Stuffed Pepper Casserole

I haven't made anything for myself in quite some time. Tonight, I was able to make something and not worry about if Dan would eat it or not, which, while I love cooking for him, it's nice to eat a wider variety of veggies :)

One of my all-time favorite foods is stuffed peppers. I've made them traditional style, soup style, and healthier versions with quinoa and veggies. Tonight's version is casserole style. It tastes just like a stuffed pepper, but without the work of digging the filling out of the pepper and having to cut it all up.

This is a great dish for colder weather and it makes a massive amount, so making it for one like I did, is not the best idea. I will be eating this for lunch for a week. At least it's delicious and I'm going to want to eat a lot of it. I was even lucky enough that the dogs entertained themselves outside the whole time I was in the kitchen. Lana has taken an interest in oven mitts and will run at them when I try to take something out of the oven. Trying to battle a puppy away from a hot oven wearing oven mitts is not an easy task, nor one I want to engage in at all. You can make this healthier by using low-sodium products and healthier cheese. The Velveeta Shreds happened to be on sale, so I had some of those. They are by far not the healthiest shredded cheese out there, but they taste just like Velveeta, so they are super delicious. It's not the prettiest dish when served, just looks like stuffed pepper slop, but it's pretty good, so that makes up for the appearance.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole
from Mostly Homemade Mom

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 green peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cans corn, drained
2 and 1/2 (15oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (29oz) can diced tomatoes (I omitted)
1 tsp. garlic powder
sprinkle of kosher salt
sprinkle of black pepper
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Brown the ground beef in a stock pot or deep skillet. Drain and set aside.
3. Add the oil and saute the peppers and onion over medium-high heat 5-10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.
4.  Add tomatoes, sauce, corn, beef, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the rice. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish and cover with cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Today was quite the day. I started by running to the mall to get two of those magnetic tags removed from clothes I bought a while ago that weren't taken off when I bought them. One was a pair of pants from the first week of September, and another was a pair of underwear that I bought over a year and a half ago...yeah, I kept forgetting about them.

Then, I hit the grocery store to grab what I needed for meals this week. After the grocery store was the real challenge...taking Lana to Petco.She's still fairly new to the leash, but she did pretty well. She walked through the store, stayed with me, and let people pet her. She even let someone put a coat on her. But, once we were in the checkout line, about 5 golden retrievers came in, sparking wayyyy to much excitement for her. What does she do? Pees. Right in the checkout line. Luckily, it's Petco and they didn't care. Lana had a pretty active weekend, playing with another pitbull, and then hanging at the hockey rink last night until 10, so I was banking on her taking a nice long nap while I prepared dinner and baked all afternoon. Nap she did, so into the kitchen I went.

I made my shrimp and corn chowder that Dan requests on a monthly basis fir dinner. Getting into the fall spirit, I had to make some fall flavored cupcakes. Pumpkin Snickerdoodle was the final vote. I changed up the recipe slightly, but just by filling my cupcakes with some pumpkin caramel sauce I had from Stonewall Kitchen. The stuff is delicious and is recommended for a topping on desserts and ice cream, so using it as a filling for these cupcakes was a no-brainer. The cupcakes came out very moist due to the pumpkin and applesauce in the batter. They made the liners really stick to them though. One step I over-looked was sifting out the cake mix. I wish I had because I had little tiny clumps of cake mix throughout the batter that never mixed out. Next time, I will definitely sift it first (and it must be with a sifter, not with a whisk). The frosting was incredibly easy to make, and since you want to showcase the cinnamon sugar topping, you only want a small amount of frosting. You could even cut the frosting recipe in half, I had so much leftover. Usually, I like a full frosted cupcake, but since these had the cinnamon sugar coating, it was okay that there was only a small amount. These cupcakes were delicious. Super moist and PACKED with flavor. The cake, filling and frosting all went well together. Due to the sweetness of all the cinnamon and sugar, I recommend going with the cream cheese frosting instead of a buttercream. Or, for something even fresher and a little less sweet, you could make a cinnamon whipped cream for a topping.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
adapted from Your Cup of Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (or use a spice cake mix and omit the spices)
1 tbsp.pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce (or oil)
2 tsp. vanilla

