Category Archives: Recipes

tuna burgers

Posted on by

0

Burgers

Tuna burgers have been a staple in my household since elementary school. It was a simple dish easily whipped up after my two hardworking parents got home from work. I really loved them. Transitioning them to my own household was another story. The husband was willing to try them but doesn’t like tuna from a can or miracle whip. It was kind of a lost cause but I pressed on and made them anyway.

Ingredients

  • 1 can tuna
  • 2 Tablespoons celery
  • 2 tablespoons onion
  • Cheddar cheese(small cubes or shredded)
  • Miracle Whip (to taste)
  • 4 buns or hards rolls

Mix all ingredients together.

Mixture

Lightly butter hard rolls or buns. Add mixture to buns. Wrap with aluminum foil and bake 350 for 20 minutes until melted and hot throughout. I still love them and yes, the husband confirmed his dislike from both tuna in a can and miracle whip. I shamelessly ate two.

foil

apple cheese crisp

Posted on by

0

apple cheese crisp

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe I haven’t put this fabulous recipe on the blog! I made it during Thanksgiving, here and haven’t talked about it since. I’m so sorry for the delay!

Usually this creation is my Grandma Anne’s tradition to make in the fall when her apple trees are pouring over with apples and she’s trying to find fun ways to use them. Unfortunately, I don’t have an apple tree in my backyard, but then again I don’t have to wait for fall to make this delicious dish either. Win? I think so: it’s February and I’m eating apple cheese crisp. I win. It has this salty – sweet combination that most people love. Like pretzels and chocolate, cheese and sugared apples are amazing. Make it.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups cored, pared and sliced applescore apples
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon or mixed cake spice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Recipe

Place apples in greased, shallow baking dish, 9×9. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon. Pour lemon juice and corn syrup over apples.

sauced apples

Combine sugar, flour, and salt; cut butter until mixture is the consistency of coarse corn meal. Lightly stir in cheese. Top apples with this mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until apples a very tender.

DSC_0008

Serve warm with cream or ice cream. Or I prefer mine straight with a side of coffee.

christmas cut-out cookies

Posted on by

0

Cut Out Cover

I was feeling down that I hadn’t made Christmas cookies during the allotted weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Between being sick, sleepy, holiday parties and having a busy office, I didn’t have time. The weekend before New Years, I found time to whip my favorite rendition of cut out cookies and suddenly my world was complete again. It comes from an old Betty Crocker cookbook, and I love them. They come out fluffy and perfect every time.

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups powered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Easy Creamy Frosting

    • 1-2 tablespoons half-and-half
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Start by mixing all the “wet” ingredients. Softened butter, powered sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. Flour, baking soda, cream of tartar. Mix together. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet and mix until combined.

Mixing Cookies (wet and dry)

Place dough in a mixing bowl and place into a refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

mixed cookie dough

Once dough is chilled, take out about 1/4 of the dough and start rolling it on a floured surface.

rolled out dough

Roll dough to about 3/16″ thick and start using your Christmas cookie cutters! I love mine; they are super old-school and make great sized cookies.

Cutting out cookies

Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 7 – 8 minutes. Pull out cookies when they look nice and fluffy and a very, very light brown on the edges. You don’t want to overcook these babies; they’re the best soft!

baked cookies

While the cookies are cooling, start making your frosting. Mine again comes from the classic Betty Crocker cookbook. Combine all ingredients and mix together until smooth.

DSC_0035

You can frost them with just the white frosting and maybe add sprinkles?

Frosting Cookies

Or add some food coloring to make your cookies really pop! I personally like food coloring with no sprinkles, but enjoy them any way you like! Happy New Year, Friends! I may just wipe up another batch for Valentine’s day, too!

Cut Out Final

rosemary goat cheese roll

Posted on by

0

Cover Roll

My sister-in-law Lisa likes to cook as much as I like to bake. She always comes to the holiday functions with a new concoction or two. The last couple of holidays, she has brought with her this amazing rosemary, craisins, goat cheese roll, and we’ve sat at the kitchen table discussing world events, kids happenings, and upcoming plans while devouring this roll. I hope you do the same.

