Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

My girls adore strawberries and Michael and I have always liked strawberry shortcake.  So I started browsing more ways to improve our favorite recipe.  This recipe from Cooking Light is amazing.  The whole family agrees best strawberry shortcake recipe ever!  It's spring and the farmers markets will soon to laden with fresh sweet ripe berries, the perfect time to try out this recipe.  And since it's Memorial Day weekend what a great sweet treat to have after some good old American BBQ :-)

Recipe Modifications

• We whip our own topping.  1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Whip until thick fluffy whipped topping consistency
• I didn't have enough strawberries so I halved the strawberry portion of the recipe
• I never keep buttermilk, no worries make it using 1 cup lowfat milk to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups halved strawberries, divided

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

Cooking spray

6 tablespoons frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

Whole strawberries (optional)

Recipe

This recipe comes from my favorite source Cooking Light. Not diet food, but food that is conscious of health without losing any flavor. Food for life! 

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Mexican Lasagna

I was browsing the weelicious site and saw a recipe for mexican lasagna, how intriguing.  We love spicy food, love cheese and love lasagna.  This recipe was amazing!  I would of never thought to create something like this.  All the flavors work so well together and the tortillas transform when they are baked to actually hold it all together.    

Recipe Modifications

• used 7 corn tortillas instead of 6
• used medium spiced salsa
• used sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese, topped with extra 1/4 cup
• used more chicken maybe around 1.5 pounds
• didn't add scallions
• topped with sour cream, olives and hot sauce

Ingredients

Cooking Oil Spray

6 Corn Tortillas, cut into quarters

1 Large Egg

1/4 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Mild Chunky Salsa

1 lb Chicken Breast, cooked and shredded

4 oz Cream Cheese, half inch cubed

2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped

3 Scallions, chopped

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

2 Cups Mexican Cheese Blend (or a blend of Monterey Jack and Mild Cheddar), divided

Recipe

This recipe comes from weelicious

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Banana Oatmeal Bugs and Muffins

It is a great experience having young imaginative children.  Cadence has such a delightful sense of humor and makes us laugh all the time.  So when we ran across a bug pan at Costco and she thought it was so funny to have buggy food I had to get it.  I feel like a child again when she draws me into her little world.  These buggy cakes and muffins were both delish and a fun adventure.  Try the recipe it's healthy and super yummy and if you want some adventure make it buggy ;-)

Recipe Modifications

• Used 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of white sugar
• Added 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas

Recipe

This recipe comes allrecipes

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

I will admit it, I'm not usually a huge fan of rhubarb.  I made this recipe for Michael who adores strawberry rhubarb pie.  The girls and I tried the strawberries and they were sweet but not as super sweet as farmer's market peak of season berries.  The rhubarb tasted woody and tart.  So I decided to put a little bit of extra sugar in to compensate.  And the end result was so good, I am now a huge strawberry rhubarb fan and might even try to bake a pie!  I would highly recommend this easy and yummy crumble.  It also keeps well so if there is any left you'll enjoy later that night or the next day.  Serve warm from the oven and top with ice-cream!

Recipe Modifications

• Added 1/2 cup of brown sugar to compensate for tart rhubarb and not peak of season berries
• Added 2.5 cups of berries

Ingredients

Topping:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Tsp Lemon Zest

1/2 Cup Chilled Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes

Filling:

1 Cup Rhubarb, chopped

2 Cups Strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

Recipe

This recipe comes from weelicious.

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Turkey Burgers with Spinach and Feta

I had some left over hamburger buns to use up and if you know my family you know we hate to be wasteful.  So I decided to try my hand at making some turkey burgers.  It was raining out so we decided to pan fry them and they were a bit sticky anyway so I think that's the best method for this recipe.  They turned out amazing!  The next time I make them I think I'll add some hot sauce to kick them up a notch more, we like spicy foods.  Of course we served with french fries and topped with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and a touch of mayo.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of chopped onion

4 garlic cloves

2 cups fresh baby spinach

19-20 ounce package of ground turkey, not the super light kind you want a little fat

1/4 cup pasteurized eggs or 1 eggs beaten

4 ounces feta 

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste - optional

hamburger buns

burger toppings (lettuce, tomato, pickle) and condiments (mayo)

Recipe

1. Cook onion and garlic over medium heat until onion is slightly caramelized (slightly browned), around 4 minutes
2. Add spinach and cook until wilted, around 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat
3. Combine turkey, eggs, feta, worcestershire, pepper and hot sauce (optional).  Add onion mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Form meat mixture into patties and place in pan.  The patties should not be too think and only the width of a burger bun.  
5. Do not turn until they are nicely browned, 4 or 5 minutes depending on temperature.  You will notice the patties shrink and edges appear cooked.  Then allow the other side to cook until browned.  You can turn once more for a few minutes to ensure they thoroughly cooked.  If you wait let them brown before flipping they will have amazing flavor and actually be more moist.   
6. Place on buns and top with your favorite toppings

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Frittata

Michael and I have both been eyeing the frittata pan at Williams Sonoma for some time.  Recently it occurred to me that neither of us has ever had a frittata so I decided to make one and try it out before investing in the special pan.  The experiment was a total success.  We both love frittata, Cadence liked it and Rylee was a frittata monster.  I even found out that my le creuset cast iron skillet pan makes them great so I don't need a special pan.  You do need a pan that is oven safe for this recipe.  Allot of people have cast iron pans and that will work nicely.  I looked up several recipes online and came up with one of my own.  I bought a 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers and will use the other half to make chicken ala king later this week.  We served with fresh bananas and toasted rosemary sea salt bread for a nice brunch.  Frittatas are like a big fluffy oven omelet.  You can use what you have on hand and they will most likely come out super yummy! 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

chicken andouille sausage - 1 small package (15/16 oz) chopped

8 ounces chopped roasted red peppers

3-4 garlic cloves minced

4-6 eggs

1 cup pasteurized egg product, such as kirklands from Costco

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 

1-2 teaspoons hot sauce such as cholula or red hot

1 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

ground pepper to taste

Recipe
Note: You will need an oven proof pan for this recipe.  We used a 12 inch, this will also work for a 10 inch pan.  You will need to add more eggs for a larger pan.  

