Fourth of July and a summer salad

Hello Everyone! I love celebrating independence day It's almost right up there next to Halloween and Christmas for me. I love the fireworks, parades, sticky popsicles that get everywhere and being with family. So in celebration of this amazing holiday I have a fun decoration you can make for next year and a summer salad for you to try this year.

This first craft is simple and a lot of fun. It's a star spangles garland. Feel free to get the kids involved in this one. Simply use a star shape template and cut lots of stars and strings them together. All you need is paper, a template (I used two different sized cookie cutters), scissors, yarn or string, a paper whole punch and tape. It's as simple as that. Hang it on your front door or you front room.



This Summer Salad comes courtesy of my Sister-in-Law. Thanks Sis.

Ingredients

1 12 ox box Pasta
1 can olives drained and sliced
6 oz sharp Cheddar cheese cubed.
1 cup mini pepperoni slices
1/2 bottle Italian dressing

Cook the pasta as instructed on the packaging. Once cooked run under cold water until cool, let drain. In a large bowl mix the cheese, pepperoni, and olives. Add the Italian dressing and pasta. Toss to coat and serve.



Have a happy and safe Fourth.

Giant Sugar cookie

Hey All! This week I made a giant sugar cookie for someone that I work with. It was a massive hit and it was so easy to make. I was a little intimidated but I wanted to make something special for my co-workers birthday and was quite pleased with the result. If you're not in the mood for a giant cookie you can still make regular sized cookies and I have even included the instructions for frosting below.

Old­ Time Soft Sugar Cookies

1⁄2 Cup Shortening
1⁄2 Cup Granulated sugar
1⁄2 Cup Brown sugar
1 Egg
3⁄4 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon Baking powder
2 Cups All ­purpose flour

1. Cream together the shortening, granulated and brown sugar.
2. Mix in the egg, milk, vanilla, salt and baking soda.
3. Stir in the flour. Do not over mix.
4. Chill for 1 hour in the frig or 1⁄2 hour in the freezer.

For normal drop sugar cookies
5. Preheat the oven to 400 and lightly grease a baking sheet.
6. Drop by the rounded tablespoon two inches apart on a greased and bake for 7­9
minutes.

For one giant cookie. 
1. After chilling the dough grease a round baking sheet and place a generous amount of parchment paper on it. Grease and dust with flour the parchment paper.
2. Preheat over to 330.
3. Spread to about 10­-12 inches in diameter on the parchment with a spatula.
Tips: Keep in mind it will spread out a little while baking.
When spreading out the cookie leave the edged the same thickness as the rest. You may even make the center a little thinner for timely cooking.
4. Bake for 18-­22 Minutes. Turn every 7-­10 minutes if your oven heats unevenly.
5. Let cool completely on the pan and parchment then top to your heart delight.

Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
1- 1 1/2 lb powdered sugar
1/8-1/4 cup milk

1. Place  the butter and a small amount the powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl, and mix.
2. Add the 1/8 cup milk and more powdered sugar and mix.
3. Keep adding in the powdered sugar and milk in a little at a time until the desired stiffness is achieved.
Tip you can whip the frosting to make it a little stiffer.

There you have it a great way to look fancy without getting too technical or breaking the bank. I hope you enjoy trying this and have fun topping this

Enjoy!

Tags: cookies, cookie, giant cookie, frosting. 

Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl (Rumbi Island Copycat)

Hello everyone! Long time no post. Sorry for my long absence. Although I have not been posting recipes that I have still been trying new ones. To start (with what I am sure will be a flurry of posts) is a copycat recipe from Rumbi Island Grill: Spicy Hawiian Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl! 

Ingredients

Rice: 

2 Cans chicken stock or chicken broth

2 cups water

3 cups plain uncooked white rice

Sauce: 

6/8 cup of soy sauce

3 TBS brown sugar. 

1/4 TSP Worcestershire sauce

1 TBS corn starch

1/2 TSP garlic powder. 

1 TSP hot sauce

1/2 cup water

Chicken and veggies:

2 large chicken breasts, diced. 

2 TBS vegetable or canola oil

1 stock of celery, diced

2-3 large carrots, Shredded.

3 medium stocks of broccoli with florets cut into bit sized pieces and the stocks diced. rougly 1 1/2 cups for each

In a medium sauce pot place the rice, water and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes stirring only once. Fluff with a fork when done. 

