It's Yummy to My Tummy

Sangria

2013-05-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: It has been a long time since I've posted a drink recipe on my blog here, so I thought for this month's Secret Recipe Club, a drink would be perfect. We just had a little dose of the warmer summer weather here, so a cool fruity drink would hit the spot! I saw that Eliot's Eats had several drink recipes that were appealing to just that...Rosemary Lemonade, Blackberry Margaritas, and Sangria, oh boy, they all sound fantastic. A few weeks ago, my husband and I celebrated his birthday at a local winery and they had amazing sangria, so this was my try at recreating a similar drink. I've never made a Sangria before and that sounded like a good recipe to try out. Thanks Debra from Eliot's Eats for such a great tasting recipe!

Sangria

Recipe adapted from Eliot's Eats

Ingredients:

1 bottle Moscato
1/4 c. limoncello

1/4 c. Amaretto

1/4 c. agave nectar

club soda (to taste)

1 cup frozen mixed berries

2 apples, cored and chopped (leave the peels on)

Directions:

Use a big pitcher or a jug that would fit into the refrigerator. Pour the Moscato wine in your designated container. Add limoncello, Amaretto, and agave nectar and stir the liquids to combine. Add the frozen fruit and cut up apples. Set in the refrigerator for at least on hour to let the flavors combine and chill. Before serving add in the club soda. Serve chilled and enjoy.

A big ole jug of Sangria ready for chillin'!

Don't forget to add some fruit in your glass...in my opinion, that is my favorite part of this, and the addition of the club soda, which makes it nice and fizzy refreshing.

Check out all of the wonderful other bloggers this month in the Secret Recipe Club below.

Jello Knox Blox

2013-05-14T13:39:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: My kids love these Jello Knox Blox. It doesn't matter if they are little squares, hearts, or egg-shaped Jello pieces, they are all created equally, haha.. they all get gobbled up! These are much more friendlier for little hands than regular jigglers, which often are a bit more wiggly and end up on the floor :( This Knox Blox recipe was from my mom and now it always seems that my kids anticipate these Jello cubes from Grandma!

Jello Knox Blox

Ingredients:
4 envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin
3 small boxes of Jello flavored gelatin*
4 cups of boiling water
*Note- 3 small boxes of sugar-free Jello works well for this recipe too.

Directions:
Combine flavored gelatin and unflavored gelatin in a bowl. Pour the boiling water into the gelatin and stir until well combined and dissolved. Pour into pans and chill. We use an 8x8 pan if we want a thicker Knox Blox, or use a 9x13 pan if a thinner Knox Blox is desired. *Note, sometimes we will just mix the gelatin and boiling water right in the same pan we are refrigerating it in.

Mommy, I can help stir!

Dress up the Knox Blox with a little whipped cream and fruit!

cadbury egg blonde brownies

2013-04-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: Eeny meeny miny moe... How to choose this month's Secret Recipe Club recipe was about like that. I've never been so torn on what to feature! Julie's blog, Julie's Eats and Treats was awesome. So many easy and delicious-looking dishes to pick from, and what I loved even more about it was her stories. I found that Julie's fear of using yeast in many bread recipes was similar to mine over here, as it is soo finicky that I often mess something up with it as well! So, I have this recipe for homemade English muffin bread saved for later, as I really want to make this. We had just gone to Chili's over the weekend, so I had this vividly in my mind and thought about maybe making this salsa. However, I didn't have jalapenos on hand, and I was stuck at home without a trip to the grocery store any time soon, as it felt like the plague, aka stomach flu, had hit us all, so homebound we were... Comfort food, dessert, yeah.. that's what the doctor ordered here, blonde brownies. This recipe came from Julie's grandmother, how fitting, as it always seems that it is those old recipes that I tend to get drawn to when feeling a little under the weather. I had some leftover Easter candy here, and I'm not a big fan of white chocolate by itself, so I added it into the brownies, like Julie suggested in this Cadbury Egg brownie version! Julie's Eats and Treats tag line is soo true-- Simple, easy but delicious food!

Cadbury Egg Blonde Brownies

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened - *I used a soy margarine here so it would be dairy-free to accommodate allergies
3 cups of brown sugar
4 eggs
3 cups of flour
2 tsp. of vanilla
1 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of salt
1 bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs - *I used a half bag of Hershey's white chocolate coated candy eggs and a 1/2 bag of dairy-free mini chocolate chips here instead

Directions:

In a big bowl, mix all of ingredients together, except for the chocolates. Mix well until they are all creamed together. Then spread into a 10x15 jelly roll pan. I wasn't sure on if it was a prepared greased pan, so I took precautionary measures and used some parchment paper on the bottom. *Note, it worked great. Then sprinkle the chocolates on top of the batter. They will sink into the dough as they bake, so if you want to reserve some of the chocolate for the end, you could so it makes a nice topping! *Great tip from Julie here! Bake brownie bars for about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown and done. Wait until they are cool and cut to enjoy!

I made mine with half white chocolate Easter candy eggs and dairy-free chocolate chips to make it allergen-friendly for our whole family.

What a yummy and easy treat! These blonde brownies remind me of soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies! Thanks Julie and your grandmother for such a wonderful recipe!

Look at all of the amazing recipes for the April SRC post!

Old-Fashioned Chicken Legs

2013-04-03T23:05:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: So I can't believe I haven't posted this before.. I double checked and was like what?! Seriously, no chicken leg recipes here... Interesting, that is not cool, as this meal is a staple for us and my kids LOVE it. Chicken legs are really so easy and it is a good starter for many other meals too. Think about how many times do you have a recipe calling for shredded or cooked diced chicken... chicken tacos, soup, pasta, etc.. So making extra chicken legs when you make this meal, is a perfect way to start those make-ahead leftover meals. These old-fashioned chicken legs, I call them this, as they are very basic, yet flavorful. I grew up with my family making them and having a wonderful gravy made from the drippings as well, served up with mashed potatoes, yum... You can either make this chicken in the oven or even in a slow cooker if you'd like. When you make the chicken in the slow cooker it produces moist, fall off the bone tender chicken. However, be warned, the chicken will just fall right off the bone, sometimes making it hard to eat without getting too messy, so leave the slow cooker method for the chicken you want for shredding or to toss in other dishes. My favorite is to use my dutch oven and start it on the stove top and finish it in the oven.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Legs

Ingredients:
6-8 chicken legs, thawed
1/2 cup of flour
salt/pepper
1 - 1 1/2 tsp of herbs & spices – paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, rosemary, thyme, or poultry seasonings

Directions:
Coat chicken with herbs and spices. I never measure this, as it is just a sprinkle here, shake of this, and so on. I probably do about a teaspoon or so of the spices combined. Dredge chicken with flour and make sure it is coated. The next step is important as I think it adds to the appearance and makes the chicken less sticky and more held together at the end. In an oven-proof pan, such as a dutch oven pan, drizzle a little bit of olive oil (over high heat on the stove) and lightly brown/sear the floured chicken pieces.

This should only take a few minutes, just enough to brown the skin a bit, basically just adding some color. Turn off the heat, and add in a few tablespoons of water or chicken broth just to deglaze the pan. Cover and place in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes. Depending on the size of the chicken legs, it could take closer to an hour to bake. Make sure they are fully cooked to the proper temperature of 165 degrees before enjoying.

