Lemon Buttons

I found this recipe at Mmm..Cafe awhile ago and finally made them about a month ago. They were so yummy and you can't stop at just one. My husband ate tons of them and so did my kids. If you love lemony cupcakes that just melt in your mouth these are it. They are so easy and yummy!!!

Lemon Buttons

1 yellow cake mix

1 small box(3 1/2 oz) instant lemon pudding mix

4 large eggs

1/2 cup natural(no sugar added) applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

3 T. vegetable oil

3 T. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray. You can also put cupcake liners in them as well like I did and spray with cooking spray. combine the cake mix, pudding, eggs, applesauce, and oil and blend well. Fill each muffin tin half full with batter. Bake for about 9 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For the glaze, mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, oil and water until smooth. Dip the top of the cupcakes into the glaze while they are still warm, Place on wire racks and let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour. Then enjoy!!! Be careful if you are on a diet you can't just eat one believe me!!

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

I saw this recipe at the Pioneer Woman website. I wanted a simple easy pasta for dinner and this hit the spot. My family really like it too and it is so hard for me to find new pastas that they will eat. They only seem to like red sauce and alfredo sauce so this was a win win for me because I like all kinds of pasta. I adapted the recipe a little bit and really like the outcome. If you want something quick for dinner give this one a try.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce adapted from Pioneer Woman
2 T. olive oil
2T. butter
1 onion, chopped
1-2 T. minced garlic
1 large(28 oz) can and 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
dash of sugar
1 cup cream
grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried basil(fresh if you have it) I didn't so I used dried
1 lb pasta if you like lots of sauce like me and 1 1/2 pounds pasta if you don't like as much sauce

Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is tender. Pour in the tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, sugar and basil if using dried basil. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and Add desired amount of cheese and basil if using fresh basil and heat through. Cook Pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to the pasta sauce and stir. Serve immediately.

Chicken and Barley Soup

It is still hot here but I am so ready for the fall and cooler weather. I made soup anyway because I am ready for that season to begin. This soup was really tasty and what is better than HOMEMADE SOUP AND FRESH ROLLS WARM OUT OF THE OVEN!!!

CHICKEN AND BARLEY SOUP
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 boxes(32 oz each) of chicken broth low sodium or regular
1-2 cups water
4-5 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
5-8 carrots, diced (we like lots of carrots)
2 T. garlic
3/4 -1 cup pearl barley(uncooked)
2 tsp oregano
3 T. chicken bouillon
1 tsp pepper
1 T. parsley
2 cans great northern beans(drained or undrained whatever you preference)
1 cup green salsa I use La Costena brand
2 bay leaves
1-2 cups mozzarella or cheddar cheese( I like a mix of both)

Place all in the crockpot except the cheese and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on Low for 8-10 hours until veggies reach desired tenderness. Add the cheese about 30 minutes before serving and mix until it all melts and is incorporated well. Serve with warm bread or rolls!!!

Stuffed Peppers

Oh how I love stuffed peppers. I have never made them before and I had a lot of green peppers I needed to use because I got the for really cheap so I started searching for a good recipe for them. All the recipes I found just seemed so bland and not what I was looking for so I came up with this one on my own and put what I wanted in them. They turned out so yummy. I had a little bit of rice mixture left over but I just put it in the pan with the peppers because I figured my 4 year old would not be big on eating a pepper. And he wasn't. He ate the stuff out of the middle of it so it was nice to have some plain rice on the side to dish up for him. Give these a try you won't be disappointed!!!


