Buttermilk Raspberry Crumb Cake

I made a raspberry crumb cake tonight and it turned out really really good.  It taste even better when you put a little of whipped butter on it after it just came out of the oven.  :D  

Serves 6-8

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh raspberries
½ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the raspberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the raspberries.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

                                                                  Right out of the oven!           
                                      

                                                              Ready to go into the oven

                                                                   Mixing the raspberries

Ham & Noodle Casserole

So for tonights dinner, I wasn't sure what I should do,  I had laid out some ham so I decided to just throw something together and it actually turned out really good.  I made biscuits to go with it and the kids loved it.   I call it Ham & Noodle bake.  Enjoy


Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb ham
2 packages of egg noodles
4 cans of corn
4 cans of cream of celery soup
2 cups of sour cream
1 lb of swiss grated swiss cheese


Directions:
1.  In a large sauce pan cook noodles accordingly to package, when done drain
2.  In the meantime cut up ham into pieces, then in a large bowl combine ham, soup, sour cream & corn
3.  In a 9x13 pan place a layer of noodles and then a layer of ham mixture and then sprinkle with cheese, repeat layers
4. cover with foil and bake for 30 min. or until cheese is melted.


yield 12 servings

Andes Mint Cupcakes

I came across the recipe on pinterest and it was a big hit at our bake sale.   The recipe calls for Andes candies, but I used some chopped Andes that I had gotten at Walmart to make cookies with.  The mint buttercream icing is posted in an earlier blog. 


Andes Mint Cupcakes

Chocolate Cakes:

1 cup sour cream

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

¼ cup water

½ cup buttermilk

Devil’s Food Cake Mix

Chocolate Mint Filling:

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

¼ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

2.    Using a whisk, mix sour cream, oil and vanilla extract together.  Add eggs one at a time, stirring well in between each addition. 

3.    Alternate adding the cake mix and liquids (buttermilk and water), starting and ending with the cake mix. 

4.    Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until and inserted knife come out clean. 

5.    Chocolate Mint Filling:  Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat.  Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar.

6.   When cupcake come out of the oven, use a squeeze bottle to fill the cupcake with the filling, or use the filling as a ganache and dip the tops of the cakes into it. 

7.    Mint Buttercream:  Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and peppermint extract and beat well.  Add green food coloring and stir well

8.   Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes and top with extra Chocolate Mint Filling and an Andes Mint.

Mint Buttercream Icing

I ran across this recipe and made it.  It was such a yummy recipe that I think I will be using it from now on.

 
Mint Buttercream Icing

8 oz package of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
3-4 cups of powdered sugar
1 tbs of heavy cream or milk
1 tsp of peppermint extract
green food coloring

Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and peppermint extract and beat well.  Add green food coloring and stir well

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

So tonight I made Chicken Tortilla Casserole and it turned out so good.  My kids really enjoyed it and ate every bite of it.  It was a quick easy dinner to make.  Especially when you are always on the go. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of chicken broth

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1/4 chopped celery

6 cups of cooked chicken

10 flour tortilla's (6 inch) torn into bite size pieces

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1 can of green chili's

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 tsp white pepper 

1 cup of salsa

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, bring the broth, onion and celery to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Place in a large bowl; add chicken, tortillas, soup, chilies, 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese and pepper.

2. Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish.  Top with salsa and remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350' for 30-35 min.  or until heated through.

Chicken Enchiladas

So I found this recipe last night and decided to go with it and give it a try.  The kids really enjoyed it as so did I.  I will defiantly be making these in the future.  LOL  I hope you guys enjoy!
I will post a pic in a bit. 


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS:
           Mix soup and sour cream. Heat butter in saucepan. Add onion and chili powder and cook until tender. Add chicken, chilies and 2 tablespoons soup mixture.
           Spread 1/2 cup soup mixture in 2-quart shallow baking dish. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until hot.

Serving for 4

BBQ Black Beans

This recipes is a clone of El Pollo Locos' BBQ Black Beans.

