pepper

approx. 1/4 cup zesty Italian dressing

Mix everything together in a large bowl, cover, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips (my favorite for this is the Tostitos with a hint of lime), Fritos, or even with shredded chicken as a salad. Make sure to taste some of the caviar on a chip and add salt, pepper, or dressing as needed.

Everyone has their own version of Texas Caviar, and here are a few other things you can add: black olives, tomatoes (even a can of Rotel), avocado, green onions, jalapenos, or chickpeas.

Enjoy!

Corncake Leftover Idea

The corncakes I made the other day were a hit, but it makes quite a bit. With regular fruit and veggie pancakes, I am creative with how to use them up. We use them as the bread in peanut butter and honey sandwiches, toast them in the toaster and top with butter and cinnamon/sugar, etc. But with these savory corncakes, I had to pull out all of my creative energy. The result was a hit with the family. I made chicken pesto mini pizza, but any pizza toppings would be delicious. Here's what I did: Preheat your broiler in your oven making sure you have a rack 6 inches from the top. Spray a baking sheet with Pam, and arrange your corn cakes on top. Spread about a teaspoon of store-bought or homemade basil pesto on each cake. In a separate bowl, shred some chicken, and stir in some Caesar dressing just to coat. Layer this chicken mixture on top of each pesto-topped cake. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and browning slightly. Be careful, though, as the line between "slightly browned" and "burnt-to-a-crisp" in the broiler can be a matter of seconds. Enjoy!

Cheesy Corncakes

Have you checked out Weelicious yet? The link is also in my sidebar, and I have loved all of her ideas and recipes. I've been convicted lately about the amount of junk my 3-year-old is eating, so I plan to come up with a lunchtime meal plan based on her recipes. We started the other day with big plans. I saw her recipe for Italian Parmesan Corncakes and knew they'd be a hit with my kids. I grilled some chicken breasts with Italian seasonings and got to work gathering the ingredients...until I realized I didn't have them. Bummer. I was able to scrounge up some stand-ins, and my version was, in our humble opinions, delicious! Our lunch of grilled chicken, cheesy corncakes, and a side of marinara sauce was incredible. Hope you'll try it!

Alicia's Cheesy Corncakes

(based on Weelicious' recipe)

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

sprinkle of Italian seasoning

sprinkle of garlic powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup milk

1 cup of finely chopped spinach

1 tablespoon canola oil and more for cooking

Mix the corn muffin mix, cheese, seasonings, and baking powder in a bowl. Create a well in the center. Add egg and milk, and stir to combine. Stir in spinach, and allow to sit for 10 minutes (this step is always important for any type of pancake to make them light and fluffy) while your skillet preheats to 375 degrees. Use the canola oil to grease the skillet, and fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side until they're golden brown. Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping.

As with any pancake recipe, you can be very creative in your veggie additions. These would be great with some chopped chickpeas, peas, or even broccoli.

Quinoa and Steel Cut Oats

My poor kids are sick with a virus, and neither of them are interested in eating much. These are the times I try to make every calorie count because I truly believe that empty bellies (or bellies filled with empty calories) slow healing. When my kids lose their appetites, they tend toward high carb, low nutritional things like Goldfish crackers, Cheerios, etc. This afternoon I wanted to make something that would pack a punch (since neither of them went for the from-scratch, filled-with-veggies-and-whole-wheat-pasta chicken noodle soup I made). I had some quinoa in the fridge, so I combined that with some steel cut oats for a protein and nutrient-filled snack. And it was delicious! Here it is so I don't forget my combination.

Quinoa and Steel Cut Oatmeal

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 tsp cinnamon

2 small apples, cored, peeled, and chopped

a handful of dried cranberries

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 cup juice

1 tsp vanilla

brown sugar or a drizzle of honey to taste

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan. Add the milk and water, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir often, and add the juice as needed as the quinoa and oats absorb the water and milk. I ended up needing the entire extra cup of liquid. You basically don't want it to dry out before the quinoa and oats are finished cooking. After it is done, remove it from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. Give it a taste at this point. Since I used all-natural, no-sugar-added juice, it needed a little sweetening still. I chose brown sugar, but honey or agave nectar would be just as good.

*This recipe would also work in a slow cooker. Just mix the dry ingredients, then add 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of water. Place in a bowl that fits inside the bowl of the slow cooker, then pour water in between the bowls so it steams in a water bath. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

Simple and Quick Dinner Idea

I've been hard at work planning and preparing for the kids' birthday party next weekend, so my dinners have been very last-minute lately. This is one of our favorites, and I definitely want to share. I crave this pasta at least once a month, but I could eat it daily. And I always have the ingredients on-hand, so it requires no planning ahead.

Easy Tomato Pasta Carbonara

1 lb spaghetti (but any long pasta will do)

1/2 red onion, chopped

4 strips of bacon, chopped

1 large can of diced tomatoes

2 eggs

parmesan cheese to taste

salt + pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. In a separate skillet, saute red onion and bacon until bacon is just under crispy. Add the tomatoes and their juices, and cook until warmed through. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, and add a handful of parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss in the hot, cooked pasta, and stir. Pour the bacon tomato mixture over top, and toss until well combined. Serve hot with some crispy bread.