I Heart Food & So Can You

Peanut Butter Heart Cookies

2012-02-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea on Pinterest. Instead of a chocolate kiss top the cookie with a chocolate heart. So cute and perfect for Valentines Day. We have already posted an incredible peanut butter cookie recipe here but I didn't have shortening on me when I made these so I went with a butter based recipe instead. It was so good and matches the deliciousness of our other recipe. I sent these to the hospital with K and the cookies received raved reviews.

Recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com):

1 C unsalted butter

1 C Peanut butter

1 C Sugar

1 C Brown sugar

2 Eggs

2 1/2 C

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter together. Add the sugar, brown sugar and eggs and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Once mixed, slowly add it to the butter mixture until full incorporated.

Form dough into balls. I like to roll the dough in sugar before placing them on the pan to bake.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

While the cookies are baking. Unwrap your chocolate hearts and set aside. Right when the cookies come out of the oven, place a chocolate heart on top of the cookie.

The chocolate heart will melt into the cookie but still keep it's shape. I loved the mixture of peanut butter with ooey goey chocolate. It was yum delish, especially with a cold glass of milk. Enjoy these treats for yourself or make them for your sweetheart. They will definitely enjoy them! :-)

Enjoy!

M&M Blondies

2012-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and saved in on my food board. I'm glad I did because we were invited to dinner at a friends house last minute and asked to bring dessert. I pulled up the recipe, whipped this up and was so excited how it turned out. For Valentines Day you can use pink and red M&Ms to make it more festive. This dessert is perfect with a couple scoops of your favorite ice cream. Most likely you have all the ingredients you need in your cupboard, so keep this recipe close for when you need a quick dessert.

Recipe (found recipe on Baked Perfection)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup to 1 1/3 cup M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" square pan.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar and melted butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Add 1 C of M&Ms and pour into baking pan. Sprinkly 1/3 C of M&Ms on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the middle is down. I noticed that the sides finished a lot faster than the middle. So just watch you sides to make sure they don't become well done.

How fun is this? I love color the M&Ms bring to the dish. It was super yummy and super easy to make.

Enjoy!

Chicken & Vegetable with Pesto

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Back to the world of delicious cooking. This dish can technically be a smart eat if you pair it with whole wheat pasta like we did. But really I think it tastes best with yummy carb-i-licious good-old fashion rotelle pasta. Here's another recipe that we have adapted from my Williams-Sonoma "Italian Cooking" cookbook. Fresh flavors without a ton of ingredients equals fresh tasting Italian food the entire family will enjoy.

Recipe:

2 Zucchini, chopped

1 Yellow onion, sliced

1 Red bell pepper, sliced

2 Tbl olive oil

1 lb chicken breast, cubed

1/4 C chicken stock

Salt

Pepper

Your choice of pasta

1/2-3/4 C Pesto

Chop and slice your veggies and set aside.

In a wok, place 1 Tbl of olive oil and heat. Once it is hot add your cubed chicken. Cook until chicken is golden on the outside and fully cooked through. Place in a bowl and set-aside.

Boil a pot of water and add pasta. When pasta is cooked, drain and set aside. You can do this while working on the next few steps.

In the same wok you cooked the chicken, heat 1 Tbl olive oil. Once the oil is hot, on medium-high heat cook the onions until tender. Add the red bell pepper and zucchini and cook until onions are golden. Add the chicken and chicken stock and cook until chick stock is hot.

Place in a large bowl and mix in the pesto sauce. Toss in the pasta and mix well. This recipe is pretty simple and the taste is exquisite. Add Salt and pepper to taste and serve while hot. I made this and stuck the bowl in the microwave to keep warm until K got home. He was very excited to walk through the door and smell the delicious aroma.

Enjoy!

Smart Eats- Skinny Snickerdoodles

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Just because you are eating smart doesn't mean you can't enjoy a delicious cookie every once in a while. I was in a super snacking mood but I didn't want to ruin the good eating I've been striving for this month. On Pinterest I found this recipe for Skinny Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles from Skinnytaste.com (my new favorite site!). These cookies are so amazingly delicious and chewy plus they're only 1 point each. Here's the recipe:

Recipe:

1 3/4 C Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 C sugar

1/4 C butter, softened

1 Tbl light agave

1 tsp vanilla

1 Egg

3 Tbl sugar

1 Tbl cinnamon

Preheat over to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar together. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Add the agave, vanilla and egg.

Slowly add the flour mixture and mix. The dough will seem kinda dry which is okay. Throw the dough into the refrigerator for ten minutes.

With moist hands roll the dough into 1" balls. Toss in the cinnamon/ sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes. The cookies will be soft which is perfect.

Let the cookie cool on the pan after you take them out from the oven.

You know I'm a HUGE snickerdoodle fan and it almost seemed crazy that I was making them healthier but it worked. These are really good! I can't get over how much I love them. I will always be a sucker for the original recipe but when eating healthy, you will always find these in our cookie jar:-)

Enjoy!

National Pie Day

2012-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

National Pie Day is coming up on January 23rd. I know our focus this month is Smart Eats but who can pass up on pie? Let us know your favorite pie and even recipe. On the 23rd we will pick our favorite and post it on our blog, with credit to you of course! :-)

Smart Eats- Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

This morning I was online thinking about what to make for dinner. I didn't want to go to the grocery store yet my cupboards lacked a sufficient amount of food. I jumped onto my new favorite food blog, Skinny Taste, and perused recipes until this one caught my eye. I was so excited when I had everything needed to make this recipe. At 8:23am I loaded up our crock pot wither everything needed, set it on low and walked away knowing that in 10 hours I was going to be eating a feast! This has definitely become my favorite chili recipe and with only 5 points a serving I can be happy that the taste is there as well as the healthy:-)

Here's the recipe (as found on skinnytaste.com:

1 Onion, chopped

1 16-oz can black beans

1 16-oz can kidney beans

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

10 oz package frozen corn kernels

2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies

1 packet taco seasoning, preferably low sodium

2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

24 oz (2-3) boneless skinless chicken breasts

How is this for easy. Load everything into the crockpot and set on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours. I didn't even drain the beans. Just pour everything in, stir and set the chicken breasts on top. We used frozen chicken breasts, placed them in the crockpot still frozen and it worked out perfectly.

After 5 hours, I pulled the chicken out and used a hand mixer to shred the chicken. I then placed the shredded chicken back into the crockpot and stirred.

The hardest part about slow cooked meals is smelling it all day long! The aroma is incredibly mouthwatering. Once you're ready to eat, feel free to top your chili with low-fat cheese and fat-free sour cream.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pesto Pasta

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ready for an amazingly delicious meal that the entire family will LOVE and it's only 385 calories a serving? Then you will love this recipe! It combines the fresh flavors of Italy with healthy ingredients no one will even know are there. This is another recipe from Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! cookbook that I have totally fallen in love with. I've made a few changes and here's the recipe:

Recipe:

8 oz whole wheat pasta (we used rotelle)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 fat-free sour cream

1 C packed fresh basil leaves

2 Tbl chopped fresh flat- leaf or Italian parsley

1/2 C grated parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 Tbl chopped toasted pine nuts

Salt

Pepper

1 frozen or fresh chicken breast, cooked and sliced

1 roma tomato, chopped

In a skillet, toast the pine nuts until they are golden. Set aside. Cook the chicken seasoning both sides with salt and pepper. Once cooked all the way through, slice and put aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the whole wheat pasta and cook until al dente and drain.

Using a food processor (or magic bullet), add the sour cream and chopped garlic together. Mix. Add the basil, parsley, cheese, and pine nuts and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pesto mix to the pasta and mix together. Add the chicken and tomatoes. You are now ready to devour the awesomeness we call Smart Eats! :-) The creamy pesto mixed with the seasoned chicken is incredible. You don't even realize you're eating whole wheat noodles. Trust me, I'm a stickler for taste and I give this dish 5 stars.

Enjoy!

Smart Eats- Chicken Tenders with Ranch dressing

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Remember these? We shared them on a recipe swap with Cali Kitchen Couple a few days ago. I know, you're probably thinking how on earth are chicken tenders with ranch healthy? You'd be surprised, we sure were. These baked chicken tenders are better than the fried. With wheat flour instead of white and other healthy substitutions this recipe is becoming a new staple in our household! It's seriously SOO good!!

Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dressing (Originated from Rocco Dispirito- Now Eat This!)

Recipe:
1 C Whole wheat Flour

2 1/2 C panko bread crumbs (preferably whole wheat but if you can't find it don't sweat it)

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

4 Large egg whites

8 oz (about 8) chicken tenders

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

Nonstick Cooking Spray (I used Pam- Organic Olive Oil)

3 tsp ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix

6 Tbl reduced-fat sour cream

6 Tbl low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Start by pulling out two shallow dishes and a medium bowl. In the first shallow dish, place the flour and in the second mix the panko bread crumbs with the poultry seasoning. Place the egg whites in the medium bowl. Using a whisk, whisk until the egg whites are foamy but not to where they hold stiff peaks.

Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Season your chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Here's where the fun part begins. K would be very proud of my since I'm not a huge fan of touching raw meat haha. Place the chicken tenders in the flour and shake off any excess. Now place the floured chicken tenders into eggs. Coat them until they are completely covered. Once at a time, place the chicken tenders into the panko bread crumbs and coat each one completely. Place on the wire rack.

Salt and pepper the chicken tenders again as well as spray a little bit of cooking spay on each one (both sides). This will help give them a golden look. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden & cooked all the way through.

While the chicken is baking whip together your ranch dressing by mixing the seasoning, sour cream and buttermilk together. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The chicken tenders were delicious, especially paired with the ranch dressing. The dish is so good and pretty healthy too with only 198 calories a serving. Happy New Year everyone!

Smart Eats!

2012-01-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

We have a few great dishes to share with you within the next two weeks that are not only delicious but healthy too. Stay tuned!

Recipe Swap- Chicken Tenders with Ranch

2012-01-11T07:45:00.001-08:00

Check out Cali Cooking Couple for our tasty Chicken Tender with Ranch dressing recipe. Only 198 calories per serving and soo delicious!!

Recipe Swap- Grandma's Lemon Cookies from Cali Cooking Couple

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today we are linking up with our dear friends at Cali Cooking Couple- Alix & Kevin! Alix and I have been friends for over 15 years and I've been loving all the recipes she and her hubby have been posting on their incredible food blog. Alix suggested doing a recipe swap this month and I was more than excited to do it. Here's the recipe Alix shared with us:
(P.S Also check out Alix's adorable etsy page for very chic baby gear: Designs by Alix)

Hi we are Alix and Kevin and we are the Cali Cooking Couple. We are just two crazy married people who love to cook. We found love in the kitchen on our first date and now we are sharing our love of food with you. Wow thats a lot of love. :) We hope our recipes bring your family together like it has ours.

GRANDMA'S LEMON COOKIES

Now I know that you are thinking seriously more lemons. I am in love with lemons right now. My name sake grandmother would cook me these cookies every time I went to her house and they are my favorite.

Lemon Cookies

1 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2/3 cup corn starch

1 cup flour

Lemon Frosting

1/4 cup butter

2+ Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice

rine of a Lemon

-Powdered sugar to spread

1. Mix butter and powdered sugar

2. Add corn starch

3. Add flour and mix

4. Drop teaspoons onto cookie sheet and indent and cook 325* for 15 minutes -

5. Cool

6. Mix frosting butter

7. Add fresh squeezed lemon for juice

8. Grate lemon

9. Add powdered sugar to spreadable constancy.

10. ENJOY !!!!! and then say "this is the best cookie ever"

11. Hid them because you will eat the whole batch.

Cali Cooking Couple

Alix and Kevin Wilcox

www.calicookingcouple.blogspot.com/

calicookingcouple@gmail.com

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! If you're like me, losing some unwanted pounds has topped your resolution's list. If you're not like me (lucky!) eating healthy is still a desirable trait... as long as it's delicious. Well, this month we want to merge losing weight, eating healthy and eating well together all into a few great recipes. We already have some in mind and can't wait to share. We'll keep you posted! :-)

Baked Chicken Taquitos

2011-12-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

I'm a lover of Mexican food. Hmm...did that come out right? Whatever, haha! I LOVE Mexican food and I love making Mexican food. I was on Pinterest and saw this great recipe for taquitos. Here's the original recipe from Annie-eats.com. It's true, normally taquitos are fried but the baked alternative are just as yummy! Here's the recipe:

Recipe:

3 oz. low-fat cream cheese, softened (or regular either works)

1/4 cup salsa

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (2 chicken breasts)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
Olive Oil Cooking spray
Sea Salt

Sour cream

Guacamole

Place chicken breast in boiling water and cook on high for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked.

Do you want to know the easiest way to shred chicken breasts without burning your fingers? Place the cooked chicken breasts (still hot) into a large mixing bowl. Using the paddle on your mixer, mix on med-high until chicken is shredded. Super easy & super fast- thank you C for this great idea! Cool the chicken by placing the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes.

Pre-heat over to 425 degrees.
In another large mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, garlic, onion, cheese and chicken. Mix together.

Use cooking spray to grease a baking pan. Scoop your chicken mix into a tortilla. Roll and place seam down in the baking pan. Repeat until pan is full. Spray the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle sea salt on the tops.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa. We sat down for dinner and immediately agreed this dish just ranked in the "will have this meal often" category. The recipe is very easy and most of the ingredients you may always have on hand. Enjoy this yummy-ness, we sure did!

Day 12: Classic Sugar Cookies

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

What better way to end a countdown than with your classic sugar cookie. Santa will be thrilled to find these cookies on Christmas Eve:-) I found this recipe from Martha Stewart's website. They are definitely a must try. They are perfect cut out cookies that taste really good.

Recipe:

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Sift together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Add in the flour mixture.

Form the dough into a large ball and wrap. Place in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

When your dough is ready, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut out fun shapes with your cookie cutters. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Don't over-bake!

Four frosting we did a simple cream cheese frosting and dyed it in yellow and green for our cookies. Use whatever frosting you love or feel free to look at past recipes and choose one.:-)

Frosting and decorating is the best part of sugar cookies. One of our family Christmas Eve traditions is to make cookies together and place them out for Santa.

We hope you have enjoyed our 12 Days of Holiday treats. We have had a lot of fun making these recipes for you and hope you have enjoyed making them as well. This is us signing out until the New Year.

From our kitchen to yours, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!! Enjoy!

Day 11: Semi-homemade Peppermint Crinkles

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

We hear you, you're enjoying all these fun treats that have been posted but you just haven't had time to make anything. It's the holiday season which also includes a full work week before Christmas. Let's not forget the dreaded trip to the mall for last minute shopping or heaven forbid the post office. Here's a recipe for you that requires no effort. In fact, it includes store bought cookie dough...*GASP*. Hehe. I know I mentioned I'm not a huge fan of store bought dough but when I made these cookies I have to say they turned out pretty darn good.

Recipe:
1 package peppermint sugar cookie dough
1/2 C powdered sugar
4 candy canes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Roll dough into small balls and covered with powdered sugar.

Place on cookie sheet and using your palm flatten cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Crush candy canes and place in small bowl.

While the cookies are cooling, sprinkle the tops with the crushed candy.

How easy was that right? If you have 20 minutes to spare in your very busy schedule you can make these cookies. Eat them for yourself, place them out for Santa or give them away to your neighbors:-)

Enjoy!

Day 10: White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we are already at Day 10. That means Christmas is almost here. Here's a delicious cookie that combines cherries and white chocolate to make this exquisite cookie. I found it on Pinterest (Better Home & Gardens) It's very simple to make and has only 6 ingredients and no eggs.

Recipe:
1/2 C maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped
2 1/2 C Flour
1/2 C Sugar
1 C cold butter, cut in large cubes
12 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Pre-heat over to 325 degrees
Finely chop the cherries and set aside preferably on a paper towel. Finely chop 8 ounces of the white chocolate. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour and sugar. Add the cubed cold butter. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Add the cherries, white chocolate and almond extract. Mix together.

Using your hands, knead the mixture until dough forms. It will start out feeling pretty pretty dry but by the end the dough should come together easily.

Form into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press each ball down with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 9-10 minutes.

Once the cookies are down and cooling, start melting the remaining white chocolate. So we used a baking white chocolate bar for inside the cookies and used white chocolate chips to melt. Whatever is easiest for you. The easiest way to melt chocolate is to place it in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir and then heat again for 10 seconds. Stir. Heat for 10 seconds. Repeat until the chocolate is completely melted. Do not over cook!

Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and let cool on a piece of wax paper or on a wire rack with a paper towel underneath. At this point you can also decorate the cookie by place the chocolate side of the cookie in sprinkles or edible glitter.

Another trick is to put red food coloring in the dough so the cookies are completely red. Skies the limit:-) I had to rush the last few pictures because i was trying to get them out the door for K to take to the hospital. Though the pictures aren't fantastic, the cookies were very good. It was our first time making them and I really love them. They will definitely be making a re-appearance come Valentines Day:-)

Enjoy!

Day 9: Homemade Peppermint Swirled Marshmallows

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Remember when we made these during Halloween?

We're making marshmallows again but with a Christmas twist. Instead of adding vanilla we added peppermint extract & red swirls. Here's how we did it...

Follow the directions from before by clicking here. Once you start whipping the hot sugar mixture with the dissolving gelatin come back here for the rest of the instructions.

While the sugar mixture is whipping for 6-10 minutes add 1/2 Tsp of peppermint extract.

Once the mixture is 2-3X it's size, add the egg whites. Mix gently until the eggs white are incorporated but don't over mix.

