Category Archives: Yummy

Recipe #10: Valentine’s Day Velvet Roulade

January 25, 2013 9:46 pm , Leave a Comment ,

I decided to make these because they look super yummy and because they remind me of Valentine’s Day, which is coming up pretty quick! I got the recipe from Sprinkle Bakes. If you haven’t made something like this before, I suggest watching the video she has up about it. It really helped me. I did do a few things differently though. Number one being that I used a cream cheese frosting. It isn’t as white as her butter cream filling, but it is delicious.

Another thing I had to modify was that I didn’t have parchment paper. I used aluminum foil instead. It turned out okay, although my cake did get a little too done on the edges. I’m not sure if that’s from the foil or some other factor.

I also didn’t have buttermilk, so I made some. I didn’t realize how easy it was. Every time I need it, I have to buy a whole thing of it when I only need 2 tablespoons or whatever. Anyway, if you need to make your own, just put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a container and then pour in just under a cup of milk. Don’t stir it. Let it sit for 5 minutes. That’s it. Measure out however much you need (2 tablespoons in this case).

Anyway, onto the recipe.

Your ingredients for the cake part are:
4 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
food coloring
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 inch jelly pan (cookie sheet with edges) and line it with parchment paper (or aluminium foil as I did). Grease the lining as well. 
Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Beat them with an electric mixer for five minutes. Yes, five minutes. Set a timer. After that is done, keep the mixer going and add your sugar and oil. Mix well. Add the vinegar, extract, and food coloring. You could make this any color you wanted to really. I should have used a few more drops than I did to make it a little more pink, but I didn’t want red. 
After you have that all mixed in, the recipe says to sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. I don’t have a sifter, so I didn’t. I just mixed them one at a time to the batter, and it was fine. (I think anyway…)
Pour the mixture (it is supposed to be pretty runny) onto the greased pan. Tilt the pan so that the mixture spreads evenly. Put it in the oven. Set the timer for 10 minutes and check it. I did mine for 11 and it was a little long, but it might take as long as 15. To tell if it’s done, lightly press the cake. It should bounce back and be spongy. 
While the cake is cooking, sprinkle a cotton tea towel (not terry cloth) with powdered sugar. Get out a wire cooling rack. 
See how my edges are a little too done?
As soon as you pull the cake out, dump it out onto the towel. Mine actually folded over, but it didn’t break. Just try to be careful so you don’t ruin it. Again, if you watch the video here it will help you. 
Peel off parchment paper or aluminum foil and carefully roll the cake into the tea towel. Roll it as tight as you can. 

Cream Cheese Filling

4 oz butter softened
4 oz cream cheese softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix it all together with a mixer. Spread it onto the cake. You won’t need all of it. If you put too much on, these get really messy. If I were to make this again, I think I would use the frosting called for in the original recipe, which was a swiss buttercream filling. It seems a little thicker and I think it’s prettier. 
This is what mine looked like when I unrolled it. See how the
edge is still rolled? And where it was too done, it did
crumble a little bit. 
Unroll the cake. Don’t worry about making it all the way flat, just roll it so you can spread the filling. After you spread the filling, roll it back up, without the towel this time. 
You have a couple different options for cutting these. You can use a bread knife, it works okay. I like to use fishing line or floss. I do this when I make cinnamon rolls too. You get a long piece, about 12 inches or so, and you slide it under the roll. Put it where you want to cut it and bring both sides of the string up and cross them over the top of the dessert. Pull in opposite directions until the dessert is cut. 
Enjoy! 
See more desserts here. Looking for an idea for dinner? Check out our main courses.
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Posted in: 45 minutes, Cream Cheese, Dessert, Holiday Treat, yummy

Recipe #9: Potato Chowder

January 25, 2013 3:25 am , Leave a Comment ,

Get the nutritional information for this recipe by clicking the magic button

 

This is one of the first recipes that I figured out on my own without following a recipe. Andre asked me one time to make potato soup, so I cut up some potatoes, put them in water and chicken broth, and added some spices. It was delicious. And at the time, we didn’t have much money, so it became one of my go-to meals at the end of the month. It can be dressed up quite a bit, as the recipe I am going to share with you is.

