Ulu Knife

The Ulu knife one of my favorite kitchen essentials I use quite often.  It works much better than a rolling pizza cutter!  It is much easier than using a regular knife when chopping.

I would suggest y'all check into getting an Ulu knife to try out! :)
I obtained mine from my in-laws when they went on a cruise to Alaska and they got me an Alaskan Ulu knife set. :)  I've been using it ever since.  Even more when my pizza cutters broke, and I realized the Ulu knife did a better job!
The one I have is very similar to this one on the left <---

QUICK & EASY Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

I just threw it all together as I went along.  I knew I wanted to bake a pasta casserole of some kind.  I noticed I had shell pasta & mozzarella cheese on hand...as well as spaghetti sauce and pepperoni.  So this recipe was just born tonight!  I'm sure other people have come up with recipes very similar to this but this is so easy and few ingredients!


Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

2-3 cups dry shell pasta (or any pasta)
1/2 can (large can like Hunt's) spaghetti sauce, any flavor  (you could add more sauce if you want)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (or more cheese if you want)
1/2 block of cream cheese, softened (from an 8oz block, so that'd make it 4 oz cheese)
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped pepperoni  (or you could substitute cooked italian sausage or whatever you like)


Boil pasta until al dente.  While the pasta is boiling, mix the other three ingredients in a 2 quart casserole dish, and preheat oven to 350F.  Drain pasta and mix with the other ingredients in the casserole dish.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

That's it!  So easy and so yummy.  Serve with a nice salad and garlic bread.  :)

"Healthy" Banana Brownies

I had a bunch of bananas that were getting really ripe.  My daughter kept wanting apples instead of bananas, so the apples got used up before the bananas.  I wasn't in the mood for ANOTHER banana bread.  I googled for recipes and this one looked good to me.  


It is good for a "healthy" dessert.  Well, to me, it is.  It's lowfat and has fiber in it, and low calorie.  I had everything on hand for it, as well.  The original recipe asked for 1 cup of flour, which made the batter really watery, so I added another 1/2 cup and it turned out ok.  


If you're looking for a brownie that's not too sweet and not too rich,  moist, springy, and cakey brownie...then this is the recipe for ya!

Banana Brownies

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup boiling water
• 4 egg whites
• 3 medium mashed bananas
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. in a bowl combine oats & water, let stand 5 minutes.
2. beat egg whites, bananas, sugar, oil & vanilla until blended, then add the moistened oats.
3. combine dry ingredients, slowly add to wet mixture.
4. spread into 13x9 inch pan (sprayed with cooking spray).
5. bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
6. cool, cut into bars.

My 21 month old daughter LOVES 'em!  She had one little piece and kept wanting more and more. :)  Much better than giving her Oreos and other junk food! :)

Amazingly LAZY Cinnamon Rolls

Amazingly LAZY Cinnamon Rolls

Sorry, I didn't snap a picture before it was all eaten up. :-p  It was that GOOD!  And soooo easy to make!

Yesterday afternoon, I put a few frozen rolls to rise in a round cake pan, expecting to use 'em for dinner.  We ended up having chicken tacos for dinner, so I put 'em in the fridge to finish rising overnight.  This morning, I dressed 'em up with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon and simply baked 'em.  Made a little glaze with the leftover melted butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.

This is pretty much a "non-recipe" where I didn't really measure anything.

I used:

6 frozen rolls (I used Rhodes brand but I'm sure any brand will be fine)

1/2 stick butter, melted

sugar

cinnamon

powdered sugar (about 1/3 cup)

Let the frozen rolls rise according to directions on the bag.  

When ready to bake, preheat oven according to the directions (I preheated mine to 350F).  While oven is preheating, melt the butter.  Brush butter liberally over the rolls.  Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the rolls to taste.  I sprinkled a lot of sugar and cinnamon and it turned out so yummy.  Bake according to directions (I baked mine for 20 minutes).

While the rolls are baking, mix powdered sugar with a few teaspoons of the leftover melted butter (keep adding a teaspoon until you get the desired consistency).  Add cinnamon (about a teaspoon or so) to the powdered sugar mixture.  Spread on hot rolls when they come out of the oven.

YUMMY.  

