BBQ Taco Soup

It is a cold, cold day here in the Pacific Northwest.  The high today is supposed to be around 24 degrees with brisk winds.  This is highly unusual weather for us in this area and are not used to this. Needing something to warm us up, I decided to make a hearty pot of BBQ Taco Soup.

Broccoli Salad

Today just happens to be International Bacon Day and thought it fitting to post something with bacon.  Today I bring you broccoli salad that won't bust a gut.  I have a little twist on my method of making this salad.  I blanch the broccoli which takes a little bit of the rawness away, and aides in digestion if you know what I mean.  When I eat unblanched broccoli, it makes me double over in writhing gas pains.  I know, too much information, but, I can't be alone on this, some of you out there must have the same problem.  When you blanch the broccoli, there is no way to remove all of the water, but it is still crispy and delicious.  If broccoli doesn't not affect you in this way, you can skip the blanching process.  Also, if you want to save a little time, you can purchase the broccoli florets in the produce section.

Mini Cinni Maple Bites

I was wanting a cinnamon roll the other day but since there are just two of us, I really didn't want to bother making regular cinnamon rolls so I found a tube of crescent rolls in the refrigerator and thought, hey, why not?!  I know, you are wondering where the maple fits in with these, but when traveling to Oregon (years and years ago) we came upon a little diner in Sutherlin, Oregon called the Dew Drop Inn and they served the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had, their secret, maple glaze on top.  So now, whenever I make cinnamon rolls, I just have to top them with that fantastic maple glaze.

Easter Chick Cookies

Here we are, a week before Easter and decided to make some cookies that looked like little chicks.  Since chicks are yellow, it only makes sense to make the cookies lemon flavored.  Here is my recipe for Super Easy Lemon Crisp Cookies which you make from a lemon cake mix and for this project, use the regular yellow lemon cake mix.  Helpful hint for this project, is to make sure your lemon cake mix is the 18 oz. size and not the 14 oz. size.  Cake mix manufacturers have decreased the size of some of their cake mixes, and in this case, "size DOES matter".

Tangled Noodle Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing

I found this wonderful salad on Pinterest and had to try it.  Originally the blog post I tried called it Noodled & Tangled Thai Salad but with the changes I made, I don't think I would call it a Thai recipe.  I love this salad!  There is some prep work cutting up the veggies, but you can do this in advance. It's really good the second day, but I usually add more of the dressing because the noodles soaks up the dressing that was added previously. 

All the Colors of the Rainbow Mini Cupcakes

I was inspired by Betty Crocker's Cupcake Poppers and tried it.  Loved the colors but hated the waste.  To make these cute little poppers, you make mini cupcakes and cut them in half and just use the tops to make these cute little bites.  Two issues:  1) what do you do with the bottom half of the cupcakes (I guess it would make a beautiful triffle, mini triffle or cake pops) and, 2) when you pick up these little bites, the cake sticks to your fingers (which is my pet peeve about whoopie pies).  So my thought, why not make them into mini cupcakes with matching frosting.

Watergate Cake with Cover Up Frosting

Ok, the title dates this cake (circa 1976).  I tried to find the origin of this cake recipe but appears that it is unknown but rumored to be a way to introduce a new pudding flavor - pistachio and was published in numerous publications and cookbooks.  It was a very popular cake in the late 70's and was my first experience with a "doctored" cake mix.  This has always been up there on the top of my list of favorite cakes.  With this being my birthday, I am making my own cake and this is it! It is also a green cake, so if you are looking for a dessert for St. Patricks's Day, here you go (you might want to add a bit of green coloring to brighten it up for the holiday).   I have never made this cake other than in a 9x13 pan (not removed) and the frosting on top, which was also the preparation method in the original recipe.  So, although I have made this cake a lot of times, this will be my first experience making it as a layer cake.

Lime in the Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

This is such a unique flavor for an oatmeal cookie, I LOVE them!  You have flavors that go so well together in a cookie that is firm but soft (not crunchy).  You have coconut, lime and white chocolate all together in an oatmeal cookie.  Yum!

Oatmeal Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Originally,  I had intended to use the Kraft carmel bits instead of the toffee bits, but I must have used them for something else and couldn't find them anywhere, so I proceeded to Plan B which turned out to be the toffee bits.

Oatmeal Apricot and White Chocolate Cookies

First of all, I will confess, I am not a fan of oatmeal cookies with raisins so I look for alternative combinations other than raisins.  Whenever a recipe calls for raisins, I usually turn to my good buddy the craisin (dried cranberry).  In most cases, this works, but once in awhile, you run across a recipe that this substitution fails miserably.  For this recipe you can substitute the apricot for dried fruit like mango, peaches, strawberries, cherries, or cranberries.

Wishkah Chocolate Nirvana Cupcakes

A chocolate cupcake with mini chocolate chips, Wishkah River Whiskey, and fresh grated ginger topped with chocolate buttercream, chopped candied ginger and a pinch of bacon salt. It is a sweet, spicy, smokey treat.

Wishkah Cranberry Harbor Cupcake

This cupcake is inspired by the flavors of the Grays Harbor area.  The Wishkah River Distillery in Aberdeen, Washington that bottles a honey vodka and the cranberry growers in the South Beach area in Grays Harbor County. 

Wishkah River Distillery Infused Cupcakes

Located just down the road is a new distillery Wishkah River Distillery in Aberdeen, Washington

"Wishkah River Distillery is a craft distillery located in Aberdeen, Washington. We specialize in craft spirits created from grain to bottle right here in our distillery. Our signature product is a vodka made from 100% Washington honey. Vodka from Washington Grains, Vodka from Washington Honey, Un-Aged "Bad Water" Whiskey from Washington Grains,"Bullfinch 83" Craft Gin, seasonal Cherry Brandy, and coming soon "13 Corners" Aged Malt Whiskey"

Candied Ginger - Sweet and Spicy

 

I discovered candied ginger a few years ago and love to eat it like candy.  It is sweet and spicy.  Some batches are spicier than others and is difficult to determine the spice level of each batch.  I found Alton Brown's recipe the best for candied ginger from The Food Network website but changed it up slightly.  The recipe is simple but it does take some time.  The cool thing is that there are only 3 ingredients.  The recipe is totally flexible because you can make whatever quantity up to one pound of ginger because you weigh the cooked ginger and use the same weight of sugar.

Jalapeno Coins

I love the flavor of jalapeno but am not a fan of really spicy heat.  These coins are perfect for me, not too hot and great flavor.  I made these for a party a few years ago and the people devoured them and told me how great and unique they were. They are easy to make and you can make them ahead by deep frying and freezing them on a cookie sheet in a single layer.  Once frozen, you can place into a freezer zipper bag.  To reheat, just place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until hot. 

Ultimate Football Snack Collection

Here is a collection of some great football snacks that I have previously posted.  Click on the links located below the pictures.

Mini Crescent Dogs AKA Mini Pigs-in-a-Blanket

 

The Superbowl is nearing and here is another great game treat!  Best part of all is that there are only two ingredients.  One package of Lil Smokies or Cheddar Smokies and a tube of refrigerated Crescent Rolls.

Super Easy Lemon Crisp Cookies

 

Boy, oh, boy, did Pillsbury drop the ball on this one.  I had purchased a box of their Moist Supreme Lemon cake mix and tucked away on the side panel of the box was a recipe titled Lemony Crisps.  It was hardly noticeable but I saw it and looked interesting and cut it out for my archives.  Then, decided to give it a try.  LOVE THEM!!!  Someone asked me for the recipe and I said no problem, it was Pillsbury I will just go to their web site and give it to you.   Ummmm, it's not there.  Why would they omit this recipe from their collection?  I have no idea!  So, I will share this with you in case you missed it too.  Please note that with all cookies I make, I use a parchment lined cookie sheet for baking.  I like how the cookies turn out cooked on the parchment paper and sticking is no issue.

