Category: Food

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Salad In a Jar

This week–just for the heck of it, we made salads in a jar. I thought it was one of the most clever things I’d found on Pinterest. Makes it a fabulous, healthy thing to grab and go–which of course is always good.

We began with clean wide-mouth quart mason jars.

 

Next we cut up Romaine lettuce and baby spinach…

 

then added shredded carrots…

and chopped celery.

Then we simply started packing it in the jars…

and topped them with a handful of sweet little grape tomatoes.

 

Next we just put on the lids and bands and TA-DAAAA!

Beautiful, crunchy salad in a jar, just waiting for you to add dressing and shake it up. Or you could be civilized and pour it into a bowl and then add the dressing.

Either way. These little pretties will keep for about 5 days–and save you from the hassle of making a new salad each day.

Imagine how clever you’re going to feel.

You can thank me later.

:}

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Andes Candy Cane Cookies

As you may know we’re pretty wild about Peppermint around here. So to bump into a cookie recipe that’s just chewy enough on the inside and crispy enough around the edges AND satisfies that Peppermint “thing” we have going on too…

well…let me just say, they didn’t last long!

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1-1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3 cups flour–I used whole wheat

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup Andes Creme de Menthe Chips

5 candy canes coarsely crushed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next you’ll want to crush the candy canes. We used the Pampered Chef Chopper to make it easier.

In bowl of mixer add butter and sugars and beat until fluffy–about 3 minutes scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs and blend on low until well mixed. In a separate bowl add flour, spice, baking powder and soda. Stir to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until well blended. Add mint chips.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough in tablespoon sized balls. Dip the top in crushed candy canes…

and place candy-side-up on cookie sheet.

Bake about 13 minutes. Slide cookies and parchment off pan and allow to cool before removing from paper.


Isn’t the Pumpkin Pie Spice an interesting surprise? I thought so, but it gave this yummy thing just the right…something. Let me warn you though–two different fellows walked out of here with a stack of these this evening, because one was just not enough–that’s how good they are.

I hope you love them too.

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5.0 from 1 reviews
Andes Candy Cane Cookies
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1-1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 cups flour--I used whole wheat
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ⅔ cup Andes Mint Chips
  • 5 candy canes coarsely crushed
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In bowl of mixer add butter and sugars and beat until fluffy--about 3 minutes scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs and blend on low until well mixed.
  3. In a separate bowl add flour, spice, baking powder and soda.
  4. Stir to combine.
  5. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until well blended.
  6. Add mint chips.
  7. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  8. Roll dough in tablespoon sized balls.
  9. Dip the top in crushed candy canes and place candy-side-up on cookie sheet.
  10. Bake about 13 minutes.
  11. Slide cookies and parchment off pan and allow to cool before removing from paper.

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Parmesan Potatoes

Remember a few weeks ago when we decided that I needed to try alllll the recipes I was craving–rather than just picking one? Well, we did the first recipe last week, so it’s only fair that we make the next one–Parmesan Potatoes this very day. My oh my–they were good! Cheesy, buttery, crunchy on the edges and soft and lovely on the inside. Beat that if you can.

 

I started with pretty little red potatoes because from what I’ve read–they are much, MUCH better for you than the other kind. Plus, they are smoother textured and faster cooking as well.

Wash and dry your potatoes, then slice them in half.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Now melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large baking dish. Next, you’ll sprinkle in your favorite seasoning–like garlic salt, seasoning salt, or even just salt and pepper. It’s up to you. I love lots of flavor so I used this Organic No-Salt Seasoning mix–from Costco. Just shake it generously over the melted butter.

Next, you’ll shake Parmesan Cheese VERY generously over the butter seasoning mixture. When we make these again, I will use twice as much Parmesan as you see here. It look like plenty of cheese, but once it cooked–I wanted more. Next time…next time…

Place the potatoes face down in the cheesey butter…

   

and bake for about 40 minutes. Allow the potatoes to cool for about 10 or 15 minutes.

When you flip them over, they will be all buttery and cheesey and you’ll have to fight your wolf-like instincts to just gobble them all up.

Do wait long enough to serve with seasoned sour cream, Ranch dressing, Barbecue sauce or Fry Sauce.

Of course, you could go wild and eat them plain.

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5.0 from 1 reviews
Parmesan Potatoes
 
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Ingredients
  • 10-15 red potatoes--washed
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1-2 Tbsps Seasoning Salt
  • ½ to ¾ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Slice potatoes.
  2. Melt butter in baking pan.
  3. Sprinkle seasoning and cheese over butter.
  4. Place potatoes face down in butter mixture.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
  7. Serve with sour cream or your favorite dipping sauce.

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The Scent of Waffles…

We arrived at our last Farmer’s Market just as the sun was going down. But we had a goal and could not be deterred.

In fact, when Miss Chompy first got out of the car she took a whiff–

and a big, long sniff, and said,

“I can SMELL them!!

We need to go get Waffles...now!“

Okey-dokey Miss Chompy. Anything you say.

Ahhh…such wisdom from the mouth of babes.

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Two Ingredient Lemon Angel Cake

Since quite a few people voted that I make all three recipes in the poll–and since I secretly wanted to make them all ANYway, I started with the Two Ingredient Lemon Angel Cake.

Now, you may recall that when I found this yummy thing on Pinterest, the recipe was actually called Two Ingredient Lemon Bars, but I saw fit to…change the name a bit. I’ll explain in a minute.

The instructions are sweet and simple. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open a 15 oz. can of Lemon Pie Filling and stir it together with an Angel Food Cake mix. Just whisk together until the cake mix is completely incorporated into the pie filling.

Spread gently into an ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes–edges will be slightly browned.

Cool completely and slice. This was a lovely light and fluffy dessert, very, very much like lemon angel food cake. In fact, it was sturdy and spongy enough that we could eat it with our fingers.

That’s why I didn’t call it a Lemon Bar–because it didn’t behave like one. Still very good and so dang simple to make. It could be one of those panicky little recipes that you throw together when you find out a half hour before you have to be somewhere that you were suppose to bring a dessert. 

On a side note, since the cake was very delicate in flavor, and I’m a bit of an extremist–I made the Lemon Bread Glaze and drizzled it over the top of some of the bars for an extra zing.

Then, I promptly ate them all.

No.

Really.


3.7 from 6 reviews
Two Ingredient Lemon Angel Cake
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 Boxed Angel Food Cake mix
  • 1 -15 oz can Lemon Pie Filling
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Open a 15 oz can of Lemon Pie Filling and stir it together with an Angel Food Cake mix.
  3. Just mix together until the cake mix is completely incorporated into the pie filling.
  4. Spread gently into an ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes--edges will be slightly browned.
  6. Cool completely, slice and serve.