Jul15

Squash, Peppers, and Onions

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My mom recently gave me some squash that she grew in her vegetable garden.  I was grateful but… I had no idea what to do with it! Believe it or not, I’ve never made or even eaten squash before. Well, I assume I had it when I was a little girl but I don’t remember. If I did, I must not have liked it because I’ve never had the desire to eat it.

I looked up a few recipes and asked for help on my cooking board.  There were some great casserole suggestions and someone mentioned grilling or roasting them.  Then someone said, “Make it like you make your cabbage!” Well, that sounded easy enough for my first time. I planned to make it with onions and then my mom suggested green peppers as well.  So, I thinly sliced the squash and sauteed it over medium heat in a little olive oil with sliced green peppers and onions.  I seasoned it with kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, and marjoram.  And I liked it! Hey mom- I ate my squash! 🙂 DSCN0828

Jul9

Pizza Cake

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I have a special edition of Taste of Home from 2007 that has lots of fun recipes that you can make with cake mix.  I’ve made several of them in the past but it’s been a while since I used it.  I gave the book to Shania and told her to choose anything she wanted to make. I knew she would choose this pizza cake!

This is a fairly simple cake, in theory.  Making red frosting can be tricky- but I’ve learned that it gets darker the longer it sits.  I used Wilton’s No Taste red coloring which I highly recommend since red frosting can often taste bad.  We went to TWO  stores that were both out of white chocolate squares so I melted a bowl of white chocolate chips, let it set and then scraped it with a fork to make the cheese.  Another annoyance is that it’s hard to find plain red strawberry fruit roll ups! They either have pictures on them or are blended with other colors.  So, Shania had to go through several fruit roll ups, cutting around the designs, to make the pepperoni. Austin will be the garbage disposal who eats the leftover scraps. 🙂

Overall, this cake was easy to make and fun, which was the most important part!

Pizza Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 package yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup vanilla frosting
  • red liquid or paste food coloring
  • 3 squares (1 ounce each) white baking chocolate, grated
  • 2 strawberry fruit roll ups

Directions

Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9 inch round baking pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans and continue cooling on a wire rack.

Place each cake on a 10 inch serving platter.  Combine frosting and food coloring; spread over the top of each cake to within 1/2 inch of the edges.  Sprinkle with grated chocolate for cheese. Use a round cutter to cut circles in fruit roll ups for pepperoni.  Arrange on cakes.

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We only made one pizza cake and used the other half of the batter to make cinnamon roll cake with half the brown sugar and cinnamon.

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From: Taste of Home Cake Mix Creations, April 2007

Jul8

Shrimp Tacos

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DSCN0784I’ve been making chicken tacos a lot during my pregnancy.  I’ve definitely made tacos more during this pregnancy than I have in my entire life.  I’ve always liked them but never made them often.  I COULD have eaten them daily but resisted. 🙂 The plus is that they are really easy to make and a nice, fast meal on a weeknight- even making two batches of meat, chicken for me and ground beef for the boys.  Originally, I instated “Taco Tuesdays” but sometimes I couldn’t wait and had them on Mondays, then Sundays. LOL. Anyway, I decided to try something new this week and picked up some shrimp to make shrimp tacos.  I’ve never made or had them before but today was a good day to try them for the first time!

There wasn’t much to these. I bought some small shrimp and seasoned them with chili powder, cumin, cilantro, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I sauteed them in a little olive oil and then added a few drops of taco sauce.  Top over greens in a soft taco shell and add your favorite toppings. I’m adding sauteed peppers and onions the next time I make these! 🙂

Jul8

Grilled Potatoes

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grilled potato planks

Ingredients

  • Large Idaho or russet potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch slices
  • 1/2 stick melted butter (I used olive oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat and grease grill. Boil potatoes in water for 6 minutes, until slightly cooked but raw in center. Strain potatoes in a colander. Place potato slices on grill. Using a pastry brush, apply butter and sprinkle each slice with House Seasoning. Grill potatoes slices for 4 to 5 minutes and flip slices, repeating with butter and House Seasoning. Cook until grilled through.

House Seasoning:

  • 1 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup black pepper
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder

Combine ingredients in a small bowl.

