Tag-Archive for » Recipes «

May

I have long been a fan of good coffee cake. Now some folks don’t like it cuz it can be too dry. And yes, that is an unfortunate occurrence with coffee cake, but even when a tad dry, served alongside coffee, it can be so Gooo-oooo-OOOO-ood!

What about Peanut Butter Coffee Cake? How does that sound? I think it sounds super yummy and wanted to share the recipe link with you. =) It has rolled oats (not instant) which add some fiber and additional benefits – and I love oatmeal… I may have to try this sometime. I bet it would be really yummy with a slathering of homemade Strawberry Freezer jam, what do YOU think?

Or how about this idea for your next lunch or picnic. You want your kids to eat fruit – so offer them this dip as added incentive:

1 small jar marshmallow fluff + 1 can whipped strawberry ready-to-spread icing.

Just mix and serve with a wide variety of fruit. It’s obvious that you couldn’t serve this every day to your kids – but for a special treat in summer, it’d be better than ice cream and they’d be filling up on fruit instead of a lot of junk! Makes for a terrific treat!

I’m a pasta salad fan, too. Anybody got a GREAT pasta salad recipe you can share?

One of my favorite pasta salads of all time is from my friend Sheen, who lives in Missouri. Several of us gals from work would often eat this on a Saturday evening while enjoying the shade on her back patio. It’s tasty!

Sheen’s Pasta Salad Italiano

Rotini pasta, cooked and drained (and you could use whole wheat!)
Diced ham – or in bite sized pieces
Mozzarella or Provolone cheese, diced
1 bag frozen Italian vegetables (thaw by rinsing in a strainer under hot water for a few minutes – and rinse with cold – no need to cook them)
1 bottle of your favorite Italian Dressing

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to chill for at least 1 hour. You can add the Parmesan cheese before or save it just for a garnish. You can also add other favorite ingredients like sliced black olives, vary the cheeses, add some diced salami – go with the things you & your family love. You can use less dressing – or more – depending on your family’s preferences. You can’t hardly mess this recipe up and can make it as fun & lively as you’d like. It’s a DELICIOUS, well rounded meal and really satisfying on a hot summer night!

I’ll be writing more later about the Life Action Summit events this week and will share the things I’ve been learning and what God’s Word has been speaking to me… In the meantime, feel free to share your favorite summer recipes or link to your favorite recipe on your blog if you’d like.

Category: Food, Recipes Tags: coffee cake, fruit dip, pasta salad, Recipes, summer recipes One Comment

Feb

My Best Lasagna

queenmommy

I just threw it together the other night – and it was SOOOO good. I’m all for fast and easy, and this did the trick!

My Best Lasagna

1-16 oz box lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 jar Spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 16 oz container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan romano cheese blend
2 tsp. garlic & herb seasoning
3 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup water (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9×13 pan with fat-free cooking spray.

In medium bowl stir together spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, and ground beef. In another medium bowl, blend together ricotta cheese, parmesan and garlic & herb seasoning.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of beef mixture and spread in bottom of plan. Place first layer of uncooked noodles to cover bottom of pan. Spread with 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture, then 1/3 of remaining beef mixture, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice. Pour 1/2 cup of water around edges of pan. You can sprinkle on extra parmesan if you’d like.

Cover with aluminum foil (spray lightly with cooking spray to avoid sticking), and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes (depending on how well you like your noodles & cheese done).

Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting into portions.

*FYI – you can use whole wheat noodles, ground turkey (or skip the meat altogether if you want) to improve some of the nutritional value. If I’d thought about it, I would have thawed out some frozen spinach yesterday and added it to the ricotta cheese mixture, but didn’t have time when I came to putting it together…

Category: Family, Favorites, Food Tags: cooking, Recipes One Comment

Oct

Homemade Lotion Bars

queenmommy

***This week, rather than focusing on food – I’m focusing on Homemade Helpers for Around the House! Along with cooking and eating, comes laundry and cleanup! This week, I’m sharing great homemade cleaner recipes that not only do a great job, but save money, too!!!***

These are very simple to make and feel so lovely on the skin- you can make just one batch and produce several for yourself or friends and family!

1 oz grated beeswax (hobby or health food store)
1 oz solid oil (coconut, lard, etc.)
1 oz liquid oil (olive oil, almond oil, etc.)

The best method is to melt the ingredients in a double boiler method. Pour into molds (you can find them at hobby stores or even bake shops) and allow to sit for 24 hours. The bars should just pop out when completed.

*For added benefits, you can add Vitamin E oil (5-10 drops) or Essential Oil (5-10 drops) for aromatherapy and / or antibacterial properties. If you are pregnant, ALWAYS consult with your physician before using essential oils. Suggested essential oils:

lavender (antibacterial)
clary-sage
rose
lemon (antibacterial)

for a more masculine scent, try:

sage
rosemary
balsam

What a pleasant TREAT for your family and friends!!! Just be sure to keep one or two for yourself!

Category: Homemade Cleaners, Recipes, Uncategorized Tags: homemade, Recipes Leave a Comment

Oct

Winner Announced: OAMC's Family Favorites

queenmommy

Congratulations Jolyn (from McCombMoneySavers)- You are the winner of the Once A Month Cooking Family Favorites Cookbook! I’ve sent an email to you so just email me back and claim your prize!

I hope you enjoy the cookbook and find it as useful as I have!

In other new today, I’m keeping things brief today! I just finished my final exam for my counseling course (yay!) and have a Math midterm (ohhh, please pray!) to focus on. We had plans to pick apples today, but it’s been wet and the forecast predicts SNOW, so we are taking things one moment at a time. Roy & I have a DATE NIGHT planned tonight – and I’m looking forward to some time with him! Our church is hosting a Date Night for couples and I’m really excited about it!

Otherwise – hope you all have a terrific weekend. Oh – if you’re looking for some GREAT recipes, not only will you find them at The Better Baker – you should also visit Stop and Smell the Chocolates! Lisa has hosted a Fall Fruits Festival at her site and I’ve seen some YUMMO recipes! Today the festival culminates in recipes involving, what else? CHOCOLATE – and she’s offering a giveaway for all 5 days so if you have some great Fall Fruit recipes – post and link up before the deadline!

Category: Contests & Giveaways, Faith, Family, Food, Home Tags: Announcements, Recipes, short and sweet, Stop and Smell the Chocolates, winner One Comment

Jul

Great Coffee Recipes

queenmommy

Have you ever taken the time to research coffee recipes

credit: Javier Aroche

online? I had the opportunity to write on any food-related topic while I was an intern at Family Foodies for Moms Talk Network.

I took advantage of it and referenced coffee on a regular basis. I wrote about my love affair with coffee one morning when I was particularly inspired.

But my favorite post, The Ultimate Summer Coffee Coolers, contained a variety of links to very tempting coffee recipes.

And then I found this recipe for Homemade Frappuccinos from Savory Sweet Life in my Google reader. And I had to wipe the drool off my table. I’m on my way to brew some double strength coffee right now…

Category: Uncategorized Tags: Coffee, link love, Recipes Leave a Comment

Jul

Prayer And Business: Ideal Partners

queenmommy

Alyssa Avant, of Beauty By Design Ministries, has been a guest blogger here on occasion. She and I have had several opportunities to connect through a variety of social networks like Twitter, A Woman Inspired Conference, and other places. I always enjoy my conversations with her, and we are developing a really sweet online friendship.

We are now venturing into talks about a partnership for a website and ministry working together. She shared this post earlier this week – Prayer & Business, They Go Hand in Hand. It’s very exciting and we are praying over it daily. More on these developments later!

* * * * * * *

On another fun note, I posted a great recipe at Cuppa Love for Teapot Cookies. Now, they’re not really made out of teapots! They are just YUMMY cookies cut into cute teapot shapes. If you love shortbread cookies, try this recipe out – they are buttery and not too sweet. Perfect for your next cup of tea!

* * * * * * *

Speaking of tea, I’ve been trying some new flavors from Mt Olive Treasures. Their website is under construction – but I selected this tea because it was formulated (in Israel) using olive leaves, pomegranate leaves and hyssop in every blend. Their website is under construction, but here’s their Facebook Fan page! I’m out of my Teaporia teas, and found this collection to tide me over until I place my next order.

Category: Faith, Family, Food, work Tags: Alyssa Avant, Beauty by Design, business, CuppaLove, Recipes, Tea, teaporia One Comment

Jun

Muffin Monday

queenmommy

One of the multitude of benefits of my blogging internship is the extreme exposure to foodie blogs. I’ve found some pretty great cooks, bakers & bloggers – and now I’m a loyal follower of many of them.

I’ve tried several new recipes (and have more to try), but I have to say my favorite is the Yummy Donut Muffins recipe I wrote about on Family Foodies. Adding sour cream to the original recipe really made a big difference in the flavor and texture of the baked product. The muffin recipe alone is very moist and has a texture very much like a muffin/donut combo. It takes so good and so fresh – and that’s what continues to inspire me to try variations.

I’ve made them several times and each time I tweak them a bit for a twist. It’s nice to try some different flavors, and I’m anxious to try more.

This weekend I mashed 1 banana and added it to the wet ingredients before adding the dry. Just one banana gave them a really great flavor and some added nutrition.

This morning I added 3 Tbsp of peanut butter and then added a dollop of grape jelly before baking. The peanut butter flavor is mild (I’d probably add at least 1 more Tbsp) but the girls loved it for breakfast. Think about the variations you could make with creamy or crunchy peanut butter – and the jams/jellies are endless.

My next thought was to add some strong coffee (to replace a bit of the milk) and mini chocolate chips…

Other ideas I’ve had:

banana & walnuts

cinnamon chips & cinnamon-sugar topping

strawberry jam filling with powdered sugar topping

cocoa powder (in place of some flour) and cinnamon-sugar topping

Can you make any suggestions???

This is one of those very basic recipes that really has an endless number of variations and possibilities!

The one ingredient I would recommend you not substitute for in this recipe is the shortening. While I’ve always used coconut oil and produced a great muffin, today I was scraping the bottom of my jar and had to use some margarine. The end product tasted fine, but the muffins were just, well – muffins. The end result was very different and the shortening seems to be the key to producing the donut-like texture!

Feel free to comment with your suggestions or ideas about variations to this recipe!