Rainbow cakes in a jar

This past weekend, we got to together with my family for a Sunday picnic at my parent's house.  It was both my brother's and my niece's birthday this past weekend so I was planning to make some cupcakes for help celebrate these milestones.  So Saturday I hauled out my trusty mixer and whipped at batch of chocolate cupcakes.   While the cupcakes were cooling, I did some blog surfing and came across this blog post that was about 50 different food you can put in a jar.  There are so many great ideas, but when I saw the rainbow cakes in a jar I knew that I needed to make them...and what better reason than a birthday. I threw the cooled cupcakes in the freezer and figured I could take those along camping next week, and quickly went to work making these yummy dessert.

Here's the link to how to make these adorable cakes.

Strawberry Pie

We have had lots of strawberries from our garden this year.  Don't get me wrong I am loving every single berry that is coming from the vines.  I have made lots of Strawberry Jam (the only jam the boys will eat), crushed strawberries with some sugar for later on, and a few strawberry pies...which an few of my guys and Danno have loved.

Don't tell the boys but I found the recipe on the weight watchers website. It was so good and simple to made.

Here's the original recipe.  I didn't make it quite like this but I'm sure it would taste very simple to mine.  I substituted Hawaiian Punch for the cranberry because that's what I had in the house.  Also I didn't use the Greek yogurt and lemon zest.  My boys love using the reddi-whip so that what they had on theirs and I ate just the pie.  Plus one tenth of the pie wasn't near enough...I probably had more like a sixth of the pie. :)

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

	2 pound(s) strawberries, hulled, sliced (save 3 small berries for garnish)
	3/4 cup(s) sugar, granulated
	1/2 cup(s) cranberry juice cocktail, or cranberry-strawberry juice
	1/4 cup(s) cornstarch
	6 oz Ready Crust 25% Less-Fat Graham Cracker Ready pie crust
	1 cup(s) fat-free vanilla yogurt, Greek-style
	1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated

Instructions

• Combine 3 cups sliced strawberries, sugar and juice in a medium saucepan.
  
• Mash berries in pan with a potato masher; stir in cornstarch and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until very thick, about 1 minute.
  
• Remove from heat; let cool slightly and then stir in remaining sliced strawberries. Scrape into pie crust.
  
• Let cool slightly; cover loosely with plastic lid from pie crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours (you can then freeze the pie for a little while if desired, to make it easier to slice).
  
• To serve, in a medium bowl, stir together vanilla yogurt and lemon zest until blended. Spread on top of pie, leaving a border around edges so strawberry filling shows. Slice reserved strawberries and use them to garnish pie. Slice pie into 10 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Notes

• This pie can be made ahead 1 day but top it with the yogurt mixture shortly before serving.
  
  If you cut this into 8 pieces, it is 7 PointsPlus values per slice.

Grill Pizza on the BBQ

So I have a new favorite food I absolutely LOVE this summer, it's grilled pizza.    Pizza's a favorite anyway, but there's an amazing crunch in the crust, but it's still soft and chewy in the inside.  My mouth's just thinking about it.

SO Good!!!!

and instead of written how it's done, I'm going to forward you on to Our Best Bites website.  If you never been, they have some amazing recipes.

So I hope the next time it's too hot to cook inside, you remember this and take your pizza making outside to the BBQ.

ENJOY!!!!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

 (photo credit goes to Pioneer Women)

Here's another Recipe I find online that my family really likes...and they don't even know that it has cottage cheese in it.  I found the recipe here from the amazing Ree Drummond.  I love looking at her recipes and drooling over all the pictures she posts.  Just once I would love to sit at her dining table, and eat all the yummy food that she makes.

Ingredients

• 1-¼ pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• 1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• ½ cups Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Bread

As I was blog hopping today, I came across this recipe for a Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread that I just had to try.  It looks so good, so delicious that I just couldn't stop thinking about it...and that's not good when you're trying to lose weight.

As I hauled out my "new to me" bread machine (Thanks Kate!!!)  and throw the ingredient into the machine for the dough.  I must say this was sooo much easier to assemble and let rise than regular cinnamon rolls...or at least it seems that way.

So without further ado, here's the recipe.

First let's make the dough.
3/4 cup milk, ( 90-100degrees F)
1 egg, large
3 cups bread flour
3 TBLS sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 TBLS butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp fast rise yeast.

Put the wet ingredients into the pan in the machine.  Then put the dry ingredient minus the yeast in next.  Last but not least the yeast gets thrown on up.  Set the Bread Machine to the dough setting and then press start.

Once the dough cycle is finished, it's time to roll up the dough and put the yummy goodness on top.  Roll the dough out until it's about 12 x 20 then top with 4 TBLS of melted butter, a bunch of brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg.  I know those aren't really technical terms when it comes to baking but it works.  Put as much or as little  gooey goodness as you want.

Now comes the hard part...take your pizza cutter and cut the dough into 6 equal rows.  Stack the rows on top of each other and then cut the stack into 6 stacks. (head over here to see the pictures).  Transfer the stacks into a greased and floured 9 x 5 bread pan.

Let the bread raise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until  the dough doubles in size.

Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  (If the top isn't very golden brown the middle may still be raw.  )  Let the bread cool 20 minutes before you take out of the pan.

I would have to agree with Joy the Baker...it is best the day it's baked.   EnJOY!!!!!

(we added a powder sugar glaze to the top for more yummy-ness and calories, but you do what works for you.)

Four Cheese Chicken Pasta

If you like pasta with chicken and alferdo sauce you will like this recipe.  This is a family favorite and the boys get so excited when they see me making this.   (sorry I don't have a picture)

4 Cheese Chicken Pasta
what you need

• 1 box of Bowtie Pasta
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 8oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1 4.5 oz sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
• 2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• Topping:
• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 TBSP butter, melted
• 1 or 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese

make it

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, combine soup, cream cheese, mushrooms, whipping cream, butter and garlic powder. Stir in cheeses, cook and stir until melted. Add chicken, heat through. Drain pasta & add to sauce. Transfer to a shallow, greased 2 1/2qt baking dish. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over chicken mixture. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Notes

Can be made ahead, but you will need to adjust baking time so that the dish is heated through.

Homemade Pizza

 We LOVE to make pizza at our house.  I must confess I buy the dough,  but the boys love it all the same. It's just a fun thing to do as a family.

Does anyone else like to make homemade pizza?

YUM-O!!!!