Three Little Pigs Soup

As the name suggests, this soup has three types of pork in it. Of course, you can eliminate one or two of them but I think you'd loose some of the depth this soup has. Its everything a soup should be: hearty, earthy, thick, and bursting with layers of flavor.

I had my sister and her main squeeze over for dinner and they agreed by helping themselves to seconds. This was a great way to use up the leftover christmas ham (check the blog because that recipe was FANTASTIC and blows the national ham chain out of the water) and get in some fiber and warm up on a cold Ohio December day.

I served this with a very delicious homemade cornbread (recipe on the blog also). This particular cornbread is a bit sweet (but not overly sweet) to balance the smokiness of the soup.

You're welcome in advance!

Three Little Piggies Soup

6 slices of bacon, coursely chopped

3 links of mild italian sausage, cut into bite size pieces (casing removed)

Ham, chopped into small pieces (I used leftover, equivalent of about 4-6 spiral slices)

1 small white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 28oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 cans chicken broth (the normal size cans) I always use low sodium/low fat

1 chipotle pepper (with adobe sauce), chopped small

2 teaspoons cumin

3/4 teaspoons dried oregano

few dashes of smoked paprika

dash of dried minced onion

salt and pepper to taste

1) In a frying pan, cook the chopped bacon until it is crispy. Remove from the pan and put on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the grease, discard the rest. 

2) In the reserved grease, add onion, garlic and italian sausage and cook until the sausage is done and the onions are not burnt.

3) Combine all the other ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Add in sausage/onion mixture and bacon.

4) Allow to boil for a short period of time, then reduce heat to medium low and allow soup to cook for 3-4 hours. Stir occasionally and adjust flavors as you see fit. I liked the smokiness that the adobe paste brought to the soup so I added a bit more while it was cooking. If you like less heat, remove the seeds from the pepper before adding it to the pot.

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Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Lasagna

I'm sure in previous posts, I have declared my love for all types of Mexican food. The flavors, the colors, THE AROMAS...All of it just makes my stomach rejoice!!

..... I digress ....

In my attempt to feed my family healthy meals that don't lack the deliciousness we deserve and trying to loose a few pounds myself, I am always on the lookout to be inspired. Mexican food isn't typically waist-line friendly but there are definitely ways to lighten them up without sacrificing the flavors.

In this dish, the real star is the roasted vegetables. There really is not a lot of added flavorings to this dish. Do not let the simplicity of this recipe and the ingredient list turn you off or make you think you will have a flavorless dish. It is quite the opposite, my friends!

I hope you enjoy! As always, I welcome the feedback and why you're at it...why not PIN it to your favorite board!

Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Lasagna

1 poblano chile, cut into thin sticks

2 red bell peppers, cut into thin sticks

1/2 head of cauliflower broken into small/medium sized pieces

1 small white/yellow onion, shaved or sliced thin

1 c. frozen corn

1/3 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick then into thin sticks

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

baby spinach leaves (a few hand fulls)

2 T ground cumin

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups salsa

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

9-10 flour or corn tortilla's, cut in half

Melissa's Homemade Enchilada Sauce

2 c. shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese

light sour cream and green onions, for garnish

1) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 

2) Place poblano chile, bell peppers, cauliflower, corn, onion and zucchini into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat all vegetables (but you dont want to have a pool of oil at the bottom). Sprinkle with cumin, garlic and salt and pepper and toss again.

3) Place vegetables in a roasting pan (or any other deep dish) and roast for about 40 minutes, or until you start to see the vegetables get a gorgeous roasted look. You'll want to stir them every 15 minutes or so to roast evenly. Remove and reduce oven temperate to 350 degrees.

4) Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl combine the salsa and cilantro. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture on the bottom of your pan. Lay down a layer of tortillas, then 1/3 of the roasted vegetable mix, 1/3  shredded chicken, handful of spinach and 1/3 shredded chicken. Repeat each layer and you should end with cheese on the top. 