Slow Cooker Variation:
Directions:
Omit the flour. Place the seasoned chicken pieces and add 1 cup of water or chicken broth in the slow cooker. Cover and turn on low for about 5-6 hours or on high for for 3-4 hours. Check temperature of chicken to be about 165 to insure it is cooked well, as sometimes in the slow cooker, it is harder to tell if the chicken is done as it doesn't brown as much. You might notice the chicken will start to fall apart when fully cooked as well.

Hummus Bites

2013-03-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: Surprise, surprise, it's Secret Recipe Club time! The March assignment brings me to A Couple in the Kitchen, a husband and wife team from Connecticut. Amy and Chris have been blogging strong for several years now. Their blog has been nominated for several awards and recipe recognition, so make sure to check out their list of accomplishments here. Let's start with a couple of my favorites: Sweet Chili and Coconut Corn Soup, oh, do I wish that I had some fresh sweet corn about now to make this soup; made using coconut milk, it is a perfect non-dairy soup to add to my recipe box. Another top choice that looked amazing on this cold, not quite spring day, is this Chocolate Stout Chili. Seriously, I bet the combination of flavors for the stout beer and spicy mole-like ingredients produce an amazing full flavored chili. However, I went with a different recipe to feature. You see, I had this poor little jar of tahini that has been sitting in my kitchen cabinet forever... Seriously, I've been meaning to try and make hummus with it since last summer... yeah, my horrible procrastination. My friend Mandi made amazing hummus at one of our kid's playdates and they loved it, our youngest boys were eating it with their fingers, it was that good. She kept telling me, it is soo easy to make, and I said, sure I'll buy the ingredients and try it one of these days. Haha, the can of chickpeas and tahini sat.. and sat; I never got around to making my hummus, until now. I was finally inspired by A Couple in the Kitchen's take on hummus and its fun presentation. The beautiful color and genius idea of serving hummus in these adorable little fillo cups - perfect for my kiddos hummus fix. LOVE it and I hope you do to. I totally see why it was used for a Halloween recipe, as the beautiful orange color of this hummus was amazing.

Hummus Bites

Recipe from
http://www.acoupleinthekitchen.us/2011/10/halloween-hummus-bites.html

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 lemon using about 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice, to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons of tahini

1 tsp of prepared minced garlic or 2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 (7-ounce) jar of roasted red peppers

2 tablespoons of olive oil

box of mini fillo shells

Optional: whole black olives, pitted

Directions:

Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, and about 3/4 of the roasted red peppers in a blender or food processor. Pulse the ingredients for a few times and then add in the olive oil, about a teaspoon or so at a time. The mixture will begin to take on different textures, ranging from chunky to smooth, as the olive oil gets incorporated with the other ingredients. Continue pulsing the mixture until the hummus takes on the consistency you'd like. Refrigerate hummus until ready to serve.

Fill the cute little fillo shells with the hummus and serve.
Optional finishing touch- Check out A Couple in the Kitchen using the olives and leftover red pepper for a fun presentation.

Other favorite hummus vehicles include pretzel chips or pita chips and carrots.

Look at the difference between a homemade version and a store bought hummus. Such a beautiful orange color.

Banana Bread Donuts

2013-02-25T12:47:00.000-06:00

Yummy note: This is a perfect little breakfast, or snack day or night for us. It can be easily adapted to make dairy-free and nut-free which is so nice, as it is hard to find any commercially-prepared donuts that don't have dairy in them. My youngest loves these donuts, and my oldest really likes chocolate chip banana bread, so it was a nice compromise for the two. :) Not to mention, we like to always have these donuts in a hidden freezer stash for us to enjoy. It makes a perfect cold, frozen treat for those little ones when they are having a bad day, especially if they are teething and want something to chomp on that doesn't involve lots of sugar! Besides these donuts being wonderful right out of the freezer, they stay very moist for several days after baking them. My daughter helped me do a lot of the photos for this post, she is getting to be a pretty good little photographer for only 6 :) Way to hold the camera and for having a good eye, Alicia.

Banana Bread Donuts

I was inspired to make these by these two recipes:

http://itsyummytomytummy.blogspot.com/2010/04/banana-bread.html

http://www.barbarabakes.com/2012/11/banana-bread-cinnamon-chip-donuts/

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 small ones) (the browner the bananas the better)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup yogurt (use a soy yogurt to make these dairy-free)
1/4 cup butter, melted (use a dairy-free alternative butter, or canola oil works)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (use regular all-purpose and whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips, optional Note: Other optional ingredients is to add chopped nuts or even cinnamon chips to your batter before baking. Finishing ingredients: cinnamon/sugar for dusting, or a glaze using chocolate or vanilla frosting

My helper in the kitchen..

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease/spray donut pans. In a mixing bowl, combine bananas, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, melted butter, and eggs. Next, pour in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until the batter is incorporated. Add in optional chocolate chips or nuts at this point.

For ease of filling the donut pans, do yourself a favor and put the batter into a plastic baggie and cut the corner to eliminate lots of mess. Fill the donut pans about 1/2 to 3/4 full.

The pictures in this above collage were all taken by my 6 year old daughter, Alicia. Note, I only had to recrop one of her pictures above of the donut batter, the rest are Alicia's work!

Bake in the 325 degree oven for about 8-9 minutes for the small donuts, and about 10-11 minutes for the larger-sized donuts. Once donuts are done, cool them for a few minutes in the pan, but then remove them from the pan quickly before they get too hard to remove them. Toss with cinnamon/sugar coating or glaze with your choice of a simple frosting/glaze. This recipe makes atleast a dozen or so large donuts, plus a pan or so of little donuts. We like to use both sizes; the little donuts makes great little snacks for the kids.

Avocado Cup Salad

2013-02-18T11:00:00.000-06:00

Yummy note: I am so excited for this month's Secret Recipe Club, as it is my first month with a new to me group of bloggers. In the past year and a half or so, I have been blogging with a great, group B, but I thought a nice change up was in order with the new year. So I offered to switch it up and move to another group, and I got to move to group C. I thought this might be my chance to see some more great food bloggers out there better. I love seeing so many new sites for inspiration. So SRC group C friends, it looks like I am here to party with you now!

For my first assignment with group C, I was assigned to The Ginger Snap Girl. Wow, what a great first impression of group C, as I just fell in love with Gloria's site. Gloria has such wonderful pictures on her site, that how can you resist not making a bunch of stuff from her blog as they all look so beautiful and tasty! She confesses that her favorite things to bake are cookies, and well, I can't disagree with that. Gloria has several chocolate chip cookies recipe variations on her site, that you must check out and see what kind of cookie fits your cup of tea. I love my cookies too, however, I am trying to eat a bit healthier. Shh.. don't tell anyone that I still love my desserts, and it seems I must eat something little and sweet after my evening meal or else I feel my day isn't complete. So fighting my urges to make these cookies, I went for the avocado cup salad; yes, I did it, I picked something lighter. :) Oh, but it did not lack any flavor, as this salad was amazing; it had wonderful flavor, texture, and color. Definitely adding it to my rotation of salsas.

Avocado Cup Salad

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of olive oil1 cup of fresh or frozen sweet corn about a half of a pepper, diced (The Gingersnap Girl recommended using a red, yellow, or orange pepper, However, I used red and green peppers, diced, as that is what I had on hand.)
2 roma or plum tomatoes, cut in half, seeded and diced
1/4 cup of red onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro (Adjust accordingly, from 1 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons to your liking.)
2 limes
1 small jicama, peeled and cut into thin strips (about 2 cups)
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced in half lengthwise
The original recipe called for these ingredients, which I did not use in my recipe. I didn't have them on hand, but I’m sure it would have added extra crunch and flavor!
1/2 of a green chile or jalapeno, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
tortilla chips, broken into pieces

Directions:

For the salsa part, heat a pan or skillet with a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Add in the frozen corn, peppers, and the optional chile. Saute for about 10 minutes or until veggies begin to get tender or begins to have a roasted appearance in the pan. Set aside in a small bowl to cool. Begin chopping the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Once the roasted corn, pepper, and chile mixture has cooled slightly, add in your chopped tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Take the juice of one lime and pour over the salsa and stir.

