Strawberry Cake

Cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 small box strawberry gelatin
1 1/2 cups mashed fresh strawberries with juice
1 C oil
1/2 C fat free half and half
4 eggs or 6 egg whites
1/2 cup pecans
Makes 3 - 8 inch cakes

Place oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees
Grease and flour cake pans

Icing/filling:
8 oz softened cream cheese
8 T softened butter
6 C sifted powdered sugar (depending on the weather, you may need extra to thicken the icing)
1/2 C mashed (not pureed) strawberries
1/2 C pecans
1/2 tsp butter extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract

Mix all cake ingredients for 1 minue on medium speed. Next, equally seperate the cake batter into three 8 in cake pans. Bake for 30 - 35 mnutes then completely cool before icing.

Icing/filling:
Combine cream cheese, butter, and strawberries on low until well mixed. Next, add nuts followed by powdered sugar one cup at a time on low to medium speed. Cake must be refrigerated.

Broccoli Salad

Salad:
1 bunch fresh broccoli, chopped
1 medium purple onion, chopped
1/3 C bacon bits
1 C pecans or nut of choice
raisins or cranraisins to taste

Dressing:
1/2 C reduced fat mayo
1/2 C reduced fat sour cream
2 T granulated sugar
2 T cider vinegar

Combine all salad ingredients and put aside.
Combine dressing ingredients, pour over salad and toss.

Gooey Pumpkin Cake

Cake:
1 box butter yellow cake mix
1 large egg
8 T melted salted butter

Topping:
8 oz cream cheese softned
15 oz canned or fresh pumpkin
3 large eggs
8 T unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter extract
1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cake:
Combine cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 T butter and mix on medium speed. Press the mixture into a greased 13 x 9 baking pan.

Toppinging:
On medium speed, beat cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and butter extracts to pumpkn mixture. Next, add sifted powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg mixing well.

Spread topping over cake batter and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. The center f the cake will be gooey not dry if a toothpick is inserted. DO NOT OVER BAKE!

Chicken Piccata

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

2 - 3 chicken breasts pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1 cup flour seasoned as desired
2 T fresh lemon juice, about one large lemon
1/2 C low sodium chicken stock or white wine
1/4 C capers
1/4 fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly dry coat chicken with seasoned flour. Pan-fry chicken until golden brown on both sides. Deglaze pan with chicken stock and lemon juice while scraping bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add capers and simmer for 2 minutes. Plate and garnish with parsley.

Serves 4

A Day of Cooking....Pots and Pans Therapy

I have had little to no time to do one of the things that I love since my son was born...cooking.  Today, I decided that I needed some good ol' fashioned culinary therapy.  I hopped on the Internet and began searching recipes to make a different kind of dinner. 

I've never been one to enjoy breakfast foods, least of all at breakfast.  But I figured I should give it a try once more, and have breakfast for dinner.  My searches yielded very different results.  Some were simple, others required three-year training from the Culinary Institute.  Nevertheless, I found some recipes that somewhat appealed to me.

My husband LOVES pancakes.  Not just any pancake, IHOP pancakes.  I really don't relish the idea of visiting the restaurant, since I'm not keen on the breakfast varietals served there.  I did some Googleing and found a copycat recipe for them.  I then had an idea that I'd like to prepare a hashbrown casserole.  Again, a few minutes of digging, and voila! 

The site that I gathered these recipes from is Food.com.  It's amazing how many recipes are located here.  Even better, there is section that allows you to search for a menu based on a theme, or mood!  Each recipe also boasts it's nutritional value run-down.  Below are the recipes that I prepared tonight...

Cracker Barrel Hash Browns Casserole (Copycat)

Ingredients

26 -30 ounces of shredded hash browns
2 cups of shredded cheese ( colby to sharp)
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup of minced onions or 1/4 cup finely diced onions
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
1 teaspoon garlic salt or 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup real bacon bits

Directions

Melt butter or margarine and mix in milk, broth, soup, bacon bits, pepper, and onion in large measuring cup or bowl.

In large skillet heat hash browns and fold in shredded cheese until melted.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Prepare 9x13 baking dish or pan.

Put hash brown cheese mixture into prepared pan and pour other ingredients in and fold until hash browns swell in most of the liquid. Spoon the hash browns flat and place in oven to bake for 45 minutes.

IHOP Pancakes (Copycat)
Nonstick Spray


1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
pinch of salt

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick surface or apply a little nonstick spray.

2. In a blender or with a mixer, combine all of the remaining ingredients until smooth.

3. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles.

4. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be golden brown.

5. Cook pancakes on the other side for same amount of time, until golden brown.

Makes 8 to 10 pancakes.

*Do not overbeat.

After making breakfast for dinner, I also decided to try an artichoke and spinach dip recipe.  I've been looking for one to make for a bachelor party we're giving one of my cohorts.

Ingredients


2 (10 ounce) packages frozen spinach ( thawed and drained)
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts
4 Tbsp. alfredo sauce (Newman's Own jarred sauce is pretty good.  Homemade is much better.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
6 shakes of worceteshire sauce
3 shakes of Tobasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste
tortilla chips, for scooping OR grilled baguette crudite

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients (withholding about 1/3 cup parmesean) using pulse option of food processor. Add to baking dish that has been sprayed with non stick spray, cover with remaining parmesean. Cover with foil. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

*Serving this dip with grilled baguette crudite rubbed with a garlic clove hot off the pit is an awesome alternative to tortilla chips.

Chicken Chili Recipe

So there are those recipes that are generic, very blande, and very simple.  Then, there are those that can be altered into something FABULOUS!  I got this recipe from Melanie a few years ago.  I believe it was originally a Rachael Ray dish that she suped up.  Here's my variation. 

Chicken Chili Recipe

1 small onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 T minced garlic

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 package 2 Alarm Chili Kit

1 envelope chili seasoning (reduced sodium)

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 can Chili Ready Tomatoes

½ can chipotle peppers with sauce (mince peppers)

Chicken stock

1 can Bush’s black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small bag frozen corn



Begin by seasoning chicken with Tony Chachere’s or your choice of all-purpose seasoning. In a large, heavy bottom pot, saute’ vegetables, add chicken. Brown until veggies are soft and chicken is cooked through.



Reduce heat to medium and add 2 Al arm Chili kit withhold the salt packet. Add chili seasoning envelope. Stir to incorporate. Add chipotle peppers and sauce and stir. Stir in cans of tomatoes, reduce heat to simmer. Allow mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. At this point, you may choose to add chicken stock to thin mixture if you find it too thick.

Add frozen corn and black beans. Simmer until corn is thawed and warmed. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.

I believe I added chipotle peppers to the original recipe and corn.  I can't remember.  All I know is that it is some good eatin' on a crip Fall night!

Just one of those weeks

This has been a week from hell and it is only Wednesday! I really think there is a line of people somewhere pushing a button that says F with Melanie this week.

Monday was just full of being mad because I haven't gotten a routine down for this semester and school started a month ago. I'm trying to figure out how to do EVERYTHING in this freakin apartment ALONE and still study for the ton of tests I have every week, homework, papers to write, cook, and see about the dogs. I think I'm going on stike very soon.

Then came Tuesday. I went to school and in my third class of the day I wanted to physically hurt the professor. She almost had a angry mob to deal with. She is a great lab teacher but sucks as a lecture teacher. Just on Tuesday, she changed our test day (which was good because we learned we have to research and teach ourselves half of the material), explained to us how she is using our quizs from in class as 20% of each test (she quizs us on material we have not been taught), and adds a chapter to our test and says I think you should know this so I'm not teaching it. How I wanted to climb over my table and show her how I can use latex gloves for things other than Lab. You don't mess with my grades. Luckily I have extra points and a A- average on the quizs so far and will just have to give up a few more hours of sleep a night until December. AHHHHH!

Anyway, today is just another one of those days when I wished I had a restart button . First, I was woken up by the fire alarm going off in the bedroom. I spent a few minutes trying to unplug the alarm and stopped when I heard fire trucks. I pulled the dogs out of the bedroom in their kennel and went outside to escape the noise. There was no escape, the entire complex and grounds had alarms sounding. I think my ears began to bleed after fourty minutes. To add to the noise and frustration of the situation, all the dogs in the complex were whining and barking for the entire time. Thank God, after an hour and a half of firemen running around and a headache from hell, there wasn't a thing wrong.

Next, I had to try to study for tonight's government test. That wasn't going how I would like so I took a break and got on facebook to learn that my cousin was found dead in his house this morning. I never knew how informative social networking could be....can you sense the sarcasim. I don't think that is appropriate to post your brother's death on facebook before he has even been taken out of his freakin house. I just love how classy my family can be. Trying to be a good daughter, I call to let my dad know about my cousin.

I call and my dad answers the phone. I ask what's going on and said I heard that my cousin died and wanted to let him know. I figured know one had called yet because he had not called to tell me. His says he has been on the phone all day with family. Well that was sure nice of him. Then he asks how I heard and I tell him FACEBOOK. His respose--oh, that's good....I saw Heather and the kids at her sisters. Ok, thanks for the info dad. What the hell? Again no info about the cousin from him. I get back on facebook and see all the details. CLASSY! Family can be so annoying. All I can say is I remember why we moved and I LOVE living in Texas.

After a day, or week, like this I wish my best friend was closer. I've made a few good friends since we have moved but no one can come close to matching her. I sure could use a few drinks with her right now! Maybe after four or five stiff drinks, we would be able to figure out when our lives changed to what they are now. I know have many things to be thankful and haven't forgotten that fact but today and this week has just made me ask WTF!