Citrus Pound Cake

There is nothing like a light and bright dessert when the warmer months come around. We wanted something special for our Easter Sunday meal a couple weeks ago, and decided to try something new. We loved this pound cake. It tasted a lot like a citrus shortbread, with a light glaze frosting on top. It is a change from a normal pound cake dessert, and we really liked that the taste was a citrussy-pop without being overbearing.

There was one minor drawback to this dessert. It did take a while to throw together and bake, but it was definitely worth the wait!

Citrus Pound Cake:
CAKE:                                                                               GLAZE:
1 c. butter, softened                                                            1 c. powdered sugar
2 1/4 c. sugar                                                                      2-3 T. milk
zest of 1 lemon                                                                   1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
4 eggs
1/2 c. water
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. Greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract
juice of 1 lemon
To the butter, add sugar and zests, cream together until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs beating well after each. Add flour, salt and baking soda. Add the Greek yogurt and beat until batter is smooth. Add the extracts and lemon juice. Beat until combined. Prepare an 11 c. bundt cake pan by coating with cooking spray. Pour batter into the pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour, until just done. Cool cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan. While cake is cooking, combine the ingredients for the glaze and stir with a fork until the glaze is smooth. Just after the cake comes out of the pan, drizzle with the glaze. Enjoy!!

Easy Breadsticks

The other day we were making dinner and I realized we only had sauce and noodles, whoops!!!

Enter this insanely easy breadstick recipe, along with some fruit and salad, but we'll stick to the bread! In the time it took my husband to call, drive home, and get his work stuff put away (45 minutes) these were ready with the rest of dinner. That is my kind of bread! These were really good, especially since I didn't give them time to rise. If I were to make them again, I would give them time in between to rise, but the fact that you don't have to to have delicious homemade bread with dinner is a win in my book.

Enjoy the easiness of the bread, and the less stress that comes with this breadstick!

Breadsticks:
1 T. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
garlic salt
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and sugar. Add flour and salt. Mix and knead bread for 3 minutes. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Melt the butter in the microwave for a few seconds, until just melted, and brush over dough. Cut dough into strips and put on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle the dough with A LITTLE garlic salt. Let rise for another 15 minutes (this is the rising step I skipped, but the texture would be even better if you have a few extra minutes.) While the dough is rising again, preheat oven to 350 degrees, and then bake for 20 minutes. Can sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese once they come out as well. :)

S'more Rice Krispie Treats

I Know, right?!!


One of the most viewed recipes on this blog is for the Butterfinger Rice Krispie Treats, if you liked those you will LOVE these. I actually like these a little bit more because they aren't so chocolatey-rich.

I don't know about your family, but mine is getting camping hungry!! We have had a good stretch of GORGEOUS weather, and it is making it hard to not dream of those summer nights camping in the mountains, or even your own back yard! My daughter asked me last night if we could make s'mores. Of course, I had to try something, they sounded so good, thus this delicious treat came about.

The best part about this recipe is how EASY it was to create and make! My kids did most of the work, I just did the part over the stove. It's amazing how much kids like to cook and help in the kitchen when you let them do so. Don't get me wrong, it is NOT easy to let them help!!! Everything takes longer and becomes a much larger mess, but it is so important to let them help when they can. We've found in our family, when we let the kids help with the little things, they are much more likely to help with the bigger things when they are asked.

Take my word for it, make these for your next family treat, I promise you'll love them!!!!

S'more Rice Krispie Treats:
3 T. butter
1-10.5 oz. package of mini marshmallows
4 c. Rice Krispies cereal
2 c. honey graham crackers, crushed
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips, divided
Line a 9x13" pan with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the marshmallows, and stir continuously until the marshmallows and melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add in the cereal and graham crackers and stir until coated. Add a 1/2 c. chocolate chips and stir into the treats. Drop the mixture into your 9x13" pan, and spread and pat it down evenly. Finish it off with a light sprinkle of the remaining chocolate chips on top. Let cool completely before serving.

Nacho Casserole

There is nothing better than a meal you can put together quickly that everyone will eat.

I put together this meal when we had a bunch of leftovers in the fridge that needed to be used before going on vacation. Add a couple staples from the pantry, and voila! My 2 and 4 year old kids ate without complaint, and I was happy it had so much protein to keep them full with good energy.

Nacho Casserole:
favorite tortilla chips
shredded chicken or pork (you could also use ground beef if you have that around)
1-2 c. shredded cheese
1-15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1-4 oz. can diced green chilies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place a layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of the pan. Next spread 1/2 the meat, then a layer of cheese, a layer of black beans and 1/2 the green chilies. Then repeat the layers. Sprinkle the top with a little taco seasoning. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and everything is warm. Serve immediately!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

My family loves Italian food, honestly, what's not to love. There are so many good flavors and combinations, and it's such a great way to get families together.

I was lucky enough to live in Italy for a time, and was able to learn a few tricks to make a more authentic-tasting tomato pasta sauce. The main key to making a good tomato sauce is cutting the acidity of the tomatoes, without compromising the taste. There are a couple different ways to do this, the first is to just use plain granulated sugar, which I had done my whole life. This way is best if you want a lighter sauce. The other way to cut the acidity is to add a packet of hot chocolate mix, YUMMY, this trick is best if you want a little heavier sauce, like you would use in lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs.

You'll be completely surprised at how easy this is, we don't have Prego or Ragu in our home, because this tastes so much better, and is so easy to make! Trust me, once you start making your own sauce, you'll never go back!

Homemade Pasta Sauce:
1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1-2 T. dried Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. granulated sugar OR 1 packet hot chocolate
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan, and let simmer for at least 20 minutes, or up to 11/2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer the sauce simmers, the better incorporated the flavors will be. Combine into your favorite pasta dish. DELICIOUS!!

Mint Chocolate Brownies

I LOVE MINTY THINGS! I don't know what it is, but I love the taste of mint. Maybe it reminds me of growing up, maybe it's the freshness of the smell. Whatever the case may be, I love it. The problem is, I crave it at times, and I can only push off those cravings for so long before I need to make a tasty treat. Then I feel guilty having the treats around the house, so my neighbors get to enjoy some of them. Lucky for me I had a good excuse to give them to some neighbors after they had helped me out just a few days prior to making these!

I am all about shortcuts in baking. I love to make things homemade, but I have never had success making brownies from scratch. I don't know what it is, but my homemade brownies ALWAYS turn out SUPER DRY! Hence the need for brownie mixes, and the shortcut for this recipe!

This recipe does take a little time to come together, but it is SO DELICIOUS AND WORTH THE WAIT!

Mint Chocolate Brownies:
1-13x9 brownie mix, made according to package directions
MINT FROSTING:
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1-3 T. milk
1/2 tsp. mint extract
3-5 drops green food coloring
CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter
Make and bake the brownie mix, according to package directions. Allow to cool completely
Make the mint frosting by first creaming the butter and then add powdered sugar, slowly, to avoid getting covered in white. :) Add only enough milk to make a smooth consistency. Add mint extract and food coloring. Frosting will be thick. Spread over the brownie layer, and refrigerate to help set.
For the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 1-3 minutes, do not overheat the mixture! Stir well to combine. Pour over frosted brownies , covering the mint layer completely. Refrigerate again until the chocolate layer is set. Let brownies sit at room temperature for a few minutes before cutting and serving. Cut into squares and serve!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I don't know about your home, but we have SPRING FEVER!! There is nothing more frustrating than having a few amazing days of weather, and then winter showing his ugly head again. There are times that I love winter, like when it is SUPPOSED to be cold, but come February, I'm ready for the warmer weather, to get outside, and to not be cooped up inside anymore!

It has been gorgeous these past few weeks, only a few rainstorms here and there, so we have switched over to a lot of our summer favorites. It is amazing how much better you feel when you can eat the "summer foods" again. These pulled pork sandwiches are easier than I care to admit, but when you'd rather be in the sunshine then in the hot kitchen cooking, these are PERFECT!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches:
1 3-5 lb. pork roast
1 can Coke (not diet!!)
1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional
salt and pepper to taste
Ciabatta rolls, slice in half (or any other favorite kind of roll or bun)
That's all!! Throw it all into the crock pot and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. When the pork is cooked, shred it in the juices, removing the excess fat in the pot. Leave the meat in the juices on low or warm setting until ready to serve.