I'm sure you could feed a crowd if you used a 9x13 pan and several rolls to fit in that pan.  Less work too!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

There was a deaf camp here in town, and to get a free dinner (rather than pay $6 each for me and my husband), we had to bring a dish each. I had a few very ripe bananas that I needed to use up, so I googled recipes for a banana cake recipe. I found this recipe at http://www.recipezaar.com/Best-Ever-Banana-Cake-With-Cream-Cheese-Frosting-67256 and decided to try it out. I used my own frosting recipe instead of the one with the cake recipe, because the original recipe called for too much powdered sugar, which I find too sweet.

It was so easy compared with the other recipes I've tried, even though it took a little longer. It turned out really good. A few people actually asked who made the cake, so it was THAT good.

If you don't want to click on the link above, here's the original recipe below. I've also added my own recipe for my cream cheese frosting, because the original frosting recipe is too sweet for my tastes.

NOTE: The reviews and the author's comment on the recipe stated that for some people, it took an hour 10 min to an hour 30 minutes to bake this cake. For my oven, it took me one hour and 30 minutes for the cake to reach doneness. And the freezer trick does seem to make it really moist. Another thing to mention, I had no lemon juice on hand, so I used 2 tbsp orange juice to go with the mashed bananas, and 1 tbsp vinegar to mix with regular milk to subsitute for buttermilk. It worked out good for me.

BEST EVER BANANA CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/8 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

FROSTING

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

GARNISH

• chopped walnuts

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 275°.

2. 2

   Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.

4. 4

   In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

5. 5

   In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

6. 6

   Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.

7. 7

   Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

8. 8

   Stir in banana mixture.

9. 9

   Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

10. 10

    Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

11. 11

    For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

12. 12

    Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

13. 13

    Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.

14. 14

    Spread on cooled cake.

15. 15

    Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

My cream cheese frosting recipe:

1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened, not melted

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened, not melted

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Whip butter and cream cheese together (I used my Kitchenaid...I love it so much!) until fluffy. Add vanilla, and then slowly add powdered sugar (you don't want white powder all over the place, right?), and whip until fluffy. I usually leave my Kitchenaid going for about 10 minutes almost full speed, using the whisk beater...makes for a very fluffy and smooth cream cheese frosting.

Venison Fajitas

I made venison fajitas the other day and they were good! I didn't even know how to make fajitas so I just made it up as I went along. It could've been better if I had grilled the meat before cooking it with the onions and peppers. This is a "non-recipe" as I didn't measure anything and went by taste.

VENISON FAJITAS

• Venison tenderloin steak (I did about 1 lb)
• 1 onion (I used vidalia onion, which was what I had on hand, but I'm sure any onion would be good)
• banana peppers (I used 3 banana peppers...one was HUGE as you'll see below)
• seasonings (I used a little bit of habanero hot sauce, cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper)

This is the banana pepper that my mother-in-law gave me...isn't it HUGE???? She gave me three, the other two were about half the size of this one. I cut the peppers and took the seeds out. Then cut 'em into strips.

Cut onions into strips as well

Put 'em in a cast-iron pan (or any pan you have on hand...but cast-iron is the best). Season with whatever flavorings you want in 'em and cook until the onions are almost translucent.

While the veggies are cooking, cut the steak into 1/4 inch strips. It's much easier when the meat is slightly frozen.

Take the veggies out and put the meat in the pan until almost done...put the veggies back in with the meat and cook until the meat is done and the onions are translucent. Be careful not to overcook the venison, as it can get tough when overcooked.

Put everything on a tortilla and eat it! It's great with sour cream, guacamole, cheese, salsa, or whatever you like on your tacos.

BBQ Chicken & Mozzarella Sandwich

Today, I couldn't decide on what to fix for lunch, but I knew I wanted to do something with chicken.  I had a bag of frozen boneless chicken breasts.  I took out two and defrosted 'em in the microwave.  While the chicken was defrosting, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees.

When the chicken defrosted, I put 'em on a baking sheet.

I was in the mood to add barbecue sauce to 'em.  So I grabbed a bottle of the barbecue sauce (I had the Kraft BBQ sauce on hand).  Poured about 1/4 cup into a small bowl and got my basting brush.   I brushed the chicken breasts with the barbecue sauce pretty thickly and then baked 'em for about 25 minutes.  

Meanwhile, I got a loaf of French bread and cut it in half.  It was just gonna be for me and my husband so I put the other half away for later (probably make pizzas with that).  I cut the half into half again, then cut into half lengthwise and arranged 'em on another baking sheet.

When the chicken was done, I let it rest for a few minutes.  I got my favorite knife and sliced 'em into 1/4 inch slices and arranged 'em on the bread.  Sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken and broiled 'em until the cheese melted.

When the cheese melted, I took 'em out of the oven and put the halves together to make a sandwich.  

Very hearty and will make you full easily!

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup barbecue sauce (any brand, but needs to be thick)

1/2 loaf French bread, cut into half

Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Brush chicken with barbecue sauce. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes or until done.  Let chicken rest before slicing into 1/4 inch slices.   Divide the chicken onto the 4 pieces of French bread, and sprinkle with however much mozzarella cheese you like.

Broil until cheese is melted, then put the halves together to make a sandwich.  Enjoy!  Mmmmmm....

Pizza-dillas

Pizza-dillas!

I was being lazy one night...and decided to make these for dinner.  They were pretty yummy.  A mix of pizza and quesadillas...so you get pizzadillas!  Fusion cuisine at its trashiest. :)

I didn't measure everything, but all you need are:

• tortillas (I used corn tortillas, but flour tortillas would work well)
  
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
  
• pepperoni (or your favorite pizza toppings)
  
• spaghetti or pizza sauce (for dipping)
  
• 
  
• Optional: nonstick spray or oil
  

I sprayed the outsides of the tortillas with the nonstick spray to make 'em crispy (you could put a little oil in the pan if you don't want to use the nonstick spray).  I used my electric griddle for the pizza-dillas.  Sprinkle the bottom tortilla with mozzarella cheese and toppings (I used pepperoni).  Top with another tortilla.  Flip when cheese melts or the bottom looks toasty.  Cook til both sides are toasty (just like grilled cheese sandwiches).  Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter, and serve with spaghetti/pizza sauce for dipping.

Tortillas cooking on the electric griddle (I had it on 350*F)

Then cut up into wedges and served with sauce...I served it on a paper plate!  That's how lazy I felt that night...didn't even want to wash dishes.

Nutty Pineapple Dip

Nutty Pineapple Cream Cheese Dip

This is a really easy dip recipe.  It's always a huge hit whenever I bring it to parties.

All you need is:

• 8oz (small) can of crushed pineapple, WELL DRAINED (IMPORTANT!)
  
• 2-8oz blocks of cream cheese
  
• 4 oz chopped pecans
  
• 1 bunch green onions
  
• (OPTIONAL) chopped ham
  

It's important you drain your pineapple very well, or it won't hold together very well.  It'll be runny, but still tasty (I learned my lesson!).  Wash the green onions and chop them up.  You can soften the cream cheese if you want, it makes it easier to mix.  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with crackers (I prefer the Ritz or the Club crackers with this dip).  

I didn't make it with ham this time but enjoy the pictures!

My pretty bowl with all the ingredients...getting ready to be mixed.  This is one of my favorite mixing bowls...it's got butterflies on the inside and outside!

A beautiful close up of the ingredients...minus the ham!

Already mixed and ready to serve!  You can mold it, but I'm lazy and serve it as is, sometimes. :)

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

It's been a while since I last posted. Guess what? We are gonna have a baby...due in about 7 weeks! It's amazing how time has gone by so fast!

Well, here's my latest food adventure: Tie-Dye Cupcakes.

I had been reading some cooking blogs online, and for some reason, those cupcakes caught my eye. They looked like fun to make, so I did a little research. They look hard and complicated to make, but they're actually really simple. Just a few extra bowls and spoons to wash.

All you really need is:

• *white cake batter (either mix or homemade)
  
• *food coloring
• *frosting (if you want)
• *bowls
• *spoons
• *muffin pan

With this one, I used a white cake mix and made batter according to the directions on the box.

4 bowls of plain batter, a box of food coloring (neon!) and the cake mix box.

Hubby wanted to join in, and he had a blast adding the food coloring. His shirt says it all!

Hubby and me spooning the different colors in each cup (no mixing! Just gently spooning each color on top of each other randomly).

Cupcakes getting ready to warm up in the preheated oven (350F according to the box directions).

Same batch of cupcakes all baked up beautifully!

Close up of the first batch of cupcakes

Close up of the cupcake that I just had to try. It looked sooooo good, after frosting it with homemade buttercream frosting.

Now startin' to undress the sweet cupcake...

Beautiful insides. Definitely looks tie-dyed, huh? :) It was definitely yummy.


Buttercream frosting recipe (from the C&H powdered sugar box)

1 lb. box of powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk (I added a little bit more since it was so thick)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter (softened)

Beat with electric mixer 2 minutes, scraping bowl often. For thinner consistency, add milk a little at a time. Frosts one 8-inch 2-layer cake.