4 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup of cinnamon and sugar. mixed (you will have plenty leftover)
Stonewall Kitchen's Pumpkin Caramel Sauce (or any caramel sauce)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two pans with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the cake mix, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the pumpkin, eggs, milk, applesauce and vanilla. Add the cake mix and continue to beat until combined.
4. Fill liner 3/4 full and bake for 17-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.
5. Brush cooled cupcakes with melted butter and dip the tops in the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating the tops.
6. Using a straw, poke 4 holes in the tops of each cake.
7. Put the caramel sauce into a squeeze bottle and microwave for 30 seconds on half power. Squeeze caramel into the holes in the cupcakes.
8. For the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the cinnamon and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. If it seems too thick, add a tablespoon of milk until you get the consistency you want. Frost cupcakes and eat!

Honey Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

Oh. My. Good. Lord.

Yesterday, I saw a recipe for shrimp tacos, which sounded delicious. I decided to wing it because tacos are pretty simple. The only thing I looked up was a sweet and spicy sauce to cook the shrimp in. I decided on a honey chipotle sauce. The best thing about this sauce is that it uses things you already have, no reason to run out to the store. I finally used up the last of my sweet and smoky seasoning with this, so I guess a trip to the store would be needed for this if I make it again. I mean when I make it again, because this recipe was FANTASTIC!

Usually, when I just decide to wing it, there's always something that doesn't come out right or that I wish I did different. The only thing I would change about this, is that I would add the shrimp a little later and let the sauce thicken up more first. Other than that, I was incredibly pleased with how everything came together so nicely. I thought I had some Mexican shredded cheese left, but I didn't I had about 1/3 cup of shredded Monterey Jack and a bag of Velveeta shreds. That would have to do.

I started with my Mission Carb Balance tortillas. Seriously, I've talked about these before, and they are hands down the best tortillas ever. EVER. They are just so super soft and fresh. I melted some cheese on them and them topped them with my sour cream-avocado mash. I was pretty nervous about attempting the mash, because avocado is very bland to me, and then I worried about over-seasoning it. It came out perfectly for my taste. I topped this with the shrimp and corn and some cilantro. Perfect!

The sauce was sweeter than spicier, which was fine with me. It paired perfectly with saltiness of the sour cream-avocado mash and you could taste the cilantro with everything as well. I was pretty impressed with myself on this one. And there's no way I'm fessing up to how many servings I had....

Honey Chipotle Shrimp Tacos
sauce from Grocery Budget 101

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. white vinegar
2-4 tsp. chipotle seasoning (I use Grill Mates Sweet n Smoky rub)
1/4 tsp. salt
40 small shrimp, tail removed (I used frozen)
1/2 can sweet corn kernels
1/2 Hass avocado
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chipotle seasoning
shredded cheese
cilantro, minced
flour tortillas

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the honey, corn syrup, ketchup, water, vinegar, chipotle seasoning and salt. Heat in a skillet over medium heat and let cook until sauce thickens and reduced a bit.
2. While the sauce cooks, mash together the avocado, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, and chipotle seasoning.
3. Once the sauce is reduced, add the shrimp and corn. Cook until heated through.
4. To serve, melt cheese on tortillas, spread some avocado mash on top, top with shrimp and corn and minced cilantro.

Chocolate Caramel Bailey's Cupcakes

Two sets of cupcakes in one week! It makes me feel pretty productive. It makes me feel even more productive that it was two sets of cupcakes in a matter of three days. Also, I broke my frosting gun tonight. I've been meaning to get another one anyways, but the tip on the pump handle broke off. Now, I know it's not the end of the word. I do own plenty of pastry bags, but I like the gun. Pastry bags can get messy, and I need more practice with them. I'm just used to my gun.

These cupcakes are a thank you to Dan's aunt who has been coming over and letting Lana out now that my friend and his sister can't stop by during the day anymore (they'll be getting treats too!). These cupcakes are also a recipe that I know about 100 people would want to try, so I have a feeling I'll be making these again when people complain that they didn't get to try any. Dan said they were some of his favorite ones yet, which is pretty big considering he is not a chocolate guy. But, he is a Bailey's guy, and these cupcakes have a decent amount in them. They're also filled with a chocolate-caramel ganache.

