Iced Chai Tea

I love all things Chai! I've tried many Chai flavored teas and the brand that I think has the most flavor is Good Earth...I always buy the decaf version! I love the strong spices that this tea has. Many tea brands are weak and bland. But I never let those other brands go to waste! That's where my Iced Chai Tea idea came from!

Antipasto Salad Bowl

When I have large family dinners (20-24 guests) for the holidays I always make my antipasto platter! Everyone looks forward to it! I serve this before the main dish.

Sauerkraut Balls!

Ohio is well known for their Sauerkraut Balls and now so am I because my guests loved this! This tastes like a cheese dog with sauerkraut! I served this with yellow mustard for dipping. This was a unique and very flavorful appetizer/snack! Perfect for any get-together! These can very easily be made a day ahead and then baked when needed!

Flower Power Eggs!

I saw this recipe idea posted on Pinterest! I thought it was cute! I love the creative food on that site!

I just had to try it!  I love peppers and eggs, so I knew this would taste great!

It's Time For Another McCormick Spice Giveaway!

This is what you will receive in the giveaway!

Do you remember this post...A Great Giveaway...well it's time to do another one!

Basil Infused Olive Oil in 10 Minutes!

I received some basil infused olive oil as a gift and loved it! When the oil was all gone I missed having it around! So I decided to make some myself. It's very easy to do! Two ingredients and three simple steps and you'll have this delicious infused olive oil!

I love to dip Italian bread into the oil and eat it with a piece of hard cheese. And a glass of wine goes nicely with that too! It's also delicious drizzled over pasta! Infused oils can be very expensive to buy! So making it yourself is a great way to save money and have the satisfaction of knowing that you can do it!



Basil Infused Olive Oil

You'll Love These Balls!

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Trail Mix Balls

And they're actually healthy too! They're made with lots of natural ingredients like quinoa, oatmeal, shredded coconut, almonds, dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, peanut butter(1 tbls) and honey. They taste so nutty, sweet and crunchy! A very satisfying snack! And these are so easy to make...no baking involved!

I Can't Believe I Made It!!!

I never realized how easy it is to make homemade ice cream!!! So why doesn't everyone make their own? Is it because they don't know how easy it is? Do I have the only ice cream machine that makes it this easy? I can't believe that all I had to do was mix a few common ingredients into a bowl and then add it to my ice cream maker! Then I just turned on the switch and 20 minutes later I had this delicious, cold, creamy creation!

This is my new ice cream machine that I won in a Facebook giveaway. This is such a great invention.

There is only one flaw with this machine. The manufacturer should have made it so that the ice cream machine cannot be opened until the ice cream is done being made! I kept eating scoops of fresh made ice cream through the opening in the top. Not a good idea if you want to share this ice cream with your family.

Seis de Mayo

I was so busy yesterday making my Cinco de Mayo recipes, so I decided to post them today!

I made Churros for the first time yesterday! I always buy Churros when I go to carnivals, but now, I'm so happy to say, that I can make them at home!


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/churros/detail.aspx
The link above will take you to the recipe.

I made these Churros as part of my activities for the Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador Program, as I've mentioned many times in other posts! Here is my review of this recipe...

These were VERY good, but a little tricky to get them just right! I love the fact that this is a firm dough because it holds the nice shape of the ridges which Churros are known for! I followed the suggestion of the 'most helpful' reviewer named Cat...I used only 1 tbls. of sugar and oil in the dough batter. But I think the key to getting these to cook perfectly is to make sure the fryer is at 375 degrees and I made sure to fry the Churros for 4 1/2 minutes each. The inside will continue to cook after being removed from the fryer. I made mine about the same size as the Churros I buy from vendors...8 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. I used a cookie gun/press instead of a pastry bag which worked perfectly with this firm dough! I piped all the Churros out onto waxed paper and fried them 2 at a time. These taste just like the Churros I always buy at carnivals!


As you can see from this inside view of my Churro
the center was cooked perfectly! Not raw at all as
some reviewers said was a problem.

I also made these tasty little appetizers! They're called 'Potato Nachos' and they were delicious! They are made by slicing cooked potatoes into rounds and topping them with a sprinkle of dry ranch salad dressing, cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese and jarred jalapeno slices. Then bake and top with sour cream and green onions!Here is my photo and the link to the recipe...


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/potato-nachos/Detail.aspx
The link above will take you to the recipe.

And the last new recipe I tried yesterday as part of my Allrecipes.com Allstar Program wasn't really a Cinco de Mayo item, but it went very well with all of the above mentioned food!

Smooth Sweet Tea
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/smooth-sweet-tea/detail.aspx
Click on link above to see recipe.

This was my first time drinking Sweet Tea but I know I'll be making this more often! It was such a refreshing and delicate iced tea drink! This is a strong brewed tea but the taste is not as strong as regular iced tea. The trick to making it taste smooth is a pinch of baking soda in the brew! I made mine decaf and added fresh lemon!  This was a perfect recipe for me...not overly sweet!

I hope you like the recipes I showed you today! And I hope I inspired you to give them a try!



Ice Cream Cake...2 Ways!

Buying store bought ice cream cakes can be so very expensive...and you can't always get the flavors you want! So I decided a few years ago to learn how to make it myself...not the ice cream part! That I still buy, but I will be making that myself soon also!

 Here I will show you 2 ways to make ice cream cakes! One way is so simple and only takes minutes. The other way is slightly harder and needs to be prepared a few days in advance. But either way, you'll save lots of money and you can customize the flavors in so many ways!

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Easy Oven Smoked Steak! No Wood Chips Needed!

There's nothing more satisfying than the taste of freshly barbecued steak on a grill. But sometimes it's just not convenient to barbecue outdoors! Well here's a recipe for those days when you cannot use your outdoor grill. Its easy! No wood chips involved!  Just steak plus 5 simple ingredients! And it tastes like you grilled it! I've made this many times! Serve with some potatoes and a green veg of your choice...it's that easy! This recipe was posted on the Internet by a cook named Annieamie. The photo is my own.


A Sandwich That Will Knock Your Socks Off!

My yummy sandwich!

I just tried this recipe called, 'Roasted Parmesan Tomato Sandwich'...it was my lunch yesterday and it was simply delicious...'simple' being the key to the fresh flavors of this sandwich! While I was devouring...and I mean DEVOURING this sandwich, I felt like I was transported to a quaint little sidewalk cafe in Italy! I've never been to Italy but I just know they must serve food like this all the time at those sidewalk cafes!

Soft Pretzel Bites...2 Ways! Stuffed and Sweet!

I am so hooked on this new recipe I just tried!!! I've been wanting to make my own pretzels for years, but I kept putting it off because I thought it would never work out for me! Then a few days ago I saw this recipe a food friend named Bill Wentz posted on Facebook! This recipe was the easiest I've seen for soft pretzels!!! It's just 5 ingredients! You just mix everything together and then knead, shape, dip and bake for 10 minutes! The hardest part for me was shaping the pretzels! Here's a picture of my first attempt at pretzel shaping.......

First attempt!
I know these look bad!!!
But they tasted great!

These are coated with cinnamon and brown sugar!

Homemade Lo Mein! It's So Easy!

This recipe tastes JUST like the Lo Mein I get from my favorite Chinese restaurant...but better, because I can add only the vegetables we like! In my photo I show this recipe plain, with just some chopped chives on top, but I have made it many times since then and have added chicken, bean sprouts, yellow and green onion and sometimes water chestnuts! It all depends on who I'm making it for and what they like! I make this recipe often, especially when I'm craving Chinese food! Go ahead and try it...I know you'll love it!

The original recipe is from a cooking site, posted by a member known as Yomomma. I tweaked it slightly to suit my family's tastes! I'm posting the recipe with the changes I made!

Lo Mein

A Great Giveaway!!!

Click on photo to enlarge

As I mentioned in this blog post, My 15 Minutes of Fame! I will be giving away a bunch (18 packs) of McCormick Gourmet Seasoning Mixes *click here* to see the selection! But I never imagined how many spice packets the McCormick people would send!

Quinoa Burgers!

I found this recipe on a blog called 
'Eating Well, Living Thin-er' by Linda F. It caught my eye because I love quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it! It's basically a veggie burger...but it tastes delicious! Most veggie burgers aren't very tasty and the texture is usually too chunky. This quinoa burger is none of those things!

An Italian Style Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

I love hot lunches! I'll heat up leftovers before I'll eat a cold lunch! But when there aren't any leftovers I'll make myself this tasty hot sandwich! I love this because it's quick and delicious! And it's kind of healthy too! Well, except for the butter and cheese...but it does have some veggies in there!

This grilled cheese sandwich reminds me of one of my favorite appetizers...antipasto! So that's what I named my recipe! I hope you like it as much as I do!



Antipasto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Easy Creamy Mac n' Cheesy

I've tried sooooo many mac n' cheese recipes! I've tried some with onions...some with dry mustard...some with cottage cheese! I finally decided to mix and match different recipes until I got exactly what I wanted in a mac n' cheese dish!

 I wanted something super creamy and cheesy but with lots of flavor! This is what I came up with...it's now my 'go to' mac n' cheese recipe because it works perfectly every time! I never have a problem with clumps or dryness! And I love the slight flavor of the mustard! You can add breadcrumbs on top and bake it til browned, if you like a crunchy crust! I don't, because I like my mac n' cheese to be totally creamy!

Meatloaf Muffins!

Lots of my food friends have been making these cute little meatloaf muffins, so I decided to give it a try! You know what? I think I'll make my meatloaf like this from now on because it's so much easier to make and serve in these individual muffin shapes! And I just love the fact that the mashed potatoes are ontop of each meatloaf. I poured brown gravy over the mashed potatoes just before serving! My family loved these! You can use your favorite meatloaf and mashed potato recipe. Below is the meatloaf recipe I used.

Meatloaf Muffins

My Favorite Cocktail - Homemade!

Red Apple Martini

I just love Red Apple Martinis!!! It's so hard to find a bartender that really knows how to make one correctly!

 Well, a few years ago I was out to lunch with my husband at this cute little seaside restaurant...it was a very casual place! The kind of place that you just drive up to in your boat! Flip flops and a T-shirt is the usual attire!

We walked in and sat down at the bar.

Do You Love Almond Joy Candy Bars?

Almond Joy Cake Mix Cookies

Well, if you do, you'll absolutely LOVE these cake mix cookies! They're so VERY easy to make...20 minutes from start to finish! And they really taste like Almond Joy candy bars!

Three Tasty and Easy Recipes!



Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage
Caesar Salad Recipe
**Click Here**

I love these kinds of recipes because I can make a large meal for my family in a snap! That's what I did with these 3 recipes!

An Exciting Birthday Bash!

I recently found out that I, along with 150 other AllRecipes.com Allstar Brand Ambassadors, are invited to an all expense paid birthday celebration for the AllRecipes website! The website will be 15 years old in July! We are all being flown to Seattle for this fun filled, 2 day, birthday party!

My 15 Mintues of Fame!

Well, it will really only be 5 minutes of fame after the video is edited...lol!

 I was recently asked to film a McCormick Gourmet Seasoning Mixes video! It's one of their new products, soon to be released nation wide this spring and summer! 

Go Bold with Butter!

This month in the Allrecipes.com Allstar Brand Ambassador Program we're promoting the 'Go Bold with Butter'  campaign to support the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board in partnership with America’s Dairy Farmers! Check out their page for delicious recipes! I tried their 'French Toast with Honey Butter' recipe and it was HEAVENLY!!! The best french toast I ever had! And I just wanted to eat the honey butter by the spoonful! The honey butter would also be yummy on so many other foods...I want to try it on baked sweet potatoes next time! This is a great recipe to serve if you want to impress your guests! It tastes very fancy, but it is so easy to make! Here's my photo of the finished dish...

*Click Here for 'French Toast with Honey Butter' Recipe*

 The recipe makes about 12-16 pieces, so cut the recipe down if you want to make less!

I ate 4 pieces...YUM!!!

 I've loved butter as far back as I can remember! As a child, (3-4 years old) I can remember chomping away on sticks of butter! I would always get about 2 mouthfuls before my Mom would notice and take it away! Around that same time I also remember rubbing butter on my nails to make them shiny...lol! I guess I had a butter fetish! These days I have to be more careful about my butter consumption...everything in moderation! But it's always butter for me...never margarine!

Who Says You Can't Eat Your Cake and Have it Too?

Well, with this giveaway you can because I'm giving you not one, not two, but three free boxes of Entenmann's Mini Cakes and Muffin Tops!

Lots a Wasa!

I recently received a large amount of Wasa crackers in the mail! I won them in a blog giveaway through a blogger named Becky from

An Improvised Appy...

I needed another appetizer to serve to my guests for Easter! I had mini mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, pesto, garlic and white bread, so I decided to make these cute little Insalata Caprese Bites! My guests really loved them! I think I'll make them more often!

Insalata Caprese Bites

Just Wanted to Share...

My Seattle trip was so much fun! The Allrecipes staff really showed us a great time! It was first class all the way,  from

An Amazing Oppurtunity!!!

I recently found out that I was selected to go on a trip to Seattle to be in a cooking video for the McCormick spice company! They are launching a new line of spice packets. I was sent this very generous selection, as seen above. Plus two bottles of their specialty spice blends.

Update!

I recently found out that I'm a winner in the Chef Boyardee recipe contest! I mentioned that contest in a recent blog post. I almost gave up on that contest, thinking I would never win! Well, I'm so glad I didn't give up because I finally won in week #7 with my SloppyRoni Sliders recipe! I re-entered the recipe that week and won a $500 Amex gift card and $75 worth of free food items from ConAgra foods! At the end of the 10 weeks, all 10 winners will be entered for a chance to win the grand prize...1 years worth of free groceries($100 per week) at the store of your choice! 

