Category Archives: Recipes

Chex Mix

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This has been a staple in my family for years.  Someone coming over?  Make chex mix.  Holiday coming up?  Better make some chex mix.  Want a delicious snack?  You get the point.  My mom always made this in the oven (I think she still does actually…it make the house smell DIVINE!) but when I was short on time and needed one more thing to fill the table for book club, I figured I’d give this a shot in the microwave.

End result?  Amazing.  Simply amazing.  Plus it only took half the time!  And who doesn’t love chex mix?  I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t love these easy treat!  Enjoy (and don’t eat it it all before your guests arrive)!

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Chex Mix

Ingredients
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cute bite-sized pretzels
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions
1. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, and pretzels; set aside.
2. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on high for about 40 seconds or until melted.
3. Stir in seasonings.
4. Pour over cereal mixture. Stir until evenly coated.
5. Microwave uncovered n high for about 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes.
6. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container until ready to eat!

Lightened Up Sour Cream & Onion Dip

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I made this sour cream and onion dip back in October when I went up north with a bunch of girlfriends for a weekend.  I was flipping through pictures a few days ago and realized I never shared this recipe.  How did I miss this one?

This was a big hit with the ladies and the best part is that it’s kind of healthy!  Whaaa?  Oh yes, you read that right.  Add Greek yogurt along in with the reduced fat sour cream and voila!  Half the calories, twice the fun!

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Lightened Up Sour Cream & Onion Dip (originally found on Eat, Live, Run)

Ingredients
2 large yellow onions, diced small
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 17-ounce Greek yogurt
1 16-ounce container reduced fat sour cream
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a non-stick large pan.
2. Add the onion and saute for about 30 minutes, stirring often and adding the water later during the cooking process if and when onions seem a bit dry. You want the onions to be very translucent and soft but not quite caramelized.
3. After onions are cooked, let them cool completely.
4. Mix together the Greek yogurt and sour cream in a large bowl.
5. Add the cooled onions, garlic sale, and pepper.
6. Combine well and place in the fridge for an hour to let the flavors mix together.
7. Serve with ruffle chips or vegetables!

How To Make the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

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One of my favorite things to eat for a snack is a hard boiled egg.  Good thing they’re good for you because I eat them a lot.  Probably too much.  Sometimes is can be a pain to make them though.  You want them to not be over or under cooked but you also want them to be easy to peel (does that even exist though?).  I’ve tried the microwave method (don’t try it…they don’t taste good) and I found a way to make hard boiled eggs in the oven but this method here is the only (and easiest) way I make hard boiled eggs since I discovered it.

I promise this will make your hard boiled egg life so much happier :)

Start with eggs that are a week or so old.  They are MUCH easier to peel!

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Choose a pan large enough to hold all the eggs to be cooked at one time without crowding or bumping into each other.  Be sure it is free of grease.

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Place eggs in pan and cover with cold water, filling pan one inch over tops of eggs.  Bring to boil and remove from heat immediately.

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Cover and let them stand for 20 to 25 minutes, as the hot water gently and evenly cooks the eggs.

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Remove the eggs and rinse with cold eater.  This not only cools the eggs but also cause the cooked whites to shrink away from the shells, making them easier to peel.

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I find it easier to peel the eggs while the cold water is running.  The shell seems to come off much more smooth and in large chunks instead of little pieces.

A Complete Meal Made Just For You

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I’ve had summer fever badly lately.  When we had those few random days at the end of March, I was prancing around in short sleeves cleaning my car out and pulling out the patio furniture (truth).  Fifty-five degrees does that to us Wisconsin folk.  Then last week it poured alllll week long.  Like basements flooding rivers overflowing pouring.  I now know what it feels like to live in Seattle.

Anyways though…summer fever.  I have it.  And when the weather gets warmer, the beer gets tastier my taste buds and cooking styles change.

The day I made this for dinner we unfortunately didn’t get to eat on the patio.  Can someone please send us some heat?!  Flooding and 40 degrees (on the good days) aren’t cutting is for me anymore.  A girl can dream though.  Hence this warm weather feel good meal.  If you lice someplace where it’s warmer than 40, think of me when you make this!  I know you’ll enjoy it!

