Parmesan Zucchini and Sweet Corn

Well, well. It's been a while since I'e posted a recipe on here. BUT, due to my excess zucchini and sweet corn this past week, this recipe came along at a good time. It's incredibly easy, but pretty tasty as well. It makes a really great side, especially in the summer time. 

There's not much more to say about this one since it IS so simple... But I will definitely be making it again. 

ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 zucchinis (cubed)
• 2 c. sweet corn
• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
• Juice from one lime
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Drizzle oil in a pan, allowing to warm up to medium heat. Add garlic and allow to cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
2. Add zucchini, corn, and cilantro. Then spices and lime juice.
3. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the zucchini is soft.
4. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Oh yum. This recipe is definitely a new favorite of mine. Since you can make it in the crock pot, it's super easy and super delicious. And best of all...it's healthy (from Skinny Taste)! Busy lives make crock pot meals the best. It's always nice to get home after a long day with dinner all ready to eat.

I think Santa Fe Chicken is usually served over rice, but there are healthier alternatives to rice (and yummier). I served it over zucchini "noodles." (I don't have a spiraler, so instead I just use a potato peeler to make extremely thin, long slices of zucchini.) Anyways, zucchini, topped with quinoa, then topped with the crock pot chicken made for a pretty tasty combination! You can also put it all into a tortilla for a wrap of sorts if you like. 

As you can see by the photo, Louisiana Hot Sauce makes this meal EVEN better. I swear, I have found a new love for this stuff. Also top with reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, fat free sour cream, and a few chunks of avocado. YUM.

Here you go!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 14.4 oz. can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz. can black beans (reduced sodium)
• 14 oz. bag frozen corn
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz. can fat free chicken broth (reduced sodium)
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (besides chicken breasts) in crock pot.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and lay on top of mixture
3. Cook on low for 10 hours (or on high for 6). One hour before serving, take chicken out of crock pot, shred, and return to crock pot for one more hour.

The Best Basics | Cupcakes & Buttercream Frosting

Even when presented with fancy pants cupcakes, people seem to go back to the basics. As overall crowd pleasers, you usually don't have to worry about whether or not people will eat the cupcakes when they are plain and simple (yet delicious, of course). So here are the best Chocolate Cupcakes and White Cupcakes that I have found so far. They are modified box cake recipes, which originally made me feel a little lazy, but I have since found out that many bakeries do this for their specialty recipes as well. 

They are both very different from each other, aside from only flavor. The chocolate cupcakes recipe is actually taken from bundt cake recipe I probably got from Allrecipes.com. Bundt cakes - at least in my experience - are usually a more dense, rich cake, which is obviously no different in cupcake form. BUT, as I posted in my last cupcake recipe, I like a more muffiny cupcake, so I love the heaviness of this recipe. The white cake recipe is much lighter and fluffier, but still satisfying and very smooth.

The nice thing about these recipes is that you can experiment with different flavored frostings and if you're feelin extra ambitious, different flavored fillings. These cupcakes pictured below were made for my second-cousin, Evan's 1st birthday party (which was clearly baseball-themed). The baseballs were white cake, filled with raspberry jam, topped with almond buttercream. And the grass-colored cupcakes were chocolate cake, filled with a dollop of Nutella, topped with coconut buttercream, and a Tootsie Roll baseball glove. 

You could experiment even more with these cupcakes, filling them with ANY type of pie filling or jam or even peanut butter (!!) for the chocolate cupcakes. There are also maaany many types of extracts out there, ranging from maple and hazelnut to raspberry and lemon.

Start with these solid cupcake recipes and GO CRAZY.

Chocolate Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. Devil's Food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix cake mix and chocolate pudding mix. Add sour cream, vegetable oil, beaten eggs, and warm water. Mix well.
3. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Fill cupcake tins 1/2 - 3/4 full. 
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cupcake tops feel springy to the touch.

White Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. White cake mix
• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1-1/3 c. water
• 1 c. sour cream
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 egg whites (3/4 c. "All Whites")

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix together cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt. Add water, sour cream, vegetable oil, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg whites. Mix well for 4 minutes.
3. Fill cupcake tins 1/2 - 3/4 full.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cupcake tops feel springy to the touch.

(*Note: cupcake cook times may vary. Usually, I set a timer for 15 minutes and gauge my time from there, keeping a close eye on them until they are finished baking.)

Basic Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter, softened (or 1/2 c. butter + 1/2 c. shortening)
• 1 tsp. vanilla (or other extract)
• 5 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 c. milk

Directions:

1. Cream butter with electric mixer until smooth.
2. Add vanilla and mix well. 
3. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and milk - alternating additions. 
4. Add more milk or powdered sugar depending on desired consistency.

Cranberry Orange Cupcakes

This recipe...is probably my favorite cupcake. EVER. I made some of these for my friend Erica to sample for her wedding cupcakes and I was sold. Orange and cranberry have always been a favorite flavor combination of mine (clearly...this Cranberry Almond Biscotti recipe is my GO-TO recipe - with craisins, orange zest, and almond - YUM).

I like my cupcakes more muffin-y...and these cupcakes do the trick. :) They are sweet, a little tart, and just plain tasty. The best thing about them is that they are pretty easy to make. The original recipe from The Cake Blog was a tinsy bit more complicated, needing a few special ingredients (i.e. cake flour), but I found that you can compromise and these still taste fantastic. 

The Candied Cranberries (optional - although, I do believe they look pretty pretty):

(*Note also: you will have to make these at least one day in advance so that they have time to harden a bit.)

Ingredients:

• 3-3/4 c. sugar, divided
• 1-3/4 c. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 orange
• 12 oz. fresh cranberries

Directions:

1. In medium sauce pan, over medium heat, mix together 2-1/2 c. sugar, water, vanilla, and orange zest. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved.
2. Remove pan from heat and add cranberries, stirring to coat evenly.
3. Cover cranberries in pan with a small plate so that the berries are pushed into the syrup. Once cool, refrigerate overnight.
4. Strain the cranberries from the syrup. Use remaining 1-1/4 c. sugar to coat the berries by shaking them in a rimmed dish to coat evenly. Once coated, remove from sugar and let dry on baking trap for at least an hour.

The Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 3 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. butter
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Zest + juice of 1 orange
• 1 c. milk
• 1-1/2 c. fresh cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
3. In separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. 
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
5. Add vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice.
6. Switch off adding milk and the flour mixture until just mixed. Then fold in the cranberries.
7. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 - 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cupcake tops feel springy to the touch.

The Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 c. butter
• 2 lbs. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp. juice of orange

Directions:

1. Using a mixer, mix butter and cream cheese until smooth. 
2. Add vanilla and orange zest.
3. Gradually add in powdered sugar until the desired consistency has been reached - it may take more or less depending on your personal preference. 

White Bean Chicken Chili & Sweet Cornbread

I was looking for a good white chili recipe and found one from Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network. Aside from looking delicious, coming from Giada, it also meant that it was likely a fairly healthy recipe. (Score.) With a few modifications,  I think this is my new favorite chili recipe.  

When you think of chili, I know that peoples' minds typically go to thick, red, meaty recipes, but I think more people should give white chilis a try, cause this one is a real winner. This chili is full of flavor and spice, and the Swiss chard and fennel add a whole new dimension. It's just good stuff is what it is. 

Pair some sweet cornbread with a big bowl and you've got yourself one tasty meal.

The Chili

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 2 (15 oz.) cans reduced-sodium cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1-1/2 c. frozen corn
• 4 c. low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Grated Parmesan cheese and parsley for topping

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large pot at medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add chicken and salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Stir well and allow to cook for approximately 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
3. Add flour and stir. Then add beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. 
4. Bring chili to a simmer for 1 hour. Then add crushed red pepper flakes and allow to simmer for 10 more minutes.
5. Serve chili with topping of Parmesan and parsley.

The Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 9 tbsp. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 c. biscuit baking mix
• 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 c. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Add vanilla and mix.
4. Add biscuit baking mix and cornmeal. Then add milk. Mix well.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Grandma's Reuben Casserole

Curtis loves Reuben sandwiches. I think he would claim that they are his favorite food...next to brats of course. :P My grandma had asked me probably 20 times if I had tried to make her casserole recipe yet, so last night I finally decided I would. So easy to make - I already have it memorized and I definitely will make it again.

I bought the "normal" ingredients this time around, but you could "skinny" it up a little bit by buying Fat Free Thousand Island dressing or by cutting back on the cheese, but I think it's fine just the way it is...maybe even with a little bit of extra cheese in my opinion. 

Another note, I only made this last night, so I am curious to see how left-overs taste today, what with the bread likely being on the soggy side now. I think I'll reheat it by putting some in the toaster oven instead of the microwave, in hopes of getting the rye bread to toast up a bit again. We'll see how that goes. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz.) can sauerkraut, drained
• 1 c. Thousand Island Dressing
• 1 lb. deli corn beef
• 2 c. Swiss cheese
• Rye bread, buttered on one side

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Mix sauerkraut and dressing together and smooth in even layer into greased 9 x 13 dish.
3. Cut or shred beef into smaller pieces and layer on top of dressing and sauerkraut. Then top with Swiss cheese.
4. Cover with slices of rye bread, buttered side up.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until bread is toasted and cheese is bubbly.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I think these are my favorite cookies of all time. And they don't even have peanut butter in them! (Crazy.) These cookies are super flavorful, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and can clearly pass for breakfast, because let's face it...it's basically oatmeal topped with cranberries. (Highly nutritious. Let's just keep telling ourselves that.) 

Anyways, these make really great cookies, they freeze well, and the dough tastes amazing pre-baked. ;) And as a side note, in my experience with these cookies, they taste EVEN better if you allow 24 chill time in the refrigerator before baking. 

Enjoy! This one is a winner.

Ingredients: 

• 1-1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. old fashioned oats
• 2 c. dried cranberries
• 2 c. white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Using mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. 
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Then add vanilla.
5. Slowly add flour mixture until incorporated. Then add oats. 
6. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.
7. Spoon 1.5" inch balls onto baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes until tops start to turn a golden brown.

Cheeseburger Pizza

So this is pretty manly pizza, but it's fantastic. I put a few different recipes I found online together, made some small modifications and came up with this delicious thing to use up some of the plethora of left-over burgers we have sitting in our fridge. I would have NEVER ordered a pizza like this at a restaurant, but having tried this one, I will definitely consider it next time. 

This recipe is super easy and takes no time at all. No waiting for the bread machine to make your pizza dough, no buying dry crusts at the grocery store. What you're left with is a really flavorful pizza and flaky crust. YUM!

Ingredients:

The Crust:

• 2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2/3 c. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

The Toppings:

• 3/4 lb. ground beef, browned
• 8 slices of cooked bacon (optional)
• 2/3 c. ketchup
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno, diced with seeds
• shredded lettuce and diced dill pickles for topping

Directions:

1. Sift together flour and salt in large bowl. Add butter and mix with pastry cutter or hands until the mixture is crumbly.
2. In a small bowl, mix sugar and water. Add yeast and cover with saran wrap until mixture is frothy.
3. Add yeast to dry mixture and mix until together. Then turn over onto floured surface and knead until smooth (about a minute). Form into ball and allow to rest for 30 minutes, covered with a damp towel.
4. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If using a baking stone, heat with stone inside.
5. After dough has rested, roll out into a 14" circle on a floured surface. Transfer dough to heated stone or parchment lined baking sheet. Poke holes in with fork and bake for 5 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to 425 and take the stone and crust out of the oven. Top with ketchup and mustard mixture, then top with remaining toppings (besides the lettuce and pickles).
7. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until cheese has melted and crust is golden brown.
8. Top with shredded lettuce and dill pickles and enjoy!

Gramma Cabaj's Meatballs

This is what home tastes like to me. Every time I come home to Sheboygan, we have one of two things...steak or spaghetti. And with Grandma Cabaj's meatball recipe, I wouldn't have it any other way.  They are simple to make, use ingredients you always have on hand, and are de-licious to eat. 

So here's a short and simple post for meatballs that are 10 times as yummy as the ones you buy in a bag in the freezer section. Don't be a lazy putz...

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4.c water (less/more depending)
• 1 egg
• Dash red pepper flakes
• Dash garlic powder
• Dash Italian seasoning 

Directions:

1. Mix above ingredients in bowl with hands.
2. Roll into 1" to 1-1/2" balls and place in skillet. Brown on medium-high heat - no need to cook through. 
3. Place into pot with spaghetti sauce and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. *Note: Sometimes I put meatballs in crockpot on low for 5+ hours, turning to high for the last hour. 

PB & Banana Doggie Treats

Dog's need homemade goodies too, right? These little dog treats are incredibly easy to make and can be made with things you probably already have on hand. This recipe was taken from Allrecipes.com.

Ada LOVES peanut butter. So goes crazy for it (much like me). We usually let her lick on a spoonful of the stuff while we clip her toenails. She goes after it like it like a mad dog. Her eyes go wide, her mouth waters, and peanut butter goes flying everywhere. So these peanut butter and banana treats are a real winner.

