Italian Crème Cupcakes

I do try to keep things very simple with all the cooking that I do. In this recipe I used a boxed cake mix with some flavorings and other additions. It really does taste like it's made from scratch.

Cake:

• 1-White box cake mix
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. butter flavoring
• 1 tbsp. rum flavoring
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped finely

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Follow directions on cake mix box, using the EGG WHITE RECIPE . Add flavorings and beat till volume has doubled. Add walnuts and fold in to batter. Pour batter into cupcake liners until 1/2 full. Bake for 18 minutes. Cool before frosting. Frost cupcakes and roll on sides in extra walnuts.


Frosting:

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 2-8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 bag white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. butter flavoring
• 1 tbsp. rum flavoring
• 2/3 cup walnuts, chopped finely

Directions:

Using a mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. In a double boiler, pour white chips into bowl along with 1 tbsp. vegetable oil. Stir until melted completely and smooth. With mixer turned on low, slowly pour melted chips into cream cheese mixture. Continue to mix until mixed completely. Add flavorings and beat until fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and stir. Ice cupcakes and roll on sides into walnuts.

Father's Day Dinner

Hazelnut-Almond Marbled Cake

I made this for my mom and dad's 42nd Wedding Anniversary, which is June 23 (which we're celebrating this weekend).

Salisbury Steak & Sweet Potato Casserole

Salisbury Steak

Ingredients:

3lb. lean ground sirloin
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp. beef bouillon paste
5 cups water
1/2 cup brown gravy mix

Directions:

In an electric skillet, heat water and bouillon to 350° and then turn heat down to a simmer. Shape ground sirloin in an oval shape and place in simmering bouillon. When meat starts to brown, flip the meat so that the unexposed side is simmering. Add mushrooms and push down with a wooden spoon to absorb liquid. When meat is cooked through, remove from heat and sprinkle gravy mix over liquid. Turn up heat and whisk until thickened slightly. To serve, pour mushroom gravy over Salisbury steak.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
5 small red russet potatoes
4 tbsp. light margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans, chopped finely
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Wash and peel all potatoes and place on a microwavable-safe plate. Puncture each potato and cover plate with plastic wrap. Microwave for 12 minutes or until tender to touch. Using a stand mixer, place potatoes and the rest of the ingredients into mixer bowl. Mix on high or until not lumpy and texture is smooth.

Spray a glass casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour sweet potato mixture into dish. Top with sweet potato topping and broil on high for 2-5 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

Summer Kabobs

Summer Kabobs is one of the easiest grilling foods to make.

1. In a shallow dish add a few inches of water and soak the skewers. This prevents them from catching fire and it makes it easier to slide the vegetables on to the skewer.

2. Select a variety of fresh vegetables and a choice of boneless skinless meat, trimming off the fat.

3. Place one of each of the vegetables and a few of the protein choice, alternating on the skewer.

4. Heat the grill, in a bowl pour 1/4 cup of olive oil. Brush the oil on each of the kabobs, salt and pepper to taste.

Smores Tassies

Ingredients:

• Chocolate chip cookie dough
• Marshmallows, miniature
• Chocolate bar
• Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick spray. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls and press into muffin tin with thumb until sides of dough go up the side of the tin forming a cup. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Once pulled from oven, quickly place a marshmallow in each tassie and then a piece of chocolate on top of the marshmallow. When this step is completed go back over each tassie and sprinkle graham cracker crumbs.

Raspberry Almond Swirl Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup raspberry dessert topping
• Sliced almonds (decoration)
• Whipped topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Make cake mix according to directions on box. Add vanilla, almond extract, and 1/4 cup of sliced almonds. Mix thoroughly and pour into a 13"x9" cake pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Using a tablespoon, drop a dollop of raspberry dessert topping on to the cake batter. Using a knife, swirl the raspberry topping throughout the batter but not mixing completely. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan.

For presentation, drizzle dessert topping on plate, place a slice of cake in the center. Drop a dollop of whipped topping on the top of the cake and sprinkle sliced almonds.

Apricot Ginger Rice Pudding

I had some leftover rice from the Broccoli Beef dish. I decided I'd make some rice pudding, which is always a favorite of the kids.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups instant rice, fully cooked
• 1 box instant vanilla pudding (sugar-free if desired)
• 3 cups milk
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 can apricots, cubed

Directions:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together vanilla pudding, milk, ginger, vanilla bean, and salt. In a medium-sized saucepan, add rice, pudding mixture, and apricots. Cook stirring over medium heat until warm and bubbly.

Broccoli Beef

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. round steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. beef bouillon paste
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp. brown gravy mix
• 1 onion, cut and quartered
• 4 cups frozen broccoli

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat oil and add steak strips. Cover and saute until fully cooked through, add bouillon and 1 cup of water. Add brown gravy mix and stir, allow to cook longer with cover until thickened slightly. Once the dish has become thickened, add onions, broccoli, and water on top of the beef. Do not stir, but cover and allow broccoli and onions to steam cook. Serve over steamed or fried rice.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet & sour chicken is actually pretty easy to make with the right batter. I have a recipe for an amazing vinegar batter that is exactly like what the Chinese restaurants use. I've used this same batter when deep frying Morel mushrooms, try it, you'll love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken breast, cut in 1 in. x 3 in. slices
• Oil for frying

Vinegar batter:

• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 vinegar

Directions:

In an electric skillet pour oil to 2 inches deep and preheat to 375°. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together eggs and water. Scoop flour and baking powder on top of egg mixture without stirring. Pour vinegar all at once over top of ingredients and incorporate with a whisk.

Dredge chicken pieces through batter and place in oil and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Let fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve immediately with your favorite sweet and sour sauce.

Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo

We had a lot of leftovers from my son's graduation party, one of those leftovers was grilled chicken. Instead of just reheating the chicken and adding a few sides, I created a new meal with a few extra ingredients and made it easy.

Ingredients:

• 2 pkg. Pasta Sides® (Alfredo)
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. margarine
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced on the bias
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp. chives, chopped
• 1 cup water

Directions:

Fix Pasta Sides® according to package directions. Add chicken, mushrooms, chives, and extra cup of water. (When adding extras to packaged meals, it is necessary to add extra water to keep from drying out.) Serve warm and with a side of garlic bread.

Mother's Day Brunch

♥ French toast one-eye jacks

♥ Denver hashbrowns

♥ Yogurt parfaits

♥ Monkey bread

♥ Fruit basket

♥ Bacon

French Toast One-Eyed Jacks

Ingredients:

• 8 slices Texas Toast
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 8 eggs

Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl mix the beaten eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside. Heat electric griddle or non-stick frying pan. Spray surface with non-stick spray. Dredge bread through egg mixture and fry on griddle until browned on each side. Remove from griddle, using a cookie cutter remove center of french toast and place back on griddle. Crack one egg and drop into hollowed center of toast. Repeat this process until all toast is filled with eggs in center.
Place a lid or large cookie sheet over griddle to allow eggs to cook quickly and evenly. Remove from griddle and serve warm with syrup or powdered sugar.

Denver Hashbrowns

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. frozen hash browns
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 bell pepper, chopped finely
• 1 pkg. mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup oil

Directions:
Heat oil in an electric skillet. Add all ingredients and heat until cooked through. Serve warm.

Yogurt Parfaits

Ingredients:

• 1 large container of Vanilla Non-fat Yogurt
• 1 large container of Raspberry or Strawberry Yogurt
• Strawberries
• Granola

Directions:
In glass or plastic glasses, place 1/3 cup of vanilla yogurt in the bottom, in the next layer place sliced strawberries, then place 1/3 cup of fruited yogurt. Top with granola, a tablespoon of vanilla yogurt and a fluted strawberry.

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Homestyle Grand Biscuits
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 margarine, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. water
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray. Quarter each biscuit with a knife and set aside. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Separate quarters and roll in melted margarine and then in sugar cinnamon mix. Place in bundt pan until all biscuit quarters are gone.

With remaining sugar cinnamon mixture and melted margarine, place in a small sauce pan, add brown sugar and water. Heat over medium heat and remove once sugar is dissolved. Pour over bread in bundt pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Mexicali Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup chopped green chilies
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425º. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add milk and egg and mix well. Add corn meal, flour, oil, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Incorporate all ingredients together mixing thoroughly. Next add corn and green chilies and fold into batter. Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray. Fill muffin tins half way and bake for 18 minutes or until pulling away from sides of pans.

Spanish Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cans sliced potatoes, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 onion, chopped finely
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp. fajita seasoning
• Salt and pepper
  

Directions:
Heat oil in a large saute pan or electric skillet. Place all ingredients in skillet and stir until all is mixed well. Dish is finished when heated through and onions are browned slightly. Serve warm.

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients:

• 1 large can petite diced tomatoes, or fresh
• 1 half jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions:Combine all ingredients together, chill, and serve.

Grilled Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 packet of fajita seasoning
• 1 can refried beans
• Shredded cheese
• Flour tortillas
  

Directions:
Brown the beef with the fajita seasoning until finished. Drain excess fat and place in a bowl. In a separate bowl heat beans in the microwave. Preheat your grill to the temperature of 350º. Place one layer of tortillas on the grill according to quantity that you desire to make. Smear a tablespoon of beans on each tortilla, top with a 1/4 cup of seasoned beef, and 1/8 cup of shredded cheese. Top each tortilla with another. Close lid to grill and allow temperature to raise to 400º, checking periodically to make sure that tortillas aren't burning. Flip each quesadilla to grill opposite side. Serve warm by themselves or topped with sour cream, lettuce, pico de gallo, and or olives as you desire.