Bridesmaid Luncheon

Not mine of course. Been there, done that. This was for a friend of mine who is getting married soon and I won't be able to be at her wedding due to the fact that my brother-in-law is getting married the same weekend in another state. So I asked if I could help with her luncheon and she said she would love it if I made her cake. So here it is...a red velvet cake (her favorite) with cream cheese icing.


Red Velvet Cake


I used two red velvet boxed cake mixes. Follow the directions on the box to make two 9-inch round cakes from each box. Allow to cool and then level the tops as best you can.





Cream Cheese Icing


2 sticks butter, softened
16 oz cream cheese, softened
2 lbs powdered/confectioners sugar
2 tbsp milk

Using a mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Then add the sugar and milk and mix until smooth and creamy 1-2 minutes. Now you have a wonderful cream cheese icing!





The Assembly





I decided to use a cardboard cake round that was already silver with pretty edging to put the cake on. I spread a little of the icing in the center of the round to make sure the cake didn't slide when I was icing. Place on cake on the round with the bottom of the cake down. Pipe a generous amount of icing on top of that layer and spread with cake spatula...that's what I call it, you know the long, flat knife looking thing. Put the next cake on upside down so that you have a smooth surface to work with. Again pipe the icing and spread. The third layer goes on right side up. Another layer of icing. And the final layer of cake goes upside down again giving a smooth surface to work with. Now you can ice the top and sides of the cake. To get the texture I used a butter knife and bounced the knife across the cake and around the sides. Top with a couple of picture clips and flowers for a beautiful cake!

Pepper Problem

So my peppers are getting bigger, but some sort of bug is eating the leaves. In fact, some bug is eating all my plants. My flowers, my herbs and my peppers have holes in the leaves and the colors are starting to fade. I'm afraid all my plants are going to die and this time it's not my fault :(

If anyone has any recommendations on how to get rid of the bug or protect my plants please let me know. I'm new to gardening and have never had a green thumb.

Vacation Bible School...Outrigger Island

This year's VBS had an island theme. It was so much fun, but it made me want to go to the beach. Anyway, we had a post VBS meeting to discuss what was good and what could make next year better. I got an email last week about a flip flop cake. What better for our post VBS brunch?!? I was ecstactic about making this cake. I love a good challenge! Here is the recipe with my changes italicized.

Flip Flop Cake adapted from www.bettycrocker.com

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix (Whatever cake you like)
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

Tray or cardboard, covered with foil

2 containers Betty Crocker® Whipped vanilla frosting (I made my own...recipe follows)

Assorted food colors

About 40 small round candy-coated fruit-flavored chewy candies (I used M&M's)

Assorted colors Betty Crocker® decorating icing (in 4.25-oz tubes) or Betty Crocker® Easy Flow decorating icing (in 6.4-oz cans) (I used my own icing in a piping bag)

1 roll Betty Crocker® Fruit by the Foot® Green Apple Wave® chewy fruit snack (from 4.5-oz box)

2 edible pansy or silk daisy flowers (I didn't use this. I just rolled some of the Fruit by the Foot to make the toe divider)

1. Heat oven to 350°(325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

2. Cut cake lengthwise in half. Continue cutting each piece to form flip-flop shape as shown in diagram. Place pieces on tray. Freeze pieces uncovered about 1 hour for easier frosting if desired.
I didn't freeze the cake this time. Next time I definately will because it would have made frosting the sides so much easier.

3. In small bowl, mix 1 cup frosting with food color to make desired color; frost sides of each flip-flop. In another small bowl, mix 1 cup frosting with second food color to make desired color; frost top of each flip-flop. Place small candies around side edge of each flip-flop to look like jewels. Decorate top of each flip-flop with decorating icing. Cut two 6-inch pieces from fruit roll; cut pieces lengthwise in half. Arrange on flip-flops for straps. Just before serving, top with flowers. Store loosely covered. I took 1/2-1 cup frosting in a bowl to make the color for piping. The rest I used to frost the cake.

