Not Your Average Upside-Down Cake

This is yummy and healthy Peach Yogurt Upside-Down Cake! I based this recipe off of a Peach Yogurt Cake I saw when I was at Greg's parents' house but put my own spin on it. I made it healthier by using mostly whole wheat flour and made it "upside down" by placing the peach slices on the bottom. Oh and of course, I added walnuts! This cake was super moist and reminded me of summer (even with the canned peaches).

Ingredients:

1 c all-purpose flour
2 c whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 c sugar
1 c yogurt (I used peach flavor)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temp
1 can (15-1/4 oz) sliced peaches
1 c chopped walnuts

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-in round cake pan.

2. Sift the flours, baking powder and salt together. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined. Whisk in the yogurt and vanilla, then the melted butter. Whisk in the dry ingredients.

3. Arrange peach slices and nuts on the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the batter on top and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is puffed and browned, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-40 min. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Run a table knife around the edge of the pan and invert cake onto a serving plate.

Thanks Martha!

One of my favorite cooking shows is actually not on The Food Network. (I know, SHOCKING!) It's Martha Stewart's Everyday Food on PBS. I usually catch it on Saturday mornings at the gym and get inspired to make something yummy for dinner! This particular episode was called Great Dishes Under $10 and I just KNEW I had to make the Meatballs with Garlic Bread! I took some shortcuts and used jarred Marinara Sauce instead of making my own using the canned tomatoes and herbs since I had a few jars sitting in my pantry. I also used pre-minced garlic and spread about a Tbsp onto each slice of bread. OMG this meal was incredible! The meatballs were really moist from the fresh breadcrumbs and the bread was super garlicy in a wonderful way! I can't believe I used to buy the frozen garlic bread! We still have a few meatballs left so I'm really looking forward to some spaghetti and meatballs this week. :)

Sweet and Savory Carrot Cornbread

We LOVE cornbread (or muffins) at our house and I like experimenting with adding different ingredients. Our favorite is Jalapeños but I've tried asparagus and squash and they were all pretty yummy. This time I decided to add carrots using this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Baking Bites. This cornbread had just the right hint of sweetness from the corn and honey but it's definitely not too sweet that you can't have it as a dinner side. I used baby carrots shredded in my mini food processor and frozen corn kernels and it was simple and quick. I can't wait to try the zucchini version on the blog!

Pasta for 2 Take 2!

I found out how easy it was to make pasta for 2 and wanted to try it again. This time I used pretty much the same ingredients but instead of baking it with breadcrumbs on top, I mixed the pasta with some Pesto (my frozen stash!) and layered it with a couple of slices of Provolone cheese. Then I topped it all off with some Mozzarella before going into the oven. It was SO good! I'm definitely happy we only have 2 servings cuz the left-overs would NOT have lasted in the fridge overnight!

Ingredients: (2 servings)


1/2 c dried pasta (I used penne)
2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing bowls
1 small onion, chopped
1 c sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c pesto sauce
1 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
4 slices (1 oz each) Provolone cheese
1/2 c shredded Mozzarella cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Oil 2 baking ramekins (10 to 12 oz); set aside.


2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions, draining pasta 1 minute before it is al dente. Do not rinse.


3. Meanwhile, place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until cooked through and browned. Remove meat from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Set aside.


4. Drain excess fat from skillet and add olive oil. Add the onions and mushrooms; cook over medium heat until brown. Stir in pesto sauce, hot drained pasta and cooked sausage meat.


5. Transfer 1/4 of the pasta mixture to each of the prepared baking bowls. Top with 2 slices of Provolone each, followed by the remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle half of the Mozzarella over each top. Bake in the center of oven for 15-20 minutes, or until top is bubbly and browned. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Beautiful Orange Scones!

