Author Archives: Emily

Easy Homemade Meatballs

Posted in Main Dish by

I pretty much love any kind of Italian food. And who doesn’t love a good meatball? These meatballs are easy to make and best of all, you can freeze them! They are great on top of spaghetti or as a quick snack. (my kids love these!) They are packed with flavor and would make any Italian mama proud!

HOMEMADE MEATBALLS

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/3 cup Italian seasoned dried bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Mix well. Try not to squeeze the mixture through your fingers, but just combine, as “squeezing” will give your meatball a tough texture.

To make evenly sized meatballs, turn mixture out on a cutting board and shape it into a rectangle. Pat down until it is perfectly shaped. Using a sharp knife, cut mixture into 24 squares. (or less if you like a bigger meatball) Roll each square into a ball. Place on an aluminum lined jelly roll pan.

Bake for 14-18 minutes.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

Posted in Desserts by

This is what we had for our Father’s Day dessert yesterday. When I asked my husband what he would like for his big day, he was very specific in his request. “I would like an ice cream cake. Oreo. Ice cream. Lots of ice cream.” I jumped on that one! This is one of the easiest desserts out there and yet one of the most delicious! It’s so nice to be married to a man who knows what he wants! And remember friends, it is 110 degrees here in Arizona, so saying this dessert hit the spot is an understatement. What did you all have for your Father’s Day dessert?

OREO ICE CREAM CAKE

  • 30 Oreos, crushed
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1 (half gallon) Oreo ice cream (cookies n’ cream), slightly defrosted
  • Caramel sauce
  • 2 (8 ounce) containers of Cool Whip
  • Hot Fudge Sauce

In a bowl, combine melted butter and crushed Oreo’s. Stir until butter has coated the Oreo’s. Press the Oreo mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Next, layer the slightly defrosted ice cream on top of Oreo crust. (I defrosted my ice cream by putting it in the fridge for about 45 minutes) On top of the ice cream, drizzle some caramel sauce. Then on top of that spread both tubs of cool whip. Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours. Overnight is best. Cut into individual pieces and drizzle with hot fudge sauce.

English Flapjacks

Posted in Breakfast by

When I first heard about English Flapjacks, this is NOT what I envisioned at all! Flapjacks here in America mean some sort of pancake. I guess I thought they would be big, fluffy pancakes with some stewed tomatoes on top or something. (yuck, gross!) But as I learned more about them, I discovered that they are made out of rolled oats, with sugar and butter in them. I, of course, was instantly a fan. Sugar and butter? Yes, I want to eat these! They are really simple to make and are a great “on the go” breakfast or snack.

ENGLISH FLAPJACKS

  • 3 cups old fashoined oats (not instant)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar 
  • 4 Tbsp. corn syrup 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put your butter, brown sugar, and syrup in saucepan.  Heat on low until the butter and sugar have both melted.  You’ll be able to tell if the sugar has melted when you drag your spoon across the bottom of the pan.  If it still feels gritty, it’s not melted yet.

Once that mixture is melted, stir in the oats.

Once it’s well-mixed, press the mixture into a 8″ square pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Gram’s Up ‘N’ Down Biscuits

Posted in Breakfast by

My mom made these biscuits for us when I was a kid. And her mom made them for her when she was a kid! They’ve been in the family a long time. I decided to share these today because I keep seeing cinnamon pull apart bread recipes on Pinterest and it made me realize that my Gram was way ahead of her time! These are, of course, a little thicker and more dense than the pull apart bread, but it’s the same concept. Warm, cinnamony, breakfast treat that will be devoured!

These biscuits bring a flood of memories back. I can just see my mom now in her robe, rolling out the dough, doing a double batch because we ate so many, and me begging to taste them before they were even out of the oven. And really people, they are so easy to make. So treat your family (and you!) to a yummy breakfast treat. I know my husband and kids are so happy every time I make these.

Gram’s Up ‘N’ Down Biscuits

  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • ½ cup shortening or butter
  • 2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, cut the shortening into dry ingredients. Add milk and stir. Knead 10 times on floured board. Roll into a rectangle 1/4″ thick.

Melt ¼  cup butter. Spread on the dough. Sprinkle a mixture of ¼ cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon over the buttered dough.  Cut into 5 lengthwise strips. Stack strips one on top of the other, then cut into 12 pieces. Place each piece on its side (so that the 5 layers are visible) in greased muffin tin.

Bake for 12 minutes.

***Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sugarholic. So, I added a quick glaze to smother these biscuits in. Gram’s recipe does not call for this, and honestly, they don’t need it. But somehow the glaze keeps calling to me! (1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons milk and a splash of vanilla)

The biscuits before going in the oven

Mango Frozen Slushes

Posted in Beverage by

If it’s not hot where you are now, it’s going to be! And you must be armed with a great summer beverage/smoothie/slush. The kids and I made these a couple of nights ago and then froze them so we could enjoy them again a 2nd day. And if I am being honest, I don’t really drink my slushes out of a mason jar. But I thought it looked pretty cool AND because we had leftovers that we needed to freeze, the jars were the perfect answer. I like this slush for 2 reasons. One being that one of my favorite fruits is a mango. And two, I love the refreshing taste this slush has!

MANGO FROZEN SLUSHES

  • 1 mango, cored, peeled and chopped
  • 6 ounces of frozen limeade concentrate (1/2 can)
  • 1 cup sprite or 7-Up
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3-5 cups ice
  • lime slices, for serving
Combine chopped mango, limeade concentrate, Sprite, and orange juice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add ice until the blender is full. Blend until smooth. Pour into small mason jars or cups and drink. If you are freezing your slush, pour in mason jars and put lid on securely.

