Sweetie's Kitchen Adventures

I've seen spaghetti pie recipes numerous times. But they all use the spaghetti as a crust and then cover it will toppings like a pizza. The "crust" looks dry and unappealing so I've never tried it until I came across this recipe for Hillbilly Spaghetti Pie on Mommy's Kitchen . I chose to omit the name Hillbilly because that isn't a name that is synonymous with Texas. Southern yes, hillbilly no. Now that we have the official new name for this recipe, we can proceed with the goodness!! Ingredients: 1/2 - cup onion, chopped 2 - tablespoons olive oil 1/2 - pound ground beef 1/2 - pound sweet Italian sausage 2-garlic cloves, minced 1 - (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1/4 - teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 - tsp Italian seasoning 1 - tablespoon sugar 1 - teaspoon salt (or to taste) 2 - cups water 8 - ounces thin spaghetti, broken into 3 inch pieces (not angel hair) 1/4 - cup heavy whipping cream 1 - teaspoon dried basil 1/2 - cup fresh grated Parmesan che

We were not big meatloaf eaters around here. Until now!!! This recipe has completely changed our minds. It is so unbelievable good!! No peppers or onions, a big bonus for this family (excluding me). This recipe is from Pioneer Woman and is to die for like everything else that I've made from her book and web site! I'm telling you, she is genius. Ingredients Meatloaf: 1 cup Whole Milk 6 slices White Bread 2 pounds Ground Beef 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese ¼ teaspoons Seasoned Salt ¾ teaspoons Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper ⅓ cups Minced Flat-leaf Parsley 4 whole Eggs Beaten 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon Sauce: 1-½ cup Ketchup ⅓ cups Brown Sugar 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard Tabasco To Taste Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes. Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

How do you get your family to eat fish?? I luckily came across a recipe on all recipes that makes it irresistible! I've changed it up a little... and it is awesome!! Ingredients 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp butter, softened 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tsp fresh lime juice 1/8 teaspoon dried basil 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper dash onion powder dash celery salt 5-6 tilapia fillets Salt and Pepper Directions 1.Preheat your oven's broiler. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. 2.In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lime juice. Add dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside. 3. Season fillets with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top s

I'm a little late posting this, but it was a good cake so I wanted to include it. This recipe was the cake selected for December at the Cake Slice Bakers blog. My husband especially loved the tartness of the cake saying it cut the sweetness. I'm tellin' ya it was good! I kept going back for more... Cranberry Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes Ingredients For the streusel : 1 cup sliced almonds 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, packed For the cake : 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries Directions Make the streusel: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan. Combine the almonds, butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Work the mixture between your fingers to form large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use. Make the cake: Wh

I think these are the best pancakes I have ever eaten... No, seriously!! They are so good. After a brief conversation at work over what made the weird taste in the pancakes we were eating at the moment I decided that I would test a couple of recipes. So I went to Tasty Kitchen on Pioneer Woman's web site and found something I wanted to work with. To be honest, I haven't tried the second recipe yet, because these are soooooooo good! Ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour 4 tsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 2 tbsp melted butter 1 tsp lemon juice Directions: Mix dry ingredient in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Heat skillet or gridle over medium high heat. Once heated, mix wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Pour pancake mix in pan and cook until lots of bubbles apear, then flip. Cook second side for just about a minute. Once you get one of the pancakes done... taste it. Seriou

This is the second cake for the Cake Slice Bakers Blog. The cake chosen for November is a Cinnamon Pudding Cake. I wasn't sure what to expect from this cake. The reviews thus far were not that great... but this one turned out well! I send sweets with my husband to work often and he said they would eat this up!! (That's a good thing) Ingredients For the Caramel Topping 1 cup plus 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar ¾ cup water 1 tbsp unsalted butter ½ tsp salt For the Cake 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 2½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup whole milk 1 tsp vanilla extract MMMM, look at that hot caramel!!! Directions Topping Heat the oven to 350F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the brown sugar, water, butter and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally, then set aside to cool. Cake Combine the flour, bakin

