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Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts

Big Mac Pizza - Say What???

8.16.2016

I love Big Mac's. I love pizza. Combine the two together and you have one of the most tantalizing meals you'll ever have. A Big Mac Pizza!

I first tasted this a year ago at a local café and instantly fell in love. This past weekend, we organized a pizza party at my place and of course, I had to try and replicate the infamous b-mac pizza for everyone. Score! It was devoured and gone in minutes. The top pizza of the night by far.

The recipe I followed was from Kraft. Easy and delicious :)

Ingredients

Ground beef
Kraft Thousand island Dressing
1 pizza crust
Kraft Pizza Four Cheese Blend
Lettuce
Pickle slices (optional)

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet.

2. Spread 1/2 cup of dressing on pizza crust.

3. Sprinkle on 1 cup of cheese.

4. Place desired amount of cooked ground beef on top of cheese layer.

5. Cover with another cup of cheese.

6. Bake in oven at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

7. Shred lettuce and place on pizza with pickle slices.

(I omitted the pickles as I also do with my Big Mac, and I sprinkled some more dressing on pizza before serving.)

Bon Appetit!

4 Comments »

Recipe - Red Velvet Cupcakes (vegan, gluten free, low carb, paleo)

2.15.2016

Who's hungry? Healthy red velvet cupcakes! They are vegan, gluten free, low carb, and paleo.

For cupcakes:
1¼ cups white whole wheat flour
¾ cup erythritol OR cane sugar
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup mashed banana or oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Red food coloring (Natural, such as beet juice, is absolutely best)

For frosting:
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt OR 1 cup vegan-friendly yogurt
3 packets of NuNaturals stevia, to taste (Feel free to substitute ½ cup erythritol OR cane sugar)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
For cupcakes:!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, erythritol or sugar, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in almond milk, vanilla extract, banana or oil, and vinegar until uniform and no pockets of dry ingredients remain. Add in food coloring until batter is desired color. (Note that it will lose some of its color during baking.) Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups of the muffin tin. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.
For frosting:!
Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt, the sweetener, and the ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until thickened.
For assembly:!
Spread the thickened frosting over the cooled cupcakes. (Sprinkling chocolate chips over the top doesn’t hurt.) Once frosted, the cupcakes are best served immediately. If you want to serve them later, refrigerate the cupcakes, keep the frosting in the freezer, and frost the cupcakes right before serving. Devour.

Notes
Feel free to use any kind of wheat flour in place of the whole wheat flour.
To keep vegan, use vegan yogurt and egg replacer.

1 Comment »

Recipe: Minestrone

1.06.2016

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pure olive oil
8 celery stalks with leaves, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 can Italian peeled tomatoes, chopped, with juice
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1/4lb small noodle pasta
2tbsp fresh basil, chopped
grated parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

* Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add celery, carrots and onion. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
* Add potatoes, tomatoes with juice, and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 15 minutes.
* Add peas and pasta. Cook 7-8 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add basil and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Bon Appetit!

5 Comments »

holiday sweet treats

12.05.2014

TGIF! Today I was lucky enough to indulge my sweet tooth (a lot). There was a sugar rush ~~addiction~~ party at the office and everyone pitched in to bake their best. All the money was going to charity...so why not, right? I mean, today could be my cheat day (along with Saturday and Sunday - YOLO).

So I got a few things...and by few I mean like 10 things but that's totally beside the point stop judging me mom let me live my life.

Among those delicious vices I indulged in at ~~10am~~ before lunch, there were amazingly decorated gingerbread cookies (classic), gluten/egg/dairy-free homemade marshmallows (intriguing), and pretzel-piece magic bars (decadent).

Because I'm totally on a sugar-high right now and have about 10 minutes before I crash and need to take a nap like a 3 year old, I figured I would track down these bake sale superheroes that confectioned the snacks and get their recipes for you!

Homemade Organic Marshmallows

1 cup water
3 tbsp. powdered gelatin
1 cup organic honey
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
organic icing sugar to coat

In a bowl, pour in gelatin with half the water. Let "bloom". In a pot, pour in rest of the water, the honey, the salt and the vanilla. Turn up heat to medium-high, and let boil until your syrup reaches 115 degrees Celcius. Remove from heat and slowly pour into gelatin mixture while mixing on low (either with a hand mixer or stand mixer). Once everything is incorporated, mix on high for 10 minutes. Pour the marshmallow mix into a clean film lined pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Take marshmallow square out and cut into smaller squares. Coat the outside with organic icing sugar (or any coating you prefer!)

Decked-Out Gingerbread Dudes

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsps. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup un-sulphured molasses

For Icing

2 large egg whites
2 tsps. fresh lemon juice
3 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

In your electric mixer bowl, with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least two hours or even overnight).

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 8-12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies in the center of oven. They are done when they are firm and edges are just beginning to brown. Take out of oven and cool completely.

Frosting can be used to decorate the cookies.

Magic Bars

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can + 1/3 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels or chips (bag)
1 1/3 cups flaked or shredded coconut (or replace with more pretzels or graham crackers)
1 cup chopped pretzels

Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). 9x13" baking/roasting pan, must use parchment paper at bottom and up sides.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.

Layer evenly with coconut, chocolate chips, and pretzels. Press down firmly with a fork.

bake 26 minutes (exactly) or until lightly browned. Cool overnight. Cut into bars or squares.

Store covered at room temperature.

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cheddar beer bread

4.30.2014

Every office has that one colleague that brings in home baked goodies to share with their coworkers. Your body wishes that they didn't but your mouth wants them to keep it coming. This week, our baking queen brought in this cheddar beer bread that we all devoured. I mean c'mon, the title of the recipe says it all. Beer + cheese + bread = palate heaven!!! I needed to have this recipe.

Made it last night and oh-freakin'-man was it delicious. The only downside, it literally takes 5 minutes to prep which means I will be making this way too often.

Of course I will share with you :)

Ingredients

3 cups of flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon chives

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 + 1/4 cups of grated extra old cheddar cheese

1 1/2 bottle of beer (18oz)

1. Mix all ingredients together (except for 1/4 cup cheese), mixing in beer last. Batter should be the consistency of thick mashed potatoes.

2. Spoon into a well greased bread pan and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.

3. Add the remaining 1/4 cheese to top of bread and bake for another 20 minutes. Broil for last 2 minutes of baking time.

4. Remove bread from oven when done and let sit in it's pan for about 10 minutes.

5. Remove bread from pan and let cool on a rack for another 10 minutes.

BON APPETIT!

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mouth watering recipes

2.04.2014

I had a little get-together this past weekend and there were 3 items on the menu that were the hit of the evening. I don’t usually cook because it’s just not my favorite thing to do, however when I do get in the kitchen…magic happens J

I’m such a great friend that of course I will share these palette wonders with all of you!

Pizza Bianca with Goat Cheese and Greens

Uber yummy! I used pre-made dough from a bakery but if you have the time, go nutty and make it yourself.

Creamy Avocado Hummus

Guacamole and hummus in one. Delicious!

Cranberry Spinach Salad

So many goodies all tossed into one bowl. Spinach, cranberries, almonds, etc. You'll just love this!!

BON APPETIT!!!

1 Comment »

Peanut Butter Cornflake Clusters

11.15.2013

I saw this recipe on Pinterest.

I pinned it...obviously!

I made them...of course!

I ate them...SUCCESS!!

MUST TRY!!!

Peanut Butter Cornflake Clusters Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on how big you make them

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 jar (18 oz ounce) peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (I used creamy)
6 cups corn flakes
3 oz good quality chocolate of your choice

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup over medium-high heat until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, stirring until smooth and incorporated.

2. In a large bowl, mix the corn flakes and the peanut butter mixture together, gently stirring very well until all of the cereal is coated.

3. Drop spoonfuls of the cornflake mixture onto wax paper.

4. Heat the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over cornflake clusters and let cool. Serve when they have cooled.

recipe via Jam Hands

3 Comments »

the WORLD'S BEST chocolate chip cookies

8.26.2013

I kid you not, you will never be able to eat any other chocolate chip cookies after having eaten these ones.

What you need:

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter

1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Caramel Bits (or cut up Caramels into little pieces)

3/4 cup Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks

coarse sea salt for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter starts to foam, begin whisking constantly. When the butter turns brown, fragrant, and you see little brown bits at the bottom of the pan, immediately remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Make sure not to overcook or the butter will burn. Set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well combined, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low-speed just until combined. Add the caramels and chocolate chunks and stir until just combined.

4. Use a medium (1.5 tbsp.) cookie scoop to place dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until edges just start to turn golden brown. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cool on wire rack.

BON APPETIT

1 Comment »

tried and true mealtime recipes for toddlers

8.18.2013

My toddler eats everything...said no parent ever!

Being a picky eater is part of what it means to being a toddler. As a mom we have all been there, hiding the healthy non toddler delicious foods in between a heaping spoonful of mac and cheese, hoping they won't notice. Well no more hiding...sorta!

