Strawberry Cream Cake

Love, love, love this cake! We make this all the time, yes I say this about everything but I only post things that we love. 

You take a white box cake mix and bake according to directions.

When it comes out of the oven use a fork and poke holes in the top, be sure not to poke through the bottom.

Let it cool for a minute

Pour your strawberry jello mix over the top and cool completely.

 Mix your cream topping and spread over the top. I like to let it sit in the fridge for a little bit to set up before we eat.

Doesn't it look delicious?

Strawberry Cream Cake

1 white or strawberry cake mix

1 small package of strawberry jello

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup cold water

1 8oz container of cool whip

1 small package of vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp strawberry extract

Mix cake according to directions. Pour into 9x13 pan and bake according to directions. After removing the cake from the oven, poke holes in the cake 1 inch a part using a fork. Mix jello with 1 cup hot water and 1/2 cup cold water. Pour evenly over slightly cooled cake. 

Let cake cool completely.

For topping: mix: cool whip, pudding, milk, vanilla and strawberry extract. Beat until completely mixed spread evenly over the cake.

Let it set in refrigerator.

*Try this in orange, use an orange or yellow cake mix, orange jello, and orange extract.*

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Slow Cooker Cafe Rio Pork

Hello! I'm so excited to share this recipe. Cafe Rio is one of our favorite dinners, The best part of this recipe is it is a crock pot recipe (awesome right?)

Do you remember that pork loin from this post? We use one of the thirds that we froze for this recipe so that meat goes really far.

It is so simple put your pork roast or loin in the crock pot with about a half cup of water. Cook on low for about 6 hours until it falls apart. Shred and drain the drippings put in back in the cooker with the sugars and sauces cook low for another 2 hours. 

 That's it!

We love the  tomatillo cilantro ranch dressing to go beside it. We put this on tortillas or salad. We especially love  making nachos with the left overs the next day.

Hope you enjoy!

Slow cooker Cafe Rio Pork 

6lb boneless pork roast (or loin)

2 cans ElPato, mexican tomato sauce

1 cup brown sugar

4, 8oz cans tomato sauce

Place pork in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook low for 6 hours until it falls apart.

Take the pork out and shred with 2 forks, drain the drippings and place pork back in to pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients stir well. 

Cook low 2 more hours.

*I always half this recipe for the 3 of us and it works great*

(adapted from 365 days of slow cooking)



Cafe Rio Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
1 packet dry buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tomatillos, peeled
1 tsp crushed garlic
3/4 of a bunch of cilantro
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lime

Put in all in a blender until smooth and refrigerate.

*If you don't have buttermilk put a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in the measuring cup and fill the rest with milk*
*Did you know that most of the flavor of cilantro is in their stems. Be sure to use them. Take the bunch and cut just a little off the ends to trim off the dirt and use the rest stems and all.*  

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New England Clam Chowder

If there is anything I do right and cook right it is my clam chowder recipe. It is requested all the time, we eat it all year round. I know soups can be intimidating to some people and before I started culinary school making soup from scratch was my worst nightmare. Once I actually did it there was nothing hard about it and you'll think so too.

With a recipe like this I always pull out my ingredients and pre measure before I start cooking so I can grab something as soon as I need it with out worrying about it. In culinary terms this is called mise en place, I would recommend doing that with this recipe.

You're going to need: chicken stock, potatoes, butter, bacon, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, flour, clams, half and half, heavy cream, thyme, salt and pepper.

(This is just the run down, there are more detailed instructions in the recipe below.)

Boil your potatoes in clam juice or chicken broth. While they are cooking get your soup going.

In a large pot brown your bacon. Once that is done take the bacon out of the pan and set aside leaving the grease in the bottom of the pan.

Throw your onion, celery and garlic in the pan. Saute them in the bacon grease use your spoon to get the bacon stuff on the bottom of the pan there is a ton of flavor in that. If it gets to dry before the vegetables are done cooking you can add a tablespoon of butter. 

