Last weekend after all the holiday festivities were done we decided to have a finger foods dinner. Just a few dishes that are easy to made, and more importantly easy to eat. One of them was my Mom's famous spinach dip. This dip is something my Mom made usually around the holidays or for any family party. And as a teenager my cousins and I would always make it on New Year's Eve. So making it always brings back great memories for me.
Here is the recipe;
1 Onion
1 Small bell pepper (I usually use green but any color is fine)
1 bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 small brick of Velveeta
(I usually serve this is a hollowed out round loaf of bread you can use any you like I usually go with sourdough)
Start by chopping up the onion and the pepper and begin cooking them in a pan with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When those have softened add the thawed spinach and cook that until heated through. As the spinach is warming cube up the Velveeta and once the spinach in warm add the cheese and stir until melted.
Once the dip is done place in a hollowed out bread bowl and serve with raw veggies and/or chips.
We also had pigs in a blanket which I love! And the joy is these things couldn't be more simple. I got a package of cocktail wienies and a tube of crescent rolls. I take the crescent roll dough a cut each triangles in half a roll one wienie in each piece of dough. Then I bake them according to the directions until they are golden brown. Enjoy@
Growing up we ate a lot of pasta dishes, but I must admit ziti (or as my grandmother called it lazy lasgana) was one of my favorites. It always made the house smell so good! So the other day after a crazy week of holiday festivities and traveling I decided it was time for some good old confort food... so naturally ziti was my go to choice, and everyone in my house loved it. :)
For this recipe you are going to need
1lb of dry cut pasta (and shape will work)
1 8oz block of mozzarella cheese
1 8 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
You start off by making your basic sauce recipe. If you want to you can add ground beef, sausage or even venison to your sauce. Typically I cook the meat first and then make the sauce as usual. (You can also use sauce from the store)
When your sauce is ready you can put the pasta water on the heat and cook it til just al dente. Because you will be baking it in the oven as well you want to leave it a little chewy so it doesn't turn to mush at the end.
After your pasta is drained you can mix up your ricotta and Parmesan mixture (in a separate bowl). Add in the egg, pepper and oregano and stir to combine.
Now it's time to assemble!
Start by taking a little bit of your sauce and putting a few spoonfuls into your ricotta mixture, so that when you combine it with the rest of the warm ingredients you don't scramble your egg. After that is mixed together you can put the pasta back in the pot and pour in the sauce and the ricotta. Mix well and when it is all combined put it in a 13x9 baking pan and cover with the mozzarella cheese.
Then just pop it into a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes and you are all set.
Hi all!
I will be dusting off this blog in 2015. I am excited to share new recipes and stories with you all in the coming year. If there is anything you would like to see me attempt to make please feel free to comment or shoot me a message on Facebook and I will see what I can do. :)
To give you all an update I am now a proud Mama of 2. Carter will be 4 in February and Julia just turned 1. Having two kids has definitely kept me busy this past year, but has in no way slowed me down from cooking. I have a few new recipes to share with you all already, and I can't wait to find more!
I wish you all a very happy, healthy and delicious 2015!
Shortly after my hubby and I moved into together we started this tradition of having cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Sundays. (I know I know not the healthiest thing, but stay with me :) ) It started with the kind you get from the store, but one day I decided I wanted to try and make them myself. After a few horrific test runs I finally found an amazing, delicious every-time recipe. It comes from The Pioneer Woman (I love her!). The only thing I changed is the yield size and the icing. You can find the recipe here
Cinnamon Rolls
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Difficulty:
Easy
Servings:
8
Ingredients
2 Cups Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1 package Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
4 cups (Plus 1/2 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1/2 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
_____
VANILLA ICING:
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/8 Cup Milk
Preparation Instructions
For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a
medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and
cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1
minute.
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a
clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1
hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking
soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine.
Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for
up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the
bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at
least an hour or so beforehand.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a
floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x
10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.
To make the filling, pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over
the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly.
Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar
over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more
sugar! Gooey is the goal.
Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle
tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to
keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that
just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end,
pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down.
When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony,
sugary, gooey log.
Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make
1/2-inch slices. One “log “will produce 10 to 15 rolls.Spray your pan with non-stick spray and arrange rolls on it.
Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the
dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover all the pans with a
kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the counter-top for at least 20
minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes,
until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.
While the rolls are baking, make the vanilla icing: In a medium bowl,
whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Whisk until very smooth. The icing should be somewhat
thick but still very pourable.
Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be
sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the
rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.
I made this recipe a while back and it was a huge success. I love Chinese food, but we've been trying to spend less so eating out had to go. When I friend of mine shared this recipe from Pinterest I just had to try it. You can find the recipe here.
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice (adapted from Life as a Lofthouse) For the Chicken:
3 boneless chicken breasts
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 c. cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
3 T. olive oil
For the sauce:
1/3 c. sugar
4 T. ketchup
1/2 c. vinegar
2 T. honey
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.
Rinse the chicken breasts and cut into cubes. Season with the salt
and pepper. Pour the cornstarch into a shallow dish and the beaten eggs
in another shallow dish. Dip
the chicken into the cornstarch and then dip into the eggs.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the chicken until browned but not
cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish.
4.
Mix all
of the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce in a bowl. Whisk until
well combined and then
pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for 30 minutes turning once.
Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Turn the chicken again
and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with
rice.
In truth I liked this even more then the take-out version, I hope you enjoy it too.
Ahhh meatloaf, this was by far my father's favorite meal that my mother made (it was also the very first thing I remember my mom showing me how to make). Although he always said whatever she made that night was his favorite meal. :) We had this typically once a week and I always remember my father taking the left overs for lunch the next day. So this is something I tend to make when I am thinking of him.
Meatloaf
Ingredients
2lbs ground beef (although you can use turkey or venison as well)
2 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 a cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbs soy sauce (mom's secret)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl mix all ingredients together until well combined. Grease a 9 by 13 dish and drop meat into the pan forming into a loaf shape. Cook uncovered from 45 minutes to 1 hour. Slice and serve with any side dishes you like.
I tried this recipie tonight and it was awesome, even the hubby like it and he is not a huge cabbage eater. I forgot to take a picture but I will the next time I make it. I found it here
I used green cabbage instead of red but it came out great anyway.
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage Recipe
Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 2-pound green or red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 12 cups)
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