colleenchopaholic

Berry Blue Sharkcakes!

2012-05-04T15:42:00.000-04:00

I am back in action and ready to hit the kitchen.
Also, on a side note my boyfriend got offered a new on Wednesday and we are so excited for him. Congrats Christopher! I love you!

For my first day back in the kitchen I had to come up with a new recipe for cupcakes my dad could take to my brother's school. What could be more fun than bright blue cupcakes? They were a trip down memory lane, first because the smell of blue jello reminds me of swim team days (for those of you that swam you know you loved dipping your fingers in the sugar and licking them off) and second because the sharks reminded me of my elementary school..."we are the Shoal Creek Sharks, we're one of a kind"...yes I still remember our school song...and the hand motions...*sigh*.

Berry Blue Sharkcakes

Cupcakes
1 Box White Cake Mix
3 Eggs
1 1/4 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Oil
3oz Berry Blue Jello

Frosting
3 Cups Confectioners Sugar
1 Stick Unsalted Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Flavoring
2 tsp. Heavy Cream

Toppings
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
24 Shark Gummies

Combine all cupcake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and pour into cupcake tins. Bake 16-19 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and place in the refrigerator until they have cooled all the way through. Make sure you taste test one because they are delightful. Also make sure to put them in the middle of the oven because the jello makes them very sensitive to turning brown.

For the icing you combine all ingredients at room temperature and mix until they are the texture you would like for your icing. Pipe onto your cooled cupcakes and top with brown sugar and gummy sharks!

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

2012-04-26T21:53:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure the name says it all. Let's just get down to it, these are insanely delicious, but you must prepare yourself for how hot they will be. People may tell you they won't be that hot....they are lying. Perfect food for tailgating, partying, or just something fun to grill, they will have everyone at your party talking...or drinking all your milk.

So enough chitter chatter, here is the recipe for these decadent pepper delights.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

12 Fresh Jalapenos

4 oz Cream Cheese

4 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese

16 oz Bacon

25 Toothpicks

Start by coring your jalapenos. A paring knife will work perfect. Save the tops to use for later.

Next, take your cream cheese and roll small pieces into log shapes, the roll those in the shredded cheddar cheese. Stuff them into the peppers.

Pre-cook the bacon about half way through before wrapping the peppers because it takes longer to cook than the rest of the dish. Once the bacon is cooked let it cool. Place the tops back on peppers and secure them in place with the bacon and toothpicks. They should look similar to this...

Season them with salt and pepper, a dash of olive oil, and a little bit of garlic powder. Put your jalapenos on the grill on a medium setting (it really depends on your grill, I suggest using your best judgement!) Once the bacon is cooked to your liking take them off and enjoy the amazingness you have just created!

Watermelon Cupcakes

2012-04-26T21:24:00.000-04:00

Like watermelon jolly ranchers? You will love these!

Watermelon Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

1 Package White Cake Mix

1 3 oz Package Watermelon Jello Brand Jello

3 Eggs

1 1/4 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

Red Food Coloring - the jello will make it pink so add until you are satisfied with the color.

For the icing

3 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1 Stick Unsalted Butter

Green Food Coloring

For the icing combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Ice your cupcakes and top with chocolate chips

Fulcher Fajitas

2012-04-26T21:09:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't love Mexican food? A question I ask myself all the time...another question I frequently ask...do the have American food restaurants in Mexico or China or anywhere else in the world?

One of my favorite Mexican dishes has to be the fajita and my mom makes the absolute best ones I've had. So while I sat home and longed for some of her "home cooking" Mexican style I decided I would give it my best shot to recreate her deliciously delicious fajitas.

Fulcher Fajitas

1.75 lbs Searing Steak Sliced (You can also use chicken if that is your preference)

1 Green Pepper Sliced

1 Red Pepper Sliced

1 Yellow Pepper Sliced

1 Jalapeno Sliced

8 Flour Fajita Tortillas

1 Package Taco/Fajita Seasoning

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Slice all your veggies and your steak. Rub the steak in 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil and Cayenne Pepper and let it marinate for a couple of hours. Combine all of the veggies and 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil in a ziploc bag and let the veggies sit together in the fridge for a few hours.

When you are ready to use them place them in separate frying pans. Saute the veggies on med-low until they are soft with a slight crisp to the edges. Brown the steak and drain. Add 2/3 cup water and add the taco seasoning. Let the meat simmer for 10-15 minutes. Once everything is done combine them in a pan together and cook on low for 10 minutes. You can heat up a cast iron pan to high heat and throw them in after they're done cooking but if you don't feel like it, don't! They are delicious either way! Top a tortilla with the mix and a scoop of sour cream and enjoy!

More Cupcakes!

2012-04-24T20:49:00.001-04:00

My first cupcakes made for someone other than myself! Check them out! I even made the holders!

Just thought I would share! Happy Tuesday!

Slowcooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

2012-04-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

Before Chris and I started dating our date nights consisted of him coming to my apartment and me cooking dinner for him while we watched "The Office". Now in all the "heckticness" of school, work, and life, we spend a lot more time ordering take out than we would like. But back in the day when we cooked together we came up with a delicious pork chop recipe that both he and I (and a starving roommate) just loved!

Today while we were sitting watching "How I Met Your Mother" (our newest tv show of choice), we were trying to come up with something easy for dinner after a long weekend of beer and rockband, and we decided to try a slowcooker recipe. Thinking I had a pound of chicken tenderloins in the fridge I came up with the idea of Slowcooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken....however (sigh) we used the chicken a couple nights before and I completely forgot! But thankfully we found a package of chicken tenderloins in the freezer that were about a year and a half old (CLUTCH!). This recipe took me all of 5 minutes to put together and boy was it delicious.

Slowcooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

1 Package Chicken approx. 1.25-1.75lb (You can use tenderloins or breasts)

1 Bottle of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce

1 Can Pineapple Rings

1 Green Pepper Diced

1 Onion Diced

1 Tbps. Garlic Salt

1/2 Cup Water

4 Servings Boiled White Rice

Throw all your ingredients in a slow cooker and let it simmer! On low 5-6 hours, on high 2.5-3 hours.

Boil your rice and serve on top!

Although it is not the most aesthetically pleasing it sure pleases the palette.

Spaghetti Carbonara Omlette

2012-04-23T13:11:00.007-04:00

Friday nights are my favorite time of the week. The work week is over, the weekend is starting, and I get to hang with Chris and Alex while drinking fun beer and playing croquette. I never win but it is fun either way.

This Friday night my boyfriend's mom tried a new recipe, Spaghetti Carbonara for dinner and let me take this time to thank her for making something so delicious. I really can't think of anything that eggs and bacon wouldn't make even better. So while we were all sitting on the back porch eating dinner and drinking Summer Shandys, great ideas kept flowing through our heads of what other great recipes could come from this spaghetti and this morning we made it. So welcome blogger community to the delicious Leftover Spaghetti Carbonara Omlette.

Spaghetti Carbonara Omlette

1 pound Spaghetti

12 oz Bacon Chopped

1 Onion Chopped

1 Green Pepper Chopped

1 Clove Garlic Minced

6 Eggs

1/2 Cup Parmesan or Italian Blend Cheese

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine

First dice the bacon and get it into a pan to cook. Cook until it is slightly crispy and then you will cook your veggies in the bacon grease. YUM! While the bacon is crisping start your pasta. Cook the spaghetti until al dente and drain the pasta very well.

Once the bacon is cooked drain some of the bacon grease out of the pan and throw in the garlic. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes then add half of the onion into the grease. Cook the onion until it is soft then add the white wine. I prefer Sauvignon Blanc but any white wine will work. Cook for one minute then add the bacon and the spaghetti into the pan. Add just a dash of olive oil to keep the spaghetti from sticking to the pan. Add the eggs that you have beaten and let them cook.

In a separate pan add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and the rest of the onion and the green pepper. Let these cook until they are soft. Plate your spaghetti and top with the onion and green pepper. Salt and pepper your dish to taste and serve! Great any time of the day!

ECU Jello Shots!

2012-04-22T13:44:00.001-04:00

PURPLEEEEE! These jello shots are inspired by my favorite university and the all around craziest school I've seen. East Carolina jello shots made with the Pirates favorite liquor...Rum!