First, I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful compliments on this pie. The recipe was given to me by a dear friend a loooooong time ago. It is a simple recipe to make, and apparently, ahem… a forgiving recipe. Even with the help of a 2 year old! We will just pretend, with all that help… that I didn’t originally forget to add the sugar… wonder why the filling didn’t fill two pie shells… put the pies in the oven… only to realize about three minutes into the cooking time what I had done… pull the pies out… spill filling all over the inside of the door and in the bottom of my oven… pour the filling back in the bowl… add the sugar… wash the cookie sheet… refill the pie shells… and back into the oven, to end up with some very pretty and tasty pies…. see, a very forgiving recipe! And, you totally don’t have to go thru all of that. In fact, it's much easier if you remember all of the ingredients the first time :o) Ingredients: 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 stick butter, melted 2 Tbs

Can I tell you how excited I am to have joined the Cake Slice Bakers!! The first recipe selected is appropriate for the impending fall-ish weather. (Come on Fall… come down to Texas, I can't wait for you to get here!!) And I am excited even further by the fact that I cooked my own pumpkin! (Not that you have to do that… just another one of those things I wanted to try). Anyways, this recipe is simple to throw together and delicious to boot! It goes perfect with a cup of coffee. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground cloves Pinch nutmeg 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 1/4 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup milk 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts Directions: Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium

Sounds a little naughty doesn't it... Mmmmm, pumpkin and cream cheese. Tiny little pumpkin cakes filled with a delectable cream cheese frosting, and to top it off they were so super easy to make! Seriously, if I knew they were that easy I would have made them the first night I read the recipe. I halved the original recipe (thank goodness) because it made A LOT!  Ingredients: For cakes 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger 1/2 Tbsp ground cloves 1 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola) 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, slightly chilled. 1 large egg 1/2 tsp vanilla For filling 1/2 cup butter, softened 4 oz cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Can I make a confession? I never preheat my oven at the beginning of a recipe. Seriously, how long does it take to warm up?? I usually turn it on just before I put the in

Benvenuto Giada! I am so excited that Giada is the chef we will be cooking from for the next six months over at I Heart Cooking Clubs!!! She is my absolute favorite celebrity chef. Over the years I've made many of her recipes and can't wait to make more. After browsing through some of her recipes over at the Food Network web site I settled on a simple but oh so delicious recipe of fried ravioli. They were so good! And easy... and GOOD!! Mmmm, just looking at the picture makes me wish I has more. Ingredients: Olive oil, for frying 1 cup buttermilk 2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs 1 box store bought cheese ravioli 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Marinara sauce, heated, for dipping Directions: Pour enough olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medioum heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees. While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat, al

When I saw this recipe I just had to make them! I love nutella!! The recipe is so simple,only requiring four ingredents. Since nutella is a hazelnut spread it only makes since that the recipe would call for chopped hazelnuts, but my Wal-Mart doesn't sell them so I used slivered almonds. The recipe also says it makes 12 mini brownies, but I went a little light filling the cups and ended up with 15, which was a good thing since we had company for dinner. I found the recipe here . Ingredients: 1/2 cup nutella 1 egg 5 Tbsp flour 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (or almonds) Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 mini muffin tins. Mix first three ingredients and fill each cup 3/4 full. Top with chopped nuts and bake for 11 - 12 minutes. Set on a rack to cool completely.  Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days... Yeah, they would never last that long!

Oh, chocolate mint, how I love thee!! No really, I do!! This is another Mark Bittman recipe to submit to IHCC. At the bottom of his recipes he always includes several "add in" suggestions and so to his basic brownie recipe I chose to add peppermint extract and mini chocolate chips. Brownies are so simple to make and the addition of peppermint and chocolate chips made these irresistible, so irresistible in fact that they just disappeared!!  I wish I would have made more, because I just keep thinking about how good they were… Hmmm, maybe tonight I'll make another batch and add a little almond extract and almonds. Ingredients: 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus a little softened butter for the pan 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Pinch salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon pepperment Directions: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with butter or line i