You also get much more bang for your buck. I usually buy the Bil Jac PBnanas dog treats at Pet Smart when they are on sale for around $3 for a 4 oz. bag. I got all the ingredients at Woodman's yesterday for under $15. And I could make manyyy batches of these with the supply I bought. But like I said, chances are...you probably have most of this on hand - with the exception of maybe the whole wheat flour and wheat germ ($3.50 and $2.50...not bad).

This is also a really great way to use up over-ripe bananas that have been sitting in your freezer far too long. 

This makes a lot of treats, so you may want to consider freezing half of the batch. Your dog will probably want to eat them in a matter of seconds, but portion control is probably better. (That's what I always say...psh!)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. mashed banana
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ (* Note: If you don't want to use wheat germ, you can probably use oatmeal to get the same nutritional benefits. Quick oats may be best for consistency purposes.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine egg, peanut butter, mashed banana, and honey. Mix thoroughly. Add flour and wheat germ.
3. Roll dough to 1/4" on floured surface. Cut into desired shapes or just cut roughly into small pieces and place on cookie sheet. 
4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti

I love lemon. I love biscotti. And I LOVE this recipe.

I think it came from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I'm not quite sure what to say about this recipe because it was DELICIOUS pretty easy for a biscotti recipe. Usually biscotti dough is super sticky and hard to work with, but the dough from this recipe was very easy to handle. Unlike my Cranberry Almond Biscotti which turns out more scone-like (but still yummy), this recipe was true to biscotti form - light and crunchy.

If I liked tea, I be this would be very good with a side of hot tea. :)

Ingredients:

Biscotti:

• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg  + 1 egg white
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 2 c. poppy seeds
• Melted butter and  coarse sugar for topping

Glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. milk

(Note: Add more lemon juice or milk to achieve desired consistency.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using mixer, beat butter on high for 30 seconds. 
3. Add sugar, basking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then add egg, egg white, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. 
4. Add flour and poppy seeds. Mix to combine.
5. Prepare two 7" x 2" logs on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow biscotti to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Place slices on baking sheet, cut side down, and bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Let cool and drizzle with glaze.

Dark Chocolate Grasshopper Cake

It's the season of Shamrock Shakes at good old Mickey D's...which tempts me every time a drive past the golden arches. Sigh... Instead, I made some grasshopper cake for Valentine's Day and I do believe it turned out pretty great. At least, that's what my stomach tells me after careful testing.

It's a pretty simple cake that can be made mostly with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Bonus. The problem with this dessert is that it's "refreshing"...which makes you want to have a little "refresher" more than once in a day. Grasshopper Cake for breakfast, grasshopper cake for lunch, and grasshopper cake for dinner. Yeah, it just might happen.

It's also suuuper easy to make. I didn't even need to whip out the Kitchenaid for this one.

Now, my presentation is pretty terrible, but appearance isn't always everything...

Next time, I'd like to make these as cupcakes. Perhaps with a Thin Mint garnish. Yum.

Ingredients: 

The cake:

• 1-3/4 c. flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1 c. strong black coffee (cooled)
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

The peppermint icing:

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softed
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• A couple drops of green food coloring

For the glaze:

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. 
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, black coffee, oil, and vanilla.
4. Bake in 9x13 pan for approximately 35 minutes.
5. For icing, mix butter, powdered sugar, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring until it reaches your desired consistency, adding more powdered sugar or milk as needed.
6. Allow cake to cool before icing.
7. For glaze, combine butter, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth and drizzle over the top of the cake.

Zucchini & Greens with Sauteed Veggies

A healthy post, from me? What? This was just an experimentation, but I thought it turned out pretty good, so I wanted to share it. 

So make it and tell me if you like it - or what you'd change. The great thing about it is that you get a HEAPING plate of food for less than 350 calories. YUM!

Ingredients:

• 1 small zucchini
• 1 c. fresh spinach
• 1/4 c. Bush's Black Beans (reduced sodium)
• 1 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 c. green onion, chopped
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Seasonings of choice
• 1/2 avocado, chopped

Top With:

• Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (my favorite!)
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Using a potato peeler, peel the zucchini into "noodle-like" strips until you have approximately 1 cup. Place on plate, topped with spinach and black beans.
2. Heat medium fry pan on medium heat. Drizzle small amount of olive oil in pan. Add mushrooms, pepper, green onion, and seasoning of choice (I used Salt-Free Mrs. Dash Italian Herb and some home-made seasoning salt). Saute until tender and then empty onto zucchini, spinach, and beans.
3. Top with chopped avocado, dressing, and Parmesan cheese.