Shrimp 'n' Black Bean Chili

This was another hit recipe! It was flavorful, healthy and only took about twenty minutes to make. I love meals that still taste good when I take them to work the next couple days and this one definitely won me over.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 picante sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and devained
Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in oil for 4-5 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir in beans, tomatoes, broth, picante sauce, cumin, and basil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Add shrimp; simmer 3-4 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with rice. Again this was a great dish to make! Looks fancy but was easy and very tasteful!

Easy Chocolate Pudding Fudge Cake

Is your mouth drooling from that photo yet? Well mine is! This is a crock-pot recipe so its easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

1 package (6 servings) instant chocolate pudding and pie filling mix
3 cups milk
1 package (about 18 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix

Coat crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Place pudding mix in crock-pot and whisk in milk.

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions. Carefully pour cake mix into crock-pot on top of pudding mix. SO NOT STIR! Cover; cook on high for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. (Mine takes closer to 2 hours to cook)

Spoon into cup or onto plate, serve with whipped cream. Oh yes! EAT EAT EAT!

Spinach Quiche

This recipe came from my bridal cookbook that my Aunt Tami made for me. Also, this is one of her own recipes. It was very good, though I did not have a pie pan to use. Oh well, it still was delicious!

1 tbsp vegetable oil
10 oz package frozen, chopped, thawed, drained spinach
5 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese (we used cheddar)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 in pie pan. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture is evaporated.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about thirty minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Mikaela's Tomato Mozzarella Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. Dry Pasta (short, sturdy)
1/2 lb. Ground beef (I used turkey)
32 oz. Can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 teas italian herb seasoning
1/2 teas. salt
1/4 teas. sugar
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package in a large pot. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Put back in pot and set aside. In a 12" skillet, brown beef, then add minced garlic and cook until tender, but do not brown. Add tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in italian seasoning, sugar and salt. Add sauce to te pasta and toss, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen sauce.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 1/2 of the pasta mixture into an oiled 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of each type of cheese over the top. Spread rest of pasta mixture, then the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Stuffed French Toast from Mikaela's recipe Site

I got this recipe from Mikaela Ovenell. So I copied her directions here for you. The credit goes to her. These were an amazing breakfast for our 2 year anniversary. They are very filling and very delicious! 


Ingredients:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened 
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
8 slices white sandwich bread 
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 c. whole milk 
1 large egg
2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. all-purpose flour 

Directions:
Mix the cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons of the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a small bowl until smooth. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes. 
Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes; set aside, leaving the oven on. 
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over 4 pieces of the bread, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the edges. Lightly press the remaining slices of bread over the top to make 4 sturdy sandwiches.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and whisk it together with the milk, egg, vanilla, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour the batter into a large shallow dish.
Lay 2 sandwiches in the batter and soak both sides, about 1 minute per side. Meanwhile, melt 1 more tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, swirling to coat the pan.
Remove the bread from the batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the dish and lay in the hot skillet. Cook until golden brown on both sides,a bout 2 1/2 minutes per side (*Seriously set the timer and let it cook for 2 1/2 minutes; don't bother it. If you set it on medium heat and cook it for that time, it won't burn... patience, young grasshopper!). Transfer the French toast back to the wire rack and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, butter, and batter. Serve with Grade B maple syrup (or whatever you'd like).

Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla buttercream frosting

Oh my goodness. These cupcakes are to die for! I love Banana anything and these cupcakes do it for me! I got these recipes from a fun baking book I have called Hello, Cupcake. This is such a fun book to have if you like throwing parties or making treats for people for any occasion.

I made these for my mother for her birthday, she also like banana anything so I knew they would be a hit!

Cupcake mix:
1 2/3 flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 medium ripe bananas
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 stick unsalted butter softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk together the first 4 ingredients. In a different small bowl mash the bananas with the buttermilk. In another medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy about 3 minutes. Then add the eggs one at a time. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the banana mixture in batches. Stir in Vanilla.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes till golden brown. Let cool completely.

Vanilla buttercream frosting:
1 container (16oz) Marshmallow Fluff
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Spoon Marshmallow fluff into large bowl. Beat with mixer on low (this stuff is STICKY but it will loosen up as you mix it) Gradually add the butter pieces one at a time. Add the vanilla extract and the 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Whooollllaaa!!

Sweet Vanilla Chai Pancakes

Josh and I may not be coffee drinkers but we do love a cup of chai every now and then. And not just any chai, but we like ours creamy, sweet and flavorful, thats why we drink Big Train Chai. This chai is AMAZING. It is Christmas in your mouth. Hmmmm!

I woke up this morning wanting Pancakes so I decided to try some Chai mix in my whole wheat pancake mix. I use the whole wheat and honey pancake mix which all you need is water. Then I mixed a half a scoop of chai into the batter though, I think next time I would do a whole scoop, possibly even another half. Then I cooked my pancakes and put my butter and maple syrup on them...yum yum yum yum in my tummy.

Just remember that you can basically put anything in pancake mix and it will turn out fine. I have done fruit, peanut butter, chocolate chips, chai, yogurt, and any type of flavored powder like vanilla or fruit flavored. Try something New!