Monthly Archives: March 2011

March 9, 2011 · 11:55 am

Jessica Seinfeld’s Yellow Cake

I don’t like cake and I could eat this cake all day long. It is SOOOOOO good…moist and yummy! The icing is to die for as well and I don’t like icing either.

Cake
Ingredients:
nonstick cooking spray
18 ounces yellow cake mix, any brand (I used vanilla.)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
6 ounces nonfat yogurt (lemon, banana, or vanilla flavored) *I used lemon.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your cakepan with non-stick spray and lightly flour.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour batter into the cake pan. Bake about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for one additional egg white which I left out.

What did the family think? Super duper thumbs up! SOOO good!

Icing
Ingredients:
8 ounces whipped cream cheese (Buy the kind that is already whipped.)
1/2 cup pureed carrot (use baby food)
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate or the juice from 1/2 a medium orange
1-2 tsp powdered sugar (Do a taste test before you add it.)

Instructions:
Put the cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl. Put in the microwave for just a few seconds
(10-15 maybe?) just to soften it up a little bit.

Beat the carrots, cream cheese and orange juice until smooth in a medium bowl.

Spread on cake after cake has cooled.

Keeps at room temp for 2 days. This makes enough for a batch of 12 standard cupcakes.

Did I change anything? I left out the salt the recipe originally called for and I added about 1-2 tsp of powdered sugar. Taste yours before you add it, but I just thought it needed to be a little sweeter. I also used whipped cream cheese and I think it made the texture of the icing fantabulous.

What did the family think? Yummo!

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

March 8, 2011 · 9:23 am

Polenta Sausage Mozzarella Casserole

Anything with blobs of melty fresh mozzarella is going to be good.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 yellow onion, peeled, halved lengthwise then cut into wedges
1 bell pepper (red, green, orange or yellow), cut lengthwise into thin slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 pound Italian sausage (removed from casings), sweet or spicy
2 pounds of prepared polenta, 1/2-inch slices if using prepared polenta in a tube
1/2 pound (8 ounces) fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

Instructions:
Heat 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large (2-3 qt) saucepan on medium heat. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes are cooking, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the sliced onion, bell peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes to the sauté pan. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, stirring and breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 5-8 more minutes. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, coat the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan with a 1 Tbsp oil. Add the cooked polenta (or slices) to the pan. Coat the top of the polenta with a little more olive oil. Broil the polenta about 4 inches from the heating element until golden brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.

Pour sauce over broiled polenta, then arrange mozzarella slices over the top and return the casserole to the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Watch is closely. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

We had this with a salad.

Did I change anything? I left out the onion and added an extra bell pepper.

What did the family think? This was super yum. Everyone liked it except our youngest who was a little disappointed that there was polenta under all that sauce instead of regular pasta.

from simplyrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Italian

March 6, 2011 · 8:22 pm

Baked BBQ Salmon

This is an easy salmon recipe that I came up with one day when I was trying to cook salmon in a way that did not involve Mrs. Dash.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. salmon
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place salmon in a glass dish and bake for about five minutes. Take out of oven and brush liberally with BBQ sauce. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until fish flakes with a fork.

We usually have this with BBQ baked beans, cole slaw and/or macaroni salad…what I like to call picnic sides.

What does the family think? This is one of my favorite ways to make salmon. It’s easy, it tastes good and it’s almost impossible to mess up. 🙂

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

· 8:06 pm

Poached Salmon

This would make an easy dish for Lent or anytime.

Ingredients:
1 to 1½ pounds salmon fillets
½ cup dry white wine (a good Sauvignon Blanc)
½ cup water
A few thin slices of yellow onion and/or 1 shallot, peeled and sliced thin
Several sprigs of fresh dill or sprinkle of dried dill
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Put wine, water, dill, parsley and onions in a saute pan, and bring to a simmer on medium heat.

Place salmon fillets, skin-side down on the pan. Cover. Cook 5-10 minutes or to desired done-ness. Do not overcook.

Serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper.

We had this with a salad and a baguette. (Yes, we eat a lot of baguettes around here.) 🙂

What did the family think? It was good. Next time I will make sure to place some of the shallots on top of the salmon when serving it. The boys had fish sticks.

from simplyrecipes.com

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

March 4, 2011 · 7:42 pm

Italian Sausage, Spinach and Mashed Potato Casserole

In attempt to get my kids to eat mashed potatoes…

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the baking dish
2 teaspoons of olive oil
8 oz fresh spinach
1lb of Italian sausage, broken out of casing into small pieces
1/2 large red onion, peeled and sliced thin
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3 medium sized potatoes), peeled and cut into 1-inch chuncks
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
Dash of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup of shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 6×9 or 8×8 inch baking dish.

Heat one of the teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to strainer and drain.

Add sausage to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Use slotted spoon to transfer sausage to bowl. Heat remaining olive oil in skillet and add onions, cooking until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape mixture into bowl with sausage.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring potatoes to boil over high heat, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, wipe pot dry, put potatoes back into the pot, and mash with butter, cream, vinegar, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in spinach and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Transfer potato-spinach mixture to prepared baking dish. Top with sausage-onion mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake until potatoes are very hot and cheese is golden and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

We had this with a baguette with butter and honey.

Did I change anything? I used about half as much onion as the original recipe called for and I used more sausage. I changed the recipe above to reflect the amounts I used.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked. The boys ate the sausage, but still steered clear of the mashed potatoes. Maybe I could get them to eat mashed potatoes if I board chocolate sauce all over them? 😉

from simplyrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again

March 3, 2011 · 8:57 pm

German Farmer’s Breakfast

In honor of my husband’s German grandma who passed away last week…

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, skinned and quartered lengthwise
3 Tbsp bacon fat or olive oil
2 cups roughly chopped green and white onions (include the greens from the green onions)
2 cups roughly chopped bell peppers
Salt to taste
1-2 cups chopped ham
1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)
4 eggs, whisked

Instructions:
Boil the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted water for 10-15 minutes until just cooked (test for doneness). Drain, rinse with cold water to cool. Cut into 1-inch squares. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp bacon fat (or olive oil) in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and chopped bell peppers. Increase the heat to high. Brown the onions and bell peppers, stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes.

Push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the potatoes and another Tbsp of bacon fat (or olive oil) to the pan. Brown the potatoes for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle on salt to taste as you cook. Add the ham to the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently until the ham is heated through, 1-2 minutes.

Mix all of the vegetables, potato and ham together and mix in the parsley. Add the eggs, stirring to distribute the eggs among the vegetables and ham. As soon as eggs begin to firm up, remove from heat.

Serve immediately. Great with ketchup on top.

We had this with toast and jam.

Did I change anything? I added about 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese because we like cheese in this house. I used about 1/2 the onions and green peppers that the recipes calls for.

What did the family think? Hubby and I both really liked it. Our oldest liked it, but mostly just ate the ham and potatoes and our youngest just ate the ham.

from simplyrecipes.com

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Pork

March 1, 2011 · 11:24 am

Spanish Quiche

My boys love eggs and cheese, so I thought this quiche might be a hit with them.

Ingredients:
3 flour tortillas
16 oz. refried beans
4 oz. diced chiles
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cups egg substitute or seven eggs, scrambled
1/4 cup milk
1/4 lb. ground chorizo (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.

If using chorizo, cook in a medium-sized skillet. Using a wooden spoon to crumble.

Cut two tortillas in half and place each half in the pan so that the rounded edge is 1/4 inch above the rim. Place the third tortilla in the center of the pan.

Spread beans over tortillas. (I only used about 1/3 of the beans.)

Top with chiles, onions and cheese. Mix eggs with milk and pour over the top. Put chorizo on top if you are using it.

Bake for 50 minutes or until knife inserted in the center come out clean. Let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

We had this with refried beans and fruit salad.

Did I change anything? I added the chorizo. I didn’t use all the beans in the quiche and I used about 1/2 the onions.

What did the family think? Whew! That chorizo was SPICY! Which is exactly why hubby and I liked it and the boys did not. Our youngest likes spicy, but this was a little much. Since the chorizo was on top, I just had them flip their quiche over and eat it from the bottom until they hit the chorizo part.

from Quick & Healthy, Vol.II

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Lent, Spicy, Vegetarian