Ro-Tel Cucumber Salsa

I started this blog in May 2011 and my second blog post was for Refreshing Cucumber Salsa which is a fresh salsa I love!  Well, here is it winter, tomatoes are blah, what's a girl to do if she wants this fresh salsa now?  You turn to canned tomatoes, in this case, I used Ro-Tel tomatoes which are diced tomatoes with green chilies.  Who would of thought? It is excellent and with the added punch of the diced chilies M-m-m-m-m!  If you don't want the extra spice, you can use regular canned diced tomatoes.

How About a Giveaway????

Because we love our readers so much, a fabulous group of bloggers has come together to provide an incredible prize package for one lucky winner. The prizes include:

A Cuisinart 5 speed Hand Mixer and 4 vouchers for four bags of Nestle Toll House Morsels (Mommy's Sweet Confessions)

A $20 gift card to King Arthur Flour (My Turn for Us)

America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook (Moore or Less Cooking)

A Babycakes Pie Pop Maker (Party Food to Go)

A cooking apron and 10% discount on Etsy (Home Independence)

A Reusable Grocery Tote Bag (Five4Five Meals)

 

GIVEAWAY SPONSORS

 

Here is a little bit about each of our giveaway sponsors. We would all love you to stop on by our blogs, Facebook pages, twitter accounts, and pinterest pages and say hi, so we can say hi back. We love making new friends! Click on each photo to be taken to their blogs.

 

Mommy's Sweet Confessions

 

Welcome! My name is Lindsay, and I love to cook, chase my kids, and share my love of baking with others. This blog was started to be a place for me to share my love of baking and cooking, and to chronicle my experiences with it, and my kids, and all the fun that goes along with trying to do both. I hope you enjoy what you see.

Moore or Less Cooking

   

   

I am a California girl living in Coastal Maine. I love to cook, bake and blog about it. My interests are traveling, photography, all types of food, cooking classes, wine tasting classes and baking classes. I have been food blogging since August 2011 and I have really enjoyed it!

Five4Five Meals

 

I am Lydia. A writer, wife and mom. I am a reluctant domestic who spends her days changing and chasing a little boy who is learning to walk! But I find time to create budget-friendly recipes, ideas and adventures for myself and my small family. I believe we all can have a good life, we just have to keep it simple.

   

Home Independence

   

I am a Wife, a Mother, a Sister, a Daughter, an Aunt. I am married to my best friend and we are raising our children to be the best that they can be. We are working on creating a homestead to raise our own food to help keep us healthy.

Party Food to Go

 

I am from a small coastal town, Aberdeen, Washington known for Kurt Cobain and lots of rain. I have been blogging for about a year and a half but have always had a passion for cooking/baking. Hoping I can make your entertaining a little simpler by providing easy to follow step by step instructions preparing dishes as well as a helpful tip or two.

My Turn for Us

   

   

I am retired from Law Enforcement and my Hubby and I are in the process of obtaining our dream of traveling full-time in an RV. I share my retirement adventures including recipes, crafts, travel and two hops each week. I host "Freedom Fridays Blog Hop" and co-host "Let's Get Social Sunday".

 

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One (1) winner will be selected on 1/12/13 and contacted via email on or around 1/13/13. Winner must reply within 48 hours of notification or a new winner will be chosen. The winning entry will be verified, so please include all information requested. Sorry, but winner must be a U.S. resident. Prizes will be sent to winner from each giveaway sponsor.

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Thatsa Spicy Meatball

Meatballs are so good, they are very popular during the holiday season as well as football season, or heck, what am I saying, any kind of get together (he-he, I am having this for dinner with scallop potatoes)!  Remember these yummy bits for your upcoming Superbowl party!  First of all, let me get the introductions out, Sweet Baby Ray, meet Frank's Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce.  Didn't know Frank's Red Hot Sauce put out a Sweet Chili Sauce? Well, let me just say, it is awesome! The famous Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce goes perfect with Frank's Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce AND meatballs!   It's not too spicy, but if you want an extra kick, you are more than welcome to add a teaspoon of red chili flakes, after all, make it taste to YOUR liking.