Mar
14
Pizza Sauce

Happy 10th Blogoversary to me!

This past pandemic year we have done so much cooking but WAY more baking. Since we couldn’t take a vacation, all summer long we based our meals on the food days. In addition to that, every Friday my younger son and I would make Cinnamon Rolls. My hubby and younger son have perfected making all kinds of bread…baguettes, hamburger buns, sourdough loaves, subway rolls and this list goes on. And to further indulge in the carb overload, when my older son works the closing shift at his job, they are allowed to take home any food left over at the end of the night. Therefore, I started making pizza sauce for my boys on a regular basis to go with the Tomato Twists and Parmesan pretzels. This has been part of my boys’ go to lunch for the past year.  This sauce is so flavorful, so simple and so easy. We have used it when making pizza with fresh dough and French bread pizzas. There is no need to buy jarred sauce ever.

Pizza Sauce

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  • 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Spread desired amount over a pizza crust or transfer to a storage container. Refrigerate, covered, up to 1 week or may be frozen for up to 6 months.

Recipe from: Taste of Home

Jan
31
Lemon Curd

It’s winter in California which also means it’s citrus season! I guess that’s why January is National Citrus month. I love the lemons from friends and the oranges from my mom. What they all have in common is exceptional flavor.

Lemon is something I enjoy from time to time. I’m more of a chocolate person, chocolate anything really. But lemon is not something I typically gravitate towards. Over the years on our afternoon tea outings (http://kellyscravings.com/category/afternoon-tea/) I have come to enjoy lemon curd with my scones. My friend Raschel buys Trader Joes lemon curd in bulk. Several years ago I decided to make my own. I have tried a few recipes but have landed on the perfect one and it happens to be super easy…I love when that happens!

This recipe is made in a Vitamix blender and turns out so airy and so creamy that I will literally eat it by the spoonful. Now I love having it on hand. Not only will I put it on scones, I will toss it with fresh berries for an extra added flavor.

Lemon Curd

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½ cup (120 ml) lemon juice

5 large eggs

1½ cup (335 g) granulated sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

Zest of 3 lemons

½ cup (110 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Place lemon juice, eggs, sugar, salt and zest into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. Blend for 5 minutes. Reduce speed to Variable 5 and remove the lid plug. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, through the lid plug opening incorporating butter completely between additions. Replace the lid plug and increase speed to Variable 10. Blend for 30 seconds. Chill before serving or allow to cool slightly and serve at room temperature.

Recipe from: Vitamix

Mar
14
Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Happy 9th Blogoversary to me!

I thought it would be fun to post another “pie” for Pi Day.

When I was growing up, my mom would make Chicken Pot Pie on occasion for dinner. She would use the Pillsbury Pie Crusts in the red box which made the “pie” look more traditional. Many years ago, I saw this recipe on the back of a Bisquick box and gave it a try. It is so easy and quite tasty. I will usually double the recipe (I do have growing teenage boys) and cook it in my cast iron skillet. Most often this is my go to recipe to give to people recovering from surgery. There is nothing like good comfort food to help you feel better again.

Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie
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1 ⅔ cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup Original Bisquick mix
½ cup milk
1 egg

Heat oven to 400°F.  Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in an ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate.

Stir together remaining ingredients with a fork until blended.  Pour into pie plate.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe from: Betty Crocker

Jan
25
Pork Potstickers

Happy New Year!

When my kids were in kindergarten, they started getting red envelopes from friends with money inside for the Lunar New Year. The red symbolizes good luck and is to ward off evil spirits. In China, dumplings (potstickers) are served as the first meal of the year because they symbolize wealth. My youngest son loves potstickers so much that his birthday meal, which always falls around the Lunar New Year, is usually based on a restaurant with great potstickers. 7 years ago we found a great hole in the wall place we love. On the Lunar New Year, we get take out from here which usually consists of their potstickers and some type of noodle dish which symbolizes a long life. Years ago my aunt, Marcia, emailed me saying, “You should make your own. It’s easy.” She had a great recipe from a friend of a friend. I thought she was crazy. But she was right, they aren’t hard, it’s just time consuming. This past weekend, my son wanted to make them again. I supervised the making of them and then he observed my hubby frying them. On Tuesday night, he did it all by himself. I could tell he was nervous about the frying part but he did a fantastic job. Even he thought they looked like “legit restaurant quality”.

Pork Potstickers

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Filling:

¼ lb. green onions
½ cup Chinese Cabbage
1 pkg. Dumpling skins

Mix filling ingredients together ahead of time to let it marinate in the refrigerator.