With Brown Sugar Glaze So I mentioned previously that I came across this web site called Cake Slice Bakers from one of my favorite blogs to visit Lick the Bowl Good. After seeing several of the cakes… I went out and bought the cookbook they are currently cooking from, Southern Cakes.  It is well written with a little history from each of the recipes. This is the recipe posted for the month of September and since it got such rave reviews, I really wanted to try it! Ingredients: Fresh Apple Cake 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 1 tsp baking sodaa 1 tsp salt 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla 3 cups finely chopped apples 1 cup chopped walnuts Brown Sugar Glaze 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar 1/3 cup butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream Directions: Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 cake pan (I floured mine too). In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, and wisk everything together. In a large bowl, beat the e

My husband is totally a Velveeta guy. He will choose processed american melty cheese over anything else. And I do mean anything… in addition to macaroni and cheese, he wants it on nachos, melted in scrambled eggs, and even Philly Cheese Steak! (Personally, Velveeta mac & cheese is my favorite too, but it's not the only cheese out there right!?!?) So… I knew he wasn’t going to be thrilled about this recipe, but I really wanted to give baked Macaroni and Cheese another shot. When I've tried to make it in the past it has been dry and not very flavorful and well…. dry. And the results were…      not bad! I dont think it will replace our beloved velveeta but it is a nice change. This is a Mark Bittman recipe and I am submitting this to IHCC Pot Luck. Ingredients: 21/2 cups milk 2 bay leaves 1 pound elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut pasta 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 11/2 cups grated cheddar 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Fre

After School Snack I made the perfect after school snack for my boys first day back. To make them a little healthier I used turkey pepperoni, low fat mozzarella and skim milk. I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs. She is a neighbor living in Texas which is kinda funny since Texas is HUGE! So she probably doesn’t live anywhere close to here but that's ok :o) I also discovered The Cake Slice Bakers from her site (More on that later though). So, back to the Pizza Puffs. My kids loved these!! They are simple to throw together and freeze wonderfully. Ingredients: 3/4 c flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 1Tbsp Italian seasoning pinch of salt 3/4 c milk 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 c mozzarella cheese 1/4 c parmesan cheese 1 c mini pepperoni Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with non stick cooking spray. Whisk together flour, baking powder, seasoning and salt. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and let stand for 10 minutes. Fill pan and bake 2

Have I ever mentioned how overwhelmingly, hecticly busy my life is? With three kids, a full time job (with an hour commute each way), household chores, horses and homework, baths, boo boo's, sharing, it's not fair, I had it first, what's for diner, I dont want to eat that, can I have a cookie... I could go on and on. My stress level it close to 10 most of the time, and the one thing I really want to do, I mean REALLY, REALLY enjoy doing is making goodies. But I rarely find time to do that. There is something about making something from scratch. Reading recipes, trying new things, buying groceries, mixing ingredients, cooking, baking and the best part... the oohs and aahs. The imense pleasure of knowing that someone is enjoying what I made!! So... to create a little "me time" I'm going to stock my freezer with lots of home cooked meals. Instead of worring about whats for dinner, I can throw something in the oven and then... MAKE A SWEET, TRY A NEW RECIPE, o

The okra is in great abundance right now in my in-laws garden. Funny thing is... my husband is the only one that will eat it in our family. I love to cook with fresh ingredients though, so I make many dishes with the odd little green vegetable. Chicken Gumbo Ingredients: 2 Tbsp oil 2 Tbsp flour 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1 med bell pepper, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh okra 1 tsp cajun seasoning 1 lb chicken breast or thigh meat Salt and Pepper Directions: Heat oil in a large sauce pan over med-high heat until hot. Wisk in flour and stir constantly for five minutes until mixture turns medium brown. Stir in onions, celery and bell pepper, cook five more minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink. Next add garlic; cook for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, broth, okra and seasoning and mix well. Reduc

I'm back!! I am submitting this to IHCC. I haven't participated in a while... in fact I haven't cooked anything new lately. But I needed a side dish to go with my Tilapia, and I new Mark Bittman would have something to fit the bill. The rice turned out so flavorful and he has a ton of different options. The recipe is very versitle! Ingredients 2 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 chopped carrot 1 1/2 cups rice, preferably basmati Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 1/2 cups stock Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish Directions 1. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large, deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. 2. Add the rice all at once, turn the heat down to medium, and stir until the rice is glossy, completely coated with butter or oil, and starting to color lightly, about 5 minutes

Have you ever had a pineapple burger? A big thick burger filled with a ring of pineapple and a special sauce. This is a delicious memory from my childhood. My mom made them and they are so easy… however, when I tried to recreate this memory my burgers turned out dry and flavorless (excluding the pineapple and sauce in the middle). So I decided to change it up a bit. I made these first as meatballs and then when I came across Sweet Hawaiian rolls and a slider maker thingy… it's like it was meant to be! Sweet, Simple and Delicious!!! Ingredients 1 lb ground beef (I use 85/15) I small can crushed pineapple, drained 1/4 cup molasses 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup mustard Salt and Pepper Sweet Hawaiian Rolls Directions Mix molasses, ketchup and mustard to create a sauce. Pour half of sauce into a large bowl, then add pineapple, ground beef, salt and pepper and combine ingredients together but do not over mix. Shape small burgers and cook in a skillet until completely cooked through

Another chocolate chip cookie recipe… it reminds me of a line in the movie Aladdin "another suitor for the princess". The mundane process of mixing, scooping and baking… the time consuming work that results in a good cookie, but not the perfect cookie. But… I'm gonna keep trying them until I get it right. I have this idea in my head of what the perfect cookie should be. The taste, texture, color, etc… and this one is closer than any other I've tried. It's a really good cookie; a chewy cookie which is the only thing that keeps it from being perfect. The taste - Delicious! The appearance - very appetizing!! The Texture… well, chewy... so if you like that kind of thing!! Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 2 1/4 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp salt 12 oz chocolate chips parchment paper Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and sugars at medium speed in a stand mixer unti

The only squash casserole I ever knew existed consisted of sauteed onions and squash, saltine crackers and sliced american cheese. I mean, don't get me wrong... I love the stuff, but when I came across this recipe I just had to try it!! Please pardon the terrible picture. It does nothing more than show you how amazingly cheesy this casserole is. To be honest, grabbing the camera was an afterthought. This casserole was wonderfully full of flavor and did I mention cheesy?? I love cheese. The real stuff that you painstakingly shred yourself, not the weird bagged stuff. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did! note: it was spicy (which was perfect for us) Tex-Mex squash casserole Ingredients: 2 yellow squash and 2 zucchini, cut into coins (4 cups) 1 medium onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, diced 2 tablespoons of butter 1 can of Ro-Tel 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon of cumin 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 1 cup of chicken or vegetable b

This recipe does not replace the rice from our favorite restaurant, but it's good. Really good... and my kids love it so it's a keeper! I found it on Our Best Bites , and changed it just a little to fit our taste. Ingredients: 6 cups cold cooked rice 4 tbsp butter 1/4 cup minced red onion 2 tbsp chopped green onion 1/4 tbsp minced garlic 1/4 cup chopped carrot 4 tbsp soy sauce Seasoning: 1 tbsp dried onion 1 tbsp kosher salt 1 tsp garlic powder 1 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp celery salt 1 1/2 tps sugar First mix the seasonings and put in an airtight container (note: it makes way more than you need... the first time I made this I used WAY TO MUCH). Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and saute onions and carrots until tender, then add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Next add rice and soy sauce and then season to taste. Hmmm, what should I try to make next??? Maybe Lo Main?

