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Homemade Granola for Yogurt Parfaits
Thursday, May 23, 2013 by Becky Rosenthal
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Springtime mornings call for subtly sweet and wonderfully simple breakfasts. Breakfasts that are made for an east-facing porch, or a cozy outdoor dining area, where you're more interested in sitting and staring at the morning sky than worrying about a big, involved breakfast-making experience. I know, you have to wake up early enough to enjoy the summer morning if you're in the hotter areas of the country, but it's worth it when you've got the time. Rarely does the midweek give that time we need, but perhaps a Sunday morning might make itself available. A cup of coffee and a nice homemade granola something or other would do the trick.
Today I'm sharing a recipe for homemade granola that can be made whenever you have some spare time and enjoyed with fresh fruit and yogurt. It's as complicated or as simple as you make it. If you really want to get fancy, you can make your own yogurt as well. This recipe isn't that recipe. This one intends to make things simple but still healthy and homemade.
Snow Cone Cupcakes - Perfect for your Patriotic Picnic
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 by Kelly Pugliano
Summer season is about to kick off with neighborhood barbecues and picnics celebrating the Memorial Day Holiday and I have a great little cupcake that will dress up any table! It’s fun, colorful, and garners “oohs” and “aahhs” from all those that sink their teeth into this delicious Snow Cone cupcake.
Last summer, I was looking for a new recipe to take to our neighbor’s annual picnic. I was tired of bringing the same treat – brownies cut in the shape of stars – and wanted something that was easy, more in the theme of red, white, and blue and – honestly – had a bit more pizazz. Lucky for me, I follow Angie (aka: Bakerella) the crazy-talented mastermind behind Cake Pops. In my email came her latest post and it was the perfect recipe I was looking for! Now, her cupcakes actually look like snow cones; mine need a little more practice. But the end results were the same – delicious; because I came home with an empty tray!
Picnic Perfect Healthy Pasta Salad
Thursday, May 16, 2013 by Becky Rosenthal
The warming weather brings us into picnic and BBQ season once again! During this time of year, I am always searching for light, tasty recipes that are picnic-perfect. There's a huge park just up the road from my house in downtown Salt Lake City. I dream of long lunches or evening dinners packed in our picnic backpack, maybe sneaking a little wine in for good measure. Long meals shared with loved ones under the bright blue sky make summers that much better. I love everything about a picnic.
I am sharing a recipe that puts a healthy spin on a classic cook-out staple, pasta salad. Pasta salads are a huge part of outdoor gatherings of all sizes, but its great to have a recipe that off-sets these carb-heavy dishes with some fresh vegetables.
This recipe calls for green beans and arugula, but feel free to get creative with the veggies and greens you choose—summer squash, zucchini, spinach…the possibilities are endless! This recipe takes about 40 minutes, but most of the time is spent allowing the cooked pasta and beans to refrigerate. Enjoy!
Fruit Tart Recipe: The Star of Your Summer Party!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 by Kelly Pugliano
Summer is just around the corner and soon it will be time for me to make my favorite fruit salad. There is nothing like a great combination of summer berries, citrus, grapes and exotic fruits showing off all their beautiful colors and shapes. But what if you are looking to make that salad a little fancier? Then I would suggest you try this delicious Fruit Tart recipe which will command a “WOW” out of anyone.
I must admit, this is a recipe that I have never made before. I have always opted to stop at the bakery department of my local grocery store for an already prepared tart, but what I learned putting this together is that it is just as easy to make at home and I can use whatever fruit is in season. My only suggestion would be to not use watermelon. I love watermelon, but it would be too mushy if placed on a tart. I also used a very basic cream cheese filling vs. the typical vanilla custard and it was just as good.
If you don’t own a tart baking pan, no worries! I don’t own one either and when I priced one at the store, I decided I did not need a $23.00 pan and opted to use my pizza pan instead! It worked just fine and even allowed me to use more fruit.
Here's what you will need:
Saturday, May 11, 2013 by Erika Monroe-Williams
Erika Monroe-Williams, founder of the popular food and lifestyle brand TheHopelessHousewife.com recently showed off her cooking chops on ABC’s primetime cooking competition show, The Taste, where she competed on Nigella Lawson’s team. Erika is truly the hostess with the most-ess, helping people everywhere conquer their kitchen and party planning challenges with simple yet spectacular recipes and party ideas. Erika’s signature cooking style is creating delicious recipes that put a new spin on classic dishes while making sure everything is easy enough for even the most cooking-challenged! A self-taught chef, this multi-tasking mother and former news anchor also just finished her first cookbook to be released Fall 2013.
Today she shares her recipe for The Hopeless Lasagna.
Simple Goodness: Whole Wheat Bread
Thursday, May 09, 2013 by Becky Rosenthal
Homemade bread is delicious and comforting, but I often find myself putting off the task of baking it. Even though basic bread recipes have wonderfully simple ingredient lists, I am easily intimidated by the finicky nature of rising dough and the hours of commitment required.
But with weekend days filled with springtime home projects, I felt it was the perfect time to tackle my reservations and revisit bread making. The actual “hands-on” time required to make bread fits easily into any schedule, and if you have other projects to do around the house, why not let some bread rise while you work?
I chose a very simple whole wheat bread that is perfect for light snacking and summer sandwiches. It holds together well when sliced, and it is great for beginners. The recipe is very straightforward, and the only word of additional wisdom is to be careful not to use water that is too hot or too cool in the first step. Yeast can be complicated, but just aim for warm/lukewarm water and you should have beautifully risen loaves!
Happy baking and happy spring!
Easy Mother's Day Quiche Recipe
Tuesday, May 07, 2013 by Kelly Pugliano
Next week many will celebrate moms and vie for the chance to show how special this important woman is in their lives. Chances are a special brunch or get together will be planned to wish a Happy Mother’s Day. You may decide to let mom have a few extra minutes of sleep or maybe breakfast in bed is more your style. If the latter is the case, then this Mother’s Day Quiche recipe will fit the bill nicely!
I always forget how easy quiche is until I start to make one and then say to myself ‘I should make this more often!’ The best part is you can add whatever you like to the mix & it will be delicious no matter what! We have many tastes in our household so this recipe works for both the meat eaters by including bacon, ham or sausage and satisfies the vegetarians with additions of any vegetable combination you can think of. Mother’s Day Quiche works great as breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cracker Jacks
Saturday, May 04, 2013 by Erika Monroe-Williams
Erika Monroe-Williams, founder of the popular food and lifestyle brand TheHopelessHousewife.com recently showed off her cooking chops on ABC’s primetime cooking competition show, The Taste, where she competed on Nigella Lawson’s team. Erika is truly the hostess with the most-ess, helping people everywhere conquer their kitchen and party planning challenges with simple yet spectacular recipes and party ideas. Erika’s signature cooking style is creating delicious recipes that put a new spin on classic dishes while making sure everything is easy enough for even the most cooking-challenged! A self-taught chef, this multi-tasking mother and former news anchor also just finished her first cookbook to be released Fall 2013.
Today she shares her recipe for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cracker Jacks.
Healthy Mexi Meal: Cauliflower Tostada
Thursday, May 02, 2013 by Becky Rosenthal
Today I'm mixing up two items - a new popular way of cooking cauliflower plus one of my mom's favorite quick Mexican meals.
Cauliflower seems like all the rage these days. Lucky for me, my husband loves it, so we've been experimenting a lot. We've made cauliflower pizza crust using finely ground cauliflower, eggs, herbs, and cheese; we've made cauliflower couscous; we used cauliflower like a grain for salads and side dishes. For this recipe we cut the cauliflower into steak like pieces and toasted them in the oven with a few Mexican spices, and then we used them as the "tortilla" for a Mexican tostada.
Growing up in West Texas there was no shortage of good Mexican food. We could get it quick and cheap or we could go out for a nice luxurious Mexican dinner, complete with unending chips and salsa and a finale of sopapillas. I distinctly remember my mom bringing my sister and me to a Mexican fast food joint, where we would all get our favorite quick bites. I commonly ordered a bean burrito or chicken soft tacos but my mom always ordered the same thing, tostadas.
Tostadas are simply the base of a crispy deep-fried tortilla, covered in refried beans, then topped with tomatoes, cheese, and a variety of other toppings. For these tostadas we baked the cauliflower instead of frying it and then topped it with a few easy ingredients. You can feel free to get creative with your own toppings or make a topping bar and let your family choose which toppings they'd prefer. This easy recipe is perfect for quick weeknight meals or for a healthy Mexican dinner. Enjoy!
Easy Cinco de Mayo Meal: Crockpot Enchiladas
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 by Kelly Pugliano
To help prepare for the festivities of Cinco de Mayo, or May 5th, I have a great time saving recipe for Crockpot Enchiladas that you will love and as an added bonus, it's an easy weeknight meal your family will love!
In years past, this day on the calendar always signified the beginning of some sporting season; baseball, soccer, softball, swimming…the list could go on forever, right? When the weeks began to get hectic, I would always pull out one of my favorite cooking appliances- the crockpot! You really can’t argue the ease of making dinner- put ingredients in, replace the lid, turn it on and depending on the dish, 6-10 hours later, dinner is ready! I Love it!
This recipe is adapted from my favorite crockpot cook book called ‘Fix-it and Forget-it’, by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good. With over 800 recipes, I’ve had fun adding a little bit of this or a little bit of that to cater to the tastes of my family. So far, I’ve found a few that we really like and this Crockpot Enchilada is one of them!
This is great served with a touch of sour cream and a nice green salad on the side. Ready to try it?
