Old Fashioned Buttercream Flour Frosting

If you do not like super sweet frosting this is the icing for you! I heard about it from Pioneer Woman. I just read her book and I am now addicted to her blog!

Here is the step by step (with photos) instructions on her blog-

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/2010/03/a-tasty-recipe-thats-the-best-frosting-ive-ever-had/

I used it to top my WASC Red Velvet Cupcakes!

White Velvet Cake

My dear daughter laying on the icing!

Ingredients
•1 box white cake mix (I prefer Pillsbury)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup sourcream
1 4oz box white chocolate pudding
1-1/4 cups White Chocolate Mocha coffee creamer (Internation Delight)
1/3 cup oil
4 egg whites
1 tsp clear vanilla (you can use pure vanilla but it won’t be a pure white cake)

Instructions
Sift dry ingrediants together mix in wet until combined, continue to mix on medium for 2 mins.
Bake at 325 degrees until toothpick comes out clean.
This recipe can be doubled.
It does’nt rise as high as other cakes so make sure to fill you pans 2/3 or a bit more.

Back to School means Back to Crock Pots!

Ingredients
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast


Directions
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
Cook on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.


I like to add some carrots and potatoes a few hours before it is done.

Cherry Dump Cake

This is one of my favorites! The recipe can be found at http://cookingwithcarrie.blogspot.com/2010/01/cherry-dump-cake.html

I like to sprinkle some chopped nuts on top! Try it! It is sure to become a family favorite in your house too!

Apple Cream Cheese Dessert

I was looking for something to make with a roll of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls last night and made up a recipe. It came out awesome.

1 roll of Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 8oz block of cream cheese softened

1/2 c white sugar

3 apples, chopped

1 t lemon juice

1/2 c brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

Heat oven to 375. Separate the dough into 2 long rectangles. Place the dough in an ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan; press in bottom to form crust. Seal perforations by pressing them together.
Bake the crust at 375 for about 7 minutes.

In small bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar & vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture over partially baked crust.

Toss chopped apples in lemon juice then toss with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle apples over the top of the crust and "sauce"

Bake at 375 for an extra 25-3o minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm

Store in the fridge.

The best caramel corn recipe ever!

Happiness in my oven!

This amazing buttery caramel coated popcorn melts in your mouth and is super addictive. It takes a while to make but it is well worth the wait! For a little something extra add in peanuts or drizzle with chocolate.





This is the original recipe but I have changed to make it even better.






INGREDIENTS


1/2 cup real butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 bags buttery microwave popcorn popped and kernels picked out( you can use regular popcorn but it is not as good)





Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and pour on to wax paper. Let cool completely before breaking into pieces. DO NOT LET COOL IN PAN! It will stick.

How I make Bacon Bits!

Cut the bacon in as small pieces using a pair of scissors.

In a skillet ( I ONLY use iron skillets) cook the bacon on medium heat, stirring frequently.

Bacon cut up small can burn very quickly, so don’t walk away from the pan.

Cook until the bacon is nice and evenly colored

Remove bacon from skillet and let drain in a bowl lined with paper towels.

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cheescake Bites

These are so good and perfect for sweet craving when you are on a low carb diet.

1 8 oz block Cream Cheese (softened)

1 c chunky sugar free peanut butter

1/4 cup splenda

A Coating- unsweet cocoa powder, unsweet coconut, crushed almonds.......

Mix all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer.

Scrap down sides of bowl as needed.

Chill the mixture in the fridge for approx. 30 minutes.

Then roll the mixture into 3/4-inch balls. Then, roll the balls in (coating of choice) to coat them and then chill them for an additional 15 minutes or so before serving.

Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche

This is another one of my low carb recipes. We love this one! Try it topped with salsa.

1 lb. very lean hamburger
1 small chopped onion
4 slices crisp-cooked bacon, chopped in bits
3 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup half-n-half
8 oz. shredded Cheddar or swiss cheese

( I like to double this recipe and make in a 9 by 13 pan)

Brown hamburger in skillet with onion. Remove and mix in bowl with bacon pieces, breaking up any larger clumps with a fork or pastry mixer until you have a fine mix. Drain well of any excess grease and press into the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan. Set aside.Preheat oven to 350°F.Combine remaining ingredients in mixer bowl and whip well. Pour mixture over beef "crust" and bake 40-45 minutes until top is browned and "set." Cool 15-20 minutes before slicing. This can be packaged in plastic bags or plastic containers for meals quickly microwaved over the next 3-5 days. (Does not freeze well, though.)

Serves 6. 2 grams per serving

Garlic Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp

I am not going to write a full recipe on this because it just something I invented late last night while I was hungry. I can tell you all I did was cooked the zucchini, shrimp, some garlic, butter, and fresh parsley in a skillet. I added a dash of salt and pepper at the end.

I can tell you that I LOVE my Titan Peeler and Julienne tool. It makes the best julienne veggies I have ever seen. I use it all the time! I bought mine off a TV but you can find them online and at some stores.

Fajitas

1 lb of flank steak or skirt steak ( You could also use chicken breast)

1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced

1 Large Bell Pepper

Claude's Fajita Marinade ( this has NO carbs!)

1 Set the steak in the marinade and let it sit 4 - 24 hours. The longer you let it set it tends to get spicy. I like to do mine in a ziploc bag.

2 Heat to high heat a large cast iron pan . Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. If pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium high. Remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes.

3 Reduce the pan heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the onions, bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent.

4 Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. If you slice the meat at a slanted angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin. Add the meat to the onions and bell pepper and toss together.

5 Serve immediately with shredded cheese, salsa, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and warm flour tortillas.

Cucumber Ranch Salsa

INGREDIENTS
3 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and chopped
5 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, chopped
3 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 package ranch dressing mix (dry)

In a medium bowl, stir together the cucumbers, tomatoes, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, pepper, ranch dressing mix, and salt.

Cover and refrigerate for at lease 1 hour.

Serve with tortilla chips

Ranch Pork Chops

1/4 c oil

1/8 vinegar

1/8 c sugar

1 dry ranch dressing mix

Pork Chops ( I used 8 small ones)

Mix oil, vinegar, sugar, and dressing mix in a ziploc bag. Throw in chops and marinade for at lease 8 hours. Bake at 350 until done.

I like to put the in the bag and throw them in the freezer. I take them out to defrost and by time they defrost they are ready to cook.

Roasted Veggies

Daily Harvest

My kiddos selling the extra veggies. (Yes, my middle one has her shoes on the wrong feet.)

Our garden is over flowing with veggies. That means that we eat them every day. This is my favorite way to serve them.

Veggies, cut up
Oil, enough to coat
Salt, Pepper, Fresh Herbs


In roasting pan, toss vegetables with oil and herbs. Roast 1 hour until tender, stirring occasionally.

Coming Soon-

Contest to win FREE Korker Bows!

Easy Peasy Chicken

I heard about it from Heidi who heard it from Keep Worthy Recipes.....

It's not juicy gossip, it's my kids favorite new meal Easy Peasy Chicken. I served the with garden fresh roasted veggies and cheesy angel hair pasta. My 5 and 6 yr old ate 3 legs each. We will not even talk about how many the 17 yr old staying with us ate!

Easy, Peasy Chicken

1 jumbo package of chicken legs( usually contains around 14 legs)

olive oil

salt and pepper

garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400.Place chicken legs in large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, enough to cover them all, generously.Sprinkle with salt,pepper and garlic powder.Place on large baking sheet and bake for 1-1 1/2 hours, turning them to ensure crispiness on all sides.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 reg. jar marshmallow cream (1 pt.)

Bring cream cheese to room temperature; cream and mix with marshmallow cream

Serve with fresh fruit as dip.

No Bake Cookies or Pantry Cookies

We were looking for something to make to take to the field to feed the harvest crew. My mother in law wanted to make Carter Cookies but we were out of a few key ingredients. My sister in law raided the pantry.

These cookies are a great way to use up small amounts of things like cereal, popcorn, marshmallows, dry fruit, granola, pretzels, nuts, and etc. Play around with the recipe and find your favorite combo.

1 lb. almond bark
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 cups of whatever you like. ( We used peanuts, popcorn, and pretzels)

Melt almond bark. Stir in peanut butter. Mix in your stuff. Let cool a little. Mix together. Drop on wax paper. Cool.

Yields: 30-40 no bake cookies

Other mix in

Strawberry Shortcakes

(Not the best photo, sorry! My camera was going dead)

Strawberry season means it's strawberry shortcake time. This old fashioned, tender shortcake with strawberries topped with whipped cream is sure to please.

2 1/3 c. Bisquick baking mix

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. sugar

3 tbsp. butter,melted

1 qt. strawberries, sliced and sweetened

Whipped cream

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix first 4 ingredients until a soft dough forms. Drop by large spoon full on a greased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Split shortcakes, fill and top with strawberries and La Creme topping. 6 servings.

No Fail Fudge

I got this easy fudge recipe from This Mommy's Spot. We like ours with nuts, cherries, and marshmallows.

You can find the recipe at

http://justamommyhere.blogspot.com/2009/05/no-fail-fudge.html

Make a Mirepoix

Start with finely chopped veggies.

Saute in butter on med heat until tender.



Keep covered in the fridge and use throughout the week in your recipes.

I was raised deep in the south where they start most dishes with the Holy Trinity. This week I wanted to try something new. I found something called Mirepoix.

Mirepoix (pronounced /mɪər ˈpwɑː/) is the name for a combination of onions, carrots, and celery. Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sauteed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. Traditionally, the ratio for mirepoix is 2:1:1 of onions, celery, and carrots. I used equal amounts of all and added in some bell pepper.


Tonight I used it in Chicken Noodle Casserole and tomorrow I plan to use it in Stuffed Bell Peppers.