Sugar Cookie Frosting

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring


In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and butter until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

Awesome Coffee Cake

My husband and I whipped this up last night. There's nothing like waking up Sunday morning to a deliciously moist, and sweet breakfast. Needless to say, after my 3 kids and my son's teenage friend got ahold of it, there was none left. Make it next weekend. Your family will love you:)



2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
 
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch pan with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sour cream, then beat in sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. By hand, fold in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Spread batter into prepared pan.
To make the Pecan Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cake batter in pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, and remove foil.

Butter Chicken

I LOVE Indian food! My friend, Amy, and I both enjoy trying everything offered on the buffet, but butter chicken is one of our faves. She found this recipe and passed it along to me. All I can say is YUMMO! Try it today. It's super easy to make, and my kids love it!

Ingredients
Spice Blend:
1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 skinless rotisserie chicken, boned out and pulled into 1 1/2 by 1/2-inch chunks
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, placed in a colander and run under hot water to thaw
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Hot basmati rice, for serving
Pita bread, warmed according to package directions, for serving
Directions
To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces just begin to turn gold, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir will. Add the chicken pieces, spoon the sauce over the top and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover to keep warm.

Shake any excess water from the peas. Add the peas and cream to the sauce in the pan, stir well and heat through. Do not boil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice and warmed pita bread.

Variation: If you prefer shreds of chicken to whole pieces, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat into large chunks by hand. Add to the pan along with the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the tomato sauce and continue with the recipe. Serve over basmati rice.

Chicken Taco Chili

So, this stay at home mama decided to get a part time job at a popular bookstore. Mondays are super crazy in our house as it is, with dance, boy scouts, etc, so I needed to up my collection of slow cooker recipes. I found one on skinnytaste.com and tweaked it a bit, mainly to accommodate what I had in the pantry. It smells so delicious cooking, especially after working all day. Hope you enjoy!

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 16-oz can corn
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
chili peppers, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream.

Pumpkin Soup

I absolutely love anything pumpkin! Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, etc. This was one of my first "gourmet" recipes when I started cooking years ago. I hadn't made it in forever, but felt inspired tonight. It was a hit at the dinner table. My daughter especially loved it:). I hope you enjoy!




1 small onion
1 can black beans
2 cans pumpkin
1 can diced tomatoes
1 box beef stock
1 cup cream or milk
1 palmful curry powder
1 tbsp cumin
Salt and pepper

Sauté your chopped onion in olive oil in a soup pot heated to medium high. When onions are translucent, add in drained can of beans, pumpkin, tomatoes and stock, Bring to a boil. Turn to low, and add in cream/milk and spices. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until ready to serve. I served it with quesadillas and salsa. Yummo!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's that wonderful time of year, when everything pumpkin is in season! Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, etc. Mmmmmmm:). This is my semi-healthy, but not really version of pumpkin cake. Enjoy!

Cake:
1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin

Mix together. Put in a greased 9x13 pan, and cook according to the box's baking instructions. (you will NOT add the eggs or oil per the box instructions)


Icing:
1 block cream cheese
3 tbsp softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk

Using a hand mixer, mix the ingredients together in a bowl. If you want the frosting thinner, add more milk. Slather on cooled cake and serve.

Crunchy Chickpeas

Just whipped these up. So easy and they make a delicious and healthy snack.

1 can chickpeas
Olive oil
Seasoning (I used Beorken, but it's local to KC. Garlic powder would be good)

Drain the chickpeas and pat dry with a paper towel. Put on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil and seasoning. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, till golden brown and crunchy.

Cucumber Salsa

Got this recipe from a neighbor, thanks Kim C. Very good as a dip with chips or served over grilled chicken, pork chops, etc. Make some while cucumbers are still good!


1 1/2 cukes, peeled,seeded, and chopped up really small
1 (28oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 small red onion, diced small
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 pkg dry ranch
1 pkg Mama Soccorro's dry salsa mix
Mix all together and let sit for about an hour before serving.