Pour marshmallow batter into the baking pan lined with powdered sugar. Place drops of red food coloring over the top. Using a knife swirl the red food coloring around until you get a swirly/ marble look.

Using a pastry brush spread a small layer of powdered sugar on the top. Place the pan uncovered in the fridge for at least 3 hour preferrably overnight.

Use a sharp knife and cut along the edges of the pan. Slowly peel the marshmallows out of the pan.

Cut into squares using a pizza cutter and roll in powdered sugar to get rid of the sticky outsides.

Enjoy these in hot chocolate or give away as gifts. They are so delicious and truly taste like Christmas. Fluffy and light yet sweet with the hint of peppermint. You will look like a rockstar giving these tasty treats to friends and family.

Enjoy!!

Day 8: Slow Cooked Stuffed Apples

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like hot apple cider brewed fresh on a cold winters night. I know a lot of people prefer hot cocoa but truth be told, I'm (as in Bekah) not a huge chocolate fan. I know, shocker! :-) I saw this idea on Pinterest and decided to try it out. I created this simple recipe myself but feel free to add walnuts or raisins to your liking.

Recipe:

4-6 Apples, cored
1/2 C brown sugar
1 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
1/2 Tsp lemon juice
1 C apple cider or apple juice

Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg.

I love when Honey Crisp apples are in season and used these apples for this recipe.

Core the apples and peel the top off the apple. I cored the top and insides but I left the bottom of the apple intact. I did this so the cinnamon mixture could really bake into the apple. Use a pastry brush and brush the lemon juice on the top of the cored apple.

Stuff the cinnamon mixture generously into the apples, about 2- 3 Tbl per apple. Place the apples into a slow cooker and add the apple juice/cider. If you want, I'm sure spiced cider would taste excellent as well. At the store I found Honey Crisp apple cider and was excited to pair it with my Honey Crisp apples:-)

Cook the apples on high for 2-3 hours or until golden and tender.

It was hard to capture how divine these apples were. After cooking for an hour the house had an amazing apple/cinnamon aroma that was mouth watering. The apples were so tender, juicy and started to fall apart as I took them out of the crock pot into a bowl. I whipped up some whipping cream with heavy whipping cream, some vanilla and a dash of cinnamon. I loved making this dish. It was very simple, mouth-watering and amazing.

Enjoy!

Day 7: Santa Hat Brownie Bites

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Remember our "Better than Box Brownie" recipe? Well, you're going to need it for our next tasty treat. Click here for the recipe and return when you're ready to place the brownies in a pan!

Additional items needed:

1 Carton of Strawberry

1 Can of whip cream

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Instead of placing the brownies in a baking pan we baked them in a mini cupcake pan. Grease the mini cupcake pan and fill with the brownie batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

When the brownies are done, let them rest/ cool on a wire rack. While the brownies are cooling, cut of the tops of the strawberries.

Once the brownies are cool, put a nice layer of whip cream on top. Add the strawberry and put another little bit of whip cream on the tip of the strawberry. There you have it, Santa Hats!:-) These are so cute and fun. Instead of whipping cream, you can also melt white chocolate and put that in a pastry bag and pipe it onto the brownie. Either way is delicious!

Enjoy!

Day 6: Hot Strawberry "Cocoa"

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Those who know me or follow our blog know that I'm obsessed with strawberries. So I'm sure no-one is surprised we have a couple of strawberry treats on the countdown:-) I saw this recipes on Pinterest (Babble-Family Kitchen) and Kyle made it for me. It's basically a hot milkshake but thinned out like Hot Chocolate. We rimmed the mugs with chocolate, added whip cream and chocolate sprinkles and found ourselves in love with this new dessert drink on a cold winter's night.

Recipe:
4 Tbl Butter
1/2 C Sugar
1 Pint strawberry ice cream
4 C water
Whipped cream
1 C mini chocolate chips

Pour the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and 5 seconds at a time melt the chocolate chips and stir.

Once the chocolate is melted, dip the rims of you mugs into the chocolate.

In a medium pot, whisk the butter, sugar and ice cream together. Whisk in the water one cup at a time. You can add more water if the mixture is too sweet or less water if not sweet enough. It's really up to your tastebuds.

Heat just until steaming.

Add to your chocolate-rimmed mugs and add whipped cream. Serve. I found this sweet treat very yummy. My favorite ice cream warming me up on a cold night? Perfect!!

Enjoy!

Day 5: Mint Chocolate Chip a.k.a Grinch Cookies

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

I was on Pinterest (Flikr) the other night, no surprise there haha, and saw a picture for these cookies. Immediately I knew I had to try them and put them on the blog. Here's the original post for the cookies. Instead of buying sugar cookie dough I decided to whip up a simple recipe of my own and then add the yummy flavors. They turned out great! It's a cross between thin mints and mint chocolate chip ice cream- yup that good! Here's the recipe...

Recipe:

3/4 C shortening

1 C sugar

2 Eggs

2 1/2 C flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp mint extract

2-3 drops green food coloring

1 C mini chocolate chips

1 C creme de menthe baking chips

Cream the sugar, egg and shortening. Add mint extract and food coloring. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture little by little. Add additional green food coloring if needed.

Fold in both baking chips and cover. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into small balls and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on a wire rack or even on a paper towel on the counter. These cookies are perfect for dunking in milk or even pairing with vanilla ice cream. They are quite delicious! For a fun family evening, read Dr. Suess', "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" while enjoying these treats. Warning: Your heart my grow three sizes larger:-)

Enjoy!

Day 4: Chocolate Pretzles

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

When visiting Hawaii a couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law K brought over these treats for FHE. I couldn't stop eating them. I loved the sweetness of the chocolate and the salty-ness of the pretzel. I was in like, possibly in love. These little treats are very easy to make and perfect for Christmas parties or get togethers.

Recipe:

1 Package M&Ms

1 Package Square or Round Pretzels

1 Package Hershey Kisses

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour pretzels onto a baking sheet and separate.

Unwrap Hershey Kisses and place one on top of one pretzel. We used Hershey Special Dark but milk chocolate is just as tasty. Bake in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is soft.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven and place a M&M in the center of each Hershey Kiss. Let cool.

How easy was that? No real baking involved! I'm excited to take these to a Christmas Potluck with friends tonight and hope they will love them as much as I do.

Enjoy!

Day 3: Lemon Snowball Cookies

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun and easy treat that everyone will love. You have the zestyness of the lemons and the scrumptiousness of the almonds that makes this cookie brilliant. I got the recipe from TasteofHome.com.

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
Confectioners' sugar
Pre-heat the over to 350 degrees

Cream sugar, egg and butter and set aside.

Mix together the dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.

Zest and juice your lemons. We used two lemons and it gave us the amount we needed.

Add lemon juice and zest to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix well. Add the floue mixture little by little until completely mixed into the batter. Finally, add the almonds.

Roll dough into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. The top of the cookies will not brown.

Cook on a wire rack for 5 minutes then roll of the cookie in powdered sugar.

The end results are, as stated before, brilliant. You have a great cookie to enjoy at home or take to a holiday party. You can even stack the cookies on top of each other to decorate as a cookie snowman.

Enjoy!

Day 2- Red & White Stripped Cookies

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, K and her little son, D, came over to help me make these fun Christmas cookies. I pulled out my Betty Crocker Cooky Recipe book and found this classic. These cookies remind me of my childhood. My mom used to make them every year. I loved watching her twist the dough into small candy canes and I especially loved to eat them hot out of the oven.

Recipe:
1 C Shortening
1 C powdered sugar
1 Egg
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp red food coloring
1/2 C crushed peppermint candy
1/2 C sugar

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Mix shortening, egg and powdered sugar together. Add the flour and salt and mix well.

Split the dough in half and put one half in a separate bowl. Put aside. With the other dough add red food coloring and mix until the red is fully incorporated in the dough. Now comes the fun (and sometimes frustrating part.

On a lightly floured surface, take a small ball of red dough and roll it back and forth until it becomes a small rope of dough. Do the same to the white dough. Place both ropes of dough side by side and twist together to form a candy cane.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden in the oven. You don't have to just to candy canes. You can have fun making whatever shapes and sizes you want. We had a lot of fun trying some out.

While the cookies are cooling you and sprinkle crushed peppermint candy on top for a little more holiday happiness;-) We had a lot of fun making these cookies and they may not look like incredible masterpieces but they sure tasted yummy.

Enjoy!

Day 1: Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting

2011-12-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our Christmas treats countdown!! We are so excited to bring you 12 delicious recipes that we enjoy during the holiday season. We will be posting a new recipe each morning. We hope you enjoy these treats as much as we enjoyed making them:-)

To kick us off, we made chocolate cupcakes with peppermint frosting. I was perusing Pinterest (The Party Dress) the other week and saw this recipe for peppermint frosting. What goes with peppermint? Chocolate of course!

Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe:

1 C. brown sugar

1/2 C butter

2 large eggs

1 1/4 C flour

1/2 C unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C buttermilk*

1 tsp vanilla extract

*If you do not have butter milk put 1 tsp. white vinegar in a 1/2 C measuring cup and fill the rest up with milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs mixing each in one at a time.

In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients together. Add half of the dry mixture to the batter. Mix well. Add the buttermilk and mix well. Mix the remaining dry mixture until fully incorporated in the batter. Fold in vanilla extract.

Using a spoon or an ice creams scoop, pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Use the toothpick method to make sure cake is baked all the way through.

Cool cupcakes on a wire rack and start on the frosting.

Peppermint Frosting recipe:

3 C. powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 C crushed peppermint

1/2 C butter, room temperature

3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3-4 Tbls Milk

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Incorporate milk as needed. Fold in peppermint frosting.

Once your cupcakes fully cooled, frost them to your hearts delight:-)

We had these cupcakes for dessert after Sunday dinner. They were a hit! I loved the settleness of the chocolate cupcakes that really helped the frosting shine.

Enjoy!

Sneak Peak!

2011-12-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a little preview of the yumminess to come:-)

Countdown to Christmas starting Dec. 12th

2011-12-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

December 12th the fun begins. We will be doing a Countdown to Christmas through holiday treat recipes. We have been baking and decorating like crazy here and can't wait to show you what we've come up with! Let the fun begin on Monday!

How we choose recipes

2011-11-27T18:26:00.000-08:00

I was looking through old photos of recipes we did not put on the blog and trust me there are a lot of them. It starts off well but at some point the recipe becomes too complicated or the end result is not..well...delish. I thought I'd write a post on how we decide whether or not to post a recipe.

The end result better be worth it
It shouldn't be too complicated
Ingredients should be easy to come by
Did I mention the end result?

We take pride in the recipes we post and we won't just post anything (and I have the pictures to prove it). If you have any recipes you'd like us to post leave a comment or send me an email. We are always looking for good recipes.

PS I'm thinking about doing a 12-days of Cookies post in December. If you have any Christmas cookie recipes you love, please let me know!

Cinnamon & Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

2011-11-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Pinterest and got the recipe from Mandy's Recipe Box blog** and had to try them out! I'm so glad that I did. The recipe is pretty simple though there is a lot waiting time involved for when the dough is rising/resting. I loved the mouth-watering aroma while the bread baked in the oven. I couldn't wait for the timer to go off. The end result was ooey goey delicious-ness. We didn't even break out plates but ate the bread right off the cutting board. We loved this recipe and hope you do too.

Recipe:
Dough:
2 3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 c sugar
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbls butter
1/3 c whole milk
1/4 c water
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Filling:
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
4 Tbls. butter, melted until browned

In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Put aside.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and milk. Once the butter is completely melted take off the burner and add the water and vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes or if you have a thermometer and want to be super tricky, wait until the mixture cools to about 125 degrees.

Pour the milk mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Whisk together the eggs and add to the batter. Keep mixing. Add 3/4 c of flour and mix well. The mixture will be very sticky which means it's perfect.

Place the dough in a medium greased bowl. Cover with wrap and let it sit in a warm place to rise for about 30-45 minutes. Once the dough has doubled its size, knead in 2 Tbls of flour. Cover the dough again for another 5-10 minutes.

While the dough is rising you can start on the filling. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

Brown the butter in a small saucepan. Should take about 5-8 minutes. Once browned, take off heat and set aside.

Once the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface. Brush the butter on the the dough and add the sugar mixture. Make sure everything is covered.

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into six equal strips.

Stack the strips onto of each other and cut six equal squares.

Place squares side by side in a bread pan and pre-heat the over to 350 degrees. Cover the dough for another 10-15 minutes to rise.

Bake in the over for 30-35 minutes. The outside of the bread will be a dark golden brown. (Side note: I had to put a small pan on the oven shelf underneath the bread pan because the sugar started to boil over.)

The bread is best served when warm. I enjoyed it with some apple cider- a great combination. If you want more of a dessert, feel free to whip up some icing to drizzle on top once you take the bread out of the over.

Enjoy!

**Note: I just wanted to make sure I gave credit to where credit was due. I was accused of stealing this recipe and I wanted to clear things up because my intentions were definitely not that. As I mentioned above, I found this recipe on Pinterest posted by Mandy's Recipe Box. Just to clear any confusion, by reading Mandy's Recipe Box she mentioned she found this recipe from Joy the Baker. I'm so grateful for the world of blogging & pinterest, where we are able to share ideas and recipes. Sorry to anyone who felt I was stealing recipes. I try my hardest to give credit to where I found the recipe. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings and we can go back to what we love most...eating!! :-) xoxo B**

Lettuce Wraps (Inspired by PF Changs)

2011-11-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

You cannot go to PF Changs without ordering their lettuce wraps. It's impossible! They're just way to good. I was on Pinterest the other day and found this recipe and we were very excited to try it out. Thank you CDK Kitchen, where I found the original recipe for this. So I started making these and realized I was not as prepared as I thought and made a few changes to the recipe to match what I found in the pantry. I'm so happy with how the turned out, they're so delicious!!

Recipe:

Butter Lettuce Leaves

1 pound ground chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoons red chili flakes
1 can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped (optional)
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Rinse leaves keeping them whole and set aside. We bought Butter Lettuce which the packaging said it was still alive. Is it weird to feel bad about killing lettuce? Haha- anyways, loved these leaves and they were so crisp and fresh it really made the dish.

In a large skillet, brown the chicken and add the onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin, ginger, red wine vinegar and chili flakes. Cook until meat is crumbled and brown.

If you are using water chestnuts (we did not use these and the dish turned out great) now is the time to add them. Also, add the green onions and cook until the green onions begin to wilt.

Get that lettuce ready because it's time to eat. We didn't even sit down to eat, we just grabbed a leaf and dished up and ate over the stove haha. Not a lot of patients in our household but when you try these, you'll understand why:-)

Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2011-11-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

The world knows my favorite cookies are snickerdoodles. I've also tried snickerdoodle ice cream and cupcakes, both of which are delish. I was on Pinterest and saw this recipe for muffins. Of course I had to try them out. The finished product is fantastic. A semi-crispy outer shell of cinnamon sugar and a sweet & fluffy inside. Top it off with a mug of apple cider and breakfast is served. Thank you Eat Me, Delicious for this excellent recipe!

Recipe (slightly modified):
2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 C. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. & a pinch nutmeg
1 1/4 C. sour cream
2 1/4 C. flour
1/2 C sugar & 1 TBL cinnamon (put in shallow bowl)

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees and grease a muffin pan with baking Pam.

Cream the butter and sugar until soft. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time and mix well.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

Add half of the dry mixture to the egg mixture and mix. Then add the sour cream and mix. Pour in the remainder of the flour mixture and mix well.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out dough and drop in the shallow bowl full of cinnamon-sugar. Roll the dough in sugar until completely covered and drop into the muffin pan.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown

Like I said the end result was so scrumptious. We stood around the kitchen eating these and drinking apple cider for breakfast.

Enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows

2011-10-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you Smitten Kitchen for this amazing recipe. When I found her blog, I completely fell in love and had to try these out. I wanted to make a fun party favor for the upcoming Activities Day Halloween party. I received an email from Katie-did Design's sent out a freebie "Ghost Poop" label and thought it would be super fun to hand these out to the girls at the party. Of course, store bought marshmallows weren't enough and so I did my first attempt at homemade marshmallows. They turned out perfect! Listen- ladies and gents, if I can do it...so can you!! They're soft, fluffy and scrumptious. Perfect for hot cocoa, s'mores and ghost poop.

Recipe:
About 1 C confectioner's sugar
3 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 C cold water (divided)
2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Large egg whites
1 Tbl vanilla

Oil a 13x9x2 metal baking pan and dust the bottom and sides with powdered sugar. I was having a bit of trouble getting the powdered sugar to stick to the sides but Kyle had a genius idea of putting powdered sugar in the pan then turning the pan and tapping the bottom while the sugar falls into place...what a smartie.

In a large bowl pour 1/2 C cold water. Sprinkle the gelatin on top of the water. Let it sit and soften.

Using a 6 quart (or 3 quart) heavy sauce pan heat the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 C of water on low until sugar dissolves.

Using a cooking thermometer, turn the heat up to moderate and boil the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees. This took about 10 minutes for me. Once it reached 240 degrees, remove from heat and pour into the large bowl containing the gelatin. Stir until gelatin is dissolved.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Set aside.

Whip sugar/gelatin mixture on high for 6-10 minutes or until the mixture has tripled in size.

Add the egg whites and vanilla beat just until it's combined. Do not overstir the mixture. Pour mixture into the oiled pan. Don't worry about scrapping the bowl, it can become messy, Just get as much as you can easily get into the pan.