1 lb black beans soaked 8 hours or overnight.
2 smallish onions chopped.
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups bottled bbq sauce (I used Famous Daves Sweet and Spicy Sauce)
2-3 drops liquid smoke per pint jar
1 small jalapeno minced and divided among 5 pint jars

Fill beans to the halfway point, add onions and jalapeno evenly.
I also added some pico de gallo although the original recipe did not call for it. I added about 1/3 cup BBQ sauce per jar and then filled with water.
The beans soak up the water and you are left with a thickened sauce, in a few week the sauce will be very thick as beans continue to absorb the water.

Process at 11 lbs for 75 minutes pints and 90 minutes quarts. 

Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce

6 cloves of garlic

3 T. olive oil

4 medium red, yellow and/or green halved and seeded

12 lbs peeled tomatoes

3 T. packed brown sugar

2 T. kosher salt

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 t. ground pepper

2 cups snipped basil leaves

1 cup assorted fresh oregano, thyme, or flat leave parsley

6 T. bottled lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees peel away the dry outer layer of the garlic bulbs. Cut top off and leave bulbs intact. Place cut side up on a casserole dish and drizzle with one tablespoon of oil. Cover casserole and arrange peppers cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.

Roast garlic and peppers for 40 -50 minutes or until the pepper skins are charred or the garlic cloves are soft. Cool garlic on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Pull up foil to enclose the peppers. Let peppers stand for 15 to 20 minutes or cool enough to handle.  Peel off skin and discard. Set aside peppers.

Remove garlic by squeezing the bottom of the bulbs. Place garlic cloves in a food processor and add cut peeled tomatoes into chunks. Add some of the chunks to the garlic in the food processor. Cover and process till chopped. Transfer chopped garlic and tomatoes to a 7-8 quart stainless steel heavy pot.  Repeat chopping the remaining tomatoes in batches in the food processor. Add all the tomatoes to the pot.

Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to boiling, boil steady for 50 minutes stirring often. Add chopped roasted peppers to tomato mixture. Boil for 10 to 20 minutes more or until mixture reduced to 11 cups and reaches desired consistency stirring occasionally. Remove from heat stir in basil and assorted herbs.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice into each of the hot sterilized pint jars. Ladle hot sauce into jars with lemon juice leaving a ½” headspace. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids. Process jars for 35 minutes in a water bath at a full boil. Makes 6 pints.

Creamed Tuna

Here is another simple and easy recipe that my kids love.  I was introduced to this from a friend and now I am hooked on it.  Not only is it simple and easy to make but there are endless possibilities to this recipe...I want to make it again and try it with other veggies.   It goes great with biscuits or rice.


INGREDIENTS:
2 sticks of butter
3/4 cup of flour
4 cans of tuna
2 cans of peas
1 can of mushrooms
Milk
Salt and peper to taste
Biscuits or rice


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a pot, melt both sticks of butter.  Add flour gradually until it forms a paste like.
2. Once you have that then add your milk until you get a smooth consistency   
3. Keep whisking adding milk  slowly until it makes a cream base until you get the consistency you want.
4. Add tuna (flaked with fork), peas and mushrooms

Spaghetti

So I have finally had time to get back on and update the blog with some new recipes.  This recipe is a great one and my kids LOVE it.  


Sauce:
1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes with garlic & Basil
1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes Italian style
2 (6oz) cans of tomato paste
2 (14.5oz) cans of tomato sauce 
2 (8oz) cans of tomato sauce
2/3 cup of sugar
2 cups of sherry cooking wine
1/3 cup of minced garlic
1/3 cup of oregano
1/4 cup of italian seasoning


Sausage:
cook according to package then slice and add to sauce


Noodles:  cook according to package


DIRECTIONS:
1.  add all ingredients for sauce and let simmer for 1hour.  
2.  while sauce is simmering, cook sasuage according to package, then slice and add to sauce
3.  let simmer for another 45 min. on low
4.  cook your noodles until done, drain and serve.

Yield: 12 servings

More Tips

Tip #5
When buying potatoes, look for those that are firm, well shaped and free of blemishes.  Avoid potatoes that are wrinkled, cracked or sprouting.  If kept in a cool, dark, well ventilated place, most potatoes will keep for up to 2 weeks.


Tip #6
White wine vinegar is made from white wine and , although its flavor is pungent, it is milder than distilled white vinegar.  Distilled white vinegar is made from a grain alcohol mix.  It has a strong, sharp flavor and is most often used for pickling foods and as a cleaning agent.


Tip #7
I've found that a melon baller works great to scoop out the seeds and membranes from red and green peppers. 

Twice-Baked Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 6 servings


INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 pounds medium potatoes, peeled
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbl butter, melted
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/2 Tsp salt
1/8 Tsp pepper


DIRECTIONS:
1.  Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.  Drain.


2.  In a large bowl, mash potatoes.  Add sour cream, milk, butter and 1 cup of cheese.  Stir in onion, bacon, salt and pepper.  Spoon into a greased 2-qt baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.


3.  Bake uncovered at 350' for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.


I cooked extra strips of bacon so that I could top my potatoes with not only cheese, but bacon too!

BBQ Sauce

So for Memorial Day my family and I made BBQ ribs with our homemade BBQ sauce.  It was very yummy.  Here is the recipe for the sauce.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 dashes hot pepper sauce

1 cup of honey

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, ketchup, honey, pepper, hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until smooth.

Meatballs with Pepper Sauce

Prep: 25 min.  Bake 1-1/4 hours


1 cup evaporated milk
1 Tbl worcesershire sauce
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 pounds of ground beef


Sauce:
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1-1/2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 Tbl chopped onion
1 Tbl worcestershire sauce


Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, combine the milk, worcestershire sauce and soup mix.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.  Shape into 1-in balls.
2.  Place meatballs on a rack in a shallow baking pan.  Broil 4-6 in. from heat for 5-6 minutes or until browned.  In a dutch oven, combine sauce ingredients.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat; add meatballs.  Simmer, uncovered for 1 hour or until the meat is no longer pink.


These meatballs go great with either noodles or rice.  


Yield: 60 meatballs

Tips

I have come across some greatful and helpful tips.  So I thought I would share them with you and hope that they help you in the kitchen.  You may or may not know them, but it's always a great reminder of what we can do while preparing to cook.  


Tip #1
Instead of draining jumbo pasta shells in a colander (which can cause them to tear), carefully remove them from teh boiling water with tongs.  Pour out any water inside the shells and drain on lightly greased waxed paper until you're ready to stuff them.


Tip #2
When taking food to a potluck, welcoming a new family to the neighborhood or bringing meatls to someone, use dishes you've purhased at yard sales.  That way, you'll never feel bad if the dishes are lost, broken or not returned.


Tip #3
When a recipe calls for green onions, to avoid using a cutting board, cut the onions with a pair of kitchen scissors rather than a knife.  If you need a quite a bit, grab a bunch at one time and snip away.  You'll be done before you know it.


Tip #4
To keep fresh parsley in the refigerator for several weeks, wash the bunch in warm water, shake off excess moisture, wrap in paper towels and seal in a plastic bag.  If you need a longer storage time, remove the paper towels and place the ealed bag in the freezer.  Then simply break off and crumble the amount of parsley you need for soups, stews and other cooked dishes.

Lattice Chicken Potpie

Prep: 10 min  Bake: 35 min.


INGREDIENTS:
1 package (16 ounces) frozen California-blend vegetables
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can condensed cream of potatoe soup, undiluted
1 cup of milk 
1 cup shredded chedder cheese
1 can french fried onions
1/2 Tsp seasoned salt
1 tube refridgerated crescent rolls


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, chicken, soup, milk, cheese, onions and seasoned salt.  Transfer to a greased shallow 2-qt baking dish.
2. Unroll crescent roll dough and seperate into two rectangels.  Sealthe perforations; cut each rectangle lenghtwise into 1/2-in strips.  Form a lattice crust over the chicken mixture.  Bake uncovered, at 375' for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.


Yield: 4-6 servings

Hash Brown Pork Bake

Prep: 15 min.    Bake: 1 hour


INDGREDIENTS:
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 package (32 ounces) of frozen hasbrowns, thawed.
2 cups cubed cooked pork
1 pound process cheese (velveeta), cubed
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine sour cream and soup. Stir in the hash browns, prok, process cheese and onion. Transfer to a greased 3-qt baking dish.
2. Toss cornflake crumbs and butter; sprinkle over top.  Bake, uncovered at 350' for 50 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly.


Yield: 4-6 servings

Cajun Pepper Steak

Prep: 20 min    Cook: 1-1/4 hours

INDGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 pounds of top round steak, cubed

2 Tbl butter

2 medium onions, halved and sliced

2 medium green peppers, julienned

1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned

1 celery rib sliced

1-1/2 cup water

4 Tsp worcestershire sauce

1 Tbl chili powder

1 Tbl soy sauce

1/2 to 1 Tsp cajun seasoning

1/4 Tsp hot pepper sauce, optional

2 Tbl cornstarch

2 Tbl water

Hot cooked egg noodles or rice

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet , brown beer in butter over medium heat; drain.  Stir in the onions, peppers and celery; cook and stir for 2 min.

2. Add the water, worcestershire sauce, chili powder soy sauce, cajun seasoning and pepper sauce if desired.  Brint to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

3. Mix cornstarch and cold water; stir into meat.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve with noodles or rice.

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Ziti and Sausage

Ingredients:
3 ups of uncooked ziti or other small tubed pasta
1/2 pound Italian sausage links
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 Tsp salt, divided
1/4 Tsp plus 1/8 Tsp pepper, divided
2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (16 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1 Tbl minced fresh parsley
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
paprika


Directions:
1.  Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain; place in large bowl.  In a small skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and cut into 1/2-in slices
2.  In a saucepan, melt butter.  Stir the flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper utnil smooth; gradually add milk.  Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from the heat; stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Pour over pasta; toss to coat.
3.  Combine the egg, cottage cheese, parsley, and remaining Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish.  Top with cottage cheese mixture.  Add the sausage to the remaining pasta mixture; spoon over top.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and paprika.
4.  Bake, uncovered @ 350' for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160'


Yields: 6 servings

Creamy Seafood-Stuffed Shells

Ok so for dinner tonight I decided to make seafood stuffed shells.  I wans't sure how the kids would like them, but I figured since they love the seafood lasagna that I make, they would like these....Well lets just say they were a BIG hit.  I think Kenzie had about 4 or 5 of the shells.  The shells were about medium size so about 6 of them equaled the size of a hamburger.  This recipe was pretty easy, quick. and didn't take a whole lot of time.  I hope you all enjoy.  Remeber let us know what you think of or recipes.  

Indgredients:
 24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 Tbl finely chopped green pepper
1 Tbl finely chopped red onion
1 Tsp, plus 1/4 cup of butter (divided)
1 package of crab meat flakes
1 package of frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbl, plus 4 cups of milk, divided
1-1/2 Tsp seafood seasoning, divided
1/4 Tsp pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Tsp coarsely ground pepper
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese


Directions: 
1.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile in a small skillet, saute green pepper and onion in 1 Tsp of butter until tender, set aside.
2.  In a large bowl, combine the crab, shrimp egg, mozzarella, mayonnaise, 2 Tbls milk, 1 Tsp seafood seasoning, pepper and the chopped green pepper mixture.
3,  Drain and rinse the pasta and stuff each shell with 1 rounded Tbls of seafood mixture.  Placei n a greased 13in x 9in baking dish.
4,  In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and carsley ground pepper and gradually whisk in remaining milk.  Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
5,  Pour over the shells.  Sprinkle with the remaining seafood seasoning, bake uncoverd @ 350' for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.


Yield: 8 servings