These jello shots aren't hard to make at all and may be the easiest jello shots I've ever made.
You can see how to fill the jello shots in my Lime Margarita Jello Shots recipe.

ECU Pirate Jello Shots

4 Large Lemons
1 Box Grape Jello
1 Cup Boiling Water
1 Cup Cold Silver Rum

Gut your lemons first! This takes the longest however they are much more simple to scoop than limes!
You can see how to gut the lemons here: Lime Peel Margarita Jello Shots

Boil one cup of water and add the jello mixture. Whisk for 1-2 minutes then add your rum. Use silver rum because spice rum will be too overwhelming for the grape flavor.

Fill your lemons and let them set at least 5 hours, or overnight. Cut in half and serve with your favorite Pirate snack!

Orangesicle Cupcakes

2012-04-20T14:56:00.002-04:00

Orange cremesicles happen to be one of my favorite summer treats along with cupcakes, so what better way to enjoy the two but to put them together. This morning I decided I would tackle these cupcakes and off to the store I headed with Alex. What did I find when I got there? Orange cake mix! Score, way less work for the same outcome! However a few twists later and you have a boyfriend recommended A+ cupcake. So here it is everyone the most delicious cupcake I have ever had. The perfect combination between summertime sweet and deliciously moist cake!

Orangesicle Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

1 Box Orange Cake Mix

3 Eggs

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 1/3 Cups Water

1 tsp. Vanilla

For the Frosting

3 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1 Stick Unsalted Butter

3 Tbsp. Orange Juice Concentrate

1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix all cupcake ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Once smooth pour immediately into your cupcake pans. A little less than 1/3 cup of batter is the perfect amount for each serving. Bake on 325 for 17-19 minutes or until you can stick a fork in and it comes out clean. Put them in the fridge and make your frosting while they cool.

Combine all frosting ingredients into a bowl and mix until well blended. Make sure it is thick enough it wont run off your cupcakes.

Today I didn't have a piping kit with me so I used a ziplock bag with the corner snipped to pipe my frosting onto the cupcakes. I recommend using a piping kit (it makes them so beautiful). When you're done frosting the cupcakes garnish them with an orange slice! Super cute and EXTREMELY delicious! These are some of the best cupcakes I have ever tasted (Yes, I'm serious!)

Spicy Summer Salsa

2012-04-19T21:56:00.001-04:00

Chris and I have been craving delicious salsa for weeks, but since we haven't been able to make it to our favorite Mexican restaurant we've yet to have our salsa fix. So tonight we decided to change that. A spin off my dad's delicious salsa, we took his recipe, added a few of our favorite things and voila, a spicy summer salsa that's good any time of the year. (I think we are a little too excited for Cinco De Mayo!!)

Spicy Summer Salsa

*A food processor is needed for this recipe

1 Large Can diced tomatoes

1 Green Pepper

1/2 of a Sweet Onion

1/2 Can Serrano Peppers

1/2 tsp. Chopped Garlic

1 tsp. Cilantro Leaves *you can also use fresh cilantro, I just prefer the dried spice because the flavor is not as overwhelming

2 Tbsp. Course Sea Salt

Combine green pepper, onion, and Serrano peppers in your food processor and chop until liquid.

Add in the rest of your ingredients and process until the texture appears like the picture. Salt to taste and enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips! Pairs great with your favorite cervesa!

*If you do not like hot food you can eliminate the Serrano peppers and you have a refreshing salsa with no heat.

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt some East Carolina inspired jello shots! Look out Pirates, these are for you!

Lime Peel Margarita Jello Shots

2012-04-18T18:03:00.001-04:00

In the blogger world you come along a lot of posts where all you can fathom "Why the heck didn't I think of that?". For me it is the adorable jello shots that could turn anyone into a lush. So after seeing the amazing different jello shots on a few blogs and websites I came up with my own spin on a lime peel jello shot.

With Cinco De Mayo right around the corner I'm sure the most elegant margaritas will be pinned left and right but for those looking for a cute party idea my lime peel margarita jello shots will be right up your alley! So this folks is my first attempt at a jello shot that doesn't come in a little paper cup!