For the sauce in a small pot add and stir all the sauce ingredients. Simmer on a low heat till the desired thickness is achieved. (About the thickness of gravy, to your liking)

In a large hot skillet cook your diced chicken until done. Add all of the vegetables and toss. Cover and let cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are just a little tender. Stir if needed. 

Serve with the rice and drizzle with sauce. 

It is so easy and so fantastic. The recipe that this is inspired from called for 4 carrots but that was way to many carrots for me so I think I will use only 2-3 carrots next time I make it. The original can be found at Desert Now Dinner Later. Enjoy!

Japanese Stir Fry

As you have probably noticed on this blog we like Asian food. A LOT! We watch anime, celebrate Chinese New Year. We are big fans of Asian culture and cuisine. So in the spirit of that lets have us a stir fry.

Ingredients:
1 9 oz package of udon noodles (usually in the ethnic food aisle or produce section)
2 medium carrots
16 oz bag frozen broccoli
half an onion chopped
2 tbs olive or vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce

1. Start by preparing the udon noodle according to the package direction. Mine called for a 10 minute cooking time at a full boil.
2. Peal and slice the carrots and place in a microwave save bowl with the broccoli and 1 cup of water. Microwave for 3-5 minuted or until tender, then drain any remaining liquid.
3. Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil and onion. Cook until translucent.
4. Combine carrots, broccoli, soy sauce, and drained noodles in the skillet with the onion.Careful not the splatter. Toss and let fry together and service.

You can always use what vegetables you have on hand. Leaks would go well in this as would squash if sauteed with the onion.

Sorry no photos for this one we devoured it before I every thought of it. Try it your self and see just how you like it.

Enjoy!

Asian Buffet: Home Style.

Hello friends! Sorry for my recent blogging absence. My computer decided it needed a vacation (or more like a doctor). But now I'm back and ready to post. Since it's been so long since my last post I thought I would do a recipe post extraordinaire! and post a fluffy of Asian recipes that you can try all at once. :) First up is an appetizer: Salt and Pepper Tofu with sweet and sour sauce. Second up is some mouth watering Mongolian Beef and Green Onions. Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:
1-14 oz block of tofu
4 TBS corn starch
Black pepper and salt to taste
Vegetable or canola oil

For a fancy saute:
1/2 TBS oil
2 chopped onions
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced ginger
1/2 TBS soy sauce
1/2 TSP brown sugar

Start by draining the tofu and patting it dry with a paper towel. Cut it into 1 inch cubes. Combine salt pepper and corn starch. Toss the tofu pieces in the corn starch mixture. Careful they don't fall apart.

In a pan heat up some oil. Add the battered tofu pieces and fry them on each side. Once each side is done, drain on a paper towel.

To add some extra flavor to the tofu heat up another pan on the stove with 1/2 TBS oil. Once the oil is hot add the rest of the saute ingredients, careful not to splatter. Saute for about 4 minuets or until the onions are translucent. Toss the saute and tofu together and serve along side the Sweet and Sour sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup white sugar
1/3 Cup Vinegar
2/3 Cup water
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1 TBS Ketchup
2 TBS Corn starch

In a medium sauce pan place all the ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and stir it continually until it is thickened.

There, you have your appetizer. I only used about half the block of tofu seeing as it was only my husband and I for dinner. I haven't cooked with tofu before. I expected an interesting flavor beyond words, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very mild. The saute added a nice bit of flavor to the mild salt and pepper tofu. It wasn't my favorite S&S Sauce, but try it for yourself and see if you like it.

Now on to the main course: Mongolian Beef and Green Onion

Ingredients:
2 TSP vegetable oil
1 TBS finely chopped garlic
1/2 TSP grater ginger
1/2 Cup soy sauce
1/2 Cup water
2/3 Cup dark brown sugar
1 LBS beef flank steak sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal (I used a round steak, cut just as thin, and it was great)
1/4 Cup corn starch
2 bunches of green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths


Slice beef in 1/4 inch pieces and toss in a bowl with the cornstarch until coated thoroughly. Allow it to sit for ten minutes.

Heat 1 TSB of vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook ginger and garlic until they get fragrant. Pour in the brown sugar, water and soy sauce and turn the heat to medium-high. Let thicken while you stir it. Remove form heat and set aside.

