Pasta E Fagoli ***Surprise Recipe Swap***

Where has this month gone? Does anyone else like these past weeks have just slipped by them. It feels like we just had Spring Break and now my kiddos only have 3.5 days left before Summer Break starts!! 

I have been pretty busy with my current college schedule and on top of that schedule I had a house full of sick children....not a great combo at all. Thankfully I didn't catch the germs and that the germs have finally decided they don't like all the de-germifying I have been doing and have left our house ;-) So I hope you can all forgive me for not having posted much in the past days it really was not my intention to leave you hanging for so long.

Today is May 20th so that means we are FINALLY allowed sharing our partnered up with. I finally get to share the great recipes I have found and will be adding to my keeper files.

Spatulas on Parade was my stalking site for this months swap. Dawn the creator and editor of this blog has been doing a great job with providing a great variety of recipes. I browsed through her recipes and postings....and probably read every single one not because I couldn't find a good recipe but because I really liked SO MANY of her recipes and I REALLY felt she writes from the heart and the way it is.

Now to the recipe....recipes I decided to recreate.....first I decided on her Pasta E Fagoli Soup recipe and then I just couldn't help myself and also made her Everything Tropical Cake. I chose to make the soup because I love eating it at Olive Garden but since I don't go that often I wanted to have a recipe that would compare that I could make at home. The Everything Tropical Cake was chosen because I love coconut, pineapple and mangos but my husband doesn't...thankfully I had a Bunco night with some friends SO it was the perfect opportunity for me to try it! Another reason I wanted to try this recipe was because it is DAIRY & EGG FREE!! 

This is without the frosting.....it seems I can never get a picture with the frosting on my cakes!

Both recipes are keepers :-) 

Pasta E Fagoli

1 lb ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp italian seasoning

2 carrot, finely diced

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

26 oz. beef stock

1- 25 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp parsley

3/4 cup cooked pasted

Directions:

Cook beef or turkey with the paprika and italian seasoning ***I forgot to add the seasoning...oops***

Drain the fat from the pan before adding it to your crockpot. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cook on low 6-8 hrs or on high 3-4.   

30 minutes before serving add the cooked pasta and stir.

Serve with parmesan cheese and crispy bread.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything Tropical Cake

1 1/2 cup flour plus 3 TBS

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mango nectar

1 tsp white vinegar

5 TBS vegetable oil

3/4 cup shredded carrots

4 TBS crushed pineapple, after draining juices

1/3 cup coconut flakes

1/2 can white frosting

1/2 cup crushed pineapple with the juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a glass 2.2 quart rectangle baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients first and mix well. Then add the mango nectar, vinegar, and oil. Mix until combined. Stir in the carrots, pineapple and coconut flakes. Stir well and pour into your prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, cake will be nice and golden.

Meanwhile, whisk together the frosting and crushed pineapple. Set this aside until the cakes has cooled.  

I decided to pour the frosting mixture onto the cake while it was still warm....well I think it would have been better to frost the cake until after it has cooled because my frosting disappeared!!! The cake was so warm that it melted the frosting! HAHA oh well...it wasn't a bad mistake but it didn't look as pretty as Dawn's cake ;-)

Strawberry Crisp

Have strawberries been on sale like mad crazy every where or is it just in Tucson because I don't think I can remember the last time I have boughten and eaten so many strawberries!! Not to mention adding them to smoothies too.

This recipe that I am going to share with you was given to me by my mother in law and was for a Rhubarb Crisp. Rhubarb is used in a lot of different dessert in Germany but honestly I can't recall a single on being as yummy as the one my mother in law made. So of course I wanted the recipe and now I always keep a few servings of rhubarb in my freezer.

This recipe is easy to make and doesn't require too many ingredients either, another winner in my books. So far I have made it with rhubarb and strawberries but I do think you could try it with other fruit too. I am pretty sure I have some frozen peaches in my freezer...hhhmmm...I will keep let you know if I try it and how I like it!

Strawberry Crisp

3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

1 small pkg strawberry Jello mix

1 box white or yellow cake mix

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups hot water, not boiling

1 stick butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 13x9 baking pan. Measure your water in either a microwave safe measuring cup or bowl, add your butter to this and heat just until butter is completely melted, set aside. 

Roughly chop strawberries and put them into your baking pan to cover the bottom, set aside. In a small bowl whisk together sugar and jello powder, then sprinkle this mixture evenly over the strawberries.  

Then sprinkle the dry cake mix next...if you notice any large clumps mash them up a bit.

Now carefully pour the butter & water mixture over the cake mix, try covering all of the cake mix with the water but don't worry if there are still a few spots not drenched.

Now bake for 45 minutes, the top should be golden brown and the juices bubbling on the sides. Cool for 15 minutes before serving, then refrigerate any leftovers.

