Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

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Are you ready for an easy dinner?  This is a classic Cuban dish and is a cinch to throw together, turn on the slow cooker, and forget about it.  The only thing you need to do besides that is cook some white rice to serve it on and you have a complete meal.  My whole family loved this!  This could easily work as a freezer meal as well.  Just put all the ingredients in a freezer bag, uncooked.  When ready to prepare just thaw partially and add to the slow cooker. 

SLOW COOKER ROPA VIEJA
Food Network Magazine

1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
3 TB ketchup
1 TB apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (remove seeds if you don't want spicy)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs skirt or flank steak
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green) sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 TB chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives, plus 1 TB brine from the jar

Cooked white rice, for serving.

1. Combine the tomatoes, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, cumin, jalapeno, and salt in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.  Add the steak, bell peppers, and onion and toss to coat.  Cover and cook on low, undisturbed, for 8 hours.
2. Uncover and skim off any excess fat.  Coarsley shred the meat with 2 forks, then stir in the olives and olive brine.  Serve over rice.

Serves 4 adults

Andes Mint Bundt Cake

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I'm back!  So sorry for the long absence but October and November were completely consumed with my father-in-law becoming very sick then unfortunately losing his life to cancer.  It all happened so fast and was so incredibly stressful.  We are all doing ok now and trying to have a wonderful Christmas.
I have been taking pictures of some yummy food so I'll be catching up on my blogging here in the next couple of months.  We recently had our faculty party at the elementary school where I teach PE. I signed up for a dessert and literally thought of this cake while laying in bed a few nights before the party. I love anything with Andes mints! I put them in my hot chocolate, eat them plain, and have some cookies that I make with them. Chocolate cake is my absolute favorite dessert so I thought adding Andes mint would just make a chocolate cake even better. I was right! There's still time to make this for your holiday dinner or party! 

ANDES MINT BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix 1 cup sour cream 1 C vegetable oil 4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 3/4 C Andes mint chips 1 oz unsweetened chocolate 1/2 C heavy whipping cream, chopped 20 (approx) Andes Mints, chopped

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3.	Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate. For the ganache: Place 3/4 C Andes mint chips and unsweetened chocolate into a heat-safe bowl. Heat the 1/2 C heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until it is just about to boil. Do not let it boil! Pour the hot whipping cream over the chips and chocolate.  Using a whisk, stir the chocolate and cream together until combined.  Let it cool for a few minutes then pour over the cake that has been inverted onto a plate.  Immediately sprinkle the chopped Andes mints on top of the ganache.  Note:  When I made this, I used Andes chips from a bag to sprinkle on top.  I didn't think it looked very pretty because the chips looked "powdery."  They almost looked like nuts until you looked close.  Next time I will buy regular Andes mints and chop them for the top and I suggest you do the same.  It will look much prettier!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

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Fall is here!!!  My favorite season just lifts my spirits and makes me so happy.  I love the smells, the food, the decor, the holidays, the cooler weather, and just everything about fall. 
Sorry it has taken so long for me to post!  School started, which for me, means that I started work again as a PE teacher at my kids' elementary school.  It's only 14.5 hours a week but I am still adjusting to getting things at home done and working outside the home.  I absolutely love my job though, and feel so blessed that it is mine! 
These simple, pumpkin cookies are just perfect for this time of year.  When my son ate one he said, "Mom these taste like Halloween!" It was so cute! 

ICED PUMPKIN COOKIES

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 C white sugar
1 C canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
------------------------------
2 C confectioner's sugar
3 TB milk
1 TB melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 C butter and white sugar.  Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 tsp vanilla to butter mixture, beat until creamy.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls. 

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until edges are slightly browned.  

For the glaze, combine confectioner's sugar, milk, 1 TB melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Add milk as needed to achieve drizzling consistency.

Once cookies are mostly cooled, drizzle the icing over them with a fork. 

Makes 3 dozen.

Creamy Pudding Brownie Cake

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Ready for this knock-out dessert?  This is hands down the best brownie dessert I've ever had.  All of my kids devoured it and my husband said that he wanted this instead of a birthday cake.  Success?  I think so!  The bottom layer is brownies, then a cream cheese layer, a pudding layer, and finally a whipped cream layer.  This would be the perfect dessert for your Labor Day BBQ or really, just the perfect dessert for any occasion!

CREAMY BROWNIE PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients:
2 brownie mixes
1 extra large egg
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 (8 oz.) containers whipped topping
1 (3 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding
1 (3 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 Hershey candy bar

Directions:
Mix brownie mixes according to directions plus add an extra egg. Bake in 9x13 inch greased and floured cake pan then allow to cool completely. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 container whipped topping. Put this mixture on top of the cooled brownies. Blend puddings and milk together and put on top of the cream cheese mixture. Top with another layer of whipped topping. Put chocolate shavings top. Refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 2 hours).

Tip: To make chocolate shavings just get a vegetable peeler and slide it over the edge of a cold Hershey's candy bar.  Makes the perfect shavings!

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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Wow, sorry for the absence of posts!  It has been a super busy summer for us and I have devoted almost every second of my time to my kids and having fun.  Once baseball season ended for my son, I took all 3 kids (ages 9, 7, and 5) on a road trip to my home state of Texas all by myself (I live in Utah now).  Family and friends, including my husband, thought I was nuts wanting to do this but we had a blast.  My last 4 trips home have been for funerals and I really needed to go on a fun trip home to Texas.  I wanted to show my kids that it is actually fun there!  We had such a great time visiting family and made so many wonderful memories.  The rest of the summer has been spent camping, swimming, and playing with cousins and friends.  I love summer! 

We planted our very first garden this year not expecting it to be great but it has flourished and is just beautiful!  We planted cucumber, zucchini, acorn squash, lemon cucumber, jalapenos, green peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, and pumpkin.  Much to our surprise we are being bombarded with all of these delicious vegetables and fruits!  We definitely learned our lesson to only plant 1 zucchini plant, though.  We planted 2 and have it coming out of our ears!!!  We have eaten it grilled, fried, roasted, sauteed, and in sweets and there's more coming. 

When I was growing up my mom used to make what she called Zucchini Boats and I LOVED them!  Unfortunately she has passed away and I never got her recipe from her.  I made this one up from memory and I think I did a great job.  These were so so good and even my kids ate them.  Only my youngest claims to like zucchini so when the older 2 said that it was "pretty good" I was happy with myself.  I hope you love them as much as we did! 

SAUSAGE STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS
serves 4-6 adults

Ingredients:

4-5 medium sized zucchini (I used 2 ½  huge ones)
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
2 TB chopped fresh parsley
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 large egg, beaten
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 C Italian breadcrumbs
4 TB melted butter
1/3 C shredded parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Brown and crumble sausage in a skillet over medium heat.  When sausage is almost cooked through add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until sausage is done and onions are transparent.  Drain grease from sausage mixture and allow to cool. 

Meanwhile, slice zucchini in half lengthwise.  Using a spoon, scoop out the insides, leaving about ¼ inch of the flesh.  Don’t scoop all the way to the ends as you want to make it a “boat” shape so the filling stays put. 

Save about half of the scooped out flesh and discard the rest.  In a large bowl combine scooped out zucchini, cooled sausage mixture, mozzarella cheese, parsley, tomato, and egg. 

Place zucchini boats into a 9x13 pan (may have to use 2 pans) and add just enough water to the pan to cover the bottom of it.  Add salt and pepper to the boats to taste then add sausage filling to them.  Don’t be shy, fill them up! 

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, breadcrumbs, and parmesan.  Add this mixture to the top of the sausage mixture and pat down.  This will form a delicious crust while baking. 

Carefully place the pans into the oven because you don’t want to slosh any water onto the zucchini boats.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.  If you want the crust extra crispy, turn on your broiler for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. 

Enjoy! 

Tomato and Olive Penne

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Here's a recipe for you that is quick, vegetarian, and low fat.  I love quick meals like this!  Baseball season has started here and our weeknights are so crazy busy that dishes like this are lifesavers.  Monday nights are piano practice, Tuesdays we have dance for the girls and a baseball game for Ethan, Wednesdays are baseball practice and cub scouts, and Thursdays we have another baseball game.  By Friday we just want to do nothing! 

I used regular penne in this but if you want to make it even lower in calories you could easily substitute whole wheat pasta.  This was very filling and kid-friendly too! 

TOMATO AND OLIVE PENNE

Ingredients

Salt and pepper

1 pound penne, or other short pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring, until tomato juices run, about 3 minutes.

3.  Add penne, olives, parsley, and 1/4 cup Parmesan to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with more cheese if desired.

Pork Chops with Pineapple Fried Rice

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Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, is such a genius.  I would have never thought to put grilled pineapple in fried rice!  This dish is so so good that I could hardly believe that I made it.  We all gobbled it up and will definitely make it again.  I know I've made something good when my kids say, "Mom this needs to be on your blog!"  Try this because you will love it too!

PORK CHOPS WITH PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

www.pioneerwoman.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 whole Pineapple, Cut Into Spears And Skewered
• 2 cups White Or Brown Rice, Cooked
• 6 whole Pork Chops
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil Or Canola Oil
• 1 whole Large Onion, Sliced
• 6 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (more To Taste, Or If More Liquid Is Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha, Or Other Hot Sauce
• Salt To Taste
• 3 cloves Minced Garlic
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 jar (small) Drained Pimentos
• 1-1/2 cup Frozen Peas
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (additional)

Preparation Instructions

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Grill pineapple spears until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside.

Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice color.

Throw in the sliced onions and work them into the crevices between the chops. Shake the pan and move the onions around and let them cook for a good couple of minutes.

When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce. Shake the pan, stir it around, and let it cook and bubble up for a good couple of minutes until the pork chops are completely cooked and the sauce is thicker.

Remove the pork chops to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the pork chops. Set aside.

Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with a pork chops and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top. 

Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake

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Oh my goodness the last 3 weeks of my life have been nuts!  Some of it great and some of it pretty cruddy.  Week 1 we went to Disneyland and San Diego.  It was amazing!  We had the best family vacation and had no injuries or sickness-yay!  Week 2 I started my new job as the PE teacher at my kids' elementary school.  It is so much fun but the transition of being away from home for 15 hours a week has been a little stressful.  I know 15 hours isn't much but for someone who has been a "stay-at-home" mom for the last 10 years, it has been quite an adjustment.  I'm so lucky to have such a supportive husband who has been helping so much at home.  I couldn't believe my eyes when he did the dishes the other day without being asked!  Week 3 I was sick with some kind of flu.  In fact, I still have it and now 2 out of my 3 kids do too.  Luckily, the worst of it for me was over the weekend so I didn't have to miss any work last week.  I just need to feel better!  Today I'm pretending like I'm fine and have a yummy homeade dinner and dessert planned and decided I better blog too.  If I pretend I'm fine maybe I'll get better faster?  Who knows but I'll try anything!

This Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake is sooooo delicious!  It's been a while since I made this and am thinking I need to make it again soon.  I think it would be great for Easter dinner!  The presentation looks like you spent forever on it but it is so easy.  This is a great "go to" cake for any occasion!

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CRUNCH CAKE

www.ourbestbites.com

1 package Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake

1 recipe (give or take a little) Chocolate Ganache (ingredients and recipe below)

Crushed Heath bars or a bag of chocolate-covered Heath bits

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

1 Tbsp. cold water

2 Tbsp. boiling water (just heat it in a small bowl in your microwave)

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Bake cake according to cake mix instructions in two 8″ round pans. Allow to cool and set aside. This can be done several days in advance; just freeze the cakes when you’re done.

In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water and allow to stand for about 1 minute. While gelatin is softening, bring 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in the microwave. Whisk into the softened gelatin and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form. Mix in gelatin mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Super Easy Chocolate Ganache

8 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate

8 oz. heavy cream

Combine chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2 minutes and stir. Heat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is fully melted and can be whisked and incorporated into the cream. Be sure and scrape the sides and bottom to make sure you don’t find any globby bits of chocolate when you start working with it.

The ganache will thicken as it cools, so if it’s a little too thin for you, hang tight and it will be ready pretty quickly. When it’s completely cool, it will be thick and fudgy and can be used like frosting. Store in an airtight container. You can reheat it to achieve your desired consistency.

Prepare ganache (if you haven’t already) according to directions.

With a serrated knife, carefully slice the dome-iest part of each cake layer off so the layers are level. Place one layer on the serving plate and spread about 1/2 of the chocolate mousse over the cake. Sprinkle with Heath bits.

Place second layer on top of Heath bits.Spoon ganache over the top layer, allowing it to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with additional Heath bits and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage

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The next couple of weeks are going to be CRAZY so I thought I'd better get this awesome recipe up before then.  We are going to Disneyland and San Diego then I'm starting a new job as the PE teacher at my kids' elementary school.  I'm so excited!  I don't want you to have to wait another day before seeing this recipe though.  This is my "company dinner" recipe and one of my favorite meals ever.  I'm also proud to say that this is MY recipe :)  It makes so much too!  When I make this for just my family of 5 I'll do one 9x13 pan then 2 smaller pans to put in the freezer (it freezes great!).  We have leftovers with the big pan so actually you could get 4 meals out of this.  If I make it for company I'll just go ahead and make two 9x13 pans and sadly there are never leftovers.  It is THAT good! 

STUFFED SHELLS WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

1 (12) oz box uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 pound Italian sausage-cooked, crumbled, and drained
2 cups fresh chopped spinach
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese softened
1 (5 oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 T dried parsley flakes
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
32 oz of prepared spaghetti or marinara sauce (about 1 1/2 jars)

Cook shells according to package directions, drain and
set aside. (add a little oil to the cooking water so the shells don't stick together)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl,
combine cooked sausage and next 11 ingredients. Stir
in 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Spread half of the
spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes.
Spoon mixture into shells and arrange them over sauce
in the dishes. Top with remaining sauce. Cover
tightly with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 40
minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup
mozzarella. Bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Chocolate Glazed Cupcakes with Vanilla Creme Filling

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A couple of weekends ago I was watching Cupcake Wars on Food Network and it totally inspired me to bake.  I wanted to make cupcakes, of course, but wanted to do something "fancy" and something from scratch.  I got online and started searching for something and came across this recipe on one of my favorite food sites, Our Best Bites.  I've never made anything from them that I didn't like so I thought I'd give it a try.  Don't let this recipe intimidate you because it isn't hard, it just has several steps.  These cupcakes were TO DIE FOR!  I happen to absolutely love chocolate ganache and could simply eat it with a spoon so topping the cupcakes with it was just perfect.  I've used the vanilla creme before for cake frosting so I knew that would be great too.  Definitely try the creme recipe for cake frosting sometime, because it is really good and easy.  I hope you enjoy these and have a Happy Valentine's Day!

CHOCOLATE GLAZED CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA CREME FILLING

http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Devil's Food Cupcakes

1 C Flour

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C luke warm water
1/4 C buttermilk

Position rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. I know lots of people skip sifting, but in some recipes it’s really important. This is one of them, so just pop it in a strainer and shake all those lumps out.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not over beat.
Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups- use a cookie scoop for even filling. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Mine usually only take about 15- don’t over bake! Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then remove them and let them cool.

*My cake stuck a little more than I would like to the paper liners so I would suggest spraying them. 

Vanilla Creme Filling

3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I use non-fat when it’s all I have and it’s actually fine)
1/2 C real butter
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. Smash any flour lumps with a rubber spatula to keep mixture smooth.

Keep cooking mixture until it resembles pudding.

Put this mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. As it’s cooling, feel free to stir it occasionally to speed up the process and keep it from forming a crust on top. When it is chilled, you can move on to the following step.
It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Don’t be scared. It’s going to look like a goopy mess and kind of lumpy and separated.

But you just wait. It’s gonna blow your mind in a few minutes. Beat on med-high until it comes together and becomes light and fluffy. It can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
It will transform from that sloppy mess into something gorgeous, fluffy, and incredibly light and silky. If the time has passed and it still looks like a hot mess, just keep on beating and it should eventually come together. Feel the mixture between two fingers to see if the sugar granules have dissolved; if not, just beat a little longer.

Use it to fill or frost cupcakes, cakes or other pastries. You can’t go wrong putting this on just about anything :)

*This is more than enough to fill 12 cupcakes.  If you're going to use it to frost a cake or cupcakes I suggest doubling it.

Time to fill cupcakes:

Now there’s 2 ways to fill a cupcake. I use them both depending on the consistency of the cupcake I’m using. See what works best for you. One option is to take a pastry bag with a regular tip on it and place it directly in the center of the cupcake. Press out filling while slowly pulling the bag up and out.

Another method is to take a sharp knife and remove the center of the cupcake in a cone shape. Place filling inside, cut the bottom of the “cone” off, and place the top part back on.

Chocolate Ganache

3/4 C Cream
2 T real butter, melted
8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
Place chocolate in a bowl. Pour melted butter over it. Place cream in microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes- it needs to be at a simmer. Immediately pour over chocolate and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 3 minutes and then stir until smooth. Let it cool until it’s a good spreading consistency and then spread on top of filled cupcakes.

That filling is so so good combined with the moist cake and silky ganache.  I will be making these again!



Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

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Do you need a new take on that same boring spaghetti dinner?  If so, I have the answer right here with my Spanish Spaghetti with Olives.  This was fun to make (yes I said fun) and turned out delicious!  The rich meaty marinara sauce pairs perfectly with the tang of the olives and the subtle hint of heat that comes from the crushed red pepper.  My 3 picky kids even gave this a thumbs up!  I used ground beef but ground turkey would be great too I'm sure.  Oh, and how do you like the picture?  I finally dragged out my awesome photography light and love how this turned out.  Those little S&P birdies look like they want some spaghetti too! 

SPANISH SPAGHETTI WITH OLIVES

Ingredients:
8 oz thin spaghetti
1 TB olive oil
3/4 C chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed saffron thread (OPTIONAL)
16 oz extra-lean ground beef
1 jar marinara sauce (about 32 oz)
1/2 C sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/4 C water or chicken broth
1 TB capers, drained
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley, divided

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes or until tender.  Add garlic; saute 1 minute.  Add beef and cook until browned.  Stir in oregano, celery salt, red pepper, black pepper and saffron.  Stir in marinara sauce, olives, broth, capers, and half of the parsley.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. 

Either add pasta to meat mixture and combine or serve sauce over the pasta.  Whichever you prefer!  Sprinkle with remaining parsley.  Serves 4-6

Egg and Sausage Casserole

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Happy New Year!  I can't believe it is already 2012.  I am so ready for a new year and know that there are so many good things to come!  The last two months have been so crazy busy for me that I didn't realize I hadn't blogged in so long.  December was especially busy because I was asked by my kids' elementary school principal to make Cake Pop gifts for the entire faculty as Christmas gifts.  I ended up making about 400!  I was happy for the opportunity but I was so glad to be done with it.  We had a wonderful Christmas and were so thankful to spend it with our family here in Utah. 

One of my kids' (especially Ethan's) favorite dinners is this Egg and Sausage Casserole.  I don't remember where the original recipe came from but I've been making it for years and have changed it a bit.  It is so easy and quick too!  We always have it for dinner but it would, of course, make a great breakfast too.  It makes a whole 9x13 pan but it reheats great.  It is easy to lighten this up too by using Jimmy Dean's Low Fat pork sausage, low fat crescent rolls, and low fat cheese.  I hope you enjoy this easy recipe!  

EGG AND SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork sausage

1 (8 oz) tube refrigerated crescent roll dough

10 eggs, beaten

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Place sausage in a skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.  Drain and set aside.

Line bottom of prepared baking dish with crescent rolls dough and sprinkle with crumbled sausage.  In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs and the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over sausage and crescent rolls.

Bake in prepared oven for 35-45 min, until eggs have set and top is golden. 