Here are a few tried and true recipes that I have made for my kids. They saw it, they loved it, they cleaned their plates.

A quick rule of thumb however, a young child's stomach is the size of their fist. So start with those portions and go for seconds when or if asked. And with these recipes, they will be asking for more.

Mini Cupcake Meatloaves

Top these off with shredded cheese and peas for sprinkles :)

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Serve with Ranch dip or everyone's favorite, Ketchup. These were moist and super delicious. And baked instead of fried :)

Carrot, Zucchini, and Parsnip Frittata

Super healthy, super fun to eat. You can even cut them with fun cookie cutter shapes.

Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole

I didn't think they'd enjoy eating this dish but to my surprise...I was wrong :)

Ham & Cheddar in a Loaf

Like a calzone :) I added some black olives in mine and the kids loved it.

Do you have any recipes to share?

1 Comment »

Homemade Pizza Margherita

6.11.2013

The best pizza I've ever eaten in my life was in Italy.

Andrew and I were so exhausted from touring Rome on foot one day that by 6pm we were back in our hotel room sound asleep. Our growling stomachs woke us up around 9pm however my feet and back were in so much pain from all the walking that as beautiful as the city and evening was, I just couldn't bear to get off that bed. Therefore my dear, sweet, courageous husband ventured outside our hotel alone to go find us some food. Of course, the best places to eat while on vacation are the authentic restaurants as opposed to the tourist-y ones. So he found a rinky dink pizzeria a few steps away. He arrived back at the hotel with 2 pizza's. Mine was the traditional Margherita pizza which consists of sauce and cheese. (I'm very vanilla that way!) Let me tell you, that night I tasted heaven. I ate the entire pizza in 5 minutes flat and would've had seconds but felt way too bad to send Andrew out again.

This past weekend, we decided to bring Italy home and attempted to make our own pizza's. We've made countless amounts of pizza's at home however this had to be the best homemade pizza we've ever made. We ate until we couldn't breathe!

I want you guys to feel as deliciously stuffed as we did, so I'm sharing the recipe :)

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce (San Marzano variety preferably)
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1 mozzarella di bufala campana, sliced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
6 basil leaves
pinch of salt

We used store bought fresh dough as it was too late to start making our own. If you have the time, follow this recipe.

Set your oven to 475°C.

Using the palms of your hands, begin stretching your dough into a round pizza (12" diameter) on a hard surface sprinkled with flour. (Liam loves helping nonna in the kitchen.)

The pizza should be as thin as possible with a bit more dough all around the edge to form a crust. If the dough gets too sticky, sprinkle with a bit more flour.

Gently brush dough with olive oil.

Begin layering your pizza by adding the tomato sauce until you've reached your desired amount. (I don't like too much sauce so I keep it light.)

Then add the shredded mozzarella.

Add the mozzarella di bufala and basil leaves.

Once the pizza is completely topped, slide your pizza on a pizza stone or baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place it in the oven on top rack. Bake for 10 minutes.

Now that your pizza is cooked, gently brush olive oil on the crust and broil for 2 minutes or until crust is golden. (Monitor your pizza to avoid burning the crust.)

As we all anxiously wait for the pizza to be ready, we decided to take pics of the kiddos :) Love my little rugrats!

PIZZA'S DONE!!

It's not Italy but it's pretty damn close!!

BON APPETIT!!

6 Comments »

Relais de Venise

1.27.2013

Have any of you ever been to Paris and dined at the ever so popular Relais de Venise "l'entrecote"? Well lucky you because I HAVE NOT :( They actually 3 other locations in London, which I unfortunately have not been to either and another in Manchester...no dice with that one too. Man I really need to dust off my passport.
But, there is a but, luckily for me I have been to New York recently and they do have a location there. Situated in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, they try to duplicate every aspect of the original Paris location. So that's good news for all other travel deprived people such as myself.
The reason that I know about this restaurant is that Andrew has been a numerous amount of times to the London locations and would eat there once a day if he could. So during a recent trip to New York, he treated me to a night out at Relais de Venise. Their menu, steak frites, and that's it for the main dish. Now I'm not a big meat eater but I ate their steak like nobody's business. Double portions I may add. The secret, a sauce topping the meat which is a closely guarded family secret of the daughter to the founder of the original Paris location.
However...SECRET NO MORE!!! After intense googling, I came across the recipe below found on this website. I made it for my husband a few days ago and after a few minutes of him savouring the sauce, he muttered with a full mouth, "This is so damn close to the real thing and the best meal you've cooked for me in the entire 8 years we've been together." WOW...SCORE!!!
I was delighted and will definitely be making this again in the future...near future!!

Le Relais Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 bunch tarragon, leaves removed and chopped
1/4 cup white wine
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp anchovy paste (if you can't find this at your grocery store like me, follow this recipe)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt

Heat olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Saute the garlic and shallots until soft. Add the stock and simmer for a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredient, except for the butter and transfer to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, return to the pot on low heat and reduce for several minutes if the sauce is too thin. Stir in butter to finish.

Makes enough sauce for six to eight servings of steak.

BON APPETIT!!

4 Comments »

meatloaf cupcakes

11.27.2011

Not the sweet cupcakes we're used to but so incredibly delicious.

photo and recipe via Kraft

Ingredients:

1lb extra lean ground beef

1 package Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken

1 cup water

125g Philadelphia brick Cream Cheese, cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups hot mashed potatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 can (284ml) beef gravy, warmed

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Mix meat, stuffing mix and water; press into 8 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until done (160ºF).

Add cream cheese and garlic to potatoes and stir until cream cheese is melted. Stir in parsley. Scoop over meatloaves and top with gravy.

Easy peasy!

Bon appetit!!

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brown sugar and balsamic glazed pork loin

11.11.2011

Don't you just love great recipes made in a slow cooker? It does all the work for you while you paint your nails, organize your sock drawer, dance around the house naked (doesn't everyone do this?), etc...
Made this recipe for supper last night and Andrew practically drowned in his drool. It was an instant hit and incredibly easy to make.

photo via C + C Marriage Factory

2 Comments »

津津有味

11.09.2011

Not sure if I have the title correct but it's supposed to be Bon Appetit in Chinese. If not, blame Google translate.
Why am I writing in Chinese? No, I'm not travelling to China any time soon. Last night I made a delicious supper Asian style. Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried Rice. Yum!
I'm looking forward to having my leftovers for lunch :)
Get the delicious recipes here.

Picture via Life as a Lofthouse

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cheesy rotini & tuna

10.13.2011

I'm a huge fan of mac & cheese...HUGE!! I found this recipe on the Kraft website which is a great, healthier alternative. Delicious and incredibly easy to make!

3 Comments »

layered enchilada bake

10.03.2011

Another Kraft hit.

Get recipe here.

1 Comment »

cheeseburger meatloaf

9.28.2011

Yum! Another household recipe hit from Kraft.

Ingredients
1lb. lean ground beef
10 Premium Plus crackers, crushed
1/2 cup Cheese Whiz Cheese Spread
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 egg
2 tbsp. Kraft Original BarBQ Sauce
1 small tomato, chopped

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Mix meat, cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp. Cheese Whiz, 1/4 cup onions, and egg until well blended. Place in meatloaf pan and brush with BarBQ sauce.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until done (160ºF). Transfer to plate.
Spoon remaining Cheese Whiz into microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until heated through when stirred; pour over meatloaf. Top with tomatoes and remaining onions.

BON APPETIT

4 Comments »

healthy popcorn?

9.15.2011

I came across this cool homemade popcorn idea...I tried it...and IT WORKS!!! I used 1/2 cup of kernels and pressed the automatic 'popcorn' setting on my microwave. What's great about this is that it's much healthier than frying them in oil in a pot, and healthier than the store bought microwave popcorn.
Pop in a movie and give it a try, you won't regret it :)

photo via Squakfox

3 Comments »

capellini caprese

9.12.2011

Another new recipe I tried from Kraft that's a hit in my household.

Ingredients

300g capellini or spaghetti, uncooked

1/4 cup Kraft Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 cup Kraft Mozzarella Shredded Cheese

1/3 cup fresh basil, finely sliced

Directions

Cook pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, heat dressing in large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions & garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta. Add to tomato mixture and mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Bon Appetite!

2 Comments »

chocolate chip cookies + oreo cookies = pure delight

8.31.2011

I've been seeing this recipe everywhere and of course I couldn't just ignore it. I mean, chocolate chip cookies and oreo cookies together as one...in the words of Joey...WHOA!!
The recipes all called for homemade chocolate chip cookie dough but in all honesty, who has the time. So my busy ass self bought the pre-made Pillsbury roll. I placed an oreo cookie in between 2 scoops of cookie dough and formed a ball, covering the entire oreo cookie. I baked them at 300ºF for 15 minutes (instructions on cookie dough package). It made a dozen delicious cookies.