Mini Corn Dog Muffins

In my opinion you can not have chili without cornbread.  Since my husband was bringing chili (see post below) his potluck at work,  I wanted to make something with cornbread to accompany it.  I searched the internet and found the great idea of putting a piece of hotdog in corn muffins.  What genius can up with this idea, I don't know but I would like to thank them!  I love sweet corn bread so that is what I used for my mini corn dog muffins.  I found a great recipe here http://saffronstreaks.com/recipes/southern-honey-cornbread-muffins/  for sweet corn bread muffins.  I doubled the recipe and I got about 18 mini muffins.  Cut each hotdog into six pieces, fill each mini muffin tin with a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop of corn bread mixture then press one piece of hotdog in the middle of each muffin. Bake and enjoy!

Recipe: Southern honeyed corn muffins

Summary: Sweet and tender cornbread muffins in southern style, with honey and sour cream results in more tender crumbs.

The recipe has been adapted from foodnetwork

Ingredients

• Yellow cornmeal : 1/2 cup
• All-purpose flour : 1/2 cup
• Baking powder : 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda : 1/2 tsp
• Brown sugar : 1/4 cup
• Honey : 1/4 cup
• Salt : 1/8 tsp
• Sour cream : 1/2 cup
• Egg : 1
• Butter : 3 tbsp melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 400 F.
2. Grease and flour mini muffin pan.
3. In a bowl sift the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add the melted butter, honey, sugar and sour cream and mix it well.
5. Add the egg-butter-sugar-cream mixture into the flour-cornmeal mixture.
6. With a cutting action mix the dry and wet ingredients together until well incorporated.
7. Do not over mix the batter, it should be lumpy.
8. Divide and spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until done.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Award Winning Chili

My husband was having a pot luck for Super bowl at his work and he signed up to bring chili.  I turned to the internet of course and found this recipe http://www.food.com/recipe/award-winning-chili-105865 It uses both black beans and kidney beans so I decided to try it out.  It didn't hurt that it got really great reviews.  Everyone at my husband's work LOVED it, I must say it is the best chili that I have had! 

Ingredients:
 

1 lb ground venison or 1 lb ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey  (I used 85% lean 15% fat ground beef)
2 onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely chopped
1 (14 ounce) can Mexican-style tomatoes (like Rotel)
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked if you can find it)
1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water (I substituted beef stock & only added about 3/4 cup because we like our chili a bit thick)

 

Toppings

sour cream
cheddar cheese
green onion

Directions:

1.  Cook ground meat with onions and peppers in dutch oven.
2.  Drain excess grease and add tomatoes, seasonings, and beef stock, bring to a boil.
3.  Add beans, cover and simmer 1-2 hours. (I like to cook mine for about 4 hours)
4.  Serve with toppings.

Enjoy!

S'More Cupcakes

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chop With Pork Fried Rice

 

I have been finding lots of great recipes on Pintrest lately.  Here is another one that I tried and will definitely be making again.  I paired it with my Pork Fried Rice which you can find the recipe for on my blog.  The recipe came from this site http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2011/04/double-crunch-honey-garic-pork-chops.html


6 center loin pork chops, well trimmed

Sift together:

1 cup flour 2 tsp salt 2 tsp black pepper 1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger 1 tbsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground thyme 1 tsp ground sage 1 tbsp paprika 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Make an egg wash by whisking together:

2 eggs 4 tbsp water

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then dip the chops in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the chop into the egg wash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the chop to get good contact.

Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chops do not brown too quickly on the outside before they are fully cooked on the inside. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.
Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked chops into the Honey Garlic Sauce. 

Serve with noodles or rice.
Honey Garlic Sauce:
In a medium saucepan add 
2 tbsp olive oil 3 – 4 cloves minced garlic Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. 

Add: 1 cup honey ¼ cup soy sauce 1 tsp ground black pepper

Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

Whale Baby Shower Cake

Salsa Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Wow, I can't believe it has been over a year since I posted anything on here.  I have lots of  recipes to share and pictures that I have on my camera to upload.  Stay tuned for some yummy goodness.  I will start off with a recipe that I found on Pintrest that is now a staple in my house.  I make it at least once a month and always have some in my freezer.  I hope you all enjoy.  Leave me a comment if you try it.

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken breast
1 cup non chunky salsa (if you can't find non chunky puree in the blender or food processor)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package of taco seasoning (I prefer Pioneer brand)
1 cup sour cream
1 small can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn
green onion
tortilla strips
jalapeno jack cheese (or any shredded cheese you prefer, we like heat)

Directions:

1. Place soup and salsa in the slow cooker and stir until well mixed.
2. Add the chicken on top of the soup mixture and sprinkle taco seasoning all over the chicken.
3. Cook on low for about 5-6 hours.  Take the chicken out and shred it in a bowl.
4. Stir in the sour cream to the slow cooker until well blended. Add shredded chicken, beans, and      frozen corn and cook for an additional 45 minutes.
5. Serve over white rice, top with green onion, cheese, and tortilla strips.

* I always double my recipe and freeze the leftovers for those days you don't feel like cooking.

Enjoy!

Korean-Style Spicy Chicken Wings (매운 닭 날개)

Korean-Style Spicy Chicken Wings (매운 닭 날개)
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
5 lbs Chicken wings, separated into wings and drummettes, tips discarded. I used all drummettes for mine.

Marinade
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Sauce
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons red pepper paste (고주장)
2 tablespoons sake (I didn't have sake so I used white wine)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoons roasted sesame seed

Chopped scallions for sprinkling

Method
In a small bowl, mix together marinade ingredients, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and black pepper. Wash chicken wings and pat dry. Rub marinade all over chicken massaging them well. Set aside and allow chicken wings to rest with marinade at least 30 minutes, or overnight. (If you’re going to allow them to sit in the marinade over night, then cover and refrigerate. If you’re going to cook in 30 minutes, leave wings at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 350. Line roasting pan with tin foil. Roast chicken wings for 40 to 50 minutes. While wings are baking, in a small bowl, make the sauce, mixing together honey, soy sauce, red pepper paste, sake, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and sesame seed. Remove wings from oven.

Increase oven temperature to 500. Brush sauce onto each wing, coating fully. Return wings to the oven, cooking for an additional 2 minutes, until sauce begins to caramelize. Remove wings from heat, and spread one more layer of sauce. Return wings to the oven, and allow them to cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. I cooked mine a little longer than this because I like my chicken wings crispy.

Sprinkle wings with scallions.

Sriracha Chicken Strips With Garlic Noodles

I bought some Sriracha at the grocery store and looked up some recipes for it and found these on this blog: http://jennsfoodjourney.blogspot.com/2010/04/sriracha-chicken-strips.html. They are very yummy and spicy but not too spicy! I will be making these again and paired with the garlic noodles this meal was a hit! The garlic noodles can be found here: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2009/12/garlic-noodles-168-recipe-042-serving.html

Sriracha Chicken Strips
Adapted from Life's Ambrosia
Ingredients:
1/3 cup sriracha
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about a pound or a little more)
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

In a bowl combine sriracha, rice vinegar and ginger. Stir in chicken pieces and coat completely. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place baking sheet you will be using in oven as it preheats. (this will help keep the bottom of the chicken crispy). Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set aside.

In one bowl beat an egg. In another bowl combine panko, kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Remove chicken from marinade, dip into egg and then dredge into bread crumbs. Place breaded chicken on prepared wire rack. Repeat process until all chicken is coated.

Once all chicken is breaded bake for 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 minutes, the bread crumbs will brown slightly. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly.
Enjoy!


Garlic Noodles
Ingredients:

8 oz. (1/2 lb.) angel hair pasta
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 bunch green onions chopped
4 tablespoons butter (I used 2 tablespoons of I Can't Believe Its Not Butter but would use 3 tablespoons next time)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used 1 tablespoon of Splenda brown sugar blend)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (I didn't have any so I just put one tablespoon of Sriracha)

Directions:

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil to cook the noodles according to the directions on the box (enough water to cover noodles, boil for approximately 5 minutes)
• While the pasta cooks, mince the garlic and chop the green onions. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add the garlic and onions and saute until they are soft but not browned.
• While the pasta, garlic and onions are cooking, mix the oyster sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil together in a bowl.
• Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it in a colander. Remove the skillet with the sauteed garlic and green onions from the heat. Add the drained pasta and oyster sauce mixture to the skillet and stir well to coat the pasta. If your pasta is stiff or sticky making it hard to stir, mix in a small amount (1/4 cup or less) of hot water to loosen them up.

Enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

I saw this recipe on another food blog that I follow and had to try it. I loved the fact that they were baked so that was an added bonus for me! These are a must try and a great idea for a Super Bowl party. You can find this and more great recipes on this blog: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/sweet-and-spicy-chicken-wings/

Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

Yield: about 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken wings and drums
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup honey, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot
2 teaspoons Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large jellyroll or broiler pan with foil and place a metal rack on top of the foil. Spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Rinse the wings in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Arrange wings on metal rack and season with pepper.

4. Place wings in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the wings from the oven and brush the wings with ½ cup honey. Be sure to glaze both side of the wings, using metal tongs to turn.

5. Place wings back into the oven, set the timer for 30 minutes, and prepare the sauce.

6. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, remaining 1/2 cup of honey, Frank’s Red Hot, Sriracha, cayenne, and garlic powder; whisk to combine.

7. While the wings are baking, periodically baste both sides of the wings with the sauce (about every ten minutes). Once the timer goes off, crank the heat up to 400 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Notes:

- Lining your pan with foil will save you a lot of work, trust me, you don’t want to skip this step. Baked honey and a pan equals a hot mess!
- Control the level of heat by increasing or decreasing the amount of amount of cayenne and Sriracha.
- Things may get a little smoky during the last 15 minutes of cooking, so be sure to turn your ventilation system on.
- Sriracha is typically found in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store.

Enjoy.

Cream Sauce Pasta With Pancetta

I had leftover pancetta from making the green beans so I thought I would try another one of Laura Vitale's pasta recipes that used pancetta in it. This was very yummy and the leftovers were just as good! Here is the link to her website: http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/arch/pasta_cream_pancetta.html

Ingredients:

Serves 4

8 oz of Pancetta, cut into small pieces
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Carton Chopped Tomatoes
1 lb of Pasta, preferably a tube shaped pasta
1 Tbsp of Fresh Parsley, chopped
½ cup of Heavy Cream
½ cup of Parmiggiano Reggiano, freshly grated

Directions:

1) Fill a large pot with water and give it a generous sprinkling of salt, bring to a boil.

2) In a large skillet with high sides over medium high heat, add the pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden and crispy around the edges, add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened (this is the perfect time to add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to packaged instructions, drain a set aside.)

3) Once the sauce has thickened, add the heavy cream and cook for a couple more minutes.

4) Taste the sauce and season with a bit of salt and pepper, add the parsley and parmiggiano and give astir, add the cooked pasta and stir until the pasta is all coated with the creamy sauce.

Enjoy!

Banana Nut Bread

What do you do when you have ripe bananas in the house, you make banana nut bread of course! This was a great way to make sure my husband had breakfast in the morning. I found this recipe from a food blog that I follow: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/BananaBread.html

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup (115 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)

1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 ripe large bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen.

Makes 1 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

Tuna Onigiri

One of my husband's favorite snacks in Okinawa was onigiri with tuna inside, that he would get from the convenient store. He hasn't had them since we have been here in Korea; which I am sure they have something similar but he isn't familiar with them here. I decided to try and make them for him. He liked them, which made me very happy! :)

Ingredients:
One small can of tuna
Mayo or Miracle Whip (in our house)
One cup and a half of white sticky rice, still warm
Two large sheets of seaweed
Salt
Rice seasoning (dried vegetables and seaweed) if desired

Directions:

• Make your rice and measure out the rice (sprinkle your seasoning at this point) and divide it in half.
  
• Make your tuna to your desired taste of mayo, salt, and if you want spice you can add cayenne pepper.
• Get a bowl of water and place it at your work station.
• Lay out one sheet of seaweed.
• Get your hand wet so the rice doesn't stick to them. Grab half of the rice in one hand press down so it is a thin layer and make a well in the middle, put half the tuna in this well.
• Start folding the rice over the tuna so you have the tuna in the middle and the rice on the outside.
• Keep wetting your hands as needed.
• Press the ball into a triangle shape by making a triangle with your first fingers and thumbs and shaping it.
• Place your triangle on the sheet of seaweed on the top middle with the tip of the triangle at the top of the seaweed.
• Fold the left corner down towards the right bottom and the right side towards the left bottom.
  
• Pull the bottom up and tuck the sides in on each side.
• Repeat these steps with the remaining rice, tuna, and seaweed.
  

Enjoy!!!

Meatloaf

I remember back in 2006 watching the Oprah show when Billy Joel's then wife Katie made this recipe. I was never a huge meatloaf fan but, after trying it I was hooked! I normally cut the recipe in half and make a one pound meatloaf but you may want to just make the recipe as is. The leftovers can be frozen or you can make a meatloaf sandwiches! The recipe can be found on Oprah's site as well. http://www.oprah.com/food/Katie-Joels-Meat-Loaf

Meatloaf

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion , diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic , minced (this time I roasted a head of garlic & used that instead of this step)
  
• 1 medium red pepper , finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 large eggs , lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs or panko
  
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray lightly with oil.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic and bay leaf until the onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until the red pepper is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and let the onion mixture cool. Discard the bay leaf.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, eggs, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and the cooled vegetables. Use your hands to mix everything together.

Transfer the mixture to the center of the baking sheet and form into a loaf. Coat the meat loaf with the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup.

Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depending on the shape of your loaf), until the meat loaf is firm. Let set for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken & Balsamic Green Beans with Pancetta & Garlic

Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 2

Ingredients
8 oz Fettuccine
2 Thin Pieces of Chicken Cutlets
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp of Butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light)
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Instructions:

1) Bring a large pot filled with water up to a boil and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Add fettuccine and cook according to packaged directions. Drain the pasta once cooked and set aside.

2) Season both sides of the chicken with the garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.

3) In a medium non stick sauté pan with high sides, over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the seasoned chicken and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and cut into bite size pieces.

4) In the same pan add the heavy cream and reduce it for 5 minutes. Add the parmigiano and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the cut chicken and drained pasta. Give everything a big toss and dig in right away!

If you thought you could not get that rich and delicious restaurant quality fettuccine alfredo at home, you were so wrong! Fettuccine Alfredo is probably one of the easiest and inexpensive things to make and it always taste so much better when you make it yourself, that way you can control the quality of ingredients and the quantity of salt.

I think the next time I make this I will add peas.

Balsamic Green Beans with Pancetta & Garlic

Ingredients:

Fresh or frozen whole green beans, boiled for 3 minutes in salted water then drained
3 oz. pancetta chopped, it is easier to work with if you put it in the freezer for 30 mins. before cutting.
2 cloves sliced garlic
Red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions:

• In a big skillet heat olive oil and add pancetta, cook for 3-4 minutes or until brown
• Add red pepper flakes to taste and garlic, cook until the garlic is a golden color
• Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and it get thicker.
• Add green beans and stir
• Season with salt and pepper and top with additional balsamic vinegar if desired.

Enjoy!

Crepes

I love finding new recipes on Youtube because you can see people actually cooking things. I made these crepes on Christmas Eve after finding a great channel there. I have since made two other recipes from her channel that I will be posting and everything I have made has been amazing! Please do yourself a favor and check out her channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIc2E3uvBMA

Crepes:

Ingredients

1 cup of All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
¼ tsp Salt
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 cup Whole Milk

Preparation

1) Place the first 6 ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth and no lumps appear.

2) Preheat a 9 inch non stick skillet (or a crepe pan) on medium heat and spray with the nonstick cooking spray. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup scoop the batter into the pan tilting the pan in a circular motion coating the surface evenly .(the crepes take about 30 seconds a side to cook) Continue the same process with the rest of the batter.

3) Once the crepes are all done, top with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Topped with Korean Sauce & Served with Sweet Potato Fries

My husband and I wanted something different for our cheeseburgers. I love the sauce that I make for the Korean Fried Chicken and thought it might be good on a burger. I was not disappointed and would try it again.

Korean Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Ketchup
2 Tbsp Honey or Corn Syrup(I used Corn Syrup)
1 Tbsp (Sugar, Finely Chopped Onion, Cooking Wine)
1 tsp (Red Pepper Paste, Mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip), Sesame seeds)
1/2 Tbsp (Minced Garlic, Olive Oil)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Pinch Black Pepper

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Once it starts to boil turn it down a little and cook until thickened.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes Tipped with Homemade Caramel Sauce & Chopped Pecans

I have a recipe for pumpkin pancakes and it calls for using the pancake mix in the box where you just add water. On Saturday morning my husband and I were so excited for these pancakes. I open the box and measure out one cup of mix, to my horror there are bugs!!!!! I was so upset but I was also so determined to make these pancakes. I saw that my new favorite place to get recipes, Laura In The Kitchen http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/arch/pumpkin_pancakes.html had a recipe for them and they were made from scratch. I did like this recipe very much and I paired it with my topping I normally make with my pumpkin pancakes, caramel sauce with chopped pecans. I am not a pumpkin fan but I do like these very much and it is awesome year round but especially during the holidays!

Pumpkin Pancakes: Serves 3-4 Ingredients 1 cup of Flour 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Regular Sugar ½ tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice ½ tsp Salt ½ cup of Evaporated Milk (you can use regular milk, just omit the water, this is what I did) ¼ cup of Water 1 egg 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil ½ cup Pumpkin Puree Preparation, 1) Preheat a griddle or a non stick skillet over medium heat and spray it with non stick cooking spray or brush it with melted butter. 2) In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. 3) In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together to make sure everything is well combined. 4) Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, pour your pancake batter on the preheated and greased griddle. 5) Cook for about a couple minutes on each side or until cooked through. 6) Serve warm drizzled with homemade caramel sauce with chopped pecans. Caramel Pecan Topping: Ingredients: 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup light corn syrup 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 chopped pecans Instructions: Put all of the ingredient except the pecans in a saucepan. When all the pancakes are done put them on individual plates. Heat the sauce until it boils. Remove from the heat and add the pecans. Drizzle over pancakes. Enjoy!

Skirt Steak In Galbi Marinade with Corn Tomalito & Vigo Spanish Rice

Recipe Coming Soon...

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

I have been on a quest for the PERFECT pizza dough. I do have to say that this is the best I have tasted so far. The pizza that we made with this was delicious! I have one other one that I am going to be trying and I will share how that one is once I try it. I would recommend this one for sure! I can't believe it has taken me this long to make pizza at home. I will be doing it much more now that I know how easy it is and how much better than ones you order it is.
I found this dough recipe on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH1j7IwiTvw , this is great because you can see a video on exactly how to do it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp dried yeast (1 pkg.)
pinch of sugar
4 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
extra oil for brushing

Directions:

1. In a bowl put the warm water & add a pinch of sugar then, add the yeast. Mix the yeast and water together and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl add flour and salt, mix. Make a well in the middle of the flour and into the well add the olive oil then, the yeast mixture.
3. Don't stir the mixture but take a butter knife and drag it back and forth cutting into the mixture until it is mixed. (Until your ingredients are blended together, it will not be smooth)
4. Take your hands and mix the dough
5. Flour a working surface and knead your dough until it is soft.
6. In the bottom of a clean bowl coat with a light layer of olive oil and place your kneaded dough in the bowl and brush the ball of dough with some olive oil so you do not form a skin on it.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it for 30 minutes in a warm area. I like to put mine in the oven with only the light on.
8. Roll your dough out and add your favorite sauce and toppings!

Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

I had some leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving and used them to make this. I came across a new recipe for mashed potatoes and here is the link to the blog where I found it . http://www.mylifeasamrs.com/2011/10/creamy-mashed-red-potatoes.html/img_2686 I normally just use butter, heavy cream, and salt & pepper but his new recipe called for sour cream. They were very good and I would use this recipe again. Check out the blog above, she has some really yummy looking recipes!

Creamy Mashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 pounds petite red potatoes
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
8 ounces light sour cream (may sub regular)
4 tablespoons skim milk (may sub whole milk)
1-2 teaspoons salt
black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Rinse potatoes and add them to the bottom of a large pot (Note: if some of much bigger than the others, cut them in half). Cover with cold water and salt the water with 2-3 teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until fork tender (a fork should pierce them easily). Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.

Drain potatoes and them place into a large bowl. Add butter and beat with a hand mixer until potatoes are nice and crumbled. Add milk and sour cream and continue to mix until smooth, adding salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you salt them well - there is nothing worse than bland potatoes!

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

Mashed potatoes prepared with the recipe above
1 white onion, peeled and diced
2 tsp garlic minced
1 pound ground beef
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 gravy pack
1 cup water

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas

*sorry for the spaces, blogger was giving me problems!

Directions:

1. Heat a little oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes
2. Add the carrot and the ground beef (broken up)
3. Cook for a couple minutes and season with salt and pepper
4. Once the beef has browned add the gravy package with the amount of water it recommends on the back of the package.
5. Mix very well and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook until it is thickened
6. Add the frozen peas and corn
7. In a 9 x 9 casserole or glass dish put the beef mixture and top with mashed potatoes so there is a good thick layer. With a fork run it across horizontally and vertically on the top of the mashed potatoes.
8. Top with cheese and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 or 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!