Makes 8 servings.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

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I was just looking through my food photos and saw these cinnamon rolls pictures that I had taken a year ago.  I have no idea why I haven't posted these yet!  I have always been scared of any kind of homemade bread recipe and cinnamon rolls seemed so hard to me.  Well, I tried this recipe from Pioneer Woman's blog and they were AMAZING!  The recipe makes a lot but if you prepare them in tin pie pans they can be frozen (before baking) and you can always have them on hand.  The frosting even freezes well.  However, that is a dangerous thing to do because they are so sweet and yummy you'll want them all the time.  You could also score points with your friends and family and give some away :)  The only change I made was with the coffee in the frosting.  I personally don't drink it so I just added extra milk.  The maple extract is a must though, trust me.  Let me know how they turn out for you!  

PIONEER WOMAN'S CINNAMON ROLLS

www.pioneerwoman.com

Ingredients:

■1 quart Whole Milk

■1 cup Vegetable Oil

■1 cup Sugar

■2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets

■8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour

■1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder

■1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda

■1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

■Plenty Of Melted Butter

■2 cups Sugar

■Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon

■MAPLE FROSTING:

■1 bag Powdered Sugar

■2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring

■1/2 cup Milk

■1/4 cup Melted Butter

■1/4 cup Brewed Coffee (or just an extra 1/4 C milk)

■1/8 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it - overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable.  Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don't skimp on the frosting.

YUM!  Look at all of that butter! 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

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Are you drooling yet?  When I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs I knew I had to try it.  This was absolutely divine!  I'd rather have this than boring old apple pie any day.  When reading over the recipe I was expecting it to be difficult but it wasn't at all.  Just make sure you are super organized and have your 4 bowls ready to make each layer.  I used store bought caramel sauce to save a little time too.  These bars are good warm, room temperature, or cold.  Yes I had them at each temperature :)  This is the PERFECT fall dessert! 

CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE BARS

WITH STREUSEL TOPPING

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/

Base:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cream Cheese Layer:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup caramel sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust.

Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set.

Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle with topping one by one).

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Poblano Spinach Vinaigrette

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Wow the name of this recipe is super long but I promise it isn't complicated!  I love grilled chicken.  We have it once a week during the summer months.  It is so flavorful and easy and my whole family loves it!  I came across this recipe in an ad for Kashi in my Real Simple magazine a while back.  It doesn't use any Kashi ingredients so I thought it was kind of random but it looked good enough to give it a try.  It was so delicious and fresh tasting!  I think we will be enjoying this one all year round. 

GRILLED CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN WITH POBLANO SPINACH VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade:

4 TB extra virgin olive oil

4 limes, juiced (about 2 TB)

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

pinch black pepper

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Vinaigrette:

1 medium poblano pepper, roasted

1 C baby spinach, steamed for 2 minutes and squeezed to remove excess liquid

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 C cilantro, minced

2 limes, juiced

1 heaping TB Dijon mustard

pinch kosher salt

pinch black pepper

Directions:

1.  Place chicken breasts between 2 layers of plastic wrap or in a sealed ziploc bag.  Using a meat mallet or heavy cast iron skillet, pound the breasts out until they are evenly about 1/2 inch thick. 

2. To make marinade: Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Pour into container, add chicken, and put in fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

3. To make vinaigrette: Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly coat poblano pepper with olive oil.  Place in oven safe dish and bake in oven until its skin is covered by dark brown and black spots.  (About 25 minutes).  Remove from oven and let pepper cool.  Then, remove stem, skin and seeds.  Add pepper and all vinaigrette ingredients in to a blender or food processor; puree until smooth. 

4. To make dish: Heat grill pan or grill to medium high heat, add chicken.  Grill for approximately 6 minutes on once side, 4 minutes on the other, until chicken is cooked through. 

5. Place chicken on serving plate and drizzle with a few TB of the vinaigrette.  Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.  Garnish with cilantro and lime slices if desired. 

* You can also roast the poblano pepper over an open flame on your gas cook top if desired.  Just hold it over the flame using tongs turning it over until the skin is all black and brown.  No oil necessary for this method. 



White Chocolate Blueberry Cake

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Sorry I haven't posted in forever!  July was not a good month for me personally so blogging hasn't really been a priority for me.  I've thought about it lots, though, and have many recipes that I want to share.  This White Chocolate Blueberry Cake is amazing!  I made it for Memorial Day and it was a hit all around.  It is like an extra rich blueberry muffin with frosting!  This is definitely going in my "keep" file for sure! 