I have been devastated since our favorite Chinese food restaurant closed a couple of years ago. We've searched the area looking for something, anything that measures up... but no luck thus far :( and to add insult to injury... I cannot recreate any of our favorite dishes. I mean not even close! I can cook Mexican exceptionally well and Italian practically flawlessly (well, it's pretty good) but I have yet to find any good Chinese recipes... until now. This recipe was simple and delicious! (tomorrow I'll share the fried rice recipe pictured) Ingredients: 1 1/4 lb Steak (I used a flat iron steak) 1 tsp ginger 2 tsp sugar 6 tbsp soy sauce 4 tsp cornstarch 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 bag frozen broccoli Directions: Slice steak, against the grain, in to thin slices. Mix ginger, sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the sliced steak, making sure its all coated and let stand for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet and pour marinated meat in the pan. On

Here is a super quick recipe for a delicious sandwich. Ingredients: Rye Bread (Pictured is Russian Rye, but any will work) Turkey Pastrami Swiss Cheese Sauerkraut Mayonase Mustard Butter Directions: Heat Sauerkraut in a pan to warm and dry the liquid so that your sandwich is not soggy. Next, assemble the sandwiches. Take two slices of bread, two slices of swiss cheese and two to three slices of pastrami, depending on the thickness. Spread mayonase on one slice of bread and mustard on the other, then cover one slice with a piece of cheese followed by pastrami, sauerkraut, another slice of cheese and the topped with the final slice of bread. Butter the outside of the sandwich and heat in a pan until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

Hmmmm... What can I do with this one lonely banana??? I need two for banana bread and three for banana cake... Oh, I know!! Banana pancakes!! Yummmm! They are so good, and easily made with stuff you probably already have! Now you can cook these on a non stick pan or griddle (this is what I usually do), but for a really heavenly treat, melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan before you pour your batter and then sprinkle chopped pecans over the uncooked batter and finally top with pure maple syrup. I swear, it taste like butter pecan ice cream. Now, let's get cookin. First you'll need one of these little helpers. They are invaluable for mashing bananas, stirring eggs and pouring things! Ingredients 1 cup all purpose flour 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 ripe banana, mashed 1 egg 2 tbsp butter, melted 1/4 cup pecans (optional) Directions Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and beat with a wire

I love to make goodies for my kids. I just imagine how excited their little faces will be when they see the assorted sweets and treats. So I had pretzel rods, marshmallow and chocolate, and this really cute idea... but things don't always work out the way you imagine them. The original idea was doomed from the get go... A stressful trip to the store where we forgot the dipping components... an unsuccessful attempt putting more than one sticky marshmallows on a pretzel and a crying toddler... put them all together and I had a recipe for disaster. I should have just stopped while I was ahead, but I didn't... and I'm glad! The end result of toasted marshmallow covered in sweet chocolate and a touch of graham crackers were oh so tasty, borderline addictive... and surprisingly not very messy!! Ingredients Pretzel Rods Large Marshmallows Dipping Chocolate (almond bark, candy melts, etc.) Graham Crackers, crushed Directions Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. B

This week's theme at IHCC is Going Green... So my first though, of course, was how am I going to make green chocolate??? Well... just leave it to Nigella to have a recipe for Chocolate Lime Cheesecake!! You cant get any greener than a lime, right? Thank you Nigella!! Ingredients 7 ounces chocolate wafer cookies 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 pound cream cheese (recommended: Philadelphia) 1 cup sugar 4 whole eggs 2 egg yolks 4 limes, juiced or 3/4 cup Special equipment: spring form pan Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a large overlapping piece of aluminum foil over the bottom of the springform pan, and then insert pan ring over it. Fold the foil extra foil up and around the pan and place the whole thing on a second piece of foil, also folding it and pressing it securely around the pan, having a water tight covering. In a food processor, process cookies until they are crumb-like, add melted butter and continue to process. Pour crumb mixture in

I'm so excited to finally get to participate in IHCC this week! It has been crazy busy around here, and I haven't had a chance to find a recipe, get to the store and make stuff in quite a while. The theme this week "Tea Time" and while I dont drink hot tea this recipe goes equally well with a good cup of coffee. I chose Nigella's Chocolate Croissants because well... I love chocolate... and I already had everything I needed. Ingredients 1 package butter puff pastry chocolate chips 1 egg beaten Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Open the sheet of pastry and then cut it into 6 squares. Cut each square diagonally to give 2 triangles. Put the triangle with the wider part facing you and the point away from you. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of chocolate chips on each triangle. Then carefully roll from that chocolate loaded end towards the point of the triangle. You should now have something resembling a straight croissant, seal it slightly wi