One of my favorite things about this meal besides the fact that it is cheap is that it is easy to do most of the work ahead of time. I do all the prep work while my kids are asleep.

Here are the ingredients you need:
 
2 chicken bouillon cubes or chicken broth (2 cups)
 
Veggies
 (I use celery and carrots, but you can also use corn, green beans,
 broccoli, cauliflower… pretty much anything like that) 
Potatoes -5 or 6
(I used russets this time, but I have used reds in the past)
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper 
(omit if you don’t like spicy foods)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp onion flakes 
 
Bacon – 1/2 lb to 1 lb
(not required, but it makes it a little heartier)
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
 
Your first step is to wash and cut your veggies. I used about 8 carrots and 4 stalks of celery. Peel your potatoes. If you hate this step, check out this peeler. The thing can seriously peel a pineapple. I know, because I’ve done it. It is amazing. After you get your potatoes peeled, cut them into about 2 inch pieces. I just cut them in half length wise and then width wise four times or so. 
 

Put your potatoes and veggies in a pot. Notice that I not only have a lodge skillet, I also have a Lodge Dutch Oven . I use it quite a bit, too. The lid that it comes with fits the skillet as well which is nice.  Put 2 chicken bouillon cubes in or your chicken broth. Fill the rest of the pot with water so that your veggies and potatoes are just covered. Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until everything is soft. Stir occasionally.While the potatoes and veggies are boiling, chop up your bacon into about 1/2 inch pieces and cook. Once the bacon is done cooking, add it to the soup, along with the seasonings.

After you have added the bacon and the seasonings, add your flour and milk at about the same time. The flour mixes in better that way. Sometimes I use corn starch to thicken it, but I was out. Flour works just fine. After you add the milk and flour, stir with a whisk until the flour mixes in. Stuff will get caught in the whisk, but it’s the best thing that I’ve found for getting the potatoes to the right smooshiness without making them too smooshy. Cook for about 10 more minutes, until it is nice and thick.

Let it cool for a little while because it will be hot.

Enjoy your soup! It’s really good with rolls or corn bread. 

Spicy Potato Soup
Serves 10
Easy and cheap soup that is perfect for a cold night.
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
2 chicken bullions or 2 cups chicken broth
8 carrots
4 stalks celery
5 medium potatoes
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 lb to 1 lb bacon
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
Wash and cut vegetables. Peel and chop potatoes into 2 inch pieces.
Put potatoes and vegetables with chicken bullions or chicken broth.
Fill pot with water until vegetables and potatoes are just covered.
Bring to a boil. Turn down to a medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, chop the bacon into small pieces and cook it. Add it to the soup along with the seasonings.
Add flour and milk at the same time.
Whisk until smooth.
Cook for 10 more minutes
Let it cool.
Notes
You can use either russets or red potatoes for this recipe.
Flour mixes better with cold than hot, so if you find you have a problem getting your flour to mix, mix the flour and milk together and then pour into the soup.
A Mouse In My Kitchen /
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Posted in: cheap, dinner, main dish, no meat, soup, yummy

Recipe # 8: Eggs-In-Toast

January 23, 2013 3:23 am , Leave a Comment ,

This is something I have fond memories of making with my dad. It is an easy breakfast-for-dinner meal, or I suppose you could have it for breakfast, too.

All you need is:
eggs
bread 
butter
salt & pepper
I cook these on a griddle turned to about 350 F, but I’m sure a frying pan would be just fine. 
First, butter your toast.
When your toast is sufficiently buttered, use some kind of a circle shape to cut out a circle. The mouth of a small mouthed mason jar works well. 
Place your buttered toast on your heated griddle. 
Crack an egg in the hole. Salt and pepper the egg. 
When the egg looks mostly solid, flip the bread. Don’t forget to flip the little piece, too!
Wait until the other side of the bread is toasted. Remove from the griddle and enjoy! 
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Posted in: breakfast, eggs, quick, yummy

Recipe #7: Enchilada Casserole

January 21, 2013 10:36 pm , 5 Comments ,

This recipe is kind of my own invention. It started out as one thing and ended up as something completely different. I love it because it a whole meal in one dish (thus the word casserole, right?) I also really like that I can do most of the prep before dinner time (nap time cooking anyone?) and just stick it in the oven 30 minutes before we want to eat. The other thing I like about this (and any kind of enchilada type recipe) is that it is super easy to customize to your liking. I usually make it with chicken, but we had chicken yesterday so I am using hamburger.

To make this you will need:
olive oil
1 green bell pepper
1/2 onion
garlic salt
cayenne pepper
taco seasoning
1 lb hamburger meat 
(or chicken or whatever meat you feel like.. I once had llama… and I didn’t hate it)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 can refried beans
1/2 cup water 
1 package noodles (around 17 oz)
3 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar or a Mexican blend)

Heat your oven to 350 F.

First step is to cook your noodles according to package directions. Funny story. I honestly have no idea what the pasta that I used is called. There is this awesome lady in our ward that gave us a bunch of her old food storage and she gave us this bag of pasta, but it wasn’t in the box anymore. But they looked neat. If anyone knows what they are, please let me know, I’m curious. Once the noodles are done, drain them and place them in a greased casserole dish.

While the pasta is cooking, cut up your green pepper and onion. I used a green pepper that I had previously cut up and froze (super good tip by the way). Saute them in olive oil until they are soft (10 minutes or so).

Once the green peppers and onion are soft, put the hamburger and seasoning in your pan. I am using my Lodge Color Skillet again. Cook over a medium/medium high heat until the hamburger is mostly cooked. Add 1/2 of your can of enchilada sauce, refried beans, tomato paste, and water. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Make sure the hamburger is cooked all the way through.

Pour your cooked meat mixture over your pasta. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Add about half of your cheese and mix the contents of the pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Put the remaining cheese on it and cook another 5 minutes, until the top cheese is melted.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

I like to eat this dish with avocados and salsa and sour cream mixed in.

And for the record, I think the mouse is now living in our attic. Or maybe it’s a cat. I’m not sure which.

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Posted in: 45 minutes, beef, dinner, favorite, good leftovers, main dish, pasta, yummy

Recipe 6: Energy Bites

January 19, 2013 8:46 pm , Leave a Comment ,

These energy bites are delicious. I got the original idea from Give Me Some Oven, who got her recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots, so these have gone around the web a bit, but I made my own modifications, as can you. They look way better on her site, but I love these so much that I had to post the recipe. They are my go-to preworkout snack. They are a little high in calories (about 180 each), but they are also have protein (8.59 grams according to fittracker.com’s recipe analyzer) and fiber (3.75 grams, also according to fittracker.com). Because they are so high in calorie, I make my pretty small. One recipe gives me 30 balls. They satisfy my cravings for sweet things, especially if I’m craving something like cookie dough. One of these bad boys goes a long ways. And, you can modify these in many ways. Add more mix ins, less, whatever you feel like putting in. Sometimes I put in cereal, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, whatever I have lying around. The trick is getting the honey/peanut butter content right so that you can make them into balls. If they don’t feel like they will pack, add more honey. If they are too sticky, add more oatmeal or other dry ingredient.

Here is what I used to make these today: 
2 1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes (left over from last nights recipe)
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup trail mix
 (I make my own, which is a recipe for another time. But any kind will do. Just watch out because some of them are super high in calories)
1 cup honey
 (I warm it up so it mixes better)
 
It’s easy enough. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge for about an hour to get it a chance to harden up a little. Then mold the dough into balls. Keep them in the fridge after you make them, and they last quite awhile. I’ve had a batch last 2 weeks or so before. I usually eat them faster than that though. These are a good snack for kids, too. My son loves them. They are pretty sweet so I just give him about a half of one. 
 
Let me know if you try them and if you mixed in other things. I’m always looking for new ideas :)  
 
Get the nutritional info for this recipe here -
 
Energy Bites
Yields 15
No bake energy bites. Taste like a cookie, but with good for you stuff in it.
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Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
1 hr
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
1 hr
Ingredients
2 1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup trail mix
1 cup honey
Instructions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Place bowl in fridge for an hour.
mold dough into balls
Adapted from Give Me Some Oven
Adapted from Give Me Some Oven
A Mouse In My Kitchen /
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Posted in: 30 minutes, coconut, Dessert, energy bites, no bake, peanut butter, snack, workout, yummy