Once your veggies are soft, add your butter and melt it down. Add your flour, this is where you need to watch. You are going to create a rue. Stir the flour and butter constantly about 2 minutes, do not let it brown. While you're stirring that, whisk in your chick broth and clam juice. Once that is heated stir in the rest of your ingredients

Add the heavy cream 15 minutes before serving. 

This is a awesome recipe and I know you will love it.

It is prefect for cold winter nights, or in our case hot summer nights. Hope you like it!

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New England Clam Chowder

46 ounces can clam juice, or chicken stock. 

4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2" cube

1/2 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp butter.

12 slices bacon, raw and chopped

6 cups onion, diced

3 cups celery, diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

4 bay leaves

1 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock

4-5 cans chopped clams, drained and juices reserved  (I buy 6.5 oz cans)

4 cups half and half

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp thyme leaf

Salt and pepper 

Bring 46 ounces clam juice or chicken stock and potatoes to a boil in a large sauce pan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat.

While potatoes are cooking, cook bacon in a heavy large pot over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon pieces and drain on a paper towel.

Add to bacon fat, onions,celery, and garlic. Saute until they soften about 10 minutes. Add some butter if needed to moisten the vegetables during saute.

Add butter and melt, stirring. Gradually stir in flour. Cook 2-5 minutes to create a rue, do not allow flour to brown.

Gradually whisk in reserved clam juice and chicken stock.  Whisk until smooth and bubbly.

Add potato mixture (broth and all), clams, half and half, bacon pieces, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer chowder 20-30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently. 

Add heavy cream 15 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot and enjoy.

*This recipe is a full batch and will make about 2 gallons. I always half it and it's prefect for dinner and lunch the next day.

*This is one of those things that taste even better the day after so it makes great left overs.

*You can adjust the clams to your liking. We use 4- 6.5 ounce cans for half a batch because we love clams but you can add more or less, what ever you like.

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Grandmas White Bread

This is my Grandmas bread recipe which she gave to my mom. Growing up my mom always made this and it makes your house smell so good.

My hubby doesn't as for much but there are 2 things that he insists on. My moms bread and my moms cinnamon rolls (no pressure there right?) So needless to say the cinnamon rolls will be posted soon too. There is nothing better than warm bread just out of the oven with some fresh jam right?

Lets get started then.

The ingredients are your basics, scalded milk, shortening, honey (or sugar), salt, yeast, flour, and instant potatoes. I know the potatoes aren't exactly basic but they are what makes this recipe as good as it is.

Start by scalding your milk. Just put it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes you want it super hot. Pour that into your mixing bowl with the shortnening, honey and salt and cool to luke warm. You don't want it to hot or it will kill the yeast.

Once cooled add the yeast and instant potatoes. Beat in 4 cups of flour then add 3-4 cups more.

You want it soft but not sticking to the bowl. Knead in the flour until it is all mixed in.

Cover and let it rest about 10 minutes, then knead it again just a little longer.

Cover and let it rise until double in size.

 Split the dough and put into sprayed loaf pans

Let it rise until double.

Bake 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Take out of pans and brush with butter.

Don't they look delicious. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does.

Here is one secret. A few of us in our family love bread and milk and this is the bread to do it with. Break up a slice of bread into a bowl pour some milk over it and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or nutmeg. It is so good. My husband and brother in law think it's weird, and it might be, but it is oh so good.

Grandmas White Bread 

2 cups scalded milk

3-4 Tbsp shortening

3 Tbsp honey  (or sugar)

1 Tbsp salt.

4 Tbsp instant potatoes

1/2 - 3/4 Tbsp yeast

Add shortening,sugar,and salt to scaled milk and cool to luke warm

Add yeast and instant potatoes.

Beat in 4 cups of flour then add 3-4 cups more.

Cover and let rest 10-15 minutes. Knead and let rise until double.

Split dough and put into loaf pans. Let rise until double in size.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Take out of pans and brush with butter.

