Pasta Salad

Summer is officially here! My daughter finished up her last day of preschool yesterday and we are excited to enjoy the summer before she heads off to Kindergarten! It's time to start enjoying all of the wonderful foods that go along with summertime. Pasta salad is one of my favorite things. I enjoy eating it as a side, or even as a meal. Last night we had this for dinner, along with some garlic bread, and I plan to eat the left overs for lunch. It's so easy to make, and a great way to get your husband and kids to eat their veggies!

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb box of  pasta. (I used Barilla mini penne pasta)

1- 6 oz can medium olives- sliced

1-6.5 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts- diced

1 yellow pepper chopped

1 red pepper chopped

1 broccoli crown chopped

1/4 red onion chopped

1 cup mini or chopped pepperoni

1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

 Italian dressing to taste (I like to use the Olive Garden Italian dressing. I found it at Walmart)

Directions:

In a large pot of water cook pasta according to box directions. While the pasta is cooking chop up your vegetables, and pepperoni. Combine cooked pasta and remaining ingredients. Top it off with your favorite Italian dressing. I preferre my pasta salad after it has been able to chill for a little while, but it is good warm as well.

Green Salsa

Last night we went out to eat Mexican food at one of my dad's favorite restaurants growing up. Mattas! I haven't been there in years. Generally we hit up Mi Amigos or Tia Rosas but this was a good change. It got me in a salsa mood, so last night my husband made up this delicious green salsa. If you have ever eaten at Tia Rosas before than you are familiar with how dang good this salsa is. I could drink it! My dad started making it a few years ago, and gave the recipe to me. He is the green salsa master, but I think we are starting to catch up!

 Green Salsa

Ingredients:

10 tomatillos husked

1 small onion (I used a yellow one. White is good too)

2 garlic cloves

1 small can diced green chilies

1 bunch cilantro

2 tsp lime juice

3-4 TBSP brown sugar

2 TSP white sugar

salt to taste

Directions:

 Peel the husks off your totmatillos and wash. Place them in a pot of water .Let boil for about 10 minutes or until the tomatillos begin to soften, change color and burst. Once done put them on your cutting board and cut the core out of the centers. That is the bitter part of the tomatillo. Place them in the blender along with your onion, garlic, and cilantro. Once they are all blended pour it into a saucepan along with the remaining ingredients. Heat until it starts to boil and then remove from heat. Let it cool and taste. You might want to add a little more sugar or brown sugar to make it a little more sweet. I know I did! Beware you might eat the entire sitting! Its kinda addicting! Its great with chips, on tacos, burritos, Nachos etc. I hope you guys enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

A few weeks ago it was my sister in laws birthday. Since I was looking for any excuse to make up some cupcakes I thought these were a perfect opportunity. Everyone needs some cake on their birthday! I gave some of the left overs to my brother and he was absolutely raving about how they are the best cupcake he has ever had and is constantly asking me if I am going to make them again anytime soon. The fun surprise is the baked cookie in the center of the cupcake!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes 

Ingredients:

For the cupcake:

1 box Duncan Hines devil's food cake mix

1- 5.9 oz package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs; slightly beaten

2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup warm water

For the frosting:

3 sticks butter; softened

2 pounds powdered sugar

1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract

4-6 Tbsp heavy cream or milk

Directions:

For the cupcake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 24 liners. 

In a large bowl mix together devil's food cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, slightly beaten eggs, vanilla, and warm water. 

Using a large cookie scoop divide batter between the 24 liners. About 3 Tbsp per cupcake liner.

Measure 1 tsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. (I just used premade cookie dough in a tube from the store) Drop the cookie dough ball into each cupcake liner and be sure to cover completely with the the batter. (I generally fill the cupcake liner with one cookie scoop full of batter, drop my cookie dough ball in, then cover it with one more cookie scoop full of batter)

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack. Prepare your frosting while your cupcakes cool completely.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl cream butter until smooth and creamy. Slowly add in the 2 pounds of powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract. Slowly add heavy cream or milk to the frosting until a desired consistency is achieved. 

Pipe frosting onto cupcake and garnish with mini chocolate chips and a cookie. 

You can bake your own mini cookies or buy already made ones at the store. I went for the easy and uniform shape route and just bought some of the chips ahoy soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies and cut them in half before placing them on top of the frosting. Be sure and garnish the cupcakes quickly because the frosting does harden on the outside pretty quick. Maybe frost and garnish 5 cupcakes at a time.