Once the cornstarch has adhered to the beef strips, heat a deep sided pan with some oil over medium high. Shake excess corn starch from the beef strips and place them one at a time into the hot oil. Cook until each piece is  crispy on its edges, about 2 minutes. Remove and place on a rack or paper towel to drain. Once all the beef is cooked empty the pan and return it to the stove.

Place in the pan the reserved sauce and beef. Stir to combine and add the onions. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the onions are softened and turn bright green.

Enjoy with rice and you have yourself a delicious meal. :) Today's recipes came from Sala at VeggieBelly.com, as well as NAG_GA, and VKarison at Allrecipes.com, respectfully.

Till next time! Enjoy!

Pizza Pinwheels

Howdy everyone! This weeks delectable treat is an appetizer that's good enough to be the main course: Pizza Pinwheels. Freshly baked and a real treat to have. I use pre-shredded cheese and sliced pepperoni so it come together in a snap. I made these when I had a bunch of people over and they disappeared very quickly. I hope they're are just as popular with your crew.

Lets get started!

Ingredients;
half a recipe of dinner roll (recipe found here)
1 package of sliced pepperoni
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Begin by preparing the dinner roll dough as outlined till it has risen the first time. Note: you can use any sturdy bread recipe that makes about 24 rolls for this application. After the dough has risen it is ready to shape. Start by punching your dough down so it falls a little. Separate into two balls. Grease a rolling pin, a 2 baking sheet and your work surface. Work one ball at a time into rectangles. Top with cheese and pepperoni. With the longer side of the rectangle roll the dough just as you would cinnamon rolls. Slice every 1 1/2 to 2 inched and let rise covered for 30 minutes on a greased baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve. Keep left overs in the fridge for one week. (If they last that long)

There it is. It's that simply. I like to serve these along side some hot marinara sauce and cool creamy ranch. How ever you like to eat them ... Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken on Creamy tomato sauce.

Since getting married I have noticed that my heat tolerance has decreased, owing to the fact that I don't make a lot of spicy things for me and my love. I would like to have the heat turned up more, However,  I really like having a husband that will eat what I cook, and eat with me. Though once in a while my appetite must be quenched. So, it's Flavor Town or bust. The bus to get us there today is chicken, pasta on a road of creamy red sauce fueled spicy kick. With my skillet in hand and spice cupboard by side I've got a ticket to ride.

Wake up taste buds! I'm about to knock your socks off.

Unfortunately I cannot share the whole recipe here with you but if you follow the link here you can make it for yourself.

I used chicken instead of the shrimp that it called for. I used only half a pound for the two of us. The red pepper flacks are a nice touch that gives it a little something extra. I will defiantly make this again when I need another heat fix. As always...

Enjoy!

Tamale Casserole

Hi there Friends! Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Life have been throwing my a few curve balls lately. Most of them good, but, I am glad to be back. Here is a recipe by Tracy, from The Kitchen is my Playground. For this recipe you will need to go to the source this time. But not to worry just click the link here and have fun!

This recipe is delicious and great for feeding a crowd. We had leftovers for lunch for days after. You start with sausage, corn, tomato sauce, peppers and lots of spices. Top that with a wonderful corn bread topping and bake. It's a little bit spicy, so it's not for those that don't like heat in their mouths. Though my husband who doesn't like spicy things did enjoyed it. He did say, however, that it might have tasted better with ground beef instead of sausage. So make what you will with it, and as always-- Enjoy!

Tags: crowd -. tamale, tamale casserole, casserole, quick meals.

Frozen burritos that you actually want to eat.

As I may have mentioned here before I like to be prepared and make things ahead of time whenever possible. This often means making thing myself but that is no issue for me. I like knowing how to do lots of things. Today's experiment is making home made refried bean and lots of frozen burritos.

For this you will need:
10-12 flour tortillas
1 lbs dried pinto beans
2-3 tbs pinto bean seasoning (recipe below)
2 tsp salt
2 tbs lard or bacon grease
2 cups cheese

In an earlier post is described a quick cooking method that involves using the oven. Today I will describe how to cook them on the stove and in the crock pot with two different soaking methods.

Stove top method:
Preform a quick soak by placing 1 lbs of rinsed beans in a medium sized pot with enough water to cover it by three inches. Bring this to a boil. Place a lid on the pot and remove from heat. Let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and the pot. Place beans back into the pot with 2 tsp salt and enough hot water to cover by about 2 inches. Simmer till desired tenderness is reached, with lid vented. Roughly 2-3 hours.

