Category Archives: Definitely Making it Again

August 8, 2010 · 11:32 pm

Nutella Brownies

You WILL eat more than one! 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tspn. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/8 tspn. salt
1/2 tspn. baking powder
1 cup Nutella
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter on low heat, add in sugar and vanilla while stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well to combine after you add each egg.

Add the flour mixture in, a little bit at a time, to the egg mixture until completely mixed together.

Heat the Nutella in the microwave for a little while until it gets to a runny consistency. Add the Nutella to the batter and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and add to combine.

Pour into a square baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely
before cutting.

Did I change anything? One way you can change this recipe up a little bit is to use 1/2 cup of Nutella and 1/2 cup peanut butter instead of 1 cup of Nutella. I used about 2/3 cup Nutella and 1/3 cup peanut butter.

What did the family think? They are still in the oven, but I am sure they aren’t going to be complaining. 🙂

from Noble Pig

Leave a Comment

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

August 6, 2010 · 10:26 pm

Fresh Lime Soda

I used to make this ALL the time when we lived in Arizona…perfect for a hot summer day.

Mix in a pitcher:
3/4 cup squeezed lime juice (about 6 limes)
3/4 cup honey syrup* (more of less to taste)
4 cups club soda or sparking mineral water

Serve chilled or over ice.

*To help honey mix with cold drinks, make the honey syrup by mixing:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup boiling water

Stir until honey liquifies.

Did I change anything? This is a great recipe if you want to make some just for yourself or if you have a lot of people to serve; the recipe can easily be doubled or cut in half. Also, I have never made the honey syrup. I just make the drink at room temperature, add the honey and taste as I go along until I like the sweetness and then add the ice.

What does the family think? I have never made it for them. It’s a “me” drink. 🙂

from Simply Vegetarian

Leave a Comment

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

August 5, 2010 · 2:25 pm

Frozen Lemonade Pie

A great dessert for a hot summer day…

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
7 T unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
2 cups heavy cream
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
6 oz. can frozen lemonade OR limeade concentrate (do not thaw)

Topping:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
2 tbspn. sugar
1 tbspn. fresh lemon juice

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs (you can either buy the crumbs or just put whole graham crackers in the food processor), the sugar and the melted butter. Press firmly and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for seven minutes. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes and then sick in the freezer to really cool it off.

Make the filling: In a cold large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, stir together the condensed milk and the concentrate. Gently fold the lemonade mixture into the whipped cream. Pour the filling into the crust and freeze overnight.

Make the topping: About an hour before you serve the pie, toss the berries in a medium bowl with the sugar and the lemon juice. Set aside until ready to serve.

Set the pie out for about 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Top each slice with berries.

Did I change anything? I didn’t make the berry part of the recipe because I knew that it would take us several days to get the whole pie eaten. Also, I used the lemon concentrate, not the lime although I think the lime would taste fantastic. Lastly, when I make this again next time, I am going to use a little less whipped cream and more concentrate.

What did the family think? I really like it and I think I would love it with the berries. The boys also love it. We even had a guest taster, my friend Christie, who gave it a thumbs up as well.


from Food Network

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Make Ahead of Time

August 1, 2010 · 9:43 pm

Creole Potato Salad

This is in the top two potato salads I have ever eaten. SO good! That little bottle of creole mustard makes ALL the difference.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. new potatoes (peel on or off, your choice) scrubbed clean and cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 T cider vinegar
1 tspn. sugar
1/2 cup Creole mustard
3/4 cup mayonnaise (more or less, however you like it)
Salt
Cajun seasoning, for garnish

Instructions:
Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water. If you need to hard boil the eggs, put those in there too and they can cook along with the potatoes. Bring to a boil, add about a tsp. of salt, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook about ten minutes and drain in a colander.

While potatoes are boiling, mix the sugar, vinegar, mayo and mustard in with the celery, peppers and onion in a large bowl.

While the potatoes are still warm, gently mixing them in with the dressing allowing the potatoes to soak in some of the flavor from the seasonings better.

Gently fold the chopped hard-boiled eggs into the mixture until well combined. Put the potato salad in the frig to cool for about an hour before serving.

Serve chilled and garnish with paprika or Cajun seasoning.

We had this with Polenta-Crusted Baked Chicken and watermelon.

Did I change anything? I didn’t, but if I were to make it again (which I will because it was awesome) I would only make half as much. This was a good amount if you were going to a potluck or something, but for a family of four, it was a bit much.

What did the family think? Hubby and I thought it was DIVINE! Kids didn’t think do, but I knew that when I was making it. This potato salad has some serious flavor. Make it, your family will thank you.

from Simply Recipes

1 Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

July 28, 2010 · 10:40 pm

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

This is a very tasty and very versatile sauce and a great way to use some of those summer blueberries…

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon

Instructions:
Wash blueberries, place in pan and crush them with the back of a spoon. Add sugar, lemon juice and salt to pan, mix well and bring blueberry mixture to a boil. Boil for one minute. Add vanilla and cinnamon, chill and serve over ice cream, waffles or pancakes.

What did the family think? Our oldest and I LOVE this is. It is so yummy and so easy to make. We first had it as a sample at our grocery store. Our favorite way to eat it is mixed with just a little bit of vanilla yogurt and then using a graham cracker to spoon it into our mouths. Summer goodness!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 24, 2010 · 11:30 pm

Mango Lassi

A year or so ago, I had some leftover frozen mangoes in my freezer and I was trying to figure out what to do with them….

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen or fresh mango chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 T sugar (more or less to taste)

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

What did the family think? I don’t know because I didn’t share with them. 🙂 Okay, I did let my hubby have a sip and he liked it and our oldest likes mango juice, so I am sure he would like this, too. I usually make these after the kids have gone to bed.

from bigoven.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Beverages, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 18, 2010 · 9:32 pm

Italian Sausage Panini with Pickled Peppers and Onions

Yep, I pickled some peppers and onions today…I had no idea it was that easy or really what went into pickling something. You can do it too…it is SUPER easy! The pickled peppers and onion are what made all the difference in this sandwich too!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tspn red pepper flakes
2 tspn. salt
1 T sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed, but not chopped up
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
4 Italian sausage links, butterflied, or split down the middle
4 T olive oil
4 ciabatta rolls
4 slices provolone cheese

Instructions:
In a large pot, combine the vinegar, water, pepper flakes, salt, sugar and garlic and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the peppers and the onion. Let them pickle for at least 30 minutes.

While those are pickling, preheat grill over medium-high heat. Cook sausages for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Slice the rolls in half and brush them with olive oil on the inside. Put the provolone on the bottom, put a piece of cooked sausage on top of the provolone and then top it off with some of the pickled onions and peppers. Put the top half of the bun on top and place in a panini press about 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp. If you don’t have a panini press, grill the sandwiches in a large pan like you would a grilled cheese sandwich, but put a heavy pan on top of the sandwiches to flatten them a bit. Cook for three minutes per side.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it! Hubby and I had it with the pickled veggies and it made ALL the difference. The tanginess of the veggies coupled with the spice from the Italian sausage was SO good! The boys had the same sandwich we did, but I left out the pickled bits.

We had this with corn on the cob and watermelon…a perfect summer meal.

from Food Network

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Sandwich

July 17, 2010 · 9:20 pm

Puff Up Pancakes

You know that look people get on their faces when they bite into something they have never tasted before and it turns out to be a little taste of heaven in their mouths? That’s the face our boys made this morning when they ate this. Wowzer…so good!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tspn. vanilla

Instructions:
Melt butter in a 9×13-inch pan in oven while oven is preheating to 425 degrees.

Mix eggs, flour, milk and vanilla with wire wisk.

When butter is melted and oven is ready, add batter to 9 x 13 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with butter and maple syrup or maybe fresh fruit and powdered sugar.

What did the family think? Too good for words.

This is a fun recipe to make because it puffs UP. Our boys thought it was pretty cool how puffed up it got. That said, make sure you put it on a middle or lower rack in your oven.

from The Farmer’s Wife

6 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 16, 2010 · 11:06 pm

Meatball Sandwich

Our oldest child made a request for this for dinner this week. Thankfully, it was a hit with everyone!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey, beef or chicken
3/4 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T parmesan, grated
1 egg, beaten
4 sub sandwich-type buns or a baguette
1 T olive oil
1/2 tspn. garlic powder
14 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices provolone

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix ground meat, bread crumbs, garlic, parmesan, and egg by hand. Form into about 12 meatballs and place in a baking dish. (I used a couple of glass pie dishes.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, cut the bread in half length-wise, brush with olive oil and season with garlic powder. (You may want to remove some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs before you oil and season the bread.) Put the bread on a baking sheet and toast for the last five minutes of the meatball’s cooking time.

Warm the spaghetti sauce in a medium sauce pan. When the meatballs are done put them in the spaghetti sauce and gently coat them with spaghetti sauce. Place the meatballs on the bread, top with provolone and place back in the oven for about 2 minutes so the cheese can melt. Yum!

Did I change anything? I used twice as much spaghetti sauce as this recipe calls for. I couldn’t get enough sauce on all of the meatballs when I just used one jar. Luckily, I happened to have another jar in the pantry.

What did the family think? They all loved it!

from allrecipes.com

1 Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Sandwich

July 14, 2010 · 9:36 pm

Ice Cream

I found out about this recipe from a gal from church and this stuff is so good it will make you weep. It was our first attempt at making ice cream in our new ice cream maker, so we kept it simple and just made vanilla.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tspn. salt
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half and half
2 1/4 tspn. vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a heavy saucepan combine all of the ingredients except the vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the heat and cool quickly by placing the pan in a bowl filled with ice. Continue to stir the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to make the mixture into ice cream, pour it into your ice cream maker along with the vanilla and continue from there following the directions on your ice cream maker.

What did the family think? Heavens to Betsy this stuff is good!!! It is not for those watching their weight either…did you check out all the cream that goes into this? Yowsers! We had some after lunch today with just a few mini chocolate chips sprinkled in it and then tonight we went gangbusters and made ice cream sandwiches. We had some oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies that we used and then we rolled the sandwiches in mini-chocolate chips so they stuck to the ice cream. Too sweet for me, but the boys loved them.

from allrecipes.com via LeeAnn

1 Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less