WHITE CHOCOLATE BLUEBERRY CAKE

adapted from Sandra Lee's recipe

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients:

Non stick cooking spray

1 package (18.25 oz) white cake mix

1 package (4 serving size) instant white chocolate pudding mix

1 C milk

1/2 C vegetable oil

3 egg whites

1 can (15 oz) blueberries in light syrup, drained

2 containers (12 oz each) whipped vanilla frosting

3/4 C white baking chips, melted

Fresh Blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix.  Add milk, oil, and egg whites; beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the side of the bowl; beat on medium for 2 minutes more.  Fold in drained blueberries.  Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pans.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, combine vanilla frosting and melted white baking chips.

To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate.  Spread with 1/2 C of the frosting; top with second cake layer.  Frost the side and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. 

Garnish cake with fresh blueberries. 

Creamy Fettuccine with Leeks, Corn, and Spinach

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Are you ready for an easy and delicious main dish?  This is it!  I love summer meals because I tend to make lighter, fresh dishes and this one was a hit all around in my family. 

CREAMY FETTUCCINE WITH LEEKS, CORN, AND SPINACH

Serves 4-6

16 oz fettuccine

1 TB olive oil

2 leeks (white and light green parts) cut into thin half-moons

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (or minced if you prefer)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 C corn kernels (from 1-2 ears, or frozen)

1/2 C low sodium chicken broth

1 C heavy cream

3 C baby spinach

1/3 C grated romano or parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the spinach, corn and broth and simmer until the corn is tender and spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes; stir in the cream.

Add the pasta, season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and toss to combine.  Sprinkle with the cheese before serving. 

TIP ON LEEKS: Leeks tend to be pretty dirty and gritty if not washed properly.  After chopping your leeks, place them in a bowl filled with cold water and allow to soak for about 5 mintes, occassionally breaking them up and moving around a bit with your hands.  After 5 minutes take them out of the water by skimming them off the top.  Just place them on a towel to drain.  You don't want to drain them by pouring it all in a colander because the bottom of your bowl will have all the dirt in it.  Gets them nice and clean!

Buttermilk Biscuits

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I'M BACK!!!  Wow has it really been almost 4 months?  I'm so happy to finally be moved to Utah and moved into our new house.  Buying a house is even more stressful than I imagined!  I am in love with this home and especially my new kitchen.  The home was built in 1964 but the kitchen has been completely remodeled and it is a dream.  Hickory wood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, knotty wood walnut cabinets-FOR REAL!  Sounds like I'm talking about someone else's house.  Anyway, I'm out from under the mountains of boxes and paper and cooking up a storm.  

A few weeks ago Ben and I watched an episode of Bobby's Brunch on the Cooking Channel.  He made homemade buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy that left us drooling.  We used to make that all the time when we were newlyweds and I had totally forgotten about it.  How did I forget about that?!?!  The only thing different about the way I made them 11 years ago was that I always used canned biscuits.  Any kind of homemade bread product like rolls, pie crust, biscuits, etc has always been so intimidating to me.  In fact, I remember trying to make homemade biscuits back then and they were hard as a brick! 

I didn't use Bobby's recipe because I was missing an ingredient but remembered I had this one saved from a blog.  The blog is called http://www.foodpeoplewant.com/ and the writer got this recipe from the New York Times.  Let me tell you that I am a changed woman.  These were so super easy and fun to make!  I had such a feeling of accomplishment and they were delicious!  If I can make these, anyone can so try them soon.  Oh, and just a little tip on the buttermilk.  I know it's not an ingredient that is used often so I buy the biggest container at the store then freeze it in 1 cup portions.  It freezes well and you will always have it on hand.  Don't forget about my Buttermilk Pancakes recipe too!

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
http://www.foodpeoplewant.com/

Makes about 8 biscuits

Making your own baking powder by combining fresh cream of tartar and baking soda will produce biscuits with the most lift. Don’t be afraid of the hot oven temperature either as this will allow the heat to get on the biscuits quickly and sufficiently brown their tops. When forming the dough, mix in the buttermilk until the mixture just holds together. The last thing you want to do in this recipe is overwork the dough and ruin the biscuits flaky, buttery texture.
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons packed lard or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces (I used unsalted butter)
1 cups chilled cultured buttermilk, plus more as needed
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

METHOD:
Place a rack in the middle position of the oven and preheat to 500°.