Eat and enjoy because you did a great job!

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Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This is the first smoker recipe so we hope you like it.

 For those of you who haven't seen a lot of meat smokers it's such a cool thing. 

The idea of smoking meat is low and slow. The smoker is hot but only about 250 degrees.

 It is run by dry heat which is wood only that circulates through the smoker and cooks while infusing the meat with the flavor of the wood you are using. Trent used cherry wood on this recipe but you can also use apple, mesquite, apricot, what ever goes well with the meat.

You can do this same recipe in your oven. Cook it at 300 degrees for about 4 hours or until the meat temperature reaches about 180 degrees. Be sure to check it often so it doesn't over cook and get dry. 

Trent competes with this guy, stacks he calls it (it has 3 smoke stacks) He built the smoker and trailer from the ground up. It's pretty cool. 

The first thing you need to do is light the fire in the fire box and get it hot.

For the meat we use a pork loin. We buy a large one and cut it into thirds and use one for dinner and freeze the other 2 for dinners later in the month.

There are a lot of pictures coming up because I want you to see how he cuts the pork. You want it to lay flat so when he cuts it it almost seems as if he is unrolling it.

Make your first slice on the side toward the bottom.

 As you slice keep opening it up further and further

You'll start to to notice it seems to unroll.

You can also just cut it through the center just not all the way through so it lays flat and pound it out with a meat mallet.

The filling is very basic but oh so good.

A box of stove top stuffing, told you it's basic. It's a perfect base it has the perfect texture and all the spices you need. Cook your stuffing according to the box directions. When it is done cooking spread it out evenly on the pork loin.

We put chopped bacon, onions and mushrooms on top of that. You can use any filling you like though. Spinach would be great or even carrots and celery.

 Roll it right back up and smile because you made it through the hard part.

 Now for the wrapping. Bacon, Bacon and more bacon. He likes to do a basket weave because it keeps the bacon in place along the pork. 

Take 4 strips of bacon and lay over it.

pull up the first and third piece of bacon and lay another piece of bacon horizontally across. Lay the pieces back over the top.

Continue that all the way around. Remember we are only doing this along the top you don't need to wrap it around the bottom. You don't want it come unrolled.

Now we take that beautiful meat and put it in the smoker.

From here it is all about temperatures. When the pork hits about 150 degrees we foil it and put it back in the smoker until the temperature hits about 180 degrees.

                                     

By foiling it it keeps all the juice in instead of losing all the flavor in the smoker. 

Do you see the juice in the bottom of the plate? That is wonderful

When you are ready to eat cut a nice slice and all that work will be worth it!

That is our first smoker recipe (which can be done in the oven too)

Hope you like it!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello, welcome back! Or if this is your first time stopping by and you like what you see, show some love and like my facebook page to the right for great updates.

I love fall, I'm not a big fan of winter but I love fall and fall recipes are the best part. I've been saving this can of pumpkin since last year (yep you read it right) It has been staring at me for a year just waiting for the right season and I am excited to say I can start my fall recipes. 

I love pumpkin everything, I tend to be a pumpkin snob and buy what I can of it before its gone for the season hehe. So expect lots of pumpkin posts in the future.

This can of pumpkin has been looking at me for a year and I finally got to use it yesterday. It's just beginning to get cold  here in Utah. The leaves are changing and we have gotten some much needed rain storms. It's so nice to have the storm out side and cookies in the oven.

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes, and yes if you are starting to notice I have a lot of favorites. 

I make a full batch of cookies but with there being only 3 of us we often don't eat all of them at once. What I like to do is freeze half the dough so I can pull it out and make some later. I just place spoonfuls on a cooking sheet like you would do if you were going to bake them, except you can place them closer together. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or so just until the dough balls are frozen. Pull them out of the freezer and put the dough balls into a freezer zip lock bag. Label the bag of course and freeze until your ready to use them. When you want to cook them pull out what you need and let them sit on a cookie sheet for a few minutes then bake as usual. Now you can get fresh cookies with out all the fuss each time. This so far has worked with every cookie recipe I have made.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup oil

2 cups canned pumpkin

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

2 cups of chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk which ever you like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix brown sugar, salt, oil,pumpkin and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Drop on greased or parchment covered cookie sheet and bake on top rack for 14-16 minutes.