Best part is all three recipes are included so you don’t have to figure out any of the meal on your own.  It’s how I like to roll.

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Macadamia Nut-Crusted Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients
For fish:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup crushed macadamia nuts
2 tilapia fillets (3-4 ounces each)

For salsa:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1/4 cup minced cilantro
Salt and pepper
Lime juice to your tasting

Directions
1. Preheat over to 400 degrees
2. Put flour, egg, and nuts in three separate shallow dishes.
3. Drench each fillet in flour, then egg, then nuts.
4. Place on oiled baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes, until golden brown.
5. While fish is baking, make the salsa. Combine pineapple, onion, cilantro, and lime juice.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with fish.

Sesame Snow Peas

Ingredients
1 cup snow peas
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Rinse snow peas but don’t dry.
2. Place in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 45 seconds.
3. Stir in butter, sesame seeds and salt and pepper.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Directions
1. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice to the water when preparing 1/2 cup long-grain white rice (I just used instant rice).
2. When done cooking according to package directions, stir in 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.

Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries

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I’m not really sure if this is worthy of post by itself but I made these chocolate chip stuffed raspberries two nights ago for book club and they were a hit!  I was excited after everyone left and there were still some in the bowl.  They didn’t last much longer after that ;)

Something about chocolate and berries that gets me.  It’s like raspberry covered chocolate instead of chocolate covered raspberries!  You’ll also notice that I used white chocolate instead of milk chocolate.  I’m normally a big milk chocolate kind of girl but I like the white chocolate a lot more when it comes to covering food (or stuffing food in this case)!  It’s weird I know.  I bet these would be equally amaze-balls with milk chocolate chips though if the white chocolate isn’t your thing.

Hope you all enjoy these!  And if you don’t, try switching up the color of chocolate chip you use.  You’re bound to love some variation!

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Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries

Ingredients

2 small containers of raspberries
Chocolate chips (white, milk chocolate, or both)

Directions

1. Wash the raspberries and try them with a paper towel.
2. After they’re dry, take a chocolate chip and stuff them inside the raspberry.
3. Continue until you have the amount desired.
4. Serve immediately.

Crock Pot Tex-Mex Chicken Taco’s

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We have a thing we do every Sunday that I never really noticed until Mr. C. put a title on it.  Actually he kind of made it into a jingle and sings it to Jack every Sunday but that’s a whole different thing.  We use the crock pot every single Sunday almost religiously.  If he isn’t using it to make dips or pulled pork then I’m using it to make some sort of meal for that night or something for the week.

This past Sunday I made Tex-Mex Chicken and turned them into taco’s.  They were delicious and such a simple meal for a lazy Sunday!

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Crock Pot Tex-Mex Chicken Taco’s

Makes 2-4

Ingredients

1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 16 ounce jar of salsa
1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 yellow onion, diced
salt
lettuce
cheddar cheese
cilantro
lime juice from a lime
avocado slices
tortilla shells

Directions

1. Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken breasts then place them at the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Scatter the onion on top of the chicken breasts.
3. Pour the salsa over the top and cook (covered) on low for 4-5 hours.
4. After 4-5 hours, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Put the chicken back in the slow cooker and keep on low for a half hour longer to combine all the flavors. Season with a little salt.
5. To serve, warm up the tortilla shells and place chicken in first followed by a little lettuce, cheese, cilantro, avocado slices and lime juice over the top of it all from a lime.

*Best served with a Corona or margarita :) *

The Leprechauns Got Me & Bailey’s Pudding Pie with Thin Mint Crust

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This weekend took on a whole new meaning of St. Patty’s day for me.  Instead of drinking like I’m 21, I ate.  And I ate and I ate.  It was ridiculous the amount of food (and Kopp’s custard) I consumed in those 48 hours.

We started the weekend ritzing it up at a fancy schmancy country club for a fish fry for my in-laws birthdays on Friday night.  It was delicious and wayyyy too much food.  But obviously I had to save room for the the best lemon bars ever for dessert.  I can always find room for dessert.

Remember that 7k run I was telling you I hoped would get snowed out?  Yeah that was Saturday and there was definitely fresh snow on the ground but not enough for it to be cancelled which was lame lame lame.  Standing in the mid 20 degree weather before the race was by far the worst part and I finally gained feeling in my toes again by mile two.  Ahh the things we do for a free cup of green beer.

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This little man kept me warm after the run (although he does look like a giant here!)

Sunday was dedicated to relaxing and making Bailey’s Pudding Pie for an Irish dinner my friend was hosting.  Check out this Guinness beef stew of hers.

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Seriously amazing.

I made this for dessert and even though it doesn’t make the prettiest presentation when on a plate, people did have good things to say about it.  Who wouldn’t?  It has Girl Scout cookies in it people!

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What’s that you say?  You don’t see a picture of how un-pretty it is on a plate?  Well let me tell you that I had every intention of taking a picture of the leftovers when I got home from work tonight since I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it yesterday but lo and behold Mr. C. was rinsing out the pie pan and telling me how good it was when I walked in the doorway.  I almost cried.  And had some not so nice words to say.  But I couldn’t not share this recipe with you today.  Picture the slice of the pie to look a little something like crushed Thin Mints on the bottom for crust, chocolate pudding in the middle and this whipped cream and crushed Thin Mint cookies for garnish on top.  I bet your imagination is coming up with something a whole lot prettier than what I was going to present anyways!

If you’re all about the presentation for this though, you could use pint size jars for each serving.  They look really pretty and are probably more practical if you are making this for an outing (like a picnic) instead of a group dinner.

Bailey’s Pudding Pie with Thin Mint Crust (found originally on Crazy for Crust)

Ingredients

For the Crust
2 sleeves (17) Thin Mint (or the Keebler equivalent), finely ground, 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish*
6 tablespoons butter, melted*

For the Pudding
1 egg
1 ½ cups milk
2/3 cups sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon instant coffee (a little less than 1 Via packet)
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate
¼ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (1 mini bottle) {Don’t drink? No problem Just leave this out!}

For the Garnish
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
Reserved 2 tablespoon of ground Thin Mints

Directions
1. Mix finely ground cookies with butter. Pour into pie pan, press to flatten, and chill until ready to use.
2. Whisk egg in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk milk, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and corn starch in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken (about 5 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and pour one ladle of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg bowl, while whisking the egg. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pan and whisk to combine. Return to heat and cook just until it begins to boil.
5. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and butter. Once melted, stir in the Bailey’s. Pour the pudding onto the cooled crust. Cover the top with plastic (press the plastic so that it is touching the top of the pudding) and chill until cooled.
6. Add cold heavy cream to a chilled bowl (I like to chill my bowl and whisk in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes prior to making whipped cream). Add powdered sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
7. Portion whipped cream over cooled pudding and top with reserved crushed Thin Mints.

Pretzel Rolo Nut Bites

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Just popping in to introduce one of my favorite bloggers!  Amanda blogs over at Once Upon a Recipe and agreed to share a mouthwatering sweet treat with all of us.  Cheers to our sweet tooth!
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Hello Read, Eat, Create readers! Happy Wednesday! I am so delighted to be guest posting for Erin today. She’s got such a cute little space here! My name is Amanda and I share my kitchen creations over at Once Upon a Recipe. I have a rather uncontrollable sweet tooth and love to share sugary delights with any willing participant!

Therefore it is only fitting for me to share a sweet treat with you today. It’s simple, quick, and rather addictive, so consider yourself warned.

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These little Pretzel Rolo Nut Bites were first introduced to me many years ago by my BFF. She brought them to a potluck and everyone went absolutely crazy for them. For some reason they popped back into my brain the other day and I thought they’d be darn near perfect to share. Perhaps I was lusting after their sweet and salty perfection and needed a quick fix. If you find yourself having the same craving, don’t fret! You are mere minutes away from pure satisfaction.

Here’s how we rock it:

Step One: Gather your supplies. You’ll need small pretzels (either regular pretzel shape or the square shape works even better for this), Rolos, and your favorite nut (pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.).

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Step Two: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line up your pretzels on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Place one Rolo in the centre of each pretzel.

