Fruit Pizza

I made this for a fun girly get-together. Love it! It was a huge hit! 

(I halved the recipe because I wanted to make 1 medium-size pizza...it made 8 large slices...and it was perfect. But the individual ones they made on their blog is so cute too!) 

FRUIT PIZZA

Found Here: Six Sister’s Stuff

Sugar Cookie Crust
1/4 C Milk

1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 C Butter or Margarine
4 C Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs

Soften margarine slightly, then add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir well, then mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and milk. Chill dough for about an hour and it will be easier to roll out.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it's a little more than 1/4" thick. You can either transfer it to an ungreased pizza pan to make a big pizza or use circle cookie cutters to make mini pizzas. (If you make the large pizza size, you will only use about 3/4 of the dough, so you can make mini ones with the leftovers!) Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. Let the sugar cookie crust cool completely before adding the cream cheese layer.

Cream Cheese Layer8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)

1 C Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
8 oz. Cool Whip

Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in the Cool Whip and stir well. Spread cream cheese layer over cooled sugar cookie. Then you can start adding the fruit.

Fruit OptionsStrawberries

Kiwi
Bananas
Grapes
Blueberries
Mandarin Oranges
Raspberries
Pineapple
Or whatever fruit you love!!

Red Velvet Cake Pops

I made you all a treat: Red Velvet Cheesecake Pops...they're even Heart shaped!! :) 

Red Velvet Cheesecake Pops:

1 Red Velvet Cake Mix, cooked according to box directions 

1 recipe (or can) of your favorite Cream Cheese Frosting

Once cake is cooked and cooled, dump entire cake into a large bowl. Stir in your cream cheese frosting to make a "paste"-type substance. I put the mixture into some heart-shaped ice cube molds I got in the dollar-bin at target. You can also use a cookie scoop to make small balls, and just put them on a cookie sheet or onto wax paper. Put in freezer for at least 2 hours (you can leave them in there for several days even, if you need to!). 

Once they're frozen, you can melt some white chocolate (baking squares, chocolate chips...whatever floats your boat). If it's too thick to dip, you can add a small amount of shortening. DO NOT add water!

I put the melted chocolate into a cup, to make it easy to dip. I buy the sucker sticks (they come in packages) at Walmart...usually they are near the wedding stuff. Put your sticks into your frozen cake pops, then dip in white chocolate. Place on cookie sheet or wax paper and allow chocolate to harden. Put back into the fridge or freezer, and enjoy as you desire! YUM!!!!! Hope you enjoy them! ;) 

Restaurant Style French Toast

I know it's silly to post a recipe for French Toast, but seriously this is wonderful! I think I personally make a pretty good french toast without any recipe but I wanted something better. So I googled this and trust me you, yes you reading this, needs to try it! It has really good flavor and tastes just like a restaurant breakfast!

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 -10 slices Texas toast thick bread or 8 -10 slices French bread
Toppings:
confectioners' sugar , sliced fruit, butter, and pancake syrup for serving
Directions:
1. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk briskly to remove all clumps.
3. Grease a pan(I just use pam)
4. Heat skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles when flicked onto skillet.
5. Dip both sides of bread slice into the batter briefly.
6. Let some of the batter drip off, then place bread in skillet.
7. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second.
8. If needed, add a little more oil to the skillet to cook all of the slices.9Repeat procedure with remaining bread slices.10Keep French toast warn in a low oven as you cook remaining slices.11Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with butter, syrup, or fruit, if using.

I'm sure most people don't need directions on how to cook French Toast but ya never know! Hopefully you'll try this cause it's Delish!

Hearty Beef Soup

This is my version of a soup that my mom used to make when I was growing up. It is fast and easy and you can add or subtract whatever ingredients your family likes. This recipe feeds about 5 people. Double the ingredients if you want to feed a crowd. Serve with some crusty bread and you have a comfort food dinner that is good for you.

