Happy Easter

"Originally Peeps were piped by hand, each one taking nearly a day to make. Eventually the process was mechanized. Now, 2 million Peeps are hatched each day." (via Peeps 101)

Sausage Potato Soup

All winter I wanted to try making a new soup recipe and I finally got around to it now that it's spring. I tried this recipe I found, minus the secret ingredients because I'm boring like that...maybe next time. There will be a next time too because it was a keeper--we enjoyed it.

Sausage Potato Soup

6 medium potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb. bulk pork sausage (I used chicken)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup light cream
1/4 cup butter
6 cups chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
*secret ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large pan. Add potatoes and onions. Cook until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a separate pan. Add the cooked sausage to the potatoes and stock. Add the cream and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Add the vanilla and balsamic vinegar right before serving.

*Update: last time I made this I added some frozen spinach (about 1/3 of the box) and it is soo good. Similar to the potato soup from The Olive Garden. Makes it a little more healthy, right? And I didn't have any cream so I used a can of Cream of Chicken soup and it worked fine.

Coconut Cake

If you don't like coconut, don't be afraid of trying this cake. You could easily use fruit like strawberries or pineapple to decorate with and change up the flavor...or just leave it plain. This cake is pretty fancy as it's frosted with a pudding/Cool Whip mixture! Actually, I thought it was pretty good and easy to make so can't beat that.

Coconut Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
7 oz. bag of baker's coconut
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed

Prepare cake as directed on package; stir in 2/3 cup of the coconut. Pour evenly into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Bake as directed on package. Cool 10 min. Remove cake layers from pans to wire racks; cool completely.

Pour milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mix and sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended; mixture will be thick. Gently stir in whipped topping. Refrigerate 15 min.

Place 1 of the cake layers on serving plate; spread top with 1 cup of the pudding mixture. Sprinkle with coconut and cover with second cake layer. Spread top and sides with remaining pudding mixture then press coconut into the frosting. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator.

Mini Cheesecakes

I realize this site is long overdue for an update! I've been trying new recipes and keep thinking in the back of my mind I need to share them here...it just hasn't happened lately. I have a goal to do at least one new post a week so we'll see how that goes now that I've put it in writing. I have been finding fun new sites and updating the links to the right so check those out when you're looking for ideas.

My mom has always made mini cheesecakes as a dessert for baby showers or other get-togethers and I found a recipe online that I tried over the holidays. These are very easy and would be fun to try different toppings on whether you use canned pie filling, jam, fresh fruit or anything creative you come up with.

Mini Cheesecakes

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 vanilla wafers
1 can pie filling (I used blueberry) or whatever else you want to top with

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup (12 total) of muffin pan. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Place a vanilla wafer FLAT side down, in each muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers filling each to about 1/4 inch from top of paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely before filling. When you remove the tarts from the oven, they will be puffed up, but as they cool, the center will sink, creating the perfect well to fill with a couple of spoonfuls of your favorite filling. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Thanksgiving Dressing

Next year I think I'll be ambitious enough to try a homemade stuffing, but this recipe is good for improving on the regular boxed kind. I also like this version because you do it in a slow cooker so you can prepare it earlier on and set it aside while working on the rest of the meal.

Thanksgiving Dressing

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 can chicken broth
2 eggs, beaten
2-6oz. packages seasoned stuffing mix

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spread in greased crock pot. Cook on low 4 to 5 hours. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Chicken Empanadas

I don't watch much TV during the day, but when I do I usually always see what's on the Food Network. I watched Paula's Home Cooking the other day and decided to try these chicken empanadas. They looked easy and were something new that I hadn't made before. I had a lot of chicken filling leftover in the end that JP used to make a burrito the next day that was very yummy. These work well for a Mexican dinner or are small enough they could be used as appetizers. (On the show, she also used an egg wash before baking even though it's not mentioned in the recipe).

Chicken Empanadas

Ingredients
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (I left this out)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
Water

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and next 7 ingredients. Unroll 1 piecrust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month). Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Halloween Fun

Here are some fun recipes and ideas if you want to get creative for Halloween! I didn't have time to try much this year, but Jack helped me make some cupcakes to take to his cousins. He devoured the candy topping, some icing and was done.

Beef Noodle Bowl

I originally got this recipe from Kraft Foods but I use the variation suggestion at the bottom of the recipe. My favorite part is adding the optional dry roasted peanuts on top.

Beef Noodle Bowl

8 oz linguine, uncooked

3 c broccoli florets

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)

1/4 c Italian dressing

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp oil

1 lb beef sirloin, cut in strips (you can also use chicken like I did in this photo)

1/4 c teriyaki sauce

optional: dry roasted peanuts

Cook pasta; add veggies to cooking water last 2 minutes. Drain pasta mixture. Meanwhile, heat oil in large non-stick skillet. Add meat, cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Add dressing, teriyaki sauce, ginger and cook until sauce thickens. Toss pasta and meat in large serving bowl. Add dry roasted peanuts before serving if you wish. The only thing I might do different next time is cook more noodles. We had leftovers but it was mainly just veggies and meat.

Recipe Review

I tried this recipe for Blueberry Crumb Muffins tonight and I have to be honest, they are just okay. I did make one minor (?) mistake and put the cinnamonn in the batter instead of the crumb topping. I prefer blueberry muffin mixes I buy at the store so this recipe isn't worth the time and effort in my kitchen. This is the first time I've made blueberry muffins from scratch though and the fresh blueberries were delish and bursting with flavor. I'll keep looking for a better recipe for my family, or just keep buying them in a box!

Pizza Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad for dinner last night. That's right, I'm off my weekly menu...get over it! Shelly told me about a pasta salad she makes with these ingredients but I've never actually seen it or tasted it so this recipe was sort of an experiment. And it was a hit in my house! Zach decided we should call it Pizza Pasta Salad because it has everything you put on a pizza. Shelly, you'll have to tell me what you do differently.

Pizza Pasta Salad

1 lb cooked pasta, drained and cooled
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 can diced tomatoes (I don't have fresh tomatoes from my garden yet)
pepperoni slices cut in fourths
1 can olives, cut in half lengthwise
shredded mozzarella cheese
Italian salad dressing (use as much or as little as you like)

Combine ingredients and chill in fridge.

Weekly Menu

Taking an idea from the website This Week For Dinner, I'm posting my weekly menu here to one, help get me organized for mealtime this week and two, give you guys ideas for your weekly menus. So, anybody reading this...Shelly? Mom? Betsy?...feel free to post your dinner ideas also!

Sunday:
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Creamy Cheesecake dessert
Monday:
Crockpot BBQ ribs
Shelly's Deli potato salad
Tuesday:
Blueberry Crumb Muffins
eggs, fruit
Wednesday:
Italian pasta salad
zucchini bread
Thursday:
Creamy Ranch Chicken
Zucchini cakes
Friday:
Pizza Rolls
salad
Saturday:
Chicken Quesadillas
corn on the cob

Okay, now let's see if I can stick to it!

Farfalle with Zucchini

I made a version of Farfalle with Zucchini for dinner last night. I pretty much followed this recipe from The Pioneer Woman but made a few changes...who has Arrowroot in their cupboard?! Again, no picture (sorry!) but here are some changes I made. I used two zucchini, not the four or five her recipe calls for. I didn't have any fresh tomatoes on hand so I used a can of diced tomatoes instead. I only used about one clove of garlic as I live with a bunch of garlic wimps. And I decided to add some grilled chicken which turned out to be the boys favorite part. I'm afraid I'll never quite remember how I made the sauce!? I whisked together some chicken broth, butter, cream, fresh ground black pepper and dried basil. It wasn't a thick sauce but coated everything perfectly and tasted great. This recipe is a great summer dinner idea. I loved it and so did my boys even though they could see onions in it! I will definitely be making this dish again.