Recipes Master 13

The first time I tried to bake this I killed it, I mean that literally ...a total disaster!   I shouldn't have been near an oven that day, let alone a European recipe that I didn't understand! After I put the cake in the oven and was cleaning up, it was not a big surprise to see the 2 cups of milk I should have added were sitting on the counter, still in the measuring cup.   Of course I took the cake out of the oven, (what else ya gonna do?) mixed in the milk and re-baked it...oh sure, that's gonna work!  I set the timer for 60 minutes but must have somehow turned off the oven when I set the timer...one hour later?  Raw uncooked cake....perhaps now is a good time to take up crochet? Lucky for me my daughter is a killer cook and she not only baked the cake perfectly, she set up the photo shoot!  That's my girl!    I've re-written the recipe and made this a 'piece of cake' for you to bake! NOTE: Eggs need to be at room ...

Spring is in the air in Seattle (well as much as Spring can ever be in the air in Seattle), so I thought I'd get soup out of my system until fall! This can be prepared stove top or slow cooker. Slow cooker works a little better because the sausage has time to marry with the rest of the ingredients. Feel free to mix up the pasta a bit, I just thought Orzo would be a nice change. I used a real rough chop on everything for a bit of a rustic soup. ...and yes, that is chopped lettuce on top, it was the only green thing I had in my fridge besides left over St Patrick day cupcakes, and those don't look good sprinkled on soup. Ingredients 4 Italian Chicken Sausage Links (about 1 lb total) 1 onion, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, chopped 1 cup carrots, chopped 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons dried basil 1 14 oz, can cannelli beans - drained and rinsed 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes - undrained 1 32 oz container of low sodium chicken broth 1 cup orzo Chunk...

My friend Christina got engaged last week,  and her new fiance proposed using 'thier kids'. (see below pic)...how cute is that! Christina is known for her uber picky eating habits, so when I heard she loves cupcakes I knew that store bought would just not do! I am not much of a perfectionist when it comes to baking.  I prefer a more 'rustic' approach.    Piped on frosting and sprinkly little things are just not me.  But with some store bought caramel topping drizzled on top and a wafer cookies from Trader Joes,  I think they came out okay!    Christina loved them and that's what counts...I believe she downed 2 of them!  (oops, didn't mean to tell!). The secret to these beauties is using Jumbo cupcake liners in your regular size muffin tin.  It turns ordinary cupcakes into big beautiful cupcakes! You can use a homemade cake mix (see below) or a box mix.    If you choose a box, try to ...

 I've been reposting some of my prior recipes so I can improve the photo's, and in this case I am reducing the fat while I am at it!  See my previous  ugly photo and fattening recipe!    This is a rendition of Ina Gartens Salmon Cake recipe.  Like a lot of her recipes she is heavy on the butta.     I tweaked it a bit to make it healthy and really, no difference in flavor at all...none, zip, nada.    I saved a butt-load (pun intended) of fat!  My arteries are thanking me today!  I also left off the Tarragon Vinigerette   in my previous posting,but you can sure add it if you would like!  How I did it :     I sauteed the veggies in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and omitted the butter. Reduced the mayo by 1/4 cup and decreased the eggs from 2 to 1. I also increased the Dijon to make the patties hold together. I sauted in olive oil instead of the sugge...

I love secret ingredients!  Something that makes a recipe really different and stand out.  The secret to this soup is... a bottle of beer!  Beer instead of broth, now that's my kind of recipe! (especially if you throw this together in the morning and take a little taster before dumping it in the pot..who doesn't like a little beer breath in the morning?). You can't really 'taste' the beer but it does add a certain depth of flavor.  If you don't drink alcohol, you can substitute chicken broth...but try the beer, the chances of any alcohol being left after 5 hours in a slow cooker are pretty slim. You can also substitute kidney beans for chili beans, regular canned diced tomatoes instead of those with green chilies, I  think you could go with just about anything you got in your cupboard on this and not mess it up too bad!       Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 1 (16 oz) can chili beans 1 (15 oz) can black beans 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drai...

I have this pretty amazing kid.  Ya, I know, spoken like a Mom, but I do, I do, I really, really do! She is 23, (where did the time go) and she has always had a very natural instict when it comes to cooking and food.  She was 5 when she fell in love with Pesto.... so much for PBJ's! Like her Father, she loves to dine out and try new food.  Like her Mom, she cooks when she is bored or inspired, either emotion usually turns out something pretty yummy.  She is very good at cooking with what's on hand and that's where this came from.  We must have had a box of Lemon Cake mix in the cupboard...lucky us! She found this recipe on browneyedbaker.com .    You can substitute any flavor of cake mix and create a multitude of crinkle cookies.  Spice cookies, chocolate cookies, confetti cookies, any cake mix will work!  (just omit the lemon zest and lemon juice and substitute with a spice and/or extract that matches ...

Personally, I love Blue Cheese Dressing...Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing to be exact. However,  there comes a time when you have to make a change for the sake of your waistline and arteries....and up until now, I really couldn't find anything that was a decent substitute. But this stuff is good...really good!  2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in the whole recipe makes it artery friendly. I adopted this from skinnytaste.com.   A blog I have mentioned several times.  I love her low cal stuff and I don't really like low cal stuff, so that's quite a compliment.  I modified this recipe a bit, to increase the yield and I used anchovies paste opposed to a jar of anchovies.  Anchovy paste will last a good long time, a jar of anchovies...not so much. The first thing my blogging muse, Rob said to me when I told him I made this is:  'ewwww Anchovies, I hate Anchovies!' (just want you to know, he said it like a girl).  Now I love Rob, but he doesn't  '...