Ingredients:
1/2-1 lb. ground beef
1 half onion, diced
3-4 carrots, cut into chunks
2 ribs celery, diced
2-3 potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 cup frozen peas (if desired)
2 cans beef broth
1 can condensed tomato soup or gluten free substitute (see below)
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
black pepper to taste
Garlic and Onion powder to taste
Noodles, barley or brown rice if desired.

Brown hamburger with garlic and onion until beef is no longer pink and onion is soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for about two hours. You could also make this soup in the crock pot. Cook on low heat for 4 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Gluten Free condensed tomato soup:
8 oz. tomato soup
2 T. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
Mix together and use as the recipe directs in place of one can of condensed tomato soup.

Easy Red Velvet Cookies

You can make these into red velvet crinkle cookies, red velvet white chocolate cookies, or cookies with powdered sugar or cream cheese frosting.....definitely a few fun options. I love these for Valentine's Day! Easy, only a few ingredients, fast, and delicious!

Easy Red Velvet Cookies
1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 eggs
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
Powdered Sugar (optional)
White Chocolate Chips (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cake mix, 2 eggs, and oil with a hand blender or wisk. Add white chocolate chips, if desired. Form balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet, or on a sil pat. You can also roll the balls in powdered sugar if you want to make "crinkle cookies." Slightly pat down top of each ball. Cook for 8-10 minutes, the top of the cookies will crack. Other Serving Options: White hot, lightly sprinkle the top of the cookie with powdered sugar (optional). Or let cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Biggest Loser Orange Chicken

The Biggest Loser - Mandarin Orange Chicken

3 Tbs frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 Tbs lower sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs minced fresh garlic
1 Tbs hot sesame oil (I didn't have sesame oil, but I did have peanut oil. I googled a substitution for sesame oil and peanut oil was it! BONUS!)
1 tsp garlic chili paste (found in asian section in grocery store)
3/4 c canned mandarin oranges in juice
6 4oz chicken breasts (I'd use tenders)
Add Cooking Step Directions
1. In a large resealable bag, mix the juice concentrate, soy sauce, garlic, oil, and chili paste. Gently stir in the oranges and their juice. Add the chicken, submerging it in marinade. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator at least 6 hours or overnight, rotating once or twice.

2. Preheat oven to 400. Transfer chicken to a 13x9 baking dish in a single layer. Pour the marinade on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink on top. Ovens may vary with time. I had mine in for an hour.

Add/Edit NotesNotes:
6 servings

183 calories, 4g fat, 27g protein

This recipe was really good! and even better since it was less calories. I served with Ham fried rice made with brown rice. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Tacos

Creamy Chicken Tacos (Crockpot!)
2 pounds chicken breast pieces (can use frozen)  
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes 
1 small can green chiles (optional)1 (10-ounce) container PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme--- Santa Fe flavor
taco shells or tortillas

We like to add black beans; but you can also add:: sour cream, avocado slices  
*optional add-ins to stretch the meal to feed more people: 1 cup frozen corn, or 1 can corn, drained, 1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed  

The Directions. 
 
Use a 4-quart slow cooker (if adding the optional add-ins, a 6-quart might be a better fit). 

Put the chicken into your cooker. Add the entire can of tomatoes. Scrape out all the Cooking Creme.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Stir well and serve in taco shells or tortillas with your favorite toppings.  

You can find the original recipe Here.

3 Cheese and Spinach Manicotti

3 Cheese and Spinach Manicotti

1 tub (15 ounces) Ricotta Cheese (can also use cottage cheese)
1/2 package (8 ounces) frozen spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 tbs Parsley flakes
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
1 egg
1 package Manicotti Noodles
1 can, jar, or recipe Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup water (if making night before, or freezing)

Place spinach in microwave safe bow, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Put spinach in collander and press out excess water with a spoon (or thaw in fridge, and press out water when completely thawed). In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, and spices. Cook Manicotti Noodles for 2 minutes less than directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
Spread about 1 cup spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Stuff Manicotti with spinach mixture and arrange noodles in pan. Pour remaining sauce over Manicotti. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Alternative Cooking Idea/Freezer Meal:
Prepare filling as above. Do NOT cook noodles. Combine spaghetti sauce with 1 cup water; spread 1 cup sauce into ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Stuff uncooked Manicotti with spinach mixture and arrange in pan. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or place in freezer; thaw overnight in fridge before cooking). Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until heated through.

