Category: recipe

2017, Baking, blog, cookies, debbie, may, myblog, recipe

Cookie de Tacos

Debbie
Happy Cinco de Mayo! 
I celebrated by creating these adorable cookie tacos for a surprise birthday party for one of Nate’s friends. 
Colorful Cookie Tacos
This type of plate helped the tacos stay upright 
Ingredients:
Golden Oreos
Sprinkles
Chocolate Frosting 
Food Coloring (green, yellow, red)
Coconut flakes (I used unsweetened) 
Instructions: 
  1. Using the food coloring, dye the coconut flakes a green (lettuce) or an orange-yellow color (cheese) I used shot glasses to stir the food coloring into the coconut flakes. 
  2. Remove the top part of the Oreo and remove the inner frosting (My frosting disappeared into my mouth…) 
  3. Carefully cut in half the Oreo cookie. Sometimes I just broke it apart and other times I used a knife in a sawing motion. 
  4. Put the two half pieces together in your hand and add a spoonful of chocolate frosting 
  5. Dip it into sprinkles and colored coconut toppings 
After the first couple, I had a nice assembly line going and it wasn’t too labor intensive. 
My work station 
I saw this on Pinterest and wanted to try to make it myself
2016, blog, cooking, debbie, graphics, myblog, photos, recipe

Individual Baked Eggs recipe

Debbie
Bacon wrapped eggs 
I had some time in the morning, so I cooked myself a breakfast of Individual Baked Eggs. 
I used a recipe from the AllRecipes magazine but it can also be found online.  
It was pretty simple to make but next time I make them, I won’t add the bacon grease to the muffin pan. It was greasy enough. 
Recipe I used

Ingredients: 

  • 6 strips of bacon
  • 6 eggs
  • Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 
  2. Cook bacon
  3. Wrap bacon slice around the inside of a muffin cup. 
  4. Place a little bacon grease in the bottom of muffin cup. 
  5. Drop in egg.
  6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. 
  7. Place a little cheddar cheese over egg after about 10-12 minutes 
  8. Continue cooking until cheese is melted and egg is cooked.

Wrap bacon around muffin tin and add an egg inside
I cooked my bacon in the oven at 350 for 12 minutes 
Eggs inside the bacon circles
Almost done cooking
Cook at 350, adding some cheese after about 12 minutes

I used shredded cheese from Trader Joes
Individual Baked Eggs
2016, blog, cooking, debbie, graphics, myblog, photos, recipe

Individual Baked Eggs recipe

Debbie
Bacon wrapped eggs 
I had some time in the morning, so I cooked myself a breakfast of Individual Baked Eggs. 
I used a recipe from the AllRecipes magazine but it can also be found online.  
It was pretty simple to make but next time I make them, I won’t add the bacon grease to the muffin pan. It was greasy enough. 
Recipe I used

Ingredients: 

  • 6 strips of bacon
  • 6 eggs
  • Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 
  2. Cook bacon
  3. Wrap bacon slice around the inside of a muffin cup. 
  4. Place a little bacon grease in the bottom of muffin cup. 
  5. Drop in egg.
  6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. 
  7. Place a little cheddar cheese over egg after about 10-12 minutes 
  8. Continue cooking until cheese is melted and egg is cooked.

Wrap bacon around muffin tin and add an egg inside
I cooked my bacon in the oven at 350 for 12 minutes 
Eggs inside the bacon circles
Almost done cooking
Cook at 350, adding some cheese after about 12 minutes

I used shredded cheese from Trader Joes
Individual Baked Eggs
2016, august, Baking, blog, debbie, myblog, recipe

My Late Summer Apple Pie

Debbie
Dough + Apples + Butter = Yum 
I was talking to a co-worker about how I had a lot of leftover apples from the farmer’s market and I wanted to bake something with them and she printed me off this apple crostata recipe.
I definitely altered the recipe from the original. For starters, I didn’t make my own pie crust, I bought the pie crusts, I also didn’t use orange zest and I didn’t use allspice. 
The pie came out tasting really good and was a huge hit with my roommate and boyfriend. 
Ingredients:
1 package of pie crust for the top and bottom 
3  apples
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
Instructions: 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Place one of the pie crusts in a floured pie-shaped baking dish 
For the filling, core and cut the apples into 8ths. (I sprinkled my apples with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown) 
Cover the pie crust dough with the apple chunks.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl 
Add the butter and mix until the mixture is crumbly. 
Sprinkle evenly on the apples. 
Gently fold the remaining pie crust piece over the apples to enclose the dough.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. 
Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
My apple pie

Recipe adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-crostata-recipe.html?oc=linkback

2016, blog, cookies, july, recipe

Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Debbie
                            
I love how these cookies look. So round, soft and most importantly, not burnt. 

These cookies all started because I had a bag of frozen raspberries that I wanted to get rid of. I looked on Pinterest for raspberry recipes and saw this recipe for Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies and one for Raspberry Yogurt Muffins 

I baked the muffins first and noticed the batter had somehow turned a yucky grey color. I tried some of the batter and it tasted sour. Perhaps it was sour from the frozen strawberries. I should’ve let them thaw more. So, fifteen minutes later when I was baking the cookies, I was nervous to add the rest of my raspberries to these cookies. In a last minute judgment call, I left out the raspberries and only added chocolate chips. #noregrets

I thought this recipe was pretty straightforward. I’ve made cookies with pudding mix before and I always like the consistency that it creates.  If I were to make this recipe again, I’d cut it in half because 3 dozen cookies is a lot. Also, I baked each dozen cookies one at a time in the oven and stuck the “waiting” cookie sheets in the fridge.

Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Yields 3 dozen
Time: About 10 minutes prep and 10 minutes baking

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened (Two sticks of butter= 1 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large box (5.1 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding mix
2 eggs (best if they are room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 of the 3 cookie sheets used to bake the cookies

Directions:
  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F
  2. With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars 
  3. Add the pudding mix and mix until well blended. 
  4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. 
  5. Add the flour and baking soda and continue mixing. (I gradually added the flour because the recipe calls for a lot of flour)
  6. Stir in the chocolate chips 
  7. Drop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet 
  8. Bake for about 10 minutes 
The cookie dough. Yum! 
2016, blog, cake, debbie, myblog, recipe

Gluten-free and Vegan Lemon Cake

Debbie

I was “researching” things to bake that were vegan and gluten free on Pinterest and I stumbled upon this recipe.

I liked it because the only ingredients I needed to buy were the special gluten free cake mix, lemons (which my mom actually gave to me. She had some she wasn’t using) and apple sauce (which I’ll eat later on).

The recipe was pretty darn easy. I just combined all the ingredients into a bowl, mixed it using my Kitchen Aid mixer for a minute and poured it into a round cake pan. I might have taken mine out of the oven a bit too soon. I’d rather it be moist than burnt.

They turned out to taste very sponge-y. Like, I’d almost call it sponge cake. It didn’t have an overpowering lemon flavor but perhaps that’s because I’m not very good at zesting or juicing lemons.

Gluten Free & Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Ingredients 

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg Bob’s Red Mill GF Vanilla Cake Mix  (I went to Marc’s grocery store in Westerville and I was able to buy this exact package) 
  • ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce (I used two packages of Mott’s regular applesauce)
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ cup water, at room temperature
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 Tbsp poppyseeds  (I chose not to use poppyseeds in my recipe) 

  • FOR GLAZE:
  • Juice of one lemon (about ¼ cup)
  • Zest of one lemon
  • About 2 cups powdered sugar 
  • Raspberries, lemon slices for garnish, optional  (I didn’t use raspberries) 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
  2. Liberally grease a round 9″ cake pan with vegetable-oil cooking spray
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, applesauce, oil, water, juice and zest and beat with a mixer for about 1 minute or until combined. Fold in the poppyseeds. 
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. 
  5. Bake for approx. 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan before gently turning over onto a wire rack set over wax paper.
  6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth and pourable. You don’t want it super thin, like water, but more syrupy and thicker, so adjust with more lemon juice or powdered sugar if needed. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and spread it out to the edges so the entire cake is covered. Serve garnished with raspberries and lemon slices, if desired.
  7.  Serve immediately or store leftovers airtight at room temperature for up to 1 day.

blog, cooking, debbie, myblog, recipe

Fiesta Chicken

Debbie

For a while now, I’ve been meaning to use the crock pot and make something for dinner.

On Pinterest, I enjoy searching for Crock Pot recipes and that’s where I found this one.

I liked it because the ingredients and directions were straight forward. It’s from a blog called My Litter 

Fiesta Chicken Crockpot Meal

4 chicken breast (frozen or raw)
1 packet Fiesta Ranch dip (by the salad dressing)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can Rotel (these are in the canned tomato section) 
1 can corn not drained (I used frozen corn) 
1 block cream cheese

Cook all the ingredients on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours or 6 on low.
Shred with forks and eat over rice with tortillas.