In the past, I've made some intensive filled cupcakes. These are not that case. This is a doctored boxed cake mix (which I stated in my last cupcake post I tend to stay away from). I actually probably wouldn't use this mix again. The cupcakes are extremely light and fluffy, they feel like a little cloud when you hold them without the filling and frosting. That might sound good, but for some of them, biting into them makes them sort of collapse because they're so light. A denser cupcake is better for filling and a good serving of frosting. I also used a different brand of cake mix, so that could be it too. The cake does come together quickly though, as well as the ganache, which cooled faster than some other ganaches I've made, which was nice - less waiting around. The frosting is also easy, but I needed to add the Bailey's and cream mix halfway through the addition of the sugar because it got so thick. I also added more Bailey's and cream than the recipe called for to get the consistency I wanted. Below is the original recipe with some of my notes of what I did.

Chocolate Caramel Bailey's Cupcakes
semi-adapted from Tidy Mom

For the cake:
1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (I used Betty Crocker's Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix)
3 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup Bailey's
1/2 cup butter, melted

For the ganache:
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I only had 7 oz, so I used 3 oz of semi-sweet too)
1 cup heavy cream
10-12 caramel candies, unwrapped

For the frosting:
1 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
8 cups powdered sugar
1/4-1/3 cup Bailey's
1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream

Caramel sauce for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cupcakes pans with liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together all cake ingredients on low until combined. Then, beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
3. Fill cupcake liners evenly and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
4. While the cakes are cooking, place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Heat the cream and caramels in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and stir until combined. Pour over chocolate, let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until melted, combined and glossy. Place in the fridge to thicken up until ready to fill.
5. For the frosting, combine the Bailey's and cream in a measuring cup. Beat the shortening and vanilla until fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. When it gets too thick, slowly pour in half the Bailey's mixture. Add the rest of the sugar one cup at a time, and then slowly add the remaining Bailey's mixture. Add more Bailey's or cream if you want it thinner.
6. Use a pairing knife to cut a cone/hole in the middle of each cake. Fill with ganache. Top with frosting and drizzle with caramel sauce.

** A note on the caramel sauce: I used the ice cream topping caramel sauce in the squeeze bottle. I forgot how liquid-y it is and how fast it comes out. So as you can see below, the first couple are drenched in caramel before I had a good pressure going to drizzle the rest. I suggest putting the caramel (homemade is even better!) into a small decorating squeeze bottle for better control.

All packed up

Thank you much!

Turkey Piccata

It is a windy, rainy Monday. I love days like this. I was even hoping for some thunder, but I guess the rain will do. I don't think the dogs appreciate the weather as much as I do, though. As I type this, Tess is on the floor, popping her head up every time the window blows through the windows and rustles up something in the house.

Today was a pretty productive day, especially since I maybe slept for about 2 hours last night. I was able to come home, relax for a half hour, and then start on a super yummy supper. Dan took Lana to his parents to do a side job, so it's just Tess and I, enjoying our dinner and peace and quiet until Hurricane Lana returns. Hopefully their dog will have tired her out a bit, so I can get to kitchen adventure #2: cupcakes.

In my most recent edition of Cooking Light magazine, they had a recipe for Turkey Piccata. I'm always looking for something new and finding ways to throw in some turkey here and there. We eat a lot of chicken and beef here, so finding good recipes for turkey cutlets is always welcome. Piccata is one of those staple dishes at most Italian restaurants, but I can't say I've ever ordered it. I've tried it, and it's good, but it's not my go-to if I'm out for Italian (pasta takes the medal on that one). This recipe looked too easy and yummy to pass up.

One thing I would change, is a little less lemon juice. I may have used slightly too much. I took a lemon, sliced it in half and gave each half a squeeze over the pan. Even so, lemon juice goes a long way, and two tablespoons of it in the smaller amount of gravy this recipe produced was a bit too lemon-y for my taste. It was still very good, but I'd prefer less lemon next time.

Turkey Piccata
from Cooking Light, October 2013

8 (3-ounce) turkey cutlets
salt and pepper for seasoning turkey
1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup chopped shallot
1 tbsp. sliced garlic (I used minced)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. flour
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1.5 tbsp. capers, drained
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1. Sprinkle turkey cutlets with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1.5 teaspoons of oil and swirl the pan to coat. Add 4 cutlets to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove cutlets from pan and keep warm; repeat with other 4 cutlets in remaining oil.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Add shallots and garlic; saute 1 minute. Increase the heat to high. Add wine, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, and scrape the pan to loosen the browned bits.
3. Combine the stock and flour and whisk together. Add to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and capers. Pour sauce over cutlets, sprinkle with parsley, and serve!

