#2,046: Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup

Since I enjoyed the Crockpot Zuppa Toscana recipe I made a few days ago so much, I decided to give this one a try and make it a bit healthier by eliminating the carbs.  (It has heavy cream and sausage in it still, so not sure how "healthy" this actually is, but I was going for low carb!).  Although I do like potatoes, I think I might have enjoyed this one a tiny bit more.  It was a little bit greasy though, so I next time I'll probably not only drain the sausage (like the directions state), but also put it on a paper towel-lined plate for a bit to soak up even more of the grease.  I actually made this before I went to bed, so it was ready in the morning (I wanted to be able to eat it for lunch and not have to get up in the middle of the night to start it).  Also, I think I liked this one so much because I cut back on the kale, and it was added in right in the beginning, so it was quite soft and not overpowering!  I will definitely make this recipe again! 

1 pound mild or hot ground Italian sausage

1 tablespoon oil

½ cup finely diced onion or 1 medium onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

36 ounces chicken or vegetable stock

1 large cauliflower head, diced into small florets

3 cups chopped kale

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ cup heavy cream

Brown the ground sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat until done.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and place it into at least a 6-quart slow cooker. Discard the grease.

Add the chicken or vegetable stock, cauliflower florets, kale, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Mix until combined.  Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Add the heavy cream and mix until combined.  Serve hot.

#2,045: Slow Cook Zuppa Toscana

It is cold here.  Like barely above zero temps, and staying below zero a lot of the time.  This time of year I definitely start craving the comfort and coziness of soups, and when I saw this soup on Pinterest it was calling my name.  It was really good!  I don't know how it compares to Olive Garden (pretty sure this is a knock-off recipe), but it was still really good.  I tried to make it a tiny bit healthier by adding in fat-free evaporated milk instead of the heavy cream, but I'm sure it would have been even better with the heavy cream.  Also, like a previous post, I think the kale should have gone in a bit sooner so that it cooked down more, but that's a personal preference with cooked kale. 

1 lb ground Hot Italian sausage (I used bulk pork sausage)

1 bag Simply Potatoes diced potatoes and onions 

2 cloves large garlic minced

32 oz chicken stock

1/2 bunch kale (a couple of handfuls) de-stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup heavy cream (I used fat-free evaporated milk)

2 Tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes optional

Heat large saute pan over medium-high heat and brown sausage.  Add minced garlic and stir to combine.  Drain off the grease and then add sausage and garlic to the bottom of slow cooker.

Add a bag of diced potatoes and onion, cover with chicken stock and water (if necessary) to completely cover potatoes and sausage.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 (potatoes should be soft)

BEFORE SERVING:

Whisk together heavy cream and flour until well mixed. Pour into slow cooker, add kale and stir to combine.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until soup has thickened slightly.

Taste, season according to your tastes, and serve.

#2,044: 3 ingredient Drop Biscuits

Last year, my aunt came over to fry some calamari for Christmas and brought with her a whole lot of shortening.  However, the deep fryer we used, only uses canola oil so she left behind all that shortening.  It's not something I cook for often (ahem, ever), and last winter, I used some of it in Pre-k to teach my kiddos about blubber.  But I still have a whole bunch of it left.  So I wanted to try and find an easy recipe to use it in so I could use it up.  I found this recipe which was super easy, but seemed like it would be lacking a lot of flavor.  So I added in some garlic powder and shredded cheese too.  Although we liked this recipe (and my husband happily ate the leftovers for breakfast), I thought these were a bit dry, so you might want to slather it in butter or gravy.  These definitely aren't the healthiest thing we've eaten or made! 

2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 c shortening, cubed
2/3 or 3/4 c milk or buttermilk, or more as needed
I really felt these needed more flavor since we were eating these with dinner, so I added about a cup or so of shredded cheddar, and a few shakes of garlic powder.

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Coat a baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray.

Measure flour in a large bowl. Cut in shortening or butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives until crumbs are the size of peas.

