Volleyball: 2014

Easy Crockpot Creamy Potato Soup Recipe

My love for dishes with potatoes continue. Combine that with cold weather then what you've got is creamy loaded potato soup. Slow cooked so that I can go about my day as usual. This easy recipe is adapted from thecrockpotgirl's Youtube video.

Crockpot Potato Soup

Recipe Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 quart chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup

Easy Sugar-Free Non-alcholic Eggnog Recipe

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
2-3 packet of artificial sweetener
2 cups whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp cinnamon

Direction:

The recipe is adapted from the following video. The original recipe calls for 1/3 sugar, but since my aunt is diabetic, we're using packets of artificial sweetener (Equal). The original also calls for nutmeg, but we didn't have any at the time, so we used

Easy Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup

This recipe shouldn't take long to prep. It could be done within 20 minutes in the morning and be ready for an early dinner when you get home.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients for 6 servings:
1/3 cup butter, sliced
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
2 (12 oz.) cans evaporated milk
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5

Easy Crock pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

This Christmas, I'll be spending time with my cousins in the cold at Seattle, Washington. So I'm thinking soup to keep the body warm for the cold weather. Here's a simple recipe for a crock pot chicken noodle.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
4 cans chicken broth (10.5 oz Campbell ok)
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of celery
4 stalks of celery

Copycat Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

This delicious copycat soup of an Olive Garden classic is adapted from Food.com. Actually, the changes have been made by the commenters. I followed those instead of the actual recipe.

Zuppa Toscana Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)

Ingredients
1 lb of hot Italian sausage
3 medium to large potatoes, unpeeled and sliced up
1 small onion, chopped
3 strips of sliced bacon
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3

Easy Spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe

One of my fall/winter favorite is pumpkin soup. This time around, I found a YouTube video that shows how to make a spicy one. Just put on your favorite garnishing and your good to go. Karma, the video owner, recommends yoghurt or sour cream. I just used chopped cilantro and toasted sourdough. Either way, the great thing about this recipe is that the soup is thick and rich enough to be a main

Boston Pizza's Spicy Perogy Pizza Copycat Recipe

A delicious pizza I made for my brother and his friends during a football weekend. I also wanted to use a new baking stone. Using a cookie sheet is how I've made pizza before. A pizza stone is new to me. Ingredients and direction adapted from copykatchat.com. I thought it turned out well for the first time making.

Perogy Pizza

Ingredients
5 Potatoes (peeled and sliced thin)
1 Pizza Crust (

Carving a Pumpkin? Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Making roasted pumpkin seeds is easy. It's a fun tradition when it comes to Halloween. We get the seeds from pumpkins we carve to make Jack O'Lanterns. We buy 'em, too, if we want more seeds to snack on. Trader Joes and local farmers' markets are my favorite places to shop.

Direction:

Boil the seeds in water with salt and garlic salt to taste for about 10-15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 deg

Easy Spiced Pumpkin Cake Roll Recipe

A great treat for the fall -- pumpkin cake roll! Essentially, it's a pumpking spice cake with cream cheese filling. The recipe is simple enough. Directions are in the video below. Source is http://thesquishymonster.com/2013/09/pumpkin-roll-cake.html.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

Ingredients for the cake:
3/4 c unbleached flour
1/2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
1 1/2 ts pumpkin spice
1/4 ts fine

Easy Blueberry Mousse Recipe

Adapted from www.myfoodpassion.net. Only the blueberry mousse was used and cardamom was not added. Chocolate cups optional.

Blueberry Mousse

Ingredients for 6 servings
1/2 tbsp powdered gelatin
0.8 cups double cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
Direction

Beat double cream and 2 tablespoons icing sugar on medium-high until firm peaks form.