Dust the top with a layer of powdered sugar. Place in the refrigerator uncovered until firm. If you're in a rush, give it at least three hours. I waited until the next morning just to be on the safe side.

Run a knife around the edges of the pan and slide the marshmallows onto a cutting board.

Using a oiled pizza cutter (or sharp knife) cut the marshmallows into 1x1 cubes. I sprayed Pam onto our pizza cutter and it worked perfectly. Using the remaining powdered sugar in the pain, roll the marshmallow cubes through the powdered sugar so all sides are covered. It helps get rid of any stickiness.

There you have it! You can kiss those jet-puffed mallows good-bye with this super simple but delicious recipe.

Thanks to Katie-did Design, I was able to print off these fun labels to make "Ghost Poop"!

Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Chili

2011-10-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Fall equals crisp evenings, colorful leaves, and football. And what's better than watching football on a nice crisp evening with a bowl of chili? I made this chili a few weeks ago and invited some friends over to watch a BYU football game. Thank you allrecipes.com for this great recipe! I made it in the morning and stirred it occasionally during the day. When game-time came around it was ready. The aroma was mouth-watering..seriously our house smelled divine. This hearty chili is very simply to make so get your crock pots ready, it's chili time.

Recipe:

2 pounds ground beef

2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 medium onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Frito Chips

This chili can serve up to 10 people and can easily be chopped in half if you need to. Start with browning the meat. Place your ground beef in a pan of heated olive oil. Cook until brown all the way through. Here's the deal, I usually buy lean ground beef but for chili and burgers you really want to get a fattier selection. The reason is the flavor and juicyness. You really want a chili that is hearty and full of flavor. So give in every once in awhile and get a good meat for this recipe. With that said, don't forget to drain the excess grease when the meat is fully browned.

Chop the onions and peppers as well as mince the garlic. Set aside.

In your crock pot/ slow cooker add everything except the cheese and fritos. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high for 4 hours). Stirring occasionally.

An hour before you're ready to eat taste and season with salt and pepper. Also, feel free to add garlic powder and chili powder for taste to. I chose an hour because I want those spices to really get infused with the sauce but you don't want it to settle too much or it may get to salty.

Soo good! I should've taken the picture when the cheese was melty and gooey but I couldn't wait to eat it. I really enjoyed this recipe. It's simple to make and incredible to eat. Enjoy!

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

2011-10-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I was asked to bring a pasta salad to the RS dinner. I wanted to try something new so I looked online and found this great recipe on allrecipe.com. Once prepared I ate a small bowl and I was hooked. I decided to make it again last night to blog about it. Both K & C agree, it's quite tasty. Now I have a confession to make...I do not eat leftovers. But I broke this rule for lunch and had some of this dish. It was so amazing. I love how the flavors come alive and can't wait for you to try it.

Recipe:

1 (12 ounce) package rotelle pasta
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup EVOO
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped green onion
4 cups torn fresh spinach leaves

I used rotelle pasta but feel free to use your favorite pasta for this dish. Bring to boil a pot of lightly salted water. Add pasta. Cook pasta and drain when done. Set aside in a bowl.

While cooking the pasta I made the sauce. This recipe is great because you can make everything at the same time.

Note: If you are using frozen chicken breast, now would be the time to defrost them.

Heat olive oil in a pan. Once oil is warm pour in the sesame seeds and cook on medium-high heat. You will want to stir the sesame seeds until they are golden brown (approx. 3 minutes).

Once the seeds are toasted, take off the heat. Add soy sauce, white wine vinegar and sugar. Caution: Be careful when adding the soy sauce to the pan. The oil and seeds will bubble up. Pour in the soy sauce slowly! I didn't realize this when I first made this recipe, boy was I surprised haha! Put in a heat safe container and put aside.

So, I forgot to take pictures of the chicken...opps! Though I did get a shot of this lovely pan with oil heating in it...

Beautimous right? Haha. Well, I used three defrosted chicken tenders for this recipe. I placed the chicken in the pan once the oil was hot. Cooked on medium-high heat until cooked all the way through. While the chicken was cooking, I seasoned it with sea salt and a little bit of garlic salt for flavor. Once fully cooked, I placed it on a cutting bord and cut into small cubes.

Mix the pasta, 1 Cup of the soy sauce mixture and chicken in a large bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2+ hours. This is the best part because you can run errands or watch a few episodes of Vampire Diaries and the pasta salad is marinating to perfection. The noodles and chicken are soaking in that tangy sauce and you don't have to do a thing:-)

When you are ready to serve the salad add the green onions, parsley and spinach to the large bowl. Add more of the soy sauce mixture for flavor. It's ready to be devoured!

By far, my favorite pasta salad dish. It's nice, chilled and infused with yumminess, you really can't go wrong! Enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

2011-08-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

Umm...hello! I know, I know it has been awhile with many promises of return but hey I'm back and I do have a great recipe for you! Recently I've been browsing the MarthaStewart.com website and drooling over all of her cupcake recipes. Today I've been watching re-runs of cupcake wars and finally I had enough. I had to make cupcakes. It wasn't a want but a NEED. Haha! Well, I made these on a whim and just fell in love. Thank you Martha!!

Recipe: (makes 12 cupcakes)

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

3/4 C Sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C. butter (melted)

4 ripe bananas mashed

2 large eggs

3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 and line your cupcake pan with liners.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder & soda. Using a spatula make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. I'll come back to that later.

Mash up 4 ripe bananas. I used our magic bullet but of course you can use a food processor, blender or go the old-fashion way and mash them with a fork.

(Side note- for those with little ones, put aside a bit of the mashed bananas and give it to your babies at their next meal.)

In the well that you made in the middle of the flour mixture, pour in the bananas, eggs, melted butter & vanilla. Fold the ingredients together but DON'T overmix!

Yum! Taste the batter if you'd like, it's delicious!

Fill the cupcake liners (about 3/4 the liner) and place in the over. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Use the toothpick method to make sure your cupcakes are baked all the way through.

Haha! At this point I pulled out veggies to try to even out the amount of batter I ate and the amount of cupcakes I will be eating:-)

Frosting:

1 1/4 C powder sugar

1 Tbls Honey

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C butter (room temp)

While the cupcakes are baking you can start on your frosting. Add all of the ingredients together and whip. Taste and add more flavor if needed.

When the cupcakes are done, let them cool on a wire rack. Once they are cool you can frost to your hearts delight.

For photo sake I double lined the cupcakes yet the second layer started to peel...don't judge! Haha:-) But really, who cares about those silly liners anyways right? The real stars are the cupcakes! I fell in love with this simple recipe. The cupcakes turned out very light and fluffy and the frosting was a perfect companion of sweetness.

Enjoy!

We moved to the OC

2011-06-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

So this past year has flown by and we can't even believe we're in JUNE!! Ahhh! Where has time gone? During this time we have been spending a lot of time and energy with our gorgeous little one, K graduated and we moved! I'm hoping to post new recipes soon...maybe something with Orange in it as that is where K's residency is? Haha...we will see!

Chicken with Red Wine Sauce

2011-03-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

K and I really love to cook with cooking wine (red & white). The alcohol in the wine is cooked off but leaves the food with a delicious, rich and savory taste. Basically when we have a meal that has wine in it we either grab the cooking wine or go down the wine aisle and find the cheapest one. Here's a great recipe that is very simple but has a sweet and savory taste.

Recipe:

1-2 Tbls olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken

1 tsp paprika

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C red wine

salt & pepper to taste

Like I said the recipe is super easy with minimal ingredients
Heat oil up in pan on medium heat. Add garlic and chicken. Cook chicken until browned and cooked on both sides. While the chicken is cooking get together the rest of the ingredients.

Turn the heat down to simmer. Sprinkle paprika over the chicken and add the wine and brown sugar to pan. Mix together and cover for 20 minutes.

There you have it. I was surprised by the light sweet flavor of the chicken. We paired it with white rice and I loved the outcome.

(Okay- this picture is awful! But it smelled so good we dug in and then remembered we needed a shot)

Enjoy!

Lemon Loaf

2011-02-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

My mom gave us a bundle of fresh, off the tree lemons a couple of weeks ago and we kept them in the fridge to keep them fresh. We've been looking for fun recipes to use our lemons and found this gem. When mom brings you lemons, make lemon bread.

Recipe:

1/3 C shortening

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C milk

2 lemons

Preheat oven 350

In a large bowl cream shortening and sugar

Add eggs one at a time. Add the flour, powder, and salt to a small bowl. Add to cream mixture alternating with milk.

Grate both lemon peels into the mixture

Place in a bread pan and bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Use the toothpick method to make sure the bread is baked all the way through.

Topping:

1/3 C lemon juice

2/3 C sugar

Mix lemon and sugar together. Once the loaf is out of the oven, immediately spoon the lemon/sugar mixture on the top of the bread while it's still in the pan.

Let the bread sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.