We are Featured!

Hi Everyone, Just a quick note to let you know that others find the recipes we have shared to be wonderful and "Yum Yum!" I received an e-mail and this blog is now featured on PetitChef.com! Thanks to everyone who continues to share their delicious recipes! Keep them coming! :D

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

Oriental Dressing

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Chicken

• 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 2 T milk
• 1 ¼ cup Corn flakes, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Salad

• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup red cabbage (optional)
• 1 cup napa cabbage
• 1/2 carrot, julienned or shredded
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup chow mein noodles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Blend together all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl. Put dressing in refrigerator to chill while you prepare the salad.

3. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cut into 4 or 5 strips. Mix together eggs and milk. In a separate bowl, mix corn flake crumbs, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken into egg mixture then into the crumb mixture coating each piece evenly. Place onto a foil-covered baking pan. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake, uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and carrots. Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of the lettuce.

5. Just before serving, sprinkle almonds over the salad, then the chow mein noodles.

6. Once cooked and slightly cooled, cut the chicken into small bite-size chunks. Place the chicken onto the salad forming a pile in the middle. Serve with salad dressing drizzled over it or on the side.

Honey Orange Teriyaki Chicken

We love the Mr. Yoshida's marinade. It makes a great chicken/turkey marinade, wonderful stir-fry...yes. We like it. I have usually purchased it from Costco, so I'm not sure where else carries it for sure...but this is a very simple and easy dinner. My boys had seconds and thirds. A two-year old having thirds is definitely considered success at our house! I served with plain rice, and some steamed veggies. Enjoy!

Honey Orange Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:
1 Cup Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce
1 Cup Orange Juice-premium, Not from concentrate (or juice from about 3 oranges)
3 tbs orange zest (optional....but do add it!)
6 Tbs. Honey
1 1/2 lbs chicken-breast, sliced or chicken tenders
1 tbs olive oil
Optional: 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:
1. In bowl, mix orange jujice, Yoshida sauce, honey, and 3 tbs zest (optional). Reserve 1 cup.
2. Marinate chicken for 10 minutes. Drain chicken; discard marinade.
3. Lightly brush grill pan with olive oil. Heat to medium.
4. Cook chicken, turning once halfway through cooking time (4-6 minutes) and bursh with 1 cup reserved sauce. Cook for 4-6, until thoroughly cooked. Use remaining sauce at table as a dipping sauce or salad dressing.
5. Optional: top with toasted almonds.


Yum. Seriously. You have to make this. :)

Amazing Thanksgiving Turkey Rub

Last year for Thanksgiving I couldn't find a rub that was what I was looking for, so I took a few different recipes and came up with my own. It is SO good! It always makes me feel good when my husband takes a bite of food and says, Oh yum! That's so good! He even made the comment for the first 3 or 4 bites of turkey! Yum! I used it again for our Thanksgiving Turkey this year. I wanted to brine my turkey using THIS recipe, but unfortunately, my grandpa unexpectedly passed away, so I found myself traveling for the 3 days before Thanksgiving. I got home Wednesday afternoon in time enough for a little bit of prep, then my hubby and I went to see Wicked!! Anyway, the bottom line is, this rub is so delicious, and it is so easy!! We will be making a turkey again for Christmas (I got a free one from my work!).

Mindy's Thanksgiving Turkey and Rub (I had a 18 lb turkey, so I doubled the rub)
Ingredients for the rub:
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbs brown sugar
5 slices bacon (I use turkey bacon), cooked and crumbled
1 tbs Worcestershire

Other ingredients:
Turkey (whole, or turkey breast)
Carrots
Onion, sliced
Celery, diced
Worcestershire sauce, a few dashes
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour (for your oven bag)
Oven/Turkey bag
1 cup water or chicken broth

1. Mix ingredients for the rub in a small bowl. I add the Worcestershire last. Use your hand to loosen the skin from the turkey (NOT frozen, I thaw in fridge for a few days before). Make sure that you don't remove the skin...you are just going to (literally) rub your rub between the turkey and the skin. Cover with plastic and return to the fridge for 4-24 hours (this is a rough estimate. If you don't have time, it's OKAY to rub the turkey and immediately cook it!)

