Category: Food

Posted in appetizers/snacks, Baked goods, Food, lunch box, side dishes

Garden Fresh Veggie Pizza

Posted on by lmc

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This is surely one of my family’s favorite snacks. As we planted vegetables and herbs this weekend, it made me think of this colorful, nutrition-packed pizza. Most of you have probably seen a variation of this recipe in cookbooks or online… this is the way I have been making it for years. When everyone pitches in to mix the topping and chop the vegetables, this one is a snap to put together. I often cut a few leftover slices to fit into lunchbox containers for the girls. What a great way to get a variety of fresh vegetables on the plate!

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Garden Fresh Veggie Pizza

2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup lite mayonnaise
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)
1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1 carrot, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jellyroll pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pat crescent roll sheet into a jellyroll pan, pinching seams to close any holes. Bake for 10 minutes, let cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, cream cheese, ranch dip mix. Spread this mixture on top of the cooled crust. Arrange all of the prepared fresh vegetables on top of the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Cut into squares and serve.

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, lunch box

Simply Made Pineapple Snack Cake

Posted on by lmc

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This is one of my favorite cakes to bake! It’s crazy delicious and super easy to throw together. The taste reminds me of a Kentucky Butter Cake recipe I used to make when my children were little. The first time I made this cake, I was delighted to learn that there is no butter, shortening, or oil in this recipe. During the school year, I omit the glaze, and pop it into lunch boxes for a tasty lunchtime treat…Yum!

Simply Made Pineapple Snack Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9″ baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and baking soda. Add eggs, vanilla, almond extract and crushed pineapple, with liquid. Mix well to combine.
Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
On warm cake, frost with my Powdered Sugar Glaze.

Posted in Food, Main Dish, slow cooking

Tender Three-Packet Beef

Posted on by lmc

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While Memorial Day weekend is usually all about grilling and opening up the pool for the summer, it seems the weather doesn’t necessarily feel like cooperating this year. After a beautiful morning sunrise, yesterday’s weather turned cloudy and a bit chilly. Instead of grilling, as I had planned, I popped a roast into the crock pot and headed outdoors to spruce up the backyard. This recipe couldn’t be any easier to prepare. I always keep these seasoning packets in the pantry for when I’m in the mood for a no-hassle meal. This is one of the most tender and flavorful roast recipes that I have ever tasted.

Tender Three-Packet Beef

3-5 lb. beef roast
2 cups of water
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet Italian seasoning mix

In a mixing bowl, combine water with the three seasoning packets. In a lightly sprayed crock pot*, place roast beef. Pour seasoning mixture over the roast and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

* I use a 6 quart crock pot for a 5 lb. roast.

Posted in Baked goods, Brunch, Desserts, Food

Scrumptious Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Posted on by lmc

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Oh My Goodness…the sun is shining and it finally feels like Spring! I made these delicious cupcakes to celebrate the beginning of a long holiday weekend.
Rummaging through my pantry shelves yesterday, I noticed that I have a few plastic containers of powdered lemonade drink mix that no one seems to be interested in consuming. This got me thinking about a recipe I recently found for cupcakes combining cake mix and lemonade drink mix. They looked pretty yummy so I thought I would make them and add a few of my own ingredients. Here’s what I came up with…

Scrumptious Strawberry Lemonade Cake

1 box yellow cake mix, with eggs, oil, and water as directed on the box
1/2 cup lemonade powdered drink mix (I used Country Time Lemonade Mix)
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup finely diced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix cake batter adding eggs, oil, and water as directed on the cake mix box. With a mixer on medium speed, incorporate lemonade mix and almond extract. Fold in strawberries.
Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan. Fill each to 2/3 full.
Bake for 16-18 minutes. Cool completely and top with cream cheese frosting or with my Powdered Sugar Glaze. Garnish with sliced strawberries. Make 2 1/2 dozen.

Posted in Food, Main Dish, slow cooking

Spicy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Posted on by lmc

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Three simple ingredients, one delicious sandwich! If you like spicy, this sandwich is for you. On chilly fall mornings, when we head off to the Northwestern or Purdue University football games, this is one of our favorite take-alongs. I just unplug the crock pot and pack this deliciousness into the back of the car.
Yesterday, after days of warmer than usual weather, the skies turned gray, the heavens opened up, and the strong winds brought a stiff chill to the air. It reminded me so much of a fall morning, I pulled out a few chicken breasts and plugged in the crock pot. By the time the kids came home from swim practice, the chicken was done and the sandwiches were ready. That’s my kinda meal!

Spicy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

6 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
1 stick of butter or margarine
1 12 oz. bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Place the stick of margarine or butter in the bottom of a 4-6 quart crock pot. Then add the chicken breasts. Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours, covered.
When chicken is thoroughly cooked and quite tender. Shred the chicken with two forks. Pour in the bottle of Frank’s Red Hot sauce and combine well. Serve on your favorite sandwich rolls.

