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)