Monday, March 29, 2010
Rainbow Cake (from Dessert and Spicy Divas)
Head on over here to check out the awesome Rainbow Cakes that Spicy Diva and I made. Not only are there some really cool pictures, but there are also full how-to instructions if you want to give it a try. If you do, leave us a comment...we'd love to hear from you! Have fun!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Buttercream Frosting (from Dessert Diva)
As I mentioned on my personal blog, Spicy Diva and I are taking cake decorating classes. We are almost finished with Course 1 (there are 4 courses). Soon, I will be posting some of our adventures in cake decorating. For now, you'll have to make do with the recipe for the delicious buttercream frosting we've been using on our cakes.
Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. meringue powder (find it at your local arts and crafts store)
2 lbs. powdered sugar
*1 tsp. flavoring (find it at your local arts and crafts store)
*Flavoring is basically clear vanilla extract. You can use traditional vanilla extract in place of the flavoring, but your frosting will not be white. If you plan on dyeing your frosting, this would be fine, but if you want white frosting, pick up the flavoring.
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix the meringue powder into the powdered sugar. In a large bowl, put the shortening into the water; add the salt, flavoring and half the powdered sugar. Beat for five minutes. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat just enough to mix together. Add additional water or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. Store in an airtight container, if not using immediately.
**If you want to make chocolate buttercream, add cocoa powder and increase the water just a bit.
Enjoy, and don't forget to check back soon to see some of the cakes Spicy Diva and I have made!
Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. meringue powder (find it at your local arts and crafts store)
2 lbs. powdered sugar
*1 tsp. flavoring (find it at your local arts and crafts store)
*Flavoring is basically clear vanilla extract. You can use traditional vanilla extract in place of the flavoring, but your frosting will not be white. If you plan on dyeing your frosting, this would be fine, but if you want white frosting, pick up the flavoring.
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix the meringue powder into the powdered sugar. In a large bowl, put the shortening into the water; add the salt, flavoring and half the powdered sugar. Beat for five minutes. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat just enough to mix together. Add additional water or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. Store in an airtight container, if not using immediately.
**If you want to make chocolate buttercream, add cocoa powder and increase the water just a bit.
Enjoy, and don't forget to check back soon to see some of the cakes Spicy Diva and I have made!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuna Tortellini Gratin (by Cheesy Diva)
I assure you this meal is Yumm-O! I will be preparing this dish for our monthly DTD Supper Club tonight. However, I made some earlier this week to ensure the yumminess of it first. Technically, I'm not a fan of tuna - however - this isn't "tuna-y" at all. Plus, the tortellini has CHEESE in it. You all know how I love my cheese!
*Picture taken from Google Images*
What You Need:
1 ¼ pounds cooked tortellini
2 – 6 ounce cans tuna
½ cup red bell pepper
½ cup onion
½ jar Alfredo sauce
½ jar of Marina sauce
½ cup white wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 tables spoons olive oil
Putting the pasta together:
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the bread crumbs and oil and stir. Transfer the mixture to the prepared backing dish (coated with nonstick cooking spray). Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of each baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.
To Freeze:
Put tortellini/tuna mixture into large plastic bag – seal tightly. Put bread crumbs into another small bag – seal tightly. When ready to cook, thaw at room temperature before cooking as directed below.
After Freezing:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly. Remove the foil and slide the dish under the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
*Picture taken from Google Images*
What You Need:
1 ¼ pounds cooked tortellini
2 – 6 ounce cans tuna
½ cup red bell pepper
½ cup onion
½ jar Alfredo sauce
½ jar of Marina sauce
½ cup white wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 tables spoons olive oil
Putting the pasta together:
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the bread crumbs and oil and stir. Transfer the mixture to the prepared backing dish (coated with nonstick cooking spray). Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of each baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.
To Freeze:
Put tortellini/tuna mixture into large plastic bag – seal tightly. Put bread crumbs into another small bag – seal tightly. When ready to cook, thaw at room temperature before cooking as directed below.
After Freezing:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly. Remove the foil and slide the dish under the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Easy Meatloaf (from Saucy Diva)
Grandma Gert is one of my favorite people. She's brave, sweet, and above all hilarious. She's not what one would call technologically savvy, however her friend is. When he showed her this blog she thought it was the pretty neat. During our regular Sunday night chat, she threw in how she had this really easy meatloaf recipe that I should put on our...and I quote... "internet recipe thingy". If you knew Grandma Gert, you wouldn't be able to say no either.
Made it. Ate it. Liked it. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground beef
1 box of chicken flavored stuffing
2 eggs
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of bbq sauce
Extra bbq sauce for the top of the meatloaf
Prep:
1. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with non stick spray
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients; mix together until well combined (go ahead, use your
hands, I dare you)
3. Form meat into a loaf and place in baking dish
4. Coat the top with bbq sauce
5. Bake for an hour and 15 min at 375 degrees
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Meatball Tortellini Soup (from Saucy Diva)
Our Supper Club nights usually have a theme. This recipe was my contribution for our "foods that are spherical" night. And no, that wasn't the actual theme. I've been warned about mentioning the real theme.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 quart beef stock
1 (12 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup chopped kale
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 pound frozen, cooked meatballs - thawed ( more if you really love meatballs)
1/2 pound fresh cheese tortellini
Prep:
1. Melt butter in a large pot and cook the onions and garlic until tender.
2. Pour the beef stock into the pot.
3. Add everything except the meatballs and the tortellini. Bring mixture to a boil.
4. Add the tortellini and meatballs and return to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes.
* Makes 3-4 servings.
** If you'd like to precook and freeze this meal, stop after step #3 and freeze broth mixture separate from meatballs and tortellini.
I suggest serving with some warm crusty bread.
Ginger-Glazed Mahi Mahi (from Dessert Diva)
This is the recipe I made for our very first Supper Club. It got rave reviews, and I've made it several times since. The best part is, with the exception of the fish, the ingredients are all ones that you probably already have on hand. Hopefully, you enjoy it as much as we did.
Ingredients
4 Mahi Mahi fillets
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Directions
In a bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Season the fish with the salt and pepper. Add fish and marinade to a plastic bag; marinate for several hours (or this is the point where you would freeze it). Grill fillets over medium heat for 4-6 minutes per side, turning once. Reserve the marinade; pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for an additional 2 minutes, until it reaches a glaze consistency. Spoon over fish and serve immediately.
Ingredients
4 Mahi Mahi fillets
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Directions
In a bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Season the fish with the salt and pepper. Add fish and marinade to a plastic bag; marinate for several hours (or this is the point where you would freeze it). Grill fillets over medium heat for 4-6 minutes per side, turning once. Reserve the marinade; pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for an additional 2 minutes, until it reaches a glaze consistency. Spoon over fish and serve immediately.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Baked Lemon Pasta
This recipe is from my hero, The Pioneer Woman (or P-Dub, as those of us who are especially close to her call her). I made it last night and it was delicious! I thought about making it for our next Supper Club (for a meatless dish) but I thought there would be a few pasta dishes, so I’m looking at something else.
When I made this, I also cooked and diced a couple of chicken breasts and threw them in when I added the sauce. I also doubled the cheese by adding some before it baked and again AFTER it came out of the oven. (Just trying to do the Cheesy Diva proud.)
Baked Lemon Pasta
1 pound Angel Hair Pasta
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
2 cups Sour Cream
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
Extra Lemon Juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente.
In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.
Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.
Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)
When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
Remember that whole “presentation issue” I mentioned. Well here’s P-Dub’s picture: 
And here’s mine:
See what I mean? Oh, just wait until I do the same thing for the best chocolate cupcakes ever. It gets WAY worse. But, its about what it tastes like, not what it looks like… Right? Right.
When I made this, I also cooked and diced a couple of chicken breasts and threw them in when I added the sauce. I also doubled the cheese by adding some before it baked and again AFTER it came out of the oven. (Just trying to do the Cheesy Diva proud.)
Baked Lemon Pasta
1 pound Angel Hair Pasta
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
2 cups Sour Cream
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
Extra Lemon Juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente.
In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.
Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.
Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)
When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
Remember that whole “presentation issue” I mentioned. Well here’s P-Dub’s picture:
And here’s mine:
See what I mean? Oh, just wait until I do the same thing for the best chocolate cupcakes ever. It gets WAY worse. But, its about what it tastes like, not what it looks like… Right? Right.
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