Next, prepare the jicama slaw by peel the jicama and chopping it into thin sticks. Place the jicama in a bowl and toss in a pinch or so of chopped cilantro. Take the juice of your other lime and pour over the jicama and cilantro, and mix until nicely coated.

Prepare your avocados by slicing them in half, and then peeling and pitting them.

Assemble your plates starting with the jicama slaw on the bottom layer, with the half avocado next and then your beautiful salsa on top. Top each salad with a sprinkle of green onions and crushed tortilla chips.

The Ginger Snap Girl said you can serve 4 side salads with this dish, but I liked it for a main meal dish, so I split it between 2 dishes. I served mine with a simple sauteed shrimp dish and it was a delicious pairing.

Soft Pretzels

2013-01-14T11:00:00.000-06:00

Yummy note: As we welcome another new changing year, this type of blog feature with the Secret Recipe Club is one constant I enjoy looking forward to every month! We get assigned another fellow blogger's site, and then we get to pick a recipe from that blog and then reveal the results of our recipe assignment choice in a big blog party. The Secret Recipe Club always seems to get a great turnout of amazing recipes and offers so many wonderful blog posts to read up on. This month I had the blog named OnTheMove-In the Galley. It is hosted by a lady named Dee. Dee is from Seattle and spends time traveling, cruising on her boat, and of course, blogging. She has several other blogs that keep her busy! You should check out her beautiful landscape and scenic photography skills on her other blogs - OnTheMove-at Home, OnTheMove-Cruise News, and OnTheMove-Road Trips. This month's SRC choice, was really about what I had available in my pantry, freezer, etc., to try and use to make this dish feasible. It's been a rough month or so for our family with sicknesses, injuries, and normal holiday craze-daze, that I really wasn't in the mood to make something too crazy or out of the ordinary. Especially when I knew I had a high chance the kids were going to look at me weird and stick their noses up at.. soo... I opted for a comfort food to include them with. These golden brown soft pretzels fit the bill. Mind you, I really really wanted to make this beautiful salmon and salsa dish, as I LOVE salmon, and but I didn't have any available, so, it is saved for another day. This recipe makes about 8 or so soft pretzels which is great, as it is a smaller batch and they can be gobbled up quick while they are hot and toasty, as we all know pretzels are the best that way. :)

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 package or 2 ¼ tsp regular instant yeast

1 cup water water

For the pretzel bath/topping:

½-1 cup warm water

2 tbsp baking soda

Coarse salt

3 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 tsp salt, sugar, yeast, and warm water together until well combined or the dough begins to look a little shaggy looking. Next, knead the dough for about 5 minutes or so until it is softer and gets less sticky. Basically you should be able to poke if with your finger and it shouldn't bounce back, and leave a small indent behind. Lightly flour dough and place it in a plastic bag to rest for about 30 minutes. Next prepare your baking sheets and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. I prepared my baking sheets just with some vegetable oil spray, as I was afraid the parchment paper route wouldn't hold up well in that hot of an oven… I've had an experience of two of burning the paper to a crisp, so I wasn't chancing it with these beauties, so I just make sure I sprayed a copious amount of the cooking spray on the pans.

Preparing the pretzel dough.

After the dough rested for about 30 minutes, it should have had a nice rise to it. Now you can take it out and place on a floured area and cut the dough into about 8 pieces. The let the dough pieces again rest for about another 5 more minutes; this was hard, as the kids really wanted to get into making “snakes” with that dough! While this is resting, mix the ½ cup warm water and baking soda in a shallow bowl, and mix well until the baking soda is completely dissolved. We had issues with this part, as I think perhaps the kids’ measurements were a bit off, so we modified this a bit. I ended up adding more hot water to the mixture to get the soda to completely dissolve, as it kept separating out on us and appeared to not dissolve all the way. After your pretzel dip bath is ready, it’s time to start rolling!

Alicia rolling out her "snakes."

Take each piece and begin to roll them out into the “snakes” as the kids instructed me. J They should be fairly long, so that you can then make shapes for your pretzels. We went a bit creative on a few shapes, and make alphabets, as it was a great learning tool with them. I love to incorporate any type of teaching and learning lessons when I have their attention like that in the kitchen. After you have shaped your pretzel, dip them into that baking soda bath and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with your coarse salt. Dee suggested even sesame or other seeds might be delicious on them as well, and I agree; plus I think even a parmesan cheese or a little cinnamon/sugar mix might also be a nice treat too. Again, let the shaped pretzels rest for another 10 minutes, uncovered, before you put them in the oven to bake.

Getting ready to give the pretzel a bath. Ben still looks a bit skeptical of Alicia's "snake."

Bake for about 7-9 minutes, depending on the shape of your pretzel, as some brown up faster than others, depending on the size. They should achieve a nice golden-brown color from the baking soda bath you dipped it into. Once the pretzels are removed from the oven brush them with some melted butter and enjoy while warm. Eat the pretzels warm, if you have any leftovers, just store them uncovered on plate or place in a paper bag and then rewarm them in the oven or microwave later.

Success! Golden brown soft pretzels proved to be a nice warm treat to the little tummies on a cold winter day.

Stop by the other wonderful bloggers and visit their SRC selections for this month!

oatmeal drop cookies with the kids

2013-01-09T14:31:00.000-06:00

Yummy note: It has been a crazy few weeks around our household with everything going on, but we still manage to find time to make some cookies. The kids and I tried out this oatmeal cookie recipe from an older Betty Crocker Cookbook I acquired a few years back. It is a pretty versatile recipe, as we swapped out the nuts for chocolate chips, and the kids aren't as fond of the raisins so we used more chocolate instead. Also we didn't have enough of the rolled oats, so we used a combination of mostly old-fashioned oats and some quick oats to make our version of these oatmeal drop cookies.

Oatmeal Drop Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soft softening (we used Crisco)
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
6 tbsp molasses
1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats (used combination of old-fashioned and quick oats)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Original Cookbook below with recipe pictured above

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the soft shortening, sugar, eggs, and molasses until thoroughly mixed together. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon. Add in the sifted ingredients to the above mixture. Last, add in your oats and chocolate chips until it is incorporated well. Then drop out cookie dough on to your lightly greased or prepared cooking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes until light brown.

My kitchen helpers and official taste testers...

Asian Lettuce Wraps

2012-12-09T17:35:00.000-06:00

Yummy note: I have enjoyed an Asian flair lately in my cooking. Usually once a week now, in my meal plans I have started to incorporate an Asian night. I'm not sure if it is the easy to toss ingredients together to make something delicious, or if it is healthier, or perhaps it has to do with it is really easy to make dairy-free for my family. I find these Asian Lettuce Wraps great to make as a main meal dish. They are fairly quick to make and I often have almost all of the staple ingredients in my cabinet which makes for an affordable meal. I hope you enjoy these lettuce wraps as much as we do.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

a head of lettuce (or about 10 lettuce leafs)

1 lb ground turkey, beef, or chicken

a handful or about a cup of shredded carrots (optional)

about a cup of diced mushrooms

1/2 white onion-chopped (I often use dried onion flakes or powder if not available)

2 tbsp garlic minced

1 small can water chestnuts, chopped

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

1-2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetable or sesame oil
1/4 cup hoisin sauce

handful of thin sliced green onions, optional

Directions:

Brown the meat. Then add in onion, garlic, shredded carrots, water chestnuts, soy sauce, vinegar, and red chili pepper flakes.

