Strawberry Shortcakes

As a family we seem to go through these dessert phases… Smore’s, homemade ice cream, funnel cakes (yes, this is as pathetic as it sounds)! We just all seem to crave the same thing at once and we get hooked on it for months. Lately it’s been Strawberry Shortcakes; notice not “shortcake” but “shortcakes”. It’s a short stake of blueberry pancakes layered with strawberry compote and topped with creamy whipped topping.

Ingredients
Pancakes (we prefer Blueberry)
Strawberries (the sliced strawberries with sugar found in the freezer section)
Whipped Topping

Directions
There’s nothing to it! Cook the pancakes according to the directions on the package. Layer each of the pancakes with strawberries and top with the whipped cream!

Although strawberry shortcake -- the quintessential version of this sweet dish-- is an American classic, the origins of the treat date back to 16th century England. Traditional shortcake is, in fact, not really cake at all but is actually a sweet biscuit with a fruit filling and topping. It is believed that early Americans preferred their shortcake with blueberries, but today it is served with a variety of fruit fillings. It was not until the 1850s that strawberry shortcake became particularly popular in the United States and evolved into a cookbook staple shortly thereafter.

Chicken PotStickers

There’s a TGIF right by my school so I go there sometimes with friends and teachers. I am obsessed with TGIF’s Zen Chicken Potstickers! They are just delicious and go perfect with a mudslide, yum! Anyways… since there isn’t a TGIF by home Justin and the boys haven’t ever had an opportunity to try the Potstickers so I decided to give them a try at home and was pleasantly surprised! They were really very good!

Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1-2 green onions (I used both the green and white part)
1 can chicken broth (I only used about ½ of mine)
1 package of wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon rice vinegar
½ tablespoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
(the garlic, ginger, and spicy chili garlic sauce were just added to suit our taste)

Dipping Sauce
6 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions
In a food processor I mixed the green onions, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seed oil (really I was just trying to mince the onions as fine as I could get them because my boys won’t eat onions). Once the onions were small enough I added the ground chicken and seasoned it with out usual Chinese seasonings… garlic, ginger, and chili garlic sauce. I pulsed it in the food processor for a good minute until it looked well mixed.

I then made all the dumplings. I would just hold the wonton wrapper in my hand, put a gumball sized dollop of the meat mixture in the middle, dipped my finger in water, wet the edges of the wonton wrapper then folded it in half and sealed. Towards the end I got better at forming the potstickers and squishing the meat around to fill the edges of the wonton wrapper but they tasted no better than any of the others.

I heated my skillet to medium-high on the stove and drizzled a little of the sesame seed oil in the bottom (just so they didn’t stick too much). I laid the potstickers in the pan and let them cook for around 3 minutes. When the bottoms were a nice bubbly brown color I flipped them all over and drizzled in the chicken broth. Just a couple tablespoons until it evaporated away and then added a couple more tablespoons. This steamed the potstickers and kept them moist. I let the other side cook for 1-2 minutes until it was bubbly brown and served warm.

Justin was in charge of the dipping sauce and made 2 different kinds. I preferred the sweet soy sauce like TGIF serves (just sugar and soy sauce), but Justin also mixed a soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic sauce for himself. It was pretty bitter though. To make either you just combine the ingredients in a bowl and warm in the microwave (so the sugar will mix in with the soy).

All in all these were delicious! We ate them with homemade Lo Mein Noodles and baked Crab Rangoon (both were disasters). But hey… 1 out of 3 isn’t too bad in a family of picky eaters!

Tomato, Tomatoe

We went to Bungfest last year which is an annual gathering of our high school friends; it was a lot of fun but the old-timer in me noticed the tomatoes! The Knapps had these delicious grape/cherry tomatoes! Patty said they were the “sugar shack” variety and they grew them, so I decided to try it myself!

I researched online and found that “sugar shack” and “sugary” seem to be the sweetest grape/cherry tomato variety. Around the first or second week of April I went over to Heartland nursery and got 2 of each. They were just babies! Probably 6 inches tall at the most and came in Dixie sized cups.

I immediately repotted them into liter sized pots and kept them by our sliding glass backdoor (inside our house but right next to the glass door so they would get lots of sunlight). I watered them almost daily and mixed a little miracle grow into the water once a week. I had every intention of taking pictures of the baby plants but they grew so fast and before I knew it they were as tall as I was! Last week we had to replant them again, this time in the biggest pots I could find! I also added a tomato cage around them because they were starting to lean and fall over.

We are just barely in the 2nd week of May and I already have a few tomatoes coming in (you can see two small green sprouts in this picture), I can’t even believe it! I am starting to think that keeping them indoors sped up their growth because I don’t think it’s normal to have tomatoes in mid May, but what do I know!?



June Update
Here is a picture of the tomato plants on June 15th. They are all starting to ripen and there are literally hundreds of them!

July Update
We have so many tomatoes we can’t eat them all, we have started sharing with neighbors and friends! We have all come to the consensus that the “sugary” variety is much better than the “sugar shack”.

Brownie and Ice Cream Layered Dessert

Well… the name pretty much explains it all, lol! This is more of a dessert idea rather than a recipe but this was a great way to liven up a boring weeknight! Justin and I picked heart shaped cookie cutters, Andrew picked a flower, and Abbott picked a cross. The pictures of each are below, but my brownies were still a bit warm so they were quickly melting as I snapped a photo!

Ingredients
Brownies (purchased or prepared)
Ice Cream
Whipped Topping
Syrups, Sprinkles, and Cherries

Directions
You need to remove the brownies from their pan so you can cut shapes using cookie cutters. I prepared my brownies from a box so I lined the 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper so that I could easily flip the pan once the brownies cool. Each person picked out a cookie cutter and cut their brownie, once you have your shape set the brownie aside. Place the cookie cutter on a plate and begin to scoop ice cream into the cookie cutter, leveling the scoops until the cookie cutter shape is filled with ice cream. Using you scoop to hold the ice cream down slowly remove the cookie cutter. You should be left with a ice cream cut out of your shape. Using a spatula transfer the ice cream cut out to the top of your brownie shape. Top with whipped topping and choice of syrup, sprinkles, and cherries.

Creamy Italian Chicken with Pasta

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com probably 7 years ago, to date it is probably the best recipe I found on that website. It could definitely benefit from sliced mushrooms and diced onions but in a family of picky eaters those are always out of the question (boohoo).

I first started making this recipe for my family right after I turned 21 so I remember going to the grocery store to look for white wine and bringing home Arbor Mist (I had no idea what real white wine was nor what it looked like). So… if this recipe can make mouths water using Arbor Mist for the wine then it is pretty fail safe!

Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 c. butter
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1/2 c. white wine (you can sub chicken broth)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
4 ounces cream cheese with chives
1 pound angel hair pasta

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.
Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

Fish Tacos

This Baja treat is well known to residents of Southern California, where fish tacos have been popular since their introduction in the 1980s. The crunch of coleslaw contrasts with tender fish, and the creamy dressing is spiked with the smoky heat of chipotle chiles.



Ingredients
Tilapia or flounder fillets (2 needed per taco)
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
½ c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp lime juice
1 (1-lb) bag coleslaw mix (8 cups)
Corn or flour tortillas
Accompaniments: salsa, lime wedges
Directions
Fish- To cook the fish you use the same recipe as the “Lemon Pepper Fish” previously posted (in fact you can just use any leftover fish you have from that recipe). Add olive oil to a sauté pan on medium heat. Lay frozen fillet in the pan, don’t let the fillets overlap but the sides can touch. On medium heat cook the fish until it looks thawed then sprinkle on the lemon pepper seasoning. Continue cooking until the sides of the fillets become transparent (around 5 minutes) and then flip the fillets. Sprinkle the other side with the lemon pepper seasoning and cook until fish is white and flakey (around 5 minutes).
Spicy Slaw- While the fish cooks, make the slaw sauce by stirring together mayonnaise, yogurt, chipotle powder, and lime juice in a bowl. Toss together with coleslaw mix. The slaw keeps for a couple days so you can make it the day before if desired.

Transfer fish to a platter along with bowls of coleslaw, salsa, lime wedges, and a basket of warm tortillas. Serve immediately

Lemon Pepper Fish

This is really more of a meal idea rather than a recipe, but this is one of those quick and easy meals that we eat almost weekly. It takes 15-20 minutes total!

Ingredients
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Tilapia Fillet(s)
1-2 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Directions
Add olive oil to a sauté pan on medium heat. Lay frozen fillet in the pan, don’t let the fillets overlap but the sides can touch. On medium heat cook the fish until it looks thawed then sprinkle on the lemon pepper seasoning (I really don't measure it, I just sprinkle until everything looks peppered). Continue cooking until the sides of the fillets become transparent (around 5 minutes-depending on thickness of fillet) and then flip the fillets. Sprinkle the other side with the lemon pepper seasoning and cook until fish is white and flakey (around 5 minutes).

You can flip the fish another couple times to brown the outside but the more you flip it the more it will fall apart on you. I always cut one of the thickest fillets open to make sure it is white and flakey all the way through before taking it off of the heat and serving.

Kick’n Fish

Fish is a huge staple in our house. We purchase tilapia in bulk bags found in the freezer section of a grocery store, each fillet is individually packaged so only have to cook as many as you need. One of the things I love about these fillets is that you can cook it straight from the freezer, no thawing needed! In fact thawing the fish makes it difficult to work with and season because it will fall apart. Above is a picture of the seasoned fillets before they go into the oven!

We cook fish a couple different ways but this is definitely one of our favorites! Even though I use a BBQ rub I would call it more of a Cajun fish because it doesn’t taste like BBQ, it has a spicy kick but nothing that would make you break a sweat. This picture shows the final product!


Ingredients
Tilapia Fillet (s)
Gates Original BBQ Seasoning and Marinate

Directions
Lay the frozen fillets in a baking dish (the fish oil will keep it from sticking so there is no need for oil or butter). Generously shake the BBQ seasoning onto the fillets, turn the fillets over and season the other side. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes at 400. Broil for an additional 3 minutes or until the fillets start cracking open.

Whoopie Pies

I’ve heard that the New England area has something called a “Whoopie Pie” or “Gob” made of two small, chocolate, disk-shaped cakes with a sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between them. Traditional Amish markets would sell them but after quickly gaining popularity they started to pop up in grocery and convenient stores. I thought they looked interesting so I found a couple recipes online and gave it a try!

They turned out really well! They actually ended up tasting alot like those new Oreo Cakesters!

Cakes
1 Pkg of devil's food cake (with the oil and eggs listed on the package)
1 Pkg instant chocolate pudding
3/4 cup water

Creme Filling
1 1/4 c. powered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
3/4 c. marshmallow fluff
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp peanut butter (optional)

Directions
Mix the devil's food (according to package minus the water), pudding, and water together. After mixing let it set for 5-10 minutes (I have no idea why but they don't flatten out as much if they sit). Use a melon baller to drop balls of the dough onto cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cook at 350 for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Mix powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and fluff together and then add shortening. You can alter the flavor of the creme by adding another ingredient if you want. Justin loves peanut butter so after using 1/2 the vanilla filling I added 1-2 tbsp to it to make a peanut butter creme filling. I used the melon baller again to add one drop of filling in-between the two cakes.

3 Ingredient Macaroni and Cheese

The school that I teach at has great macaroni and cheese! At first glance it looked a little unappealing the way the cheese sauce dripped through your fork but the flavor was delicious! I asked the cafeteria what their recipe was and was told “5 lbs of Velveeta and 1 gallon of milk”. Since my conversation skills are lacking I took my best guess. It turned out just as yummy as the school cafeteria’s and even Justin who is anti-Velveeta liked it!

Ingredients
16 oz. Elbow Macaroni
2 lb. Velveeta (cubed)
2 c. Skim Milk

Directions
Cook the elbow macaroni in boiling water for around 12 minutes or until your desired tenderness and strain. Return pan to low heat and add the Velveeta and milk. Stir until all the Velveeta is melted and then season with salt and pepper.

Welcome

After spending countless hours scouring the internet for great sites dedicated to good food and interesting recipes, I realized that if I could reallocate even half those hours to creating my own recipe journal, it could be pretty good.

This blog is intended primarily for family and friends with whom I would like to share some of my greatest culinary "masterpieces" and my biggest flops, but if anyone else stumbles across it and actually finds it interesting, then I am thrilled!

I am a busy working Mom with two children, Andrew and Abbott. But no amount of time is too much to spend planning and preparing a nice meal for my family. Here are some of my thoughts..... enjoy....