From: Food Network

Jul8

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes and Lemon Buttercream Icing

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These cupcakes were kind of tart but I still liked them enough to make them again.  Next time, I will just use some water to dilute the lemonade.  This is another easy recipe that starts with a cake mix. 🙂

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 1/8 cup (9 oz) frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate, thawed*
White cake mix (yes, the boxed stuff)
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Non-stick spray
Lemon Buttercream Icing

* For a less tart cupcake (and these babies do pack a punch), try reducing the amount of pink lemonade. 3/8 cup water and 3/4 cup pink lemonade will cut the tartness.

Directions
In a stand mixer, add the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and the pink lemonade concentrate. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 90 seconds (the batter will still be a bit lumpy; take care not to overmix so you don’t end up with dry cupcakes).

Spray each cupcake liner with the non-stick spray and spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan (fill the cups between 2/3 and 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick registers “done” in the center cupcake. Remove the pan from the oven and cook 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a baking rack.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing and ice the cupcakes.

I used vanilla icing because I have a thing about having the same flavor cake and frosting- it’s usually too much for me. 🙂

But here is the recipe for Lemon Buttercream Icing:

3 cups + 3 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Red food color (to color icing and sugar, optional)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional)

Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice, and food coloring (if using) to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the icing is fluffy and uniformly pink. Add the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a 2D tip and ice the cupcakes.

 

From: Confections of  a Foodie Bride

Jul7

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

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I made this recipe a few years ago and they turned out well but I forgot about them.  Recently, someone was talking about Red Lobster biscuits and this recipe is very similar to those so I was inspired to make them again and serve with italian sausage spaghetti.

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Heat oven to 450ºF.
Stir Bisquick mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 9 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits.

* Add more butter and/or garlic according to your preference.

From: Betty Crocker

Jul7

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

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Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2.5 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 ½ cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 bay leaves, whole

 

Directions

 

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is tender.

 Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, parsley, basil, water, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaves.

 Stir and bring to a boil. Stir and lower heat to a slow simmer. Cook 3-4 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.

 

From: Brown Eyed Baker

Jul6

Caramelized Baked Chicken Legs

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I’d planned to make ordinary baked chicken wings tonight but, on a whim, I did a quick search to get a new idea.  I came across this recipe and thought it sounded good- different from the norm but still something the kids would like.  I marinated the chicken in the sauce for a couple of hours before cooking it but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly.  I served these legs with fried cabbage and roasted red potatoes.

Caramelized Baked Chicken Legs

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs chicken legs
  • 1 2/3 tablespoons olive oil 
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 2/3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper

    • Directions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place chicken in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper.
  • Pour over the chicken.
  • Bake in preheated oven for one hour, or until sauce is caramelized.

    • -Could also be used on wings or pork ribs.

    From: RecipeZaar

    Jul6

    Roasted Red Potatoes

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    I say this all the time but I could seriously eat roasted potatoes every day! I don’t really follow a recipe for them and have made them several different ways in the past. But I decided to go ahead and post them here. This is how I made them today but on other days I might use any of the following: thyme, rosemary, low sodium soy sauce, sliced onions, and minced garlic. It depends on my mood!

    Roasted Red Potatoes

    Ingredients

    • about 15 small red potatoes, quartered
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • kosher salt and pepper

    Directions

    Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender. Drain potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl.  Add oil and seasonings; mix gently. Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake on the top rack at 375 degrees until brown, about 20 minutes. For crispier potatoes, cook at 400 degrees and add a few minutes to cooking time, if necessary.

    Jul6

    Fried Cabbage

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    This used to be one of my favorite vegetable dishes that my mom made when I lived at home. I think she would like mine, too.  So good! It’s really good with bacon, too.

    Fried Cabbage

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 onion, sliced
    • 1/2 -1 tbsp minced garlic
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • one cabbage head, sliced or chopped
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 3 tbsp and 1/3 cup water
    • kosher salt
    • pepper

    Directions

    Cook onions and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add cabbage, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix well. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir frequently. Drizzle more oil over cabbage if necessary. Add more salt and pepper to taste as cabbage cooks.  Add 1/3 cup cup of water; cover and cook over medium low heat until cooked to your liking.