Crock-Pot method:
Rinse 1 lbs pinto beans and place in a large bowl with enough water to cover it by two inches. Let soak overnight in cool place. In the morning drain and rinse the beans then place in the crock-pot with enough water to cover it by two inches, and 2 tsp salt. Leave on high heat for 6 hours

I know it may seem pointless to rinse the beans in between the soak and cooking but do it anyway. The rinse actually help wash away the natural compounds that make eating beans uncomfortable, a.k.a give you gas. It won't get rid of it totally but it does helps a lot. Also feel free to mix and match soak and cooking methods they do work either way.

Here is my pinto beans seasoning:
1 tbs Garlic
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 chicken boulion cube

Mix together all ingredients thoroughly. You'll need about 2-3 tbs for every one pound of cry beans you started with.


Once beans are cooked drain them, but keep 1 cup of the liquid. In a large bowl mash the beans. (A hand mixer makes quick work of it.) Once mashed add the cup of cooking liquid, 2-3 tbs seasoning and 2 tbs bacon grease or lard if desired. That's it! You just made your very own batch of refried beans. Step back and give yourself a round of applause.

Consume right away or store in plastic bags in the freezer. Keeps for 2 months. I'm making frozen burritos with mine. Yummy!! Great for a weeknight meal or a quickly made lunch.

Enjoy!

Easter: Resurrection Rolls

Hey everybody! For Easter this year I am going to be making resurrection rolls. There are a number of recipes on the web but I will refer you to the dinner roll recipe I posted in march here.  If life is too crazy to allow time for bread dough making not to worry. Use frozen rolls instead.

You will need:
Half of the roll recipe
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 tbs cinnamon, depending on your taste
1/4 cup butter, melted
10 oz bag large marshmallows

Mix up one half of the bread dough recipe as outlined. After the dough has risen once punch it down and make into 2 inch ball. Flatten each ball. Mix up the cinnamon and sugar together and melt the butter in a separate bowl. Place inside each flattened dough ball one large marshmallow dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar. Pinch closed and place on a greased cookie sheet.
You can either let them rise overnight in the fridge or let them rise right away . Remember to cover them so they don't dry out.
Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

This a great object lesson for Easter. Just as Christ was laid in to tomb when His disciples came after the Sabbath he was not there for he had risen.

Enjoy!

Tags: Easter, resurrection, resurrection rolls, Christ centered Easter. 

Chocolate Eclair Cup-Cakes

Hi there everyone! This recipe comes from Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything. You can find the direct link to her blog here. Christy makes it as a cake but today we are going to make individual dessert cups. The shell for this is not cakey, but the same dough you would make eclairs from: light fluffy and buttery. My mouth is watering already. Lets cook!

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs

Filling:

2 small boxes of instant french vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups cold milk

Topping:
cool whip
chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease thoroughly one or two cupcake pans and set aside. (I was able to make about 18cupcakes) In a medium-sized pot bring to a boil both the butter and water. Remove from heat and add flour. Then stir in one egg at a time completely mixing in each egg before adding the next.

Place about 3 tbs of the dough in each cupcake form. Try to spread the dough onto the edges to make it form a cup shape. Do not use cupcake liners, it does not yield very good results. Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and just golden. Remove immediately from pan and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Mix up the two packets of pudding and milk and beat for 2 minutes. Let it firm up in the fridge.
Once the pudding is firm and eclair cups are cool place about 2 tbs pudding in each cup. Add a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Prepare only as many as you need and store the rest of the eclair cups in a plastic bag and pudding in the refrigerator.

Aren't they just delicious! I could only have one at a time because they are so rich. I hope you like these and share them with everyone you know.

Enjoy!

Tags: eclair, cupcakes, chocolate eclairs, vanilla pudding.

Red Velvet Cake

This is Alton Brown's Red Velvet Cake. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish, and it is worth every minute. I cannot share the exact recipe with you on my blog but if you search on the Food Network website you are sure to find it. The chef, Alton Brown, is a genius when it comes to creating things in the kitchen. I highly recommend his recipes and his show Good Eats which is both quirky and insightful. Check those both out if you get the chance.