After the carrots and mushrooms begin to soften, add in hoisin sauce, green onions, and extra oil if needed. Cook until mixed together and green onions begin to wilt, just for a few minutes really.

Serve in large lettuce leafs like a wrap or serve in a tortilla shell too if you wish.

To garnish you can also add in fried thin rice noodles to the top.

Chocolate Cupcakes

2012-11-12T11:00:00.000-06:00

Yummy note: When I got this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment, I took a lot of time looking at Sarah's wonderful blog named Sarah's Kitchen. Many of the recipes she posted are straightforward and pretty good-looking comfort foods that I could see eating night after night. I am sure her husband, Randal, that she blogs about quite frequently, really gets some great eats! Despite some wonderful main dish recipes that I've bookmarked, I keep seeing beautiful cupcakes... and well, more beautiful cupcakes taunting me.. Sarah, congrats, you had me at cupcake. It was like I shut my eyes, and saw these awesome pictures of cupcakes all lined up, with fluffy frosting, yummy and tasty looking. So enough of the gawking, I had to dive right in, and try it out myself. I really had a hard time picking, I really wanted to make these Salted Caramel Mocha brownie ones, but then I thought about these Caramel ones, and finally I came to a realization I can't eat all these cupcakes myself.... So in typical It's Yummy to My Tummy fashion, I got my non-dairy thinking cap on and decided to think rational and pick a cupcake recipe that had the best options to make dairy-free. These chocolate biscoff ones seemed appropriate Plus, anytime I can use biscoff spread, count me in.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe with adaptions from:

http://sarahsbritamericankitchen.blogspot.com/2012/05/chocolate-cupcakes-with-biscoff.html

Dairy-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

6 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup coffee
1/2 cup soy yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, cream sugar, vegetable oil, and egg until smooth, for just a few minutes. On low speed, blend in half of the dry ingredients until incorporated. Next, blend in the coffee, yogurt, and vanilla. Add in the remaining dry ingredients, and mix until just incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop, evenly distribute into cupcake wrappers. Bake at 350 for about 22-24 minutes. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Biscoff Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup butter substitute, softened

3/4 cup biscoff spread
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp soy milk or soy creamer

Directions:
Beat the butter substitute and biscoff spread until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in some soy milk and beat until it is creamy and combined well.

To make some decorations, I just melted about a cup or so of non-dairy chocolate chips with a teaspoon of shortening together. Then I poured the melted chocolate into mini cookie cutters to set. Then you push out the chocolate when set and you have pretty cut-out chocolates to decorate cupcakes with.

I need some serious help or therapy though... I couldn't stop at the Biscoff frosting. I had to indulge and make one of these Swiss Meringue Buttercream frostings I've read all about from Sarah. I've never made one like this before, so it was a bit intimating. Trust me, I wish I had a few pictures while making the frosting, but I was freaking out a bit too much. It was a bit more temperamental than I was ready for... but eventually got it to work. It took time for mine to "set up" as it looked all weird, soupy, and then curdled all in a matter of a few minutes, so as my mixer whirled the frosting together, I quickly sought out reinforcements and read up on Swiss meringue frosting. Go ahead, some day when you are bored, Google it, and be educated about frosting. :) After my, mini freak outs, the frosting came together, and it was pretty and tasted smooth and silky buttery like Sarah frequently mentioned in several blog posts. It was now ready to decorate my moist chocolaty cupcakes! Here's the link from the recipe I followed for the Swiss Meringue Frosting from Sarah's Kitchen- http://sarahsbritamericankitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/snowflake-cupcakes.html

This cupcake recipe was so easy to make, that I don't know why you would want to use the boxed mixes, when you can get such great flavor and depth from this recipe! They were super moist and delicious. I will surely make these again. Thanks again Sarah for sharing your great recipes.

For more information about the Secret Recipe Club, check it out --> http://secretrecipeclub.com

frozen yogurt covered fruit bites

2012-11-05T15:28:00.000-06:00

Yummy note: I had a large container of soy yogurt that was getting close to the expiration date, so I knew I needed to use it up quick. I already had made some muffins and didn't want to use it for baking, so I decided I was going to use it for smoothies later. Then it hit me, how about some frozen yogurt bites for the kiddo... Sure, that would work, however, he LOVES fruit, so why not do frozen yogurt fruit bites instead! These sure have been a nice healthy snack to just pop out of the freezer in a snap to enjoy. Next up, I make a bigger batch and throw some in my morning smoothies that way!

Frozen Yogurt Covered Fruit Bites

Ingredients:
Container of yogurt, your choice, I used what I had leftover, which was a plain flavored soy yogurt.
Fruit - I used blueberries and a sliced banana (next time I want to try strawberries or cranberries perhaps would be a nice sweet treat)

Directions:
Toss blueberries or other desired fruit in a bowl of yogurt. Stir yogurt and fruit, enough to cover.

Then take two toothpicks and begin to fish out your covered fruit. This is the most tedious part, but it really goes by faster than you think, once you get going.

Place yogurt covered fruit onto a waxed paper lined cookie sheet and place uncovered in the freezer for atleast a half hour. At this point, they might be starting to set up a bit, really depends on your freezer. I actually forgot about mine until the next day and then pulled them out of the freezer and they were pretty solid, lol. However, it was perfect for packaging up!

I also made a chocolate yogurt covered banana slices, as I still had plenty of yogurt left after the blueberries. I just added in a few teaspoons of cocoa powder and a little drizzle of chocolate syrup for sweetness and it was perfect to taste.

I think these were my favorite of the two fruits, as it has been a nice healthy snack when I go looking for ice cream in the freezer! :)

Nacho Cheese Dorito Meatballs

2012-10-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: I knew I would like this Secret Recipe Club blog assignment this month, I mean it had "Cheese Curd" in the title! I love my cheese curds.. well, Cheese Curd In Paradise is hosted by Ashley from Wisconsin, so, yeah go Green Bay Packers! Shh, don't tell my Chicago Bears loving husband... Ashley mentions the Packers several times throughout her blog, so you can tell she is a true Wisconsinite with her blog name and her love of the Packers! :) So it was a toss up between Darn Good Roast, Root Bear Pork Chops, Dulce de Leche (as I've always wanted to make that) or this- Nacho Cheese Dorito Meatloaf. Yes, it hit me at the one word, Doritos. Yes, that is a guilty pleasure I enjoy from time to time. I especially enjoy them using them in various dishes; make taco nachos, add them to a salad for some cheesy crispy when I don't have any croutons, layer them on top of pizza - aka a Taco Pizza (which is a household favorite here), and of course, use them for a bed under some chili and it's a meal. Ok, so perhaps I use Doritos a lot in my cooking, lol, but when I saw this recipe for meatloaf from Ashley at Cheese Curd In Paradise it was a new one for me and I HAD to try it. I modified the recipe just a tad and made the meatloaf into meatballs instead as they are more kid-friendly in this house (not to mention a quicker bake on busy nights). I love having leftover meatballs for using with either spaghetti or in a meatball sub sandwich, too! These Nacho Cheese Doritos Meatballs were a nice combination of meat with a slight cheese flavor in a pool of sweet bbq sauce, yeah, now aren't you ready to try this recipe?!

Nacho Cheese Dorito Meatballs

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1/2 white onion, diced
1 cup Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed
1/3 bottle ketchup
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8-1/4 cup barbecue sauce (depending on how much sauce you like)
* Note: There is no additional salt in this recipe, as the saltiness of the Nacho Cheese Doritos is enough to flavor the meatballs.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then crush the Doritos to a fine crumb, similar to panko bread crumb texture. I just used a big sandwich bag and crushed them with a rolling pin. In a bowl, add in the ground beef, egg, onion, crushed Doritos, seasonings, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix and then add in the ketchup, basically adding enough ketchup to just moisten the meat mixture and stir until well combined. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and assemble the meatballs with your hands to make a nice firm ball.

Bake for about 20 minutes and remove from oven. Drain off any excess grease or drippings in your pan and then add the barbecue sauce on top of the meatballs.

Bake for about another 15 minutes or so, depending on the size of your meatballs until they are done. I got about 2 dozen meatballs from the recipe, but if you are making this in a loaf form instead of meatballs, it will form 1 large loaf. Prepare the same way, but just adjust your baking time. For a meatloaf, bake in a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes, then top with barbecue sauce and bake for another 25-30 minutes until done.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares for Daniel

2012-10-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: This post by far has been one of my tougher posts to pull together on It's Yummy to My Tummy. Over a year or so ago, I started to participate in this recipe blogging group called the Secret Recipe Club. I speak of it often on my bog, as this "club" really has such a great group of people involved. Everyone has a sincere respect for each other and their food blogs, that it has created a sense of community among us all. So when we recently heard the news that a fellow blogger, Daniel Saraga, had recently passed away, we knew it would only be fitting to post a tribute to honor him. I have never personally met Daniel from the Haggis and the Herring, but we all got to know him from his blog posts and comment interactions within our group. Daniel's presence will surely be missed by all. Please take a minute and reflect with his wife, Meredith, as she honors Daniel and his family.
From a few comments and posts I recall about Daniel, I remember him noting he enjoyed the peanut butter and chocolate flavor combinations, so I thought I'd make this recipe of his, as a tribute...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

Ingredients:

For the Cookie Bar:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup semisweet chocolate chip

For the Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp peanut butter

1-2 tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 pan. I lined the pan with parchment paper and then lightly sprayed it with nonstick spray. In a bowl, mix the sugars together with the butter and peanut butter. Stir in the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and egg. Once dough is formed, spread out evenly in the pan. Bake for bars for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips; the heat will begin to soften the chocolate chips. Let it stand for a few minutes and then spread the melted chocolate over the cookie bar layer. Let it sit until the chocolate is firm. Prepare the peanut butter glaze by mixing powdered sugar, milk, and peanut butter together until it is smooth and thin enough to drizzle over the chocolate layer. Drizzle glaze and then refrigerate again until cool and ready to cut. This is where the parchment paper layer works really well, as you can just remove the bars from the pan easily and cut it on a cutting board.

Frito Chili Pie

2012-09-24T23:46:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: Note the chill in the air, and the sweatshirts and jeans are officially out of the closet. Yes, it is chili weather! I used to make a blah, bland chili, aka, meat with tomatoes and beans as my husband would call it. I just couldn't get the seasonings right, until I found the Pioneer Woman's Frito Chili Pie recipe. This recipe rocks, I've made it numerous times since I've first found it. My number one way to eat it is with the Fritos and cheese, but adding corn to this recipe is fantastic, as well as eating this chili on top of noodles or rice. However, you'd like to serve this chili, it is a pretty popular crowd pleaser.

Frito Chili Pie

Recipe from the Pioneer Woman - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/frito-chili-pie/

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef and/or turkey

1 1/2 tsp prepared minced garlic

1 can tomato sauce

1 can roasted (diced) tomatoes with green chilies

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground oregano

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tbsp chili powder

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (If using chili beans with seasonings, I leave the sauce then.)

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

* optional - 1/4 cup masa (corn flour) or regular corn meal

* optional - 1/2 cup warm water

A bag of Frito corn chips

Grated sharp cheddar cheese

* optional - diced onion

Directions:

On the stove, brown the meat in a pan. Then dump the browned meat into your crockpot and add in the prepared garlic, tomato sauce, tomatoes, salt, oregano, cumin, and chili powder.

Cover and turn on crockpot on high for about an hour. Add the drained and rinsed beans, stir and simmer in crockpot for another hour. This next step is optional, if you want, add in the masa and water mix to thicken up your chili and to add another layer of flavor to the chili. Lastly, mix the masa with water, then add to the chili. Stir to combine and simmer for final 30 minutes or so until it has thickened up a bit. Now, it is time to enjoy the chili and serve on top of Fritos chips and garnish with cheese and onion if you wish. Another add-in we’ve been enjoying with this recipe, is if we don’t add in the masa mix, we will often toss in a can of corn into the chili to add more depth to the dish. Enjoy!

Funnel Cakes

2012-09-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: As summer comes to a close, I realized we haven't been to any of those carnivals or community fairs this summer. I mean, I'm not really into it at all, except for well, going and getting the food there. I love the corn dogs, caramel apples, cheese curds, kettle corn, cotton candy, and you know, the deep fried anything. Oh wait, back to the matter at hand... the Secret Recipe Club time! This month, like many other months, I didn't know where to start. When I began my search for this month's Secret Recipe Club, I really was all over the place with my assigned blogger, No Reason Needed. Carol's site has a mix of family blogging, along with her variety of recipe posts. There were so many great choices that once I began my search, I was torn. My husband wanted the taco dish, I was eyeing the meatloaf as I am always looking for easy and tasty meatloaf recipes. But I decided to go with what I thought the kids would like too, well, secretly what I was hungry for.. shh..don't tell.. I'd like some of that--> the powdered sugary deep fried goodness. A recipe that totally reminded me of all of those great feelings of nostalgia of country fairs and festivals would be it. I saw this recipe for funnel cakes, I thought this would be an awesome treat, something I normally wouldn't go crazy and make. I tried churros one time and failed miserably, so I was a little nervous at first. This time around though, in my trusty Le Creuset, I fired up my little pot of oil, and knocked this one out of the park.

Funnel Cakes

Ingredients:

1 egg

2/3 cup milk (I used soy milk here.)

2 tbsp white sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

about 2 cups of oil for frying

optional: water, if needed to thin out the batter

Directions:

In a deep skillet or pan, heat about 2 cups of oil over medium heat until hot while you begin to make the funnel cake batter. Make sure you test the oil later before pouring the batter in. Measure out dry ingredients (sugar, salt, flour, and baking powder) in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, mix the egg and milk together. Once the egg and milk is beaten together, gradually add in your dry ingredients. The batter will become fairly thick. So if needed, add in some additional water to help make the funnel cake batter smooth. Test the heated oil and see if it is ready and make sure it is not too hot. It is is smoking when you do a test drop, turn down the heat a bit and wait.

Next, pour the batter in a funnel or a large gallon sized baggie. If using the baggie approach, snip off a small corner of it, and begin to squeeze the batter in the hot oil. Squeeze in a web-like pattern, circular pattern until you have reached a desired shape or amount of batter. Fry for about 2-3 minutes, with a flip over halfway. It really doesn't take very long at all, so once they begin to turn puffier and a golden brown, remove the crispy fried goodness from the pan.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar for the classic funnel cake preparation. Get creative, and check out the other options below to top your funnel cake!

Note, for the caramel apple version above, I used another No Reason Needed recipe I liked. Carol's fried apple recipe made an amazing gooey, sweet topping. It tasted like a warm apple pie, really it was pretty delicious...

Mongolian Chicken and Caramel Bars

2012-08-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note:
Decisions, decisions... way too many wonderful recipes to choose from for this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment. My newest assignment for this month's SRC was a blog called Robin, Restored, formally known as Penny Pinching Provisions. Seriously, you must check out this blog and see all of the great ideas, meal plans, and recipes that Robin shares. Originally I thought I wanted to make something with zucchini as I had a few sitting on my kitchen counter just itching to be used. Instead, I stumbled on this caramel bar recipe as I was looking through Robin's zucchini posts! :) This one showed up below on the "you might also like" area and I decided it captured my sweet tooth instantly. Caramel bars with just a few ingredients, seriously, yummy. However, I couldn't stop with just one recipe though, I had to try out the Mongolian Chicken, as well! Wow, my husband thought we had take out as it was so good and it turned out beautifully. Not to mention fairly easy and affordable, too! I love that I had all the ingredients readily available to make this tasty main dish for a quick mid-week meal. I might just have to say that since I've been with the Secret Recipe Club, which is over a year now, I believe this is one of my favorites.

Mongolian Chicken

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

1/3 cup canola oil

1 lb chicken, cut up into small pieces

¼ cup cornstarch

For the Sauce:

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp ginger

2 tbsp garlic

½ cup soy sauce

¾ cup brown sugar

Optional: green onions, brown rice, and veggies

Directions:

Prepare the chicken pieces and cut into smaller bite-sized like pieces. Place chicken into a plastic bag and toss in the cornstarch. Shake the chicken pieces in the cornstarch until they are completely coated. Let them sit for about 10 minutes. While these are resting, start up on the sauce for the chicken.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok and add in the ginger and garlic and sauté quickly. Stir in soy sauce and brown sugar. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside and reserve the sauce for later.

Clean the sauce out of the wok and heat up about a 1/3 cup of oil in the wok. Once it begins to heat up, add in your chicken and begin to sauté. Cook the chicken, probably about 5-7 minutes total, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Pour in the reserved sauce and simmer for a few minutes as the sauce thickens. Add in the chopped green onion to finish the dish. Remove from the heat and serve with rice. I paired it with a simple vegetable dish on the side as well, and it made for a well-rounded meal.

...and now for dessert!

Caramel Bars

I followed Robin's recipe and made just a few substitutions to suite our family's needs. For the butter, I used a soy margarine, and for the pecans, I used crushed pretzel chips! This was such a goey, salty, sweet, buttery, and delicious treat to enjoy.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy margarine
1 cup plus 2 tbps brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup of crushed pretzel chips

Directions:

In a saucepan, melt margarine and brown sugar until dissolved over medium heat. Cool slightly and pour into a bowl with the egg and vanilla. Stir together and add in the flour and baking powder. Once combined, add in the crushed pretzel chips and pour into a prepared lightly greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the caramel bars start to crisp up. Wait until the bars are cooled and then cut to enjoy!

Dark Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

2012-08-10T07:23:00.001-05:00

Yummy note: It's almost nearing the end of the summer, and I finally got around to stirring up some homemade ice cream for the kids. It is not just any ordinary ice cream, as this particular ice cream is dairy-free! My oldest child would eat ice cream morning, noon, and night if I let her. Sadly, my youngest child never really gets ice cream due to a milk allergy, so I immediately wanted to fix that. He's had fruit sorbets in the past, but it just isn't the same cool creamy yumminess that you get from ice cream. So immediately, I went to my go-to website for dairy-free recipe ideas from Silk. They have some great tips here for cooking and baking with soy milk, so I knew this recipe from Silk was my starting point. I ended up adding in some dark cherries and some dairy-free chocolate pieces to make an amazing combination. The cherry flavor wasn't too overwhelming, but if you are looking for a strong cherry flavored ice cream, you might want to add in a few tablespoons of cherry juice/extract to bump up the flavor. Or perhaps if you are making this for an adult treat, I bet a nice cherry liqueur would be a wonderful addition to this delicious frozen treat.

Dark Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of soy milk (I used Silk Vanilla)

2 cups of soy creamer (I used Silk Original Creamer)

1 1/2 cups of pitted dark cherries

1/2 cup of agave or sugar

1 vanilla bean

2 tablespoons of arrowroot (or cornstarch)

1/2 cup of dairy-free chocolate chunks
Optional: 1/4 cup of cherry preserves or few tablespoons of cherry liqueur

*Note: You want to yield about 4 cups total of ice cream mix to put into your ice cream maker.

Directions:

Pit cherries and cut them into pieces. Place 1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk, a split vanilla bean, creamer, agave, and cherries into a saucepan. (Note: To prepare a split vanilla bean, cut the vanilla bean open and scrape seeds into the saucepan and toss the empty pod into the pan as well to infuse the flavor more.) Heat the mixture on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to simmer. Stir and remove from the heat. Mix 2 tablespoons of arrowroot into the remaining cold creamer and then whisk into the warm mixture. Cover the pan and let the mixture sit for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean. This next step is optional- if you want, puree the cherry mixture in a blender to chop up the cherries a bit. Do it to your preference; my kids like the smaller pieces, so I went fairly small, perhaps if you want large chunks of cherries you could just omit this step. Next, chill the mixture completely. This is very important or else the ice cream will not set up properly in your ice cream maker. Process the mix according to your ice cream maker's directions.

While the ice cream is churning, chop up about 1/2 cup of dairy-free chocolate chunks to toss into the ice cream mix. Towards the end of the ice cream processing time, add in your chocolate. You could also add in a flavorful cherry preserve or jam at the end to make ripple ribbons of fruit throughout the ice cream. Enjoy the soft set ice cream immediately, or freeze the ice cream for a few more hours in an air tight container until ready to serve. Makes about one quart of ice cream.

Serve with some fresh fruit!

Garnish with a dairy-free chocolate syrup!

Want another fun ice cream idea? Use this recipe from Silk, but substitute the Soy Original flavor with the Silk Chocolate flavor! Treat yourself to a frozen chocolaty treat.

Pancake and Sausage Muffins

2012-07-27T22:10:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: Seriously, these rock. I think I saw it before and people called it a “puffin” – basically mini baked pancake muffins! I’m not sure where I first saw something along these lines, but it is sure genius. Especially when you can bake the sticky gooey sweet syrup right inside the pancake and it doesn't get all over! It is an easy clean up on those busy days! There are a bunch of homemade mix recipes out there, but for our house, pancakes are often a quick meal for us to throw together. Knock yourself out and use a homemade pancake mix if you wish, but the Bisquick worked quick and easy. When we are busy and on the run, the least amount of hassle, the better. Using a premade pancake mix, like Bisquick, it is as easy as 1-2-3 practically to make handheld pancake muffins pretty quick. These are like a meal on the go, when you toss in some precooked sausage or bacon and drizzle in a little syrup. Delicious. Mnnnmnnmn… When I made these, both kids, seriously gobbled down I think atleast 2 muffins. It was a total hit.

Pancake and Sausage Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick2/3 cup milk (we used soy milk)

2 eggs

about a 1/3 - 1/2 cup of pancake syrup

1 cup of cut up precooked breakfast sausage*

* Could also use various other add-ins instead of the sausage, such as bacon, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, etc..)

Bisquick mix in the pantry is a staple in my kitchen!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your muffin To make the process even easier, use a large measuring cup or easy to pour bowl to stir the batter up in.

That way you can just pour the mix directly into the tins. Stir together the pancake mix, with the milk, eggs, and syrup. Mix together and pour in greased muffin pan or pour into cupcake liners.

Top with already cooked sausage or any other additional add-in you’d like.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until they start to set up and get a little golden brown on top. Remove from pan and serve warm. These little things warm up nicely the next day as leftovers too, if they last that long! :)

Enjoy with a little butter on top. Best served warm for breakfast, supper, or an anytime treat.

Biscoff Graham Cracker Squares

2012-07-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: For quite a while, I've seen a bunch of posts using this cookie spread called Biscoff. So a few months ago, I purchased a jar as I looked a bit into it and realized it was nut and dairy-free! Bonus! That is the perfect combo in our house for the kids. Needless to say, it has since become a staple. My kids love the cookies and the Biscoff Spread. So now I often substitute the Biscoff spread for peanut butter in recipes. So in my cabinet, I had this half package of Biscoff cookies and a jar of Biscoff spread ready to be used... and it was perfect in Vicky's recipe from the blog Avocado and Pesto for Peanut Graham Cracker Squares. I thought that it'd be a nice sweet treat for putting my own yummy twist on it! Vicky from Avocado and Pesto was my luck of the draw for this month's Secret Recipe Club where we get to showcase another blogger's site. Avocado and Pesto had some great recipes like an avocado chickpea pesto salad, a breakfast sandwich with avocados, or peanut butter heath balls!? and the list goes on... Avocado and Pesto just had a site make-over not to long ago, and it looks fantastic, so make sure you check out her updated site!

Biscoff Graham Cracker Squares

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter

1 cup of cookie crumbs - I used about a 1/2 cup of graham crackers and about 1/2 cup of Biscoff cookies crushed to equal 1 cup of crumbs

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup Biscoff Spread (or peanut butter)

Topping:

2 tbsp Biscoff spread

3/4 cup chocolate chips

**Allergy note: I made these dairy-free by substituting the butter with soy margarine and vegan chocolate chips. I also substituted the peanut butter with the Biscoff Spread so that it was nut-free as well.

Directions:

Coat a small pan or container (like an 8x8 or 9x9 size) with cooking spray. To make the removal of the squares even better, line it with aluminum foil as Vicky mentioned in her original recipe, but just my luck, I ran out, so I had to just use the spray. It was ok, but I'm sure the foil would have rocked it. Note for next time..

Start by melting the butter and the peanut butter together. Next stir in the powdered sugar and cookie crumbs and mix until it is well combined. Press into your prepared container and chill for about 20-30 minutes until it begins to set up nice.

Next, prepare your chocolaty topping by melting the chocolate chips and your 2 tablespoons of Biscoff spread together until smooth. Once smooth, pour chocolate topping on top of the cookie crust mixture. Chill until the treats are firm and have set up nicely. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Bars

2012-07-01T21:34:00.003-05:00

Yummy note:

Many family gatherings I've taken along some sugar cookies, you know the rolled out and cut into fun shape ones with cute frosting. They have always been hit with everyone of all ages. However, since the kiddos, I've been keeping an eye on recipes that really help cut some time off my preparation or that seem to be easy to do. I had bookmarked this recipe a few years ago and immediately printed it out for future uses. This Sentimental Sunday is about spending time with family and still being able to enjoy a homemade treat without a lot of time devoted to it. Sometimes it is such a pain to have to make the dough, chill and roll sugar cookies out and then not to mention putting the finishing touches on those cookies can take a couple of hours to complete. But with this recipe, it is so easy, yet sooo unbelievably tasty. They stay extremely soft and can even be kept in the freezer for longevity. They are just perfect to share with others, which is my favorite part of baking! This is super nice for a party as it makes about 4 dozen or so bars, perfect ready to share. I don't think there is much more to say about these wonderful cookie bars, other than to just make a batch to enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Bars

recipe found here from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

For the cookie bars:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2-3 tsp. vanilla extract
5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda

For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
5 tbsp. milk
Food coloring (optional)

*Note- I have substituted an equal amount of soy margarine and soy milk in this recipe for the dairy ingredients and still achieved great tasting results for dairy-free options.

Directions:

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet, about a 13"x18" sized one. Cream softened butter and sugar in a mixer until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one until incorporated. Next, blend in the vanilla. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.

Spread the cookie dough into the prepared baking sheet and press into an even layer. Note, I had put a layer of aluminium foil on the bottom of the pan as well to have an easier removal of the cookie bar for cutting later. However, you can put the cookie dough directly into the greased pan. Bake only for about 10-15 minutes, or until a light golden brown color. You can test to see if it is done by sticking a toothpick in the center and see if it comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely before applying the frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the butter on medium-high speed in a mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar until smooth. Then mix in the milk and add food coloring to tint. Spread frosting over the cookie bars in the pan.

At this point, you can freeze the cookie bars or cut into bars and serve.

A Colossal Cookie

2012-06-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: Oh my, this summer is sure upon us, with all of the activities going on, this Secret Recipe Club post sure seemed to sneak a bit up on me. I was going to traveling a bit right before this posting, so I knew I had to get on the ball and get going with my assignment for this month. I had a blog called Heavenly Treats and Treasures and the photos on this site sure did look heavenly, making it a hard choice while planning it out. I really wanted to make one of the sorbets, but my freezer hasn't really had the room for something more tossed in there, so strike that off the list.. next I thought these brioche buns as I've never made those before and I could use them in several of my planned meals, but then I saw this HUGE cookie! Score, that is so it.. and what was even better, I was easily able to adapt the recipe for my kids' milk and nut allergies. That really sells a recipe to me, as I can make something for ALL of us to enjoy. It is no fun to eat something delicious, while others have to watch, I don't like to make something and not share... and that is what makes this cookie from Heavenly Treat and Treasures so nice. It makes a larger batch and it is perfect for sharing :)

A Colossal Cookie

(with dairy-free adaptions)

Recipe adapted from http://www.heavenlytreatsandtreasures.com/2011/07/cookie-monster.html

Ingredients:

1 lb. soy margarine

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, infused with a vanilla bean

2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups bread flour

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour*

* Grace suggested a perfect substitution for this pastry flour that the original recipe called for. Make an easy mix of 4 cups of pastry flour by whisking 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour and 1 1/3 cups cake flour together. Just note, not to use all of this flour, you’ll have about 3/4 cup of leftover flour you can save for later use.

2 bags of dairy-free chocolate chips (apprx. 2 lbs of chocolate pieces)

Two of my staple ingredients in my dairy-free pantry-- LOVE these Enjoy Life allergy friendly chocolate chips and the Willow Run Soy Margarine for baking.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly spray a 12” cast iron skillet with oil. The Heavenly Treats and Treasures recipe originally started out with browning some butter with a vanilla bean and making some heavenly browned butter. However, I made an adaption here, as I was using a non-dairy substitute and I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. Instead I used some of my vanilla bean infused sugar. I keep a jar of this in my cabinet for special recipes like this! It is easy to do, just place a vanilla bean, that is cut open and toss inside a jar of sugar. Make sure it is a tight lid and wait for few weeks to use for best flavor.

In a large bowl, whisk your pastry flour, bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Next, in a separate bowl, cream the soy margarine and sugars on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add vanilla extract and beat until well blended. Gradually incorporate flour mixture to wet ingredients, add about a third of flour mixture at a time to the other bowl. Last, add the chocolate pieces to the batter.