 2. Put flour into oven bag and shake around (this ensures that the bag doesn't burst). Place whole baby carrots, sliced onion, and diced celery in the bottom of the bag, and set into your roasting pan

3.Take your turkey and place on top of the veggies in the bag. Cut your 2 tbs of butter into several smaller pieces and press them onto the top of the turkey (on top of the skin). Sprinkle with a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Pour you water into the bottom of the bag. You can also sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper as desired.

4. Tie your bag with the included ties. Cut a 6 2" slits into your bag (that's the directions that the oven bags I bought gave) to release steam. Place pan in the oven and cook according to the directions on your turkey (it depends on how large it is. I generally reduce the head by 25 degrees, and cook for an extra 30 minutes).
5. When finished, remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before carving. Make the most AMAZING gravy. YUM!

**You can also cook a turkey in the crockpot...just cover tightly with foil instead of using the lid!!! Prepare with rub as above. Place a crockpot liner in your crockpot. Put veggies and water in the bottom. Put turkey in and cover tightly with foil. I usually stick my meat thermometer right through the foil so I don't have to lift the foil and release heat. If your turkey has a pop-up timer, just note where it is at so you can notice it when it pops!

(I realize that the final-product picture isn't the BEST picture, but it's the best one I have, sorry!). Trust me, this tastes amazing, and makes phenomenal gravy!

The. Best. Lemon. Meringue. Pie.

This recipe is seriously DELICIOUS!!! Best lemon meringue pie ever!!! You can find the recipe here.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked (homemade, frozen, refrigerated...whatever you prefer)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water in a heavy saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 1/3 cup water to make a smooth paste. Gradually whisk into boiling sugar mixture. Boil mixture until thick and clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice. Gradually whisk egg yolk mixture into hot sugar mixture. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in grated lemon rind and butter or margarine. Place mixture in refrigerator and cool until just lukewarm.
4. In a large glass or metal bowl, combine egg whites and salt. Whip until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar while continuing to whip. Beat until whites form stiff peaks. Stir about 3/4 cup of meringue into lukewarm filling. Spoon filling into baked pastry shell. Cover pie with remaining meringue.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until meringue is slightly brown. Cool on a rack at for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Moist Banana Bread

I have been in search of a good banana bread recipe for awhile, I like mine moist, NOT dry! Anyways, I found a recipe on allrecipes and I changed it up quite a bit, but the bread turned out SOOO yummy. I went to get my camera and it was already 1/4 gone!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter (softened to room temp)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I substituted half with whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup of ripened, mashed bananas

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (opt)

1/2 chocolate chip cookies (opt)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl combine the softened butter with the sugar. Mix until creamed well, then add the eggs and the vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir until mixed evenly.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredient bowl to the butter/sugar mixture, hand mix with a spatula or wooden spoon.

5. When mixed well add the sour cream and mashed bananas, then add the walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour into the greased pan.

6. Place on center rack of preheated oven. Let bake for about 1 h 15 m. Check to see if it is done by place a knife in the middle and pulling it out, if it comes out clean then it is done.

7. Once done, place on a cooling rack while still in the pan and let rest for 10 minutes. When the ten minutes is up let cool completely.

Mine did NOT have a chance to cool completely before the piranhas were on it. I hope you all like it! Next time I think I will try to substitute half the butter for apple sauce, I will let you all know how it turns out!

Extreme Chocolate Cake

I made this chocolate cake and it was delicious. It was so moist and the frosting tastes like fudge. So good. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/extreme-chocolate-cake/detail.aspx
The batter WILL be soupy, don't worry about it :) Enjoy