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