Blend in just enough milk with a fork until the dough leaves sides of the bowl. If needed, add more milk to form a soft dough.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

#2,043: Snickerdoodle Bars

Ok, obviously this picture above does not look like a "bar."  It isn't!  The rest of the batter I made in a 9x13 pan, so it WAS a bar, but I wanted to try this before giving it to my friend.  So I saved a little bit of the batter and made a mini one in a small ramekin (this actually looks bigger in the picture than it was in person).  Although I thought this was a little dry, I really enjoyed it.  BUT it needs to be made in an 8x8 pan if you want it to have 2 layers and a cinnamon sugar middle like the recipe says.  I only had enough batter to fill the 9x13 pan and then sprinkle/mix in the cinnamon sugar on top.  It was still quite good that way though.  Since I did think it was a tad dry, the powder sugar glaze is definitely needed!  Next time I'd at least double the cinnamon sugar filling to make it stronger. 

2 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon Filling

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

Heat oven to 350° F. Spray or grease bottom only of a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in sugars. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla into sugar mixture until combined. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until combined.

Spoon half the batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over batter.

Dollop teaspoon size amounts of remaining batter evenly over cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

#2,042: Slow Cooker Asian-BBQ Fusion Chicken

I am trying to use chicken thighs more because I know they are a bit easier on the grocery budget, but they aren't my favorite type of meat.  I made this because it looked SO good to me, but I didn't know if my boys would enjoy it as much (the girls were out of town).  No surprise, the littlest boy (5) wasn't a big fan and we had to coerce him to eat it.  The big boy (40) actually surprised me by liking this.  He did, however, prefer to eat the leftover chicken in a roll (more like a BBQ chicken sandwich) instead. 

6 chicken thighs, skin removed.

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 Tbsp minced jarred garlic)

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried ground ginger)

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

Juice from 1 lemon (or 3 Tbsp lemon juice)

Lemon zest (if using a fresh lemon)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Toasted sesame seeds

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Season chicken with the spices.

Add all of the ingredients on top except for the water and cornstarch. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.

In a small saucepan, whisk the cold water with the cornstarch until well blended.

Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker to the saucepan and whisk.

Heat over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens.

Mix the thickened liquid back into the slow cooker and stir. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve chicken over rice. Top with some of the sauce and then some sesame seeds.

#2,041: Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

I made this soup for my neighbor, and selfishly, saved a bowl for myself because the meatballs and noodles were calling my name!  Although I really liked this recipe, it had a bit too much kale in it for my liking.  Also, you add the kale in towards the end, and I think I would have liked it more if I would have added the kale in at the beginning and it had a chance to get even softer.  I would definitely make this recipe again though, it was so good.  And the hardest part was cooking the meatballs ahead of time (I do love when everything gets dumped into the crockpot at one time!).  Also, I made my noodles ahead of time and let them completely cool before adding them in at the end.  I didn't want them to cook in the liquid and continue cooking, and get too soft/mushy. 

8 cups chicken broth

3 large carrots peeled and chopped

1 small onion diced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic minced

1 slice bread torn into very small pieces (I used a bit of breadcrumbs)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (if sauteing)

Soup Add-ins

8 ounces endive or escarole trimmed and torn into 1/2 inch strips (I used kale)

1 cup acini di pepe pasta or other small pasta, uncooked

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a slow cooker combine the following: chicken broth, carrots, onion, parsley, oregano, and garlic. Turn on low heat for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

For the meatballs:

In a medium bowl combine, egg, ground beef, onion, parsley, garlic, bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake meatballs for 15 minutes or until no longer pink and cooked through.  Place the meatballs in slow cooker with chicken broth, vegetables, and seasonings.

20 minutes prior to mealtime, add the pasta and torn endive or escarole to slow cooker. Cover again and cook until pasta and greens are tender. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

#2,040: Ricotta Cheese Cookies

For the past 2 years, my daughter needed to bring cookies for a cookie exchange to her religious ed class.  I needed to find recipes that were nut free, didn't use a ton of ingredients, and were easy enough for her to do by herself so that I didn't have an extra "to-do" list item on my own busy schedule!  I found this recipe which not only required getting some ricotta cheese (everything else I had on hand), but also claimed to make 100 cookies, so I knew we'd have plenty for a cookie exchange.  I got all of the ingredients ready for her and set her out to make these herself! 

These were really easy to make, but we only got about 60 out of these, compared to the 100 that the recipe claims to make.  I also did not heat up the milk and powder sugar mixture, as I figured it would be harder for my kids to frost on their own.  Plus, I didn't think heating it up would make that much of a difference to just stirring it together cold.    

We were definitely fans of these cookies though.  They aren't my favorite Christmas cookie, but I would certainly eat and make these again. 

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1 (15 ounce) container of ricotta cheese

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups all-purpose flour

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

milk
I also added a little bit of lemon juice to the mixture

sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all of the cookie ingredients well until the dough sticks together into a big ball. It will be sticky. Drop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until the bottoms turn golden brown. Let cool for 1 minute and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

In a small saucepan slowly stir milk into the powdered sugar until it creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies. Stir over low heat then spread over cooled cookies. Quickly top with sprinkles.

#2,039: Blueberry Zucchini Bars

A co-worker recently brought in this recipe for us to try and share.  Unfortunately I had already eaten breakfast that day, so I never tried it.  But I DO happen have zucchini AND blueberries in my freezer waiting to be used up.  I greatly cut back on the amount of sugar in this recipe so that they could eat this for breakfast, and it also was supposed to be made in a loaf pan, but I decided to make this in a 9x13 pan instead.

This isn't super sweet (since I cut back on the sugar), but my kids loved this for breakfast!!  If you were serving this as a dessert, I'd definitely use the recommended amount of sugar.  

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c sugar (I only used 1 cup)
2 c zucchini, shredded
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 c blueberries (I used frozen, thawed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar.  Fold in zucchini.  Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Gently fold in blueberries.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cook before cutting into squares. 

#2,038: Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower with Almond Meal

The original recipe for this roasted cauliflower calls for using nutritional yeast, which I do not have.  So I did a quick Google search for a substitute, and grated Parmesan cheese was suggested.  I loved this!  And better yet, my picky eater 5 year old, who does like cauliflower in moderation, really enjoyed this recipe!  He complained through most of his rest of dinner, but this he happily ate and even asked for seconds. 

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets 

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

1/8 tsp rounded sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp almond meal

1 tbsp nutritional yeast (I used grated Parmesan Cheese, and used closer to 1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. (I skipped this step) Line a rimmed baking sheet or 8 by 12-inch baking pan with parchment paper.  Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and sea salt (and pepper, if using). Transfer to the prepared pan. 

Bake for 20 minutes, tossing once or twice. At the 20-minute mark, check the done-ness and color of the cauliflower. If it has started to soften, turning a golden color, add the almond meal and nutritional yeast and toss again. If, at 20 minutes, it isn’t at this stage, let it bake for another 10 minutes and then add the almond meal and nutritional yeast.

Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or more, tossing again once, until the cauliflower is golden brown and fully softened. 

Remove from the oven and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm!  

#2,037: Squash, Kale, Sausage Inspired Bowls

So I originally found a recipe for Stuffed Spaghetti Squash in a recent issue of taste of home, but I decided to change it up based on the ingredients I had on hand. Actually my only substitution was going to be to use sausage instead of ground beef, but when I picked up my grocery order, there was a butternut squash instead of a spaghetti squash.  And when I went to make it, I realized I didn't have hot sauce, so I figured I couldn't post this as an original recipe review.  I'm still interested in trying it at some point though. 
I really, really, really enjoyed this meal!  It was hearty, filling, and healthy.  I think this would be good with some roasted cauliflower in it too! 

1 medium spaghetti squash (I used a butternut squash, cubed)

1 cup water (I omitted)

3/4 pound lean ground beef (I used bulk pork sausage)

1/2 cup chopped red onion (I used a yellow onion)

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 to 3 teaspoons Louisiana-style hot sauce (I used a few dashes of red pepper flakes)

4 small garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15 ounces) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups chopped fresh kale

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

I skipped this step and just roasted my butternut squash cubes with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, until it was soft and to my liking).  Trim ends of squash and halve lengthwise; discard seeds. Place squash, cut side down, on the trivet in a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker. Add water to cooker. Lock lid; make sure vent is closed. Select steam setting; adjust pressure to high and set time for 7 minutes. When squash is finished cooking, quickly release pressure according to the manufacturer's directions. Set squash aside; remove water from cooker.

In a large skillet, crumble beef (I used pork sausage) and cook with onion over medium heat until no longer pink, 4-6 minutes; drain. Add mustard, hot sauce and garlic; cook 1 minute more. Stir in black beans and kale; cook just until wilted, 2-3 minutes.