A while back I was flipping through the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Cookbook and found a recipe for Herby Scones with Tomato and Feta that looked interesting. I made a few adjustments and they came out pretty tasty. I did have a bit of trouble with the dough cuz it was VERY wet and sticky. The recipe said to roll it out and cut into rounds but that was just impossible for me. I ended up just patting the dough into a circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet and scoring it into 6 wedges. I cut them after they were baked and it worked perfectly! I really like the tomato flavor in these scones and the chunks of feta were very noticeable as well. I used Athenos Crumbled Feta in Tomato and Basil flavor but you can definitely use any kind you like. I think Blue Cheese would work well in these too but I would use less since they're a bit more salty.

Ingredients: (6 scones)


1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 oz crumbled feta
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 egg
1/3 c milk


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, paprika and seasoning. Gradually add the oil and mix until you have a lumb crumb mixture. Stir in the feta.


3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, ketchup and milk. Gradually add to the flour mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough.


4. Flour your hands and pat the dough into a circle about 8-in in diameter and 1/2-in thick onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Score into 6 wedges.


5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Greg Has NEVER Had Chicken and Dumplings?

I'm not sure how the subject came up but somehow I was informed that Greg has NEVER had Chicken and Dumplings. I mean, how is that possible? I know he's not much of a soup person but it's just one of those comfort foods (like lasagna and pot pie) that EVERYONE's eaten sometime growing up! SO without depriving him any more, I made a nice pot of Chicken and Dumplings for dinner. Guess what? He loved it! It probably won't become a staple in our house but I'm definitely glad that he can now proudly say he's tasted Chicken and Dumplings!

Ingredients: (2 servings)


Soup:
1 c cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c butter, unsalted
1/2 c yellow onion, small diced
1/2 c carrot, small diced (I used 10 baby carrots)
1 c mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp flour
2 c chicken broth
1 tsp fresh parsley (optional)


Dumplings:
1 c baking mix (I used Bisquick)
1/3 cup milk


Prep:


1. In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, mushrooms and herbs. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes or until the onions are slightly translucent. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute until the flour has completely absorbed the butter. Stir in the chicken and slowly add the stock.


2. In a bowl, combine the baking mix and milk until well incorporated. Bring the broth to a boil. Drop large tablespoons of the dumpling batter into the boiling broth. Continue to boil for 10 minutes, uncovered. Cover the soup and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, covered. Serve warm with fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

This is another recipe I "stole" from Greg's mom's cookbook and I'm SO glad I did! I don't think I've ever made sweet corn muffins before the combination of the blueberries and cornmeal worked really well together. They weren't too sweet and the berries reminded me of how much I miss summer! Is it really only February?

Ingredients: (12 muffins)


1 c all-purpose flour
1 c cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 c whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 c bluberries
1/2 c chopped pecans


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease or line 12 muffin cups.


2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and brown sugar.


3. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk and butter. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in blueberries and pecans.


4. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-18 min.

One Last Banana

I had 1 banana left from making my Banana Bread and decided to make these muffins from one of my favorite blogs, Baking Bites. Banana PB Oatmeal Muffins sounded like the PERFECT combination! I halved the recipe since I only had 1 banana and added a handful of raisins. Somehow I always associate raisins with oatmeal and they were definitely great in these muffins! Do you like my new pink muffin liners? Greg's mom gave them to me for Christmas and I love them! They're silicon so no greasing is required and the muffins pop right out. Thanks Priscilla!

When You Just Want Dinner for 2

I love having left-overs waiting for me but our fridge is getting a bit full so I wanted to make something that we could finish in one night. I had some sausage and mushrooms that needed to be used up so I thought I'd make individual baked pasta bowls. These were so yummy with the golden crunchy tops and cheesy insides. I love how cute these are and they bake up in half the time it would take for a big pan. Now I just need to figure out what to do with everything else in the fridge!

Ingredients: (2 servings)


1/2 c dried pasta (I used penne)
2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing bowls
1 small onion, chopped
1 c sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 c fresh breadcrumbs (1 slice of sandwich bread)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Oil 2 baking ramekins (10 to 12 oz); set aside.


2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions, draining pasta 1 minute before it is al dente. Do not rinse.


3. Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until cooked through and browned. Remove meat from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Set aside.


4. Drain excess fat from skillet and add olive oil. Add the onions and mushrooms; cook over medium heat until brown. Stir in tomato sauce and seasoning; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes.


5. Stir in cream, hot drained pasta, cooked sausage meat and mozzarella until coated with tomato sauce.


6. Transfer mixture to prepared baking bowls. Scatter breadcrumbs and Parmigiano over top. Bake in the center of oven for 15-20 minutes, or until top is bubbly and browned. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

My BF's Mama's Banana Bread!

(Try saying that 3 times fast!) My BF (Kat) has been bragging about her mom's Banana Bread and finally remembered to send the recipe to me. I was really excited to try it out and was NOT disappointed! I've actually never made Banana Bread before (I know, shocking!) but I've eaten it many times and I love the flavor and texture. Kat says that this bread makes a really yummy French Toast and I can't wait to try that! (Oh and I made sure it was ok to post this recipe here.)

Ingredients: (1 loaf)


1 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour
2-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 mashed bananas (about 1-1/4 c)
1 egg
1/3 c vegetable oil
2/3 c sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-in loaf pan with cooking spray.


2. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the bananas, egg, oil and sugar. Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and add the pecans. Mix just until combined (the batter will be lumpy).


3. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Another Reason Why I LOVE Costco!

They've got the BEST Rotisserie Chicken for only $5! I mean, you really can't beat it! This chicken is juicy, tender and the skin is perfectly crispy without being too oily. I pick one of these up about every other week cuz you can make so many different meals out of them. For a quick lunch today, I shredded up one of the breast meat and made a couple of yummy Chicken Pesto Panini. My only regret is that we didn't have any tomato slices to add in these cuz they would've been perfect. Oh well, there's always next time!

Parmesan Sticks as Requested!

Last month, I experiment with baking these Savory Parmesan Sticks and they were a total hit! In fact, my Auntie Pamila actually requested them since she only got to eat one before her kids devoured the rest! I'm always happy to please so I baked these babies up right way. This time I used some diced up Sara Lee Honey Ham in place of the bacon bit. (Again, I don't do fake bacon!) You can find the original recipe here on the Land O Lakes website. I just love the way my kitchen smells whenever something cheesy is being baked in the oven!

Using Up That Cake Mix!

I'm a total sucker for sales and usually stock up when I see a good buy. During the holidays, cake mix went on sale a LOT and so I ended up with more than a couple of boxes. I'm definitely not complaining though since they pretty much last forever in the pantry and you can make so many different things with them other than cake! I found this recipe from the Betty Crocker website and immediately knew I wanted to try it. I remembered how great my last batch of Cake Mix Bars were so I knew these would be a hit too! They did NOT disappoint! I love the combination of cranberries and white chocolate. You would never guess these bars were made with cake mix cuz they have such a nice cookie-like texture and the crunchy sides are the best!

Red Lobster at Home!

In my opinion, the best part about going to Red Lobster is getting those yummy Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I mean, their food is good, but those biscuits are just out of this world! They're brought out in these cute red baskets right after you're seated and we're usually way into our 2nd basket by the time our food arrives. (Might be why we always end up with left-overs.) I was randomly searching for biscuit recipes and when I saw this one, my eyes just lit up! Red Lobster Biscuits at home? OMG! I could not WAIT to get home and make these. I was a bit skeptical at first since the recipe calls for Bisquick but they came out EXACTLY like the real thing! Even if you've never been to Red Lobster, you should try these cuz they're just SO buttery and garlicy and yummy!

What's Green and Red and REALLY Yummy?