Purée the blueberries with a

Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes

Sweet treat recipe that's mainly adapted from www.waitrose.com

Sponge Cake

Ingredients
For the sponge:
250g butter, softened
250g golden caster sugar
3 Columbian Blacktail Free Range Eggs
250g self-raising flour
4 tbsp milk
For the filling:
250ml whipping or double cream, softly whipped
Strawberry conserve
For garnishing:
Blueberries
Fresh-cut Strawberries
Direction:

I followed the short

Cheesy Garlic Bread with Green Onions

Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients
2 loaves French bread
8 oz shredded mozzarella
16 oz shredded sharp cheddar
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsps sour cream
1/2 cup sliced green onions (green parts only)
1 softened stick of butter

In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream and butter until smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until evenly blended. Cut French bread in

Cheesy Low Carb Casserole with Bacon and Eggs

Low Carb Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 lb shredded cheese (any mix for your taste)
1 dozen eggs
Direction

Preheat oven to 325 deg F.

If you haven't done so already, cook bacon and chop it up. Remove bacon from frying pan and set aside.

Sautee onion, spinach and broccoli. It's ok to use bacon fat. Add

Crispy Golden Cheese Chips

Simple to make. Spray Pam cooking spray on a microwaveable plate. Then arrange shredded cheese by distributing it as evenly as possible. Microwave until it bubbles. Remove from microwave and allow to cool. It will dry up and can be broken into chips.

Cheese Chips

All you'll need is
1 package shredded cheese

Fresh Mango Avocado Salsa Recipe

When asked how to make avocado salsa, I usually think of something sweet and spicy.

This recipe is sweetened by ripe mango and spiced by jalapeno. Not sure if it can be called a Mexican salsa.

Nevertheless, it's great during spring when weather is still kinda cool. Most importantly, this salsa recipe is easy to make.

Mango Avocado Salsa

Ingredients
1 mango, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 tomatoes,

Slow Cooked Beef Soft Tacos Recipe

This beef taco recipe is adapted from AllRecipes.com. One ingredient is changed, namely jalapeños is substituted for green chile pepper. The result is great.

Slow Cooker Beef Tacos

Ingredients for the beef:
1 (4 pound) chuck roast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups diced jalapeños
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits with Bacon and Chives

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits From Scratch

Ingredients
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
12 tbsp butter, chilled
2 cups buttermilk
12 oz shredded cheddar
1/2 cup dried chives
12 oz bacon, crisped and chopped
Direction

Preheat oven to 450 deg F.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until you get a workable dough. See the video below for tips on how to

Super Yummy Thomas Keller Fried Chicken

This recipe is from a book, Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller (avail on Amazon). The thing is, the entire recipe for this fried chicken can also be seen on Amazon. So for this particular dish, you don't have to buy the book, but recommended to do so to cook other delicious meals.

Fried Chicken

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Chicken Meatballs Recipe

These chicken meatballs can be added to any pasta and sauce dish such as spaghetti. They're simple enough to make and very delicious.

Ingredients for Chicken Meatballs
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1 egg
salt & pepper
1 lb ground chicken
Direction:

Preheat oven to 450 deg F.

In a large bowl,

Strawberry Blackberry Fruit Tart

My aunt gave me a couple of pre-made tart shells. So I made a strawberry and blackberry fruit tart. Recipe for the cream cheese filling is the usual fruit tart that I like from Food Network. Namely,

Fruit Tart
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Here is my post on that delicious fruity dessert for instruction.

The difference, of course

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a great recipe for football games, poker nights and other get-togethers. My bro likes it when he has his friends over. I get invited just so I can bring food.

You'll need the following:

Buffalo Chicken Dip
4 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
2 packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup hot sauce, any brand
1/2 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
4+ slices of bacon, cooked and

Simple Cheesy Garlic Bread

Garlic Bread
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, diced
parsley (to taste)
provolone cheese
1 package (3 oz) mozzarella cheese
1 roll of bread
Direction:

Preheat oven to 375 deg F

Make multiple slices on bread roll without cutting all the way through so that the bottom crust holds the bread together.

Melt butter in a bowl using a microwave. Add salt, garlic and parsley

Pan Fried Chicken Breast with Caramelized Onions

A very simple, yet tasty combination for a delicious meal -- pan-fried chicken breast with carmelized onion.

Chicken breast is brined in foil for at least one hour using the following
2 cups of water
1 tbsp of salt
1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven at 400 deg F. Open foil and add a little oil to the chicken and brine. Add spices and seasoning as desired. Close foil. Shake/mix it up. Bake in oven for

Simple Recipe for Chicken and Spinach Lasagna in White Sauce

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:
9 whole lasagna noodles
5 cups bechamel sauce (instant)
1/2 cup butter
1 whole onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Seasoning (dried basil, oregano, ground pepper) to taste
2 cups cubed chicken, cooked
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained, chopped
Direction:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F

Double Layer: Cheesecake and Peanut Butter Mousse with Chocolate Ganache on Oreo Cookie Crust

Ingredients for Oreo Crust:
32 Oreo cookies, finely processed into crumbs
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Small pinch of salt

Ingredients for Ganache:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
20 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped

Ingredients for Cheesecake (from http://www.grouprecipes.com/20528/cooks-illustrated-cheesecake.html, but only the ingredient for the filling was used since I made an Oreo

Grilled Maple Chicken Breasts

It's summer! Time for camping and outdoors bbq. Though I'm not the grilling expert, I earn my keep by making the rub and the glaze. This time, I used a simple recipe for cayenne pepper and rosemary rub brushed with maple glaze. It's excellent for chicken breasts.

Ingredients for the Rub

cayenne pepper
Rosemary leaves, crushed
salt & pepper
oregano
brown sugar
white sugar

Ingredients for

Tasty Mexican Casserole Recipe

Adapted from AllRecipes.com. A few ingredients were changed in order to use up leftovers in my fridge.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups salsa
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained
3 cups tortilla chips, crushed
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 whole onion, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1 cup corn
Note: Onion,

Simple to Make Baked Chicken Breasts

Baked chicken breast is one of the simpler meals that I make quite often. This quick recipe is one of my go-to meals whenever I'm in the mood for something simple.

Baked Chicken Breast

You'll only need the following for serving 2:
2 large chicken breasts
garlic powder
salt & pepper
olive oil
Direction:

Pre-heat oven to 450 deg F.

Line baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up.

Simple Penne Arrabbiata Sauce Recipe from Scratch

Ingredients for 2 servings:

3.5 oz penne pasta
17 oz cherry tomatoes
1 red chilli pepper
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsps olive oil
2 tsps balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Direction:

Slice tomatoes into wedges (4 per tomato is ok). Chop and dice chili pepper. Crush garlic.

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium-high setting. Once it gets hot, throw in chilli pepper and garlic. Cook until the

Salmon Broccoli Pasta Casserole

A simple and light summer pasta recipe.

Ingredients:
9 oz penne pasta
1-2 package broccoli, frozen
2 cans 7.5 oz salmon, drained (i.e. Crown Prince Pink Salmon)
1-2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1/2-1 cups grated mozzarella
Direction:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Boil pasta according to package instruction. Halfway through, add in broccoli. Drain water when done.

In a baking dish,

Turkey Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Turkey Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
16 oz rotini (cooked)
2 jars pizza sauce, 14 oz
1 package sliced turkey pepperoni, 6 oz
2 cups mozzarella shredded cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion chopped
Oregano
garlic salt to taste

Direction:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

In a non-stick frying pan, brown ground beef (see video tip below) in medium

Simple Black Bean and Cheese Enchilada Recipe

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup salsa
2 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese, divided in halves
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas
10 oz can enchilada sauce
Direction:

Preheat oven to 350 deg

Grilled Chicken Breast Over Linguini

The pasta is a just linguini with red sauce. Nothing special, but still delicious, especially when served with grilled chicken breast prepped with garlic wine vinegar marinade.

Marinade Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup garlic wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 tsps black peppers
salt to taste
smoked paprika to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Pour over butterflied

Roasted Cabbage with Kielbasa

Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients
1 large head of cabbage
1 large white onion
2 pounds top-quality kielbasa
olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

Slice cabbage into 1-inch bite-sized pieces and arrange on a large baking pan.

Cut onion into wedges and place on and around cabbage.

Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle oil over cabbage and onion.

Place kielbasa over

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Ingredients for the fillings:
36 Vanilla Wafers
2 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature
3 Tbsp of Sour Cream
Zest of 1 Small Lemon
¾ cup of Granulated Sugar
1 tsp of Vanilla Bean Paste (or vanilla extract)
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp of All Purpose Flour
¼ cup of Melted Unsalted Butter
For the Cherry Compote:
2 ½ cups of Fresh Pitted Cherries
1/3 cup of Granulated

Turkey-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Here's a fun experiment I tried when trying to clean up leftovers in my fridge. It's hard to go wrong with stuffing bell peppers. Almost anything blends with it such as rice, beef or in this case, ground turkey with a little bit of cooked quinoa.

Sorry ahead of time for not jotting down exact measurements. This recipe is something I just put together as I went along. But it should give you an

Simple Recipe for Toasted Baby Kale Chips

Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients:
1 package baby kale
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Direction:

Preheat oven at 275 deg F.

In a large bowl, place 1/2 package of baby kale and drizzle enough olive oil to cover the leaves. Mix with your hands to coat evenly. The trick is to coat thinly so that leaves are crispy, else they become soggy.

Spread the coated leaves on a baking pan. Do the same with

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Eversince I found out that sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene and good for your skin, I've been looking forward to trying them as grilled delicacies. I got the idea from Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it since we barbecue a lot during summers. Luckily, we had guests last weekend and I had the chance to try.

Grilled Sweet Potato Slices

Ingredient for the Rub
1/3 cup paprika
1/3 cup

Open-Faced Toast with Poached Eggs, Mashed Avocado and Buttered Spinach

Want more avocado in your diet? Mix it up with eggs and spinach to make an amazingly delicious breakfast. Not to mention that all 3 food -- avocado, spinach and eggs -- are highly recommended for skin care.

Thanks to Laura Vitale's YouTube channel, I found a way to use up a leftover avocado and a small batch of spinach that I did not want to spoil.

So I present to you, an open-faced toast with

Sauteed Bok Choy w/ Quinoa, Carrots, and Broccoli

Ingredients
2 heads bok choy
2 cups quinoa, cooked (see here)
1 cup mushrooms
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, diced (could be more, 1/2 onion is all I had)
1 head broccoli, crowns only
salt and pepper to taste
Direction

Sautee onions, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. In a separate lidded pan, sautee carrots and broccoli with light oil. Make sure that lid is

Homemade Hummus For Afternoon Snacking

Ever had hummus? They're wonderful as dips for healthy snacking. You can use any popular snacks to eat with hummus such as chips, bread, celeries, roasted asparagus, etc.

A few days ago, I made something simple for my friends. It consisted of sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and pita bread. Simple, yet amazing. The recipe for the hummus is below.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tahini
4 cloves of garlic

Simple Smokey Plank-Grilled Salmon Recipe

Summer is almost here and that means bbq! I'm not the griller in the family, my uncle is the one who likes to grill. He does that several weekends through the summer whether at our house or his backyard. One of my favorites is smoked salmon grilled on a plank of cedar. He tried it for the first time last summer and it was delicious. Not to mention that salmon is rich in essential fatty acids like

French Toast Parmesan

This recipe is a variation of making french toast which usually that adds grated parmesan in the usual ingredients for a tasty breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 oz finely grated parmesan cheese
minced garlic
salt and pepper
chopped parsley
chopped scallions

Direction:

Whisk eggs, milk, minced garlic and parsley. Add salt & pepper. Soak both sides of bread in the mixture. Then

Simple Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe

Sweet and sour chicken like those from Chinese restaurants can easily be made from your own kitchen using common ingredients. Here's one that I found from Food.com and made with some changes to make it healthier (hopefully). The differences have been noted below.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ingredients
(adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-413483)

For the Chicken
3-4

Simple Delicious and Healthy Idea: Sliced Tomatoes on Breakfast Toast

Here's something quick, yet tasty and good for you in the morning if you don't have time to prepare a hearty breakfast.

All you need are
toasted bread
cream cheese
sliced tomatoes
minced garlic from a jar
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions are quite simple. Toast bread and spread cream cheese on it. Slice tomatoes and rub with minced garlic. Drizzle olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken and Shell Pasta on Creamy Cheese Sauce Recipe

Can't get enough chicken dinner. Now that summer is around the corner, grilling and barbecuing is in my mind and, I'm sure, to many others. This creamy and cheesy pasta recipe has bite-sized grilled chicken as a main ingredient. Should be fun and yummy to make for a small group of guests.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Ingredients for 6 servings
1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 heads of

Crispy Roasted Potato Recipe

Think about this dish for Easter. It will certainly make quite an impression to your guests. This crispy roasted potato will definitely go well with the baked ham that you're serving. Kudos to Martha Stewart (basic recipe) and SmittenKitchen (goat cheese and crisp pancetta topping) for giving us a wonderful potato dish.

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients
source: http://www.marthastewart.com/

Simple Easter Baked Glazed Ham Recipe

This easy recipe to bake ham comes in handy during other holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas as well.

Baked Ham With Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:
4-5 lbs boneless ham
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Direction:

Wrap ham in foil and bake at 350 deg F for one hour.

In a saucepan or small pot, heat brown sugar, honey and cloves until sorta runny. Pour honey

Sweet Oatmeal Bread Recipe

Sweet Oatmeal Bread Baked w/ Honey

INGREDIENTS:
1 package active dry yeast
11 ounces bread flour, plus extra for kneading
1/4 cup toasted uncooked old fashioned rolled oats, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces leftover, cooked old fashioned rolled oats, at room temperature
1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for bowl and pan
1

Three Cheese Baked Mac n Cheese Recipe

Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
1/2 lb elbow macaroni (cooked al dente)
5 tbsps melted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup hot whole milk
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
12 oz shredded gruyere
8 oz shredded cheddar
6 oz chunky goat cheese
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Also start boiling your macaroni so that it's cooked al dente by the time you're

Simple Coleslaw Recipe

Vinegar-Based Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1 small head purple cabbage, shredded
1 small head green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots
1 red onion, cut into thin strips
3/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
1 green pepper, sliced into thin strips (optional)
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips (optional)
Direction:

Mix everything in a bowl. The addition of peppers and

Mexican Rice Stuffed Pepper Recipe

Stuffed peppers is a great all-purpose dish. They can be appetizers or they can be casual main course. My favorite stuffing to use in stuffed peppers are usually grains of some sort.

There's a recipe here for quinoa stuffed peppers. In this particular case, Mexican rice is used primarily. Some leftover quinoa is thrown in and can be seen in the picture, but these are not part of the recipe and

Simple Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Biscuits From Scratch

Ingredients:
2 cups All-Purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp of chilled butter
1 cup buttermilk plus more for brushing on the top of the biscuits
Direction:

Preheat oven to 450 deg F.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Mash in butter with your fingers, working quickly because you don't want the butter to

Sautéed Lentil-Thyme-Leek-Spinach-Beets Salad

Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1 small leek, cleaned and trimmed
1/4 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme, or 1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
2 cup prepared lentils
1 bunch beets – peeled, diced to 1/2 inch and roasted
3 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Direction

In a pan over medium heat, add oil and

Spring and Easter Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing & Cadbury Egg Decor

Cupcakes are a fun way to greet the spring season. We usually have an event in church for Easter and a few of us bring food for fundraising. The past few years, I and other members bring cupcakes. As always, the fun part for me is baking and decorating them.

There are some choices to make when it comes to cucpakes. The first one is on the cupcake itself. Do you make a chocolate cupcake,

Colored Deviled Eggs Recipe

Springtime is about colors and that includes food. Deviled eggs do not have to be the usual white and yellow color that's already tasty in most cases. There are ways to spice up the eggs for more colorful presentation.

See this video for dyeing the eggs. Then follow the recipe below to make the eggs filling. It's almost identical to another deviled egg recipe in this blog, but with addition

General Tso's Chicken Recipe

Adapted from http://prettygirlfood.com/post/42241481089/general-tsos-chicken-ingredients-serves-4-1-4

General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients for 4:
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken

Flourless Almond Butter Brownies Recipe

This brownie is real simple to make. Making flourless desserts has been quite popular lately since there are many people out there who are allergic to gluten. Not to mention that many sources indicate that eating too much white flour is unhealthy (processedfreeamerica.org). Whether you believe it or not, it's good to try something different every once in awhile.