IngredientsIngredients

  • Goat cheese roll
  • Fresh Rosemary, chopped
  • Pecans, chopped
  • Honey
  • Craisins
  • Wheat Thins

Start by taking the goat cheese roll and roll it in chopped rosemary and pecans. (I elected to do mine without the pecans. I’m not a fan. I just put them as a side item if others wanted them.)Rosemary

Then cover with craisins and quite a bit of honey. I just drizzled honey over the top of the roll and it worked great. Place roll on a baking sheet and bake at 250° degrees for five minutes. Just enough to soften the cheese and melt the honey!

Honey

Serve them with wheat thins or whatever suits your fancy! This is fantastic right out of the oven; the warm goat cheese is so good! Enjoy!! Mind you, I made mine with a small roll of goat cheese because I thought I was going to be the only one eating it – and left on my own, I would have devoured the whole thing. Luckily, the husband had a couple bites making me believe I only had half. I like my gorilla math. Enjoy, it’s super addicting… I’m running out this week to get more goat cheese! Yum!

Final Roll

fruit & maple oatmeal

Posted on by

0

cover oatmeal

For our latest voyage to St. Louis, we decided to drive. We love the open road but mainly the ability to bring our two boys, (Boston & Otis) so they too can partake in the Christmas festivities with all of their cousins.

the boys

On the open road, no matter how much I pack, we inevitably end up at a fast food restaurant for either lunch or dinner. We have affectionally nicknamed most fast food stops… CrackDonalds or WacArnolds, Booger Fling, ScrubWay, Crapplebees, I could go on.

On our latest road trip, we stopped at McDonald’s, and I tried their new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal. I was actually impressed. You can get it all day, it wasn’t a ginormous serving size, and it was, well, good. I opted for the without sugar variety.

mcdonalds oatmeal

Anywho, I’ve been craving it ever since. Hence CrackDonalds and decided to make my own version at home.

Ingredients

  • 6 oz water
  • 1/2 c old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 apple, chopped
  • 1-2 Tablespoons craisins and/or golden raisins

Add water, oats, maple syrup and brown sugar into a small saucepan on low heat. This is the “hard” part. Take your time, if you cook it too fast, your oats will be crunchy. Remove from heat after all the water is absorbed. When it’s cooking I chop up my apple and share the other 1/2 with the husband.

apples

Pour contents into a bowl and top with apples, craisins, and golden raisins! (I didn’t have any golden raisins today.)

I think it’s a great rendition of McDonald’s oatmeal without all the preservatives! Hopefully you feel the same. Obviously, if you like your oats sweeter, you can add more maple syrup and brown sugar, but I think the sugar from the apples and craisins are the perfect sweetness. Enjoy!

oatmeal

kale chips

Posted on by

0

I got this recipe from my boss. He came into the office with a Pyrex full of kale chips, and I was hooked. I hounded him for weeks for his wife’s recipe and finally got it! It’s a simple recipe and kale is all-the-rage lately as a super food, so it’s extra special eating it!

Recipe

Ingredients

    • 1 Bunch of kale
    • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
    • Sea salt

Start by washing and drying the fresh kale. Break kale into bite sized pieces (i.e. remove from the tough stems). I used scissors to cut around the stems and into bite sized pieces.

Then toss with a little olive oil and anything else fun (I used sea salt, and on half balsamic vinegar) until they turn bright green.

Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 11-12 minutes! Checking to see if it is crisp.

DSC_0161

This is the tricky part. You don’t want to burn it, but if not left long enough, it isn’t crisp. If not ready, then toss and leave in for 2 minutes more. Cook till done. I love the way the balsamic caramelized on the kale! It looked fabulous and tasted even better!

After editing this post, I went out to get more kale. It’s addictive. But eating a bunch of kale chips is way less guilt inducing than eating other things. Enjoy!! Yum!

paradise pumpkin pie

Posted on by

0

Paradise pie has been another wonderful family tradition, this one coming from my Aunt Diane. As a youngster, she would always be the aunt with that great pie. But when I got older, I realized she brought other things to the Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve table. Red wine. It made for a fabulous Christmas Eve every year. Thank you, Aunt Diane for sharing your pie recipe and love for red wine! I appreciate both equally.
Recipe
Ingredients

For cheesecake:

  • 1 8 oz. Philadelphia brand cream cheese
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

For pumpkin:

  • 1 1/4 c canned pumpkin
  • 1 c evaporate milk
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Dash of salt

Optional toppings:

  • Maple syrup
  • Pecans

Combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing until well blended. Blend in egg. Spread onto bottom of pastry shell.

Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Carefully pour over cream cheese mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees, 1 hour and 5 minutes. Cool. Brush with maple syrup and garnish with pecan halves, if desired. I desire maple syrup not pecans. Enjoy!

broccoli & cauliflower casserole

Posted on by

0

This recipe has been served up to me for the last 29 years of my life, and until last weekend, I didn’t know how to make it. My grandmother would slave away (making it look seamless) in her embroidered apron every Thanksgiving and Christmas to make an amazing meal for her family. I have some very fond memories of eating a lot of mashed potatoes, serving up dessert and coffee to the adults, and helping my mom and Aunt Paula with the dishes. After, we would head out in the snow and play football, (me with my brother and two boy cousins) while the adults watched the football and chatted about everything.

It turns out – it’s a super simple dish; I’m not quite sure where she got it but I’ve been blessed to inherit all of her recipes and her Betty Crocker cookbook. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Enjoy!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 – 8 oz can of mushroom soup
  • 1 – 8 oz jar of cheez whiz
  • 1 small onion (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 stalk celery (or how many ever you want)
  • 1 cup Minute Rice (uncooked)
  • 1 pkg. frozen broccoli & cauliflower mixed or 1 8oz. pkg. each

Start by mixing soup and cheese together.

Add the rest of ingredients in a greased 9×9 baking dish. I mixed mine in the dish.

Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, I mixed everything and put it in for 5-10 more minutes. Happy Holiday season! Enjoy!

crispy chicken with citrus teriyaki sauce

Posted on by

0

I made this recipe last week. I found it online on Annie’s Eats when I was searching for different chicken recipes. It was a great alternative to grilled chicken and paired well with yellow squash and zucchini. As you can tell, I don’t have a lot to say about this, but it made for a great food photo op! Ha! Happy eating!

Recipe

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tbsp sake
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp mirin

For the chicken:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2-3)
  • Nonstick cooking spray

To make the sauce combine the soy sauce, orange juice, sake, sugar and mirin in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low, letting it simmer for six minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 475°F. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a second bowl, lightly beat the eggs together. Place the panko in a third shallow bowl or a pie plate. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Butterfly the chicken breast into halves so that you have 4 to 6 pieces total. Lightly season both sides of the chicken piece with salt and pepper. Using tongs and working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture to coat both sides.

Shake lightly to remove any excess flour. Then dip it into the eggs and shake gently to remove any excess. Finally place in the panko, turning to coat well.

Transfer to the prepared wired rack. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Once all the chicken pieces are in place, spray lightly with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with teriyaki dipping sauce. Enjoy!

pumpkin oats

Posted on by

0

I absolutely love my apple pie oatmeal in the morning but have been trying to mix up my routine a bit and find alternatives. Considering the season of all things pumpkin is upon us, I figured trying that in my oatmeal would be a great idea. And it was. I found this recipe from Minimalist Baker and tweaked it just a bit for my taste. I hope you enjoy the fall/winter goodness-of-the-oatmeal as much as my cousin Amy and I did.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/3 cup water
  • Pinch of each salt & cinnamon & flaxseed meal
  • 2 Tbsp pumpkin purée
  • 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (less than original, I don’t like my oats too, too sweet.)
  • 1/3 cup blueberries
  • 1 tbsp almonds

Start by bringing almond milk and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add oats and salt and reduce heat to medium.

Stir occasionally, cook 2 minutes and then add pumpkin. Cook for 3-4 minutes more or until creamy. Stir often!

Toast almonds in a skillet over medium-high heat until dark brown on all sides. I toasted more than I needed so I can skip this step next time.

When ready, remove oats from heat and add flaxseed, cinnamon, brown sugar and stir.

Top oats with blueberries and almonds! Enjoy!!