Pinterest- Part 2

(All photos courtesy of their respective blogs via Pinterest)

 

 

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

It is very, very good.  I didn't cook it in a bundt pan and everything turned out fine in the trusty 9x13.

The rest are all new things I've found and made.

Crispy Chicken Cheddar

This is super easy to make and I love the crust that the ritz crackers make.  I used to make something similar with pork chops, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs and I would pan fry it.  That is so good.  This is was just a slightly different, more country take on that.  The kids loved it!  I didn't do the sauce topping.  I'm sure it's great, but I'm not very big on cream of anything from a can.

Jalapeno Popper Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I found this and quickly agreed with the author of the recipe.  Yes, I thought, she had kinda gone overboard.  UNTIL I tasted it. I used Tabasco sauce when it called for hot sauce in the recipe.  I also halved this recipe and had plenty of leftovers.  It's not too hot for the kiddos either.  Only thing I would have done is added twice as much chicken and this would have been the only thing I had to cook.  Lance has requested this at Thanksgiving.  I am not even joking when I tell you this is one of the most fattening, but BEST things I've eaten in a while.  Doesn't it always work that way?

Broccoli Bites

I made these the other night with a pork loin and some roasted red potatoes.  They remind me of Spinach Balls my mom used to make.  They were super easy too.  I got a bag of broccoli that was ready to steam in the microwave and just added them to the other ingredients.  Don't forget to spray your pan with a nonstick spray because they will be hard to turn.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Oh my Lord have mercy these were good.  Very simple, and very good.  Just to make things easier on myself I just warmed taco sized flour tortillas for us to make our own tacos.  

Peanut Butter Eclair Cake

Uhhh, Yes Please!!!  This dessert was beyond simple and looked so pretty.  You really need to make it today.  The kids loved it so much that I walked into my room looking for them one day and found them sitting on the floor eating it with their hands.  

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Anne claims that this rivals the Pioneer Woman's Short Ribs that I make a lot, but I thought they were on a completely different playing field.  These were very good, better than any other stuffed chicken I've made.  If you are thinking of a different chicken meal, especially a different stuffed chicken meal, try these.

Although I didn't find this one on Pinterest I still wanted to share.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

I was looking for a muffin recipe and ended up making these in no time.  So good and so easy.  I ate three of them.  I'd felt badly about that, but I was sore from working out.  I'd like to think my working out canceled the calories from the muffins.

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

This is a MAKE AHEAD, I repeat MAKE AHEAD meal.  Do not wake up one morning and think you will have this meal an hour or two later.  Not gonna happen.  Once I finally got this out of the oven, 24 hours after I started it, it was AMAZING.  You must top it with syrup!  It takes like bread pudding and french toast in one!

Giant Gooey Cinnamon Biscuits

These were not very good.  I've seen a lot of people "pin" them and I wouldn't waste your time!

Pinterest Foods-Part 1

(all photos courtesy of Pinterest)

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This one is so good, I would suggest you try it.
Even the day after it is still just as good!

 Blueberry Muffins

These are not your ordinary muffins.  In the cooking directions she says to mound the mix in the muffin tin.  May not be a great idea?  Mine bubbled over.  I thought they were going to bubble out of the pan.  Either way, if you use cooking spray, and you mound them, they will still come off your pan easily and look great.

 Honeybun Cake

 I made this for dessert one night when we went to eat at someone's house.
We all loved it!
I left some with them to have with coffee the next morning and they said it was so good!

Cream Cheese Filled Snickerdoodles

I'm not so good at making them look like this, but they were pretty good.
I'd really just prefer the cookie without the filling...

Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

These were pretty good, but tiny pepperonis kind of gross me out.
I don't know why, they just do.

 Sausage Stars

These were pretty good too.  Very easy.
Now I'm wondering what else I can do with wonton wrappers.

 Green Monster Smoothie

This is very good and super easy.  I'd suggest you try it.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

These were really good; although, I wouldn't mind just

eating the filling as a warm dip with crackers? 

Cake Balls

I followed this easy recipe that Pioneer Woman has on her site for Cake Balls.  Mine were not so pretty and I think I made the balls too large.  I used confetti cake mix, cream cheese icing and used white chocolate that I dyed pink for the outside.  They are so rich that even for my sweet tooth, I was satisfied with one.  If you are giving a baby shower they would be so cute for a girl, or you could use chocolate cake and white chocolate dyed blue for a boy.  If you are really good you could write the first initial of the baby on the ball with white icing.  I'm not that good...

Taste-5 (eat more than one and you will have a stomach ache)
Difficulty- 4 (I am no pastry chef, to make these look great is pretty hard)

Summer Squash Mix Up

I love buying summer squash and so does my mother-in-law.  During the summer, on any given day, my mother in law will show up at my house with a bag of rustic, dirty, imperfect squash that no doubt will get eaten with grilled chicken or pork chops.  If you are a lover of squash, this is how I suggest you cook them.

2 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 medium white onion
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and slice your squash and zucchini into round pieces about a quarter inch thick.  Cut your onion in long thin slices.  Melt your butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Toss in all of your veggies and your drained can of tomatoes.  Cover with a lid and let it simmer for about 15-25 minutes depending on your desired consistency of your vegetables.  Remember to occasionally stir your veggies.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

I would take this side dish any day with a piece of grilled chicken and a nice cold salad!  Enjoy!

Strawberry Orange Muffins

I love these muffins.  My sister first introduced me to these when I was staying with her in California.  They get all of their produce from the farmer's market (jealous much?) and they made these for me one morning.  These are the yummiest little muffins.  I made some yesterday and I had one for dessert last night. 

Strawberry-Orange Muffins
Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

1 1/4 cups halved strawberries
3 T butter, melted
2 t finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 t sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the strawberries, butter, zest and eggs in a blender and process just until mixture is blended.
Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, 1 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Add strawberry mixture and stir just until mixture is moist. Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle muffin batter evenly with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately.

My Brown Gravy

I love brown gravy and I never thought you could make it without drippings from frying meat.  Here is a recipe that I have found suits my taste buds and now, whenever I make brown gravy I can do it off the top of my head and with a few taste testings.  Every now and then I will leave out the dijon or the worcestershire sauce, and it still tastes great.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 quart cold beef broth (as high-quality as possible!)
• salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the mixture is golden-brown and smells like cooked pie crust. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in a cup of the cold beef broth, and then add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, whisking, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. 

 

*Beware...this recipe makes A LOT of gravy, tone it down when you're cooking at home!  Sooooo good!

Pan Fried Pork Chops

I love me some Pan Fried Pork Chops, but the thing is...they go straight to my ass.  I cook them exactly as Pioneer Woman does and I usually serve them up with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.  Try them if your tail end can afford it.  We only have them about four times a year for two reasons: my heart doesn't pump blood as well when clogged with fat, and my house smells of fried food for at least a week.

Taste- 5
Difficulty- 4 (practice makes perfect, don't want to burn them and don't want to cook the outside but not inside)

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I made this soooo long ago and never posted about it.  Cajun Chicken Pasta is something I order every time I eat at Cheesecake Factory so I wanted to see how Pioneer Woman's version compared.  There is still something about the Cheesecake Factory version that has my heart, but PW has a good take on it too.  It is easier to me that her veggies require a rough chop and not a dice, but I think I would prefer the dice.  My real complaint is not with her recipe at all but I used Tony Chachere's Cajun spice and it was so salty that next time I will probably just make my own.

You can make a Cajun mix any way you would like including paprika, cayenne pepper, white and black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt...just use as much or as little of each until you get a mixture you prefer. 

I really think that this recipe is one you can play around with until you figure out the perfect Cajun Chicken Pasta for you, but her recipe is definitely a great start.

Taste- 3.5
Difficulty- 3.5

Egg in a Hole

Oh-Em-Gee...this has been the elusive Egg in a Hole that I have heard about but never actually tried.  I'm very ashamed to admit that too, because there is not much better than a fried egg and a piece of toast to sop it all up with.  The egg in a hole is somewhat nostalgic to me because when I was younger my grandmother kept me while my parents worked and she would make fried eggs and thick cut bacon every morning and we would have toast or biscuits to capture all the goodness from our runny yolk.  This is by far the easiest way to fry an egg and you get perfectly buttered toast at the same time.  TRY IT!!! 

Don't forget the pepper on both sides, completely makes the meal.

Taste-5
Difficulty- 2

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I made this Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce last week and ate it for three days.  I never realized that roasting red peppers would be so easy.  I ran out of propane on the grill halfway through the cooking process so I put them in the oven on broil.  Both methods were very easy.  This recipe does require a blender which can make the process a bit messier than just a one pot meal, but it was totally worth it.  I will say that the sauce does not stand up as well when reheated on the second or third day but that didn't keep me from eating it.  This is a definite must try and a great date night dinner at home. 

Also, I used bow-tie pasta just because I love it, and it held the sauce fairly well. 

Taste-4.5
Difficulty-3.5

Monkey Bread

Since I made this Monkey Bread the first time, I have made it at least four more times.  It is so yummy and so easy!  I usually cut the recipe in half because I have no need to feed eight people.  I can't believe I had never had this before as I have heard that this is a "west Texas" staple and my dad is from west Texas.   One thing you need to make sure you do is completely melt the brown sugar in the butter.  It will start to look a little like a caramel sauce, but don't let it cook for too long.  Here's to Monkey Bread, the easy, yummy, breakfast of champions...