Step Three: Bake for 2-3 minutes, or just until the Rolo has softened. Remove from the oven.

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Step Four: Working quickly, place a nut on top of the Rolo and gently press down to flatten it. Be careful not to burn your finger on the hot chocolate! Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then stick the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow the bites to completely set.

Step Five: Try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting.

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The great thing about these little treats is that you can control exactly how many you make at one time. You can make 5 or you can make 50. These bites also make a great gift – pack them up in a little tin or in a treat bag and tie with a bow. I can’t speak for everyone, but a sweet little gift like that would totally brighten my day.

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Pretzel Rolo Nut Bites

The amount of each ingredient is up to you, depending on how many bites you wish to make. Just remember that you need the same number of pretzels, Rolos, and nuts! I toasted my pecans and walnuts first. Just spread a single layer of nuts on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 7-8 minutes. When they become fragrant, you’re good to go!

Mini pretzels
Rolos
Pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, you name it!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Lay the pretzels out in a single layer, top with a Rolo, and bake for 2-3 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top each Rolo with your favorite nut, pressing down gently to flatten it. Once the baking sheet has cooled down a little bit, pop the whole thing into the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow the bites to set. Store the bites in an airtight container, with wax paper between the layers to avoid the bites sticking together.

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Thanks for hosting me Erin! For more sweet recipes (and some savory too!), pop by and visit me some time at Once Upon a Recipe!

Xo,
Amanda

Chinese Five-Spice Popcorn

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I am an avid popcorn eater. I make it at least two or three times a week and absolutely love hanging out on the couch with a HUGE bowl of it. My (now) father-in-law bought me a stove top popcorn maker not too long after Mr. C. and I started dating and I literally used it everyday for the first three weeks. I couldn’t get enough of it!

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I recently have been dipping into recipes for popcorn and it’s been interesting. I never thought I would like popcorn any other way than plain with butter and salt but there’s so many different things you can do with popcorn and flavors that can be added that I decided to dabble with this a bit.

My first experiment with it was making this Chinese Five Spice Popcorn. Oh my goodness was it delicious! It’s got this zingy taste that you don’t expect but makes you keep coming back for more. I really want to have friends over for a Chinese night. I’ve been finding so many good recipes lately that I could really get my ethnic side of cooking into full swing! Anyone want to come over for Chinese?! Haha! Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I do!

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Chinese Five-Spice Popcorn

Ingredients
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spce powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions
1. Combine corn, oil, sugar, five-spice powder and salt in a pot with a tight fitting lid over medium heat.
2. When corn begins to pop, turn heat to medium-low.
3. Shake constantly until popping slows. Remove from heat (careful-it can burn easily!), transfer to bowl and drizzle with butter.

Peanut Butter Cookies

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It’s 1:25am and I’m finally getting around to posting the peanut butter cookie recipe that I promised yesterday on Instagram.  Sure I had all day (since I came home after being at work for two hours because I was so sick) to do this post but why wouldn’t I procrastinate?  Story of my life even though Mr. C. tries so hard to change that.

It was 52 degrees outside today and it’s pouring rain right now.  Yesterday we got dumped on with an inch or two of snow and an ice storm.  This weather is whacked up.  I’m ready for summer.  It may be sticky and uncomfortably hot but at least it’s consistent.

Last week I made these cookies and they were oh so good.  I kept saying “Just one more and then I’ll pack them away”.  I’m pretty sure it was seven cookies later when I finally kept my word.  Do yourself a favor and make them.  Then give them to your husband to take to work and you will win major brownie points.  Or just take them to your own work and they will be begging you to make them again.  Win-win either way.

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Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 5-6 dozen

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy OR chunky peanut butter (I did half cup chunky and half cup creamy since it was all the peanut butter I had left in my house)
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine peanut butter with butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth.
3. Beat in both sugars, then eggs and vanilla extract until blended.
4. Beat in flour mixture until just blended (Refridgerate dough if you need to here).
5. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Arrange dough on an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
6. Gently flatten each cookie and press a crisscross pattern into tops with a fork.
7. Lightly sprinke sugar over tops of cookies.
8. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely in wire rack and store in airtight container.