I find that store bought red velvet I don't like. Is it trying to be vanilla and just coming up short? Is it trying to be chocolate and failing? I don't know anymore. This makes it clear to me it's a light chocolate and it's sticking to it. (Although if you use half a cup of chocolate powder instead of 1/4 cup it doesn't hurt)

I hope you enjoy it!

Baked Potato Soup

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com. I'm sure that you've noticed by now that I use allrecipes for many of the new recipes that I try out, and for good reason. Not only is it a treasure trove over flowing with all sorts of recipes, but their are videos instructing how to make certain dishes and there are reviews and ratings on the recipes that also give advise So I know I'm going to get something good every time. Allrecipes is also a magazine. I still have yet to check it out, but if its anything like the website it is sure to please.

But lets move on to the recipe at hand: Baked Potato Soup.

Ingredients:
12 slices bacon
2/3 cup margarine (or butter)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed.
4 green onions chopped
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 sup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper


1. Brown the bacon, drain and crumble. Set aside.
2. In a large stock pot melt margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, then gradually add the milk. Whisk until thickened.
3. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
4. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Candy Crunch Pudding Pie

If you are not aware this Saturday is Pi day. A celebration for math enthusiasts, and geeks in general. Why call it March fourteenth pi day? It's the first three digits of pi, 3.14. So in celebration of a rely cool number here is a pie recipe from the Cool-Whip company just for you.

Ingredients:
2 (3.9 oz) packages of instant chocolate pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 tub (8 oz) whipped cream
2 chocolate covered toffee bars, crumbled
1 chocolate pie crust
1 oz chocolate melted.

1. In a medium bowl whisk the two pudding packets and cold milk for roughly 2 minutes.
2. Stir in half of the container of whipped cream and 3Tbs toffee bits.
3. Pour into chocolate pie crust and top with remaining whipped cream, toffee and melted chocolate.

There you are it's that simple. The candy could be substituted for any hard candy you think would be a good fit.You can see I used chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

Tags: Chocolate Pie, pie, Pi Day,

Delicious Dinner Rolls

Sorry to all of you for my neglect to post this recipe sooner. Life a you know can get a little busy and so it was this week. But in order not to disappointing I have found a most delightful creation for you.

This weeks recipe comes from the How Does She Do girls at www.howdoesshe.com. Check out their blog. They have lots of great recipes, advice on organization, and home and family life. They were awesome enough to share this recipe with us, so do give them a look-see.

I have my favorite bread/roll recipe that I hardly stray from, and why should I? It works great! It's versatile, I know just how to make it, and I know just how it will turn out every time because I've made it so many times. But, as part of this challenge that I've given myself I thought why not give this dinner roll recipe a try, and I am glad I did. It came out so buttery, fluffy, just melt in your mouth good, especially while they are still warm. These will definitely be made again in the future.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Milk
3/4 cups + 1 Tbs Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tbs salt
2 cups warm Water
9-10 Cups of flour
about 1 cup Butter

Directions:
1. In a microwave safe bowl place milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup butter. Make sure you cube or slice the butter so it melts quickly. Place is a microwave for 1-2 minutes till the milk is scalded.
2. Place the yeast in a small bowl with warm water and 1 tbs Sugar
3. Once the milk mixture is scalded remove, carefully, from the microwave and 1-2 Cups of flour to help it cool down.
4. Once the milk mixture is cooled a little add the yeast mixture.
5. Add the rest of the flour 2 cups at a time and the salt. Keep mixing after the last of the flour is in to thicken the dough. More flour can be added if necessary, but it should end up being dense and sticky to the touch.
6. Let it sit covered in a warm place till it has doubled in size.
7. Grease 2 baking sheets with butter for when the dough is ready.
8. Once dough is doubled divide the dough into 4 balls and work with one ball at a time. Melt about 1/2 cup butter.
9. On a floured surface roll out dough ball to about 1/2 inch thickness. spread about 2 tablespoons of butter on the surface and cup into triangles (like a pizza) with a sharp knife or pizza cutter into 12 slices.
10. Roll up each triangle piece and place on the greased baking sheet with the point tucked under. Place about an inch apart
11. Cover and let rise once again, until doubled in size.
12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 10-15 min until golden brown.
13. While still hot bast with butter.

Thanks again to our friends over at How Does She for sharing this splendid recipe.

