Eggcellent

A while ago I found a recipe for a Fast ‘N Fresh Frittata in my Pampered Chef It’s Good For You Cookbook. I’ve wanted to make it for a while but the hubs does not like 2 of the main ingredients (asparagus and tomatoes). Last night when I got home from the gym I was really craving an omelet when I remembered the frittata so I based this recipe off the original one. The original recipe calls for a bigger skillet, but I just used an 8in last night.

Easy Frittata
(I didn’t get a picture of it last night. Here is a frittata I found online that looked pretty similar to ours except for the salsa on top)



These are all estimates, I just threw stuff in

1 tbsp Olive Oil
¼ cup chopped red peppers
¼ cup chopped green peppers
¼ cup canned corn
1/8 cup chopped green chilies
¼ cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped Leftover Turkey Day Ham
1 small potato - diced
Shredded Cheese (to taste)
2 eggs and 2 egg whites whisked together
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Garlic Salt to taste (or you could use fresh pressed garlic)


Heat olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add potatoes, veggies, ham, and garlic salt. Cook and stir four minutes, reduce heat to low. Add shredded cheese and salt and pepper to potato mixture. Pour eggs over top potato mixture. Cover; cook on low heat for 14-15 minutes, or until center is set. Remove from heat, sprinkle cheese on top, let stand until melted. Cut into wedges.

This was excellent, we both loved it. It tasted great with a nice cold glass of chocolate milk. Next time I’ll definitely use a larger skillet so we have leftovers.

Eat like a Rockstar

No, for cereal. Eat like a Rockstar. I got this recipe from my friend Rockstar. (Who originally got this recipe from Tastefully Simple) It's the perfect recipe to use up the leftover Shanksgiving Turkey. Before I started making it, I decide to have a few glasses of Shiraz. I was really nervous my wine wasn't going to go with the soup but it did. Soooo good!

Leftover Turkey Day Soup
(... I'm not sure what the real name is!)



2 cans Campbell's Southwest Type Soup (I used a Fiesta Nacho Cheese - that's all they had at the store)
5 c. hot water
1.5 cups shredded turkey
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 c. diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 c. jalapenos, diced (I diced hot green Chile peppers)

Whisk together the soup and water. Add turkey, corn, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Heat about 10 minutes, being careful not to scorch. Serve with Tortillas. I think it would be also good with shredded cheese, green onions, or sour cream.

It's Hip To Be Square

A few weeks ago I received an email from my husband's uncle. It was an invite for Thanksgiving with the extended family. It had a request from everyone to bring a certain dish. Us "kids" were in charge of an appetizer. I knew right away what I would make. My friend Amanda made these in July for a tailgate at the Royals game. I've wanted to make them ever since.


Spinach Artichoke Squares

1 (8 oz.) can refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used the pre-shredded kind in the bag)
8 oz. room temperature cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
10 oz. thawed, frozen chopped spinach, squeezed until dry
14 oz. artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll the crescent dough and place on the bottom of a 13x9" cake pan. Gently press the dough evenly into the pan and 1/2" up the sides to form a crust, paying special attention to seal the roll perforations.

Sprinkle the dough with 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan Cheese and bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven.

While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, sour cream, and remaining Parmesan Cheese - mix until smooth. Fold in the spinach and artichoke hearts and spread the mixture evenly over the crust.

Bake an additional 13-15 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown and the filling is set.

Can be served hot or cold.

So bad, yet so, so good

I few weeks ago at work I was food-blog stalking and found this marvelous recipe. I got it from Culinary Infatuation who got it from Cara's Cravings who got it from Epicurious. It was very good, super sweet but it really hit the spot.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted room temperature butter
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups (about 3 large) mashed very ripe bananas
3 tablespoons buttermilk



Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well



Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

I couldn't find my metal pan, so I used a glass one. Also, the recipe I printed off some how managed not to have the 3 tbsp of buttermilk on it. So I used the whole little container of buttermilk. It turned out good, just had to cook it longer. The cake is super moist. I also added more chocolate chips to the top. That is totally not necessary. It's sweet enough without the extra chocolate.