                                         

 Now the voting begins for the Chef Boyardee recipe contest!

I'm not going to be asking for votes because I feel like I already won just by making it into the finals! I wanted to show you what a great job the photographer did in recreating my original photo! Here's is the photo that I shot along with their photo.

 

I thought I did a great job until I saw their version...

 My Photo

Photo by Pro Photographer

 

 

They did a much better job, don't you think?

 



And by the way, here is the link to my winning recipe! It was delicious! SloppyRoni Sliders Recipe

I Improved My Copycat Recipe!

I've been on a quest to copy my favorite BBQ sauce...'Sweet Baby Ray's', 
which I showed you in the blog post for Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce...

Well, I made that recipe again last night and I think I've come even closer to my goal!
I think this is as close as I'm going to get! Here is my revised recipe... 

Am I the Only Person Who Never Heard of Tomato Pie?

The first time I ever heard of this dish was while looking through recipes on the Internet! I think it's a Southern thing! The ingredients sounded like something I would love, so I decided to give it a try! This recipe was posted by a food friend of mine named Donna Brown. I tried this recipe and loved it! The only problem I had with this recipe was that I couldn't bring myself to wait for the pie to set, after I took it out of the oven, so it was a little messy to cut!  But it was VERY tasty! The creamy basil sauce is to die for! Since then I've discovered other savory pies that I love! I'll post another one tomorrow! Here is the recipe for the Tomato Pie...

Tomato Pie

A Soup From Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage

After St. Patty's Day I had lots of leftover corned beef and cabbage from this recipe...Glazed Corned Beef & Cabbage. So I decided to make a soup for dinner! It turned out to be delicious! All I did was

A Delicious Fish Recipe with a Story!

Jim and his 47 lb. Striped Bass

This recipe and this bass were both given to me by my husbands co-worker named Jim Speer! When my husband told me that Jim had an amazing recipe for striped bass I said "Oh, that's nice"...never thinking he really had an amazing recipe for striped bass! He works in an office. He's not a Chef! How good can it be? But he does love to go fishing! So I knew the fish would be fresh!

Well, I can honestly say that this is the best broiled fillet of fish I ever ate!!!

Unique Custard Filled Dutch Baby!

This is a unique Dutch Baby recipe because of the custard that forms in the center of this cake while it bakes! I found this recipe on 'The Recipe Diva' cooking website. Posted by a member named Sweet Potato. I compared it to other Dutch Babies recipes. This recipe is the only one I found that had a custard center! It was delicious! It's suppose to serve 4 but I almost ate the entire thing myself!

Unique Custard Filled Dutch Baby

A Crab Delight!

I was asked to make this recipe as one of my tasks for the Allrecipes.com Brand Ambassador Program. I knew I would love it because I love all things crab! This tasted like a really good crab cake! And I love the crunchy fresh breadcrumb/butter topping! This was very easy to make and is perfect as an appetizer! Here is the link to the recipe, along with my photo! I only made 2 changes to the recipe. I used imitation crab meat ( gasp! I know that's so wrong but I needed to use it or toss it) and I accidently used the fresh breadcrumbs IN the crab mixture AND on top of the mixture! It turned out to be a delicious mistake, so I'll make it like that from now on!

Crab Imperial II

Sweet and Sour Chops!

I love pork chops and I'm always looking for easy delicious ways to prepare them! A food friend of mine named Joan Klimkowski showed me her recipe! She knows how much I love sweet and savory foods, so she knew her recipe is something I would love...she was SO right!

Unfried Ice Cream

I made this recipe and it is amazingly good! I found this on a cooking site! It was posted by a cook named Donna Sherwood. I'm so glad I tried this because it tasted a lot like the fried ice cream that I always order from my favorite Mexican restaurant! But this is NOT fried, so it's easy to make!

Copycat!

I love Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce! This is my attempt to copy it...my family said I came VERY close!

Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS;

1-6oz. can tomato paste

2 cups water

3 Tbls. canned crushed pineapple

1/2 heaping tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 Tbls. fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbls. molasses

4 Tbls. light corn syrup

1 Tbls. sugar

3 Tbls. cold water + 1 Tbls. corn starch - slurry to thicken sauce

DIRECTIONS;

In a medium size saucepan over medium heat, mix together all ingredients except for the slurry.

Cook and stir til well combined and heated through. With an immersion blender, puree the mixture til smooth.

Allow mixture to boil, stirring often.
Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then add in the slurry. Stir and cook about another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour into glass jar and refridgerate until ready to use.