5) Top your lasagna with the enchilada sauce (use as much or as little as you'd like)

6) Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes to get a nice color on the top of your lasagna. Let stand and cut into servings. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of green onions. 

recipe inspired by this blog

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Zucchini and Rice Skillet

Way back when I first stumbled upon the Pinterest world, I pinned a recipe that sparked some interest to me. Funny how when I look through all of my pins, how many of the food items I have yet to try.

This past week, I decided that I was going to add this into the mix. I changed up the originally recipe a bit because I was afraid that the original was going to lack a little flavor and would leave the stomach still wanting more. 

Our little family really enjoyed this dish. I especially liked that it was a one pot meal which meant less dishes for me!! It's really a win-win. I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to hear your feedback.

Zucchini, Beans and Beef Skillet

photo courtesy of this blog

1/2 pound beef

1 1/2 c. sliced zucchini, washed and cut in quarters
1/2 c. green bell pepper

1/2 c. red bell pepper

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 - 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, diced (I used the kind seasoned with garlic) UNDRAINED

3/4 c. water

1 c . instant brown rice, uncooked

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1) In a skillet on medium-high heat, dropped your ground beef into medium sized chunks and cook until cooked through.

2) Drain most of the grease (reserving 1-2 T of drippings in the pan) and add in onions, bell peppers, zucchini and garlic. Cook until veggies are a bit soft (just about 5 minutes).

3) Add beans, undrained tomatoes and water and turn heat on high and bring to a boil.

4) Add in uncooked rice. Stir well.

5) Cover and remove from heat and let stand for about 9 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
6) Garnish with cheddar cheese and serve. 

this recipe was adapted from this blog

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Snickerdoodle Cupcake

I really like Snickerdoodle cookies. I've never really been a chocolate lover but I do love pumpkin and cinnamon. There's just something about a warm snickdoodle with a tall glass of milk (add ice please).

I came across some recipes on Pinterest for different cinnamon flavored cupcakes and thought that re-creating a snickerdoodle cookie could be very fun! I wanted to not only get the right cinnamon taste but I wanted the cinnamon coating crunch and the dense-foamy-ness that a true snickerdoodle possess.

I think the key to this cupcake turning out so delicious is using REAL cinnamon. I've done some research and the cinnamon that we can buy for $1 at save-a-lot is not real cinnamon. Its basically cinnamon flavored chalk dust. I bought THIS CINNAMON off of Amazon and have not been let down. A little goes a long way, I promise. And the taste is like nothing you've had before. 

I am really happy with the way that this cupcake turned out! I have made it about half a dozen times and each time people moan upon each bite and give rave compliments. I'm so happy that other people enjoy it as much as I do.

Snickerdoodle Cupcake with CinnaButtercream Frosting

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp cinnamon (I highly suggest a Grade A cinnamon)
1/2 c. melted butter, cooled

1 1/4 c. white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3/4 c. whole milk or buttermilk

cinnamon/sugar mix

1) Preheat your oven to 350 F and line cupcake tin with liners.

2) Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

3) In a mixing bowl, beat together sugar and butter until it is fluffy and light in color. 

4) Add in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla and almond extracts and milk. Mix until smooth.

5) Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

6) Spoon into cupcake liners (I use an ice cream scoop for consistency). Fill 2/3 full. Before putting in the oven generously sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on the top of each cupcake then bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with sticky crumbs on it.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T cinnamon

3 T whole milk

1) Beat butter until light in color and fluffy.

2) Slowly add in powdered sugar (I always start with 2 cups then add in) and beat for 3-4 minutes.

3) Add in vanilla and cinnamon and milk to loosen, if necessary.

Pipe onto cooled cupcakes, garnish with just a pinch more of the cinnamon/sugar mix and ENJOY!!

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Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

I owe all the credit in the world to This Blog for this recipe. I have never added any liquid fruit to a frosting before but now's as good a time as any, right?!

I paired this with a lemon cake and it was REALLY good.

I did tweak her original recipe just a bit and am definitely keeping this recipe in my back pocket.