Have a small bowl of water.  Fill skins with about ½ Tablespoon or so of meat mixture.  Dip your finger in the water and wet ½ the skin round, press together with a dumpling press or pinch the edges together and fold.

Heat pan and 2 Tablespoons of oil.  Fry pot stickers until brown and crisp on the side.  Add 1/3 – 1/2 cup of water to the pan.  Cover the pan tightly and steam 10-15 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking until all the liquid is absorbed.

Serve with rice and your choice of dipping sauce.

Kelly’s Notes:
I like to add ¼ cup shredded carrots to the meat mixture.
If you don’t want to fry the potstickers, you can steam them.

Sep
18
Tupelo Junction Café

Happy Fall Y’All!

More than one year ago, I was going to meet my friend Julie for breakfast.  She highly recommended a restaurant in Newport Beach called Tupelo Junction Café.  She told me about one of their more popular menu items but said to get what sounded good to me.  I went with her suggestion of the Pumpkin Oatmeal Waffle with Caramelized Bananas, Candied Pecans, Sweet Cream and Maple Syrup. I was moaning with delight from the first bite.  Julie asked if we should share each of our breakfasts’ and I said no.  We now laugh about it because she could tell how much I was enjoying my meal.  The waffle was crisp on the outside yet soft in the middle, the candied pecans gave it the sweet and crunchy texture, the sweet cream was spreadable and decadent and the bananas…well, I wish there were more!

Two weeks ago Julie moved out of state, but before she left I wanted to treat her to one last breakfast at Tupelo Junction Café.  I hadn’t been back since my first visit but have often thought about that epic meal and have recommended the restaurant to so many people who have also fallen in love with other menu items.  This time Julie and I both got the waffle and it didn’t disappoint.

Jun
21
Summer Salad Surprise

Summer Salad Surprise

Happy 1st day of Summer!

I’m not a huge fan of summer.  Yes, I know, I’m in the minority on that one.  Hot long days just don’t excite me.  But cold pasta salads that I can serve as a main meal make me happy.  I like recipes I can make in the summer that don’t use the oven to get the whole house hot.  My mom found this recipe on a box of french fried onions many years ago.  I’ve never been able to find it anywhere to be able to give proper credit.  Over the years, I’ve put a few different spins on the original.  I love Garbanzo beans so much that I now add them to this recipe.  My husband’s change is to use Ranch dressing instead of mayo.  I love all of these flavors together and the sweetness of the corn, the saltiness of the bacon, the crunch of the onions just make summer a little bit more enjoyable.

Summer Salad Surprise

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2 cans (16 oz) corn

1 can (16 oz) green beans

1 can (16 oz) garbanzo beans

1 pkg (16 oz) elbow macaroni, cooked, drained and chilled

8 strips of bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

1 can (3 oz) french fried onions

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp seasoned salt

OR

substitute mayo and salt for Ranch Dressing

Chill vegetables.

Combine macaroni, vegetables, bacon and ½ can of onions.

Add mayo/salt or Ranch dressing.

Toss gently. Chill until serving.

Serves 6-8

Mar
14
Sloppy Joe’s


Happy 8th Blogoversary to me!

Sloppy Joe’s are one of the first things I remember cooking for my family when I was still living at home. It is so easy yet so comforting and delicious. Whenever my aunt had a garage sale, you could count on her making Sloppy Joe’s. There are many ways to make them and each person has their own version. I remember in high school I had friends who were shocked my mom made them from “scratch” using the seasoning packets because they would bust open a can of Manwich. I remember the Manwich commercials and the slogan, but until today I thought it was the entire meal in a can! I realized it is just seasoned tomato sauce that is added to cooked ground beef.

When my kids were young I wanted to get away from seasoning packets and make my own. I couldn’t find a good Sloppy Joe recipe until I discovered the Pioneer Woman. I started following her blog before she aired on the Food Network. She posted her Sloppy Joe’s recipe in 2010 and I’ve been making them ever since much to the delight of my family.

Sloppy Joe’s
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2 Tablespoons Butter
2-1/2 pounds Ground Beef
1/2 whole Large Onion, Diced
1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1-1/2 cup Ketchup
1 cup Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Kaiser Rolls or Hamburger Buns
Butter

Add butter to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper and garlic. Cook for a few minutes or until vegetables begin to get soft.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spread roll with butter and brown on the griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls.