I have a full time job and an hour commute each way so with what little time I have left in my day I love to cook recipes like this! (not to mention that it's good) I mean is there anything better after a long day than coming home to a home cooked meal. It has a combination of hamburger, italian sausage, cute little peperoni and noodles cooked in the sauce rather than water which makes them extra flavorful. Oh yeah, it has mushrooms too... which are totally gross... fungus... yuck, but my sweetie loves them so there they are... for his enjoyment. 1 lbs ground beef 1 lb italian sausage 1/2 6oz pkg sliced pepperoni 1 cup chopped onions 2 cloves minced garlic 1 15 oz can tomato sauce 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 2 tsp italian seasoning 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms 4.5 cups tomato juice 24 oz dry spaghetti broken into 4-5 inch pieces grated Parmesan cheese Directions 1. Brown and drain ground chuck and italian sausage. 2. Combine all ingredie

This is a spouse pleasin, kid pleasin, pan filling simply good lasagna recipe, and anything that is good enough for my picky little kids to clean their plates must be shared with the masses. Thanks for the recipe Jen!! Ingredients 1 1/2 lbs ground beef 1 26 oz can spaghetti sauce (I used Hunts traditional) 1 15 oz container ricotta cheese 1 24 oz container cottage cheese 2 cups mozzarella (Jen uses Monterey Jack which melts beautifully) 12 lasagna noodles Garlic Salt Italian Seasoning Salt Pepper Directions Preheat oven to 350. Boil noodles per package directions. Brown ground beef, drain fat, add sauce and season to taste. Mix ricotta, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella and season again to taste. Put just a little of the meat sauce down in a greased 9x13 pan. Place four lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan, overlapping each noodle a little. Next, cover with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the meat sauce. Noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce and f

From time to time I send some of the goodies I make to work with my darling husband. One of his co-workers asked if I had ever made a peanut butter pie... and, up until now I had'nt. Believe it or not, with three kids under the age of 12 in the house we do not eat a lot of peanut butter so it is not a recipe that I would even consider. But I came across this recipe on Homesick Texan and thought I'd give it a try. Peanut Butter Pie Filling ingredients: 2 egg yolks, beaten slightly 1 1/2 cups of milk 3/4 cups of sugar 5 tablespoons of flour 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla ¾ cup of peanut butter 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cayenne Meringue ingredients: 2 egg whites 1/8 teaspoon of salt 4 tablespoons of sugar Your favorite pie crust. Directions: In a pot, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, flour and salt. While stirring, cook on medium heat until it bubbles and thickens, about five to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the va

Did you know that banana pudding is not made from a box??? Because I didn't, for the first 24 years of my existence. Then one day at work (a long time ago) we had a baby shower and someone brought banana pudding... Oh, I was in love. I had to know how to make it, I had to make it so that I could eat it... any time I wanted to. I can't believe I never knew about this!?!? To answer your question... yes, I must have been living under a rock. This is not a quick recipe. You have to stand and stir but it is worth the effort, I promise! The results are amazing! Banana Pudding Ingredients Pudding 1 cup sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 dash salt 2 tbsp cornstarch 2 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla 3-4 bananas, sliced Vanilla Wafers Sweetened Whipped Cream 1 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla Directions Mix sugar and eggs in a saucepan, then add cornstarch, salt and milk and wisk until well combined. Bring mix to a boil over med-high heat stirring constantly until thick

