If history repeats itself, my boys will be ravenous after school next week. I like to feed them hearty snacks, since most weeknights also include a practice or a game. These pan fried ravioli are quick, easy and very filling. I buy fresh, four cheese ravioli. There are many varieties and any would work. Heat a small amount of olive oil or butter and pan fry the pasta. It usually takes 2-3 minutes per side. [Turn when the pasta turns golden brown]. The finished product is crispy on the outside and easy to pick up. Serve with marinara sauce. Kids love to dip!
Not sure how many of you have a cake pop maker stashed in your cupboard, but you may want to find it. If you are like me, you hid it because, let’s be honest, no one can actually make a cake pop! They are actually a recipe for tears and a baking disaster. A brave baby sitter tried once again last night with Big W and it ended in failure (once again.)
I found the cake pop maker on my counter this morning and I was determined to find a use for it! I mixed up some pancake batter and made pancake bites. {A tablespoon of pancake batter and few minutes cooking time.} The finished bites would be perfect to dip in syrup. I decided to roll mine in cinnamon sugar. The top of the bites were moist when they came out, so it was the cinnamon sugar stuck perfectly! My little baker gobbled them up and the nightmare from last night was all but forgotten.
I may have found the easiest and best taking peanut butter cookie recipe ever! Thanks to my mother-in-law I am obsessed with these treats. With only 4 ingredients, that most of us have in our cupboards, you can have a batch of these for dessert tonight. {They are irresistible. Let me apologize right now!}
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
2 cups of smooth or chunky peanut butter {I used Adams Natural Chunky Peanut Butter}
2 cups of sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tsp. vanilla
1. Mix peanut butter and sugar until blended.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well.
3. Drop by tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Use fork to make hashmarks on top and flatten
4. Bake at 355 degrees for 14-18 minutes. Until edges are brown.
While I am a modern-day housewife, I have not added canning to my resume. [That is taking it to a higher level.] However, I do love to make freezer jam. It is so sweet and fresh! We went on Sunday to our Farmer’s Market and bought fresh-from-the-farm raspberries. I was able to make six- 8oz containers of Raspberry Freezer Jam in under an hour and that included 30 minutes of set time. It takes just 3 ingredients, a bowl, a potato masher, and plastic freezer jars. Really any one can do it and *most kids are eager to help.
Raspberry Freezer Jam
1/2 flat of Raspberries [or 6 small baskets]
2 cups of sugar
6 Tbs. Ball RealFruit Instant Pectin
1. Crush berries one layer at a time with potato masher.
2. Add sugar and pectin and stir for 3 minutes.
3. Spoon jam into 6 freezer jars and let stand for 30 minutes
Enjoy now. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 1 year.
Use small-4oz glass mason jars to give this jam as gifts. Be sure to remind the recipients that it must be stored in the refrigerator. There is nothing better than giving away the sweetness of summer!
*Disclaimer: While most kids would be eager to participate in making jam, the child pictured in this post was not. Pictures are 100% staged. He had absolutely no interest in participating.
I know that summer is grill season, but I love a great plate of pasta. My grandmothers made pasta dishes year round, no matter the temperature outside. This time of year the pasta needs to be quick and easy, but still full of flavor. My recipe uses a few “cheater” ingredients to make this Puttanesca sauce a breeze to throw together.
Quick and Easy Puttanesca
1 clove of garlic
1 small onion
28 oz diced tomatoes [canned]
1 jar of your favorite prepared pasta sauce
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
4 oz capers + a bit of liquid from the jar
1 deli rotisserie chicken
1. Mince garlic and chop onion. Saute together in 1 T. olive oil over Medium heat.
2. Add diced tomatoes and jar of pasta sauce. Bring to simmer.
3. Roughly chop olives and add to sauce. [Truth be told I used more than 1 cup of olives! I love them.]
4. Add capers and bit of the liquid from the jar to the sauce.
5. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.
6. Shred chicken and add to the sauce. Turn heat to low.
Serve over your favorite pasta. Since our pasta must be gluten free, I used Scharr Spaghetti.
I never liked coleslaw much. Particularly, the dressing. It always seemed to be heavy on the mayo and low on taste. However, the crunch of cabbage compliments pulled pork perfectly, so I needed a great coleslaw recipe. This recipe has sweetness from the sugar, but tang from the white wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice. It is light, fresh, and easy to make. Add one bag of coleslaw mix from the produce section and call it good.