Hosting My First Turkey Day

It went smoothly enough. I'm not going to blog about everything I made, it was pretty traditional. One thing I do want to blog about is Caramel Apple Salad. I couldn't get a good picture of this to save my life. I even looked on google image for a pic but couldn't find one. I'll admit it looks gross in RL but tastes just like a caramel apple.

Caramel Apple Salad
Recipe from a co-irker

3 cups unpeeled, chopped apples
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 cup mini marshmallows
1- 8 oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
1- 3.5 oz, package instant butterscotch pudding
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed

Mix all ingredients in large bowl, refrigerate for at least 3 hours

Forgetful Jones I

I totally forgot to take pictures and blog about all the dips I made this past weekend! We had the ever so popular rotel, beer dip, buffalo chicken dip, and this delicious homemade salsa! So the next 2 posts are dedicated to the Salsa and Buffalo Dip.

Homemade Salsa
I'm so mad I didn't take a picture. It was so pretty!
Originally from my friend Darcy, I adapted it a bit. My adaptations are in bold italics.

1 can of rotel (don't drain)
1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can of white shoepeg corn (rinsed and drained)
1 red onion - chopped ( I used a white onion)
2 hot green chiles - chopped
1 green pepper - chopped
1 red pepper - chopped
3ish tablespoons of red wine vinegar
Shakes of pepper to taste
Shakes of dried cilantro to taste

Stir it all together, and it's done. It tastes better when it sits in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for a few hours).

I made this 24 hours ahead of time. A few times before the party started I tasted it and added more cilantro and red wine vinegar.

This is absolutely delicious. It is so fresh! Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Forgetful Jones II

I totally forgot to blog about this too...

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I first had this 2 years ago and loved it! I've been making it ever since.

2 cooked chicken breasts - shredded
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch Dressing
1 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce*
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese*


Combine cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch dressing, chicken, and 1/2 of the cheese in sauce pan until well blended.

Pour into crock pot, sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Enjoy with Tostitos and a nice, cold beer!


*I usually use about 14 oz of the 16 oz bottle of red sauce. I always add more shredded cheese too

Feelin' Cheesy

Since work was slow today I spent the day looking at food blogs. When I came across .... and a cookie for dessert , I was so excited. There are a ton of delicious recipes on there. I knew I wanted to make my Tastefully Simple Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix for dinner.



When I found this recipe and I knew it be the perfect accompaniment to my soup. I decided to alter the original recipe and add some cheese to it.

Cheesy Drop Biscuits
(originally from cooking light)



Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1 cup fat-free milk
1-ish cup of shredded cheese (I used a Colby/Monterrey/Cheddar Mix)
Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450º.Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and cheese; stir just until moist.

Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from pan immediately, and place on a wire rack.



These were so good! I don't know if I'll ever buy frozen biscuits again. When I make them with cheese again, I'm going to add more than a cup of cheese. The soup was great too! I added green and red peppers and carrots to give it more flavor, although it would have delicious without it.

Who Needs DQ?

My husband and I LOVE DQ Ice Cream Cake. In fact, we even cut a DQ cake at our wedding......

Last year I got him an ice cream cake for his birthday but, this year I wanted to make one. I searched the internet high and low and found this recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Easy Ice Cream Cake



16 ice cream sandwiches
1 (16 ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping
1 (12 ounce) jar chocolate fudge topping, room temperature
1 (12 ounce) jar of caramel ice cream topping
1 Jar Nut Topping
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy bar, grated

1) Place 8 of the ice cream sandwiches side by side in a 9x13 inch-baking dish.

2) Spread evenly with half of the hot fudge topping, followed by half of the caramel, sprinkle nuts over caramel, and then half of the whipped topping.

3) Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and toppings. Sprinkle with grated chocolate bar, add caramel, nuts, and chocolate.

4) Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep unused portion covered and frozen.

This turned out pretty good. Next time I make it I’m going to use 8 vanilla ice cream sandwiches and 8 chocolate. I’m also going to chop up a heath bar and put it in between the layers.

I used a little less than half of the toppings on the first layer which worked out well because the second layer is a little more difficult since the ice cream is not as frozen. If you go to allrecipes there are a ton of variations for the recipe.