I love all things tropical. This is simple to throw together and delicious! INGREDIENTS 6oz coconut yogurt 6oz double cream 1 tablespoon coconut rum, Pariot Bay is my favorite 1 banana 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar Toasted Coconut Directions  Stir together the yogurt and cream with the rum, and whisk until slightly thickened. Slice the banana and then divide the slices between four 125ml-ramekins to form a layer at the bottom of each one. Spoon in the thickened yogurt and cream mixture, filling the ramekins equally. Sprinkle about 11/2 teaspoons of sugar over each ramekin, then wrap them in clingfilm, and place in the fridge overnight or for the day. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and enjoy!! ADDITIONAL INFO You need to make these the morning of the evening you want to eat them (or the day before, if that’s easier for you), but they take no more than 5 minutes to prepare.   Original Recipe  by Nigella Lawson

Can you ever have too much of a good thing? I love Italian food and this is a good thing!! This is a pretty simple recipe of lasagna noodles filled with prosciutto, spinach and cheese tucked in a creamy béchamel sauce then covered with marinara and more cheese... I had you at béchamel didn't I!! I love to say béchamel, it sounds so sophisticated... So foodie! This recipe is sophisticated in flavor yet simple to make and requested quite often. Ingredients Sauce: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups whole milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch ground nutmeg Lasagna: 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped 1 large egg, beaten to blend 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Several years ago a local restaurant advertised crab cakes. They advertised, I asked to go, he said no. They'd advertise more, I'd ask again to go, and he'd say no. This went on for weeks until, finally, I wore him down. We went and I was very disappointed. Perhaps it was because of all the anticipation that I had built up, I'm not really sure but that disappointment prompted me to create my own. My first and most important adjustment would be to omit the red bell pepper. I played around with the recipe and what I came up with and received rave reviews from my toughest critics!! Ingredients: 2 cans crab meat 1/2 cup bread crumbs (may need more if batter is too wet) 1/2 tsp dry mustard 1/2 tsp old bay seasoning 1 tsp dried parsley 2 tbsp helmans mayonnaise 2 egg whites   Directions: Drain crab meat. Mix all ingredients together and pan fry until golden brown.

I don't know about you but, growing up, beans were a weekly occurrence around our house (I wasn't a fan), and if you asked my husband he might exaggerate and say that they had to eat them every day! (though I'd guess he's not exaggerating much) As a child, there's nothing fun about a bowl full of stupid little beans... boring, blah, yuck! But, beans have great nutritional value, they are inexpensive and easy to make, and now that I am grown up I can appreciate them. I've had many opportunities to eat beans at his parent's house. One version my mother in law makes is cowboy beans. She cooks onion and ground beef and then adds it to the pot of beans along with a can of rotel. I've taken that idea and doctored it up into something not only palatable but delicious and oh so easy! Of course if you're feeling particularly productive that day you could fry up some cabbage and potatoes to round out the perfect comfort meal!! Cowboy Beans Ingredients:

Happy Birthday to me! I saw this recipe a while back and knew I wanted to make it. Chocolate is the best stuff on earth what better day to try this rich decadent dessert. Baked Hot Chocolate Ingredients 9 ounces 60% semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into cubes 4 large eggs 1/4 cup granulated sugar Whipped cream Directions: 1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange ovenproof coffee cups or mugs or 8-ounce ramekins in a baking or roasting pan. 2. Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over gently simmering water, and whisk occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside. 3. Stir the eggs and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer then set over the simmering water and stir until warm to the touch. Place the bowl on the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat for 3 to 5 minute

Crap! I forgot the chili seasoning packet. I wanted something to warm us up when we came back in from the snow. Thats right, I said SNOW!! We are in Texas and we got a snow day! That never happens... ok, rarely happens. But I have never seen this much snow... EVER! You see we broke a record getting 12 inches in one day. The previous record was like 7 inches set back in 1964 or something... but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that its here for a very limited amount of time and my sweeties will be playing out in it all day so they are going to need something warm.  Now back to my problem... I've always used one of those packets to make chili and I was not about to chance driving in this weather to go get it so I googled chili recipes. I serched allrecipes, as well as some of my favorite blogs and didnt see anything that stood out so I just picked out the things I liked and this is what I came up with. This isn't the perfect chili recipe, but it is good and easy. Snow