I used brown sugar around the cakes to look like sand. Then I piped some starfish and a flower in the "sand". I was very pleased with this cake and I will definately do it again!!!

Good Friends and Good Food

Who could ask for anything more? This weekend I got to visit with some old friends and their families. Of course food was involved. My friend Angela made some country style ribs and potatoes. Well, I couldn't pass up the chance to cook for friends so I made barbeque baked beans. They got rave reviews so I'll definately make them next time we cook out!
I didn't take a picture but here's the recipe...super simple.


Barbeque Baked Beans
Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/2-1 lb ground beef
1/2 bell pepper
1/4-1/2 vidalia onion (depending on how much onion you like, i tried using a white onion before and it's not the same)
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1/2 cup plain barbeque sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cans regular pork-n-beans

In a skillet with a little evoo, cook the onion and pepper. When almost done add the garlic. Put in a large bowl and set aside. In the same pan cook the beef. When done drain and add to the veggies. Mix in everything else and put in a 13x9 casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Best when served warm!

Peppah!

I have peppers! Last month I put a picture of some herbs that I am growing. I also bought Bell Peppers and Okra. The peppers have done great. This picture was taken about a week ago so they are bigger now and I have some new little ones starting! I can't wait until they are big enough to pick and eat!

Taco Ring

We actually had this a couple of weeks ago but I haven't had much time to post lately. My family loves this meal. I think this was a Pampered Chef recipe that my mom fixed for me. I've just re-created it and modified to our liking. It's so easy and everyone can add the fixings that they like. I hope you enjoy!



Taco Ring



1 lb groud beef

2 cans crescent rolls (8 count each)

1/2 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper



mexican blend shredded cheese (or cheddar if you like)

shredded lettuce

salsa

bell pepper

sour cream

chopped cilantro

any other taco toppings you like

This picture has fewer crescent rolls because that's what I had. It usually comes out more like a rectangle than a circle!

Brown the ground beef in a skillet seasoning with salt & pepper, cumin, chili and garlic powder. Drain and set to the side. On a baking sheet, I like to use the Pampered Chef stoneware baking sheet, lay out the crescent rolls in pairs. Lay one crescent roll triangle with the 90 degree corner to the left, then take another crescent roll with the 90 degree corner to the right and over lap them. Repeat making a circle. Spoon some of the ground beef into each pair (we add some cheese also) and fold the skinny ends over and across to the opposite corner. When all are filled bake following the directions on the crescent roll package. When I want to get fancy I cut the top off a bell pepper and scoop out the seeds and fill with salsa. You can do another to serve sour cream, cheese or lettuce. I also put the remaining beef in the middle of the ring before serving for those who prefer a little extra meat. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve!

"Pork Chops and Applesauce"

That would be what my toddler had. As for me and my husband, we had pork chops and corn salsa. My local grocer had pork chops for sale so I began looking for a new recipe. I found a very promising "Parmesan-crusted Pork Chop" recipe at Delish. She suggested serving them with a lemon wedge so I thought my corn salsa would make a great side. They were a perfect match!

Here is my corn salsa recipe.

Corn Salsa

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated (more if you like)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained partially

1-2 cups frozen corn kernels (add as much or as little as you like)

Salt and Pepper

Parsley

Cilantro, chopped

Lime

(to make it more Italian, omit the cilantro and lime and add oregano and nutmeg...this is equally as good)

Add 1-2 tbsp EVOO to a medium saute pan and heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook until onions are translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and corn. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Let simmer about 10 minutes until corn and tomatoes are heated through. Mix in the juice of half a lime and cilantro before serving. Serve warm.

(For the Italian version add the oregano and dash of nutmeg when adding the salt, pepper and parsley.)

Hidden surprise!

I'm a big fan of hiding healthy foods...those that most kids won't even look at...in favorite foods. Therefore, I have to plug "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. One of my family's favorites from this book are chicken nuggets. The hidden "jewel" is butternut squash. You can use other veggies like sweet potatoes, broccoli or spinich. The first attempt at these nuggets I made them with sweet potatoes and even my mom, who is the pickiest eater I know, tried and liked them. Since then I have changed some things and found that my family prefers the squash.