Zucchini Nut Bread with Cranberries! I used my mini food processor to shred the zucchini and added some walnuts and cranberries. Zucchini is already good for you but I also used whole wheat flour to make it even healthier. Don't you just love it when all the good stuff in your baked goods cancel out the fat and sugar? (No, really...it does!)

Ingredients:


1 egg, beaten
1/2 c melted unsalted butter
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 c grated fresh zucchini
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c dried cranberries


Prep:


1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix together the baking soda, salt, flours, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini, walnuts and cranberries.


2. Pour batter into a greased 9x5-in loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Have You Ever Tried Stuffed Sole?

This is probably the first time I've ever had stuffed fish and it was SO good! I picked up a package of sole from Safeway and started searching for a good recipe since I've never cooked with it before. I found some good ones like breaded with Panko or browned in some butter, but when I saw that it could be stuffed with CRABMEAT, I knew I'd found what I was looking for! I took a few Stuffed Sole recipes that I'd found online and made my own. It couldn't be easier or quicker! I served the fillets over some left over mushroom Risotto and we had the most AMAZING dinner in less than 30 minutes. Beat THAT Rachael Ray! :)

Ingredients:


STUFFING:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c crabmeat, flaked (I used a can)
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp butter, melted


SAUCE:
1/4 c butter, melted
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried dill


2 sole fillets (6 oz each)


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all the stuffing mixture in a bowl. Spoon 1 Tbsp of the mixture onto the center of each fillet; roll up fish around filling; secure with toothpicks. (My fillets were really long so I didn't need any toothpicks.)


2. Place the stuffed fish in a greased baking dish; top with remaining stuffing mixture.


3. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in same bowl. Pour over fish. Bake for 10-15 min or until fish flakes with a fork.

Coffee Bread with a Kick!

I LOVE coffee so when I saw a recipe for Coffee Bread from a cookbook, I knew I had to try it! (I actually stole this recipe from one of Greg's mom's cookbooks over the weekend so shhh...) I made a few adjustments and added some chocolate chips and pecan to the mix and the result was amazing! This bread has definitely got a kick to it from the ground coffee so it might be better as breakfast rather than close to bedtime. :)

Ingredients:


1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp finely ground dark-roast coffee
3/4 c (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c milk
1/2 chopped pecan
1/2 chocolate chips


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-in loaf pan with cooking spray.


2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl. Stir in coffee and set aside.


3. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter with the paddle on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and milk, beating until incorporated. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the dry ingredients. Beat just until combined. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.


4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is browned and puffed, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 min. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Back from Another Short Trip to SoCal!

It's always SO nice to visit Greg's family in SoCal even if it's just a short trip! It was a last-minute decision so airfare was pretty ridiculous, especially since it's a holiday weekend, so we drove. It's been a while since we've taken a roadtrip together so it was actually kinda nice! I mean, the drive was definitely LONG but it wasn't too bad and it always helps that there are In-N-Outs and McD's along the way! Friday was spent mostly driving, but Saturday was full of sunshine and yummy food! We decided to go to the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel and the weather was just perfect!

Here we are soaking up some sun at their outdoor Sunset Lounge. We had a beautiful view of the ocean and the drinks were flowing. What more could a girl ask for?

We shared some appetizers at the bar since we'd just had breakfast not too long ago and got some Sliders, Cocktail Shrimp and Reuben Sammies. Pretty typical bar food but totally hit the spot!

Later that night, we had an amazing Mexican feast at Javier's down the street. The place was packed and we were lucky to get a table. As usual, I had to get a picture of the happy couple!

We got SO much food (and pitchers of Margaritas, of course!) but the only pictures I managed to get were my Crabmeat Ensalada and Greg's Fajitas de Pollo. Everything was good and we ended up with some left-overs that were consumed not too much later! We hung out and watched movies all night and Sunday we were back on the road. It's always so nice to visit Greg's family and as usual, I was sad to leave. I guess you can't be on permanent vacation but I can't wait till our next one!

V-Day Scallop Dinner (belated)

Since we were on the road pretty much all day Sunday, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day the day after. I picked up these HUGE scallops from Safeway and just browned them in some butter a few minutes on each side. They were SO tender and perfect on top of some mushroom Risotto. (Straight out of a box and took only 15 minutes!) I'm sad that our long weekend is over but at least we ended it with a yummy dinner and now it's time to watch 24!

A Plate full of LOVE!

Happy Early Valentines Day everyone! Since V-day falls on a Sunday this year I decided to celebrate it early by baking special heart cookies. These are Peanut Butter Cookies with a Crunch Heart on top. Nestle calls them Sweetheart Cookies and you'll definitely impress your Sweetheart with these! They're really easy to make and you can basically substitute any chocolate candy you like. The trick to keep the chocolates from melting too much and losing their shapes is to not touch them AT ALL after you press them into the hot cookies. (I found this out the hard way when I tried to press one down a bit further and it turned into a melty gooey mess!) You've also gotta be VERY patient and wait for the cookies to completely cool before eating them, which trust me, is NOT an easy task cuz they smell SO good with the PB and chocolate! The result though is AMAZING and ALMOST too cute to eat! (ALMOST!)

Inside Out Carrot Cake!

Why is it called inside out? Cuz the Cream Cheese Icing is on the INSIDE! I've made Inside Out Carrot Mini Muffins before and they turned out awesome so why not a whole loaf right? I also added LOTS of walnuts and raisins and what a DECADENT cake this was! Creamy icing surrounded by moist carrot cake...SO good! (AND I substituted some whole wheat flour so I won't feel as guilty about eating all that cream cheese!)

Ingredients:


1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c shredded carrots (I used 10 baby carrots)
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c raisins


Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c white sugar
1 egg


Prep:


1. To make Cream Cheese Filling: In a food processor, process the cream cheese just until smooth. Add the sugar and process just until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and process just until incorporated. Do not over process. Set aside.


2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-in loaf pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, sift together the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.


3. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars, oil and egg. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins. (The mixture will seem dry.)


4. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Add the filling on top of the batter, smoothing the tops. Top with the remaining half of batter. (The filling will ooze out a bit on top.) Bake for about 55 - 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

How to make Meatloaf even BETTER!

Greg LOVES meatloaf and besides the fact that it takes an hour to bake, it's fairly easy and quick to prepare. I've experimented with different mixtures like using Saltine Crackers, adding veggies, a variety of condiments and they all turned out good. But THIS meatloaf has got to be the best yet because it's STUFFED! I combined some recipes for Stuffed Meatloaf I found and made my own version. I used a combination of ground beef and hot Italian sausage, but instead of adding breadcrumbs in the meat mixture, I sautéd it with some mushrooms and onions, then stuffed it in the middle of the meatloaf along with some Mozzarella cheese! Genius right? It's juicy, cheesy, flavorful and PERFECT in every way! If you like meatloaf, you've GOT to give this one a try!

Ingredients:


2 eggs
2 Tbsp half & half
1/4 c ketchup
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb ground beef
2 links Italian sausage, casings removed


STUFFING:
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 c fresh bread crumbs
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley or basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c shredded Mozzarella cheese


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk, ketchup, salt and pepper. Add beef and sausage; mix well. Pat half of the meat mixture into a greased 9 x 5-in loaf pan; set aside.


2. For stuffing, sauté the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender, about 3 minutes. Add bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper; sauté until crumbs are lightly browned.


3. Spoon over meat layer, top with cheese, then cover with remaining meat mixture and press down gently. Bake for 1 hour or until meat thermometer reaches 150°F.

A YUMMY way to use those left over Cocktail Shrimp!

We LOVE coctail shrimp at our house and whenever we have people over (eg. Superbowl), we buy the BIG platter. That usually means we have a LOT of shrimp left afterwards (especially since we only had 2 people over)! I'm definitely not complaining since we both love shrimp but coctail sauce does get a lil bit boring after a while. So I thought I'd get creative and see how I can make something a bit different for dinner. Cocktail shrimp is really nothing more than just plain cooked shrimp, which makes them pretty easy to adapt to recipes. Looking around my pantry and fridge, I found some mushrooms (always have these!), red onion, Alfredo sauce and of course, lots of different pasta, so Shrimp Alfredo was born! I added the shrimp at the very last minute just to heat through so that they wouldn't get over-cooked and rubbery. It turned out great! I haven't had shrimp pasta in a while and I love the combination of seafood and Alfredo sauce! Greg kinda missed the meat in his dinner but he ate it and didn't complain too much. (I think the rest of the cocktail shrimp is going in the freezer for a while though.)

Are You Ready for some SUPERBOWL?

We didn't have a lotta people over but we sure had a great time with LOTS of great food! Here are the boys sitting on the couch enjoying their KFC and of course, all the goodies that I made. (At our house, Superbowl just isn't the same without KFC!)

I quickly snapped a picture of my pretty spread of food before the gang arrived. There were cocktail shrimp, a HUGE veggie platter (mostly for me!), my 7-layered dip, my FAMOUS devilied eggs, hummus and salsa.

Here's a close-up of my 7-layered dip which were (from bottom to top) refried beans (kicked up with some chili powder), guacamole (with LOTS of lime juice to keep it looking green), sour cream, chopped tomato, Mexican-style cheese, black olives and green onions. Isn't it almost too pretty to eat? hehe

These are my very first Stuffed Jalapeño and boy were they gone FAST! I stuffed mine with a mixture of pre-cooked sausage, mushrooms cream cheese and parmesan. (I had another "accident" with my glass baking dish but we won't go into that.)

Finally, at Half Time, I made my copycat Pizza Hut Supreme Pizza, which featured sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green bell peppers and red onions on top of thick slices of Provolone cheese and topped with LOTS of Mozzarella and Parmesan. I'm not sure if it's cheaper but MUCH faster than delivery!

I'm bummed that the Colts lost but we had a great time with our friends and enjoyed yummy food so I really can't complain too much!

Superbowl Party Prep = Dinner

We're hosting a small Superbowl party this year and as usual, I'm excited about preparing the food! I have a great menu planned that involved sausage so I decided to cook them the night before to save some time tomorrow morning. I only needed 4 of the 5 links I had so of course, I made dinner! I also had some feta left over from making my Mediterranean Muffins so I tossed that in as well. This was just a simple meal of pasta, sausage, mushrooms, tomato sauce, feta and fresh basil. Simple and delicious! Stay tuned for my yummy spread tomorrow!

Reunited and it feels so GOOD!

My best friend, Kat, was visiting over the weekend for a wedding so I met up with her and my other best friend, Helen, for lunch at The Elephant Bar in Emeryville. This place brings back memories from our teenage years cuz there was one in Fremont and it was basically the only "cool" spot to hang out at so we went there ALL the time! I can't beleive that we've been best friends ever since junior high, making that over 15 years! Even though we don't get to hang out nearly as much as we should, I know that they'll always be just a phone call (or email) away! The food was decent but the company was definitely the BEST!

Another Yummy Panini

After a long week, our Friday night dinners are usually quick and easy. My go-to is usually Pizza or Panini and tonight, we had a yummy sandwich that was inspired by Sargento. I saw this recipe for Panini with fresh tomato and red onion relish and immediately knew it would be good! I substituted roast beef and Provolone cheese for the salami and cheddar and the flavors were AMAZING together! That onion relish had the perfect amount of sweetness from the honey with just a tiny kick from the vinegar. I can imagine it being good on a hamburger or steak too. I'll have to give that a try soon!

Muffins...Mediterranean Style!

I love Mediterranean flavors, especially the combination of feta, tomatoes and basil. It's perfect on Bruschetta, Crostini and just about any baked goods, so why not in a muffin right? I've just recently discovered all the new flavored Feta from the Athenos brand. I used the Garlic and Herb in these but I'm sure the Basil and Tomato would be great too! I'm SO glad I made these cuz they're just the perfect savory treat!

Ingredients: (6 muffins)


1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 c milk
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
8 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, well-drained, chopped
2 oz feta, chopped
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 400°F.


2. Mix together flour, sugar, basil, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add combined milk, butter, egg, and tomatoes; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in feta cheese.


3. Fill muffin pan cups about 3/4 full. Sprinkle each muffin evenly with Parmesan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean., Let Muffin Crowns stand a few minutes, remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.

Superbowl Brownies...well, kinda...

I attempted to make football-shaped brownies and pretty much failed miserably. I cut them into diamond shapes and tried drawing the white laces in the middle but my icing skills weren't so great. Having said that, do they KINDA look like footballs? (Especially with the football field background?) They tasted AWESOME, by the way!

Not sure what's so Dutch about this apple loaf...

...but it sure is yummy! Greg went out to dinner with his buddies and one of my favorite activities when I'm home alone is to bake! I found a bunch of different recipes for breads, cakes and muffins and finally decided on this Dutch Apple Loaf. I'm not exactly sure why it's Dutch since the ingredients seem pretty standard to me (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, walnuts, etc) but it turned out great so who cares right? I cut my HUGE Fuji Apple into pretty big chunks cuz I like to be able to taste them and I also substituted half of the flour with whole wheat for the nutty texture and of course, fiber content. I can't wait to share this with my mom!

I Never Knew Chili Could be WHITE!

I recently found out how much Greg loved Chili so I decided to make some more. While Googling for a recipe, I found something that sounded really interesting...White Chicken Chili. I seriously never knew chili could be any other color but red so I was curious to try it. (I also had the last of my slow-cooked chicken to use up so it was perfect!) I pretty much combined a bunch of recipes I found online and made my own. I also served it with more cornbread muffins but this time using Bisquick instead of Jiffy. This was definitely a new take on Chili for us but a yummy one! It almost tasted like a chowder...nice and creamy. Now our tummies are warm and stuffed so we'll be vegging on the couch to watch 3 hours of Lost now!

White Chicken Chili


Ingredients: (2 servings)


1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 c Jalapeño peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 c chicken broth
1 cans (15-1/2 oz) Mexican chili beans, drained
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 c cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c shredded Pepper Jack cheese


Prep:


1. In a large saucepan, cook onion and jalapeño in oil until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook 1 minute longer.


2. Stir in the broth, beans, parsley, lime juice and chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.


3. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cheese.


Corn Muffins


Ingredients: (6 muffins)


1 c cornmeal
1/2 c Bisquick mix
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 6 muffin cups.


2. In large bowl, stir all ingredients until blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.


3. Bake muffins 14-17 minutes or until golden brown.

Finally...Stuffed Meatballs!

I've seen stuffed meatballs made on TV many times but have yet to try them myself. I decided it was time! I did some research and finally settled on a recipe from the Ragu website. I tried adding the link but it didn't work so I'll just post the recipe here. I used 2 pieces of string cheese cut into 6 pieces each to stuff inside the meatballs and they were perfect! Some of the cheese oozed out during cooking but that just makes them better! I ended up with exactly 12 meatballs and only used half of them for the spaghetti so I'm thinking maybe Meatball Sammies later this week? Right now it's time for 24!

Ingredients:


1 lb ground beef
1/2 c Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 egg
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 (1/2-in) cubes
1 jar Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce (I used the 3 Cheese flavor)
spaghetti, cooked and drained


Prep:


1. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs and egg in medium bowl; shape into 12 meatballs. Press 1 cheese cube into each meatball, enclosing completely.
Bring Pasta Sauce to a boil in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Gently stir in uncooked meatballs.


2. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until meatballs are done. Serve over hot spaghetti.