Angel Fruit Salad

I went to a baby shower for my friend in LaPlace, LA this past weekend and a lady brought this fruit salad. It was a huge hit! Just try it for yourself, you'll see.

INGREDIENTS:

1 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cool whip
Strawberries, cut up
crushed pineapple, drained
mandarin oranges, drained
peach slices, drained

INSTRUCTIONS:

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Stir in strawberries and cool whip, mix well. Fold in pineapple, oranges, and peaches.

Enjoy!  Thanks to Anne Brooks for the amazing recipe! :)

Spaghetti Squash - Substitute for Spaghetti

I substituted Spaghetti Squash for my regular Spaghetti noodles last night, and was quite surprised. I couldn't taste a difference (maybe it's cuz I made the amazing sauce below) but it was crunchy. I dunno if you could boil it after to get rid of the crunchiness? Maybe I'll try that next time. Bo didn't like it cuz of this reason, but if I can still enjoy my pasta dishes with less calories and have a vegetable, count me in! :)

INGREDIENTS:

Spaghetti Squash

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.
Scoop out the seeds.
Bake on a cookie sheet with flesh side down for 30 mins.
Make Sauce while this is baking.
When done, scoop out the flesh with a fork (it should be stringy like spaghetti).

Enjoy!

Find the original recipe HERE.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce

I made this and poured it on the Spaghetti Squash that I substituted for pasta. We loved this pasta sauce! I usually do Prego, so this was a nice change!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I just had 1 lb)
2 Tblsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried basil (I had fresh and used that and it worked great!)
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
ground pepper
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 (16 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in butter (optional) (I did without this cuz I didn't have mushrooms on hand)
parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic in olive oil with bay leaves, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
3. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. (I'm impatient and think I only did 45 mins. for this, turned out great still!)
5. Use sauce to top your cooked spaghetti. (spaghetti squash)
6. Top with sautéed mushrooms and parmesan.

Thanks to Bev for the recipe! Original recipe HERE.

Apple Romaine Salad

My sister in law, Allison, made this salad for Easter dinner last night. It is so delicious! I usually am not the biggest fan of salad and eat it occasionally. This salad is so good I went back for seconds and am making it for dinner again tonight. And the best part, it is ridiculously easy, fast and oh so fresh. It is the perfect combination of sweet, salty and tangy.

Apple Romaine Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped or torn into bite size pieces
1-2 red apples, chopped (gala or pink lady are both really good)
Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced with a grater

Dressing

1-2 lemons
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Toss lettuce, apples and Parmesan together. Squeeze lemons over salad and drizzle with Olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.

Enjoy!

Pork Chops with stuffing

This is a recipe I grew up eating. My husband always asks for this recipe when I tell him we will be having pork chops for dinner.

Pork Chops with stuffing

4 pork chops
3 c. Bread, broken into crumbs
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp. Onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 c. Water

Brown pork chops in frying pan, all sides. Put pork in a casserole dish. Break bread on top of the pork chops. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over top of pork and bread. Mix a little, so the bread crumbs are moist. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. (If using thin cut pork chops, reduce cooking time.)

Pasta Fra Diavolo

I discovered this recipe in my Weight Watchers Cookbook several years ago.  We always make this in place of spaghetti.

Pasta Fra Diavolo

2 tsp. Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp. Tomato paste
2 Tbsp. Dry red wine (or sherry)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. Fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 oz linguine

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until golden, about 8 min. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 mins. Stir in parsley. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package direction. Drain and serve with sauce.

Spicy Pepper Penne

I got this recipe from my friend, Kadee. It is ridiculous easy to make and the best part, it is all done in one pan!

Spicy Penne Pasta

1 lb hot Italian sausage
16 oz penne or tube pasta
1/8 tsp. Rosemary
1/2 c peperoncini
1jar (7 oz.) roaster red peppers, drained and chopped (or you can use fresh peppers)
3 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. Heavy cream
1/2 c. Parmesan

In a large skillet, cook sausage. Drain. Layer pasta, rosemary and red peppers on top of  sausage. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Add cream and Parmesan, toss to coat.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This recipe is a staple in our home.  It is quick and easy to make too.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

8 oz. linguine

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp. Flour

1 1/2 c. Heavy cream

1/4 tsp. basil

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. lemon pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Parmesan cheese (topping)

Cube chicken and place in a ziplock bag with Cajun seasoning. Toss to coat.

