Apple Pancake Rings and Mini Pancake Stacks

This is another recipe that I found on Pinterest! I thought it looked like a great idea for a breakfast recipe! It tasted very good but it was a pain to make! I tried to make it as easy as possible by using my 'go to' pancake batter recipe. But there were other problems that I did not for see!

Problem #1

Red, White and Blue Strawberries!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it was so cute for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend! This would also be perfect for the 4th of July...or Veteran's Day...or Election Day...or...well you get the idea!

I don't think I have to write the directions for this, but just in case...this is strawberries dipped in melted white chocolate then dipped in blue colored sugar. The colored sugar can be found in the cake decorating section of most grocery stores!

*~*~*~*~*~*

And this is another fun thing to do with fruit!

White chocolate chips stuffed into blackberries!

This gives the fruit a nice balance of tart and sweet!

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

I've been loving cajun recipes lately! Probably because I discovered this easy and perfect cajun spice mix recipe...*click here* I love making my own spice mixes especially when I can't find the ones I need in the grocery store! That's what happened the day I found that recipe! I wanted to make some jambalaya and it worked so well that I decided to try other cajun recipes!

This 'Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta' was so delicious and so easy! I've always loved creamy pasta recipes, but I never tried one with a cajun flare! The leftovers even tasted great cold! Here is the blog post where I found this recipe...*click here* This recipe will be made often in my house!



Don't Believe Everything You See On Pinterest!!!

I saw this recipe for 'Strawberry Smores' on Pinterest! It was one of those recipes that was 'Re-Pinned' a lot!!! The photo looked soooo inviting and delicious! It also sounded VERY easy to make! WRONG!!!!

A Cool Way to Make Baked Potatoes!

The recipe caught my eye because of the photo! I love to find new ways to make potatoes and this definitely looked like something new! The recipe is called

Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Burritos!

I found this recipe idea on the Internet! It was so easy and very good!

Crab and Spinach Souffle's

I love to figure out ways to use up leftover stuff that I have in my freezer! I had some leftover imitation crab meat and some leftover frozen chopped spinach that was just sitting there begging to be used!

Iced Chai Tea

I love all things Chai! I've tried many Chai flavored teas and the brand that I think has the most flavor is Good Earth...I always buy the decaf version! I love the strong spices that this tea has. Many tea brands are weak and bland. But I never let those other brands go to waste! That's where my Iced Chai Tea idea came from!

Antipasto Salad Bowl

When I have large family dinners (20-24 guests) for the holidays I always make my antipasto platter! Everyone looks forward to it! I serve this before the main dish.

Sauerkraut Balls!

Ohio is well known for their Sauerkraut Balls and now so am I because my guests loved this! This tastes like a cheese dog with sauerkraut! I served this with yellow mustard for dipping. This was a unique and very flavorful appetizer/snack! Perfect for any get-together! These can very easily be made a day ahead and then baked when needed!

Flower Power Eggs!

I saw this recipe idea posted on Pinterest! I thought it was cute! I love the creative food on that site!

I just had to try it!  I love peppers and eggs, so I knew this would taste great!

It's Time For Another McCormick Spice Giveaway!

This is what you will receive in the giveaway!

Do you remember this post...A Great Giveaway...well it's time to do another one!

Basil Infused Olive Oil in 10 Minutes!

I received some basil infused olive oil as a gift and loved it! When the oil was all gone I missed having it around! So I decided to make some myself. It's very easy to do! Two ingredients and three simple steps and you'll have this delicious infused olive oil!

I love to dip Italian bread into the oil and eat it with a piece of hard cheese. And a glass of wine goes nicely with that too! It's also delicious drizzled over pasta! Infused oils can be very expensive to buy! So making it yourself is a great way to save money and have the satisfaction of knowing that you can do it!



Basil Infused Olive Oil

You'll Love These Balls!

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Trail Mix Balls

And they're actually healthy too! They're made with lots of natural ingredients like quinoa, oatmeal, shredded coconut, almonds, dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, peanut butter(1 tbls) and honey. They taste so nutty, sweet and crunchy! A very satisfying snack! And these are so easy to make...no baking involved!

I Can't Believe I Made It!!!

I never realized how easy it is to make homemade ice cream!!! So why doesn't everyone make their own? Is it because they don't know how easy it is? Do I have the only ice cream machine that makes it this easy? I can't believe that all I had to do was mix a few common ingredients into a bowl and then add it to my ice cream maker! Then I just turned on the switch and 20 minutes later I had this delicious, cold, creamy creation!

This is my new ice cream machine that I won in a Facebook giveaway. This is such a great invention.

There is only one flaw with this machine. The manufacturer should have made it so that the ice cream machine cannot be opened until the ice cream is done being made! I kept eating scoops of fresh made ice cream through the opening in the top. Not a good idea if you want to share this ice cream with your family.

Seis de Mayo

I was so busy yesterday making my Cinco de Mayo recipes, so I decided to post them today!

I made Churros for the first time yesterday! I always buy Churros when I go to carnivals, but now, I'm so happy to say, that I can make them at home!


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/churros/detail.aspx
The link above will take you to the recipe.

I made these Churros as part of my activities for the Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador Program, as I've mentioned many times in other posts! Here is my review of this recipe...

These were VERY good, but a little tricky to get them just right! I love the fact that this is a firm dough because it holds the nice shape of the ridges which Churros are known for! I followed the suggestion of the 'most helpful' reviewer named Cat...I used only 1 tbls. of sugar and oil in the dough batter. But I think the key to getting these to cook perfectly is to make sure the fryer is at 375 degrees and I made sure to fry the Churros for 4 1/2 minutes each. The inside will continue to cook after being removed from the fryer. I made mine about the same size as the Churros I buy from vendors...8 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. I used a cookie gun/press instead of a pastry bag which worked perfectly with this firm dough! I piped all the Churros out onto waxed paper and fried them 2 at a time. These taste just like the Churros I always buy at carnivals!


As you can see from this inside view of my Churro
the center was cooked perfectly! Not raw at all as
some reviewers said was a problem.

I also made these tasty little appetizers! They're called 'Potato Nachos' and they were delicious! They are made by slicing cooked potatoes into rounds and topping them with a sprinkle of dry ranch salad dressing, cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese and jarred jalapeno slices. Then bake and top with sour cream and green onions!Here is my photo and the link to the recipe...


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/potato-nachos/Detail.aspx
The link above will take you to the recipe.

And the last new recipe I tried yesterday as part of my Allrecipes.com Allstar Program wasn't really a Cinco de Mayo item, but it went very well with all of the above mentioned food!

Smooth Sweet Tea
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/smooth-sweet-tea/detail.aspx
Click on link above to see recipe.

This was my first time drinking Sweet Tea but I know I'll be making this more often! It was such a refreshing and delicate iced tea drink! This is a strong brewed tea but the taste is not as strong as regular iced tea. The trick to making it taste smooth is a pinch of baking soda in the brew! I made mine decaf and added fresh lemon!  This was a perfect recipe for me...not overly sweet!

I hope you like the recipes I showed you today! And I hope I inspired you to give them a try!



Ice Cream Cake...2 Ways!

Buying store bought ice cream cakes can be so very expensive...and you can't always get the flavors you want! So I decided a few years ago to learn how to make it myself...not the ice cream part! That I still buy, but I will be making that myself soon also!

 Here I will show you 2 ways to make ice cream cakes! One way is so simple and only takes minutes. The other way is slightly harder and needs to be prepared a few days in advance. But either way, you'll save lots of money and you can customize the flavors in so many ways!

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Easy Oven Smoked Steak! No Wood Chips Needed!

There's nothing more satisfying than the taste of freshly barbecued steak on a grill. But sometimes it's just not convenient to barbecue outdoors! Well here's a recipe for those days when you cannot use your outdoor grill. Its easy! No wood chips involved!  Just steak plus 5 simple ingredients! And it tastes like you grilled it! I've made this many times! Serve with some potatoes and a green veg of your choice...it's that easy! This recipe was posted on the Internet by a cook named Annieamie. The photo is my own.


A Sandwich That Will Knock Your Socks Off!

My yummy sandwich!

I just tried this recipe called, 'Roasted Parmesan Tomato Sandwich'...it was my lunch yesterday and it was simply delicious...'simple' being the key to the fresh flavors of this sandwich! While I was devouring...and I mean DEVOURING this sandwich, I felt like I was transported to a quaint little sidewalk cafe in Italy! I've never been to Italy but I just know they must serve food like this all the time at those sidewalk cafes!

Soft Pretzel Bites...2 Ways! Stuffed and Sweet!

I am so hooked on this new recipe I just tried!!! I've been wanting to make my own pretzels for years, but I kept putting it off because I thought it would never work out for me! Then a few days ago I saw this recipe a food friend named Bill Wentz posted on Facebook! This recipe was the easiest I've seen for soft pretzels!!! It's just 5 ingredients! You just mix everything together and then knead, shape, dip and bake for 10 minutes! The hardest part for me was shaping the pretzels! Here's a picture of my first attempt at pretzel shaping.......

First attempt!
I know these look bad!!!
But they tasted great!

These are coated with cinnamon and brown sugar!

Homemade Lo Mein! It's So Easy!

This recipe tastes JUST like the Lo Mein I get from my favorite Chinese restaurant...but better, because I can add only the vegetables we like! In my photo I show this recipe plain, with just some chopped chives on top, but I have made it many times since then and have added chicken, bean sprouts, yellow and green onion and sometimes water chestnuts! It all depends on who I'm making it for and what they like! I make this recipe often, especially when I'm craving Chinese food! Go ahead and try it...I know you'll love it!

The original recipe is from a cooking site, posted by a member known as Yomomma. I tweaked it slightly to suit my family's tastes! I'm posting the recipe with the changes I made!

Lo Mein