When you’re ready to serve, remove the jars from the freezer.  Let thaw about 10 minutes. Use a straw or fork to stir up the slush. Add a lime slice and serve.

Serves 4-6

Double Chocolate Oven-Baked Mini S’mores

Posted in Desserts by

Summer officially started here yesterday at 3pm. We started it with a bang, too. We were invited to a huge pool party with lots of fun, food and of course, mischief. How cool is it that the host had snowballs in coolers so that the kids could have a massive snow ball fight? It was only 100 degrees here yesterday! So fun!

To keep the fun going I decided that we would make a yummy treat today. My son has a love for s’mores. We aren’t going camping anytime soon and unfortunately, we do not have a fire pit in our backyard, so we did the best with what we had. Is there anything finer than Spiderman eating a s’more?

Maybe a Princess eating a s’more?

Even though these are a “mini” treat, don’t let the mini fool you! With chocolate below AND above the marshmallow, these s’mores are packed with sugar and overindulgence!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE OVEN BAKED MINI S’MORES

  • 10  whole graham crackers (1 cup finely crushed)
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 4 bars (1.55 oz each) milk chocolate candy, divided
  • 12 large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place graham crackers into a large plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs. In a small mixing bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and butter.

Place 1 tablespoon of crumb mixture in each cup of a mini muffin pan. Use the back of the tablespoon to press crumbs down to create a shallow cup. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Then break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.

Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using shears dipped in cold water. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly softened. Remove pans from oven to cooling rack; cool at least 8 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. Break remaining candy bars and place in small microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand until set. (about 20 minutes)

Yields 24 mini s’mores

Corn with Flare

Posted in Side Dish by

Ok, so this isn’t a recipe as much as it is a way to spice up your boring corn in a huge, flavorful way! I get on auto pilot sometimes and forget there is so much more to cooking than heating a frozen vegetable. There are so many thing to try and experiment with! Some of the greatest “recipes” are happened upon when I am trying to spice things up! This really doesn’t take that much longer than the usual corn you serve, and it is much more flavorful. And I promise, your family will thank you for it.

CORN WITH FLARE

  • 1 bag frozen corn (or fresh)
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, rough chop
  • 1/2 red pepper, rough chop
  • 7-10 basil leaves, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add peppers and corn. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Then add basil and salt and pepper. Continue to saute until heated through. Serve hot. Serves 4

Honey Spiced Chicken with Sweet Potato Hash

Posted in Main Dish by

Sometimes when I am in a hurry to make dinner, the health factor just goes out the window. I scramble to have something on the table so that my kids and hubby don’t starve. Not thinking that the calories we are about to consume means we shouldn’t be eating for the rest of the week. This recipe answers both speed and health!

I never had an affinity for sweet potatoes, but for some reason after having babies, my taste buds have changed. I am loving sweet potatoes! The sweet potatoes and chicken in this dish will have you tasting earthy, savory, rich flavors without consuming a thousand calories.

HONEY SPICED CHICKEN WITH SWEET POTATO HASH

  • 2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 ounce diced green chiles
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, place diced sweet potatoes.

In a small mixing bowl combine 2 Tablespoons olive oil, chiles, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon.

In a separate small mixing bowl combine 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 2 teaspoon of the chile/honey mixture. Toss in with sweet potatoes until covered.

Scatter the potatoes on the bottom of a roasting pan and bake for 15 minutes. Take potatoes out of oven and stir. Then place chicken breasts on top of potatoes and smother the remaining honey/garlic mixture on chicken. Cook for another 20 minutes, or until chicken is done.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Cookie by

My favorite dessert is chocolate chip cookies. Yes, I know, not very original or daring, but I have always loved them more than anything! I have tried all sorts of chocolate chip cookie recipes and even made up a few of my own. So now it’s time to try the brown butter approach. These cookies are fantastic! And browning the butter is so easy! The smell of the butter will have you salivating before you’ve even made the batter. Yum! My one tip is to make sure not to burn the butter! It should be a nice amber color:

To brown the butter, simply put butter in a saucepan on a medium heat and stir with a wire whisk. After about 4 minutes it should look like the above picture.

BROWN BUTTER OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

  • 
1 cup butter, melted and browned
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a wire whisk often to make sure the butters solids will brown evenly as they drop to the bottom of the pan. Once browned, set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a stand up mixer, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and browned butter together. Mix together for two minutes. The mixture will be grainy. (Can you smell that Browned butter?!?!) Add the egg and egg yolk and mix well. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Use a spatula to fold in the oatmeal and chocolate chips.  The dough will be dense compared to chocolate chip cookies recipes that use the step of creaming butter with the sugar. Use a cookie scoop and place dough on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Super Fast Salsa

Posted in Appetizer by

So I missed posting this for Cinco de Mayo by 2 days! But better late then never. This salsa is so easy to make and always great to have on hand. I don’t know about you and yours, but our family literally goes through gallons of salsa! So grab your blender or food processor and let’s get going!

SUPER FAST SALSA

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½  white onion, chopped
  • 2 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with jalapenos, undrained
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves, with some tender stems
  • juice of 2 limes (or lemons will work too)
  • salt, to taste

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor in the order listed. Puree until smooth, or leave a little chunky, if desired. Save any unused salsa in an air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator.