Strawverry Shortcake Cake Pops

Every chef needs one of these, a Babycakes cake pop maker. This is the most fun I have ever had. My mother-in-law gave this to me for Christmas. Why yes I do have awesome in-laws for several reasons.

The possibilities are endless with this little gem. One day on a lovely Sunday afternoon I needed dessert, an easy one to be exact. I had strawberries and cool whip, but no shortcake. Thanks to this little gadget I was able to whip up some vanilla cake pops super quick and it made for a fun dessert.

(I halved this recipe)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups of all purpose flour ( I substituted in half whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup milk

1 pound strawberries
1 container of cool whip

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
In a separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients with the wet and follow instructions for your cake pop maker to bake.

Top with sliced strawberries and cool whip for a refreshing fun dessert. It's a great one for the kids.

Stay tuned for a review and giveaway of some great Mediterranean tasty goods!

Pesto and Artichoke Chicken Alfredo

I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but this was pretty tasty and came mostly from my small-ish head. It is easy to switch up the ingredients and make it your own with what you have in the fridge. I love to cook, however, lately it seems my purpose in the kitchen is a little less noble. The hubby is a firefighter and it turns out a lot of those guys at the station can really cook. I now try to outdo every recipe my lover tells me was delicious that he experienced at work. Isn't that creepy of me? He sure doesn't complain.

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 cups milk (depending on how thick you like it)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese (I just had this in the fridge, a good Italian cheese Asiago, for example, would be good)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar of artichoke hearts
4 Tbs of pesto (in a jar in the Italian section, or homemade if you are incredible)
1 box of whole wheat penne pasta cooked
1 pound of chicken grilled with Italian seasoning

Directions:

Cook the first 3 ingredients like a basic white sauce, add seasonings as it thickens. Stir in cheese and pesto and remove from heat once cheese is melted. Grill the chicken while the sauce and pasta are cooking. When the pasta is done, drain and set aside while dicing up the grilled chicken into bite size pieces. Mix pasta and chicken into a large bowl and add artichoke hearts. Pour sauce over the pasta and chicken and mix. Serve with a salad or veggie and homemade bread sticks. Recipe for that to come! Serve and Enjoy!

Teppinyaki Valentines Dinner

I love Benhihanas! I loved it more back in the day when we could afford it. I thought it would be cool if I could somehow duplicate those flavors even without the large tabletop skillet. I found what I thought were almost the exact flavors from the Benihanas' dipping sauce. I found them here.

Ingredients:
Mustard Sauce:
Makes about 2/3 cup
Preparation time: about 5 minutes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons Oriental mustard (can be found in the international or Asian food sections of most supermarkets)
2 teaspoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Ginger Sauce:
Makes about 1/2 cup
Preparation time: about 5 minutes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 ounce ginger root (a nickel-size slice), peeled and chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon (2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
Instructions:
For Mustard Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, mustard, cream and garlic powder. Stir or whisk until well combined. Chill before serving.

For Ginger Sauce: In a blender combine the onion, soy sauce, garlic, ginger root, lemon juice, sugar and white vinegar. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds or until the ginger root and garlic have been pureed. Chill before serving.

Once you have the sauce prepared, here is what you do for the rest.

Ingredients:
Vegetables-
2 cups cooked zucchini. Slice two zucchini in half and cook in skillet on medium high heat with garlic butter once the under side begins to brown slice into bite size pieces and cook a little longer with the addition of 1 cup sliced onion and 1 cup mushrooms. When just tender they are done.
Protein-
1 pound steak cooked on the grill or broiled to your liking and cut into bite size pieces.
I pound chicken cooked in skillet with garlic butter. Cut into bite size pieces.
1 cup fresh shrimp cooked in pan after chicken with garlic butter.

When protein and veggies are done serve with individual servings of dipping sauce. Chopsticks make it super fun and a little more tasty.

You could also serve fried rice on the side. I made mine with garlic butter, diced green onion, egg, and salt and pepper with rice of course and lots of soy sauce.

This is a super fun meal for the kiddos as well. Just poke toothpicks in the each bite for the kids to dip and they will have just as much fun as the adults with chopsticks! As always, serve and enjoy!

Egg Rolls and Chicken Wrapped Pies

In my last post we talked about stir fry. This week let's talk about the egg rolls. I have a really hard time eating egg rolls from restaurants after eating these. My mother has always made them and now that I can make them, I would prefer to not have any other kind. It would be an easy recipe to make your own with the ingredients that you love. Here is what I love in mine.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast cooked and shredded ( I used one rotisserie)
1 pkg egg roll wrappers
1 carrot julienned
1/2 cup celery diced
1 medium head cabbage finely chopped
3 green onions thinly sliced
1/2 cup of tofu (drained and chopped)
1 cup bamboo shoots
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon accent (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and season to taste. Place a little over a tablespoon amount in center of wrapper, wet edges of wrapper with water and follow folding instructions as pictured on package. Heat about 6-inches of oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Fry egg rolls 3 or 4 at a time until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

WAIT!! What do you do with the leftover egg roll wrappers? You make Chicken Wrapped pies! You will probably also have celery and carrot left over. Throw it in with this recipe and you will feel very clever using your leftovers in such a tasty new way!





1- Place egg roll wrappers in cupcake tin.

2- Make chicken pot pie filling as shown here.

3. Then place 1-2 tablespoons of mixture in wrapper and fold over. Bake until crispy and delicious!
Here is the exact recipe that I adapted for my own: Chicken Pot Pie Bundles

Enjoy!

Curried Beef Stir- Fry

I don't usually have much luck with Chinese food even with a recipe. Somehow it just never tastes right. This recipe redeemed myself in the kitchen and was delicious. I also made homemade egg rolls which I will explain on another post. Hope you're fabulous!

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
1 pound boneless sirloin steak cut into 1/8 inch pieces
1 large onion cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large celery ribs, sliced
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 cup cold water
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder
Cooked rice to serve with

Directions:
In a bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger and 2 tablespoons oil. Add beef; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. In a large skillet or wok, heat remaining oil. Stir-fry beef over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove beef and set aside. In the same skillet, stir-fry onion for 1 minute; add peppers, celery,and carrot. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, return beef to skillet. Combine water, cornstarch, and curry until smooth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Chicken Mushroom Soup (and a bit of everything else)

I love Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup. I am not crazy in love with the spicy sausage. My ideal soup is a chunky, creamy soup with chicken, lots of veggies, and that tasty kale and red potatoes found in the Zuppa Toscana recipe. I combined two recipes together and came up with the best of both worlds in this tasty soup. It was a HUGE hit at my house. It didn't hurt to add some homemade cinnamon rolls on the side either.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon garlic puree
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6 cups chicken broth
chicken bouillon to taste (optional)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup sliced celery
3/4 cup chopped carrots
2 cups quartered baby red potatoes
1 cup chopped yellow squash
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 bunch of kale slightly chopped
2 teaspoons thyme
2 cups light cream
1/2 bunch
2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Directions:
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper and mix until smooth. Gradually add the broth, then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, potatoes, squash, corn, and thyme. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
Add the cream,kale, and chicken. Heat the soup for an additional 10 minutes, but do not let it boil.
Serve and Enjoy!
Makes about 15 cups.

Broccoli Tomato Salad

Perhaps this recipe is out of season. That is to say not out of "season"ing, but maybe it is more of a summer dish . I have a difficult time cutting off the cold fresh dishes when the weather gets cooler because I live in Arizona. Here we have "kinda hot "and "just warm" as the standard weather. When it becomes "just warm" or below 100 degrees I whip out the hot soups. I love soup! I often love to compliment the soup with some sort of bread or something salad -like. This is a beautiful salad that I think is great for any occasion. The dressing is delicious while the broccoli and tomato pair well together.

Ingredients:
1 large bunch broccoli, separated into florets
2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 green onions, sliced

Dressing:
3/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/3 cup tarragon or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

Directions:
Cook broccoli in a small amount of water for 5 minutes or until crisp- tender. Rinse with cold water and drain. Place in a large bowl; add tomatoes, mushrooms and onions. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well. Pour over salad; toss gently. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Serve and Enjoy!