Using a fork, separate strands of spaghetti squash; combine with meat mixture. Dollop servings with Greek yogurt. 

#2,036: Two-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

I needed to bring something to work for a potluck/snack-type event, and wanted something that was super easy to throw together, that wouldn't require me being in the kitchen for very long.  I found this recipe which used a tub of Pillsbury Gluten Free Cookie Dough and peanut butter cups.  Uh, yes please, this sounded easy enough!  I doubled the recipe to use a 9x13 pan, and also used 2 tubes of regular chocolate chip cookie dough instead of the gluten free version.  I cut the dough into equal size circles and let them sit out on the counter for a few minutes to soften up.  Then I laid them in the pan and pushed them together to form one large cookie bar.  

These seriously are super delicious!  I had to put the leftovers in a container to take to work because we would have eaten them all!  

2 tubes (16.5 oz each) of chocolate chip cookie dough
11 oz package of mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped (you will need about half of the package)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Press three-quarters of the dough into the base of the pan to create a smooth, flat, even base layer. Reserve the remainder.

Evenly place peanut butter cups on top of dough, about 1 inch apart.  

Haphazardly crumble the reserved dough over the top in marble-sized pieces.

Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until edges have set and top is just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center.  (I cooked mine for about 16 minutes because they seemed too soft.  They are slightly undercooked, but SO good this way!)  Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing. As you can see from the photo above my chocolate was still soft and melty.  After I sliced them, I carefully placed them on a plate and put it in the fridge to finish cooling and firm up.  I left them in the fridge overnight. 

Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

#2,035: 3 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies

I was looking for easy Christmas cookie recipes, and my co-worker/friend suggested these 3 ingredient cookies using cake mix and vegetable oil.  Ok, so it's 4 ingredients because you probably want to top with some sort of frosting or glaze.  I rolled mine in powder sugar before I baked them.  These are so simple, and very moist...and my kids are loving them.  I had 2 different cake mixes on hand, so I made a batch of German chocolate cookies, and fudge cake mix cookies.  We can definitely tell a difference in the two, and we all prefer the chocolate fudge ones more.  If you don't want to dip these in powder sugar, you could drizzle on (or dip them in) a powder sugar/milk glaze.  I also thought about sandwiching 2 of them with some vanilla frosting...maybe next time.  :) 

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box cake mix (any kind)

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

confectioners' sugar or granulated sugar, for rolling (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir dry cake mix, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until dough forms.  Shape dough into 1" balls.  Roll balls in confectioners' sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until center is JUST SET.

Remove from pans after a minute or so and cool on wire racks. 

#2,034: Easy Crockpot Orange Chicken

I had 2 large frozen chicken breasts that I wanted to use up in a very easy way, so I figured I'd give this recipe a try.  I knew I was pushing my luck because my family typically doesn't eat a ton of meat that's served over rice (if I throw it in a roll, that's usually a better outcome for us), and asking my husband to eat something with "marmalade" would have been a flat out no.  So I had to sneak this one past them and hope for the best.  I figured the addition of the BBQ sauce was a good starting point for sneaking this one by them. 

The original recipe says to cook the chicken first by itself, and then drain the natural liquid released from the chicken before adding in the sauce ingredients, but I was not about extra steps.  So I cooked it all together and and it turned out just fine. 

My family wasn't big fans of this recipe.  It was too "citrusy" for their liking.  I liked it, but I didn't love it.  I would certainly eat this again, but it's not something that will be on my menu again any time soon. 

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp soy sauce
Rice (white, brown, jasmine, etc) for serving
Optional toppings: sesame seeds, sliced green onion, crispy Chinese noodles, etc. 

Cut 3-4 chicken breasts into small chunks.  Place them in a crockpot.
In a medium bowl, combine the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, and orange marmalade.  Mix to combine, and pour over the chicken.  Stir to coat the chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  

Serve with rice and additional toppings (if desired).

#2,033: Breakfast Sliders

Ok, this seriously may be my new favorite (current) meal!  My mom makes a similar version of these sandwiches for parties that are called "Hammies" or "Turkeys" (depending on the type of deli meat she uses).  I've never had them for breakfast with eggs though before.  I figured I'd give this recipe a try, and 2 of my kids (not surprisingly) wouldn't even try them.  However, my oldest (and most willing to try a food) LOVED these.  I made just a few for dinner last night, and I'll be making more again for lunch for the two of us today.  They are SO good! 