Chipotle Salsa

So, I love, love, love this salsa! I make a batch every week and we snack on it non stop. So yummy. I make it a little less spicy so the kids can enjoy it too, but feel free to add more of the chipotle peppers to yours to make it hotter. Best, of course, on tortilla chips for good ol' chips and salsa, but also good on eggs, tacos, etc. Be adventurous! You only live once:)

1 big can whole tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro, stems trimmed off the end
2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
Salt, to taste

Throw it all in a blender or food processor. Purée, pour in a bowl, salt to taste and eat!

Blueberry cobbler

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup white sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons white sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pinch ground cinnamon
Directions

Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries into the baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. You may need to add a splash more milk. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spoon the batter over the blueberries, leaving only a few small holes for the berries to peek through. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean - of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife. Let cool until just warm before serving. This can store in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Pasta Carbonara

This is my new and improved recipe for this dish. Enjoy!

1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 ounces cubed pancetta or bacon
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the spaghetti to boiling salted water.

Meanwhile in a saute pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the garlic, and pancetta, and cook for a few minutes. Remove the garlic when it is golden brown, and then lower the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the milk, pecorino cheese, salt, and lots of black pepper. Separate the eggs, making sure not to break the yolks. Add the egg whites to the milk mixture, and mix well.

When the spaghetti is at the 'al dente' stage, drain well. Add the pasta to the saucepan with the pancetta, and remove from heat. Pour in the milk mixture, and stir for a minute or so. The heat from the spaghetti will cook the egg and thicken the sauce.

Plate and garnish each serving with an egg yolk* on top. Add the fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Homemade Steak Sauce

Made this sauce tonight for dinner and served it on steak sandwiches. Very tasty! Just in time for summer grilling. Hope you make and enjoy!

3 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon mustard seed or dry mustard
1/4 cup dry sherry or Marsala cooking wine
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 cup organic ketchup or low-sugar ketchup
2 tablespoons soy or tamari sauce
1 cup beef stock

Put the first 5 ingredients in the food processor and purée. Put this mixture in a saucepan and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Serve or refrigerate for future use.

Lemony Tuna Pasta

A new take on an old favorite!

2 cups dried rigatoni or penne pasta (6 oz.)
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 5.5-oz. cans chunk tuna (packed in olive oil), drained
1/2 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned croutons
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 small lemon, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. capers (optional)
Dill sprigs (optional)
directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 1-1/2-quart baking dish; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
In medium saucepan cook celery, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in flour, mustard, dill, lemon peel, and pepper. Add broth all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, whisking to remove any lumps. Stir in tuna and pasta. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
In small bowl stir together croutons and melted butter. Sprinkle on tuna mixture. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover. Top with lemon slices, bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with capers and dill sprigs. Serves 4 to 6.

Cheese Fondue

I got this yummy recipe from my sister in law, Gina. So creamy and delicious! Enjoy:)



2 pkgs light cream cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups milk

Sauté garlic in a little butter, 1 minute. Melt in cream cheese and Parmesan. Stir in milk. Transfer to a small crockpot, and keep warm. Serve with veggies, mini meatballs, chunks of Italian bread, etc.

Baked potato soup

All I have to say is, YUM!

6 baking potatoes
5 green onions, minced
2 celery stalks, minced
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
8 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

Bake potatoes at 425 for 45-60 minutes, until done. Halve the potatoes, and scoop out the pulp. Set aside. Sauté 1/2 green onions and celery in butter, in a soup pot. When tender, stir in flour. Whisk in milk; bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted. Break up potato pulp and put in pot. Use a potato masher to combine soup and potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with remaining cheese, green onion and crumbled bacon.

Feta and spinach dip

I got this recipe from a Weight Watchers site. Don't let that turn you off, however. It's creamy and delicious served with cut up veggies or tortilla chips. It's 2 points plus for 3 tbsp. Feel good about serving it.

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup Light cream cheese
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh chives
4 tsp Fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Place spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, feta cheese, 1/2 of chives, lemon juice and pepper in a blender; puree. Taste dip and add salt if desired. Spoon dip into a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining chives. Yields about 3 tablespoons of dip per serving.