Enjoy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the year of the goat and we are celebrating it in style. I based this recipe on one I found from ChefDaddy on allrecipes.com. Search General Tsao's Chicken III for the original if you would like, but here is my variation of it.

General Tsao's Chicken

Ingredents:

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs vinegar (distilled, rice, or apple cider)

2 tsp Valentina hot sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 to 1/2 cup white sugar, to taste

half of one medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon corn starch

Place 1/4 cup water, peas and carrots in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes or until just done, drain off excess liquid. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook till translucent, Add chicken and cook until done. Meanwhile in a small bowl place the soy sauce, rest of the water, garlic powder, vinegar and sugar, stir to combine. Once the chicken is done remove it from the pan, set aside.
The next part goes very quick and so it is important that you have all the ingredient on hand.

Now, in the same saute pan place the rest of the oil and the hot sauce. Once that get aromatic but not brown add the liquid mixture and the corn starch, stir. Once combined add the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil and let thicken to your liking. 

My modifications are based on what I had on hand, so I can make it anytime we wanted. I hope you enjoy this recipe for your new year. Cheers!

Valentines Day 2015!

Hey there everyone. I hope you have an excellent Valentines Day yesterday. We had a pretty good one here. I had spend a lot of time this last week preparing for a brunch that I had invited my brother and sister to. I decorated the house and made goody boxes for everyone. We popped English crackers while we ate and followed up with a chocolate fondue courtesy of my in-laws (thank you much!) Later that night we had fettuccine in a home made alfredo sauce. That's what Valentines day is for us some of good food, a good time, and lots of chocolate. Celebrating all the love that exists in your life, where ever it may come from.

So for this post you are getting a double dose of my new year resolution. First is a new favorite of mine: Chocolate Waffles. Second, I will share with you an old favorite: Alfredo Sauce. Lets start cooking!

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

1 Box of chocolate cake mix

1 1/3 cup water

1/3 cup oil or melted butter (butter make it crispier)

3 eggs

Note: the ingredients are just as they would be for making a cake mix so add water and oil as directed on the packaging.

Heat up your waffle iron and coat with oil or use cooking spray to grease. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients, mixing just as you would a regular cake mix. (Note: See note above). Place roughly 2/3 cup of the batter in the preheated waffle iron at a time, and set cook. Waffles are done when you can no longer see steam coming from the waffles iron. 

Enjoy with whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, ice cream, or what ever you would enjoy. 

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

This recipe come courtesy of Rebecca Swift from allrecipes.com 

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 sup chopped fresh parsley

Start by melting the butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the garlic and cheese. Keep whisking till cheese is melted in. Stir in parsley and serve. If you have powdered garlic use about a teaspoon. For dried parsley use 1 tablespoon. 

I didn't use to like alfredo sauce, but after making this recipe I am hooked. It pares well with the Chicken Parmesan I posted a few weeks back, and of course some fettuccine. 

We had a great time and I hope you did too. Enjoy!

Tags: Valentines day, Chocolate breakfast, chocolate waffles, Alfredo, Chicken Parmesan

Quesadilla Supreme

One night for dinner we had planned on making taco pizza but ended up making this instead. It's a spicy creation that comes together in a snap. Lets get started.

You will need;
1 package of flour tortilla
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can refried bean (about 2 cups)
half a pound of ground beef
taco seasoning
1 cup salsa or red enchilada sauce (previous enchilada sauce recipe here)
shredded lettuce and green onions (optional)

1. Start by preparing your ground beef. Brown and add seasoning as packaging instructs. Heat up beans with 2 tablespoons of milk or water to thin it out a little.
2. After beans are heated through and beef is done assemble the ingredients together. Lay one tortilla on a large non stick baking sheet and sprinkle some cheese over it.
3. Cover with another tortilla then a layer of beans, beef, and another tortilla. Note: It may be easier to spread if  beans and beef are mixed together.

4. Cover that with more cheese then you did on the first layer.
5. Set the boiler to high and place a rack in the center of the over. Place quesadilla in heated oven for 3-5 minutes. Do not walk away but check it often to see if cheese is thoroughly melted.

6. Once done spread salsa or drizzle enchilada sauce over the top and garnish with green onions and shredded lettuce if desired.

Enjoy!

Tags: enchilada, quesadilla, Mexican food, Tex-Mex, Taco Pizza, easy weeknight meal.