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Whisk eggs, egg product, cheese, hot sauce, parsley and pepper in a bowl.
3. Cook sausage in olive oil on stovetop over medium heat until lightly browned.
4. Add peppers and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Turn heat to low and add egg mixture.  Be sure to spread egg mixture evenly around the pan and make sure the sausage mixture is even too.  Cook until bottom is firm but top is still runny, 7-9 minutes.
6. Place pan in oven to finish cooking.  Will be done with eggs are set and top is lightly golden brown, 6-8 minutes.
7. Take out of oven and loosen sides and bottom before sliding to a serving platter.  Cut and serve!

This recipe was mostly inspired by Click Here for Recipe

Cedar Plank Salmon

This has to be one of my absolute favorite summer time meals.  There's just something about that smokey scent while grilling that makes the anticipation of eating almost as good as the meal itself.  We have been cooking this for years and I never get tired of it.  My foodie girls also love anything spicy and salmon so they'll easily eat an 8 oz portion each!  We like to serve this with brown rice, a few simply prepared veggies and a nice salad.  Should of added a nice bright corn or squash but yesterday was a beautiful sun shiny day and I feeling the green vibe :-)

Ingredients

• Large Salmon half with skin on (we like the wild caught ones from Costco), large piece that fits the plank works better than individual fillets
• Potlatch Rub (we prefer the rub from William Sonoma)
• Cedar Plank soaked overnight or at least 8 hours, Costco has these too
• Squirt bottle filled with fresh water

Recipe

1. Generously sprinkle the rub over the salmon 1 - 3 hours before grilling
2. Heat grill up on medium heat.
3. Place Salmon on soaked cedar plank.  Place in grill and turn to low heat.
4. Time to grill will depend on thickness and size of salmon.  Ours usually take around 20 minutes.  Be sure to check the salmon often and squirt any flames.  Cedar planks like to catch even when you soak them.  You can tell the salmon is done when you see white frothy/bubbles start to rise to the top.  Be sure to check it when you pull off the grill and make sure it's cooked all the way.  It's plank cooked so it will be pinker than if baked.  Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

We love to use up those leftovers and often find ourselves with extra turkey or chicken.  One of our favorite ways to use up some of the leftover white or dark meat is chicken pot pie.  Its a classic, makes the whole house smell yummy and everyone eats it.  It's also a great way to use up those extra veggies you pick up at farmers stands in the summer.  I have made this so often that I don't use a recipe but did my best at creating one so others can enjoy this easy meal.  We like to try to lighten up our dishes so we stay healthy and have room for the the baked goods and desserts we all like so much!  That being said I only use a crust on the top, where it crisps up and has the most flavor.  

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil or butter

4-6 cloves garlic

1 small onion
8 ounce package of mushrooms sliced (variety your choice)

4-5 medium parsnips

4-5 medium carrots

3 small red potatoes

6 stalks celery

1 refrigerated prepared pie crust

4 cups chicken broth or stock (I prefer stock)

2/3 cup flour

parsley, sage, salt and pepper 

Recipe

1. Pull out pie crust.  These usually need a few minutes at room temp before you use them.
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Chop veggies, dice potatoes, mince garlic
4. Heat oil or butter in large skillet.  Add garlic and onions and cook for two minutes.
5. Add mushrooms and cook 4 minutes, or until they soften.
6. Add parsnips, carrots, potatoes and celery.  Cook 4 minutes.
7. Whisk flour and 1 cup of stock.  Add this to pan along with remaining stock.  Heat until the sauce thickens.  Whisk in more flour if necessary but you shouldn't need to.  
8. Add spices to taste.  Around 2 tsp parsly, 1 tsp sage, dash or two salt and 2 tsp pepper for us.
9. Pour mixture into deep pie pan and top with prepared pie crust.  Cut slits in top to vent steam.  Bake for about an hour.  Let sit 10 - 15 minutes before serving

Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes

My mom spent most of the week with us so we got to celebrate a little bit of Mother's Day each day.  One cake she really likes is cheesecake and I ran across this recipe that is super yummy, pretty and actually very light on the calories for a dessert so no guilt!  Everyone who tried it liked it and I have to say my girls loved it.  We ate the first batch still warm and the second batch chilled.  If you're looking for an easy recipe to wow your mom this weekend try this out  

Recipe Modifications

• Used 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• Used graham crackers and honey in the recipe
• Made homemade whipped cream.  Whip with mixer until light and fluffy and a little bit denser.  1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tbsp confectioners or powered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla.  Refrigerate any leftovers or whipped cream if you make it early.  This will keep for a few days.

Ingredients

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened (I softened mine on a plate for 20 seconds in the microwave)

1 15 oz Can Pumpkin Puree

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp Nutmeg

1/2 Cup Agave or Honey

Accompaniments: Crushed Gingersnap Cookies or Graham Crackers, whipped cream or ice cream

Recipe

This recipe comes from weelicious 

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