Sunday, January 23, 2011
Retirement Cake
Here's an idea for a retirement cake. I made this one for Ty's mom. She retired this month and now they are off in Arizona for a month. So fun! You just cook one cake mix on a cookie sheet and another cake mix divided between two round cake pans then stack them all together.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins
Your kids will love cutting into these and finding a surprise inside! We make these for breakfast. Sorry I suck at taking pictures:)
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Oats
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Oil
3/4 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
Jam
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease muffin tin.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, sugar baking powder and salt.
4. In another bowl, mix together the egg, milk, oil and peanut butter.
5. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Fill muffin cups 1/2 full with mixture.
7. Cover each muffin cup with the other 1/2 of the muffin mixture.
In this picture I've covered 1/2 with the rest of the muffin mixture and half still have the jam exposed.
8. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.
Unfortunately I overcooked mine so the pictures aren't great, but you get the idea:)
Variation ideas:
1. Replace the peanut butter with mashed bananas and use whole blueberries in the middle instead of the jam.
2. Replace the peanut butter with cream cheese and use sliced strawberries or peaches instead of the jam.
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Oats
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Oil
3/4 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
Jam
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease muffin tin.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, sugar baking powder and salt.
4. In another bowl, mix together the egg, milk, oil and peanut butter.
5. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Fill muffin cups 1/2 full with mixture.
7. Cover each muffin cup with the other 1/2 of the muffin mixture.
In this picture I've covered 1/2 with the rest of the muffin mixture and half still have the jam exposed.
8. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Unfortunately I overcooked mine so the pictures aren't great, but you get the idea:)
Variation ideas:1. Replace the peanut butter with mashed bananas and use whole blueberries in the middle instead of the jam.
2. Replace the peanut butter with cream cheese and use sliced strawberries or peaches instead of the jam.
Easy Enchiladas
Don't be afraid to make enchiladas, they are so easy!! Don't be afraid of using enchilada sauce, either. If you don't use it, then you're really just making burritos. You can make it as spicy (or not spicy) as you want. My kids eat this just fine. You can change this recipe up however you want or to fit what ingredients you have. Here's the basic recipe.
Enchilada
Corn Tortillas
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
Shredded Chicken, Shredded Beef or Beans
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sauce
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Flour
2-3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 (8 oz.) Can Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 Cups Water
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1/4 teaspoon Onion Salt
1. Heat oil for sauce in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
3. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.
4. Spoon some of the enchilada sauce into a baking dish.
5. Heat oil for enchiladas in a separate skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Using tongs, place one corn tortilla in the oil for 30 seconds, flip to the other side for 30 seconds, then remove. You don't want it to get crispy.
7. Dip the oil-covered tortillas into the sauce in the skillet and cover both sides.
8. Sprinkle desired meat or beans onto tortilla, then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
9. Roll up and place seam-side down into the baking dish (on top of the sauce).
10. Repeat steps 6-9 until you have as many enchiladas as you want.
11. Spoon more sauce over the top of all of them.
12. Sprinkle with cheese.
13. Put all of them under the broiler until cheese is melted.
Delicioso! Serve with mexican rice and refried beans.
For a couple variations on the enchiladas, you could add chopped scallions, chopped green chili's and/or bits of cream cheese into the filling.
Enchilada
Corn Tortillas
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
Shredded Chicken, Shredded Beef or Beans
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sauce
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Flour
2-3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 (8 oz.) Can Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 Cups Water
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1/4 teaspoon Onion Salt
1. Heat oil for sauce in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
3. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.
4. Spoon some of the enchilada sauce into a baking dish.
5. Heat oil for enchiladas in a separate skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Using tongs, place one corn tortilla in the oil for 30 seconds, flip to the other side for 30 seconds, then remove. You don't want it to get crispy.
7. Dip the oil-covered tortillas into the sauce in the skillet and cover both sides.
8. Sprinkle desired meat or beans onto tortilla, then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
9. Roll up and place seam-side down into the baking dish (on top of the sauce).
10. Repeat steps 6-9 until you have as many enchiladas as you want.
11. Spoon more sauce over the top of all of them.
12. Sprinkle with cheese.
13. Put all of them under the broiler until cheese is melted.
Delicioso! Serve with mexican rice and refried beans.
For a couple variations on the enchiladas, you could add chopped scallions, chopped green chili's and/or bits of cream cheese into the filling.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
5-a-Day...Easy!