Taste-5
Difficulty- 2.5

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pork

I loved the Spicy Dr. Pepper Pork by Pioneer Woman.  I used a pork roast that was about five or six pounds and it could feed about 8 hungry people not 18.   My assumption is that because she used the meat for tacos, that 18 people would get smaller servings??  We ended up all crowding around the pot and eating it with forks because it was so good.  I am going to make a similar roast this weekend but I am going to use root beer instead of Dr. Pepper.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Taste- 4.5
Difficulty- 2

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I made these Snickerdoodle Muffins from Tasty Kitchen.  They are really sooooo good.  So fattening, but so good.  The boys loved them and they each ate two for breakfast.  I didn't have any cream of tartar handy, so I just left it out.  I would suggest adding more cinnamon to the topping.  I also sprinkled a little more cinnamon on top of each before I baked them. 

Taste- 4.5 (really a great breakfast meal)
Difficulty- 3 (Luke even helped a little)

Jalfrezi-Curry Sauce

I've been wanting to post this for some time now and just haven't.  I stumbled upon this jar in the grocery store.

 

Nevermind the chocolate candy in the background.  I gave up chocolate for lent, so I had to get some in and I plan on eating forty-five of them when lent is over.

I sauteed some strips of chicken breast, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and onions.  Then I added about a half cup of the goodness from the jar and let it sit ten or fifteen minutes.  I served it over rice and with salad and bread.  This stuff is so good.  I would figure out how to make it from scratch cause that's how I roll, but I don't have confidence in myself to make it taste that yummy.

So, go out and look for it in your organic food section next to the pasta sauce and international foods.  I do realize if you are going to a Whole Foods, your pasta sauce and international foods may be aisles apart.   I'm in Marshall, we only have so much to work with.

Good Morning Muffins

This morning I woke up wanting to make some muffins.  I checked the ever expanding Pioneer Woman Cooks site to find these Good Morning Muffins.  I had orange marmalade on hand from my intentions to make her orange marmalade rolls, but I haven't done it yet.  Anyway, I halved this recipe and I still got twelve muffins that were almost overflowing in their tins, so I have no idea how she only got twelve servings out of her recipe?  Relative to other orange flavored muffins they are good, but they will not be my morning muffin of choice.  I needed something a little sweeter.  I think a little more sugar in the dough would have been great.  Word to the wise...these little jokers smell your house up very quickly and it's almost pungent.  Or at least it was to Luke and myself.  He kept asking me "what's that smell".  They are extremely moist and look great, but just not my thing.  If you enjoy orange flavor and not so sweet in the morning, this would be ideal for you.

*Next time I may add pureed strawberries instead of orange juice?  That may make them taste a bit sweeter.

Taste- 3
Difficulty- 2.5

Oatmeal Crispies with a Twist

I made these oatmeal crispies a couple days ago and they really were so easy and satisfied my sweet tooth just right.  I was extremely happy with the base for this cookie dough.  It is not at all figure friendly, but geez Louise it's yummy.  I love oatmeal raisin cookies so all I did to twist it up was add some raisins.  I saved some dough in the fridge and I will probably make the rest of them while the kids are taking a nap today. 

Another twist, you could probably add peanut butter chips.  That would be great too.

I urge you to try these out one day. 

Taste- 4.5
Difficulty- 2.5

*Just so you hometown Marshall people know...I found organic shortening at Kroger in town, so you can make these cookies completely organic.

Mushroom Swiss Sliders

This week I made Mushroom Swiss Sliders from none other than the Pioneer Woman.  They were soooo delicious.  I made half of them exactly as she says, but my boys and my husband are not a fan of the mushroom and onion chunkiness on top.  I decided I didn't care what they thought and mushrooms and onions are good for you so I put the rest of the mushroom mixture in with the TURKEY meat and cooked them like that.  It sort of disguised the fact that they were eating the veggies but you could still get the good flavor.  The best part of these was the Spicy Fry Sauce.  It's just mayonnaise, cayenne, and ketchup but it adds just a little kick to the burger to fancy it up.

Taste- 4.5
Difficulty- 3

I will make these again sometime for sure!

Italian Cream Cake

About three weeks ago I made the Italian Cream Cake that Pioneer Woman has on her site.  It was one of the more difficult things I have ever made.  You shouldn't really try making this bad boy unless you have a mixer.  A good mixer.  My only other advice, use all the icing.  I thought there was too much and I didn't use it all, that was a mistake. 

Taste- 4 (I wasn't the biggest fan of the actual cake part)
Difficulty - 4.5 (It's messy and there are a LOT of steps)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup tonight and it was FABULOUS.  I was thinking of a few things to tell you while I was making it. 

I use chicken tenders instead of chicken breast.  They are both white meat and a tender is right under a breast on the chicken and it basically is the same thing.  If I am going to be cubing or shredding the cooked chicken it's always easier for me to do with tenders.  Plus I use a dinner fork to hold the chicken down and a salad fork to pull the meat off.  This may be way too detailed, but I find it to be easiest this way and that's what this blog is about. 

I also don't appreciate when a recipe calls for a vegetable to be chopped and then measured in cups...I prefer to be told half an onion or a whole pepper.  Anyway, I used a large green and red bell pepper and the quarter cup diced comes out to half of the pepper.  I would also suggest you use a small white onion and the entire thing diced comes out to about a cup.

I also added between one half and a whole extra teaspoon of cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. 

This soup was so delicious and could ultimately be a very healthy dish if you aren't like me and add in cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  But it was Delightful!

Taste- 4.5
Difficulty- 3.5 (it wasn't hard, it just took a while to cook)

I will make this again.  We have a lot left over and I already told Lance it's what we are eating for dinner tomorrow too.

Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

I made these Potatoes Au Gratin two days ago and they are divine.  I made them exactly as she suggests except I peeled my potatoes and used minced garlic from the jar.  I wouldn't even really consider those exceptions. You should definitely try them out.  Great addition to any meal!

Taste- 4.5
Difficulty-2 (super, super easy)

Sloppy Joes

Lance and I have been wanting these Sloppy Joes for a week or two now.  I absolutely loved this meal!  Delish!  It feels weird using the word DELISH to explain a sloppy joe, but it really was.  I added a little extra chili powder, dry mustard, and worcestershire sauce.  This was such an easy meal and I'll probably be eating one tomorrow for lunch too!

Taste-4.5
Difficulty- 3.0 (only because there is some chopping involved and more than a few ingredients)

Cinnamon Toast the Right Way

I made Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Toast the Right Way this weekend.  It really was yummy, if you want a dessert, I thought it was a little too heavy for a breakfast food.  I know, I know, it's breakfast food, and I am not one to turn down a sweet for breakfast.  I have eaten cinnamon toast my entire life and I typically eat almost an entire loaf of bread when I do.  I think if I had used half the amount of topping than what she suggested it would have been perfect. 

Taste- 4.0 (it was delicious, just a little too much for 8am)
Difficulty-2.0 (very easy)

Spinach Soup with Gruyere

Yesterday I made Pioneer Woman's Spinach Soup with Gruyere.  The thing is, I started doing all the taste testing and adding cayenne, salt, and pepper and I forgot to even add the gruyere cheese in the end.  It was so good that I didn't even notice until I was almost done eating it.  It's very easy to make and really creamy. 

Taste- 4.0
Difficulty-3.5 (only because you have to go back and forth between the blender and the pot)

Monkey Muffins

I made these Monkey Muffins this morning.  I used Grands Jr biscuits and cut them in quarters.  The biscuits come 5 to a can and I filled 6 muffin tins.  I also used a little less butter than the recipe called for.  I wasn't so liberal with the sugar and cinnamon and noticed that you couldn't see any on top once they started to bake so I pulled them out and quickly sprinkled a little more sugar and cinnamon on each then baked them until they were done.  These "muffins" don't take long to cook so don't go too far or you'll over cook them.  Not only are they yummy, but they are perfect individual portion sizes and would probably be awesome for a brunch shower or Sunday School.

Taste- 4.5
Difficulty- 1 (seriously that easy)

Oh, I didn't use the condensed milk.  I can't see how that doesn't make anything even better.  I eat it on sno-cones so I'm not one to knock the sweet milk.

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Holy Guacamole....these little Mini Meatball Sandwiches are the BOMB!

I did everything just as she says, but I used turkey instead of beef.  My mind wants beef but my stomach says "no way".  They were delish!  Lance commented the entire time I was cooking on how good it smelled and how yummy it looked.  He was just as pleased.  I think next time I'll do them like a mini slider pattie.  The meatballs were a little hard to maneuver but it kinda went along with the fun of having a mini sandwich.  Also, I used the panko crumbs because that's what I had on hand, and I used already minced up garlic that you buy in the jar so that way all I had to do was dice half of an onion.

Taste- 5 (oh my, I haven't given anything a 5 yet)
Difficulty- 2.5 (not much to do at all)

Corn Chowder with Green Chilies

I made this Corn Chowder last night and I think it's one of my favorites so far!  It is spicy and I wouldn't suggest it for your children unless they REALLY enjoy spicy food. 
I did used one onion instead of one and a half.  It was perfect.  There was a comment on the recipe page that says they wished they had cooked their bacon a little longer, so I did cook mine a couple minutes longer before adding the vegetables in.


Tastiness- 4.5 (really, it's that good)
Difficulty- 3 (there is some dicing, but really not bad)

Yum Yum Y'all!

Stay Tuned

I'm thinking this week I will be making at least three of Pioneer Woman's recipes.  I've just spent the last hour on the internet looking at food, so this little bitty ol' blog won't disappoint this week.  Come on back now ya hear!