2016, Baking, blog, cookies, debbie, deborahgillum, february, myblog, recipe

Vegan and Gluten Free Cookies

Debbie
I enjoy baking and wanted to challenge myself with my next recipe.
I chose to make cookies, but not just any regular cookies: These are vegan, whole grain and gluten free. 
For the recipe, I had to go shopping. So I went to Kroger and in the healthy food section, purchased new ingredients like raw sugar, coconut oil, oat flour, vegan chocolate chips (I admit at first I didn’t realize chocolate chips have milk from cows in them) and other special ingredients. 
Cookies before baking
It was a fun challenge to make these special delicious cookies and I hope to try more vegan and gluten free recipes. Now that I have some of the ingredients, like a big jar of coconut oil, nothing is stopping me from making similar baked goodies. 
I found the recipe on Pinterest by searching “gluten free vegan cookies” and it’s from a blog called Texanerin. 
This recipe took me about an hour total I made 24 large cookies. I could’ve made 36 normal size cookies.
Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour (use certified gluten-free oat flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons raw sugar or coconut sugar (I used raw sugar)
  • 1/2 cup  milk of choice (but not canned coconut milk, as it’s too thick) (I used Almond Milk)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups  rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats, if necessary) (Quaker makes gluten free oats)
  • 1/2 cup  chopped walnuts (Why is a little bag of nuts soooo expensive at the grocery? Oh well.)
  • 3/4 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Directions:
What my cookie dough looked like
  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F
  •  Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oat flour, baking powder, and salt. 
  • In a large bowl, add the coconut oil, sugar, milk and vanilla and beat with a large spoon or with an electric hand or stand mixer until well combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredient mixture and stir just until combined.
  • Fold in the oats, walnuts and chocolate chips. Form into 1″ balls and place 3″ apart on the prepared baking sheet. Do not press the balls down.
  • Bake for 10 minutes or until the centers of the cookies no longer appear wet (they should not brown – if they do, they’re overbaked and will be cakey instead of chewy). They should have formed a light crust.
  • Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

2016, Baking, blog, debbie, february, muffin, myblog, recipe

Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins

Debbie

On Feb. 2 I finally baked Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins. It was one of those recipes I’d been thinking about baking for a month or so but kept putting it off because I was “too busy.” Like, I had the ingredients bought and ready for a week or so.

I got the recipe from my Taste of Home Bakeshop Favorites book, but it’s also available online here
In no way, shape or form did I invent this recipe. I’m not that advanced.

If I could make these muffins, again, I’d halve the recipe because it makes 2 dozen and that’s too many muffins for one girl.

I’d also follow the instructions properly and not mix up teaspoons and tablespoons. Yup, I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of both vanilla extract and baking powder. I was pretty embarrassed when I realized my mistake. I thought “Huh, seems like a lot of baking powder.” Well, because it was too much.

My muffins turned out fine but I’m sure I caused some unknown internal damage to the muffin batter.

Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened  (I used two whole butter sticks and microwaved it for 10-15 seconds) 
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened  (Again, I nuked mine in the microwave for 10 secs)
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract  (Note to Deborah: teaspoon. Not tablespoon.) 
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (Note to Deborah: teaspoon. Not tablespoon.) 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries  (So I couldn’t find frozen cranberries in Meijer. I used a can of liquidy cranberries. I also bought some frozen raspberries. The can of cranberries was fine. I didn’t measure a full two cups. I just drained the can through a strainer and poured it in.)
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I love pecans. Favorite part of the recipe.)


DRIZZLE:  (I didn’t make the drizzle)

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350°. 
  • In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer)
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. 
  • Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. 
  • Fold in cranberries and pecans.
  • Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. 
  • Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean. 
  • Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
  • Combine confectioners’ sugar and milk; drizzle over muffins. 
blog, debbie, dinner, food, fun, march, myblog, recipe

Easy Marinated Chicken Breast Recipe

Debbie
I went to my grandmother’s house a few years ago to spend time with her and my grandpa. For dinner, she made this delicious marinated chicken and as a curious college-student at the time, I asked her to show me how she made it. Lucky for me, it was an incredibly simple recipe. 
In honor of her birthday, March 25, I want to feature one of the recipes she shared with me. 
The chicken marinating in a ziploc bag.

  • Ingredients:
    • Chicken breast
    • Bottle of Italian salad dressing
  • Steps: 
    • Pound chicken breast until thickest part is even with rest of the piece. You’re supposed to use a meat mallet but I used a wine bottle because I’m classy like that. 
    • Put the thawed/ refrigerated chicken breasts into a large ziploc bag. 
    • Pour enough salad dressing to coat the chicken breasts so it can soak into the meat. I used the whole bottle because the salad dressing was only like $1.50 at Kroger. 
    • Let the bag-o-chicken sit in the fridge for 30mins. 
    • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit  (or just crank it up to Fahrenheit 451 if you like that book)  
    • Move the chicken so the juices can soak into all the chicken. I laid it on it’s side for one half hour and then placed it vertically in my empty fresh-foods drawer. 
    • Don’t let the chicken sit more than two hours in the fridge.   
    • Put chicken in the oven. I used a 8 x 8 baking dish and I lived to tell the tale. 
    • Cook chicken in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the juice is clear. 
    • Take chicken out of oven, wait a bit, put chicken in your mouth by using a fork and then say “Mhmmmm…” 

Along with my chicken, I made cheesy potatoes (from some cheap package of powder) and steamed veggies (from a frozen package). I’m fairly talented at finding easy-to-make foods at the grocery story.  I’m a big fan of those bags of vegetables that you just have to throw in the microwave and it steams them magically for you. Actually, any food that you put in the microwave, I’m a fan of. 
The final meal.