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c. unsalted butter

12 oz bag of frozen raspberries (you can use fresh also)

1/2 c plus 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

Lemon Zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 - 4 c. powdered sugar

pinch of salt

1 to 2 T. whole milk or cream, as needed

To make a raspberry sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the raspberries until they are broken down and turn into liquid (for the most part). Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth  and place in a smaller saucepan. Pour the cooked raspberries into the cheesecloth and allow it to strain into the smaller pan. I used a plastic spoon and squished the raspberries to remove all the juices I could. Place back on to burner, add just a bit of lemon zest and cook until the sauce reduces. It will become a rich red color. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Affix the paddle attachment to your mixer and cream the butter until it is light colored and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar (I start with about 2 cups), 2/3 cups of the raspberry sauce, lemon juice, vanilla and salt and mix until it is really smooth. Add in additional powdered sugar to firm it up. You can add in milk/cream if you like a thinner consistency.

This buttercream was the perfect compliment to a lemon cake (I did not use her recipe for the lemon cake) but would also be quite delightful on a chocolate cake or maybe use the sauce as a base to create a filling!!! It is also good just off the spoon.....

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Choco-stachio Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I stumbled upon a recipe sort of like this one on a blog that I occasionally visit for kicks. It's a pretty good blog but if I had to pick one thing that irkes me about it is that most of the recipes use boxed cake mix. And while that is okay (and sometimes necessary) I have taken to making my cupcakes from scratch. The one mix I don't mind using when I bake is Devil's Food. Not sure why I don't have an issue with this one but have trouble caving to the pressure of using others, but oh well. Not really too concerned.

So I found this recipe and thought "that's interesting". I've never had a pistachio prior to making this cupcake. In fact, my only known run in with pistachio's had been tasting a bite of a pistachio cheesecake when my sister, mom and I went out to lunch for Mother's Day. I was delighted with the smooth and slightly nutty taste of them. So when I saw this recipe I had a good feeling that the pistachio would be a nice compliment to a chocolate cake. Off to the store I went.....
(If I can offer a bit of advice, spend the extra dollar or two and go for the pistachio's that have been shelled. Trust me on this one)

Choco-stachio Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream

Cake Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food Mix
1 - 3.4 oz box of pistachio pudding mix

4 large eggs

1/3 C. oil

3/4 C. buttermilk

1/2 C. sour cream (I exclusively use Daisy Light)

1 tsp. almond extract

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 C. semi sweek chocolate chips

1-2 handfuls of finely crushed pistachio's

1) Set your oven at 350 Degrees F.

2) Combine cake mix and pudding mix in a bowl and set aside.

3) In mixer bowl, combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream and almond and vanilla extracts and combine until well incorporated.

4) Slowly add in the cake/pudding mix and mix until all the lumps are gone.

5) Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed pistachio's.

6) Pour into lined cupcakes (fill 2/3 full) and bake for 15-21 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with moist crumbles (not liquid)

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 C. salter butter, room temp

3/4 C. Ghiradelli cocoa powder, sifted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T. heavy cream or whole milk

2 second quirt of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (yes that's a measurement in my book lol)

3-4 C. powdered sugar

1) Beat butter in a mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes. You want the butter to be a pale color and have a visible whipped look to it.

2) Add in cocoa powder, vanilla extract, cream and chocolate syrup (really, just squeeze the bottle and count to two)

3) Slowly add in the powdered sugar until you've reached the desired consistency.

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting on top and garnish with crushed pistachio's.

(I used the Wilton large open star tip for this frosting)

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Cookie's N Cream Cupcakes

Wow...it's been a while since I posted and for that I apologize. I've been pretty busy with customer orders for invitations AND cupcakes (YAY!!), work and just enjoying life!! We've seen some pretty nice weather here in Ohio (although, I'd be interested in looking up how much rain we have had in the last few weeks and see if it broken records) so we've been trying to enjoy it while it's here. Bella has really taken a liking to going on walks after dinner.