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a LARGE skillet, over med-high heat, sauté chicken in butter until no longer pink. Add peppers, mushrooms and green onions. Cook 2-3 mins. Sprinkle flour over chicken and veggies and cook for another min. Reduce hear to med-low and stir in cream. Season with spices. Heat until simmering and sauce begins to thicken. Toss linguine with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Strawberry Crisp

Bo, X, and I went to Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival here in Louisiana this weekend and bought a flat of Strawberries. After arriving home, we realized how much that is (this happens every time...) and so Bo started searching for recipes with strawberries on an app on his phone called All the Cooks and came across this one. Let's just say, it was AMAZING! If you have any berries you are looking to get rid of, this is the recipe to use! It will definitely cancel out all the nutritional value the berries provide, but it's totally worth it.  :)
Hope y'all enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 C Brown Sugar
1 C All purpose Flour
1 C Uncooked Oats
1/4 C Chopped Walnuts (we did without these and it was still great)
1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Sugar
3 C Sliced Fresh/Frozen Strawberries


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Mix together oatmeal, flour and brown sugar.
3. Add nuts. (Optional)
4. Cut in butter or margarine until crumbly.
5. In another bowl, mix together strawberries and white sugar.
6. Grease an 8 inch square pan.
7. Spread half the crumb mixture on bottom.
8. Cover with strawberries.
9. Spread remaining crumb mixture over top.
10. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
11. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream, ice cream, or great just by itself.

We also doubled the recipe and cooked it all in a 9x13" pan. It was fabulous. Everyone loved this!

Enjoy! Thanks to clabbergirl on All the Cooks app. :)

Tres Leches Cake

Jen emailed me this recipe this morning. One day she'll get down how to use the blog. ;) She made them for a shower and everyone was asking for the recipe, so she thought she would share! Bo will be so happy, since the last one I made was no bueno.

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE:

6 large eggs, separated
2 C granulated sugar
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 C whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

CREAM TOPPING:

1 14-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 C heavy cream

HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM:

2 C heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tsp. confectioners' sugar

INSTRUCTIONS for Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish and set aside. (I used a smaller rectangle pan and a muffin tin, b/c I wanted individual cakes for presentation)

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks. Add the eggs yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lost volume.)  Add the vanilla. Bake until golden, 25 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS for Cream Topping:

In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and blend on high speed.

Remove the cake from the oven and while still warm, pour the cream mixture over it. Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

INSTRUCTIONS for Homemade Whipped Cream:

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks.

Enjoy!!


Thanks to Julie for the recipe. You can find the original recipe HERE.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sweet Rolls

This is our new LDS General Conference tradition, thanks to Bo.

Prep: 1 1/2 hours  (It took me all morning... but so worth it!)
Cook Time: 20 mins
Servings: 24

INGREDIENTS
Rolls:

• 2 C Whole Milk (I used 1% and it turned out great)
• 1/2 C Sugar
• 1/2 C Canola Oil
• 4 1/2 C All-purpose Flour, divided
• 1 Package (2 1/4 teaspoon) Active Dry Yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp (heaping) Salt
• 1/2 tsp. (scant) Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. (heaping) Baking Powder

Filling:

• 1 Stick Butter
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 C Brown Sugar
• 1/2 C Sugar
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1-1/2 C Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks
• 1 C Chopped Pecans (optional, we went without these)

Icing:

• 1 Package 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 3 C Powdered Sugar
• 1 Stick Butter, Softened
• 1 C Whole Milk
• 2-1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 tsp. Salt

If you're like me and don't have cream cheese on hand, you can use this RECIPE for the icing:

• 3 C Powdered Sugar
• 6 Tbsp. Butter, softened
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 6-8 Tbsp. Milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix milk, 1/2 C Sugar, and canola oil in a pot. Heat until very warm, not boiling. Allow to cool until slightly warmer than lukewarm.

Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the liquid, then add in 4 cups flour. Stir gently until totally combined. Mixture will be very wet and sticky. Cover with a tea towel, keep in a draft-free place, and allow to sit for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, add in additional 1/2 C of flour, as well as the salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined. Refrigerate dough, covered, until you need it. (Refrigerating the dough helps make it easier to handle.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter in the bottom of pie pans or 9x13" baking dish.

Turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle, about 24 inches wide by 10 to 12 inches deep. Add vanilla to melted butter, then drizzle mixture all over the surface of the dough. Use fingers to spread evenly. Mix sugar and salt and sprinkle it evenly over the butter. Follow with the brown sugar, chocolate chips, and copped nuts.

Beginning at the side furthest from you, roll dough toward you until it's in the shape of a tight log. Pinch the edges to seal. Slice into 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick rolls and lay, cut side down, in buttered baking dishes. Allow to rise for 20 minutes, then place in over and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown on top.

Icing Instructions:

Mix 1 stick butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in an electric mixer or until smooth and pourable.

Remove rolls from oven and allow to sit five minutes before drizzling icing all over the rolls. Be sure to get the icing all around the edges and covering the surface so they'll be nice and moist!

Sprinkle with extra chopped nuts if desired.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy! :)

Thanks to the Pioneer Woman for the recipe! To find the original recipe click HERE.