Fourth of July Cupcakes Rewind

These are so cute for the fourth!  I posted this recipe last July 4th and thought it was worth a repeat today.

Fourth of July Cupcakes

18 1/4 ounces white cake mix
1 cup water (or as indicated on cake mix directions)
1/3 cup oil (or as indicated on cake mix directions)
3 eggs (or as indicated on cake mix directions)
1/2 teaspoon blue food coloring
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1 (16 ounce) can vanilla frosting
red white and blue candy sprinkle

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

In a small bowl, combine 1 1/3 cups batter with blue food coloring. In another small bowl, combine red food coloring with 1 1/3 cups batter. Leave the remaining batter plain.

Fill paper-lined muffin tins with 2 tablespoons red batter, 2 tablespoons plain batter, and 2 tablespoons blue batter. Do not swirl batter, leave it layered.

Bake at 350º for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pan and then remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost with vanilla frosting and decorate with sprinkles.

Makes about 18 cupcakes

Happy Cooking!

Black and Blue Burgers

I don’t remember where I first saw this recipe but I have since seen it all over the internet ~ must be because it’s grilling season

This particular version also has mushrooms in the middle of the burger which you can easily leave out if you are not a mushroom fan.  I put them in but didn’t think they really added anything to the overall taste of the burger.

Black and Blue Burgers

2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1 6.5 ounce can sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup blackening seasoning
6 hamburger rolls
lettuce, tomato, onion slices for topping the burgers if desired

Make 12 very thin patties out of the burger. On 6 of the burgers place a bit of blue cheese and a couple of mushrooms in the middle. Top with the other 6 burgers and seal the edges. Sprinkle with blackening seasoning on both sides.

Grill to your desired degree of doneness. Place on rolls (grilled or not) and top with your favorite toppings.

Makes 6 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Strawberry and rhubarb is such a great combination and these bars are a very good way to use them.  They are easy to make but you do have to make the filling up first and let it col some before proceeding with the recipe.  I subbed Splenda blend for the sugar and left off the drizzle.

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Filling:
1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Splenda blend or 1/2 cup regular sugar
2 tbsps cornstarch

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/1 2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Drizzle:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk, use more (1 tsp at a time) if needed

Combine the rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 8 to 12 minutes or until the fruit is tender.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup Splenda (or 1/2 cup sugar) and the cornstarch and stir this in the fruit mixture in teh pan. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a full boil (about 1 minute). Continue boiling until fruit is thickened. Removed form heat and set aside to cool.

Heat oven to 350º.

Combine all crust ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at low speed until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture aside. Press remaining crumb mixture onto the bottom of the a greased 13×9 pan. Spread cooled filling over the crust and then sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Combine drizzle ingredients and drizzle over cooled bars. Cut into squares.

Makes 36 bars.

Happy Cooking!

Raspberry Coffeecake

My very favorite berries are raspberries.  I’ve been known to buy a package and eat the whole thing in one sitting.  They are just so good.

This is another cheaters coffeecake using crescent rolls for the dough.  It’s not hard to make but takes a bit of time.  It makes a large coffeecake so this would be good if you are having weekend company.  I adapted the recipe from the Pillsbury website and used low fat cream cheese, Splenda blend and low fat crescent roll dough.

Raspberry Coffeecake

Cake:
2 (8 ounce) cans crescent rolls
1 tsp sugar or Splenda blend

Filling:
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar or 2 tbsps Splenda blend
2 tsps grated orange peel
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 pint fresh raspberries

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsps orange juice

Heat oven to 350º.  Spray a pizza pan with cooking spray.

Separate dough into 16 triangles; reserve 4 triangles for the top of the coffeecake. On prepared pizza pan, arrange 12 triangles in a circle with the points to the center, leaving a hole in the center. Press dough to form a ring, pressing the perforations together to seal. Fold outer and center edges up 1/4 inch.

In a bowl, combine all the filling ingredients except for the raspberries and mix well. Very gently stir in the raspberries (try not to break them up). The mixture is fairly thin. Spoon mixture over the prepared crescent dough.

With scissors, but the reserved triangles into thirds. Put the 1 tsp sugar on a plate and press each third into the sugar (you may need more sugar). Arrange pieces into a spoke fashion on top of the filling; carefully pressing to seal at the center and the edges.

Bake at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Mine took 25 minutes exactly. Cool for 10 minutes.

While cooling, mix up the glaze by combining all the ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over the top of cooled coffeecake. Serve warm.

Makes 12 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Berry Crostata

I’ve seen these types of recipes called crostatas (or crostadas) and galettes and I was wondering which is right.  According to wikipedia, a crostata is a free-form pie Italian in origin while a galette is French in origin and is more like a free form thin pancake with a savory filling.  I guess you can choose which name you like better and since crostata is a free form pie, I’ll go with that.

I didn’t follow a recipe for this crostata.  I had a bunch of berries in my refrigerator that had to be used up and I didn’t really feel like doing anything complicated so I decided to do a crostata, as low in sugar as possible.  It turned out great!

Of course you can use whatever ripe, summer fruits you like but if using berries, when you clean the berries, make sure you dry them off good before putting them in the pie because you don’t want too much juice overflowing the sides of your crostata.

Berry Crostata

1 unbaked pie crust, homemade or store bought
1 pint strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1 pint blueberries, cleaned
1/4 cup Splenda blend or 1/2 cup sugar (more or less depending on how sweet your fruit is)
1 tbsp flour
small amount of milk to brush on sides of crust
small amount of turbinado sugar to sprinkle over crust

Preheat oven to 425º.

Cover a pizza tin with parchment paper and place pie crust on the parchment.

In a bowl, mix the berries, Splenda blend and flour together gently. Pour berry mixture into the middle of the pie crust, leaving a good 1-2 inch edge on the pie crust for folding.

Fold the edges of the pie crust over the berries.

Brush milk on the edges of the crostata and sprinkle turbinado sugar over the milk.

Bake at 425º for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350º and continue baking for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Shrimp and Orzo

Shrimp is on sale in my area almost every week making it cheaper to eat shrimp than chicken sometimes.  As long as it’s on sale, we have it about once a week or so.  Because of that, I have loads of shrimp recipes.

This particular recipe I found on epicurious and found it to be a really nice and different way of making shrimp scampi.  It also meets my easy criteria.

Shrimp and Orzo

3/4 cup orzo
4 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsps olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
1 bunch of green onions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup of dry white wine

Cook orzo to al dente according to package directions.

While orzo is cooking, melt 2 tbsps of the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic to pan and saute for 10 to 15 seconds. Add shrimp and saute for about 2 minutes. Add green onions and continue sauteeing until shrimp are pink and just about cooked through, about 1 minute or so. Add the wine and cook until wine boils, about 1 minute. Mix in remaining 2 tbsps butter and season with salt and pepper.

Drain the orzo and put into a serving dish. Pour shrimp mixture over the top and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Fruity Tossed Salad

In my most recent issue of Simple & Delicious magazine there were several recipes that I wanted to try and I chose this one to try first.  I served it with salmon and asparagus and we loved it.  I’ve always been a fan of fruit on my salads so this was right up my alley. Poppy seed salad dressing goes really well with fruit and it fabulous in this recipe. I didn’t put down any amounts because I just added whatever amount “felt” right.

Fruity Tossed Salad

4 cups of your favorite salad greens
sliced fresh strawberries
unsweetened pineapple tidbits, well drained
mandarin oranges, well drained
fresh blueberries
chopped pecans, optional
poppy seed salad dressing, your own or purchased

Arrange salad greens among four salad plates. Top greens with fruit and nuts (if using) and drizzle with salad dressing.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Greek-Style Baby Potatoes

By now, everyone knows I LOVE potatoes in all forms.  This recipe is simple and delicious and would go with just about any main dish.  This recipe uses those really, really small potatoes that come in a 1 1/2 or 2 pound mesh bag.  I used the baby yukons but you can use any kind you like.

Greek-Style Baby Potatoes

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes (any kind) cut in half, if very small can leave whole
2 tbsps minced fresh oregano
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Heat the butter and oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add potatoes in a single layer and cook until browned about 5 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and brown the other side.

Turn down the heat and cook until the potatoes are tender.

In a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. When potatoes are tender and cooked through, add the garlic mixture to the pan and continue cooking until heated through.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Almost there….

Well, I am feeling almost human again!  Actually, I am feeling pretty good today.

Thank you all so much for the notes here and via email ~ I really appreciate them!

I hope to be back in the swing of things by Friday ~ see you then!

Happy Cooking!

Grilled Spicy Shrimp

Tomorrow I finally go in for my surgery.  I can’t wait to be rid of this constant pain.  As long as they can do it laproscopically (is that even a word?), I’ll be home in the afternoon.  If not, I’ll be home in a day or two.  I’ll be back here as soon as I can!

These shrimp really are not all that spicy ~ more flavorful than anything.  If you like your food spicy, I would increase the spices.  I did not make the salsa part of this but I will include the recipe for it.

Grilled Spicy Shrimp

Salsa:
3/4 cup of your favorite salsa
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Shrimp:
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, tails removed
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Make a foil tray for the shrimp by cutting a large sheet of non-stick aluminum foil. Fold up the sides and corners to create a pan.

To make the salsa, mix all the salsa ingredients and set aside.

Toss the shrimp with the 1/2 tsp chili powder, butter, and seasoned salt on the foil tray.

Heat grill and place tray on grill over medium heat. Cover grill. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (carefully so as not to put holes in the tray). When shrimp turn pick, they are done.

Serve shrimp with the salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!