Red Velvet Puppy Chow

The Recipe 

Courtesy of: www.yourcupofcake.com

5 cup Rice Chex cereal

3/4 cups white chocolate melts or chips

1/4 cups chocolate melts or chips

2 oz cream cheese, room temp

1.5 tbsp milk

1 cup Red Velvet Cake mix

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Valentines colored M&M's or other candies

Heart sprinkles for extra decoration and cute-ness

 

Measure out the Rice Chex cereal and place into a large bowl. Place cake mix and powdered sugar into a large plastic bag or tupperware with a lid.

 

Melt chocolates together in the microwave or on the stove top. Careful not to burn and stir until smooth. 

 

 

Stir in cream cheese and milk (the chocolate will get thicker, but it's okay.

 

 

Pour chocolate over Rice Chex cereal and stir until coated. 

 

 

Dump cereal into the bag or tupperware with powdered sugar and cake mix. Shake, shake, shake until coated.

 

 

Dump onto a cookie sheet and let cool.

 

 

Mix with extra colorful candies and serve! Note that because of the cream cheese, keep in the fridge if you won't be eating them that day. You can also omit the cream cheese all together if you wish...if you do that, you don't need the milk either! 

Review

The Valentine's Day twist on a classic recipe is perfect for a winter snack. It didn't turn out as pink as the picture on the website, but it tastes great! We will be making this in the future for parties or just for us around the holiday!

Homemade Cherry Pie

The Recipe

Courtesy of: Sarah's Family

Cherry Filling:
4 cups pitted tart cherries
1 cup sugar (less if cherries are sweet)
3 tbsp raw tapioca
1/4 tsp almond extract

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 15 minutes.

Pie Crust:
1.5 cups flour
1/2 - 2/3 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together with a pastry blender until moist.

 
 Split the dough into 2 halves. Roll one of the halves of the dough out on a floured surface.

 To easily place the dough in the pie plate, fold the rolled dough in half.

Although the picture shows trimmed pie dough once in the pie plate, trim the edges as needed after the top crust is placed to make it easier.

Place the cherry filling in the crust.

Roll out the second piece of dough and place on top the cherry filling. Use water to help seal the dough together if needed and a fork to pinch the dough pieces together.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. You may want to place a pan underneath in the oven, in case of spilling over.

Review

Sarah's most favorite pie (and dessert) of all times! During the summer this is a perfect way to enjoy the fresh ingredients. To freeze the pie, place uncooked in a large ziplock bag. Set on an even surface in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Bacon, Corn, and Mascarpone Tagliatelle

The Recipe

Courtesy of: Rachel Ray

2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 lb lean, thick out bacon or pancetta, diced
1 small onion, chopped
4-6 ears fresh, sweet corn on the cob, kernels scraped
2 tbsp thyme, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Black pepper to taste
1 lb egg tagliatelle or fettuccine
Flat leaf parsley and chives, chopped
Grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Heat the olive oil (two turns of the pan) over medium-high heat in large skillet; add the bacon and crisp. Remove to a plate; add the onion to the drippings and reduce the heat a bit. Cook to soften, then add the garlic, corn, and thyme; cook until the corn just begins to lightly brown.

Add the stock, bring to a bubble and reduce a minute or so. Stir in the mascarpone cheese and reduce the heat to low.

Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta to al dente. Add a ladle of the starchy cooking water to the sauce, drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Toss vigorously with the corn sauce, bacon, and a handful of cheese to combine and serve in shallow bowls with parsley and chives on top; pass extra cheese at the table.

Review

This is another great recipe to use that fresh corn on the cob! This is one of the best and easiest pasta recipes we've had in quite a while. The corn is again the star of the dish and the added bacon (who doesn't love bacon?) amps this dish up to a new level. 

Corn Pizza

The Recipe

Courtesy of: Food Network Magazine's June/July Insert - Fresh Corn 50 Ways

Refrigerated pizza dough
Olive oil
Garlic, minced
Fresh mozzarella
Fresh corn on the cob (kernels removed)
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Salt to taste
Fresh basil

Stretch refrigerated pizza dough into a large rectangle on parchment; brush with olive oil. Top with minced garlic, sliced mozzarella, raw corn kernels and grated parmesan; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.

Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with basil.

Tips/Tweaks

Fast Version

Although this recipe is already one of the most simple recipes, we found a few ways to help simplify it. We used a Boboli pizza crust (found next to the pizza ingredients in the grocery store). Also, when we are in a hurry, we pre-minced garlic. 

Review

This recipe is fast and easy, and very delicious! During the summer months when fresh corn on the cob is quite abundant, it's nice to have other recipes that can utilize the corn and such an amazing way. The corn is definitely the star of this dish!

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

The Recipe

Courtesy of: An Unknown Online Source

4 large Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 freshly chopped chives, divided
8 strips of bacon (6 for the salad and 2 for topping) cooked and crumbled
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Make sure the two are complete combined and then add half of the chives, cheese, and pepper.  

Meanwhile, peel and cube the potatoes into bite size pieces. Put in a large pot, cover with water, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and let cool. Only let them cool all the way if you plan to serve the salad cold.

Put potatoes in a large bowl and combine with sour cream mixture. Top with remaining half of chives and crumbled bacon.

Review

If you are looking for an alternative to normal potato salad, this is it! It's just like eating a baked potato but in salad form. Make this for your next bbq or picnic!

Crunchy Lemonade Drumsticks

The Recipe

Courtesy of: Food Network Magazine - July/August 2010 Issue

2 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup buttermilk
12 skin-on chicken drumsticks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Olive-oil cooking spray

Mix 1 tablespoon lemon zest and the lemon juice in a large bowl. Add 1 cup water and the sugar and whisk to dissolve, then whisk in the buttermilk. Pierce the drumsticks several times with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Toss in marinade, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Put the panko, thyme, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest, the cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste in a large resealable plastic bag and shake to mix. Put the mayonnaise in a bowl. Set a rack on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Remove the drumsticks from the marinade, dip in the mayonnaise, then drop in the bag and shake to coat; transfer to the rack.

Mist the chicken with cooking spray. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes; flip and bake until browned and crisp, 35 to 40 more minutes.

Review

We have made this recipe a couple of times, and for a good reason. It's delicious! You get a fried chicken like taste but from the oven. The lemon flavor of the chicken blends well with the crisp of the panko! We highly recommend trying this out, but it's more of a weekend type meal.

Pork Steak Casserole

The Recipe

Courtesy of: Sarah's Grandma

2 lbs pork steak, diced
1 bunch of celery, cut up (2-3 cups)
1 4oz can mushrooms
2 cans chicken rice soup
1/2 lb wide noodles
1 8oz can whole corn, drained
3/8 lb mild cheddar cheese (3/4 cup)
bread crumbs

Brown meat in butter. Add celery and soup to the pan and simmer for 1 hour. Cook noodles according to directions. Add the remaining ingredients and noodles to the pan and mix well. Pour into a greased baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Tips/Tweaks

Family Tricks

If you simmer and bake the portions for 1 hour each, according to the directions, the casserole tends to be quite dry. To avoid this, we tend to add one can of water to the simmering portion about half way through the cooking process. We have also lessened the simmer time in the past, but the pork and celery could be not as tender. We also then bake the casserole for about 30-40 minutes. The dish then turns out perfect!

Review

This recipe has been in Sarah's family for a long time. Although it's quite time consuming and can be annoying to cut up the pork steak, it really is well worth it! Definitely an entire family favorite!