Steak fajitas

I made this recipe up yesterday. I wasn't going to have time to cook dinner, so I needed to throw something in the crockpot. My husband proclaimed it the most authentic Mexican dish I have ever made. If only he knew how simple it was !

4 thinly sliced flank steaks
1 pkg Chi-chi's taco seasoning
16 oz can tomato sauce
1 red pepper thinly sliced
1 onion thinly sliced

Salt and pepper steak. Place in the crockpot. Sprinkle taco seasoning over the top, and pour the tomato sauce in. Place pepper and onion on top. Cook on high, 3-4 hours or low 7-8 hours. Serve on tortillas with whatever fajita fixings you like.

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Cheese

We went on vacation last week. Our diets consisted of alot of rich foods and desserts, because that's how you're supposed to eat on vacation, right? This week I've been trying to stuff us full of veggies and healthy dinners. I made this dish last night. Every single person in my family of 5 loved it. I hope you enjoy it too. I served it with asparagus and scalloped potatoes.

6 chicken breasts
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 triangles light Swiss laughing cow cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp oregano
3 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Sauté the onion and 2/3 of the garlic in skillet till soft. Don't burn the garlic. Turn the heat off and stir in the spinach and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir together until the cheese melts. In a bowl, melt butter in microwave. Stir in breadcrumbs and oregano and the rest of the garlic. Take your chicken breasts and split them open down the middle. It should look like an open book. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff the spinach mixture into each open pocket. Sprinkle each breast with breadcrumb mix. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

South African Corn and Tomato Soup

This is actually a Weight Watchers recipe, but still very tasty. If you're counting points, it's 5 points per 1 1/4 cup serving. I served it with paninis. Enjoy!

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 large tomato(es), beefsteak, ripe, cored, coarsely chopped
3 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, or fresh corn kernels from 4 cobs
14 3/4 oz canned cream-style white corn
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
3 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup(s) basil, fresh, cut into ribbons


In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onions are extremely soft, about 10 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes; cook for 5 minutes more.
Add both types of corn, milk, broth, remaining teaspoon salt and pepper; simmer for 15 minutes so flavors can combine. Top each serving with basil. Yields about 1 1/4 cups soup and 1 tablespoon basil per serving.

Fiesta Ravioli

My bff, Carin, gave me this recipe yesterday. Made it last night, and it was a huge hit! I made a few little tweaks of my own and it will definitely be a staple in our rotation. Hope you enjoy!

1 bag cheese ravioli
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup salsa
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Shredded cheddar
Shredded lettuce
Sliced grape tomatoes

Boil your ravioli according to the bag directions. Drain, and put in a 9x13 pan. Heat the enchilada sauce, salsa and chicken together in a saucepan. Pour over the top of the ravioli. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 until bubbly. Sprinkle lettuce and tomatoes on top after you take it out of the oven.
I served with black beans that I simmered with garlic powder, and then sprinkled with feta cheese. Yummo!

Stuffed Mushrooms

I got this recipe from another food blog, Cheeky Kitchen. My 8 year old and I whipped them up for the New Year's party we went to. So tasty! Hope you enjoy:)


12-16 medium mushrooms
1/2 pound ground pork sausage (I used hot pork breakfast sausage)
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or sage, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt & Fresh ground pepper

Thoroughly clean the mushrooms by running them under cold tap water. Pull the stems carefully out of the bottoms of each mushroom. Discard the stems and gently pat the mushrooms dry with a paper towel. Place the mushrooms in a baking dish that has been sprayed with a light coat of nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan, brown sausage, then drain well before returning to saucepan over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic, thyme or sage, and cream cheese to the mixture. Stir just until the cream cheese is soft & creamy and well mixed in with the sausage. Spoon teaspoon sized amounts of the sausage mixture into the center of each mushroom.
In a small bowl, melt butter. Stir in panko crumbs, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt, and ground pepper. Spoon mixture atop the sausage mixture in each mushroom. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.