Lime Peel Margarita Jello Shots

5-6 Large Limes
1 Box Lime Jello
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Silver Tequila
1/3 Cup Triple Sec
1/2 Cup Sugar

The hardest part is coring the limes. First cut the limes in half long way. Then the best way to do it is take a knife around the outside of the fruit part and inside the peel and then use a spoon to scoop the inside out. It will take a lot more effort than it sounds like.
After you have gutted the limes you will want to make your jello mixture.
Boil 1 cup of water and add the jello mixture. Whisk until the mixture is dissolved. It will take about 1 minute.
Add the tequila and the triple sec.
Pour the mixture into the half and let the jello set for at least 5 hours. It is best to let the jello sit overnight but if you need them in a pinch you can put them in the freezer for the first two hours.

Slice them in halves and roll them in the sugar and voila!! You have amazing margaritas that will have all your friends talking!

Delicious Summer Salads

2012-04-18T14:51:00.000-04:00

Inspired by one of my favorite restaurants, this salad is a spin off your classic antipasto.

My favorite kind of lettuce will always be romaine. I do however enjoy the classic iceburg, there is virtually no nutritional value in the leaves. For this salad you can use whatever type of lettuce you would like. Although the toppings are based off of a "if you like it use more" idea, I put together a recipe for a suggested serving for each topping.

These are the portions based on weight.


Spring Mix	1oz
Romaine	2.75oz
Pepperoni	16slices/1.25oz
Red Pepper	1oz
Artichoke	1.25oz
Mushroom	.75oz
Ham	.75oz
Green Olive	.5oz
Mozzarella	.75oz

The best way to enjoy this salad is topped with sea salt and crushed black pepper and balsamic vinegar and olive oil! Don't skip on the olive oil...it helps to burn fat cells in your stomach!

Beer Fest

2012-04-17T22:39:00.002-04:00

This weekend Chris and I volunteered to work at World Beer Festival downtown. Craft beers are really big in our area and we love to try all different kinds of beer, so this was a perfect opportunity. An awesome experience I thought I would share with everyone and a chance to do another test post!

On our way to figure out what brewery we would be working with we got stopped by a guy looking for volunteers to help him. His name was Jared and he worked for a brewery out of Michigan. Anyways long story short, this brewery was AMAZING! It turned out it was a larger brewery and they needed us to run a booth for one of there smaller craft brews. The brewery was out of Dexter Michigan called Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (cool name, right?)

They also had to other brands with them, North Peak from Traverse City and Leelanau Brewery. Chris and I worked the North Peak table and we served people a Cherry Porter and an India Pale Ale. Everyone thought the beers were just as amazing as we did! I decided to share a link to the brewery so you can check them out. If you love craft beer as much as we do you will appreciate the work these guys do. http://jollypumpkin.com

My Test Post / Brussell Sprouts

2012-04-17T21:26:00.003-04:00

I am still getting used to this whole blog thing and it's definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be!

So for my first post I'm going to do a recipe that my boyfriend and I love as my "test post" and not do anything fancy. A simple idea we came up with combining ideas from a few different recipes **I also must give credit to my cousin because I stole the ham idea from her...Thanks Corrin!**

However delicious this recipe may be I realized after I started my blog, that none of my pictures are on my computer so for the first couple of posts I may have to use some iPhone photos...but don't fear fellow bloggers, I am ready to pull out my Cannon Rebel T3 the second the cookbook comes out!

Our recipe as we have come to call it are the "Bangin' Brussell Sprouts"...easy, healthy, & delicious.

Bangin' Brussell Sprouts

Fresh or Frozen Brussell Sprouts
Ham
Yellow or White Onion
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil (or whatever oil you prefer)

This recipe is based mostly on preference and taste, not measurements, so the best way to know if you have it right is to taste test.

The prep for this recipe is virtually nothing. All you should do it dice your onions and ham to a size suitable for you. We recommend ham from a delicious Christmas dinner, but whatever you have on hand will work (you could virtually sub it for any meat and still have a delicious dinner). And steam your brussell sprouts until they are soft all the way through.

When the prep is done heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan. and throw in your onions and ham. Let the onions soften slightly but not cook all the way through. Once they are done throw in your brussell sprouts and top with balsamic vinegar. Sautee them to taste and once everything is soft and has soaked up the balsamic vinegar your recipe is ready to be enjoyed. We recommend trying them with your favorite sauvignon blanc!