Make your own baking powder by sifting together the cream of tartar and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the lard or butter and quickly work the pieces into the flour with a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers. The pieces should be coarsely blended and resemble large peas.

Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Quickly mix the ingredients until the mixture just begins to come together. Add 2-4 more teaspoons of buttermilk if the mixture seems dry.

Immediately turn the dough out onto to a generously floured surface and quickly knead the dough about ten times until a ball forms. Gently flatten the dough and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out a thickness of 3/4 inch.

With a fork that has been dipped in flour, pierce the dough at half inch intervals before using a fluted, 2 1/2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter to stamp out the biscuits. When you have run out of room to stamp out more biscuits, carefully reform the dough and press out as many as you can.

Arrange the biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet (or spray pan with cooking spray) and bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the melted butter.

I'll Be Back Soon!

Pin It The movers will be here to start packing us in 5 days so I have to get to work.  There's so much to do!  We are temporarily moving in with my husband's sister while house hunting so it may be a few months before I'm back to blogging.  In the meantime, enjoy all the recipes here and tell me how you like them! 

Oreo-Crusted White Chocolate Mousse Torte

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Will you forgive me if I post two chocolate recipes in a row?  I just had to get this one in before we move in a couple of weeks and things get crazy around here.  We had some dinner guests recently and my wonderful husband was the one making the main dish.  He lived in the Dominican Republic and makes the most amazing Domincan meal.  Since he was doing all the work for that I was able to focus all of my attention on dessert.  I've had my eye on this for a while and it turned out to be a "wow" dessert.  My kids absolutely loved it and they are hard to please with new desserts.  If you love Oreos you can't help but love this too!  It's also no-bake which is definitely a plus!  

* Linked to Sweets for Saturday

OREO-CRUSTED WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TORTE
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/

Makes one 9-inch cake; 12 servings

For the crust and garnish:

Butter for preparing the pan
24 Oreo cookies, roughly broken in thirds
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
For the filling:

10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups (16 ounces) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Coat the interior of a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Place a circle of parchment in the bottom and butter it as well (I omitted this step and it didn’t stick).

Place the bowl of an electric mixer and wire whip attachment or the beaters in the freezer to chill.

To make the crust, place the broken cookies in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until medium-size crumbs are formed. They won’t be uniform but don’t process long enough to make mush- just to grind the cookies into uneven crumbs. Leave the crumbs in the food processor. Place the semisweet chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Pour the 1/2 cup heavy cream into a small saucepan; set over medium heat and bring the cream to a very gentle simmer. Pour it over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add two-thirds of the cookie crumbs; reserve the remaining crumbs. Stir the crumbs to coat them with the chocolate. Spoon and scrape the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press the chocolate-coated crumbs evenly over the bottom all the way to the edge of the pan, but not up the sides. Set aside.

To prepare the filling, place the white chocolate and 2/3 cup of the heavy cream in a metal bowl placed over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally as the chocolate melts. When the mixture is smooth, remove it from over the water and set aside to cool.

In a chilled bowl using the chilled beaters, whip the remaining 1 1/3 cups of heavy cream and the vanilla until soft peaks form.

Pour 3 tablespoons of water into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over it. When the gelatin has softened, place the saucepan over very low heat and stir the mixture just until the gelatin has dissolved and liquefied. Immediately scrape the gelatin mixture into the white chocolate mixture, and fold gently until well combined. Fold the white chocolate-gelatin mixture into the whipped cream until the mixture is uniform. Scrape the filling into the prepared crust.

Refrigerate the torte until the gelatin has set, at least 4 hours or overnight (I refrigerated mine overnight). To serve, loosen the edges of the torte from the sides of the pan with a small knife. Remove the sides of the pan and run a wide metal spatula between the bottom of the torte and the parchment liner, then lift the torte onto a flat serving plate. Just before serving, sprinkle the torte with the reserved cookie crumbs.

This torte can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 days.