Weekend Recipe Warrior

I am not really an ice cream kind of girl but with the Texas heat the thought of ice cream sure sounded good today! But not being a huge ice cream fan, I had to come up with amazing toppings. And so we have our recipes for today, Caramelized Bananas and Homemade Caramel Sauce!!! 😋 These are really quick and easy and now that I think about it would be great as a pie...hmmmm going to come with a recipe for this!!! Will post once I get it right! Anyway, I would make double recipes because these will not last long. Homemade Caramel Sauce Ingredients: 1 c granulated sugar 1/4 c cold water 1/2 c heavy whipping cream 2 tbs butter Preparation: 1. Combine cold water and sugar in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. 2. DO NOT STIR until the sugar turns an amber (light-medium) brown, normally about 10 minutes. Make sure not to over cook or your sauce will taste burnt. 3. Slowly whisk in the cream and continue to cook until smooth about 2 minutes. 4. Remove from heat and whisk in butte

I know I should be cooking low carb and healthy but I really want to try out the convection cook button on my new oven!!Well...actually today was a rough day and I needed some comfort food! That's right chocolate! 🍫 But trying the convection button on my new oven, which is true, sounded like a really good excuse to eat chocolate!!!! So this recipe is from magazine I got when I was around 12 years old I think. The recipe is amazing and has been made so many times over the last 40 years I lost track. 🙂 Here are a few tips I have learned over the years...First- make sure to sift the dry ingredients to get rid of lumps. Second- use butter that is cold but not too soft. And lastly- do not over beat! Once you add in the dry ingredients only mix to incorporate and finish by adding the chips in and mixing with a spatula. I also use Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar vanilla extract. You can use any vanilla extract you like, but I like the taste of this one the best. I have tried so many ch

Hello, hello, hello! Hope everyone is having a great day. For the last few days I have been craving one of my childhood favorite foods....pierogi!! So I decided to take time out to make them. These delicious pillows of goodness bring back sweet memories of summers spent with my granny! She was such a fantastic cook and made EVERYTHING from scratch...noodles, soups, fried polenta, ravioli, and pierogi. There are many different stuffings you can use for this amazing pillows of deliciousness but  I use, and grew up on, cheesy potato and sauerkraut. This dough is so simple, quick and easy. However, if you make this recipe by hand, as I do, it does take time. I roll them, cut them out, stuff them and seal them all by hand. I know there are some tools out there that will make this go faster but making them the old fashion way takes me back to my granny's kitchen on a hot summer day.❤❤ If you would like the recipes for the cheesy chunky potato or sauerkraut fillings, please checkout my p

So this week is not really going to be a low carb week after all....but everything in moderation is not that bad...right?! I came up with recipe when trying to find a new way to make the potato stuffing for pierogis. Tune in tomorrow for the pierogi dough recipe that goes along with these cheesy delicious spuds.   Now this recipe is a lot stiffer than your normal mashed potatoes because I use them for stuffing. However, all you have to do is thin them out with a little milk and they will be a great addition to any main dish!! I used Cheez Wiz this time but I think I'm going to use Velveeta next time just to test the different taste profiles. Come back and I'll let you know my thoughts. Extra Cheesy Chunky Potatoes Ingredients: 8-10 large red potatoes 1/2 cup cheese wiz 2 cups mild cheddar cheese - shredded 1 tsp butter salt and pepper to taste Preparation: 1. Fill a large pot with salted water. 2. Add washed whole potatoes to the water and bring to a boil over medi

Do you love peanut butter and coconut as much as I do? If your answer is yes, you are going to love this cookie! So fast and easy you can make them everyday. Saw them posted today and had to give them a try. Well I tried them and now I'm hooked! I'm really excited to try some different variations of this cookie. Thinking of maybe doing some with chocolate chips (not low carb😉), mini marshmallows, granola or jam..... 5 Minute Low Carb No Bake Cookies Ingredients: 3/4 c peanut butter 2 tbs melted butter 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 1 tsp coco Preparation: 1. Mix all ingredients together until blended. 2. Using a small cookie scoop, place your cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 3. Place cookie sheet in freezer for about 10-20 minutes. 4. Remove from freezer and enjoy. 5. Store in container in refrigerator for up to a week...if they last that long!

Has there ever been a food you love but you just don't like to take the time to make it? Well, for me that's stuffed bell peppers. My husband has been bugging me for weeks to make some stuffed peppers do I figured I'd give in...but not until I found a simple, quick and easy recipe. Guess what....I found one!!! I did some digging and came a cross and very easy crockpot recipe! What a great way to cook...mix it together, go to work and come home 8-10 hours later with your meal ready to serve!! It doesn't get much better than that! 😍 Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cook (especially with my new slide in) but even I need a break sometimes. Ok...back to the recipe. This amazingly easy and delicious recipe is from Paula Deen and can be found here http://www.pauladeen.com/slow-cooker-stuffed-green-peppers . I tweaked the recipe (below) slightly to my taste... Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers Ingredients: 6 large yellow and orange bell peppers 2 cups uncooked brown rice

Happy Monday! Today's recipe is a very easy yet delicious lower carb soup. I have tried several different types of shrimp for this recipe and found that fresh works much better than frozen. My favorite one to use in this is the Argentinian red shrimp. It is a larger shrimp so for me it works better. I buy in my seafood department already peeled and deveined. If you have never cooked with shrimp before make sure you devein it before cooking! Here is a link from food network that will show you the "how to" of deveining shrimp. http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/photos/how-to-peel-and-devein-shrimp .  Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup Ingredients: 1 tbs avocado oil 2 tbs fresh grated ginger 2 tbs red curry paste 32 oz box of low sodium chicken broth 1 tbs agave 3 tbs fish sauce 3 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk 1 lb baby Bella's sliced- you can also use white mushrooms 2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp 2 tbs fresh li

Happy Monday Everyone!!! I hope everyone is having a great day and staying cool. 😊 I'm in Texas and the heat here is crazy....if we have a day under 100 degrees it's a miracle!! Since it has been so crazy hot I decided this week is going to be soup week!!! What.....100 degrees and soup! I know it sounds a little crazy but there is something relaxing about a great bowl of homemade soup. This week I'm going to focus on healthier low carb soup recipes. Today's recipe is so quick, easy and delicious you'll want to make it a staple. Being in Texas, I love the heat and the spice so in my recipe I use hot Italian bulk sausage and add some spicy red pepper flakes to kick it up a few notches!!! The best thing about this recipe is you can make it as mild or as spicy as you like! If you don't like Italian sausage, no problem....try it with ground chicken or turkey. Give it a go and let me know your thoughts. If you have a favorite soup recipe, please feel free to share!

Happy Monday!!! This week we are celebrating all things seafood, one of my favorite weeks!! Seafood week always brings back memories of the beach. There is nothing more relaxing than the sound of the waves  or an amazing sunrise/sunset on the beach. Let's not forget about collecting seashells in the morning before sunrise or catching crabs after sunset which brings us to today's  recipe....Spicy Crab Salad.  This crab salad recipe is so delicious and amazing it lasted all of one day. You can serve it on a bed of lettuce, on a toasted roll, on some crackers or just by itself! This salad takes about 10 minutes to prepare and is so easy, even my husband who can't boil water can make it. 😃 You should be able to get about 4 servings depending on your serving size..... Spicy Crab Salad Ingredients 1 lb crab - either imitation or lump - chopped 1 tbsp Italian dressing 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning - use less if you prefer 1/2 cup mayo 2 stalks celery - finely diced 1/2 small

Boy do I have a new delicious dessert recipe for you! Yes, that right a dessert!! Thought I'd switch it up a little bit tonight and give you an amazing sweet treat...Believe it or not this recipe only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and yields the most amazing brownies I have ever had. This sweet treat has no flour, no sugar, no eggs and no baking!!! That's right...no baking!!! I had some dates that I wanted to use and before I knew it I was tasting an amazing chocolaty treat!! Give them a try and let me know your thoughts..... Chocolatey No Bake Brownies Ingredients: 2½ cups loosely packed pitted dates - I used Medjool pitted dates 1 1/2 cups walnuts 6 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 tsp water 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave 2 tbsp canola oil 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract Preparation: 1. Place dates, walnuts, 6 tbsp cocoa, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, water, and salt in a food proce

I'm back!!! Happy Monday to all!! 😊Took some time off to practice new recipes with my new chef style slide in!!! Talk about turning up the heat...low is the new medium and medium is the new high and high is the new singe your eyebrows!! So since I'm turning up the heat ..I thought I'd start off with a Spicy Chick-fil-A chicken breast copy cat recipe I found. The critics, my husband, son and grandson, love it and said it's better than the real thing! I have experimented with both chicken thighs and chicken breasts with this recipe and I much prefer the thighs, but you can use whichever you like. I also made it a little more carb friendly by using almond flour in place of the regular flour.  Spicy Chick-fil-A Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts cut in half length wise 1/2 cup pickle juice mixed with 1/2 cup water 2 cups flour or almond flour 1/3 cup powdered sugar 3 tsp paprika 2 tbs black pepper 2 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp

Happy Thursday!! Today's recipe is a sauteed shrimp over creamy polenta. Polenta has always been one of my favorite dishes. When I was younger, my grandmother used to make this all the time for me and my sister. In those days we called it fried cornmeal mush. Doesn't sound so good but it was really tasty. The creamy polenta (corn meal) is refrigerated until firm and then fried in a pan with butter until it's a crispy golden brown. What could be better than that!!  So here is my quick sauteed shrimp and creamy polenta recipe.  Poletna (Corn Meal Mush) Ingredients: 3 cups water 1 c yellow or white corn meal 1 tsp salt chopped chives - optional Preparation: 1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. 2. Add salt and corn meal - stirring constantly3. Cook until thickened, usually about 15-20 minutes 4. Place in bowl, add sauteed shrimp (recipe below) and garnish with chives. Sauteed Shrimp Ingredients: 1 lb shrimp - washed and deveined 2 tsp butter salt and pep

Today we hit over 1000 page views so let's celebrate with some Macadamia Nut Crusted Chicken!!! While eating at Kona Grill on Friday night, I had the most amazing salad with chicken. After doing some digging I found a copy cat recipe for the chicken. I like quick and easy recipes so I made a few tweaks. To speed up the cooking process I use thin sliced chicken breasts. If you choose to use the regular chicken breast, after browning both sides, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Whether you choose to use thin or regular chicken breast, fry or bake, this dish will turn out absolutely delicious!! You can serve this dish by itself, with your favorite side or cut it up and add it to yesterday's recipe, Oriental Salad with Sweet Soy dressing. Either way, be sure to make plenty because it will not last long....   Kona Grill Macadamia Nut Chicken Ingredients: 8- 4 oz skinned and deboned thin chicken breast slices 1/4 c macadamia nuts - crushed 3 cups o

Hope everybody has had a great weekend! Today's recipe is so delicious it will become one of your favorite go to dishes. I chose to cut all my veggies so it took me about 2 hours to finish this dish. There is a lot of julienning/chopping but you can take a short cut! 😉 Instead of julienning the Napa cabbage, red cabbage and carrots you can buy the bagged coleslaw veggies and do a quick chop. This will save you about one and a half hours of prep time. You may even be able to buy the red bell pepper and green onion chopped as well. The sweet soy dressing  has a perfect balance of salty and sweet that goes great with the veggies!  It only takes about two minutes to make. I also added crushed ramen noodles, shaved almonds and macadamia nut crusted chicken ( recipe will be on tomorrows blog ) for an added crunch. Oriental Salad - makes about 6-8 servings Ingredients: 1 head nappa cabbage - julienned 1 small head red cabbage - julienned 1 small head green cabbage - julienned 2 me

Happy Tuesday!! Today is our three week blogging anniversary so I decided to spice it up a little. On the menu tonight we have a very easy crockpot comfort meal....Spicy 15 Bean Soup with Jalapeno Sausage. When I make this dish it makes me smile because it reminds me of my Dad. He was like a "Soup King". Dad made the best soups ever!! You name it and he could make it from scratch. A bite of his French Onion soup would take me back to the days living in Europe. A slurp of some Minestrone soup and I would be on a gondola floating down the Grand Canal in Italy!! If I wanted to take a trip to Mexico, no problem...a bowl of his Southwest Cabbage soup would do the trick! So today's blog is for my Dad, the Soup King. I grew up on this bean soup recipe....well kinda.....I had to spice it up a few notches. I also used the crockpot instead of the stove top method. Remember, if you don't like it spicy, add regular sausage and diced tomatoes. You can also leave out the sliced jal

Happy Monday!! I can't believe tomorrow will be three weeks since I started this blog! Time sure does fly when you're having fun!!! Hope you and your family are enjoying the recipes as much as we do. I've gotten several recipes from friends that I can't wait to try and blog about. If you have a favorite recipe and pictures you'd love to share, please email or text me! 😊 My family loves shrimp so today's recipe will not disappoint. Normally I don't use wine when I cook but there are a few exceptions, red wine spaghetti and shrimp in a white wine garlic sauce.  There is no need to go and buy an expensive wine to cook with. The best rule of thumb is, if you drink it you can cook with it! The alcohol in the wine will cook out and you will only be left with the flavor. I chose an orange moscato, made in Fredericksburg, because the orange flavor goes great with the garlic, butter and shrimp. You can serve this dish with either pasta, or my favorite, creamy pole

Well, the weekend is almost over and it's time for menu planning and my Sunday cook-a-thon! We celebrated this weekend with a crawfish festival in New Braunfels so next week's menu is going to be dedicated to....that's right seafood!!! I love all types and cooking styles of seafood. Grilled, boiled, fried and even, yes, raw. 🍣 My top favorites are ahi tuna, shrimp (yes, I think I'm a mermaid because I even eat the tails!) and crab. The recipes I'll be highlighting next week are black sesame crusted ahi tuna, Argentinian red shrimp in a white wine garlic butter sauce, crab cakes with a lemon dill sauce and a family favorite shrimp and pea salad. Come and see me tomorrow for the best  black sesame crusted ahi tuna. This delicious easy recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare but your friends and family will think you slaved all day in the kitchen!!  But wait a minute, before you go I have to tell you about a great product that will make your cooking taste  amazingl

What a great day!!! While doing my normal weekly grocery shopping, I found the best deal ever at Sam's Club!! I'm sorry I love my HEB but this deal was too good to pass up! Two 18oz jumbo tubs of Cool Whip for......$0.51!!! That's only $0.25 a tub!! A savings of over $3.00 per tub! All I can say is...thank goodness for chest freezers!! 😊 So after I got home and unpacked my trunk full of cool whip, I decided to make,,,you guessed it a cool whip dessert! Now normally this dessert is packed with way too many calories to mention, but I decided to do a slim down version that has only 100 calories per serving! That's over 50% less calories than the normal recipe. If you like chocolate, pecan shortbread and cream cheese this is definitely your dessert! To make it almost calorie free, I used fat free cream cheese, low-fat milk, sugar free chocolate pudding and of course Cool Whip. One of the best things about this recipe is you only have to bake the crust for 20 minutes and ev

I'm so happy today I decided to make it a double recipe Saturday!! Most of you who know me know I love to cook but I also love to bake. Well, today was a I feel like baking day! I told my husband I was making this muffin recipe, which I actually created last year, and he said, "Oh, those sound really gross! Cinnamon with bananas and chocolate chips...yuck!" Now, keep in mind this was not the first time I made these. The last time I made them he ate 3 jumbo muffins the first day!! So I began to make them in the oven and he comes running down the steps, "What smells so good! You didn't tell me it was THOSE muffins you were making". Really (ShakingMyHead).....Well, anyway, here is the recipe and a picture. I hope you enjoy! Banana Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Streusel Muffins Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 4 bananas, mashed 3/4 c white sugar 1 egg 1/3 c butter, melted 1/4 c chocola

Wednesday is Wine Day!! Well....red wine spaghetti day! I saw this recipe on a Food TV show, Giada at Home ,    a few years ago. It looked so easy to prepare, looked delicious and got rave reviews so I decided to make it. This dish is so tasty that it has become one of my husband's favorite meals. Even if you are not an avid  wine connoisseur,  you'll love this pasta. By reducing the red wine, all the alcohol is cooked out and you are left with the robustness of the wine. This recipe takes about 45-50 minutes to prepare and amkes about 4-6 servings. I'm sure you can add your favorite veggies to the dish and that will only enhance the flavor. I'd love to hear your variation of this simply amazing dish! Spicy Red-Wine Spaghetti Ingredients: Kosher salt 1 pound spaghetti  1/4 c avocado oil  3 large cloves garlic, chopped  1 large shallot, halved, thinly sliced into strips  1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper  1 750ml bottle zinfandel  1 tbs tomato paste 

Happy Monday!! First day back after a long weekend at the beach enjoying the sun, surf, sand and the seafood. Since it's the first day back I decided to do a very easy delicious dish that a friend at work told me about. Thanks Sue and The Pioneer Woman ! If you love shredded pork, Dr Pepper and spicy peppers this is the recipe for you. Basically you put all the ingredients in a pot and cook 6-8 hours in a low temp oven. How much more no fuss can you get! I served these delicious shredded pork sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls, with a side of onions, pickles and homemade coleslaw. I used Hawaiian rolls because the sweetness of the rolls really brings out the spice of the pork. Honestly, this is so good you can use any bread, bun, roll, tortilla or just serve it in a bowl by itself and your family and friends will love it! 😋 J udging by the oohs and aahs by my husband and son, this dish will be a regular!   Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork Ingredients 1 whole large onion - cut into

Happy Wednesday!!! I love vegging out and watching Food TV on the weekend. A few weeks ago I was watching Valerie's Home Cooking and saw the amazing recipe I'm talking about today. How many of you love fries and who doesn't love jalapenos! Well, you're gonna love this....jalapeno fries with roasted garlic (not just plain garlic, but roasted garlic) ranch dip. Now, if you're not a fan of jalapenos (although I don't know why) you can use zucchini or green beans in place of the peppers. The recipe is easy to make but does take a little time, so be patient. You really need to watch out though, my family was eating this up as fast as I was making it!!   Roasted Garlic Ranch Ingredients:   1 large head garlic, top third cut off 1 tsp avocado oil   1/4 c buttermilk    1/4 c mayonnaise    2 tbs sour cream    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper    1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives    Preparation:   1. Preheat the oven to 425 deg