Top 5 for 2013

I just realized I never did a Top 5 for my 2013 blog posts. That's what happens when you are moving from one state to another to then pack up and move half way across the world again....all in the matter of 4 months!!

The Top 5 for this year are still family favorites of ours. All 5 recipes can easily be incorporated into a meal plan, prepared in advance or even taken to a potluck.


1. Tamale Chicken Bake

This is an easy go to recipe if you love tamales but don't have the time or the know how to prepare tamales from scratch ;-)

 2. Strawberry Crisp
LOVE this recipe! So easy to make and so delicious.

3. Mexican Cornbread Salad
Not only does this taste yummy but it looks great too.

4. Sweet Sesame Chicken
One of my absolute favorite go to recipes I have.

 5. Turkey & Wild Rice Soup
Nothing taste better then homemade soup and fresh baked bread on a cloudy day.

Chocolate Carrot Cake

I have been telling so many people about how much I like carrot cake and especially this Chocolate Carrot Cake. Thankfully I already blogged about this one because not only am I able to re-share this lovely concoction but I also can't seem to find my recipe card to remake this....moving across the world can do that. Down side I don't have chocolate pudding mix at home to make this RIGHT NOW!!! But it will be on my grocery list for the next shopping trip :-)


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Original Blog Post from August 22, 2012:

Yesterday was my birthday and I finally tried out a recipe for a Chocolate Carrot Cake that I have written down....uuhhh....too long ago. I have always liked a good Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting but who would have ever thought of adding carrots and walnuts to a chocolate cake and it tasting so good!? And thankfully there is a cream cheese frosting that doesn't bother my lactose intolerance.....I will have to try making it one day with my dairy free cream cheese that I buy but didn't have any yesterday so the store bought kind was the one I used.

Chocolate Carrot Cake

1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used a Chocolate Fudge flavor)

1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix

4 oz. cream cheese, brought to room temperature

1 cup milk (I used lactose free milk)

3 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

3 cups shredded carrots

 ½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F and spray cake pans with cooking spray. I used a 13x9 cake pan but you could do cake rounds too (this should be enough for 2 thick layers or 3 thinner layers).

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, cream cheese, pudding mix, milk, eggs and cinnamon. Beat with mixer on low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated (about 30 secs) then increase speed for 2 mins. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Pour into cake pans and bake 25-30 mins.

Cool before frosting. Store in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Chocolate Lave Cake **my guest post**

I have been a bit of a break from cooking, baking and posting.....it's not that I have lost my drive but between summer vacation starting & ending, my college classes during their summer break, exams and lets not forgot our CRAZY hot temps AND flooding we had on our street/neighborhood!!

Before things got too off schedule and crazy for me I did share a recipe with Jutta over at Hungry Little Girl......she did it the right way, she sent all her blogger friends an email asking for us to fill her calendar with guest postings....GREAT idea ;-) NOTE TO SELF.....do this during the next school break!!!

Today it was shared on her blog so jump on over to Hungry Little Girl and check it out.

This is a recipe I got many many months ago when I was still a Pampered Chef consultant.

Chocolate Lava Cake

1 box Chocolate Cake mix (including the ingredients needed to prepare the cake as directed on the box)

1 tub chocolate frosting

Directions:

In a glass or stone baking dish combine the cake mix and the ingredients listed on the box. Stir until smooth.

Now drop 1 TBS size dollops of the frosting on top of the cake mixture.

Microwave, UNCOVERED for 10 minutes! FINISHED!!

Be careful removing the cake it will be hot. 

The lava sauce will be at the bottom of the cake so when you serve it you have to scoop it out and then flip the cake upside down to plate....if you want to. Try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...yum!

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 for the monthly Secret Recipe Swap hosted by Jutta over at Hungry Little Girl. 

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.

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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 ;-)

Joining Hungry Little Girl monthly Secret Recipe Swap is as easy as clicking on the link below!

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 ;-)

Brunch Worthy

Boy oh boy did this weekend fly by!! And the temperature in my house was WAY hotter then it was outside LOL but well worth the effort of all the yummy treats I made. I made so many different recipes and have found some keepers.

Here is a list of everything I made:

Mini Citrus Muffins (these are easy and great to take to a social gathering)
Banana-Blueberry Bread (this is a favorite of mine)
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (requires time but the result is well worth it)
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole (besides the burnt spot from my slowcooker having a hot spot this casserole is a keeper, especially since it cooks overnight and is ready in the morning)
Angel Food Lemon Bars (these are the perfect combo of lemony-sweetness)
Jalapeño Popper Dip (this is an absolute keeper)

Then I have to share Tiffany's a-m-a-z-i-n-g chocolate chip cookie recipe!! I gave her the Jalapeño Popper Dip recipe in exchange for this cookie recipe.