The key to this dish is making the butternut squash puree. As the cookbook suggested, I took a Sunday afternoon and made a bunch of purees, labeled and froze them.

Here is the directions for making the squash puree. Taken from "Deceptively Delicious."

Butternut Squash

Cut off the stem, cut squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds.

Roast the halves on a cookie sheet, flesh-side down, at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes.

I froze it in freezer bags in 1/2 cup portions.

Chicken Nuggets

Source: Deceptively Delicious

1 cup whole-wheat, white or Panko breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1 tbsp grated Parmesan

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder (I used onion flakes because that's what I had)

1 cup butternut squash puree (you can substitute sweet potato, broccoli, spinach or beet puree)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed, dried, and cut into small

chunks

1/2 tsp salt

Nonstick cooking spray

1 tbsp olive oil

In a bowl (I used a pie dish), combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic, and onion powder and mix well with your fingers.

In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.

Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat (I found that my skillet has to be over meduim heat or they will start to burn to quickly). When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut into a piece to check that it's cooked through.) Serve warm.

They don't make the prettiest meal, but they sure are tasty!!!

Friday Night Pizza

Friday night pizza is a tradition in our house. Until now we chose whatever company could deliver it fastest. Tonight, our recent job loss forced me to figure out how to save money while keeping our pizza tradition. This sent me straight to my sister's site Burnt Toast to find the pizza dough recipe that she had been raving about. I'm so glad I did. Just like her husband, my husband likes traditional pizza...red sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. However I like to experiment with my toppings and sauces. We made individual pizzas so that we could each have what we liked. My son is visiting Nana tonight, but if he were here I'm sure he would have eaten a little of each!

Before adding to dough recipe I wanted to add a little warning...make the edges a little thicker than the rest of the pizza or your toppings will slide off!






Here is the recipe for the crust taken from EasyPizzaCrusts.com.

No Yeast Pizza Crust
Source: EasyPizzaCrusts.com

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp cooking oil


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pizza pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add liquids and stir to incorporate dry ingredients. Knead dough by hand 6-8 times on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough thinly. Place rolled dough onto prepared pizza pan, add favorite sauce and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, depending on crust thickness.

I added 1/2 tsp. garlic powder to the dough to flavor the crust a little. And we put some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) on the crust to keep it from soaking up the sauce.

My husband's pizza was topped with pizza sauce (yes, I took some help from the store on that one), shredded mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. He said it was great.

To top my pizza I mixed 8 oz. cream cheese, softened, 1 large can shredded chicken, drained, and 2 cloves of finely grated garlic. I found out that this made way more than I needed for my small pizza. In fact, I would recommend spreading only a thin layer on the pizza...I put way too much on mine and it was overpowering. I also topped it with a mixture of shredded mozzarella, parmesan and swiss.

When it came out of the oven I added chopped cilantro that I have been growing!





My white pizza was good but not the best pizza I've had. I'll definately make it again trying new toppings!

Inspired

I was inspired to start this site by my sister's blogsite Burnt Toast. We both share a passion for cooking. I moved home from college and moved in with my sister in 2004 and she introduce me to the Food Network. We began to cook together and haven't stopped sharing meals and recipes since (although I do have to adapt how hot some of her recipes are)!

I love to cook but I was a little (ok, a lot) overwhelmed when I had my son in 2006. I thought I would never have the time or energy to cook a "real" meal again. After 6 months we had established a routine and I decided to try really cooking and experimenting again. It has been great! Only now, a year later, I have to make sure that I fix foods that my toddler can eat while exposing him to the wonderful flavors that food has to offer. That is where to title of my blog, Mommy Meals, came from. I will be posting many recipes, most of which can be eaten by a toddler without sacrificing the bold flavors that I love!!

~Erin