My advice is to make the dressing and pour half over the package of coleslaw mix. Toss and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. I like my slaw crunchy and crisp, so half the dressing is enough for me. I keep the remaining dressing in case someone would like to add a bit more to their serving.
My Little Man is a selective eater. I can count the foods he eats on one hand. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it isn’t far off. Thankfully, two of those foods are apples and crunchy carrots. He also loves [LOVES] chocolate milk and milkshakes. The problem is I am 99% sure he is lactose intolerant. As one of his only sources of protein, not drinking milk is a big deal. A friend of mine told me that Yami yogurt is lactose free. Sure enough, the makers of Yami use Lactase, a natural enzyme, to remove lactose from the yogurt. Brilliant!! Except I can’t get him to eat the yogurt. Knowing that he loves smoothies, I went stealth and created a fruit smoothie that is dairy free and delicious!! [And this is why mothers should be considered superheros!]
{Dairy Free} Strawbery Smoothie
1-4oz. container of Yami Vanilla yogurt
6 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup Coconut milk
Blend and serve!
It takes less than minute to whip up this smoothie and I make one for him most mornings. He and I even shared one for dessert this week since it has been so hot in Seattle. It was the perfect cool treat on a warm evening! I love that I can easily change the frozen berries [blueberries, raspberries, blackberries}, use almond milk, and add fresh berries to keep things interesting. As long as he drinks them, I will make them!
We invited the parents of Big W’s friends to enjoy a glass of wine and a few nibbles at the end of his birthday party. It was a wonderful way to kick off summer! I wanted one warm appetizer, amongst the olives, vegetables and hummus. These little bite size baked brie were perfectly salty and sweet. There were a handful of boys that grabbed one too!
Easy ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry sheets
Brie cheese
Preserves of your choosing. [I used a fig spread.]
1 egg to be used for an egg wash.
Cut each pastry sheet into 24 small rectangles. Whisk together one egg and a splash of milk. Brush the egg wash on 12 of the small rectangles and place a small slice of brie and a dollop of preserves on each one.
Top each one with remaining squares. Press down edges of pastry with the tines of a fork. Also, prick the top. Place on parchment paper. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
You could easily make these ahead of time and pop them in the oven just minutes before your guests arrive. It is hard to resist the delicious goodness of anything made with puff pastry. Enjoy!
You may have missed:
A great summer pizza made with fig spread, goat cheese, peaches and arugula.
It is a birthday week around here! My husband and oldest son share a birthday [yes, the exact same day!], so we spread the celebrations out. Big W request a simply yellow cake with vanilla frosting for his party with his friends. I vowed, after making a chocolate cake from scratch, never to do it again! Why go through all that trouble when there is a perfectly good mix in a box? Instead, I would spend extra time on homemade frosting and the decorating.
I realized quickly into the decorating process that replicating this cake was going to be harder than I thought. A LOT, harder in fact! Knowing that nine and ten year old boys weren’t even going to notice a perfectly designed cake, I made a quick adjustment and just frosted it simply.
While it wasn’t the most beautiful creation, the frosting itself was divine! I kid you not! If you are making a cake or cupcakes in the near future, you must give it a try. This recipe from Magnolia Bakery is worth the splurge in calories. It is easy to make with four simple ingredients. It will not disappoint!
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating for about 2 minutes after each addition, until icing reaches desired consistency; you may not need to add all the sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Back yard fire pits and campfires call out for roasted marshmallows and s’mores. The one thing I have never liked about the classic s’more [graham cracker, Hershey bar square, and marshmallow] is that the chocolate doesn’t melt fully and it makes it difficult to eat. This weekend we tried out a new spin on the s’more. Instead of the traditional graham cracker, we used Keebler’s Fudge Stripe Cookies. There is already a layer of chocolate, so all you need is the roasted marshmallow. The chocolate layer melts quickly, which makes it extra gooey. To say they were a huge hit would be an understatement. They were devoured by kids and adults alike. So, it got me thinking. Any cookie with a layer of chocolate would make a delicious alternative s’more.
[keebler’s fudge stripe cookie s’more]
[milano slices sweet toffee cookie s’more]
The Milano cookie has sweet toffee pieces in with the chocolate! They also have a Milano cookie with salty pretzel pieces. Oh my, the possibilities are endless.
Any other ideas for a spin on the classic s’more? I’d love to here them!