Recipe from mybakingaddiction.com

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Spring is here which means that fruit is back in season! There is something about a bright red strawberry that makes me light up! This strawberry spinach salad has got to be one of my all time favorites and one I always like to make for showers, dinner parties, or other events. It is so simple to make, fresh, and loaded with so many good things. And did I mention the dressing that goes with it is homemade and so freaking delicious! This salad is always a crowd pleaser and is gone in a matter of minutes. I am always getting asked for the recipe as well. My husband isn't much of a veggi eater, but he requests this salad all the time. Folks, that says something right there. I swear my husband is the pickiest eater out there! Generally when I make this salad I just throw it together with a handful of this, a handful of that but I did give you an exact recipe if you would like to follow that. I hope you guys enjoy this salad as much as we do!

Strawberry Spinach salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

9 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 cups sliced strawberries

1/4 cup sliced purple onion

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup candied almond slivers

1- 15 oz can mandarin oranges

Feta cheese sprinkled on top if desired

Directions:

Put spinach in a large bowl and layer with remaining ingredients. To make the candied almonds put 1/2 cup slivered almonds and 1/4 sugar in a pan over medium low heat. Stir until the sugar begins to melt. Once the almonds are toasted lightly and covered in the melted sugar, remove from heat and let cool on parchment paper. Once cooled add to the salad. 

  

Dressing:

3/4 cup raspberry vinegar

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp grated red onion

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and mix together well. Dressing is best if you let it refrigerate a few hours before serving

Fruit Dip

It's conference weekend and that means I do a lot of munching on things. I have a tendency to fall asleep on the couch while watching movies and shows, so I have to do something to keep myself awake. I thought I would try and keep my munching on a somewhat healthier side this weekend and decided to make up some fruit dip. This is so fast and easy to make and sure is delicious! I know it's best to eat fruit plain, but what can I say I have a major sweet tooth!

Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

1- 8oz block of cream cheese; softened

7 oz container of marshmallow cream

1 tsp maraschino cherry juice

3-4 Tbsp powdered sugar

Directions:

In a medium size bowl mix together cream cheese and marshmallow cream until light and fluffy. Add in maraschino cherry juice and powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Keep chilled until ready to eat. Serve with your favorite fruits.

No-bake Peanut Butter Bars

It seems as though all I have been doing lately is making treats! I can't help myself when I see all of these delicious recipes floating around on the web. I remember my mom making these delicious peanut butter bars back in the day and when I saw them over on iheartnaptime.net and needed a last minute treat for a family function I thought I would give them a whirl. Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand and they took less than 10 minutes to make. They were a hit and definitely something that I will be making again!

No-bake Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter; melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 brown sugar

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup peanut butter + 4 Tbsp

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 (11 oz) bag of milk chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all of the above ingredients minus the chocolate chips and 4 Tbsp of peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and pour peanut butter mixture into your pan and spread out into an even layer. 

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power for 1-2 minutes in 30 second increments stirring in between. Once the chocolate chips are melted stir in 4 Tbsp of peanut butter. Pour chocolate over the peanut butter mixture and spread evenly. To even out the chocolate, tap your pan on the counter gently a few times. 

Refrigerate bars for at least one hour. Pull parchment paper out of pan for easy cutting.

Coconut Cupcakes

Last weekend we went to our annual family Easter egg hunt and brunch. It's such a fun day and the kids always have a blast. Since they don't seem to get enough candy in their eggs and don't already have a sugar high by 10 am (wink wink) I thought I would help out and bring some cupcakes to share with everyone. Hey the adults need to feed their sugar monster too! I am a huge coconut fan, and for some reason I associate coconut with Easter and summer. I had to try out this coconut cupcake recipe from mybakingaddiction.com and with a few changes I think these were some pretty scrumptious cupcakes. I could seriously eat the frosting all by itself!

Coconut cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcake:

1 (18 ounce) box French Vanilla cake mix (I used Duncin Hines)
1 (3.4 ounce) package Jell-o Coconut Cream pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 tsp coconut extract
2/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:

3 sticks of butter; softened 

1 1/2 tsp coconut extract

1/2 cup cream of coconut

2 lbs powdered sugar

4-6 TBSP heavy cream 

toasted coconut for garnishing 

Directions:

For the cupcake: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake tins with 24 liners. In a large bowl mix together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, coconut milk, and coconut extract. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in shredded coconut. 

Fill cupcake liners up 2/3rds full, approx 3 Tbsp. Bake in oven for 18-22 min or until toothpick comes out clean and tops of the cupcakes spring back if gently pressed on. Allow cupcakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Allow cupcakes to completely cool before frosting.   

For the frosting:

In a large bowl beat the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until all 2 lbs have been mixed in. Add in cream of coconut and coconut extract. Slowly add in heavy cream 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcake and garnish with toasted coconut. 

To toast the coconut evenly spread toasted coconut on a cookie sheet and allow to toast in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes. 

Need a cute Easter cupcake? simply add Cadbury chocolate eggs to the top of these coconut cupcakes! So simple, yet so delicious!