Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Photo source: America's Test Kitchen

There is something about cream cheese that automatically

wants me to try a new recipe.  When I found this recipe on

Pinterest, it was calling my name!

You can never go wrong with a recipe that comes from

America's Test Kitchen.

Click here to go to the recipe page of Joyful Baker.

Raspberry Crumble Bars

Photo source:  Taste of Home

"This recipe for raspberry crumble bars features a thick layer of raspberry filling over a tender, baked crust. A crumbly topping, which browns and puffs in the oven, dots the top of the mixture. These bars are quick enough to make on a weeknight and can be adapted to star whatever fruit is in season." Description of recipe by Taste of Home.

These bars look delicious and would be perfect for breakfast.

Click here to go to the recipe page by Taste of Home.

Fried Potatoes And Onions

 

Photo source: Southern Living

"Every Southerner has their own recipe for fried potatoes and onions. It's one passed from cook to cook, learned by watching, not written technique. After all, fried potatoes and onions aren't just a side dish—they're a piece of Southern culinary history, with each family's recipe reflecting their unique combination of seasonings and technique" - Elizabeth Nelson, recipe creator.  Click here to go to the recipe page at Southern Living.

My version of this recipe follows.

Yes, I have my own fried potatoes and onions version of this recipe that is very similar with a few differences.  Please note, I do not measure anything and don't put a strict time on anything.  It is all taste and season as you cook with your preferred seasonings.  Personally, I season with garlic powder and very little salt.  I cook on medium heat, adjust as necessary and don't leave it unattended.

1.  Cut potatoes in bite sized pieces and cook them with a little butter in the microwave for about 6 or 7 minutes.  I don't always peel the potatoes, but sometimes I do.

2. While potatoes are cooking, peel and slice onion.  

3. A twist to my recipe . . . slice mushrooms, whatever type you like.  Leave it out if you don't like them.  Sometimes I add green pepper or poblano pepper to make it extra special.

4. Sauté and caramelize the onions and mushrooms in butter.

5.  After potatoes have cooked until almost tender in the microwave, add to the caramelizing onions and mushrooms.  Add more butter if necessary.

6.  Sauté on medium heat until the potatoes are browned and crispy.  I can't really say how long this takes.  Stir often and nurture it, you don't want it to burn.  Don't walk away from it either.

I hope that made sense!  This has been the method I've used since I was a teenager.  Potatoes are one of my favorite foods.

Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits

 

Photo source: Taste of Home

"In the South, everyone loves three things: bacon, cheese and grits! After playing around with this recipe, I took it to my first family party as a newlywed, and it was a huge hit. This recipe has become a family tradition that I'm sure will be passed down for generations" - comment from Melissa Rogers, the recipe creator.

This southern girl loves grits!  I've mentioned in another grits recipe that I love them so much I make a pot of them, add cheese and butter and that is my meal.  This recipe is on my list of new recipes to try.

Click here to go to the recipe page from Taste of Home.

Pecan Pie Coffee Cake

 

Photo source:  Bake or Break

"If you love pecan pie but don’t always want to fuss with a traditional pie crust, this pecan pie coffee cake is the answer. It’s part cozy coffee cake, part gooey pecan pie, and completely irresistible. A fluffy buttermilk cake base bakes up light and soft, then gets topped with a rich, pecan-filled mixture that soaks into the cake for layers of flavor and texture in every bite" - description of recipe from Bake or Break.

Click here to go to the recipe page.

Foods You Didn't Know You Could Cook in an Air Fryer

 

Photo source: Martha Stewart

Some of the foods surprised me and some I already knew about.  My air fryer is large enough to fit some Corning ware.  Individual silicone cupcake liners are for more than just cupcakes.  My stove is rarely turned on anymore since I have tried to find ways to bake most of what I want within reason.  I still haven't mastered baking a frozen pizza in there.

The article is from Martha Stewart.com.  Click here to go to the article and be amazed at all you can cook in your air fryer.

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Smothered Chicken

 

Photo Source: Maria's Mixing Bowl

"We love Texas Roadhouse; it has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants. However, it can be pricey, so we decided to make some copycats of our favorites" - comment from Maria.

That chicken dish looks delicious, just missing some mashed potatoes.

This recipe comes from Maria's Mixing Bowl.  Click here to go to the recipe page.

Leftovers That Spoil Faster Than You Think

 

"Leftovers are a normal part of cooking, but that’s especially true during the holidays when refrigerators are packed with half-finished casseroles, carved turkey, and your favorite starch-filled sides. And while many dishes stay safe for up to a week in the fridge, some leftovers do not have the long shelf life we tend to assume" comment about food safety and leftovers from Real Simple.

Click here to go to the informative article and find out which leftovers do not have a long shelf life. 
 

More article links:

Here's How Long Your Leftover Turkey Will Last in the Refrigerator and Freezer

How Long Common Leftovers Last in the Fridge, from Chicken to Pizza

White Chocolate Bark

 

Photo source: Taste of Home

"White chocolate bark is a home run for holiday season gifting. The combination of dried cranberries and walnuts is wonderful, but you could easily customize your bark with any other additions you like" - description of the recipe from Taste of Home.

Gotta love those versatile recipes you can customize and make  your own creation.

Click here to go to the recipe.

How to Quickly and Safely Bring Butter to Room Temperature - And Only Way to Store Butter

 

"If you've ever decided to bake a batch of cookies at the last minute, you know that bringing a stick or two of butter to room temperature safely and quickly is important—but it's also tricky business" comment from editors at Martha Stewart.com.  

Click here to find out how to bring butter to room temperature the quick and safe way according to a representative of Land O'Lakes Butter.

"I realized, for all my butter love, I had no idea how long it could be left unrefrigerated. So I conferred with a culinary content specialist at Land O’ Lakes, Tonja Engen, to get some answers" - comment from Stella Totino of Simply Recipes.

Stella Totino

Stella is a former pastry chef turned food writer with years of experience testing and researching all things food. She is invested in discovering fun new flavors and the tools that help to create them.

Click here to find out the only way you should store butter according to Land O'Lakes. 

Secret To Silky Smooth Melted Chocolate

 

Photo source: Simply Recipes

The recipe comes from Simply Recipes and they have this comment about melting chocolate - "The number one mistake people make when melting chocolate is giving it too much heat. Too much heat can cause chocolate to burn, and when that happens, there’s no turning back."

Click here to go to the recipe page and find out what the secret is to successfully melting chocolate according to French pastry chef and master chocolatier Jacques Torres.

How to Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough

 

Photo source: Better Homes and Gardens

"Frozen cookies, baked or unbaked, save the day when you don’t have time to bake a batch or when you want to get a head start on the holiday baking season" - description of the article from Better Homes and Gardens.

This is an excellent article that goes into every aspect of preparing for the baking season.

Click here to go to the article.

The Captain is still with us in spirit
and I honor his place in my life.

Gina's Crispy Cornmeal Fried Shrimp

Originally posted August 2011

My favorite meal . . . love it with a baked potato, corn, hush puppies and of course, lots of tartar sauce.

The way I make my fried shrimp, which I also use to pan fry fish and chicken fingers.  There is something about the corn meal that gives it that perfect texture and the Cajun seasoning (I use red cayenne pepper) gives it just enough spice.  

The other thing I do is use a generous amount of dill (sorry, I don't measure) in the flour mixture and a little garlic salt.  I love using dill when cooking seafood!  

I have a few variations.  When I'm in a real hurry, I don't even dip it in egg first . . . it still works well.  Sometimes I marinate the shrimp or fish in a little olive oil, lemon and dill for around 15 minutes instead of using the egg dip.  It gives a different dimension of flavor that is delicious and goes well with tartar sauce.

It is very important when cooking shrimp . . . do not overcook!  I have found that a total of 3 to 4 minutes is enough.  Quick and easy :)

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning.

Dip 1 pound raw peeled and deveined medium or large shrimp in 2 beaten eggs, then coat in the cornmeal mixture.

In a skillet, cook the shrimp in ½ inch of oil until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Serve with tartar sauce.

Gina's Cuban Style Fried Rice

Originally posted August 2011

Although I shared many of my recipes when I first started this blog, I don't do it often enough.  One of the reasons is my method of cooking is difficult to explain for someone else to duplicate.  Best way I can describe it . . . I just throw stuff together and don't measure anything.  

Then there is the problem of taking good photos of the process!  Truth is . . . it is not a pretty process when either The Captain or I cook, although it is a much neater process when we work together, as we often do.  With that said . . . I'm going to make an effort to start taking photos when we cook and share more of our own recipes or variations of recipes that I post.

Anyway . . . here is how I make what I call Cuban Fried Rice.

It is rarely the same every time since it depends on what I have in the fridge, so use my method as a starting point and use what you like or have in the fridge.

Almost everything in this meal were leftovers.  We had a thick cut pork chop and some of a wild rice mix left over from the night before.  

I hate throwing food away and try to use it for another meal.

Saute two diced onions and minced garlic with a little olive oil . . . seasoned with cumin and cayenne pepper.  (If I have them on hand, I always add whatever type of peppers I have.  I use one or two depending on what I have.)

I didn't have quite enough meat from the left over pork chop, so I put in a frozen chicken breast in with the onion and garlic in the pan.  

When the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the onions caramelized, cut into bite sized pieces and add the pork chop cut into thin strips. Let them cook a bit (15-20 minutes) so the flavors blend.

Add the rice and a can of peas to the pan and stir well to blend all the ingredients together.  Turn the heat down to low, put a lid on the pan and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

I'm not in a hurry when I cook.  Each step blends the flavors together . . . taste as you go along!  The first step, caramelizing the onions and garlic with the seasonings, is the most important step since it is the flavor base of your meal.  Latinos call this a "sofrito."  

Usually I will turn the heat down and walk away from it between adding ingredients.  An important point to mention is that I strictly use stainless steel cookware which holds the heat well and will not burn your food if you don't cook on really high heat.  Sometimes I even turn the burner off for the last step as long as I keep the lid on the pan.  

I bought my set of cookware back when I was in high school!  A good set of cookware is an awesome investment since they will last forever. 

This is the style of cooking I learned from my Nana and it really does make cooking a meal a joyous thing . . . or maybe I was just a born foodie and naturally enjoy it!

I have so many variations for my "fried rice" . . . it is awesome with shrimp or fish too.  The vegetable and rice variations are endless!  It is fun to experiment with cooking :)

Hope my instructions made sense!  Feel free to ask questions through comments.

Organized grocery shopping tips to help you save time and money on groceries

The following article was posted in one of the foodie groups I belonged to a while back. There was a time when I was Suzy Homemaker and an organized grocery shopper . . . my former routine is listed in the last paragraph . . . the master shopping list.

The master shopping list was kept in my word processor, a copy of the list was kept on the refrigerator so we could highlight an item that needed to be purchased. It was a routine thing and we never came home from the store without everything that was needed.

When I'd find a new recipe to try or if either of us got a craving for a recipe, I would pull a copy of it, mark the master shopping list of needed items and place the printed recipe behind the list on the refrigerator. The effort was made to look through my massive recipe collection so food boredom would not set in and I always tried to vary the menu, planning for the use of leftovers for another meal. Keeping the recipes with the master shopping list just made meal planning easy for me.

If you would like to try my organizing idea, I found it easier to use those refrigerator magnets that have a clip on the end . . . they usually have a stronger magnet making it possible to hold more items without sliding down.

Here is the article . . .

Save Time Grocery Shopping by Crystal Dupay

(the article is no longer published, but here is the content)

Many hours of our week are spent grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning the house. By the time we finish our myriad other responsibilities and try to squeeze in some quality family time, we don't have much opportunity to research the sale ads, travel to several different grocery stores to find the best deal, cook from scratch or make homemade clothing and gifts to save us money. We know that all of these things will help us keep more of our money and contributes to our quality of life but how do we fit it into our already hectic schedules? Budgeting our time and condensing several tasks into one can help tremendously. Saving time can add up to financial savings in a big way.

Becoming organized can cut down on time and money spent in the grocery store!

We all know how frequent trips to the grocery store can separate us from our precious pennies when we scoop up the many impulse items strategically placed by savvy store managers and marketing experts. We also know the virtues of shopping from a list and never buying anything that doesn't appear there, but how many of us can be that disciplined all of the time? I have found the best plan is to keep myself out of the store as much as possible. This means that I must be organized enough to remember everything that I need on the first trip to the store. Below you will find some tips to help you curb your time spent in the grocery store and in turn, help you keep those hard-earned dollars where they belong…in your pocket.

Make a master list of all the things that you absolutely must have on hand at all times. This means anything that you would make a special trip to the store to purchase if you no longer had it in the house. This list usually includes things like diapers, formula, milk, bread, dishwashing detergent and, for many of us, coffee! You'll need to add your own personal family favorites as well. Once the list is finished, purchase two of every item on the list. When you begin to use the first of your two items put that item on your grocery list for you next shopping trip. Which brings me to the next tip…

Create a continuous grocery list. Keep this list in an accessible place and have all of the members of your family use it. Whoever uses the last bit of any item is responsible for writing that item on the list. You may find that for the sake of convenience you will need more than one list. I have a list in the kitchen and also one upstairs inside my linen closet door to record when I am out of such things as toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. A dry-eraser board is good for these types of lists and cuts down on paper usage.

Keep a freezer inventory. Especially if you stock up on items while they are on sale. Different things begin to look very much the same after they have been in the freezer for awhile. If you don't keep a running list of what is inside your freezer and mark it down when a portion is used, you may find yourself with far too much of one item. It is a sad shame to find a great deal on ground sirloin, for example, only to have to throw it away because it became freezer burned before you actually needed to use it.

There should be a place for everything and everything should be in it's place. Be sure to always store your grocery items in the same place in your freezer, pantry, cabinets, or drawers. I've forgotten this rule several times and have run out to buy more toilet paper in bulk quantities only to find that I already had a huge box of it underneath several other items that I've carelessly thrown on top of it. Here again, organization is the key to saving time, effort, and money.

Make a "super shopping list". This is more like an outline, really and it is divided into the departments of a grocery store such as dairy, produce, household items, etc.. I shop at the same store every time I grocery shop so I have my list set up according to the layout of this particular store. I have the master copy of this list saved in my word processor and I print out several whenever I need them. Even if you shop at several different stores, a list like this will still be very helpful. Using this list saves so much time and helps keep me focused on the items I came to buy instead of the fun little kitchen gadgets that are sitting in the center of the aisles.

Here are other links . . .

How do I save money on groceries when costs keep increasing

Links from Mommy Savers.com and more information

How to Craft and Send the Perfect Holiday Cookie Tin

 

"While homemade cookie tins offer plenty of opportunity to be creative, the pros say following a few key principles can help ensure your precious cargo arrives safely to its final destination. In this article you'll find everything you need to know about putting together and mailing cookie tins, according to baking experts" . . . description of article from All Recipes.

Throughout this blog I have written about the success and gratification it gave me to have those little homemade gifts available during the holiday season to give to the host of a party you are going to or having a gift for someone who happens to visit you, for example.  Now I bring an article to show you how to do it.  Be creative in your packaging as you may not want to use a cookie tin. I will provide links to other articles as I find them.

Click here to go to the article that will show you how to do it.

Peanut Caramel Brownie Bites

 

Photo source: Taste of Home

These brownie bites have a triple whammy of deliciousness with those three layers.  

The recipe comes from Taste of Home.  Click here to go to the recipe page.

Better Than Anything Toffee

 

Photo source: Mom on Timeout

"The best toffee recipe EVER!  Sweet milk chocolate, crunchy pecans, and rich, buttery toffee – what’s not to love? This Better Than Anything Toffee is easy to make and makes the perfect treat OR gift year-round!" . . . description from Trish of Mom on Timeout.

Great for gift giving . . . who doesn't like toffee?

Click here to go to the recipe.

Wendy's Copycat Chili

 

Photo source:  Taste of Home

"Next time a craving for Wendy’s chili strikes, forget about a trip to the drive-thru and head to your kitchen instead. This copycat Wendy’s chili recipe creates a hearty, homemade version that’s not too spicy and just as delicious as the real deal" . . . recipe description from Taste of Home.

There was a time Wendy's had a salad bar that included the chili and other items.  For the longest time I would get a baked potato and top it with chili.  Not sure how the chili is now since I haven't been in a while, but it used to be excellent.  Hoping this recipe is the same.

Click here to go to the recipe.

Buckeyes

 

Photo source:  Mom on Timeout

This recipe comes from Trish at Mom on Timeout who says this about the recipe: "Buckeyes are the perfect no bake candy to make for the holidays! With a creamy peanut butter center and a sweet chocolate exterior, this easy buckeye recipe is a crowd favorite! Bonus – only a handful of ingredients are needed!"

I've never had a Buckeyes candy, but if it is anything like a Reese's  Peanut Butter Cup, I would love to make this and the other chocolate/peanut butter recipes I've posted.  

Click here to go the recipe.