Stuffed Peppers
1lb ground beef
1 onion
2 T. minced garlic
4 bell peppers any color will work Tops cut off and deseeded and deveined
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 roma tomato chopped
1(28 oz)can crushed tomatoes
1 cup cheddar cheese or Mozzarella( I used both)

In a skillet brown the hamburger with the onion and garlic until no longer pink. Add the seasonings and the tomato and canned tomatoes and let simmer for 20 minutes. While sauce is simmering, Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the peppers and boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from water and dry each pepper off. the pepper don't need to be too soft because they will continute to cook in the oven. Place them in a 9x13 greased baking pan. Dump the rice in with the sauce and mix well. Spoon the rice mixture into each pepper and any of the remaining rice all around the peppers in the pan. Cover and Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese and bake for and additional 15 minutes. Take out and serve. So Yummy!!!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

They other day I had a lot of bananas I needed to use and wanted a new recipe for using them. I didn't feel like banana bread and in my searching I came across this recipe at Two Peas and their Pod. I knew I had to try them because I love Oatmeal in cookies and who doesn't like chocolate!!! Give these a try you won't be disappointed believe me. Even my kids gobbled them up. I was making them also to take to a bbq we went to so I quadrupled the recipe and it still worked out great!! But I am just giving you the recipe as it is for one batch and it makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. My quadruple batch made about 7 dozen because I make bigger cookies than most people.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 T. butter(1/2 of stick) at room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 large banana, smashed
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt or just a pinch if you use salted butter like I did
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped up reese's peanut butter cups(I added these to it original recipe never called for it but bananas and peanut butter and chocolate together is so yummy)

Preaheat oven to 350. (I set mine at 330 cause 350 was too hot)So adjust your oven accordingly. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugars together until smooth. Add the vanilla and the egg. Mix well. Add the banana and beat well. Slowly add the flour, salt and soda until just combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and peanut butter cups if using them and mix till combined. Drop cookie dough by heaping Tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Mine took about 15 minutes and they were perfect. The banana in the cookie keeps them moist and soft. So yummy!!

Coleslaw Salad

I am sure many of you have had and have a recipe for coleslaw sald with ramen noodles. I have always liked that salad. At one of our church parties a lady in my ward brought this and it was so yummy and way better than any of them that I have ever had. She gave me the recipe the other day and I made it. It is so easy to make and comes together quickly. I used Broccoli slaw with mine because I think it is so much better tasting than coleslaw. You can find this at any supermarket or walmart by the bagged salad and coleslaw mixes. You can make it with regular coleslaw but I highly reccommend broccoli slaw and you can add chicken or leave the chicken out. I made this for our main dish so I added chicken.

Broccoli/Coleslaw Salad
1lb bad shredded broccoli/coleslaw mixture
3-6 green onion with tops diced
1 pkg Beef Ramen noodles(dry an crumbled)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 (13 oz) can chicken or 1 chicken breast cooked and diced or shredded
Dressing: 1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
flavoring packet from the ramen

Mix the ingredients for the dressing and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Meanwhile mix all the rest of the ingredients together. Right before eating pour the dressing over and mix well. Eat and enjoy

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

So is anybody ready for the fall like I am? I am so ready for cooler weather and ready to have this baby althought I still have 3 months to go. Yesterday the kids and I decided to make something with Pumpkin in it to get us ready for the fall. I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe and I knew I had to try them out. These were so yummy!! If you like things with pumpkin in them you must give these a try. They are definitely worth it!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins adapted from My kitchen Cafe
3 cups flour
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree

For Filling:
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For Streusel:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
4 T. cold butter, cut into cubes
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and whip until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or foil sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until hardened, about 1-2 hours.

To make the muffins, mix the eggs, oil, sugars, and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

To make the streusel, combine all the ingrediesnt and mix with two forks or a pastry blender until crumbly.

Preheat oven to 350. Line two muffin pans with paper liners and spray with cooking spray. Fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter. Slice the cream cheese log into pieces and place a slice on the top of the batter in the muffin well and gently press down a little. Divide the remaining batter evenly among the muffins tins and place on top of the cream cheese slice. Sprinkle each muffin with streusel topping. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs on it. Let cool then eat. The recipe says it make 24 muffins but mine made 24 regular sized ones and 6 large ones!!