Posted in Baked goods, Food, lunch box

Quick Mix Oatmeal Crunchies

Posted on by lmc

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A couple of months ago, I bought several boxes of instant oatmeal because I had about 10 Quaker Oatmeal coupons that I was able to stack with a great sale price, making the oatmeal nearly free! However, after using a few of the flavored oatmeal packets, my family agreed that we prefer my Hearty Crock Pot Oatmeal much better than the instant packets. Knowing that I would have to figure out a way to use up all the leftover boxes, I scoured the Internet for some recipe ideas. After experimenting with various ingredients and playing with quantities, I came up with my own recipe for Quick Mix Oatmeal Crunchies. These flavorful cookies are a snap to throw together and we absolutely love them for lunchbox treats and afternoon snacks.

Quick Mix Oatmeal Crunchies

6 packets of flavored instant oatmeal, any variety you prefer (I use a mixture of cinnamon, raisin and apple packets.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 tsp milk
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour and oatmeal packets; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add in the flour and oatmeal mixture; combine thoroughly.
Roll dough into 1 1/2″ balls and drop on to lightly greased cookie sheets, about 2″ apart. Pat the dough ball to flatten.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool briefly on cookie sheet, then finish cooling on wire rack.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, lunch box

Candy-Coated Triple Chocolate Brownies

Posted on by lmc

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Late study nights and early morning swim practices have been a household routine these last several weeks. As the school year winds down, it seems that my children have been bombarded with advanced placement tests, college standardized tests, and final exams. Thinking about our busy schedule this afternoon, I realized that I haven’t baked a fun dessert in a while. Hoping to whip up something delightful, my Candy-Coated Triple Chocolate Brownie Recipe was the first thing that came to mind. A wonderfully sweet treat, sure to put a smile on anyone’s face!

Candy-Coated Triple Chocolate Brownies

2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 can prepared milk chocolate frosting
1/2 cup candy coated chocolates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together first 4 ingredients. In a second bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and chocolate chips; mix into egg mixture, just until moistened. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until set brownie edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 5-7 minutes before spreading prepared frosting over brownies. Sprinkle with coated chocolate candies. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Posted in Baked goods, breakfast, Brunch, Food

Triple Berry Cobbler

Posted on by lmc

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When frozen berries are on sale, I buy several bags and throw them in my freezer for smoothies, pancakes, spreads, and cobblers. Yesterday, I found a bag of frozen fruit in my freezer and I decided it was time to make my favorite Triple Berry Cobbler for dessert. This recipe bakes up more like a snack cake than a cobbler because the berries are evenly distributed throughout the moist, flavorful batter. I wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and send them off in lunch boxes so my family can enjoy the cobbler during their lunch hour. A simply delicious treat!

Triple Berry Cobbler

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
2 cups frozen triple berry fruit mix , no sugar added, partially thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ round baking dish or cake pan. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Stir in butter, milk, vanilla and egg until smooth. Fold in triple berry fruit mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Posted in appetizers/snacks, Baked goods, breakfast, Brunch, Food, lunch box

Meagan’s Crunchy Homemade Granola

Posted on by lmc

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If you’ve ever bought granola in the grocery store, you know that it can be quite expensive and it may be filled with lots of added fat and sugar. The beauty of making your own granola is that you can add anything you like so that it is tailor made for you and your family. Here is a recipe for the granola that my family loves. Meagan makes it on Sunday evening and packs it into a large airtight container so that it can be sprinkled on top of yogurt, fruit, or to be eaten with milk as a granola cereal. Once you’ve made your own granola, it’s hard to go back to the pre-packaged stuff on the grocery store shelf.

Meagan’s Crunchy Homemade Granola

6 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix rolled oats and brown sugar together. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, honey and vanilla. Pour over dry mixture and stir to coat. Add in chopped nuts, and sunflower seeds. (Don’t add raisins until after baking.)
Spread granola on a lightly greased or sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees, for about 30 minutes. Stir frequently (every 5-10 minutes) to ensure even baking. Add raisins when finished baking. Cool and break into small pieces. Store in airtight container.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, Food

Mary’s Irish Scones

Posted on by lmc

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My family has been making these scones for as long as I can remember. As a young girl, I used to watch my mom make batches of these buttermilk scones without having to use a recipe. She would mix everything up by hand, then swiftly kneed and cut triangular shapes from the rolled dough. During the Lenten season, Mom would make several batches as we would have scones and tea for Friday dinner.
These days, I regularly make scones for my family. I, too, can make them without the recipe but I use a biscuit cutter to uniformly cut the soft dough into circular shapes. We often top the baked scones with homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam.(Although, J and M prefer to top them with gobs of peanut butter.) After removing a batch from the oven, it isn’t long before they’ve all been eaten and everyone is asking for more.

Mary’s Irish Scones

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup buttermilk

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut margarine into flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, with pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in raisins and buttermilk until dough leaves the side of the bowl. Add more milk or flour as needed. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Kneed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a round about 1/4 to 1/2″ thick. With a biscuit cutter, cut scones and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.