Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Since I've had my little one, we have received an outpouring of support from our friends, family, and neighbors. One of my very good friends brought this treat over for our family and I thought I'd post it since it is a cool, yummy, and simple dessert to put together and it's PERFECT for summer!

But before I get into that, let me point out that she served her treat to us already individualized in champagne glasses. That is one thing I absolutely love to do when entertaining - find fun ways to serve individual portions of things.

You can use champagne glasses to serve a number of desserts (or really whatever you want, but I like them for desserts). It's also fun to use martini or margarita glasses to serve salads (green or fruit) in. The regular sized ones are fine for small servings, but the over sized glasses are more fun to use, in my opinion.

So there you have it, some fun ideas for the next time you entertain! O.k., now on to the strawberry shortcake trifle...

Here's what you'll need:

angel food cake
strawberries
Cool Whip

Cube the angel food cake into one inch cubes. Slice the strawberries. In the individual champagne glasses (or a trifle bowl), layer the three ingredients, starting with the angel food cake, then the strawberries, followed by the Cool Whip. Repeat the layers until the glass or bowl is filled.

How easy is that?! And so yummy too!

Pizzookies

Wowie!! Things are kind of crazy around here. For those of you who don't know, my new baby and the next older child are 15 months apart. I literally have two babies to take care of, along with two more kids. My time seems to be consumed with taking care of one baby and then the other. Phew! It's a bit exhausting!! So I'll do my best staying updated with new recipes, but I'm not guaranteeing anything!

I really enjoy checking out other cooking blogs for new ideas and recipes to try. When I was perusing through Our Best Bites, I came across today's recipe and decided I had to try it. I'm so glad I did. This recipe is SOOOOOOOO easy and simply delicious! Try this one out tonight!!!

Here's what you'll need:

Refrigerated cookie dough (you can use homemade, but this is faster and easier -what I'm all about these days!)

Vanilla ice cream

Hot fudge sauce

Caramel sauce

Divide the cookie dough into six ramekins, filling each ramekin 1/3 full. (I filled mine a little more full and put them into five ramekins. Next time I'll do six though.) Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges and puffy in the middle. Now, I'm not sure if this is supposed to happen or not, but mine fell in the centers. I wasn't too sad about this since it makes the perfect spot to put the ice cream and it doesn't change the way this tastes, by any means.

Allow the cookies to cool for about 15 minutes so you don't end up with ice cream soup! This is very hard to do, but believe me, it's worth it. Scoop ice cream into the centers and top with sauces. Oh my YUM! This was super yummy and way easy and everyone LOVED it!!

Lasagna

Once again, it's been a while since my last post. I'm so sorry!! But I do have a really good excuse. We've had our little baby! YAY!!!!!! So I'm just barely getting back into the swing of things. Yesterday was the first day that I actually cooked and it felt sooooooo good to be back in the kitchen making yummy food! I've decided that cooking is therapeutic for me. So I'm going to have to be doing more of it to get through these baby blues!

But I do have to say that I have so many WONDERFUL friends who are amazing cooks! We've be SOOOOOO spoiled by all of the meals that have been made and brought to us. How lucky am I?!

Well the recipe that I have for today is a delicious lasagna. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, making a few tweeks to it, of course, and everyone loved it. But the best part is that it makes a big 9x13 inch pan. So now we have LOTS of leftovers - now I don't have to worry about dinner for tonight and probably the next night too!

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 T. dried onion, or 1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 t. garlic powder, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
2 T. brown sugar
1 t. salt
2 (14.5 oz.) cans Italian style diced tomatoes
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
12 lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint (2 c.) ricotta cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 T/ dried parsley
1 t. salt
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Italian style shredded cheese

Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic together. In another pan, combine the basil, oregano, sugar, salt, diced tomatoes, and paste. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, adding the ground beef when cooked.

Cook the lasagna noodles, according to package instructions. In a bowl, combine the beaten eggs, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt.

In a 9x13 inch pan, layer 1/3 noodles, topped with 1/2 the ricotta cheese mixture, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 the tomato sauce.

Then repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with Italian style shredded cheese (or you can use a mixture of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

Mmmmm - one of my FAVORITE foods!!

For a freezer meal, assemble the lasagna in a foil lasagna pan, using uncooked lasagna noodles.  Cover tightly with heavy duty foil or freezer foil, label and freeze.  To serve:  Thaw.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until heated through.