Spread about a third of the dough into the prepared skillet. Bake in your preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes on the center rack. Adjust your time accordingly and don’t over bake, so remove cookie once the edges start to get golden brown. Cool on a baking rack for about 10 minutes, then decorate or serve as desired. Check out Heavenly Treats and Treasures for a gooey caramel sauce to top it with or see how I decorated the cookie below! I used a basic buttercream frosting recipe and made adaptions accordingly.

Hooray for The Secret Recipe Club!

Cut and serve in slices!

Instead of baking larger cookies for the rest of the dough, I scooped some dough and baked them in greased muffin tin cups! I baked them for about the same time, roughly about 20 minutes until they turn a golden brown. These were perfect to freeze leftovers, too!

Caramel and chocolate sauce drizzled on top of a warm cookie makes it out of this world.

I also made some frosted cookie cups with the leftover frosting! The cookie cups sink a bit in the middle perfect for a glob of frosting!

Stop by and check out the Secret Recipe Club and see what it is all about!!

fruit salsa

2012-05-23T22:16:00.001-05:00

Yummy note: Oh, it is almost is almost the start of summer, I can feel it, each day goes by and it gets warmer and warmer. I could handle about 70-80 degrees all the time, I'll pass on the 90+ weather. So perhaps this will be a nice, mild summer in the Midwest. Or perhaps not, I guess we will have to wait and see. With the summer hot weather approaching, this is a perfect little side "salsa" fruit dish we just love here. You can eat it like a fruit salad with a fork, or do it with our favorite, utensil-free dipper - the cinnamon sugared pita chip! They are just delicious with this dish, so I highly advise to eat them together! I love this dish, it's super simple, easy to toss together, and you have a wonderful side dish to take to that potluck or gathering! Or hide it out in your refrigerator and enjoy it all by yourself to cool off with this summer :-)

Fruit Salsa

I think I originally saw a version of this recipe on the Today Show similar to this..

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35928705/ns/today-food/t/creative-peanut-butter-sandwiches/#.T70Az-sV0ig

Ingredients:

2 kiwis

1 pear

2 apples

1 lb of strawberries

3-4 tbsp of orange marmalade

8 oz of raspberries - optional

2-3 tbsp sugar - optional - Depending on the tartness of the fruit, you may need to add in a few additional tablespoons of white sugar to the salsa. Just add this to your taste, though. Sometimes, the fruit is sweet enough on its own without the extra sugar. At most, I think I have added about 3 tablespoons to the entire batch.

Directions:

Make sure you have a nice knife handy, as that is about all this recipe needs! It really makes your prep job much nicer, if you can easily chop and dice your fruit with ease. So first, prepare the fruit by peeling and dicing the kiwis. Next, peel, core, and dice up the pear and apples. If you'd like, you could probably leave the skin on the apples here, but the kids seem to like the apples better without the skin, so I removed it for this salsa. Next, dice the strawberries. Toss all of the fruit in a large bowl and stir. In a small bowl, heat up about 3-4 tablespoons of the orange marmalade and add sugar if desired, and heat in a microwave just for a few seconds to warm up the marmalade so it can be pourable and liquid-like. Pour the warm marmalade over the chopped up fruit and stir until well combined. Chill salsa before serving.

After a day of sitting in the refrigerator, the fruit begins to macerate more and becomes saucier.The salsa still tastes fantastic, however, it will have a bit more juice in it. Serve chilled and it is best with cinnamon sugary pita chips or tortilla chips.

M&M Cookies

2012-05-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy note: The two most exciting things about our Secret Recipe Club is the day we get our assigned new blogger and of course, the day our blog and recipe is revealed by our mystery blogger. The next best day is the day you make your new sought out recipe and get to enjoy the benefits! :) What a treat it always is to try out a new recipe that a blogger friend enjoys as well. This month another great site, Secrets from the Cookie Princess, came my way. I told my daughter about that blog name and of course she L-o-v-e-d it because nowdays she is all about princesses and helping mommy make cookies in the kitchen! Colleen is the creative mind behind this site, Secrets from the Cookie Princess; I might actually compare my blog style a bit like hers, as she does such a great job doing step-by-step photos in her blog posts which is super helpful! Colleen has so many different recipes to pick from, but I knew I had to select something from this category though...cookies! With the likes of all these great cookie choices, like cake batter sandwich cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars, hotel cookies, and M&M cookies, it was going to be a tough decision, so I brought in my expert. I had my daughter, Alicia help me pick out this month's choice, because I was having such a hard time deciding! So what did she pick.... She wanted to make the M&M cookies!

M&M Cookies

Recipe from: http://www.secretsfromthecookieprincess.com/2010/12/m-cookies.html

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
10 ounces M&M candies

The ingredients, plus my trusty ipad which is always a key ingredient!

Let's mix up some cookies!

Directions:

Mix the first three dry ingredients listed in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, beat softened butter for a few minutes, until light and fluffy like, and then mix in the white and brown sugar until creamy and combined well. Add in eggs, one at a time, and pour in the vanilla. Then stir in the dry ingredients until all of the flour is incorporated well. Weigh out about 10 ounces of the M&M candies and stir into the cookie batter until chocolate candy is evenly distributed throughout.

"Mom- we need 10 ounces of chocolate m&Ms... see this is what 10 looks like- 10 fingers!"

Spoon out cookie dough onto your baking sheets, and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 8 minutes or so until cookies are a getting golden in color.

I think we ended up with about 4-5 dozen cookies, using a decent sized cookie scooper and probably a bit too much taste tasting going on :)

To see what the Secret Recipe Club is all about, check out our homepage and remember to stop by and see what all of the other bloggers made this month!

Caramel pull-a-part biscuits (aka mini monkey breads)

2012-05-13T10:47:00.006-05:00

Yummy note: This Sentimental Sunday post is a recipe that my sister and I used to make a lot with my mom growing up. Some call it monkey bread, others call it caramel pull-a-part biscuits; at my house my daughter calls it quick caramel biscuit rolls. Either way, it's gooey, sweet, caramely goodness. This is a good recipe for extra little hands to help with (like they call pull apart the biscuits, shake up the bag later, or even count out the biscuits as they evenly distribute them into the tins). Either way, just make sure you get your kids involved in the kitchen! Such great memories and lessons can be learned while working together. So this was a fitting recipe for this Sunday to celebrate Mother's Day with all of you out there.

<3 Happy Mother's Day ! <3

Caramel Pull-A-Part Biscuits (aka Mini Monkey Breads)

Recipe probably adapted from this as I think this is similar to my mom's recipe.

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/monkey-bread-with-caramel/4a92932f-f795-4813-9800-d6e35e8d5a49

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2-3 tbsp granulated sugar
1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 can refrigerated biscuit

Directions:
Grease about 6 muffin cups. Melt butter and stir in brown sugar. Pour butter/sugary mix equally into the greased muffin tin. Roughly, a tablespoon goes into each muffin cup. In a gallon-sized plastic bag, shake the sugar and cinnamon together; then add the cut up pieces of biscuits and shake again until all of the pieces are coated. Distribute the sugary coated pieces into the muffin tins, and bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; then turn upside down on plate. These are best served warm. If you are like my daughter and want a little extra jazz on top, you may add a quick powdered sugar and milk glaze to drizzle on top of the warm caramel biscuit treat. Enjoy.

*Yummy note: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make a larger batch. Growing up, we used to make a large batch, and throw all the pieces into a bundt pan and bake it roughly 30-40 minutes until it was bubbly brown and caramely.