Flourless Brownies

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Frosted Cupcakes

The thing about cheesecakes is that simple decoration can be as enticing as fancy ones. This red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosted recipe from browneyedbaker.com does not need any special piping tool to make it scrumptious. After making the cream cheese frosting, just use a spoon to apply. Then serve.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS FOR 12 CUPCAKES
source: http://

Simple Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe For Slow Cooking

A traditional dish for St. Patrick's Day that's very tasty. The instructions are easy, but takes 8 hours it's being cooked in a slow cooker. Serve it with Irish soda bread and you'll have a fantastic St. Paddy's Day meal. With green beer, of course =)

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients

4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground

Skillet Irish Soda Bread

Another great food for St. Patrick's Day, but fantastic anytime. Sources are Smitten Kitchen and New York Times: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/03/blasphemous-bread/. Recipe makes 1 10-inch loaf.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients (makes 1 10-inch loaf):
Butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2

St Patrick's Day Cupcakes with Guinness and Irish Whiskey

St. Paddy's Day is always fun. I love the prep time for the theme. Green beer (though I don't drink), cornbeef, cabbage soup, and pretty much any delicacies that look great with green food coloring are on the menu. Of course, sweets and treats are all around. For cupcakes, smittenkitchen.com has a fantastic recipe for car bomb cupcakes. These pictures are from last year. More of the same

Easy Homemade Potato Chips

Potatoes make great snacks. Everybody's favorites are french fries; others go for baked potato slices. Just as easy to make are homemade potato chips.

What are the best potatoes to use for homemade chips? Well, when it comes to dishes to make with potatoes, almost any type is suitable. But generally, Russet and other all-purpose potatoes will do just fine.

Homemade Potato Chips

Homemade Vegetarian Hummus Pizza

Making homemade pizza allows you complete control of ingredients that will go on the pie. In this recipe, the inspiration is a handful of online sources that use hummus as the sauce instead of tomato-based pizza sauce. It's also vegetarian, but I could see others adding bacon bits, eggs, chicken slices, or similar toppings to their taste. The crust is also homemade from Annie's Eats and yields

Ground Beef Stuffed Bread

Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread
1/4 cup chopped red peppers
1/4 chopped onions
1 clove minced garlic
seasoning
1.5 lbs groundbeef
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 package bacon (not gonna use all of it)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

Hollow out bread and set aside the soft parts.

In a large frying pan, fry red peppers, onions, garlic, and ground beef. Mix in the soft parts of the bread. Add

Heart-shaped Strawberry Lemon Bar

When it comes to Valentine's Day, almost any treats can be adapted for the theme by simply giving it a heart shape. These strawberry lemon bars, for example, are a fantastic example. Only needed a heart cookie cutter to make it a Valentine's lemon bar. The recipe is good for 24-32 bars.

Recipe source: http://cosmocookie.blogspot.com/2011/09/strawberry-lemonade-bars.html

Ingredients:

For

Valentine's Day Fruit Pizza

With a little imagination, this recipe can be adapted to any holidays. With the use of raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries laid out in the shape of a heart, I present to you, a Valentine's Day Fruit Pizza.

Recipe source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fruit-pizza-ii/

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8

Simple Quesadilla Recipe

Something simple. Something cheap. And yet, delicious and filling. Quesadillas are the way to go. Make it low carb by using the right brand, such as La Tortilla Factory.

INGREDIENTS for 1 serving
1 tortilla of choice
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
0.5 tbsp butter for frying
2 tbsp bacon bits (optional)
1 oz pickled jalapenos (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Butter one side of a tortilla. Put

Sausage Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole

Sausage Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients (12-18 servings):
1/2 – 1 pound sausage
1 package crescent rolls
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 Tsp oregano or rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place a skillet over medium heat and add the sausage. Break up the sausage as it cooks, letting it brown completely.

Unroll the