Chicken Fajitas

I had a red a yellow pepper that I needed to use hanging out in our fridge so I decided to make Fajitas last night. I found an excellent marinade recipe for the chicken from My Kitchen Cafe and from Our Best Bites. The recipes were almost identical so I am going to give credit to the both of them. My family loved these!! Super simple and just serve with tortillas and Spanish rice and refried beans.

Chicken Fajitas
1 1/2 lbs chicken sliced in strips(about 5-6 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice(about3-4 limes)
1/2 cup water
4 T. oil
4 clove garlic, minced
6 tsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp liquid smoke(find by bbq sauce in walmart or any grocery store)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper(optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl . Place the chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the top of chicken. Seal the bag and let marinate in fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight. the longer it marinades the better the flavor.

When ready for dinner slice 2 peppers any color and 1 large onion. Heat 1 T. of oil in a skillet and cook the onions and peppers together until desired tenderness. In another skillet cook the strips of chicken until cooked through. YOu can mix the meat and veggies together or just let everyone get how much they want of each on their tortilla. We served these with rice, beans, lime wedges, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa, and pico de gallo. So yummy!!!!

Indian Butter Chicken

We love Indian food and when I saw this recipe over at This Week For Dinner I knew we had to try it out. Boy was it yummy!!! It takes a little time because you have to marinate the chicken overnight but it is well worth the effort. Serve with basmati rice and Naan. It is so great!!

Indian Butter Chicken adapted from This Week for Dinner

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 T. Lemon juice

2 cloves minced garlic

1 inch ginger root grated

1 T. cumin

1 tsp. corriander

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breast(stab them a bunch with a fork and make some gashes in them with a sharp knife)

The night before you want to make butter chicken for dinner, mix all the above ingredients in bowl, cover and marinate overnight. To cook the chicken pat off the marinade, brush the chicken with oil and place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Let it cool then cut into chunks.

Butter Chicken sauce:

1 onion, chopped

1 inch ginger root, peeled and grated

1 T minced garlic

1 green chili, chopped

1 gr pepper chopped

1 stick butter, divided-3 T. and 5 T.

1 Large can(28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz)can diced tomatoes

5 tsp garam masala

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp corriander

3 shakes cinnamon

1(6 oz)can tomato paste

1 (14 oz) can veggie or chicken broth

1 cup cream

Saute the onion, garlic, ginger, gr chili, and green pepper in the 3 T butter until veggies are tender. Add the tomatoes and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add all the spices and simmer for 10 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and broth. With an immersion blender(braun or blender) blend the ingredients until smooth then return to pan(if using blender)or return to a simmer if used immersion blender. Add the cooked chicken, cream, and butter. Serve over basmati rice and with naan bread.

Ranchero Salsa

About a month ago my mother -in -law was here and made this salsa for us. It was so yummy!!! She gave me the recipe and I have made it 4 times since she left and my husband and I can't get enough of it. It gives me major heart burn (since I am pregnant) but it is so worth it. It take a litttle time because you have to charr and roast all the ingredients but it is so worth it!!

Ranchero Salsa(makes a lot so cut in half if have a small family)
8 tomatoes
4-7 jalapenos(depending on how spicy you like your salsa)
1 green chili
1 large onion
1 large bulb of garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
juice of one lime
1-2 T. of cilantro(if desired)

Cut the tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Broil until skin is black. Roast the bulb of garlic in the oven with the tomatoes. Just place the whole bulb skin and all on the rack in the oven and rotate it every few minutes or so until garlic is soft to the touch. Meanwhile, cut the stems off the jalapeno and green chili. Take the skin off the onion and charr them all on a grill or in a skillet on the stove until black on all side. Place the jalapenos, chili, onion, and garlic in a blender and blend to desired consistency. Then add the tomatoes and blend till desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, juice of lime, and cilantro and mix till combined. Serve warm or wait till cools. Serve with chips, burritos, tacos, or anything you like salsa on.