Bubbling sauce

Odd angle...don't know why this photo didn't rotate. You get the hint though.

Blue Hawaiian Cupcakes

Home at 10:20 on a Saturday night with my puppy. Dan is at work and Tess is at my parent's house. It's just Lana and I. I like nights like this.

Today's recipe was a request, which I was more than happy to fulfill because a) I like baking cupcakes, b) it gives me more motivation and c) it was for a good friend.

The answer is d) all of the above.

Happy Birthday Angela!

 My friend requested some cupcakes for her birthday. I gave her some choices, one being Blue Hawaiian because I know she likes to drink them. She chose Blue Hawaiian and I set out on some researching. I have recipes for plenty of boozy cupcakes, and one was a Blue Hawaiian that I had saved forever ago. But after re-reading the recipe, I didn't like it. I adapted a recipe for a pineapple cream cupcake I found and did the buttercream on my own. I was pretty pleased with how they came out.

Now, like most mixed drinks, looking up the ingredients I found many variations. I went with one that seemed easiest to convert to a cupcake - pineapple, coconut rum, and blue curacao. A good thing to know is that blue curacao is the same thing as orange curacao, except it's blue. AND, both curacaos are triple sec. Triple sec is just a little less sweet than curacao, but all of them are orange liqueurs. You could use a curacao, triple sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau in this recipe and get the same result. Both Grand Marnier and Cointreau are drier then curacaos, and Grand Marnier is more brandy-based. If you have the higher end, then use it, but for these I grabbed a bottle of triple sec ($6) and used some blue food coloring. A bottle of blue curacao ran for $18. Seriously?! Eighteen dollars for a bottle of something orange flavored and disgustingly sugary that is added to drinks just to make them blue. Totally crazy.

I took a recipe for a doctored box-mix and added my own little twist. Now, normally I'm against using a boxed cake mix for my cupcakes, but every now and then I don't mind a recipe that doesn't just call for you to make a batch according to the box directions. This recipe did that and I doctored it even further, so I feel okay about it. I added in some coconut rum and some cream of coconut. I have never used cream of coconut, but it is thicker than I expected. I wish it came in smaller cans, because I used about 2 tablespoons of it and ditched the rest. Such a waste.

Blue Hawaiian Cupcakes
cake adapted from Your Cup of Cake

 For the cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 and 1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
3 eggs
1 tbsp cream of coconut
3 tbsp coconut rum

For the buttercream:
4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
6-7 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp coconut rum
2-3 tbsp triple sec
30-40 drops blue food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pans for 20-22 cupcakes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, pineapple, eggs, cream of coconut and coconut rum, and beat until combined.
3. Add the cake mix and beat until combined.
4. Fill liners 3/4 full and bake for 17-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Let cool.
6. For the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy and fluffy.
7. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time and beat until desired consistency.
8. Add the rum and triple sec and beat on medium-low speed. Add more sugar if the frosting is too thin. Add food coloring and mix until fully distributed.
9. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with cherries and umbrellas!

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken

I haven't had a good home-cooked meal in a while. It's been whatever's easy to make, or that I can manage to make, with the puppy in full terror mode. This is the second time I've used a Progresso Recipe Starter. The first was in a chicken pot pie, which was delicious. This recipe is super easy and quick..if you're not simultaneously chasing a puppy and emptying and reloading the dishwasher.

This post is short because Bruins official season hockey starts in 10 minutes.

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
from Progresso

4 chicken breasts (I had 3)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can Progresso Parmesan Basil Cooking Sauce, divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2/3 cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs (I had plain so I added Italian seasoning)
2/3 cup freshly grated asiago cheese
** 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning, if using

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a shallow dish, combine melted butter, 3 tablespoons of cooking sauce, and garlic powder.
3. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning (if using) and asiago cheese.
4. Trim chicken breast, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Dip each breast in butter mix then breadcrumb mix and place on cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
6. While chicken is cooking, cook some pasta and heat the remaining cooking sauce.
7. Serve chicken with pasta, sauce and a sprinkle of leftover asiago cheese.

**The original recipe called for pounding out the chicken until it was a 1/2 inch thick, and cooking for 15-20 minutes, but I took the lazy way out.