I know, I know....everyone's already heard of Bountiful Baskets, but if you are still unsure of it's awesomeness, please read further.
You cannot believe the amount of produce you get for such a small amount of money! One of the things I love about it is that you don't know what you're getting. It's just a surprise when you go to pick it up. I realize that may not be a selling point to everyone, but it is one of the features I appreciate. I like trying something I wouldn't have normally thought about. For anyone that is concerned about that, I've gotten about 5 baskets so far and out of all the "normal" items you get, there's maybe one unusual thing.
It's also easy. You order it online on Monday or Tuesday and go pick it up on Saturday (with a laundry basket). There are various local locations (in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and I think more), so you just select the one that's closest to you. Then you have this abundance of produce in your house, so you have to eat it because it's always there. You get 1/2 vegetables and 1/2 fruits. Throw something in with your dinners every night or grab a quick healthy snack, you'll never run out. No, I'm not getting paid for advertising, I just think it's awesome and everyone should know about it. So, for $15, here's one of the baskets I got.
If you can't tell, that included strawberries, grapes, cantelope, bananas, pears, peaches, tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli and romaine lettuce. What more could you need?! And all for $15!
Here's the link: http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/ Thank you. I'm done.
You cannot believe the amount of produce you get for such a small amount of money! One of the things I love about it is that you don't know what you're getting. It's just a surprise when you go to pick it up. I realize that may not be a selling point to everyone, but it is one of the features I appreciate. I like trying something I wouldn't have normally thought about. For anyone that is concerned about that, I've gotten about 5 baskets so far and out of all the "normal" items you get, there's maybe one unusual thing.
It's also easy. You order it online on Monday or Tuesday and go pick it up on Saturday (with a laundry basket). There are various local locations (in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and I think more), so you just select the one that's closest to you. Then you have this abundance of produce in your house, so you have to eat it because it's always there. You get 1/2 vegetables and 1/2 fruits. Throw something in with your dinners every night or grab a quick healthy snack, you'll never run out. No, I'm not getting paid for advertising, I just think it's awesome and everyone should know about it. So, for $15, here's one of the baskets I got.
If you can't tell, that included strawberries, grapes, cantelope, bananas, pears, peaches, tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli and romaine lettuce. What more could you need?! And all for $15!Here's the link: http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/ Thank you. I'm done.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Breakfast Skillet
I'm always trying to come up with new ideas for breakfast because I make breakfasts more often than dinners! I got the idea for this from a food blog, but I can't remember which one. I adjusted it to our liking. My kids loved this. It's one of those methods, not recipes, but those are the best because you can throw in whatever you like!
First, fry some eggs in a skillet (one per person). I prefer mine over-medium (whites fully cooked, yolks warmed through & slightly thickened), but you can make them however you like them. When they're done the way you like them, slide them onto a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm.
For the hashbrowns, you could use frozen hashbrowns or make your own. I made my own this time. It's perfect if you're looking for some uses for your big bag of potatoes in the pantry! Just wash and peel the potatoes and shred them with a food processor. Be sure to soak them in water to release the starches. It makes a huge difference in the texture of the potatoes. After soaking them in water, pat them dry with a paper towel. Then put some butter and olive oil in the skillet you used to cook the eggs and throw the the potatoes in. (Tip: The butter is for the flavor and the oil is so the butter can reach a higher temperature without turning brown). DON'T TOUCH THEM for at least a couple minutes. You want them to be brown and crunchy on the outsides and soft on the inside. The center will steam as the outsides are cooking. Flip them over once to brown the other side. As I cooked them, I seasoned them with salt, pepper and some chives.
Then top with crumbled bacon and cheese. I didn't show the step of cooking the bacon because I used pre-cooked bacon! You could cook the bacon in the skillet before the eggs if you need to cook them, or use the microwave while you're doing everything else. You could also substitute sausage or ham.
After the cheese is melted, slide your eggs back onto the hashbrowns. I then topped them with cherry tomatoes and parsley. Mostly just for color and because I had them in my garden, but it did make them pretty and delicious.
I know some people have an aversion to this, but this is the way I like them! The yolk spills all over the hashbrowns and flavors them up. Yum Yum!
It's easy and something different than the standard pancake breakfast!
First, fry some eggs in a skillet (one per person). I prefer mine over-medium (whites fully cooked, yolks warmed through & slightly thickened), but you can make them however you like them. When they're done the way you like them, slide them onto a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm.
For the hashbrowns, you could use frozen hashbrowns or make your own. I made my own this time. It's perfect if you're looking for some uses for your big bag of potatoes in the pantry! Just wash and peel the potatoes and shred them with a food processor. Be sure to soak them in water to release the starches. It makes a huge difference in the texture of the potatoes. After soaking them in water, pat them dry with a paper towel. Then put some butter and olive oil in the skillet you used to cook the eggs and throw the the potatoes in. (Tip: The butter is for the flavor and the oil is so the butter can reach a higher temperature without turning brown). DON'T TOUCH THEM for at least a couple minutes. You want them to be brown and crunchy on the outsides and soft on the inside. The center will steam as the outsides are cooking. Flip them over once to brown the other side. As I cooked them, I seasoned them with salt, pepper and some chives.
Then top with crumbled bacon and cheese. I didn't show the step of cooking the bacon because I used pre-cooked bacon! You could cook the bacon in the skillet before the eggs if you need to cook them, or use the microwave while you're doing everything else. You could also substitute sausage or ham.
After the cheese is melted, slide your eggs back onto the hashbrowns. I then topped them with cherry tomatoes and parsley. Mostly just for color and because I had them in my garden, but it did make them pretty and delicious.
I know some people have an aversion to this, but this is the way I like them! The yolk spills all over the hashbrowns and flavors them up. Yum Yum!
It's easy and something different than the standard pancake breakfast!
Cowboy Cookies
Hailee watched an episode of Dora The Explorer, where they apparently made "cowboy cookies". I didn't see the episode myself, so whether these are anything like what she was referring to, I don't know. However, she asked me for days to make her some "cowboy cookies", so this is what I came up with. Actually, they turned out so good that I'm very glad she asked me to make them! Now I have a new recipe I'm sure to use again and again! I took a standard oatmeal cookie recipe (from America's Test Kitchen) and threw in "cowboyish" things like nuts & sunflower seeds and then topped them with frosting. Oh. My. Gosh. Trust me, these are good. So, here you go.Cookies
1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted Butter, softened
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3 Cup Oats
1/2 Cup Walnuts
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds, seeded (obviously)
1/2 Cup Raisins (optional-I don't like raisins in my cookies, but if you do, they'd go in here nicely).
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugars together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs until combined.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined. Mix in the oats, nuts and seeds until just incorporated.
6. Working with 1/4 cup of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay on two baking sheets spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart.
7. Flatten the cookies slightly using your palm.
8. Bake until the tops of the cookies are lightly golden, but the centers are still soft and puffy, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking.
9. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
2 8-oz. pkgs. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 Cup butter, softened
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1. Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer until combined.
2. Frost cookies.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Chile Con Limon
Ok, No this isn't a recipe, nor does it have anything to do with cooking (besides putting the bag in the microwave), but I just had to share this little beauty with everyone. In 2004, Ty and I went to Puerto Vallarta. In their local WalMart, I found this wonderful bag of goodness. I bought a box to try it out and became immediately addicted. When we were leaving to come back home, we made a special trip back to the WalMart so I could get another box. If I had only known how difficult it would be to get my hands on it again, I would've bought out the whole store. Back at home, I googled it, I searched for it, but it was nowhere to be found. I even went so far as to contact the "ACT II" company begging them to ship it to my house or my state or at least my country! Their response? "Sorry, it is only available in Mexico". I would've paid any shipping price, so I didn't understand that at all, but I'd come to an impasse and had to move on with life. I thought about it, I told others about it, but ultimately, I came to accept the fact that I would have to wait until we made it down to Mexico again someday. Imagine my surprise when I opened my birthday present from my little brother and his wife this year (6 years later) and found this inside! 
They had found this popcorn available on a website (that probably didn't exist when I was looking for it) at My Mexican Pantry. I have been enjoying this delicious popcorn again and loving every bite. Every bite brings me sadness though, knowing that I'm coming closer to the end of my precious box. Yes, it's available on this website, but at $2/bag, I do have to go easy on it. Just wanted to share this joy with all of you. Please do let me know if you taste it!
They had found this popcorn available on a website (that probably didn't exist when I was looking for it) at My Mexican Pantry. I have been enjoying this delicious popcorn again and loving every bite. Every bite brings me sadness though, knowing that I'm coming closer to the end of my precious box. Yes, it's available on this website, but at $2/bag, I do have to go easy on it. Just wanted to share this joy with all of you. Please do let me know if you taste it!
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