***I like making this the day before I plan on serving it BUT love it hot out of the oven too.....it's just a little messier warm ;-)

Shepherd's Pie - Secret Recipe Swap

It's that time of the month....Surprise Recipe Swap....yay....that means for the past weeks I have been blog stalking a fellow food blogger :-) Custom Taste has such a vast variety of healthy, unique and very allergy friendly recipes. I myself am lactose intolerant so it was nice to find recipes that had lactose free substitutes. I liked how each post/recipe has a list of needed tools or hardware you will need to cook/bake the recipes. I also saw a few links to online stores that gives you the option to purchase the needed items if you do not already have them.

Another great feature on the posts at Custom Taste is that they have added nutritional values, tips & tricks, reheating and storing instructions too. Oh and before I forget, cost of their recipes was also included....of course this is subject to change depending on where you live and shop.

Straight out of the oven!

After going through all of the recipes on Custom Taste I decided to try the recipe for a

 Simple Shepherd's Pie. 

And now am glad that I did! This is an easy and very tasty recipe. Something I hadn't tried before was to grind the dry spices before adding them to a recipe. Well let me tell you it is something that I am going to try again in recipes to come. 

Simple Shepherd's Pie

3 potatoes, washed but do not peel**

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

3-4 mushrooms, sliced

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1 cup milk (I used lactose free milk)

2 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Spices   

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried sage

1 TBS dried parsley

Grind these spices and set aside for later. You can either use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices together or you can put them in a blender (I used my Bullet to grind them).

Directions:

Chop all the vegetables; carrots, onions and mushrooms go in a bowl for later and potatoes go into a pot covered with water.Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook them until fork tender. Drain and return to pot. Mash the potatoes with the milk, olive oil and salt. Set aside.

Meanwhile brown your meat in a nonstick skillet. Once meat is not longer pink add the set aside vegetables and stir in the ground spices. 

Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a square baking pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Scoop just enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the baking pan. Top with the meat & veggie mix and then cover with the remaining mashed potatoes. 

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. 

**Custom Taste broiled the Shepherd's Pie for 3 minutes before removing....I opted not to do this**

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. ENJOY!!

Taco Joe's

Who hasn't had sloppy joe's at some point in their life and I am pretty sure tacos have been eaten too BUT what about a taco shell filled with a mexican flavored sloppy joe?! While this is simmering away in your crockpot be prepared for the scrumptious smell that is going to fill your house.

Taco Joe's

2 lbs ground turkey or beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp minced garlic 

1 cup chili sauce

1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce

1TBS worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp pepper

1 pkg taco seasoning

buns or taco shells with toppings

Directions:

Brown the ground turkey with the chopped onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink.

While you are browning the meat combine the remaining ingredients in your crockpot. Starting with the chili sauce and tomato sauce. Then stir in the worcestershire, water, pepper and taco seasoning. Carefully add the browned
meat to the sauce mixture and stir to coat.




Cook on low 6 hrs.










The best part about this recipe is that you have the choice to serve it either as a taco filler or as a sloppy joe.....either way tastes GREAT!! I personally liked the taco option the best! With a little shredded cheddar and sliced green onions....yum

Mexican Quinoa Patties

Spring Break is over for us and we are back on track with our schedules. It's hard to believe that my kiddos only have a few more weeks before they are finished with this school year.....6.5 weeks of school left to be exact!!! OMG....where has the time gone?

As you all already know I am always looking for new ideas and recipes to try out but this time it wasn't me who found this new addition to my list of keeper recipes. My husband saw this recipe and told me about it SO of course I looked it up, found it and made it! I found the recipe for Mexican Quinoa Patties over at my fellow bloggers website site This Gal Cooks

Quinoa is a great gluten free option since it is not a grain, it is considered a seed. Quinoa is a also a great source of protein and is high in fiber!

These patties are very easy to put together and taste great. This recipe will make enough for 6 servings maybe even more depending on the size of the patties you make. 

We ate them for dinner and had enough leftover for 2 lunches or dinner. I am going to make these again because I am pretty sure they would taste great served with scrambled eggs for breakfast too.

The only complaint I have about making these is that they are a bit messy since the quinoa sticks to your hands. The original recipe says to press them into a 1/3 measuring cup which I couldn't do because mine have an angle so they would have needed to be reshaped anyway ;-) 

Mexican Quinoa Patties

2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

1 roma tomato, gutted and finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp taco seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup ground oats (use your food processor or blender to grind the oats)

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp minced garlic

3/4 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed and then dried

3 egg whites

vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients minus the egg whites. Mix until well combined. Then add the egg whites and stir to coat the mixture well.

Heat just a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Take about 1/3 cup of the quinoa mixture and shape them into patties (you can either do this by hand like I did or you can use the measuring cup trick) Place no more than 4 patties in your pan at a time, this will give you enough room to be able to flip them ***flip them carefully because they will fall apart easily if you aren't gentle*** 

Cook them for 3-4 minutes on each size, until you get a nice golden brown crust on both sides. 

