Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Spaghetti Squash. If you haven't tried it, you MUST. I love pasta and while this doesn't taste just like pasta it does give the same consistency! I love this recipe and it seemed to be a hit! Once I purchased the spaghetti squash, I took to Pinterest to find a good recipe! I found this Skinny Spaghetti squash recipe and knew I had to try it!! The recipe originally comes from The Comfort of Cooking, www.thecomfortofcooking.com.

Ingredients
1 medium sized spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk I actually used Almond Milk
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons extra for topping
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley for optional garnish

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Prep the squash, cut spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet covered with water. Bake about an hour, until tender.
3. Once squash is cooked, use a fork to gently scrape the "spaghetti" strands in the center.
4. For the sauce, melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
5. Whisk in flour, cooking for another minute while stirring.
6. Whisk in milk, until no lumps remain. Once hot, add cream cheese and stir until smooth.
7. Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper.
8. Spoon sauce equally into each spaghetti squash half. Pull up spaghetti strands to evenly cost as much as possible with the sauce.
9. Top with extra Parmesan and place under broiler of oven for 2-3 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
10. Top each half with red pepper flakes and parsley if desired.
11. Serve hot.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Maple Glazed Salmon

Salmon is so easy to prepare and so healthy for you, I'm all for a quick weekday dinner! This is my new go-to salmon recipe! The sauce takes about 2 minutes to whip up and then bake the salmon quickly and you have a delicious meal. I got this recipe from Real Simple.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillets

Steps
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a small bowl mix syrup, mustard, and a little salt and pepper. Coat salmon and place on a baking sheet.
3. Bake 6-8 minutes until opaque throughout.

Serve with your choice of veggies.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Kielbasa, Apples, and Onions

This is one of my new favorite recipes to make, probably because it doesn't take long at all and makes plenty for leftovers! This recipe is originally from Broke Ass Gourmet www.brokeassgourmet.com. Love it!

Ingredients
1 Kielbasa
1 red apple
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Steps
1. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and put in half of the kielbasa, onions, and apples in and sauté. Repeat with the rest of the olive oil and ingredients.

I don't typically post pictures of myself in the kitchen but Allyson snapped this candid photo while I was preparing this dish so I thought I'd include it, a look inside my life in the kitchen!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Smoothies

A new obsession, a slightly healthy one. Smoothies! My cousin, Robin, graciously shared this recipe with our family and those of us that have tried it have made it part of our daily routine! It is easy to make, delicious, and gives you an energy boost! Trust me, it is delicious, give it a try (I say this because I was a little reluctant myself to try it the first time).

Green Machine Smoothie
3/4 glass of Almond Milk
A couple of ice cubes (optional)
A large handful of Spinach (or Kale)
1/4 cucumber peeled, more if you'd like
1/4 avocado, more if you'd like
1/2 pear peeled (this is your sweetener) I typically add banana and/or peeled apple

You can also add blueberries if you'd like. Really, you can make it your own by the fruit you add!

Blend on high until creamy.

I have adapted this to make just about 1 smoothie.






Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
Smoothies are just so easy to make in the morning and usually hold me over to lunch so I've gone to Pinterest and now have a collection of recipes to try! Here is one that I've tried and love!
Banana
1 tablespoon peanut butter
3/4 cup milk (I use Almond Milk)
A couple of ice cubes

Blend on high until creamy!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Bunny Cake

An Easter tradition, a bunny cake! This year I was joining friends and family for Easter lunch so there was no problem eating all of the bunny cake! Typically I make a coconut bunny cake but this year I opted for carrot cake. My mom's carrot cake recipe!

This cake is very easy to make, you make 2 round cakes and cut one of them for the ears and bowtie! Simply take one round cake and cut out a curved portion for the ear, lay it over the opposite side of the cake and cut exactly along it, now the leftover center makes your bowtie. I arrange everything on a covered baking sheet and begin frosting. Set aside some frosting to color pink. I put a layer of frosting over the entire cake, then frost the entire bowtie with pink frosting. For the ears I used my icing tool that I use with my cupcakes and it made it ten times easier than ever before, mom was amazed! Ha. I used the round tip and quickly added a dab of pink in the center of each ear! For the whiskers I use one licorice twizzlers sliced to make several whiskers. I typically use jelly beans for the eyes and nose but this year used mini Cadbury eggs. On to the recipe!

Carrot Cake
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups finely grated carrots
Directions
1. Sift and mix dry ingredients.
2. Add oil and stir well.
3. Add eggs one at a time.
4. Add carrots and cinnamon.
Split into two round 8 inch pans.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 box (1lb) confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
1. Soften cream cheese and butter and mix together.
2. Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla and beat well.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

St. Patrick's Day cupcakes

This year I went to visit my sister St. Patrick's Day in Savannah and was assigned the task of bringing cupcakes, now that's a task I can handle!!

So I set out on a mission to find the perfect St. Patrick's Day cupcakes, I opted to take two kinds, Green Velvet cupcakes, and Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting! They were both hits but I'm pretty sure everyone voted the Guinness their favorite!

For the Green Velvet recipe, I used my traditional Red Velvet recipe but substituted green food coloring in place of red, a simple change! I added a few green sprinkles on top as well. You can never have too much green on St. Patrick's Day!

The Guinness cupcakes recipe I got from www.5minutesformom.com.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness stout
2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and fill muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. Combine butter and stout in a medium saucepan until butter is melted.
3. Add cocoa powder and brown sugar, whisking until combined and mixture is smooth. Set aside.
4. In a new bowl, mix baking soda and flour. Add salt and sugar.
5. Combine the flour mixture with Guinness mixture and beat for one minute.
6. Add eggs and sour cream, beat for another 2 minutes until well blended and smooth.
7. Divide among the cupcake liners, bake for 14-18 minutes. Cool completely.

Ingredients for Bailey's Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 1/4 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps for Frosting
1. Cream butter until smooth and fluffy. Add salt and slowly add powdered sugar. Add Bailey's and vanilla extract and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Choose piping tip and fill baggie or tool with icing and pip on cupcakes. I chose the round tip and to just add a dollop of icing.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Strawberry Jello Cake

I believe I've posted this recipe before but this time I made it for Valentine's Day in the shape of a heart, my mom did this while I was growing up and figured I would do it for my friends this year too! Again, this is one of my mom's recipes. Also, the cake seems to sink in the middle, but that is okay, and still just as tasty!

Ingredients
1 box white cake mix
1 cup oil
4 eggs
5 ounces frozen strawberries
3 ounces strawberry jello

Steps
1. Stir oil in cake mix.
2. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the cake mix.
3. Stir in 5 ounces of strawberries.
4. Mix in jello.
5. Pour into 2 cake pans.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. Cool completely and frost with the Strawberry Frosting.

Ingredients for Strawberry Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 pound butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 ounces strawberries
3-4 tablespoons strawberry juice, from frozen strawberries

Steps
1. Beat powdered sugar and butter together.
2. Add salt and vanilla and strawberry juice.
3. Add drained strawberries.
4. Frost cooled cake.

One thing I love about this cake and frosting is you don't need to use any food coloring to get the perfect pink shade!

Of course these can easily be made into cupcakes, as seen here.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad