Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake


another phone pic, sorry

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

(from aspicyperspective.com)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 T. lemon juice, divided
  • Zest of 1 lemon (I used orange)
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 8 oz. plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
  • 12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (I skipped the glaze- it was great plain)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.
  2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
  3. Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
  4. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  5. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Okay, this cake had great flavor and is somewhat healthy!  It was moist and nicely sweet.  

The Best Enchilada Soup- Chili's copycat. Crockpot



Chicken Enchilada Soup {Chili’s Copycat}
this recipe makes a lot- I usually halve it
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 quart chicken stock ( I used Just Like Bouillon with water)
  • 1 tablespoon chicken soup base (I took it down a little)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (8 oz). can tomato sauce
  • 1 (19 oz.) can enchilada sauce (or two 10 oz. cans) I used this quick recipe
  • 1 cup masa harina (or 6 small corn tortillas, minced, I blended mine in the blender)
  • 16 oz. Velveeta, cubed
  • 1 (22 oz.) bag Tyson roasted and diced chicken, thawed (I just threw my 1 or 2 breasts in the crockpot)
  • 1 can whole kernel corn, drained (optional)
  • 1 can black beans, drained (optional)
  • Garnishes: pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese, crunchy tortilla strips

1. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and saute the onions until they are tender. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two, then scrape the onions and garlic into your crock pot.
2. Add all the other ingredients, except the chicken (unless you're using the uncooked chicken), corn and black beans. Cook over high heat for 4 hours or low for 5-7. However you work your crockpot magic. Whisk until smooth (you may wish to use a stick blender).
3. Add the chicken pieces, corn and black beans and heat through, maybe another 30 minutes to one hour. Check seasonings, and garnish as you like before serving.

This is so great!  I've made it twice already.  The tortillas thicken it up nicely and add a nice flavor, even though I usually don't go for corn tortillas.  The velveeta adds a nice richness and creaminess.  I have two other recipes for Enchilada Soup on this site, but one uses cream of chicken soup and one uses little pastas so they all have a place here.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

My new favorite choc chip recipe


Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that I Love
(from lilluna.com)


  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • eggs
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 tsp.vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup cookies and cream bars, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cream butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
  3. Add remaining ingredients.
  4. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes.
What's great about these is the almond extract adds a nice little flavor, and the vegetable oil makes for the nice crackly top.  The cookie is still soft, but not cakey or too chewy.  I do like to chill the dough before baking to keep from spreading.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Knockoff Panda Express Chow Mein-- easy and kid-friendly!


  • not an awesome pic, sorry

  • Panda Express Chow Mein Knock-off
  • (from favfamilyrecipes.com)

  • 1/4 c. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used about a teaspoon of garlic powder)
  • 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated (I used a sprinkling of ground ginger)
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 3 (5.6 oz) packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles (found in the produce section of the grocery store.. usually the 3 packages are sold together in one 17oz. pack)
  • 2/3 c. chopped celery (chopped diagonally)
  • 1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 c. chopped cabbage
Instructions
  • In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Set aside.
  • Remove Yaki Soba from packages and discard included flavoring packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until onions start to become soft and transparent. Add cabbage and saute an additional minute or so.
  • Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through.

Wow--- the kids loved this!  It tasted a lot like Panda Express but less greasy...I forget I was going to use sesame oil instead of the vegetable oil to give it a little more nutty flavor.  It was great though.  It was about 4 dollars for the big pack of noodles, which is kind of pricey, will look out for cheaper price somewhere.  You can serve this with many different kinds of chicken.  I served it with the crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken.