Quick English Muffin Pizza

Quick English Muffin Pizza ~ this is a favorite in our house.  It's perfect for when you have to have a meal on the table quick & nothing but pizza will do.  Great for kids & grown-up kids, alike.  :)

J really likes his pizza, but sometimes we don't have the time to bake one from the freezer ~ especially when he wants to eat now!  Waiting for the oven to warm up & then waiting for the pizza to bake, just will not do!  For times like this, I'll often make a Quick English Muffin Pizza.  J just can't resist helping to make his own personal sized pizzas & who can blame him.  It's fun.

I always keep some leftover spaghetti sauce in the freezer, in small bags, just for these occasions.  I'll thaw it out & use it as the 'pizza sauce', giving the split English muffin a thick coating of sauce.  Anything that's in the fridge is fair game as far as the toppings go.  In this picture, I used some leftover, cooked ground beef, with a bit of Italian herbs & some Parmesan cheese.  Just give it a quick spin in the microwave & pizza is served!

Preserved Meyer Lemons

I've mentioned before that I'm a huge lemonhead.  I grew up with a HUGE lemon tree in my backyard & have always had a sweet spot in my heart for this most sour of fruits.  Awhile back, I had some Meyer lemons that needed using up & I was looking for something unusual to do with them.  I found this recipe for Preserved Lemons that sounded really good.  The story behind her making them was so inviting, that I decided I just had to make them, too.  Now, I'm on the lookout for recipes that showcase these little golden jewels ~ so, if anyone has a good recipe to share, I'm all ears!  :)

Mini Muffin Frittatas ~ perfect for breakfast or appetizers

Mini Muffin Frittatas ~ Rise & shine!  These little gems are perfect for breakfast or as an appetizer.  Keep some in the fridge or freezer for a quick meal on the run ~ just reheat & serve.

I was feeling like something a little bit different the day I made these ~ Mini Muffin Frittatas.  They were easy to make & J thought they were fun to eat ~ that's always a good thing.  I tweaked this recipe, just a bit to use what I had on hand.  The recipe lends itself to many variations & using low fat cheese is any easy to cut some of the calories.

Having some already made up in the fridge or freezer makes for a quick breakfast on a school day & these would also make good appetizers.  An easy to make food that multi-tasks ~ I like that!   :)

Easy Pumpkin Soup

I was cleaning out my freezer the other day & came across a big bag of cubed pumpkin.  Yup, the remains of last years autumn/Halloween edible decorations.  I just couldn't dispose of  the golden frozen chunks, even though they had languished almost a year in the deep freeze...  where's the challenge in that?

I spent the day baking & cooking ~ applesauce, pumpkin soup, breakfast cookies, vegan maple cookies...

I decided to make a quick & easy, very creamy Pumpkin Soup.  Boiling the chunks made short order of the whole process.  I covered the about 8 cups of frozen pumpkin chunks with water, brought it up to a boil, added some cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, a 1/2 cup of cashews, salt/pepper & then reduced the heat until it was at a strong simmer.  In about 20 minutes the chunks were nice & tender.  I then pureed the pumpkin mixture, in batches, returned the soup to the pot, adjusted the seasonings (adding a little Creole seasoning mix), added a bit more water & warmed it back up. 

Lunch was on the table in about 30 minutes.  I was baking & cooking A LOT that day, so having something easy, yet flavorful & comforting for my lunch was a real treat.  The cashews really gave the soup a wonderfully rich flavor, without having to add oil or dairy.   I just love making soups in the fall.  How about you?  :)

Rustic Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas made with Trader Joe's Corn & Wheat Tortillas ~ the taste & texture of these unique tortillas really make this dish special!

Trader Joe's has a really wonderful tortilla that is made with a combo of corn and wheat.  It's thick, slightly chewy and makes for a wonderful, rustic textuted enchilada.  I simply followed the directions on the back of the green enchilada sauce can & came up with a fantastic dinner that we all enjoyed.  I added some traditional Mexican sides & we all dined well.  I'll be making this enjoyable meal again, with these unique tortillas, every time I get the craving for enchiladas...or quesadillas, or soft tacos, or...  :)

Smiley Face Mini Pancakes ~ making anytime, fun time!

Smiley Face Mini Pancakes & 'Faux' Crumpets ~ Depending on which side faces (pun intended) up, you get either a fun to look at & fun to eat pancake that kids love.  Flip it over & you get a 'faux' crumpet, that's great for teatime.

I recently acquired a  ~ Bella Cucina Smiley Pancake Maker, at a yard sale.  We've been having fun making these cute little pancakes, both for breakfast & for after school snacks.  They are quick to make, easy to do, fun to eat & easy to clean-up.  These little golden gems get two BIG thumbs up from J, from Dad & from Mom, too.  They can bring a smile to a little face after a rough day at school & that's a big plus.

I also enjoy making a few extra and saving them for an afternoon teatime treat. (the flip-side looks a bit like a crumpet to me)  The top has a slightly different, chewier texture than the smiley face side, since it doesn't come into direct contact with the top heating element. I spread the flip-side with butter & strawberry jam and enjoy some homemade 'faux English crumpets'.  They make a perfect teatime treat, right here in my American kitchen.  Just don't turn the little guys over & no one would know they're eating smiley face pancakes.  Works for me!  

The hardest thing about using this cute little pancake maker is waiting for the batch to finish, so you can start all over again.   Smiles all around?   Comin' right up! :)

Greek Green Goodness Yogurt Smoothie ~ Meatless Monday

Greek Green Goodness Yogurt Smoothie ~ using Greek yogurt really ups the protein count & makes for a super thick and rich tasting smoothie.

I've been drinking a lot of Bolthouse Farms ~ Green Goodness Fruit Smoothies ~ for breakfast lately.  To up the protein count, I usually add some whey protein powder, but I was all out one morning, so I decided to use some Greek yogurt instead.  The smoothie turned out great ~ it's quick, easy, thick & rich tasting.  I enjoy the tangy-ness of the yogurt & since Greek yogurt is so high in protein, it works out to be just about the same protein count as using the protein powder.  Nice!  I'm all for changing things up every now & then.  :)

Greek Green Goodness Yogurt Smoothie
serves one

• 1 cup Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Fruit Smoothie
• 1 cup Greek yogurt ~ fat free
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Equal or sweetener of choice ~ optional
• 4 ice cubes

Throw all into a blender & whirl away until smooth & frosty.  Enjoy!

Find out more...

Easy Chili Mac Soup

Easy Chili Mac Soup ~ This family favorite is easy to make and if you have leftover macaroni & cheese already made up ~ it's a great way to clean out the fridge, too.  :)

Grandma Bunni used to LOVE eating Chili Mac Soup.  It was one of her favorite soups to make & as she got older, one of her favorites to order when she went out for dinner.  Since I had sooo much left over Macaroni & Cheese from a recent meal I made (read the post on that meal here), I decided to make a big ol' pot of Chili Mac Soup with the leftovers.  J was VERY enthusiastic when I made this & he declared it his very favorite soup of all-time!  Grandma Bunni would have been so pleased ~ I can see the apple didn't fall far from the tree on that one.   :)  Enjoy!

Easy Chili Mac Soup ~ a favorite soup of Grandma Bunni :)
makes a big ol' pot

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean hamburger, cooked, drained & crumbled
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, with juice
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 can chili beans, with/in sauce
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix
• 4 cups precooked elbow macaroni (or leftover macaroni & cheese, like from this recipe)
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Place first 8 ingredients in a large pot, stir well & bring to a boil.  Reduce heat & simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the onion & green pepper are tender.  Add a little extra water if it gets too thick.

Add the precooked elbow macaroni & gently stir to combine.  Simmer all together for an additional 5 minutes.  Add salt & pepper, as desired. 

Serve as-is or with your favorite toppings and/or sides.  Some of our favorite extras are ~ shredded cheese; crushed tortilla chips; sour cream; crackers; corn bread.

Breakfast Strawberry Shortcake with Greek Yogurt & Oats

Breakfast Strawberry Shortcake with Greek Yogurt & Oats ~ Eating dessert for breakfast?  Absolutely!  Greek yogurt, oats, mashed strawberries & a bit of sweetener become a sweet treat for breakfast that only tastes indulgent.  :)

I'm loving using fat free Greek yogurt!  It really turns whatever I use it in into something special!  The other morning I came up with a very satisfying breakfast spin on a dessert favorite of mine, Strawberry Shortcake.  This recipe only has a few ingredients, but it really packs in the flavor.  I'm calling it my ~ Breakfast Strawberry Shortcake Greek Yogurt & Oats. 

I think it would be just as good for an actual dessert, too ~ if you're so inclined.  I bet blueberries & peaches would also be a good combo for this breakfast/dessert.  Hope you like it as much as I do!

Breakfast Strawberry Shortcake with Greek Yogurt & Oats
serves one

Ingredients

• 8 oz. of fat free Greek yogurt (or your favorite kind)
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats ~ uncooked
• 1/3 cup mashed strawberries (fresh or frozen/thawed)
• 3 packets of Equal (or sweetener of choice)

Directions

Mash fresh/thawed strawberries with 2 packets of Equal, until nice & mushy.

Stir Greek yogurt, oats & remaining Equal packet together until fully combined.

Fold in the mashed strawberries.  

Serve in a pretty bowl.  Enjoy!

((if you don't want to bother with mashing the strawberries, you could probably use a couple of tablespoons of fruit juice sweetened strawberry jam, for a similar taste))

Oven Roasted Ratatouille with Balsamic Glaze

Oven Roasted Ratatouille with Balsamic Glaze ~ Spread on French bread and you've got a flavorful and tasty appetizer.

With the veggies that we harvested from the Community Garden (just down the street), I made some Oven Roasted Ratatouille with Balsamic Glaze.  It turned out amazing!  We've eaten it as a side dish; served it along with Quinoa and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes; & as an appetizer, spread on fresh French bread.  This is a simple to prepare dish, versatile, very tasty & a great way to use some of the end-of-the-season summer veggies.

Here's a basic guideline recipe, use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like.  Make a lot, or a little. Just enough for dinner, or extra for leftovers.  It's all good.  :)

Oven Roasted Ratatouille with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients 

• eggplant
• zucchini
• onion
• tomatoes
• green bell peppers
• fresh garlic
• olive oil
• balsamic glaze
• salt & pepper
• dried basil & oregano
• smoked paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F degrees.

Chop veggies into bite sized chunks, slice fresh garlic into quarters & place all in a large bowl.  Drizzle veggies with olive oil, balsamic glaze & spices.  Toss until well combined.

Place veggies on a foil lined roasting pan or cookie tray.   

Spread veggies in a single layer.

Roast in middle of oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Ratatouille with Balsamic Glaze served with Quinoa & Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Fresh from the Community Garden this growing season...

The Community Garden that I posted about a while back, (the one that's just down the street) is winding down for the season.  About all that's left now is a row of tomatoes, some chili plants & a few green bean plants.  Considering the severe drought we had this summer, we are lucky that we had any veggies to harvest at all.  Even though the harvest was less than stellar this year,  I was able to take some cool pictures of what was ready for harvest during the growing season, so I thought I'd share the photos & a couple of things I made with the goodies.

Easy Pickled Garden Veggies ~ I found this recipe on how to make easy pickled garden veggies, just using hot water, vinegar & a few other ingredients.  I made a jar full of pickled green beans, okra & mini pickles.  Can't wait to try them out!

Air Dried Chili Peppers ~ This recipe has to be the easiest & prettiest way to dry chili peppers.  They make me happy every time I see them.  The chilis keep getting redder & redder as the days go by.  There will be lots of chilis for cooking, all winter long.  :)

                                       

Almost all the colors of the rainbow!

This batch of veggies turned into ~ Oven Roasted Ratatouille with Balsamic Vinegar Glaze.  I'll be posting that recipe soon.  It turned out sooo good!

Until next year, Community Garden.  Thanks so much for sharing your bounty with all of us!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Easy Chicken and Dumplings ~ Doctoring up a can of Campbell's Chunky Chicken & Dumpling Soup makes short work of this meal.  Bisquick dumplings top this comforting & quickly made family favorite.

Sometimes Roy makes dinner & one of my favorites of his is ~ Chicken & Dumplings.  Roy made this for me when we were first dating & I fell in love with how simple it is.

He starts out with a can of Campbell's Chunky Chicken & Dumplings Soup & then doctors it up.  Usually, he adds ~ 2 cups of leftover chopped chicken, 2 cups of mixed frozen veggies, about 2 or 3 cups of chicken broth & a can of diced potatoes, drained.  He heats it all up until the frozen veggies are warmed through, then he adds a few herbs/spices & tops it all with a double batch of Bisquick dumplings (made/cooked per the recipe/instructions for making dumplings that's on the Bisquick box).  After it all simmers together for about 20 minutes ~ first, without the lid on & then with the lid on ~ we've got a satisfying meal that is perfect for the end of a crisp, autumn day. 

For another easy version of Chicken & Dumplings, check out the recipe from over on the Betty Crocker website.

Sometimes it takes a bachelor to come up with an easy spin on a traditional homestyle dish.  Fine by me, I like handing over the reins to the kitchen from time to time.  :)

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes ~ easy 'sun dried' tomatoes

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes ~ Making your own 'sun dried tomatoes' is easy when you use your oven.

Yellow & Red Roma Tomatoes

This summer, we've been enjoying lots of different varieties of homegrown tomatoes ~ in lots of different ways.  We've been picking the tomatoes from our garden, our neighbors have shared some of their tomato bounty with us & we've harvested veggies over at the Community Garden.  Some of the many ways we've been enjoying these tasty veggies (botanically speaking, they're fruits, but I always think of them as veggies) is to ~ simply add them to our garden salads; throw them into the juicer; and by slow-roasting them in the oven.  Homemade 'sun-dried tomatoes', if you will.

I've found this easy Slow-Roasted Tomato recipe over at Smitten Kitchen & it's a treat!  So easy to make & so very tasty.  So far, I've added the Slow-Roasted Tomatoes to ~ warm salads; slipped them into sandwiches; enjoyed them on French bread with cheese; and munched on them, as-is.  They make such a delightful morsel & when they are prepared this way, it perfectly heightens the robust flavors of homegrown, summer tomatoes!

I like removing the seeds before I slow-roast my tomatoes ~ it's easy to do...

Tomatoes are all prepped and ready to go into the oven...

A couple of hours later, you've got Slow-Roasted Tomatoes ~ Ahh! The perfect condensed flavor of summer!

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes & Ratatouille over a bed of Quinoa ~ Oven roasting really brings out the full flavors in these homegrown veggies!

Kale, Quinoa and Heirloom Tomato Salad ~ Meatless Monday

I'm a huge fan of raw kale salads & when you add some extra superfoods, the salad gets even better.  Full of flavor & lots of different goodies, this salad makes for a perfect Meatless Monday meal.


Kale, Quinoa & Heirloom Tomato Salad
serves 1~2

Ingredients

• 2 cups kale, packed ~ torn into bite sized pieces 
• 1 cup chopped heirloom tomatoes (a variety of regular & cherry)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa ~ fresh cooked/cooled or leftovers
• 1/4 cup sliced purple onion
• 2 Tbsp cranberries
• 2 Tbsp walnuts

 Cilantro & Lime Vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Heirloom Yellow Pear Tomatoes

Toss first six salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.

Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar & shake-up until combined.

Pour vinaigrette over salad & toss again.  Plate up & enjoy!

Join the Movement...

Black Bean Salsa with Sweet Corn

Black Bean Salsa with Sweet Corn ~ Homegrown tomatoes, onion & fresh-from-the field corn (literally from just across the street) make for a perfect way to enjoy the end of summer garden bounty.

The last of our sweet corn is now gone.  We've enjoyed having some of the freshest picked corn available.  I mean, how could it get any fresher?  When it gets handed to you, fresh picked from the stalk, it's awesome!  With this last of the season sweet corn, I made a ~ Black Bean Salsa with Sweet Corn ~ including some homegrown tomatoes and onion, too.  This is the perfect end of summer treat!  If you don't have any fresh sweet corn, just use canned corn, or thawed out frozen corn will work fine, too.  Hope you are enjoying these last few days of summer as much as we are!


Black Bean Salsa with Sweet Corn
makes a bowlful

Ingredients

• 1 cup lightly cooked sweet corn kernels 
• 1 can black beans ~ drained & rinsed
• 1 cup fresh chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced ~ or more, to taste (optional)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp cumin
• salt & pepper, to taste

 

Directions 
 
Quickly cook a few fresh ears of corn, in boiling water & cut the kernels off.  Allow to cool while assembling all the other ingredients. 

Mix together all of the above, in a large bowl,  when the corn has cooled.  For best flavor, allow the salsa to marinate in the fridge, for at least an hour or overnight.  (but, if you just can't wait, have at it :)  Serve with your favorite chips.  Enjoy!

Celebration Party Cakes ~ Beth's Cake Creations ~ Guest Post

This cake was made for a very special wedding & is just adorable.  I love the detailing on the cake & think the bridal attire of the special couple is too cute.  Makes me smile just looking at it!  :) 

My friend, Beth, is an awesome Artisan Cake Decorator & I'm so thrilled to be sharing more photos of her lovely cakes!  Some of the pictures in this collection of 'Celebration Party Cakes' were a team effort & others were done solo.  All are beautiful & I'm sure they were enjoyed by all the party guests.  So, without further ado, here are more tempting sweet treats, sure to make you long for a bite...  :)

This exotic birthday cake is so beautiful...

...it's almost too lovely to eat.

Cookies as well as a birthday cake?  Heck yeah!  ROCK ON, BABY!

This one just cracks me up!

I bet there were guys who tried to play a game before they cut into this cake.  Boys will be boys... :)

Still to come in later Guest Posts, my favorite cake of Beth's ~ a Steampunk inspired creation that is absolutely amazing.  As well as ~ some homespun Holiday cupcakes that would be perfect to recreate at home this Christmas season.  Thanks so much for sharing, Beth!