Monday, January 28, 2013
Cannoli Cream Dessert!
With Valentine's Day approaching fast, I decided to share with you this simple and elegant dessert recipe.
I love to make desserts that look fancy but are easy and delicious! That's how I came up with this next recipe called 'Cannoli Cream Dessert'. I made it for my husband, on Valentine's Day, a few years ago....he was very impressed!
My recipe was recently featured on this food blog called 'Leanne Bakes' ...She's a very creative and talented cook! Stop by her blog and drool over some of her recipes!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbls. melted butter
1/4 cup chopped canned peaches or other fruit of your choice
2 Tbls. shredded semi sweet chocolate
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium size bowl mix together first 4 ingredients til smooth.
In a separate bowl mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
Take 2 wine glasses or other fluted stemware and place 1/4 of the crumb mixture in the bottom of each glass making a well in the center.
Add 1/4 the cannoli cream mixture on top. Repeat this one more time. Garnish with chopped fruit and shredded chocolate. Chill til ready to serve.
Makes 2 servings
So make a nice candle light dinner for your sweetheart and serve him this sweet treat for dessert! Enjoy!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Microwave Almond Brittle
When I first saw this recipe it was called Quick and Easy Peanut Brittle (Microwave)
But I didn't have any peanuts in the house so I used roasted almonds!
I was a little sceptical about making this recipe because I never thought you could make great brittle in the microwave! But I was so wrong! This was just as good as any other brittle, it was just quicker and easier! No candy thermometer needed!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Cucumber Sandwich Bites!
I love tiny food! So I went looking for something I could do with a can of tuna fish and some seedless English cucumbers! And you know the first place I looked? You guessed it...Pinterest!
I loved the idea of using cucumbers instead of bread for sandwiches! The cucumbers added a nice fresh taste to the tuna salad. I topped these with baby spinach leaves and served the sandwich bites 2 ways!
My family thought it was cute and gobbled up a bunch of these as a snack! This is my recipe for the tuna salad...
I loved the idea of using cucumbers instead of bread for sandwiches! The cucumbers added a nice fresh taste to the tuna salad. I topped these with baby spinach leaves and served the sandwich bites 2 ways!
My family thought it was cute and gobbled up a bunch of these as a snack! This is my recipe for the tuna salad...
Friday, January 25, 2013
Parmesan Honey Pork Roast
down and gave it a thumbs up!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Homemade Low Fat Bisquick Mix
I found this recipe a few years ago on the GroupRecipes.com
cooking site. I've made it many times and it always works perfectly! I make a batch of the mix and keep it in a zip lock bag, so that it's
Sunday, January 20, 2013
A Cocktail That Will Knock You On Your Tail!
I was looking for a drink that was sweet and fruity but also a little unique! I didn't have a large selection of liquors in my cabinet. So I decided to create a drink with what I had on hand! That's how the 'Italian Cherry Bomb' was created! This drink will go down sooooo smoothly...but will definitely sneak up on you! So be careful!
Homemade Beef Jerky
More 'man food' in honor of the Super Bowl...but lots of ladies love this too!
I started making my own beef jerky about 10 years ago. A friend of mine turned me on to this and my family and friends are so happy she did! This is requested quite often! I usually make about 4 lbs of Top Round London broil at a time. Yes, I use the good stuff! When the meat is dehydrated it shrinks down to about 1 pound of beef jerky.
I started making my own beef jerky about 10 years ago. A friend of mine turned me on to this and my family and friends are so happy she did! This is requested quite often! I usually make about 4 lbs of Top Round London broil at a time. Yes, I use the good stuff! When the meat is dehydrated it shrinks down to about 1 pound of beef jerky.
This is my dehydrator.
It's nothing fancy. Just a
Nesco brand. I bought 4 extra trays. The fan is on the top. It dehydrates 4 lbs of meat in about 7 hours. I rotate the trays every hour for even drying.
This is what the sliced London Broil looks like after being marinated for 24 hours and just before placing it into the dehydrator. The marinade is so dark and smokey flavored! It smells so good, even before it's dried!
This is 'tub o' marinated beef'...it soaks in there for 16-24 hours.
And here is a nice plate full of the finished product!
This is about 1 serving in my house! So out of the 4 lbs of London Broil, I'll have 4 happy family members! They love this more than store bought beef jerky!
Here is my recipe so you can try it for yourself!
INGREDIENTS;
4 lbs. top round london broil
1 cup soy sauce - do not use light
1/3 c 'gravy master' browning seasoning - 2oz. bottle
1 large onion - chopped
3 large cloves of garlic - chopped
1 celery stalk - chopped
1/2 tsp.natural liquid smoke flavoring
DIRECTIONS;
Freeze the London Broil til hard. Then thaw slightly and slice across the middle (width wise) into very thin slices about 1/8 inch thickness for quicker drying.
Dredge each slice of meat into the marinade and place in a wide, deep plastic container or large glass Pyrex casserole dish. Pour remaining marinade over top of the slices. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 16 - 24 hours.
It's nothing fancy. Just a
Nesco brand. I bought 4 extra trays. The fan is on the top. It dehydrates 4 lbs of meat in about 7 hours. I rotate the trays every hour for even drying.
This is what the sliced London Broil looks like after being marinated for 24 hours and just before placing it into the dehydrator. The marinade is so dark and smokey flavored! It smells so good, even before it's dried!
This is 'tub o' marinated beef'...it soaks in there for 16-24 hours.
And here is a nice plate full of the finished product!
This is about 1 serving in my house! So out of the 4 lbs of London Broil, I'll have 4 happy family members! They love this more than store bought beef jerky!
Here is my recipe so you can try it for yourself!
INGREDIENTS;
4 lbs. top round london broil
1 cup soy sauce - do not use light
1/3 c 'gravy master' browning seasoning - 2oz. bottle
1 large onion - chopped
3 large cloves of garlic - chopped
1 celery stalk - chopped
1/2 tsp.natural liquid smoke flavoring
DIRECTIONS;
Freeze the London Broil til hard. Then thaw slightly and slice across the middle (width wise) into very thin slices about 1/8 inch thickness for quicker drying.
Put all the marinade ingredients in a blender(but not the meat of course)
and blend til smooth.
and blend til smooth.
When ready to dehydrate, slightly skim the marinade off of each slice of meat and place each slice on your dehydrator tray. When all trays are full turn on the dehydrator and follow your instruction manual on how to dry meat. My dehydrator is a 700 watt unit with a fan to circulate the air. In my unit the meat will dry in about 6 - 7 hours.
When meat is completely dried and completely cooled, store in plastic storage bags or in an air tight container. This can be stored at room temperature for about 2 weeks. But it won't last that long because the jerky will probably be eaten up before then!
If you have a vacuum sealer, this jerky will have a much longer shelf life.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Chili and Cheddar Cheese Dumplings!
As you may have seen from many of my other posts, I love to combine my favorite recipes to make a new recipe! That's exactly what I did with this recipe! It's the perfect time of year for chili, because it's cold outside and Super Bowl season is here! And it's always the perfect time of year for dumplings, right?
This recipe makes it so much easier to have a fluffy, tasty, cheese bread, to dip into your favorite chili! Forget about cornbread! These cheddar cheese dumplings are so much better and very easy to make! They cook right on top of the chili during the last 25 minutes of the cooking time!
I love one pot meals!
This recipe makes it so much easier to have a fluffy, tasty, cheese bread, to dip into your favorite chili! Forget about cornbread! These cheddar cheese dumplings are so much better and very easy to make! They cook right on top of the chili during the last 25 minutes of the cooking time!
I love one pot meals!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Scallop Scallopini!?!?!
Well, why not....it has the word 'scallop' right there in the beginning of the word 'scallopini'!
Let me explain why I decided to create this recipe for 'Scallop Scallopini', with a little help from McCormick!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Tomato Mozzarella Toast!
I'm just totally loving simple and easy recipes lately! I'm finding that recipes don't need to have a long list of ingredients to be flavorful! As with this recipe from the 'Riches to Rags by Dori' blog.
This is my version of her recipe. I made this using white
toast sprinkled with shredded mozzarella cheese topped with chopped fresh basil, sliced plum tomatoes, minced fresh garlic and a pinch of salt. Then I put it in the toaster oven to melt the cheese and it was done. A very light but VERY flavorful fresh tasting open face sandwich!
I loved every last bite of this! Give it a try!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Instant Mac and Cheese in the Microwave!
I love Mac & Cheese and I love making quick food in the microwave, so this intrigued me! Can this really work? I've made coffee cake in a mug **see here** and loved it! Now I needed to try this new recipe!
It worked out pretty well! The mac & cheese was creamy but a little gritty. When it was done cooking it was soupy, but as it cooled it thickened up a bit. The flavor was perfect. It was slightly tricky to cook because the water kept bubbling over the mug, so I needed to keep turning off the microwave and stirring the macaroni. After reading all the reviews I decided to use a 'quick cook' pasta, which worked perfectly! Still bubbled over but at least the macaroni wasn't undercooked or pasty!
I would make this again because it saves cleaning a pot! Check out the recipe here and try it for yourself...'Instant Mac & Cheese in the Microwave'
It worked out pretty well! The mac & cheese was creamy but a little gritty. When it was done cooking it was soupy, but as it cooled it thickened up a bit. The flavor was perfect. It was slightly tricky to cook because the water kept bubbling over the mug, so I needed to keep turning off the microwave and stirring the macaroni. After reading all the reviews I decided to use a 'quick cook' pasta, which worked perfectly! Still bubbled over but at least the macaroni wasn't undercooked or pasty!
I would make this again because it saves cleaning a pot! Check out the recipe here and try it for yourself...'Instant Mac & Cheese in the Microwave'
Monday, January 14, 2013
French Toast Muffins!
I love French toast! I've had it stuffed with bananas ** see here** or blueberries **see here**... topped with different fruits, baked into a casserole, made into a bagel! You name it, I've tried it! So why not try a muffin version? I saw this recipe on Pinterest and knew it was destined to end up in my belly! And as soon as I snapped the above photo, that's where all 3 went!
The French Toast Muffin recipe was posted on this blog called
It was a very quick and easy muffin recipe! I had 12 of these whipped up in less than 30 minutes from start to finish!
Check out that blog and give these muffins a try!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A Perfect Valentine Dessert!
Isn't this a cute little dessert? I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com and I'm so glad I tried it! It's called 'Matrimonial Bliss'...cute name too, right?
Thursday, January 10, 2013
I Just Love a Good Breakfast Casserole!
...And I think I've found one to make me happy for a VERY long time! This breakfast casserole has everything I could ever want in a breakfast casserole! It's quick & easy, can be assembled the night before, serves 6-8 people, it's very hearty and is perfect in flavor and texture! I love the layers of ham, egg, bread and cheese! I've tried MANY breakfast casseroles in the past 5 years and I can honestly say this is the best one!
I came across this recipe on the McCormick Spice Company website. The recipe is called Country Breakfast Casserole. It contains 8 simple ingredients! I used smoked ham, from the deli counter, instead of sausage, but other than that I made it as written. My ENTIRE family loved this so much that next time I'll need to make 2 casseroles because they were looking for more! I served this for dinner instead of breakfast. I think I'll make this once a week from now on!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Panakuchen ~ German Apple Pancakes!
If this is the kind of breakfast they serve in Germany then I would be a VERY happy tourist! This was so light and fluffy! It puffed up so high while it was baking! And it's made with such simple ingredients! Not too much butter or sugar either! This reminded me of a combination of a filled crepe and stuffed french toast!
Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone so I had to tweak it slightly! I used bananas instead of apples and I added 1 tbls. of sugar to the batter of each pancake! And I used 1% low fat milk. I ate one whole 9 inch pancake myself...and I wasn't even full!!! So I would say this recipe only feeds two people!
I'll be making this again this weekend...and I'll be experimenting with different fruits! Of course I'll try it with apple next time, but maybe also blueberries!
Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone so I had to tweak it slightly! I used bananas instead of apples and I added 1 tbls. of sugar to the batter of each pancake! And I used 1% low fat milk. I ate one whole 9 inch pancake myself...and I wasn't even full!!! So I would say this recipe only feeds two people!
I'll be making this again this weekend...and I'll be experimenting with different fruits! Of course I'll try it with apple next time, but maybe also blueberries!
Ingredients
1 apple
2 Tablespoons butter
1 apple
2 Tablespoons butter
Batter
4 eggs
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Go to the link below to see how this easy and delicious pancake is made!
Recipes From Italy
This month as part of my participation as a brand ambassador for Allrecipes.com I was asked to join their Italy site. I gladly agreed! One of my assignments for this month was to make, rate, review and photograph
faceless (recipes without photos) recipes from the Italy site. Again, I gladly agreed! I choose these next two recipes! Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette and Toasted Bread with Lard ( bruschetta) Both of these recipe were just so simple and delicious!
My next assignment for this month is to create a recipe using any Sargento cheese product. They didn't have to twist my arm for that one either. And the Sargento company was generous enough to supply the brand ambassadors with 4 free coupons for their cheeses! I'll be posting that recipe creation soon. So stay tuned for more Italian inspired goodies!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Cheeseburger Soup
I mentioned in this post...'Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joe's'...my dilemma with that particular recipe! Well I decided to use the leftovers from the Sloppy Joe's to make this next recipe called 'Cheeseburger Soup'.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Amazingly Good 'Easy Biscuits'
I've said it many times...I'm not much of a baker. So when I went looking for a biscuit recipe, I made sure to find the easiest one! That's exactly what I found with this recipe! It's only 6 simple ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, oil and milk) and only took 20 minutes to make from start to finish! But it was not only easy, it was also so perfect in taste and texture! Soft warm pillows of biscuit goodness! Look at how pretty my biscuits turned out...
And look how pretty they are on the inside too...
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joe's
I love a good cheese steak....although I've never had one from Philadelphia! That's on my bucket list of things to try!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Frickles?!?!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Cocktail Meatballs
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Crabby Patties...or Crab Cakes, if you're not a Square Pants Fan!
I love to order crab cakes whenever I go to a really good seafood restaurant! And 90% of the time I end up being very disappointed! Most times the crab cakes are either too fishy, too pasty, too dry or they just don't taste anything like crab! You would think they could get it right if they're specializing in seafood!
Then one day,
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Reindeer Pops
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Chinese New Year Chocolate Candy!
I'm not sure why this recipe is called 'Chinese New Year Chocolate Candy'....maybe because it's made with chow mein noodles? This is a delicious chocolate candy, no matter what you call it! It's crunchy, salty and sweet. Everything I love, all wrapped up in one bite! And you can change it to suit your own taste. I added grated coconut on top to make it more festive for Christmas. This recipe is extremely easy to make and only uses 4 ingredients.
Chinese New Year Candy INGREDIENTS: 1 cup chocolate chips 1 cup crushed chow mein noodles 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or peanuts 1/4 cup coconut flakes or grated coconut DIRECTIONS: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Melt chocolate according to package directions. I use the microwave method. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate with the crushed chow mein noodles and the nuts. Mix until well coated. Drop by the tablespoonful onto the lined cookie sheet. You should get 15 pieces of candy from this recipe. Dust the tops with the coconut flakes. Allow the candy to firm up before placing on a serving platter. Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com This post belongs to My Recipe Journey food blog. |
Friday, December 21, 2012
Christmas Eve Dinner!
One of our family traditions is to have LOTS of different fish dishes to serve on Christmas Eve! This is a common tradition in many Italian households. It's called "Feast of the Seven Fishes". In my family we don't make all seven fish dishes...four or five is our limit! We usually make shrimp, scallops, sea bass, octopus, crab and/or calamari.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
My Mom's Strufoli
This is an old fashioned Italian dessert that we make every year for Christmas! It's basically fried dough coated with honey and multicolored nonpareils. This recipe has been in my family for many generations!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Hot Buttered Cider!
This drink is perfect for those cold winter nights! It just makes you feel all warm and cozy inside...especially if you add a splash of whiskey! I've made this many times with and without the liquor.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Gingerbread...My Favorite Christmas Dessert!