I loved the sweet and zingy flavor of this bread. It is not overpowering but has a delicious lemon undertone. Enjoy it with a glass of milk.

** Original recipe found on allrecipes.com

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

2011-02-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

I love the smell of rosemary. It's absolutely lovely and it adds a beautiful taste to everything it's added to. After we made the soup (see post below) we had a little bit of rosemary left and I did not want it to go to waste. I search for rosemary recipes on allrecipes.com and found this. It's a very simple marinade that you can whip up in seconds. Try it out and let us know how you like it.

Recipe: (makes 6)

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 C ranch dressing

3 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbl minced fresh rosemary

2 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbl white sugar

5 skinless boneless chicken- cut into 1 inch cubes

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Place chicken in to marinade for at least an hour to get all that juicy goodness and flavor.

Place chicken on skewers. We use bamboo skewers but I'm sure metal ones work just fine. Throw out leftover marinade.

Place chicken on grill and cook all the way through.

These are great to eat right off the grill. Okay as you can tell we don't actually have a grill, we used our counter-top 4-in-one waffle maker:-) But however you cook them, you won't be disappointed by the taste. Plus, they're so fast to make and you can serve them with vegetables, mashed potatoes...etc.

Enjoy!

White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Parmesan

2011-02-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

I was flipping through our Williams-Sonoma Italian Favorites recipe book to find a great soup for a romantic Valentine's dinner and found this recipe. As soon as I put the ingredients in the pan our house filled with the most amazing aroma- onions, garlic, rosemary...it was incredible. The taste didn't disappoint either. It's a hearty soup that doesn't fill to heavy. I made a few changes to the recipe and was so happy with the way the soup turned out and hope you enjoy it too.

Recipe:

2 cans white kidney beans

2 TBL olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

7 cups chicken broth

salt & ground pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Open both cans of beans and rinse in a colander. Put aside.

Chop onions, carrot, and celery as well as mince the garlic and rosemary.
(Side story- I really teared up this last time the onion was so strong!)

On medium heat, heat up the olive oil in a large pot. Once the oil is hot add onions, carrot, and celery. Saute, stirring occasionally until they are soft (about 10 minutes).

Once the vegetables are soft add the garlic and rosemary. This is where the aroma becomes mouthwatering. Saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil. I recommend adding the ingredients in that order since I poured in the broth and then got it everywhere when I added the beans. :-)

Once the soup comes to a boil turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. Take a third of the soup and put it in a blender and puree. Add back to the soup. This will help thicken the soup.

Add grated Parmesan cheese to the top and you are done. I really enjoyed making this soup and eating this soup.

Enjoy!

Cheese Manicotti

2011-02-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

The countdown to Valentine's Day continues and we've whipped up a delicious entrée. I know, manicotti may seem like a difficult feat but it's actually quite easy and your loved one will be very impressed by your mad skills!

Recipe:

15 oz Ricotta cheese

16 oz fresh Mozarella, drained and shredded

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

Manicotti noodles, boiled per directions on box

Marinara Sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzerella

Mix together the ricotta, fresh mozzarella, fresh Parmesan, eggs, and herbs in a large bowl and stir thoroughly.

Fill a pastry bag with the cheese and pipe them into the cooked Manicotti noodles

Place a 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan and place the filled manicotti in the pan.

Cover the manicotti with shredded mozzerella.

Bake for 20-30min until the cheese in melted and bubbly.

Like we said before very easy to make and very delicious. You can also team this entree with a previously posted Parmesan chicken recipe.

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2011-02-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

First recipe to the countdown to Valentine's Day- Red Velvet Cupcakes. What can be better than a red, chocolaty super amazing cupcake? I love this recipe and have made it twice in the past two days. It makes about 16 cupcakes, it's very moist and very delicious.

Recipe:

2 1/2 C Flour

1 1/2 C Sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cocoa powder

1 1/2 C vegetable oil

1 C buttermilk (or you can use 1 TBL vinegar in a cup of milk)

2 eggs (room temp)

2 TBL red food coloring

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat over to 350
Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients.

In another large bowl mix together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.

Using a sifter, sift the dry ingredients in with the wet and mix well.

Mix until the the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake for 20-22 minutes. Use the toothpick method to check if the cupcakes are done.

Have the cupcakes cool on a rack while you start on the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

The frosting is super easy to make. Start by mixing together the cream cheese and softened butter until smooth and mixed. Add the vanilla. Finally add the powdered sugar and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.

When the cupcakes are completely cooled use a butter knife to frost.

I really enjoyed making these cupcakes. I used to be so intimidated by red velvet cupcakes but this recipe is very straightforward and easy. Enjoy!

Cheesy BBQ Casserole

2011-02-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up wanting to make something easy and something I've never made before. I looked through our Betty Crocker cookbook and found this yummy sounding recipe. We heart casseroles because you can make it and then store it in the fridge until your ready to eat. I made this casserole at about 11:00am this morning and we ate around 8:45pm. It was perfect to get home from running errands, throw it in the oven and wha-laa and delicious casserole ready to be eaten. I'm a big fan of BBQ sauce and really enjoyed eating this. Hope you enjoy it too!

Recipe:

3 Cups uncooked pasta (the recipe called for ziti but I used penne)

1 Tbl EVOO

1 lb lean ground beef (we actually used ground turkey and it tasted great)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Cup barbecue sauce

1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Cup milk

1 1/2 C shredded Cheddar cheese

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees
Cook and drain pasta as directed

While the pasta is cooking, chop the onion and in a saucepan add the EVOO, ground meat and onion. Cook on medium-high heat until meat is brown. Drain.

Using a large bowl (or the pot you used to cook the pasta) mix the drained pasta, meat mixture, and remaining ingredients. Save a 1/2 cup of the cheedar cheese and put on the side.
(Not gonna lie, cooked ground turkey never photographs well...it's just a weird brown gray color haha)

Place the mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.

And there you have it, a delicious casserole that is easy to make and has big flavor! Enjoy-we sure did:-)

Spinach Dip

2011-02-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday is here and we have a great dip for you. Thank you to the Knorr's vegetable soup mix, we found this recipe and had to try it out. It's super easy to make and is perfect for watching those first downs, tackles and home runs. Ha! Just kidding, you know how much I (as in B) love football!! So whether you're a Steelers or Packers fan, make sure to have this dip at your party!

Recipe:

10 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed & squeezed dry)

16 oz sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 pkg Knorr vegetable recipe soup mix

3 green onions, chopped

8 oz water chestnuts, chopped (optional)

1 baguette

Pour the vegetable soup mix into a large bowl

Add thawed spinach. We ran it under warm water to help it thaw and then using paper towels squeezed out the excess water. Add to bowl.

Add chopped green onions to the bowl.

Add the remaining ingredient and stir.

That's it! All that is left is to grab the bread and cut it into small slices.

There you have it, a super easy recipe that is so good.

Enjoy!

Three Cheesy Pizza

2011-02-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Last week we spent time in San Clemente and were introduced to La Rocco's, this super awesome pizza place in San Clemente. There was one pizza in particular that caught our eye and taste buds, it was called "The Whitestone". After eating it K and I turned to each other and said, "We can totally make this!" So with a little creativity and a lot of cheese later we were able to create our own version of this pizza. We call is the Three Cheesy Pizza. It has olive oil, garlic, mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan on a thin crust. No red sauce. No meat. Just the basics and it's very delish. Here's the recipe:

Recipe:

Pizza Crust (you can use any crust recipe just use half of the dough to make it a thin crust)

8oz Ricotta cheese

2 cups Mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

2-3 tsp Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and then place on a pizza stone or pan that has been lightly greased with olive oil.

Spread 2-3 tsp of olive oil on the dough, just enough to cover it and sprinkle the chopped garlic on top of the dough.

Drop spoonfuls of ricotta cheese onto the pizza, you can use as little or as much as you like.

Cover the pizza with the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake for 12-15 min until the cheese is browned and the crust is golden on the edges.

This pizza is so quick and simple but it is one of the best pizzas we have ever had. In fact we loved it so much we even made it for dinner twice this week!

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-02-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law, C, has made the claim that these are the "best cinnamon rolls in the UNIVERSE". In fact, that is the official name of this recipe per the family website:-) After making and tasting these rolls I would have to agree, they are delicious. The recipe itself isn't too bad but make sure you give yourself enough time to make these amazing treats.

Recipe:

Dough:

2 pkg (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

1 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar, divided

1 1/2 cups warm water (110* to 115*) divided

1 cup milk
1/2 cup soft butter
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
8-9 cups flour

Filling:
1/2 C butter
1 C brown sugar
5 tsp cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast & 2 Tbs of sugar in a 1/2 cup of luke warm water. The sugar helps activate the yeast.

In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter and remaining butter to 110-115 degrees.