1 pkg (12 count) Hawaiian Rolls

8 - 10 eggs (depending on how much egg you want on your sliders)

6 large slices provolone cheese (thin slices)

sliced ham (at least 6 large, thin slices)

¼ cup butter (melted)

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Scramble up your eggs however you like to do them. (I cook them in some melted butter, with salt, pepper, and a bit of milk). 

While the eggs scramble, cut the entire package of rolls in half, separating a top and bottom layer.  

Place the bottom sheet of rolls in a pan and top with a thin layer of provolone cheese.  Top with cooked, scrambled eggs, a layer of ham slices, and then another layer of cheese, if desired.  Add the top layer of Hawaiian rolls.

(If making ahead of time, stop at this point, and refrigerate until ready to bake).  

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, mustard and brown sugar. Stir until well combined, and the sugar is at least mostly dissolved.  Using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the rolls with the mustard/sugar mixture. 

Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes (until cheese gets nice and melt-y).  Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before cutting into individual sandwiches.  

#2,032: Easy Egg and Sausage Breakfast Taquitos

My family loves breakfast sausage sandwiches (on English muffins) but they do not like eggs.  So I figured I'd give this recipe a try to sneak a bit of scrambled eggs past them.  I was super surprised that two of them actually ate (and enjoyed these!).  Middle child #2, ate it, but claims she didn't enjoy it.  I personally enjoyed this as well.  It certainly isn't my favorite way to eat sausage, eggs, and cheese (I'll take a toasted bagel or English muffin any day!), but it was a nice change for me.  

7 oz box sausage links

5 large eggs (I used 3)

salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2  cups shredded cheese , cheddar, pepper jack or Monterrey jack

1 cup baby spinach , chopped (optional) (I omitted)

10  white corn tortillas , or use 6'' flour tortillas (I used super soft flour tortillas)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Add the frozen sausage links to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until warmed through.  Remove to a plate, leaving a little bit of the sausage grease in the pan.

Crack eggs into a bowl and add a splash of water or milk. Whisk well with a fork and then add to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, tossing and scrambling as they cook. (If using spinach, add it to the pan about 2 minutes before the eggs are done cooking.) Remove from heat.

(I didn't need to do this) Warm the tortillas inside of a damp paper towel for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

Divide the scrambled eggs among the tortillas and top with shredded cheese.  Place a sausage link on top. Roll up and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.

Spray lightly with cooking spray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with salsa for dipping, if desired.

To Freeze: Prepare and bake the taquitos as directed. Allow to cool completely and then place in a freezer Ziploc bag. When ready to eat, microwave them until warm.

#2,031: Easy Banana Cake

I have a lot of random types of flour in my pantry: whole wheat, self-rising, all-purpose, and bread flour.  I also, (as usual), have a bunch of over-ripe bananas I need to find a use for.  So I did a quick Google search for banana cake using self-rising flour and came across this recipe which uses one POT (instead of one bowl) to prepare it.  I was also out of butter (thanks to a double batch of cheesy potatoes I made), so I had to substitute coconut oil in this recipe as well.  

This cake was so easy to make and is super moist.  I let my kids have a piece of it tonight before bed and they devoured it.  They already have their plates set out tomorrow for breakfast.  Personally, I will cut down on the amount of sugar next time since it's a bit much for breakfast, but for a once in a while treat, I'm ok with it.  I will definitely make this recipe again! 

125 g butter (I used coconut oil)

3/4 cup caster sugar (I used granulated sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

2 bananas mashed ripe

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1/4 cup milk
Mini chocolate chips (optional)

Melt the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium-sized saucepan. Remove from heat.

Add mashed bananas and stir through until just blended.  Add 1/2 cup of the flour and mix, until just combined.  Add milk and egg and mix in well. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup of flour.  I also added some mini chocolate chips which melted because of the warmth of the mixture.  I then spread this is a lightly greased 9x13 pan and topped with more mini chocolate chips.  

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

#2,030: Linguine with Brown Butter, Pecans, and Basil

I'll be honest, this recipe was supposed to be made with gnocchi instead of linguine, but I refused to but another pasta (even though I love gnocchi) when I have so many open boxes in my pantry!  So I was using what I had on hand!!  After I made the brown butter sage sauce recently with my aunt, I was super excited to try this recipe as well.  I apparently love brown butter sauces, because I loved this!  It was so good, and super easy to make.  I would definitely make this one again!