Speaking of Bella....she has also taken quite the liking to helping me in the kitchen. I always plop her up on the counter while I'm cooking or baking and she always wants to help. I hope that these are memories that stick with her forever, but in the meantime I'm enjoying her wanting to share this time with me in the kitchen.

I have an order coming up that I am doing for a Military Women Appreciation Banquet. I met this lady through a local swap group on Facebook and I have become quite fond of her. She has the cutest little 7 month old son, three adorable dogs and has a big heart. I first met her when I bought some supplies off of her to create a diaper-cycle for my boss and his wife's baby shower here at work and since then I just adore her. Anyway, she is a career counselor for the Army and she came up with this idea to throw the women in her squad and wives of the men in her squad an appreciation banquet. She wasn't sure how it would go but its coming up this Saturday and I already know its going to be a WONDERFUL event. She's had so many companies and individuals donate items to thank these ladies for their sacrifices and has been so overwhelmed with the generosity. Anyway, she asked if I would donate a diaper-cycle for a raffle since a few of them women who will be attending are expecting babies and I happily accepted. I was talking to her about what her thoughts were on the dessert for this banquet and after a few conversations, we decided on a pretty nice dessert spread that will include a few cupcake flavors and some a few different varieties of cookies. I'm grateful to be a part of this event and am so excited to hear all about it once it's over!!
I pinned a Cookies N Cream cupcake recipe a while back and it's been begging for some attention. I guess the reason I hadn't made it yet is because we don't typically have Oreo's in our house. Certainly not because I don't like them. In fact, its the polar opposite. We LOVE Oreo's. Between Shawn and I, we could polish off two bags of them with no problem or remorse. Well...until the next day when we take off the comfy pants and try to slip into a pair of fitted pants lol. So we don't keep them in the house for that reason.

Well yesterday seemed like the perfect opportunity to make these.  My mom invited us over for dinner (swiss steak and mashed potatoes!) and it was someone's birthday at work and I had been toying around with this recipe for the Military Appreciation Banquet. Since I had three reasons to buy Oreo's, I took it as a sign from a higher power. And when the higher power says buy Oreo's, we listen.

While this recipe is pretty solid, I think I will experiment with a few changes next time. I'll let you know how those turn out. In the meantime, go pick up two packs of double stuffed Oreo's and make this recipe. Why two? Well, one for the recipe, one to sit down with a gallon of milk to enjoy while they are baking. Why else would you need the extra pack? LOL.

Cookie's N Cream Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients (yields about 30 cupcakes)
3/4 C. Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 C. hot water
1 C. buttermilk
2 C. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 C. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. heavy cream
14 Double Stuffed Oreo's, finely crushed

1) Add cocoa powder to the mixer bowl and add in the HOT water. Whisk until the cocoa is dissolved.
2)  Slowly add in the buttermilk to cool down the mixture then add in sugar and mix until combined.
3) Add in eggs, oil and vanilla. And mix.
4) In a bowl, add all dry ingredients (not the cookies). Slowly add into the wet mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated.
5) Stir in heavy cream until evenly mixed.
6) Gently fold in the crushed Oreo's.

(do not freak out if the mix seems watery before you add the cream. It will, but the whipping cream helps to thicken it up. If you're a little worried you can add a small amount of additional flour but it is not necessary I promise)

Pour cupcakes into lined cupcake tins and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15-19 minutes. Let cool and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While your cupcakes are baking you can move on to the frosting.

Frosting Ingredients (will be enough to frost about 24 cupcakes generously or all 30 modestly)

1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
2 T. Butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1 envelope of Dream Whip
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 C. powdered sugar
6 Double Stuffed Oreo's- separate cream and cookie

1)  Beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. 
2) Put the cream filling from the Oreo's into the bowl and continue to mix.
3) Add vanilla and salt and beat for a few minutes. 
4) Add in dream whip dry packet (not prepared) and mix well.
5) Add in sugar until desired consistency is met.
6) Lastly, crush the cookie very finely and add into the bowl and fold in until just combined.
Once the cupcakes have chilled, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and shove one in your mouth!!!

Enjoy!

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