Add the mixture from the saucepan to the large mixing bowl. Add eggs, salt, 5 cups of flour, and remaining sugar. Beat until smooth , add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; kneed until smooth and elastic. About 6-8 minutes. Place back into bowl and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
Roll dough out into a large circle and with soft butter spread over the dough until well-coated. Spread brown sugar and sugar on top of butter.

Roll dough into a log lengthwise

Using either string (or we used non-flavored floss) cut out rolls.

Placed on a GREASED baking sheet and let rise for another 10-15 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Rolls should look golden brown.

Frosting:

2 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 cup powder sugar

2 tsp vanilla (Mexican

Add frosting to rolls while they are still hot to allow frosting to melt into the rolls.

These cinnamon rolls are (another quote from C), "Dirty good!" Thanks C for this great recipe!!

We're Back!

2011-02-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

Okay- we haven't blogged for a while but we have a super cute and adorable excuse. Meet Baby E born in November. We've had our hands full with our sweet baby and though we've been documenting great recipes haven't had time to post anything. Well that is about to change... :-)

Angel Biscuits

2010-11-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

Well, we have been a little slow at blogging lately. That is not to say we haven't been busy in the kitchen though. So to jump-start again I will try to catch up on some of the things we have made and just need to blog about. The first one is one of my favorite recipes. These rolls are quick and simple, and always bring back fond memories, like the first time B met my family and they decided she was in charge of making them, talk about trial by fire! :) Luckily she passed with flying colors and we love making these rolls any chance we get.

Recipe

1 Pkg yeast

3/4 C warm water

3 TBS sugar

2 C flour (I like to use half all-purpose flour and half bread flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1 TBS oil

Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dissolve the yeast into the warm water and the sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it becomes bubbly.

Add the salt, oil and flour and mix until it forms a soft dough, kneed 2min until smooth.

Roll out the dough to about 1/4-1/2 inch thickness and use a roll cutter or a round glass to cut into circles.

Place place a small 1tsp sized chunk of butter on each roll and fold over. The butter truly is the key in making these rolls amazing.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter and add the rolls. Bake at 375 for 12-18min or until the rolls are golden brown

These rolls are best when the are eaten hot out of the oven. You can serve them with just about anything from gravy to honey, but any way you do it you will not be disappointed!

White Bean and Chicken Chili

2010-10-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago our friend made this recipe and I could't get enough of it! I got the recipe from her blog and adjusted it a little to fit my style. It was so good we ate until we couldn't move, and the best part was that we had enough left over to freeze and enjoy later.

Recipe

1 TBS olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups chicken broth

3 tsp. cumin

3 15oz. cans white beans

1-3 cans roasted green chili

½ tsp. oregano

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 cup sour cream

3 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (1/2 lb.)

Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and beans, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10min.

Add the shredded chicken and simmer for 20min. Then add the oregano, cumin and green chili and simmer for another 30min. I like to use the "hot" chili because it has more flavor, and if you only use 1-2 cans it doesn't add too much heat.

Just before serving, add sour cream and shredded cheese and stir til it melts.

Now that you have been smelling this simmer for the last hour it is finally time to enjoy it! You can serve it with some tortilla chips, or we like to eat it with a baguette. Anyway you do it, you will love it!!

Cupcakes

2010-08-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to find in is a great cupcake shop. This past week we found a great cupcake shop called, "That Takes the Cake" thank you to groupon.com. We fell in love with their "Prom Queen" strawberry cupcake and can't wait to try their other amazing flavors. Check out their link for locations and menu :-) Other favorite cupcake places include: Kara's Cupcakes especially their "Sweet Vanilla". Yumm!!

Do you have a favorite cupcake shop in the Bay Area? Let us know! Seriously, tell us where their located and we will check them out!

Almond Cake

2010-08-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

My amazing friend and college roommate K-love used to make this all the time. It was one of my favorite things she would make and when I moved out it quickly become a favorite of mine to bake as well. It is super quick to put together and chances are you have all of the necessary ingredients in your kitchen right now. Here's the recipe:

1 C Sugar

1 C Flour

2 tsp Almond extract

1/2 C butter (melted)

2 Eggs

Almonds or Clear standing sugar (optional)

Preheat over to 325 degrees. In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together

Add the butter, extract and eggs

Stir well :-)

Place in a greased round cake pan or as you see I used a pie pan. Both work well!

K-love would sprinkle sliced almonds on the top before baking but as most of you know I'm not a huge fan of nuts. In fact, Katie would leave part of the batter uncovered of almonds just for me :-) I do sugar on the top of it to give it a yummy glaze on the top. Not normal sugar, I use the big sugar crystals that you can find in specialty stores.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

The end product is so delicious. It's a great snack item if you're looking for something a little sweet but not overbearing. It's also easy to make when you're going to someone's house for dinner or having company over

Enjoy!!

Repost: Feather-Light Donuts (with pictures)

2010-07-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

Last month my amazing sister M informed me that June 4th, is National Donut day and we have the best recipe for you. Unfortunately, the first time we posted this recipe we had no pictures to post. But last Sunday I was really "craving" these delicious treats, so K was super sweet & made them for me. These donuts are so delicious as well as light & fluffy. You will just fall in love with them! Secret ingredient- mashed potatoes.

Recipe:

2 pkgs active dry yeast

1 1/2 C warm milk

1 C cold mashed potatoes

1 1/2 C sugar, divided

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

5 1/2- 6 C flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Oil for frying

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add potatoes, 1/2 C sugar, oil, salt, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and eggs.

Add enough flour to form a soft dough.

Place in a greased bowl for an hour turning once after the first 30 minutes. We could definitely tell our dough was rising because the seran wrap started bubbling out :-)

Punch dough down and roll on a flat surface. Cut into holes and place on a greased baking sheet.

Let rise for another 45 minutes.

Heat oil to 350 degrees. Be careful not to overheat your oil as you may burn the outside of the donut but leave the inside still very doughy. (Burned donuts = yucky smelling smoke!)

Fry donuts until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Roll in cinnamon or/and sugar while still warm. You can also drizzle your favorite icing.

This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen deliciously amazing donuts!! I love, love this donut recipe and so do our neighbors, friends, doorman... pretty much anyone who is around when we make these.

I had a hard time taking pictures because they just smelled so delicious. It's best to eat them right away but you can also store them for a day. If you're eating them the next day, warm them up for 5-10 seconds in the microwave and re-dip them in sugar. Enjoy!!

Our Favorite Gadgets: Perfect Boiled Eggs

2010-07-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

We are creating a new blog post called "Our Favorite Gadgets". I (B) will start us off with one of my favorites.

I know you all will find me ridiculous but I can never consistently get boiled eggs. Sometimes I get them right on the dot, sometimes their still a little mushy. Don't get me wrong, I try all the tricks! I've even tried spinning the egg haha. We'll I love this little gadget called the Egg-Perfect Eggtimer that is just a few dollar but super amazing. You place it in the boiling water with your eggs and it will tell you when they are hard boiled. Love it!

Better than Box Brownies

2010-07-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I actually love box brownies (much to my mother's dismay), but these brownies beat them hands-down every time. Plus, they are super quick and easy to make. You can always add a little pizazz by serving them with ice cream and berries, or even adding chocolate chips and nuts. The next time you have a brownie craving tries these out and I guarantee you won't regret it!

Recipe:

1 2/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 TBS water

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl beat together the sugar, butter, water, eggs and vanilla

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix well.

Spread the batter evenly in a greased and lightly floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-25min until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the brownies cool for a few minutes, then cut them into squares and enjoy! These make a quick dessert that is always a crowd pleaser. They are nice and chewy like box brownies, but they are more decadent and delicious. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do! Enjoy!

Turkey Lasagna

2010-06-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ok M, here is your request #2, an easy and delicious lasagna recipe. We also made this one a little healthier by using ground turkey and zucchini instead of beef. Even though it seems like there are a lot of ingredients this is actually a really quick recipe. I hope you enjoy this lasagna as much as we do.

Recipe

1TBS olive oil

1lbs ground turkey

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 6oz can tomato paste

3 8oz cans tomato sauce

2 cans stewed tomatoes

1 cup shredded zucchini

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

1 8oz carton ricotta cheese

1 egg

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

lasagna noodles, boiled

(you can always opt in for the ready to bake noodles as well)

Chop the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan on med-high heat.

Brown the onions, garlic and turkey in the heated pan.

Add the tomato sauce, paste and stewed tomatoes and mix well. Once the sauce begins to bubble, turn it down to a simmer.

Use a cheese grater to shred the zucchini.

Stir in the zucchini, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste being careful not to over salt it.

In a small bowl mix the ricotta and egg until well blended.

Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish to keep the lasagna from sticking.

Cover the sauce with a layer of lasagna noodles.

Layer the noodles with half of the sauce and half the ricotta cheese mixture.

Top the layer off with 2 cups of shredded mozzerella cheese.

Repeat another layer with the remaining noodles, sauce, ricotta and mozzarella. Bake the lasagna at 350 degrees for 30min or until it is bubbly.

There is nothing better than a good homemade lasagna. One bite of this and you'll never want another frozen lasagna again! Enjoy!!

Orange Drop Cookies

2010-06-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry M- I know you suggested Dreamsicle Cookies but that suggestion made us crave Orange Drop Cookies. So until we find a good recipe for Dreamsicles hopefully this delicious recipe keeps your tied over! :-)

Recipe:

2/3 C butter, softened

3/4 C sugar
1 egg
1/2 C orange juice
2 TBS grated orange peel (about 2 large oranges)
2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Orange Butter Cream Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs.

Zest the oranges, being careful to not get into the white part of the flesh.

Add the zest and orange juice to the butter mix and blend well.

Add the flour, soda, powder and salt. Mix well until the dough is not too sticky.

Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and bake for 8-10 min. Remove to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Orange Butter Cream Frosting

1/2 C butter
3-4 C powdered sugar
2 TBS orange juice (or more as needed)
1 TBS grated orange peel(about 1 large orange)

Cream the butter and 3 cups sugar at high speed. Add the orange juice and peel and beat until creamy. Add more powdered sugar or orange juice as needed to get a smooth spreading consistency.

Top the cookies with a generous dollop of frosting and enjoy. These cookies are even better the second day after the flavor has time to develop, but they are so good its unlikely they will last that long!

** Original recipe found at allrecipes.com

Confession of a pregnant lady

2010-06-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Okay- now that the "cat's out of the bag" (never understood that phrase...) now you all know the real story of why we haven't posted anything on our blog for the past...13 weeks. Haha! First trimester was a time where I wanted to eat pretty much nothing and the look and smell of food left me in a icky state. Now that it's slowly going away, we are truly going to get this blog up and running again. I'm super excited, so keep those recipe ideas coming!!

Food Ideas

2010-05-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

Dear- "I Heart Food & So Can You" readers,

As you've noticed, we haven't posted many recipes lately...sorry about that! Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about the blog, we just haven't cooked as often as we used to in the past few weeks. This is about to change. We would like to post some new, some old, and some tried & true recipes but need some suggestions. Please comment and let us know what you would like recipes for or some recipes you've tried that you would like showcased on our blog. We are really excited to hear your suggestions!

Yours truly,

B&K

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2010-05-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there is nothing better than having breakfast for dinner, and sometimes its nice to get a little extra fiber in your diet! :) I got this recipe from my friend J and I was really surprised by how good they turned out. Usually when you make something with whole wheat it comes out dense and heavy, but by whipping the egg whites it keeps these light and fluffy. I ate them with some Strawberry Syrup which made them even more delectable!

Recipe:

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1TBS baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 TBS sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 C milk
3 TBS olive oil

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Stir together the milk, egg yolks and oil, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes.

In a separate bowl beat the eggs whites until the form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter just until mixed.

Preheat and grease a griddle. Pour the batter onto the griddle. Cook the pancake until the bubbles begin to pop and then flip it over.

When the pancakes are done you can spread a little butter on top and the serve them while they are hot.

These pancakes are healthy and delicious and make a great breakfast or a great breakfast for dinner! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Rolo Cookies

2010-04-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

As a kid Rolo's were one of my favorite candies, so when I first heard about these cookies I knew I had to try them. Thanks to our friend A I had such a chance a few weeks ago, and they did not disappoint. I am not sure where the original recipe came from, but we added a little of our own pizazz to it. These cookies are so quick and easy, but are so amazing that in one bite you'll never be the same!

Recipe:

1 pkg Devil's Food cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4tsp cinnamon

24 Rolos

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix together the cake mix, egg, oil, vanilla and cinnamon.

Roll the dough into a log

Cut the dough into 24 equal slices.

Take a slice of dough and place a Rolo in the middle of it.

Roll the dough into a ball around the Rolo.

Place on a greased or paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes.

These cookies are delicious when they are warm and the caramel is all gooey and just oozes out of them. They are also great after they cool when the caramel is chewy. Everyone will love the surprise you get when you bite into the extraordinary cookies. Rolo's just got even better!!!

Easter Egg Sugar Cookies

2010-04-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

Growing up we were always excited for my mom to make these cookies for Easter. I never understood why she only made them once a year until I decided to make them for B one year. They really are delicious, but they are time consuming. It's not that they are hard to make, it just takes time with the glaze and the frosting decorations. So just a warning, these will take some time to make, but I promise the results will be well worth it and everyone will be mondo impressed with you.

Recipe

Cookies:

1C shortening

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 C buttermilk

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

5 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the shortening and sugar, add the eggs and mix well.

If you don't have buttermilk you can make you own. Just add 1TBS vinegar to a 1C measuring cup and fill it the rest of the way with milk. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and you can use it as you would buttermilk. Add the buttermilk to the batter and slowly mix together.

In a separate bowl sift together the baking powder, salt, baking soda and flour. Slowly add these to the mix until a soft dough forms.

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface until about 1/4in thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut into eggs.

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 7-10min. The trick is to get the cookies just done enough, if you bake them too long they get dry and if you don't bake them long enough they come out chewy and dense. You want them to just barely have a hint of turning golden brown on the edge. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes and then remove them from the sheet and let them cool completely before frosting. You can make the cookies the night before and store them in Tupperware overnight.

Glaze

6 C powdered sugar

1/3 C corn syrup

1 TBS vanilla

3 TBS butter

1/2 C water

1 TBS almond extract

Food coloring

In a sauce pan melt the butter, sugar, corn syrup and water on med-low heat, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla and almond and mix well.

Add a few drops of food coloring and stir until it is an even color and consistency. Remove from the heat.

Now the fun part begins. Take each cookie and carefully dip the front of it into the glaze. Be very careful because the glaze is hot and you may burn your fingers. You can also use a measuring cup to pour the glaze over the cookie. Just try it out until you find the way that works best for you.

Allow the excess glaze to drip back into the sauce pan. As you dip the cookies the glaze will start to thicken as it cools, if it get too thick just place it back on med-low heat stirring constantly until desired consistency.

Place the cookies on a cookie rack or wax paper and allow them to dry completely.

Icing

3 TBS shortening

3+ C powdered sugar

1tsp almond extract

water as needed

food coloring

In a mixer beat the shortening, sugar and almond. Slowly add water a TBS at a time and whip until the frosting is creamy and smooth. If you add too much water you can add more sugar and keep adjusting it until you get a good consistency.

Separate the frosting into bowls and add food coloring of your choice.

Use a piping bag to decorate the cookies. For Valentine's Day, Grandma & Pops D gave us a Mechanical Pastry Bag from Williams-Sonoma. We absolutely love this baking tool as it has made icing and decorating easy to do with great results. I like to use one color at a time and try to use different tips so that each cookie ends up being unique. Let the frosting dry for a few minutes.

And there you have it, yummy Easter cookies that everyone will enjoy. Like I said at the beginning, these cookies will take some time, but I guarantee you will LOVE them. The recipe makes about 3 dozen depending on the size of your cookie cutter, but they usually don't last for very long.You can also use this recipe for other holidays or special occasions as well.

Parmesian Chicken with Homemade Maranara Sauce

2010-03-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

As many of your know, K and I are both Italian and let me tell you we LOVE Italian food. Here's a recipe that is so fresh, delicious, and very easy to make. You will look like a super star when making this dish, so make sure you invite many people over so you can brag about your culinary skills.

Recipe:

Marinara Sauce

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 cup cooking wine (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large pot on med-high heat, add the onion and garlic and saute 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

The secret ingredient to this recipe is the carrots and celery. You don't taste either ingredient in the final sauce but it adds that meaty texture which makes this sauce so good! Chop the carrot and celery, I usually just toss them in my food processor, and add them to the onions. Add the salt and pepper, stir and add the cooking wine. We have tried it with red and white wine, both are delicious. Allow it to cook for another 10min until the vegetable are soft and the alcohol has cooked off. It will look kind of like baby food at this point so don't worry if it doesn't look appetizing yet.

Add the can of crushed tomato and bay leaf. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but you can always freeze what you don't use and save it for later.

Parmesan Chicken:

10-12 Chicken tenders

1 cup Milk

2 eggs beaten w/2 TBS water

1 cup flour

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Pre-heat the over to 375 degrees. Mix the breads crumbs with the Parmesan cheese, and set up 4 dishes with the milk, flour, egg and bread crumbs. Take each piece of chicken and dip it in the milk, flour, egg wash and finally the bread crumbs.

Drizzle olive oil in a baking dish and place the breaded chicken tenders in it. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top of the chicken.

Bake the chicken uncovered at 375 until golden brown, about 30-40 min.

Serve the chicken over your favorite pasta and top it with the marinara sauce.

We made this dish when our friends C- Puppy & his wife R came into the city. It was perfect because we made the sauce the night before and the chicken the night of. We had leftover sauce which we put in a container and placed in the freezer. Enjoy!