I've seen gingerbread in many different forms...cookies, cakes, brownies, puddings, pancakes, waffles and ice cream, to name a few! I love gingerbread in ANY form!
This next recipe is one I found on
Monday, December 17, 2012
Christmas Candy
At this time of the year I love to make all kinds of Christmas goodies for the holidays...cookies, cakes, drinks, food and CANDY!!!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Irish Cream Liquor Made Easy!
I was given a gift of homemade Irish cream liquor one year for Christmas! I never thought to make my own, but after tasting the homemade version I knew this is the only way to drink it! It tastes so much smoother and creamier than the store bought! Plus it costs A LOT less to make than to buy...about half the price! This started my quest for the best and easiest Irish Cream recipe I could find!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
A Holiday Treat!
Peppermint Balls |
Sunday, December 2, 2012
A Neater Sloppy Joe!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Acorn Bites
I love this healthy, no bake, recipe! I made it last year for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them! I even made them many times AFTER Thanksgiving because they're such an addicting snack! I found the original recipe on the Internet and tweaked it slightly.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Banana Rum Fritters
I love fritters of all kinds! Sweet or savory! I've tried onion fritters, corn fritters, and apple fritters, along with these banana rum fritters! Fruit fritters are even better when you pair them with ice cream! But adding rum just steps it up a notch! And don't worry, you can feed these to children because the alcohol burns off during the frying process.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Hot Pepper Jelly
Recently I blogged about an easy and perfectly delicious way to make stove top hot pepper jelly without having to use canning methods. You can see that post **Here**
Then I stumbled onto a unique way to serve the hot pepper jelly by adding them to these savory, cheesy, thumbprint cookies! The cookies are very tasty all by themselves. They remind me of big, soft, 'Cheez-It' crackers. So adding the hot pepper jelly just made it twice as tasty! The thumbprint cookies are so very easy to make! They're just 3 ingredients...sharp cheddar cheese, butter and flour. And they bake up in less than 20 minutes. This makes a great little appetizer!
Here is the link to the cheesy thumbprint cookies...**Link**
Then I stumbled onto a unique way to serve the hot pepper jelly by adding them to these savory, cheesy, thumbprint cookies! The cookies are very tasty all by themselves. They remind me of big, soft, 'Cheez-It' crackers. So adding the hot pepper jelly just made it twice as tasty! The thumbprint cookies are so very easy to make! They're just 3 ingredients...sharp cheddar cheese, butter and flour. And they bake up in less than 20 minutes. This makes a great little appetizer!
Here is the link to the cheesy thumbprint cookies...**Link**
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Easy Crockpot Thai Pork
Easy crockpot recipes just make life so much simpler! And I love these crockpot liners because they make crockpot cooking twice as easy! I know it says 'SlowCooker' on the box, but it's all the same to me. I never use my crockpot/slowcooker without them. If you can't find them in your local food store ask the store to order them. King Kullen grocery stores and Ace Hardware stores sell them. I always buy them from Ace in large quantities!
Try this wonderful Thai dish in your crockpot or slowcooker. Easy to make and so delicious!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Microwave Teriyaki Potatoes
This is one of my favorite potato side dishes! It was posted on a cooking site called GroupRecipes by a cook known as Chefmeow. I first tried this recipe about 2 years ago and have made it many times since then. This microwave recipe takes only about 20 minutes to make from start to finish!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Party Popcorn!
I think I can eat popcorn all day everyday and never get tired of it as long as I have a variety of flavors to choose from! And I have tried MANY flavors in my lifetime! Blueberry is still my #1 favorite flavor but I don't like having a blue tongue, fingers and lips from eating it!
This one looked and sounded tasty...and who doesn't like anything with the word 'Party' in the title?
This one looked and sounded tasty...and who doesn't like anything with the word 'Party' in the title?
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Eggs in Heaven
This is a recipe I created while trying to find new ways to prepare eggs! In my house we like to have breakfast for dinner once a week. It's fast, cheap and everyone likes eggs, so there's no whining!
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