Serves 8

Recipe from: Pioneer Woman

Feb
01
Fantasy Fudge


Fudge…this candy has such an unusual name, yet makes me smile as I think about it’s smooth, creamy and chocolatey texture. Sometimes it’s hard to get the right consistency, if you don’t boil it enough it will be crystalized sugar; boil it too long and it can become a hard candy. While I do love making candy (Chocolate Almond Brickle), I would make a super easy Rocky Road just to skip the hassle of the fudge making. About 2 1/2 years ago, I started asking everyone I knew if they had a really good fudge recipe. My mom’s high school friend, Debbie, who we would go to tea with, gave me two fudge recipes she makes. Debbie makes the decades old fudge recipe originally on the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Crème jar. Kraft changed the recipe many years ago and people were not happy. It is hard to find the original. And since I love marshmallow and chocolate together, it has quickly become a family favorite! It’s definitely worth the effort. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fantasy Fudge
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1 jar marshmallow crème (5 oz. to 10 oz.)
1 ½ cups sugar
⅔ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup butter
¼ tsp salt
12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate morsels or
6 oz. milk chocolate and 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
½ cup chopped nuts, optional
1 tsp vanilla

Combine marshmallow crème, sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Bring to full boil, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes over moderate heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Add 12 oz. chocolate morsels and stir until melted.
Stir in 1/2 cup chopped nuts, and 1 tsp vanilla.
Pour into greased 8″ square pan. Chill until firm.
Makes 2 ¼ lbs.

Adapted from: Kraft

Oct
19
Pumpkin Scones


I love eating bread…in any form really…but especially when it’s hot out of the oven. Oh, and the smell of fresh warm bread…simply delicious. When my mom and I started going to tea so many years ago, I looked forward to what flavor scone they would bring out. Back in the day I would go to Starbucks not just for the coffee but for the scones. They had large scrumptious flavored scones. No more. Over the years I have tried making scones with not much luck. The dough was either too dry or too wet. Then one day the light bulb went off…what if I shredded the butter in the food processor and mixed…genius! I was so proud of myself. I was working the food processor so much, it finally gave out. While I was on the hunt for something just as good as the old one, I used the Kitchen Aid mixer to make my scones. Brilliant again. So now we make all sorts of flavors. I found this recipe on Pinterest and ironically it is called Starbucks Clone Pumpkin Scone!

Starbucks Clone Pumpkin Scones
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2 cups flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 Tablespoons half & half
1 egg
6 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed

For the plain glaze:
1 cup + 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons half & half

For the spiced drizzle:
1 cup + 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons half & half
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground ground ginger
pinch ground ground cloves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a large food processor (or in a large bowl) combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Pulse or whisk to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until well incorporated and mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Alternatively, use your fingertips or a pastry butter to blend butter in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, half & half, and egg. Add to flour mixture and pulse until just combined. Alternatively, stir until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 4 or 5 times to bring the dough together, then flatten into a circle 1″ thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half, then cut each half into thirds.

Place the wedges onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

When scones are cool, whisk together the plain glaze ingredients, then spoon on top and spread slightly. Let harden for 10 minutes, then whisk together the spiced drizzle ingredients and drizzle on top. Let harden completely, about 1 hour, before serving.

Store in an airtight container for 1 day.

Cooks Notes: I only add the spiced glaze to the scones. I also only use about ½ of the recipe.

Recipe from: Iowa Girl Eats

Jul
07
Chocolate Scotcheroos

There are about 8 different chocolate days “observed” each year. I’m not sure any other food gets so many days celebrated. I’m in! Chocolate is my all time favorite thing to eat. Oh, except for white chocolate which really isn’t chocolate at all. It will satisfy my craving in very rare instances. When my hubby and I were dating, we worked together. One day we went to the cafeteria for lunch and I grabbed a slice of chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache and chocolate chips with some raspberry coulis. Dylan happens to mention he’s not really a dessert or chocolate fan. I gasped! I actually said, “Yeah, I don’t know if this relationship will continue much longer.” Luckily for Dylan, my office partner was sitting with us that day and she said, “Kelly, just think, you won’t have to share…EVER!” Flash forward 20 years…Dylan not only eats all desserts and chocolate, I am a good wife and share 50/50!

I first tasted this recipe at a family reunion. Dylan and I went to Arizona and met a lot of family on my maternal grandma’s side. It was a potluck and someone made these Chocolate Scotcheroos. I’m not sure where the name comes from but they are direct from the Kellogg’s website. If you like Rice Krispie Treats but they leave a little to be desired, these are for you. I love the chocolate and peanut butter combo and the addition of the butterscotch chips gives it that extra sweetness.

Happy World Chocolate Day!

Chocolate Scotcheroos
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1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 package (6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch chips

Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Note: Before measuring the corn syrup, coat your measuring cup with cooking spray–the syrup will pour easily out of the cup.

Recipe from: Kelloggs