Serve them with sour cream, salsa or even guacamole.  

Serving size: 2 patties

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

I love curry and I love my slow cooker so I would only assume that the two would go together just lovely. I usually make my chicken curry on the stove top but had to give this recipe a try AND it did not fail. I have been holding on to this recipe for quite some time, it was meant for my freezer/meal plan cooking BUT I needed to try it out first before I actually added it to my list. I have never combined sweet potatoes, mango and curry in the same pot and wasn't really sure how this would turn out, to my surprise I really like it and will be adding this to my freezer meal plans.

Question to all of you.....have you ever seen yellow sweet potatoes??
I haven't until I moved to Tucson. I have only ever used and seen the red/orange sweet potatoes but never yellow or white ones. Our local grocery store carries yellow/white sweet potatoes and the red/orange yams. I can honestly say that I really didn't know the difference between the two so I did a little reading and searching. From what I gathered is the yellow/white sweet potatoes and the red/orange yams are pretty much the same thing, with very little difference.....the biggest differences are the moisture content and color, sweet potatoes have a lower water content vs. the yam. I also read that the yellow sweet potatoes are more common in the Southern states like Arizona and New Mexico so this could also explain why I hadn't seen them until now. (Next time I go to the grocery store I will take a picture of the two different sweet potatoes and share them with you)

SO I guess I have been eating "yams" and not really sweet potatoes...UNTIL today!!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

3 TBS flour
4 TBS curry
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper
2 lbs chicken breast or boneless thighs **I used breast because that's what I had but do think that thighs would be just as yummy**
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups of carrots, roughly chopped
2 mangos, peeled and cubed
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 tsp chicken granules

****Now you can either make one meal (that will make 6-8 servings) or you can divide it into 2 gallon size freezer bags and freeze****

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with rice or couscous.

If you are doing the freezer option: Combine all your ingredients EXCEPT the chicken bouillon cubes/granules. After combing all your ingredients divide it into 2 gallon size freezer bags, then add 1 bouillon cube or 1 tsp chicken granule to each bag. Shake & Freeze.

Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar

I have been waiting for my chance to get to take part in a virtual recipe swap and thanks to Jutta at HungryLittleGirl I was finally able too!!!

Tell me these don't look tempting?

Today is March 20th which means time to share my secret that I have been keeping for a few weeks now!! My assigned blog for the Surprise Recipe Swap was..... Little Accidents in the Kitchen :-) This blog has many different catagories to choose recipes from, I just saw a recipe on her blog for Maple Bacon Popcorn....why didn't I see this before I decided on my recipe to try because I know I will be giving this a try in the near future since I am a sucker for snacking on popcorn! 

Something really neat about Little Accidents in the Kitchen's author Joey is located in Singapore......one of the awesome things about the internet it really makes it so easy to connect with people all across the world with just the click of a button!! Joey also shares pictures of what she sees and where she goes while living in Singapore.

Ok...now to the recipe I decided to recreate.....Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar. I chose this recipe for two reasons: 1. the name & 2. the pictures of this treat caught my attention right and I kept going back to them. Joey describes theses cookie cake bars the perfect combo of both worlds....eating a cake and a cookie in the same bite!! So I had to try them....but first I must admit something about Oreo's I really don't like the cream in the middle I prefer the cookie part the best (but don't tell anyone).

One more thing before I share the recipe for Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar.....some of Joey's recipes have metric measurements which can be a little tricky if you do not have a scale that can weigh both in grams and pounds. THANKFULLY I have one!! Now I know that you could go online and use one of those nifty converters BUT I DO NOT recommend them when it comes to converting dry goods for a baking recipe. Trust me I have had my flops with cookies and bread using them ;-)


Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar

12 oreos (double stuff are preferred)

192 grams flour ( 1 1/3 cups )

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

85 grams butter, softened ( 1/3 cup )

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup milk ( I did NOT use lactose free milk )

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 355°F

Line a 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.

Separate oreo's.....taking off one cookie but keeping the cream part attached to the other half of the cookie. And crush up the cookie part into fine crumbs; set aside for later.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside.
Cream butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg, milk and vanilla extract, continue mixing again until mixture is smooth and then fold in the dry ingredients. (mixture will be more like cookie dough).



Spread a thin layer of batter into the baking pan, onto the parchment paper (this is a little tricky because it will slip around a bit).




Now add your oreo's....the half with the cream filling.....

And then top with the remaining dough and then top with your set aside crushed cookies

 

Bake 40 minutes. Remove from baking dish to cool before cutting you cookie cake into bars.




This recipe swap was such a fun experience and I am already looking forward to the next one! I enjoyed browsing through Little Accidents in the Kitchen blog and am glad I stumbled upon this recipe.