Cheesy Ranch Tater Tots

I make a lot of frozen tater tots. We like to eat them with sloppy joes, BLTs, and burgers. I saw a yummy looking recipe on Pinterest for cheesy fries, where you make your own fries and add lots of delicious fattening toppings, so I tried it with my frozen tater tots. I usually half this when I use it as a side for my family.

Cheesy Ranch Tater Tots

adapted from ohsodelicioso.com
1 bag frozen tater tots (or french fries)
Sour Cream Ranch Sauce
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup milk
Toppings
1 cup (or as much as you like) Shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup real bacon bits
1/4 cup green onions
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook frozen tater tots according to package directions.
2. Spread 3/4 of the sour cream ranch sauce onto an oven safe serving platter. (I used a cookie sheet)
3. Arrange tots on top of the sauce.
4. Drizzle remaining sauce on the top, and sprinkle on the toppings.
5. Place under broiler for a few seconds to melt the cheese.
Serve immediately

Spinach Salad with Pasta & Teriyaki Chicken

I had to hurry and add this salad recipe before fall is here! We ate this for dinner many times over the summer. It's a very filling salad because it has pasta and chicken. I've been using a few different recipes when I make this, so I kinda make it a little different every time. This is how I like it best, but it's easy to adjust the salad ingredients to taste. Sometimes I don't add the parsley, sesame seeds, or Parmesan, and it's still great. I originally got this recipe from a friend and combined with this recipe here, I tweaked them to make it how I wanted. Make sure you serve it immediately after adding the dressing so the spinach isn't soggy. Sometimes I like to mix everything except the spinach, dish it up for my kids, and then stir in their spinach, because it won't be the same the next day, and I HATE to have soggy leftover salad that you can't save. It makes a bunch, so don't make that mistake like I have!

Spinach Salad with Pasta & Teriyaki Chicken
Dressing
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce
2 TBSPs rice vinegar
2 TBSPs cider vinegar
3 TBSPs sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad
8 oz bow tie pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
2 cups cooked chicken, tossed with 2-3 TBSPs teriyaki sauce
1/2 bag fresh spinach (about 5 ounces)
3/4 cup craisins
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 TBSPs sesame seeds, toasted
3/4 cup. honey roasted peanuts
Fresh Parmesan (optional)

1. Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
2. Mix about 1/2 cup of the dressing with the cooked pasta in a large bowl and marinate for at least one hour.
3. Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Just before serving, add pasta and toss. Add dressing to taste and toss. Serve immediately.
Makes 4-6 large servings

This is it minus the sesame seeds and Parmesan.

BLT Canapés

Here's another baby shower recipe. I had to look up the definition of canapé because I wasn't exactly sure what it meant. It's an appetizer consisting of a piece of bread or toast or a cracker topped with a savory spread. I copied this recipe from a cookbook I checked out from the library a long time ago, and decided to make it so I could use some cherry tomatoes from my garden. I loved these! I doubled the recipe and had a little bacon mayo left over so my husband and kids finished it off. You could also try it with baguette slices.

BLT Canapés

1 cup mayo
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 loosely packed cup chopped fresh parsley
Dash of cayenne pepper
8-12 slices sandwich bread
24 cherry tomatoes, halved OR 24 thin slices of plum tomato
Shredded lettuce

1. Combine the mayo, bacon, and parsley in a small bowl. Season with cayenne pepper. The bacon mayo can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven broiler. Using a small biscuit or round cookie cutter (mine is 2 inches in diameter), cut 24 rounds from the slices of bread. Place the rounds on a baking sheet and broil until lightly browned on one side, 1-2 minutes.
3. When ready to serve, arrange bread rounds on platter, browned side down. Spread 1-2 tsps of bacon mayo on each round, then top with tomato and lettuce. Serve at once. Makes 24.

I used white and wheat bread.

A pile of bacon mayo.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I tried a bunch of new recipes this week because I helped make some food for a baby shower. I was very fortunate to have almost everything turn out fabulous. You never know quite what you'll get when you're trying new stuff. These cupcakes weren't totally new though. I took my white cupcake recipe and doubled it, adding a little pink lemonade mix, and a tiny bit of food coloring. Then I found a recipe for pink lemonade frosting. I was very happy with the results! One tip for the frosting: make sure you stir the frozen concentrated pink lemonade before measuring it out because it separates in the can.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 TBSPs sweetened powdered pink lemonade mix (like Country Time)
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 tsps vanilla extract
Pink food coloring (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and lemonade and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk and vanilla; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
5. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups (I use a muffin scoop that holds about 1/4 a cup). Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing. Makes 24-28 cupcakes

Pink Lemonade Frosting
adapted from realmomkitchen.com
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup shortening
Zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 TBSPs milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 pound package or 7 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Pink food coloring (optional)

Cream butter, shortening, and lemon zest together. Add lemonade concentrate, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, mixing well until light and fluffy. Beat in the food coloring. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

I'll be posting a few more recipes soon.....

Gorgonzola Pear Toasts

I love these! I had this appetizer at a baby shower I attended, and I couldn't stop eating them. They look fancy, but are practically effortless! I bought a bag of candied pecans, which you can find on the baking aisle, but you can make your own too with this easy method here. You can find baguettes in the bakery section of the grocery store. They are super long and skinny. The original recipe calls for Gorgonzola, but I've made it with Feta and it's just as good.

Gorgonzola Pear Toasts
adapted from foodnetwork.com
1 baguette, thinly sliced
2 TBSPs olive oil
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz Gorgonzola or Feta cheese
1-2(15oz) cans of pear halves, drained and cut into small slices (you really need about 1 1/2 cans)
1/2 cup candied pecans, chopped
2 TBSPs parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush them lightly with olive oil. Bake them for 5-7 minutes, just until they start to turn golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Combine cream cheese and Gorgonzola OR Feta in mixer with paddle attachment. Beat them together until mixed well.
3. Spread a little bit of the cheese mixture on top of each of the toasts. Add a sliced pear and few candied pecan pieces, then sprinkle with fresh parsley. You might need to press a few of the pecans onto the cheese to make them stick if them fall off of the pear.
Serve immediately. Makes about 60 toasts.

Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad

Here's another yummy main dish salad I like to make in the summer. You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store, and there is absolutely no cooking involved. I boil frozen chicken breasts, and because that makes them bland, I add some dressing to the chicken and let it sit in the fridge.  If you're not going to eat all of this right away, leave the ramen noodles out and just sprinkle them on your individual serving and then mix them in. They get soggy, and then the salad isn't the same.

Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad
Dressing
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 TBSP teriyaki sauce
3 TBSPs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Salad
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1 package (3 oz) ramen noodle soup mix (any flavor)
1 bag (16 oz) coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (2 oz)
2 small cans mardarin oranges, drained
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional

1. In small bowl, beat dressing ingredients with wire whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is well blended. In a separate bowl cover chicken with 1/4 cup of dressing and toss. Place chicken and remaining dressing in refrigerator for a couple of hours.
2. Break up ramen noodles in bag before opening. Discard seasoning packet. In a large bowl add chicken, noodles, coleslaw, green onion, and almonds; mix well. Add oranges, drizzle on remaining dressing, and stir to combine. Serve immediately. Makes 8 main dish servings.

Easy 4th of July Dessert Idea

I didn't want to make a fancy dessert for the 4th this year, but I still wanted it to look festive. I made an angel food cake from a boxed mix. All you do is add water, and I think they taste better than store bought. Slice it up, add a little whipped cream, strawberries, and blueberries, and you're done!

I started to make it look like a flag, but gave up when the strawberries started tipping over.