S'more Bars

I have always LOVED to cook and eat s'mores, so when I came across this recipe years ago, just after I got married, I thought I'd try it. I'm so glad I did! My little family and I love this yummy treat (as does everyone else that eats these). One of the best things about it is that it is so simple to make, just like the original s'mores.

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C. margarine or butter
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 C. flour
1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 a package graham crackers)
2 C. mini marshmallows (or as many as you'd like)
1/2 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Beat margarine or butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add combined flour and crumbs; mix well.

Press onto bottom of greased 9 inch square baking pan.

Sprinkle with marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown.

Just a note: I made these for one of my good friends just after she had a baby. I decided to double the recipe to have some for my family as well. As we were hurrying out the door, so that we wouldn't be late, I was holding my baby in one arm and these treats (shown here) with the other hand. A bit of advice, don't do that! I ended up losing balance between treats and baby and the entire pan came crashing to the floor. There was chocolate and gooey marshmallow and shards of glass EVERYWHERE!! I was so mad that these so yummy treats were a total waste. Good thing I made two so at least my friend was still able to get some!

Steak Dry Rub

I've been waiting almost a year to publish this post. I made this last at the end of the summer last year and have been watching it come across the slide show that I have on my computer's screen saver. And now that grilling season is here, I can finally share my FAVORITE steak rub. Yay!!

Here's what you'll need:

2 T. McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning
1 T. rosemary leaves
1 T. seasoned salt
oil

Combine the steak seasoning, rosemary, and seasoned salt. Rub onto any kind of beef steaks and drizzle with a little bit of oil.

Place on a heated grill.

A trick for getting those cool grill marks is to lay your meat on the grill at a diagonal. After a couple/few minutes, turn (not flip) the meat to the opposite diagonal. When ready to flip, do the same the on the other side.

I didn't do that in the picture below, but I do that when we have company.

When finished grilling, put steaks on a plate and cover with foil. Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. You'll also end up with juices collected on the plate.

Use the juices to spoon over steaks before serving.

Mmmm, mmmm, mmm, mmmmm, mmmmmmm!!! It makes my mouth water just looking at this! Give it a try.

Chocolate Strawberry Pie

Wow, it's been a month and a half since I've posted on here last. There has been a lot going on, including my sister passing away. So I apologize for taking such a long break. And thank you for your patience.

Today's recipe is one I threw together for a treat on Mother's Day. My wonderful husband cooked a DELICIOUS dinner for me and while he was working on that, I was pondering on what to do with the strawberries we had sitting in our fridge. My first thought was to make a fresh strawberry pie. I have a really good recipe that I thought I'd try. But then I remembered how long it took to make. That was out!

I decided to use the container of strawberry glaze to mix with sliced strawberries to make a quick, fresh strawberry pie. And using a graham cracker crust would make it even more quick. So I sat on my couch picturing this pie I was going to make, when all of a sudden, there was a flash of chocolate (genious, really). That's when I decided to make this pie a chocolate strawberry pie, and boy am I glad I did. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!!!!!! Everyone LOVED it! And I loved how quick and easy it was.

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/4 C. chocolate graham cracker crumbs (or you could use 1 1/2 c. oreos and no sugar)

1/4 c. sugar

6 T. melted butter

Mix together and press into a 9 inch (I used a 9 1/2 inch) pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Or you could chill the uncooked crust for 45 mintues instead. But since I was going for the quick option, I baked it.

While the crust is cooling, combine one container of strawberry glaze with 2 lbs. halved strawberries. Dump into cooled crust and refrigerate. When you're ready to serve the pie, slice it and drizzle (or glob) warmed hot fudge sauce over top. Soooooo easy and yummy too!!!

Just take a look at this picture for a minute and try to taste the sinful combination of chocolate and strawberries. Now go make it; you'll be glad you did!!!

Death By Chocolate Trifle

First, a quick explaination, I've been extremely busy lately and will still be for the next week or two. So, I'm not so sure about how diligent I'm going to be adding more recipes until I get moved into our new home (hopefully next weekend). So, don't give up on me, more will be coming, I promise!!! But for my last post, until I get moved in, I leave you with a sweet treat!

Here's what you'll need:

9x13 inch pan of brownies, homemade or from a mix (I used a mix due to lack of time)
1 large pkg. chocolate fudge instant pudding
12 oz. container Cool Whip
Toffe Bits (I use about half of a bag)

Bake your brownies, cutting off the edges and cubing once cooled.

Using a trifle bowl,

make a layer of brownie cubes and sprinkle with toffee bits.

Then make a layer of pudding.

Top that with a layer of Cool Whip and sprinkle that liberally with toffee bits.

Start your layers over again - brownies, pudding, Cool Whip, and toffee bits. The top layer of Cool Whip I like to decorate by making fun little spikes. All you have to do is use the back of a spoon, touch it on to the Cool Whip and quickly pull up. Do this all over the top layer for a fun look.

Yum, yum, yum!!! This is one of the easiest desserts I make and it tastes so good and looks very impressive. You can also do the same thing in individual cups. It's super cute.

And trifles are one of the best things in the world. You can make your layers using anything you want! You can use chocolate and strawberries, or pound cake with raspberries and blueberries. Or try this specific dessert with oreos or the mint oreos (which I've done before and everyone loved them!). The possibilities are endless.

So if you don't have a trifle bowl, I would highly suggest getting one. No matter what you put in it (I also like to make a fresh fruit salad in mine), it makes the presentation more spectacular and they only cost about $10-$20. Enjoy!!!

Lasagna Casserole

I know what it's like to be needing some extra help from family or friends, for instance, when I have a new baby, or am sick or hurt. Friends, neighbors, and family always offer extra help by bringing dinner to your family. It's something I love to be able to do for those in need as well.

Today's recipe is one of my go-to recipes for when a family needs a meal. It's quick, easy, cheap, and everyone likes it.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chopped, dried onion flakes

1 (12 oz.) pkg. pasta (corkscrew or small shells or 3 different shaped pastas work really well and kids think they're fun to eat)

2 (26.5 oz.) containers spaghetti sauce

1 (16 oz.) carton cottage cheese

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 C. shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 C. sliced, fresh mushrooms (opt.)

Cook pasta according to instructions. Cook beef, with seasonings and mushrooms (if desired), in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through. Drain pasta. In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, egg, and half of the cheese. Add the cooked hamburger and pasta. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

One weekend, we decided to make breakfast - pancakes, I think. After I mixed up the batter and handed it over to my hubby to cook, I went to pull out the syrup. As I rumaged around the cupboard, I remembered that we had finished it off the last time I made breakfast. I didn't have time to run to the store and get some more, so I jumped online and started searching for recipes.

My kids love maple syrup but I soon found that I didn't have any maple extract either. So when I came across this recipe from allrecipes.com, I thought I'd give it a try since I had all of the ingredients. Boy, am I glad I did! This is our new favorite syrup and we all agree that it is WAY better than maple!! So, as promised, here is today's yummy recipe that you MUST try!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. sugar
1/2 C. light corn syrup
1/4 C. water
3/4 tsp. cinnammon
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

In a saucepan, combine first four ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk. Serve over pancakes, waffles, or french toast. Our favorite is to serve it with french toast because it makes it even more cinnammonny (is that a word?)! But we love it with any of those options!! It is so good; try it and let me know what you think!

Fudge Cookies

My poor kids! I completely forgot that today was St. Patrick's Day and sent them each to school and Pre-school NOT dressed in a speck of green! I only realized what today was by this afternoon. I felt so bad that hadn't done all I could to prevent them from getting pinched. So I tried to make it up to them with a fun St. Patrick's Day treat.

One of my favorite things my mom made growing up were Fudge Mounds. These are light, tender, and fluffy cake-like cookies that are very similar to whoopies. She always topped them with mint flavored frosting, tinted green. I LOVED them!!!

Since I've moved to a much higher elevation, I've tried to make them and have them turn out as I remember, but I've had no luck. Instead, the altitude here makes mine turn out to be fudge cookies, which is not all that bad, by any means! In fact this is one of my good friends' favorite cookies now, and I thought this would be the perfect thing to make up for my poor parenting skills!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. brown sugar, packed

1/3 C. shortening

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

2/3 C. milk

2 C. flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/3 C. cocoa

Combine the first five ingredients, then add the last four. Beat until well combined. Drop onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. I found that at 10 minutes, the cookies are really fudgy. At 11 minutes, they are in between fudgy and cakey. And at 12 minutes, they are more cakey, but have a thicker, more structured form. So it depends on how you'd like them as to how long you should bake them. For me, 11 minutes is perfect! Cool on the baking sheets for 5-8 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

This is after 10 minutes of baking. They are nice and puffy when you take them out of the oven, but then deflate as they cool, as seen below.

Once cooled, frost with peppermint flavored buttercream frosting, tinted green. This time, I made yummy fudge cookie sandwiches (like whoopie pies) that were super delish! At Christmas time or Valentine's Day, I like to tint the frosting red and frost the tops of the cookies, leaving them open faced, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. HEAVEN!!!!

Though these cookies aren't too bad, what makes them amazing is eating them with frosting! I wouldn't eat them without!! Mmmmmmmm!!!!!!

Weekend Waffles

As I have mentioned many times before, my little family LOVES breakfast foods. And just like my pancakes, I have two recipes that I use - one with buttermilk (which is better) and another with out (a very good second option). So today I'm giving you my favorite non-buttermilk waffle recipe. I love how this recipe turns out so beautifully with a lightly crisp outside and a tender, delicious inside. And one of the reasons why I like it so much is because I don't separate and beat the egg whites and they still turn out fabulously!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 3/4 C. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 C. milk
1/2 C. oil

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs for five minutes (this is very similar to my pancake recipe and will give you a more tender finished product; if you don't beat the eggs this long, you'll get more of a chewy, rubbery texture). Add the milk and oil and beat until well combined. Then add the dry ingredients and stir or beat on low just until combined. It's alright to still have some lumps. Pour batter into a greased, heated waffle iron and cook until golden.

When I make these, I always double the batch, first of all, and then I cook a few and have them sitting stacked on a plate so that everyone can get started eating while we are cooking more as we eat. I cook them right at the table so that they go straight from the waffle iron to someone's plate. That way we get fresh, perfect, delicious waffles as soon as they are ready and we are ready for them!

You can serve these with maple syrup, fruit syrup, fresh berries, or my special Cinnamon Cream Syrup, which I'll be posting tomorrow. And I'll tell you what, that's something to look forward to!!!

P.S. One more quick note! When my in-laws serve waffles, they like to break an egg or two into the greased and heated waffle iron, salt and pepper them, shut it, and let it cook until the eggs are done. My kids think it's the most fun way to eat eggs. They look just like waffles!

Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just have to tell you about this wonderful store that I've been shopping at for almost two years now. It's called The Prepared Pantry. They have a wonderful assortment of things to buy - pots and pans, gadgets, jams, syrups, gormet food, mixes of all kinds like cookies, breads, pancakes, muffins, and on and on and on! I love it!! Everything that I've tried from them has been wonderful so I buy things for my family members from the Prepared Pantry and they have loved them.

One of the best parts about their company is that they package their mixes in mylar bags so that they will last a long time and will still be good if there's a flood, for instance. Anyway, you'll have to check out their website at http://www.preparedpantry.com/ and just browse their wide variety of things that they sell. You can also sign up for their emails and cooking classes, which I do and find very informative!

This past Christmas, I gave all of my family cookie mixes. There is such a fun and unique variety I think I bought about 10 different kinds and then several of their most popular cookie, which is what I want to talk about today. Their best selling cookie is their Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Cookie. I had heard so many good things about them that I decided to try them out myself.

Now it is very rare that I will make cookies, or many other things, from a mix. But one thing I liked about this mix was that they actually are like homemade, from scratch, cookies. And they are very simple to make. You just follow the instructions on the bag and you have freshly baked cookies in no time! IDEAL FOR MAKING WITH KIDS!!!!

Here's what I did...

Super easy and fast! Love that!! And if I remember right, all you have to add are the eggs and butter. Now about the flavor and texture - not what I had expected. There is oatmeal in the mix that give these cookies a nice and slightly chewy texture to it. I don't normal like oatmeal in my cookies (unless they are oatmeal cookies), but it worked very well and I really liked it.

But it was the flavor that got me the most. These cookies are so different, different from any cookie I've ever tried, that I kept going back for more to enjoy the combination of white chocolate and raspberry. The comment that I got from everyone that I shared them with was, "Wow, what is that?!" Give them a try if you want something a little different and unexpected!