Playing with Pumpkin Part 1

My husband requested these for his party this past weekend. They were a huge hit! Thanks to Sarah for the recipe!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies



1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1) Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg.
2) In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in.
3)Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
4)Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Playing with Pumpkin Part II

I found this recipe from Carrie's Cooking Adventures. She got the recipe from Allrecipes. When I saw these I knew I had to try them. They are pretty good! Perfect for the holiday season.

Pumpkin Cookies



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

3)Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. **I think I baked mine for maybe 10 min

The original recipe calls for an icing over the cookies.

Ingredients for icing:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

A Camp Fire Favorite

Last Saturday in my hungover state I was looking at food blogs. I came across the blog of Sew Darn Cute. She had some phenomenal looking S’mores cupcakes . Now, I HATE making cupcakes but just had to try these.

S'mores Cupcakes



For the cupcake part use your favorite chocolate cake mix or make one from scratch. For the frosting:

2 or 3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. tub of marshmallow cream

Cream the butter on high until it's light and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until fluffy each time. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated. Dump in the marshmallow cream and mix it up 'til it's all creamy. Transfer to pastry bag and pipe onto cupcakes. I don't have a pastry bag so I just cut the corner off a Ziploc bag - it worked great.

The tops are dusted with graham cracker crumbs, and each cupcake is topped with a square of Hershey's chocolate.

*For better pictures check out Sew Darn Cute's blog

Last night when I was finished mixing the frosting I tasted it and thought it was too buttery. I added a little more marshmallow and a little more powdered sugar and it was perfect.

I brought these over to my in-laws today and everyone seemed to like them. I had a cup cake last night and it was good but, I think they tasted better today. I could really taste the marshmallow. Yum!

Just like mom used to make

Except, I don't think my mom ever made homemade mac and cheese when I was growing up. I've really been craving some but was trying to find a "healthy" version of it. I was just about to kind of combine 2 recipes, one from Leslie and one from Nemmie, but then in the KC Star I found this.....

Pump It Up Macaroni and Cheese
8 servings





1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 1 percent milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 cups 2 percent shredded cheddar cheese, divided
7 cups firmly cooked elbow macaroni

1) Place cauliflower in microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and cover. Microwave on high power 5 to 7 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender. Carefully drain any liquid from cauliflower and place cauliflower in food processor. Add water a tablespoon at a time and pulse until mixture is smooth; set aside. (Cauliflower puree should be completely smooth.)

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese and stir until melted. Blend in cauliflower mixture. Add cooked pasta and spoon into a 2-quart casserole that has been sprayed with nonstick spray coating. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake 30 minutes

Like I said, I found this recipe in the Star. It was with an article about sneaking veggies into your kids foods. If you want to read the article, click here.

A few changes I made to the recipe:
Instead of cheddar cheese, I used Velveeta. Also, on the top I sprinkled Monterrey Jack Cheese and bread crumbs. Since I used chunks of Velveeta I kept the sauce pan on low heat. Soooooo Good. I can't wait to make this again.

Per serving: 307 calories (24 percent from fat), 8 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 21 milligrams cholesterol, 42 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 395 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.

Even the Husband liked it!

I found this recipe in my Pampered Chef cook book. It was simple and very yummy. Even the husband liked it and he isn't really into meatless dishes.

Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers
Low Fat, Cholesterol, and Calorie



1 can (15oz) black beans,drained, rinsed, and mashed
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup whole kernel corn
1/4 cup thick and chunky salsa
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
4 whole wheat burger buns
Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomato, guacamole

1) Mash beans using nylon masher. Add chopped onion, corn, salsa, garlic, cilantro, salt and black pepper to beans; mix well. Add bread crumbs and egg whites to bean mixture, mix well. Form bean mixture into four round patties.

2) Heat 12 inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Lightly spray pan with nonstick cooking spray; cook patties 6 - 8 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once.

3. Place burgers on buns; serve with toppings if desired.


Like I said, these were really good. The only thing I question is the fact you don't cook them long and it has eggs in it. Hmmmmmm...


Calories: 280, Total Fat: 3.5g , Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: 0g, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein 12g, Sodium 810 mg, Fiber: 6g