2 16-oz. pkg. potato gnocchi
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp. fresh juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups packed torn basil leaves, divided
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about cup)

Cook gnocchi (or in my case linguine) according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add pecans and cook, stirring often, until nuts are toasted and butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add gnocchi and cook, tossing, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and almost all the basil. Serve topped with remaining basil and cheese. 

#2,029: Cream Cheese Mints with Vitality Essential Oil

I made this recipe 2 years ago and came across it again in a recent issue of My Magazine that our local Kroger sends out.  The last time I made this recipe, I used peppermint extract, and I rolled the mints in little logs before cutting into small pieces.  This time, I used Young Living Vitality Peppermint Essential Oil in place of the extract, AND I used a piping bag and a star tip to make these a little fancier.  I even put a chocolate chip in the middle of some of them (those are our favorite ones!).  

8 oz, full fat cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoon butter, softened

7-8 cups confectioners' sugar (I used 7 cups)

10 drops of Young Living Vitality Peppermint Essential Oil (or to taste)

Food coloring if desired (I used green)

In a large mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add the peppermint oil and desired food coloring (if using).  Add 2 cups of confectioner's sugar at a time, mixing and adding until a stiff dough forms.

The recipe says to cover and refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 2 hours.  HOWEVER, this was so hard to get out of my piping bags, I had the best luck, putting it in the piping bag, and then putting the piping bag inside a ziploc bag and letting it sit in a cup of boiling water for a few minutes.  It made the dough soft enough to easily come out of the bag and it still turned out fine!  I can't imagine what it would have been like trying to get it out of a piping bag if I had refrigerated it!

Line a few baking sheets with waxed paper.  To make star-shaped mints, use a star-tipped pastry bag.  Or scoop the dough by the teaspoonful and roll into balls.

Place all mints onto the baking sheets, and allow to dry, uncovered, for 3 hours.  Flip if necessary (it IS necessary) to allow the bottoms of the mints to dry.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze up to 3 months.   

#2,028: Hearty Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

I am a fan of beef stew, but my family is not, so it isn't something I make very often.  But I was totally in the mood for some stew this time of year so I figured I'd give this recipe a try.  I made it fully knowing that all my family would eat was the beef stew meat, and that I'd have to make mashed potatoes for them instead of the sweet potatoes or root vegetables.  I'm totally ok with that though because it means more veggies for me!  My kids thought this was just ok.  My husband enjoyed it, but didn't like it reheated.  I however, enjoy eating my leftover meat cold (weird I know!), so I loved it leftover, and was glad I didn't have to fight him for the last serving.  :)  I would totally make this again, but don't throw the sweet potatoes in right away.  I knew it would be soft because I was going out for the day and had to put them in the crockpot in the beginning, but if you can throw them in a few hours later, the texture will be better and the potatoes will hold up more.   Also, as you will see by the original recipe below, this is supposed to be made on the stove top, but I wanted this even easier, so I threw it in the crockpot!

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided (I used vegetable oil)

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used 2 1/2 lbs)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth

1/3 cup dry red wine or additional reduced-sodium beef broth

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch (I omitted)

3 tablespoons cold water (I omitted)

1-1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound baby portobello mushrooms, halved (I omitted)

4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 medium parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 medium turnip, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

How I made this in the crockpot:
In a large pan, heat up vegetable oil and brown the meat and onions over high heat, not necessarily cooking the meat all the way though, but so that it is nicely browned on all sides.

Meanwhile, in the crockpot, layer the sweet potatoes, parsnips and turnips.

Once the meat is browned, add the garlic, broth, dry red wine (if using), thyme, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix to combine and pour over the vegetables in the crockpot.

Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low.  

Original recipe directions: 

Preheat oven to 325°. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add remaining oil to pan. Add onions; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth and wine, stirring to remove browned bits from pan. Stir in thyme, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Return beef to pan; bring to a boil. Bake, covered, 1-1/4 hours.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into stew. Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips and turnip to pan. Bake, covered, 45-60 minutes longer or until beef and vegetables are tender. If desired, strain cooking juices; skim fat. Return cooking juices to Dutch oven. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).