Popsicles

It's about 1 million degrees here so I eat these every day. I got my popsicle molds on clearance for $2.99. They're sailboats. It's cute. 


Ingredients:
Sliced fruit (peaches, kiwi, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, etc.)
Fruit juice

Fill your molds with as much fruit as you can. Pour juice on top. Put the sticks in the middle. Freeze. The hardest part is waiting to eat them. 

Koffee Kubez

The K's and the Z are just a joke. My husband made it up. We had this really great idea (adapted from someone else's great idea) for a coffee shop. You know how when you order an iced coffee they fill the cup almost to the top with ice? So then if you drink it before the ice melts, you get 2 sips and if you don't drink it fast enough, it's all watered down. So I read somewhere (I don't remember where. I'm sorry, stranger, I can't give you credit) that you can freeze extra brewed coffee and put it in your iced coffee so it doesn't water it down. Then we decided that we would have a coffee shop (Koffee Kubez) and we would have cubes of all of our drinks frozen and we would use those instead of frozen water. We're never actually going to open our shop so I'm posting it on the internet. I'm sure in a few years someone else will have come up with it and we'll regret never doing it ourselves. At least I'll know that we had the idea first. 

Directions (I'm sure you can figure it out):


Fill ice cube trays halfway (or all the way) with milk, or half and half, or creamer, or lemonade, or soda, or whatever you want to drink. Freeze about an hour. Pour coffee (room temperature) on top and freeze again. Put your kubes in a glass and pour your drink on top. 

Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients
3 lbs red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 tablespoons thyme
2 tablespoons minced garlic


Preheat oven to 425. Spread the potatoes out in a 9 x 12 inch baking pan. Pour olive oil, salt and pepper over the top. Toss with your hands until the potatoes are all coated. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with thyme and garlic. Use some sort of utensil (because it's hot) to toss again, until coated. Roast about 30 minutes longer or until the potatoes are brownish and tender. 

Tomato and Pesto Grilled Cheese

I picked some yummy basil and tomatoes from my garden today. No big deal, really. My basil is actually pretty out of control so I've been eating a lot of pesto. On everything. This recipe is adapted from several different recipes. It's also an "ish" recipe so it's never exactly the same but it's always delicious. 

Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves 
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup hazelnuts (or pine nuts but hazelnuts are about half the price)
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2-1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
black pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. I like mine a little chunkier.

For the sandwich I used pesto, mozzarella and tomato. Obviously you can add any vegetables or use a different type of cheese.

Heat a pan over low heat. Brush one side of a slice of bread with olive oil. Place it olive oil side down on the pan. Add cheese and tomato. Spread pesto on one side of your other slice of bread. Set it pesto side down on your sandwich. Brush the top slice of bread with olive oil and flip your sandwich when it's a nice golden color. 

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

It looks better in real life. I got my ingredients at Fresh & Easy. Today is the first time I've ever been there. It's a dangerous place. My blackberries were halfway gone before I even got home. 

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

Fully cooked chicken

Barbecue sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Olive oil

Most pizza doughs need to "rest" for awhile. Use this time to preheat the oven to 450. Then, slice up your chicken and pour barbecue sauce on it. Mix it up really well. Slice your mozzarella into thin slices.  

Once your dough is rested, stretch it out into a crust. Pizza doesn't have to be round to taste good. 

Now just put your toppings on. Start with barbecue sauce. Spread it out just like you would with pizza sauce. Then cheese, then chicken and onion if you remembered it. I didn't. Brush a little olive oil onto the crust. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned and the cheese is hot and bubbly. Eat it for dinner while you watch the Mavs beat the Heat. Sorry Sarah. 

One Bowl Cupcakes for Two

I love anything mini. My mother in law sent me this cute little mini set.

Loot at these scissors! I'm a giant!

Obviously I had to make something mini with my new mini things. And I just happen to have mini cupcake pans. How convenient. How convenient that my husband also happens to be in Vegas for the night and I don't have to share. I didn't want 48 mini cupcakes (yes I did) so I found this wonderful little recipe. I also made cream cheese frosting. I don't have an exact recipe but I'll include the "ish" recipe. 

Cupcake Ingredients

1 egg white

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup flour

heaping 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350. Line a standard sized cupcake pan with 2 liners or a mini sized cupcake pan with 8 liners. You could also just spray the pan with baking spray. Whisk together egg white and sugar until combined. Add vanilla and melted butter. Stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Keep in mind that this is a mini recipe and a mini whisk or spoon is more fun. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Beat the butter and cream cheese together until well mixed. Add the powdered sugar. Maybe start with 1/3 cup, taste it, and add more if you want it sweeter. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Keep beating and adding powdered sugar until you get your desired flavor and texture. Add food coloring if you want. 

Let your cupcakes cool before frosting. Look at this perfect mini cupcake!

And you only use 2 bowls so you just have this mini mess. 

After dessert, make dinner. Use your mini colander. 

Caramel Nutella Brownies

I'm posting this from my phone. We're on our way to Arizona. Obviously I packed brownies. My husband was really upset at me when I took one out and said I had to take a picture before he could eat it.

Ingredients
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 box German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
1 (12.25 oz.) jar caramel ice cream topping
1 cup (or five) Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12x9 inch pan. I like to use baking spray with flour in it. Mix evaporated Milken, cake mix, and butter. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. You want it to be firm enough to support caramel and Nutella but not baked all the way. While that's in the oven, be sure to lick the spoon. There's no raw eggs.

2. Remove from oven and pour about half of the caramel topping over the crust. Spoon Nutella on top of caramel. Spread the caramel and Nutella carefully over the top with a spatula until every bite will have an even amount of everything. Press the rest of the cake mix on top of that and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.15 minutes will give you more fudge like brownies. The longer you bake them, the more cake like they are. My mom's recipe says to let them cool and then refrigerate before serving. Don't do that. Pour the rest if the caramel topping on them and eat them as soon as they won't burn your tongue.

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Everything Bagel Chips

Remember these? Same idea here, just a different flavor. I might like these ones better. 

Ingredients:
3 day old everything bagels (3 bagels that are a day old. Not bagels that are 3 days old)
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon(ish) Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon(ish) Over the Edge Herbed Spinach
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
1 pinch of garlic salt
Any other herbs or spices that sound good to you


1.Pre-heat oven to 350. Slice the bagels into thin slices, then cut or tear apart to make them more chip-sized. Place them on a baking sheet. Brush (or spray if you have a Misto) each chip with olive oil. 


2. In a small bowl combine all other ingredients. Sprinkle on top of each chip. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until chips are your preferred amount of crispy. 


3. Eat them all before your husband comes home. 

One Ingredient Ice Cream

Did you know you can make ice cream from bananas? And nothing else??? Well, you can. I'm so excited about this. I couldn't even wait until I got home to post. I froze some bananas yesterday and I forgot about them until I was at my sister's house and saw her bananas. I've actually seen this a lot and I just now got around to doing it. 

All you need to do is cut a banana or 5 into small pieces and freeze them for an hour or 2. Put them in a food processor or use a mixer and mix them until you have a nice ice cream consistency. It tastes like bananas but it's not overwhelming. I also added about a tablespoon of honey and a handful of chocolate chips. Let me know what other add-ins you think of! 

A few updates:

1. It's not as good if you freeze it and eat it later

2. Add Nutella!

My Husband's Favorite Chicken

After 12 years without meat, I am no longer a vegetarian. While I was in the ER, I decided I need more protein. My immune system hasn't done very well this year. I'm hoping this will keep me healthy. I've only eaten chicken and turkey. Turkey does not taste good.


 I make this at least once a week for my husband. Today is the first time I ate it. It's kind of sweet. I don't really know how else to describe it. 


Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A pinch of basil
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water


1. Combine the onion and the garlic in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the chicken on top. In a small bowl combine all other ingredients except cornstarch and water. Pour on top of the chicken. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6 hours. 


2. Take the chicken out of the crock pot. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together. Pour it into the crock pot and mix it with the sauce. Cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened. Pour on top of the chicken. 

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes

Here's another one from 1,001 cupcakes, cookies, and other tempting treats. The recipe says it makes 12 cupcakes. I had extra so I also filled up a a ramekin. Also, you know when you're not quite asleep and not quite awake and you're dreaming? The other morning I was like that. I was dreaming of my grocery list. When I went to the grocery store later that day, I thought of the list I dreamed and bought those things. It was pretty accurate and I ended up with all the ingredients to make these. 

Ingredients:
4 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 1/2 oz. graham cracker crumbs (3 graham crackers, crushed)
1/2 cup superfine sugar (I used regular granulated, it worked fine)
1 1/4 cups soft cream cheese (I heated mine to soften it)
2 large eggs
finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 small lemons, sliced, for decorating (optional)


Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper liners. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat gently until melted. Remove from heat, then add the crushed graham crackers and 1 tablespoon of the sugar and mix well. Divide the cracker mixture among the paper liners and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Chill in the fridge.


Meanwhile, place the remaining sugar, cream cheese, and eggs in a large bowl and beat together until smooth. Add the lemon rind and juice, and the sour cream and beat together until combined. Add the flour and beat well. Spoon the batter into the paper liners. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until set but not browned. Let them cool for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 


When the cupcakes are cold, chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Decorate each cupcake with a twisted lemon slice. (Or don't and just eat them.) 

Sautéed Tofu

I know tofu is scary. Especially if you've had a bad experience with it. I was a vegetarian for 10 years before I liked tofu. I know it's usually the texture. Hopefully this will help. I'm not really going to tell you exactly how to make it. I'll just give you some tips. This is one of my favorite foods now that I know how to make it. Tofu tastes like whatever you cook it with so you want to use lots of flavor. This is what I do:


I start out with firm or extra firm tofu. Then, I squeeze the water out of it for about an hour. I wrap it up in a couple paper towels and put it on a plate. Then I put a cutting board on top of it and a few heavy cans on top of that. Here's my little set up. You'll wanna change the paper towels about halfway through. Your tofu should be a lot less squishy after this. 

I also cut it into pretty small pieces because the inside parts are the soggy parts. With smaller pieces, there's less room for that weird texture.

I like to cook it with about half an onion or bell peppers or broccoli. You can use any vegetables you like. This time I just used onion and minced garlic. I heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. I start the tofu first to make sure it's cooked enough without over cooking the vegetables. I never measure but if I had to guess, I use about 3 parts barbecue sauce, 1 part teriyaki sauce, and 1 part soy sauce. I cook the tofu until it starts to brown a little bit then I add the vegetables.

You want to cook it until the tofu has little crispy bits on the outside, see?

Hopefully this helped. Keep in mind, you can use whatever sauce you want. Tofu tastes like nothing by itself. It just absorbs whatever flavors are around it. 

Stuffed Artichokes

I haven't blogged in a long time, I know. I was sick and in the emergency room and it was really hard to get back into a routine after doing nothing but sleeping for 7 days straight. Here's some delicious artichokes for you!

It was really hard to make these look nice. They have a lot more flavor than just regular steamed artichokes. I also made them in my new favorite kitchen appliance. 


Ingredients
2 large artichokes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup water


1. Cut the stems off the artichokes so they'll stand on their own. Cut the tops off of the artichoke leaves. You can just use scissors for this. In a small bowl, mix together all other ingredients except water until everything is equally moist. Spread the artichoke leaves apart and stuff the bread crumb mixture between each leaf. Get it down as far as you can so it's on the part that you eat. 


2. Set the artichokes in your crock pot and add the water to the bottom. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or until leaves are tender. I served them with melted butter for dipping but they didn't really need it. I also served them with sautéed tofu.

Crock Pot Ribs

I think my crock pot is replacing my Kitchenaid as my favorite kitchen appliance. Sorry Kitchenaid. Hopefully I'll have more time for you soon. I'm figuring out that meat is really easy to cook and I actually enjoy it. I still don't think I'll eat it though.


Ingredients:
3 pounds ribs (I actually don't know what kind I used. The butcher just told me they're the best)
1 teaspoon steak seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce 
1/4 cup soy sauce 
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic


1. Mix the steak seasoning, garlic salt, black pepper, and chili powder in a small bowl. Rub the ribs with mixture and place in the bottom of your crock pot. 


2. In another bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, orange juice, and minced garlic. Pour mixture over the ribs and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 5-6 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Cake Bites

I know these are everywhere now but my mom has been making them for years. They're a perfect little bite-sized treat. Everyone loves them. 

Ingredients:

1 box any flavor cake mix

1 jar any flavor frosting

Whatever ingredients the cake mix calls for (usually eggs, vegetable oil, and water)

Chocolate chips or chocolate candy melts

Sprinkles (optional)

1. Bake the cake as directed on the box. Let cool. 


2. Once the cake has cooled completely, crumble it all up in a bowl. 

3. Add the whole jar of frosting. Mix well. 

4. Roll the cake mixture into little bite sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Put them in the freezer. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. If you have a double boiler, use that. If you're like me, use 2 different sized pans. Fill the larger pan with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and put the smaller pan (with the chocolate) on top of it. Stir constantly to keep from burning. 

5. Take the cake out of the freezer. Dip them one by one into the chocolate. I put them on a fork so the extra chocolate will just drip back into the pan. You can also put them on toothpicks or sucker sticks so they're more like cake pops. Decorate them with sprinkles, or candy, or you can pipe more chocolate on them. There's a million options. Be creative!

Vegetarian Lasagna

This recipe sort of comes from Betty Crocker. Only sort of because I never measure and it's never really the same. My measurements are guesses but it doesn't really need to be exact. I'm pretty proud of this particular one because of the little crunchy bits on the edges. 

Ingredients:
1 package Morning Star Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles 
1 medium onion, chopped
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
8 lasagna noodles (I prefer the ones you don't have to cook ahead of time)
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon oregano 
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


1. In a large skillet, cook Crumbles, onion, and garlic over medium heat until onion is soft but not browned. 


2. Stir in the basil, Italian seasoning, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. 


3. Heat oven to 350. If you're using the kind of noodles you have to cook first, cook now according to package directions. 


4. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, half the Parmesan, and the oregano. 


5. In an ungreased 12 X 9ish glass pan, spread half the tomato mixture. Top with 4 noodles. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with mozzarella. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.