So basic yet wonderful!

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Stuffed Shells

*Warning* Super simple recipe below! Stuffed shells are so much fun and really not as difficult and you might think. On the nights that I'm in a hurry or the hubby works late this is perfect.

All you need is a 16 ounce box of jumbo shells, cottage cheese,cheese, ground beef, and your favorite spaghetti sauce.

Cook the shells according to the box directions,*tip always salt your pasta water it helps with flavor and stickiness* When they are done drain them and lay them out to keep them from sticking to each other. I just lay them on my cutting board.

While the shells are cooking, brown your ground beef. Add cottage cheese and spaghetti sauce. Save a little sauce to put on the bottom of you baking dish. Here is where you need to watch. Add sauce and cottage cheese a little at a time. You don't want it to be to runny so if you have to add more or less it's fine.

Once that is cooked pour your unused spaghetti sauce into the bottom of your baking dish, just enough to cover the bottom so the shells won't stick to the pan. I halved the recipe so I used an 8x8 dish but for the full recipe you will use 9x13 dish. Spoon the stuffing into the shells, (I had to hold them in my hand and open each one) and lay in your dish.

Sprinkle with as much or as little shredded cheese as you would like.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and all heated through, about 10-15 minutes.

Measurements are not crucial for this recipe it really is a little of this a little of that until you get the filling to a good consistency and a taste that you like.

Serve with a side of garlic bread and there you go! So easy but so good, the best kind of recipe.

The filling can be used for lasagna also, it's my go to for about anything like this.

Stuffed Shells

1 large box of jumbo shell pasta.

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (your favorite)

Large container of cottage cheese

Ground beef (or any ground meat you like)

Shredded cheese 

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Cook pasta according to directions. When it is done drain and lay on a surface so they are not touching each other to prevent them from sticking to each other.

While the pasta is cooking, brown your ground beef. Add spaghetti sauce and cottage cheese try not to make it to thin. Reserve a little spaghetti sauce.

Coat the bottom of your baking dish with the reserved spaghetti sauce. Open each shell and spoon the filling into them and lay in the bottom of your pan.

Sprinkle shells with shredded cheese and bake until cheese melts and it is all heated through about 10-15 minutes.

*Measurements are not crucial for this recipe just be sure to get the filling to a consistency and taste that you like*

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Key Lime Cupcakes

These cupcakes are by far one of my favorite cupcakes I have ever made. This is for sure one of the easy recipes that will make every one who eats them think your a pro. We all love the simple for me fancy for you recipes right?

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees
What you need is a lemon cake mix, a small box of lime jello, key lime juice, vegetable oil, eggs, powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter or margarine, and vanilla.

Start by mixing the cupcake batter. Lemon cake mix, jello, key lime juice, vegetable oil, eggs. I like to add a drop or two of green food coloring also.

I saw something on pintrest that I wanted to try. If you don't have enough muffin pans place your cupcake liners in the rings of mason jars and bake. It really worked.

 While they are baking mix your glaze which is just the powdered sugar and like juice.. Some people get confused by this. We are going to have a glaze and frosting. The glaze is what makes this cupcake. It also keeps it nice and moist.

After you pull the cupcakes out of the oven let them cool about 10 minutes then using a tooth pick poke several holes in the cupcake. Try not to poke the bottom out though. Then spread the glaze over the top. The glaze will drizzled down in to the holes. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

Mix your frosting. Cream cheese, butter or margarine, vanilla and powdered sugar.

To frost I just used a pastry bag and a Wilton 1M tip to get my swirl but of course you can frost them any way you like. Top with a little lime zest and you get this decadent cupcake that tastes just as good as it looks.

Key Lime Cupcakes

Cupcake

1 box lemon cake mix

1 small box lime jello

1/3 cup key lime juice

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2-3 drops green food coloring

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 - 2 1/2 Tbl key lime juice

Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup butter or margarine (softened)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Grated lime zest for decoration.

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Beat cupcakes on low speed for 30 seconds then medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrap bowl occasionally. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake 19-24 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, move to cooling rack and pierce tops with a tooth pick several times. Mix glaze thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle and spread over each cupcake.

Cool completely, about 30 minutes or so.

For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed add vanilla extract and powdered sugar until mixed and fluffy. Frost and garnish cupcakes.

Store covered in refrigerator. And enjoy!

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*If you can't find key limes just buy key lime juice, it works the same in this recipe. I couldn't find key lime juice so I just used regular lime juice and it still tasted great.*

Give this a shot and come back and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading h

Baked Chicken Pasta

Do you ever have those crazy days where you don't have time to do anything for dinner until it's the end of the day and all of a sudden you have no clue what to make? Mondays are those days for me. Between tumbling,preschool,house,yoga they are my craziest days.
So I came up with this it was easy and a big hit with the hubby.
This recipe is great for nights like that and it tastes awesome.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You need 1 can cream of chicken soup, 16 oz of pasta of your choice (I used spiral), 4-5 boneless chicken breast or thighs,2 cups of cheese, 6 strips of bacon, 1 tablespoon of  garlic powder and some salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the chicken up in to bite size chunks. Cook and crumble the bacon, set it aside for later. Cook the chicken in that same pan with the bacon drippings. Add garlic powder and salt and pepper.

Mean while cook the pasta according to it's directions.

When the chicken is cooked completely throw it in a bowl with the cream soup and some of the bacon and cheese.( I also put in a spoonful of sour cream and a little milk to make it creamier, but that's up to you.) Drain and add the pasta. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non stick spray pour into the dish and top with the rest of the cheese and bacon. Cook at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

What do you think? Easy right? I try to make most of my recipes versatile so you can add pretty much what ever you would like. You can use cream of mushroom or celery, more or less bacon and cheese, broccoli would even be great in it. Give it a try the way you think you would like but and be sure to come back and comment on how it turned out for you. I can't wait to hear from you!

Puffed Pancakes

This is such a fun recipe. We eat German pancakes all the time, well at least our version of German pancakes so I took the same idea and down sized a bit.

I make this with my mini muffin tin but any muffin tin would work just adjust the cooking time.

First things first put your muffin tin in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees so your muffin tin is getting hot while your mixing the batter.

The batter is so simple, flour,eggs and milk. You can mix it by hand and be sure to get it very smooth or I just throw it in my blender, which works great.

 Pull your muffin tin out of the oven and spray with non stick spray. Fill them 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

 Our favorite way to eat these is to dip then in our strawberry sauce or syrup. Which is just strawberries (fresh or frozen), sugar and vanilla or almond extract. Simmer for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Take it off the heat and let cool for a bit then you can use your blender to make it as smooth as you like. I just use my immersion blender right in the pot.

This is also a great on ice cream. Be sure to refrigerate unused sauce.

Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and that's all there is to it.

There is so much you can do with this recipe. When they are done baking the center is pretty hollow. Before putting them in the oven you could put berries or chocolate chips or caramel in them and cook. Give them a try and be sure to let me know what you think.

Puffed Pancakes

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs 

pinch of salt.

Put you muffin tin in the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Mix ingredients in a blender until smooth. Remove your pan from the oven and spray with non stick spray. Fill each well  2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Strawberry Sauce

2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract.

On medium heat simmer for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat let cool and blend to desired consistency. Refrigerate left over up to a week and freeze up to 3 months.

*You can also take about a cup of chopped strawberries and mix with about a tablespoon of sugar cover and refrigerate, the sugar will render down the berries and give you a sauce. It's similar to the frozen strawberry topping you can find in grocery stores*

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