Welcome to Tickled Tastebuds! This page will feature a variety of recipes that includes appetizers, desserts, and everything in between. You will probably find that, as time passes and we have built more of a substantial basis here, we have a bit of a sweet tooth that is always aching to be satisfied. Dessert is definitely my favorite part of most meals, and after seeing some of our recipes, it might be yours, too, if it isn't already! With three small children at home, all of whom seem to have very Picky Tastebuds, we strive to make the majority of our recipes family-friendly, as well. Thanks for visiting us-enjoy!







Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake

So... it's been awhile... Shortly after my last post, ironically about losing loved ones and always remembering to count your blessing, my grandfather passed away very unexpectedly. Needless to say, it sent my world into disarray and this is the first time I have even really thought about my little blog. Well, I guess that is partially not true, since I was still taking pictures of food and what not to save and share with you later. Anyways, here I am, broken and healing at the same time, ready to share another fabulous recipe with you and hoping that you enjoy it as much as we did.

Now, let me tell you about Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake... yes, it is as delicious as it sounds, but no, it is not as unhealthy as the name suggests! That is the bonus. I have really been working hard to come up with recipes that are both healthy and delicious, recipes that fool you into thinking your indulging when, in all reality, every bite you're putting into your mouth contains wholesome, good-for-you ingredients. This casserole-type dish fits all of those criteria perfectly!

After my grandpa passed away, all of the neighbors and friends graciously started bringing over all kinds of food for our family to help us out during our difficult time. (By the way, one bright moment in an otherwise dark week came when I tasted Rita Jackson's Dump Bars. I thought they were just superb brownies, but turns out, I was wrong. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, and although I have not actually had the time to try it out myself yet, I promise you will see those sinful treats at a later date... probably the next time I need a "break" from my attempt at dieting haha!) One of our family friends brought over something she called Pizza Spaghetti. I didn't actually ever even see this dish, nevertheless taste it, but the mere title got the little wheels in my brain turning pretty quickly.

And, alas, Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake was born!

Here is what you will need:

- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 box (16 oz.) whole grain pasta (any kind will work, we used Rotini)
- 1 can/jar spaghetti sauce
- 24 slices turkey pepperoni
- 2 cups shredded nonfat mozzarella cheese
- 1 small can of sliced olives, drained

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 9x13" cake pan or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, start by sauteing your vegetables in a large skillet in a few drizzles of olive oil for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add your ground turkey into the skillet and brown together with the vegetables, until turkey is cooked through. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and mix well to evenly season the turkey and vegetable mixture.


3. After your turkey is cooked through, add the spaghetti sauce to the skillet and stir into the meat and veggie mixture. Let simmer for just a few minutes.
4. Drain your pasta, if you haven't already done so, and mix together the pasta and spaghetti sauce combination until all of the noodles are coated with sauce and the ingredients are well-mixed. Pour this into the prepared baking pan.


5. Top with your turkey pepperoni slices. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the pepperoni layer, then top with olives. Cover with foil and put into preheated oven. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until heated through. (Adapt the temperature and cooking time to fit your needs- we went with a lower temp/longer baking time so that we could squeeze our workout in while we were waiting for it to be done!)
6. Remove from oven, remove foil, and let cool for five minutes before serving. Depending on your portion sizes, this should make at least 12 servings. Enjoy delicious food without the guilt!



One of the greatest things about this recipe is its versatility, as I am sure you will find yourself once you try it. The basic quality of the ingredients allows for a lot of room for "cook's interpretation." As I mentioned earlier, this Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake was a hit at our house. We loved it, and it was equally delicious the next day for lunch!  Certainly, if you are not watching your calories or in the mood to splurge, you could easily un-healthify this recipe and substitute Italian sausage for the turkey, real pepperoni for the turkey pepperoni, and go wild with cheese. You could also add mushrooms for a full "Supreme Pizza" experience, but I usually opt to leave fungus out of my food. :)







Friday, June 10, 2011

Count Your Blessings!

Well, we are now officially halfway through 2011, and what a year it has been. It seems as if death has been knocking on the doors of our family and friends entirely too much, and although death is simply an inescapable part of life, its occurrence often makes one pause and give closer thought to many of the things so often taken for granted. For me, at least, I know that is how my mind processes such sad occasions.

My Grandma passed away in February, and that has absolutely been one of the hardest things I have ever been through. I have lost other loved ones, but I was much younger and there was so much I couldn't fully understand then. Honestly, there is still a vast majority of this concept I can't truly grasp, but much more so now than then. My Grandma was only 70-years old when she passed, and the ultimate cause of her death was linked to her Pulmonary Fibrosis. What a nasty disease that is-essentially slowly suffocating its victims to the point where they fight for every precious breath they can take. It was painstaking to watch her live out her last days, but on the other hand, I was glad to get to be there with her after all the times she was there for me. She was not in her right mind, but I know, subconsciously, she knew we were there to be by her side as she transitioned from this life into the next, even if she couldn't fully acknowledge the fact.

You never want to see your loved ones suffer, especially to the extent which she was suffering. She fought for so long, with such ferocity, that we all had nothing but respect for her when she finally decided she was now ready to give in and go with God. She accepted the fact that He was calling her home, and we had to accept that fact, too. Knowing that she was ready made it at least a little easier to accept, but it was still a far cry from easy in any way, shape, or form. Situations like these bring about such mixed emotions-intense sadness and grief over the loss of someone so near and dear to your heart; relief that their suffering is over; happiness that they are home with their Savior, forever watching over us as our Guardian Angels; and gratitude-sheer appreciation and respect for all that you have and are blessed with in spite of all that you just lost.

Shortly after my grandma passed, one of my dearest friends lost her baby at 32 weeks. Preeclampsia took its toll on both mom and baby, and unfortunately, the baby did not make it. Having only had Brooklyn a little over a year ago, my heart literally broke into pieces as I received the news of her and her husband's loss. While losing a grandparent is hard, losing a child is impossible. To make matters worse, only a little over a year ago, they had lost their first baby, as well, at 20 weeks. Just as they were starting to heal from their first tragedy, they were grief-stricken again for the same reason. Occurrences like this just make a person ask why... regardless of how strong a person is in their faith, it is always so hard to accept when God chooses a child to take to Heaven to be with Him. Their loss hit me hard, too, for several reasons. First and foremost, I can't imagine losing a child. I am honestly not sure I could ever recover from something so devastating. But second, I felt so much grief and sadness for this lost little boy whom I was so looking forward to watching grow up and the friendship I am sure he would have had with our children. Then of course, there is the immense sadness felt for my friend and her husband. All I could do was cry when I heard the news, and it is so hard to want to be able to reach out and help them but not even knowing where to start, also knowing that there is nothing that can truly help them more than time and God's healing grace.

Just yesterday, we received a call in dispatch. One of our coworkers was frantically searching for her three-year old son and couldn't find him anywhere. Immediately, every law enforcement unit available was headed in her direction to aid in the search. Her family lives out on a ranch in the county, and with flooding already posing a threat in many surrounding areas, there was an increased level of danger with this missing child. Eventually, the boy was found... face down in the water. No one knows for sure how long he was submerged, but he did not have a pulse and deputies immediately started CPR and life-saving efforts. After two hours of being worked on, the boy's little heart eventually started beating again. At that point, it was decided that he would be rushed to Denver to the Children's Hospital for further treatment. After extensive testing, it was found that there was significant brain damage, and his parents were then faced with the impossible decision of whether or not to keep him on life support, knowing that he would never be the same again, if he ever even regained consciousness, and that it was only the machines keeping him alive at that point. They eventually decided to remove life support, and he passed away this morning. Such a heartbreaking day. My heart goes out to their family, and thoughts and prayers will be sent their way for many days to come.

I truly cannot imagine. I have to try my hardest not to even attempt, or it makes me burst into tears. This is one of those "hypothetical" situations that my mind will not allow me to comprehend. I have to put up a mental block- a wall against this devastating possibility. And unfortunately, that is exactly what it is: losing a child is a devastating possibility for all of us. Regardless of how wonderful of a parent you are or how many precautions you put in place to keep your children safe, God already knows His plan for them just like He does for us, and He could decide to take them from our lives at any second as part of His bigger plan for them.

The moral of this story and the thought for the day is: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS! Don't take ANYTHING for granted. Everything we have in this life is a blessing, a gift, and a privilege. We are not entitled to anything, and in the blink of an eye, that which is dearest to us can be gone. Every day is a new adventure and should be welcomed with open arms. Savor the small things that bring us so much joy that often go unmentioned- the smell of rain, the sound of a child laughing, the warm embrace of a loved one. Life is too short to not live fully and happily; you only get one shot, so make it the best that it can be for you, as well as all those around you whose lives you influence in ways you may not even realize. Hug your kids a little tighter, spend a little bit more time playing with them and reading to them than usual, tell your parents you love them and your friends you appreciate them. You just never know...  

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Oven-Baked Veggie Fries and Easy BBQ Dry Rub

By now, you all know of our ongoing battle involving getting the kids to eat more vegetables. We are slowly but surely making progress, and I am proud to report that we can at least get them to try a bite of most new things without having to pull any teeth out first. In the midst of this battle, I came up with an idea for Oven-Baked Veggie Fries. My train of thought at the time was that maybe if I cut a variety of vegetables up into the same shape as we cut our homemade oven fries into, and then mix them in with the potatoes, then maybe they would never even think twice about it and just dig in like they normally would with regular fries. Well, it didn't really work like that, but I was really impressed with the end result regardless and am now here to share it with you!

Here are the ingredients we used to create our Oven-Baked Veggie Fries:

-2 zucchinis
-1 yellow squash
-3 russet potatoes
-2 carrots

-1/2 tsp. black pepper
-1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
-1/2 tsp. cumin
-1 tsp. paprika
-1/4 tsp. chili powder
-1/2 tsp. oregano
-Extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray well with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Prepare your vegetables: After washing, peel the zucchini, squash, and carrots. (I like to leave a little of the skin on the zucchini and squash, peeling in a stripe-like pattern, but that is mostly just because they look prettier that way :P) Wash your potatoes, then cut into wedges. Choose any shape you like that resembles a fry of some sort, then cut the zucchini, squash, and carrots to match as much as possible. Place all cut vegetables into a large bowl, big enough so you can easily toss the vegetables.
3. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, a couple tablespoons or so, over the top of the vegetables, using just enough that all of the vegetables have a nice coating of it without being soaked. Toss around to coat the vegetables evenly.
4. In a small bowl, mix together all of your spices. Pour spice mixture onto oil-coated vegetables and toss to evenly distribute the spices. Tongs work great for the tossing process.
5. Spread the seasoned vegetables out onto your lined baking sheet, trying to make sure that no veggies are overlapping and are in a single layer. Place into the preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or so, until the veggies are starting to crisp up on the edges and are turning golden brown. We like our veggies extra tender, so if you like yours to still have more of a bite to them, you may want to reduce your roasting time.  Let cool slightly and enjoy.

These are great served with barbecue chicken, which is what we ate them with! Our seasoning mix for the oven fries was created to kind of mirror some of what was going into our barbecue chicken rub, so if you are looking for something a little more generic as far as seasoning goes, eliminate the cumin, chili powder, and oregano and add a little bit of Italian seasoning in its place.

In case you are looking for a great dry rub to put on chicken before grilling, here is a very simple, quick, and delicious one that we enjoy! Thank you, Rachael Ray, for giving us a wonderful basis for this rub that we adapted! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/bbq-spiced-chicken-salsa-salad-and-pumpkin-chipotle-polenta-recipe/index.html

Easy BBQ Dry Rub
-1 1/2 tbsp. grill seasoning (we like McCormick best)
-1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
-1/2 tbsp. paprika
-1/2 tbsp. cumin
-1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
-4 tbsp. light brown sugar
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-1/2 tsp. onion powder

Just rub this all over chicken before grilling, then glaze with your favorite barbecue sauce right before it comes off the grill. Delicious!

Anyways... back to the vegetables! The roasting process really brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetables and makes them absolutely delicious. They are tender, juicy, and full of flavor. We really liked them a lot and will definitely be making them again. Like I said before, the kids were pretty unsure about these, but we did at least get them to try zucchini, which was new to them.

Here is a close-up. You can actually SEE the flavor! 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Mexican Enchilada Lasagna

Italian vs Mexican? Enchiladas vs Lasagna? Who can choose between such rivaling degrees of deliciousness? I am a huge fan of both Italian and Mexican food, and sometimes my cravings for them end up somehow intertwined, leaving me unsure of what I really want to make for dinner on any given night. Mexican Enchilada Lasagna is the perfect recipe for such a conundrum- it combines the layers of yummy goodness found in lasagna with flavors more traditional in Mexican dishes, all baked in a hot oven until it's a cheesy, bubbling mess of tastiness waiting to be served on your table for dinner.

I will apologize in advance- I was so starving and exhausted by the time this meal was ready to put on the table that the last thing on my mind was plating it nicely to take pictures to show you all. Needless to say, there are no pictures of our Mexican Enchilada Lasagna, but you should be able to get the general idea of what it should look like as we move through the recipe.

By the way, I am trying a different "style" for this post- please let me know if you prefer this one to the more "narrative-style" recipes. :) Thought this particular fashion may make the recipes more concise and easy to follow.

Here is what you will need to make Mexican Enchilada Lasagna:

-18 corn tortillas
-1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
-1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
-1/2 cup chopped red/green bell pepper
-1/2 tsp. each of seasoned salt, black pepper, cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt, and Sazon
-1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
-1 small can diced green chilies
-1 can no-salt added sweet corn, drained
-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
-1 cup light or fat-free sour cream
-1 cup salsa
-1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13" baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, brown together your meat, onion, and bell pepper, then drain. Add in all of your seasonings and spices, the tomatoes, green chilies, corn, and black beans. Mix together well and let cook for a few minutes longer to allow the flavors to fully fuse together.
3.  In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and the salsa. We like to use the fresh salsa you can find in the refrigerated section of your deli, but any kind will work great. We have used the jarred versions in the past with equally tasty results.
4. Stir the sour cream and salsa mixture into the meat and vegetable mixture, stirring well to combine. Simmer over low heat for just  few minutes to warm the filling before you start assembling your Mexican Enchilada Lasagna.
5. Once your filling is warmed through, take six of the corn tortillas and layer them into the bottom of the 9x13" pan, overlapping them as necessary. Spoon 1/2 of the meat mixture on top of the tortillas, then top with 1/2 cup of the cheese. (Use whatever kind you prefer- we enjoy the Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese.) Layer another 6 corn tortillas on top of the cheese, then top with the rest of the meat mixture and another 1/2 cup of cheese. Top with the remaining 6 tortillas and the rest of the cheese.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the top is crispy golden brown. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole and enjoy!

Okay, so there you have your recipe for Mexican Enchilada Lasagna! Not only is it tasty, but it is full of nutritious ingredients. If you use turkey, fat-free sour cream, and reduced-fat shredded cheese, your recipe will be end up pretty low in calories but will still pack a ton of flavor. I hope you will find this meal as satisfying as we do.

Again, feedback on this post's style compared to previous posts would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, and if the leftovers of this meal heat up nicely and look as tempting as they did the first go-round, I will try and take some pictures at that point to add on here later. If not, use your imagination!  :) It's good exercise for your brain, anyways!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Tropical Fruit Cream Pie with Toasted Coconut

Ever since I was a little girl, one of my favorite desserts in the world was my Grandma Emerson's Banana Split Pie. Sometimes simplicity in a dessert really is pure genius, and there is no point in even trying to change or improve the recipe because the idea seems impossible. Well, we had a BBQ this weekend for our friend Stacey's birthday, and naturally, we were charged with the task of bringing dessert. Stacey requested Banana Split Pie, as we had taken it over to their house for a different BBQ a few years back and everyone absolutely fell in love with it. No problem- I will always take ANY excuse I can to make this delicious dessert.

So you are probably wondering why I keep talking about Banana Split Pie when my post title so clearly states that I should be talking about Tropical Fruit Cream Pie with Toasted Coconut. Well, for the party, I decided to make two pies because Stacey's family is really big, and I wanted to make sure that there was enough for everyone who wanted some to be able to enjoy a good-sized piece. I was not sure if I would have enough of the traditional fruit for two full-sized Banana Split Pies that the recipe calls for, so I decided to do one traditional Banana Split Pie and then add mandarin oranges and toasted coconut to the second pie and go from there. The experiment was a success, and lucky for you, since the base for the recipes is identical, you actually get two delicious recipes in one and can decide for yourself which one you want to make!
 
Here is the end result for Tropical Fruit Cream Pie with Toasted Coconut (Sorry 'bout the shadowy pic-I didn't realize how dark it was until it was too late and there was no more pie left to photograph!)


Here is what you will need to make 2 pies:

-2 pre-made extra-large graham cracker pie crusts
-4 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
-6 cups powdered sugar
-2 tsp. vanilla
-1 tsp. honey
-4 large, ripe bananas
-1 large can of crushed pineapple, drained
-1 large can of mandarin oranges, drained (Only for Tropical Fruit Cream Pie)
-Whipped topping (you can use French Vanilla Redi Whip, like I did, or use Cool Whip (2 packages or 1 large), or homemade whipped topping works great, too!)
-1 jar maraschino cherries, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
-1-2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut (Only for Tropical Fruit Cream Pie)

If you are making a Tropical Fruit Cream Pie, begin by getting your coconut toasted. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spread coconut out evenly on a baking sheet. Place into the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes or, until most of the coconut is lightly golden brown and a few pieces are somewhat dark in color. Watch the coconut carefully- it can go from perfectly white to charred black in a very short amount of time. I usually check mine every minute after the 5 minute mark. Once your coconut has reached its desired level of toastiness, remove it from the oven and let it cool. You can turn your oven off at this point; the rest of the recipe is no-bake! 

Once your coconut has been removed from the oven, regardless of which pie you are making, the next step is to make the filling, or the first step if you're making the traditional Banana Split Pie. Blend together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and honey in an extra-large mixing bowl using a hand mixer. The bigger the bowl the better. Powdered sugar can get messy quickly! Keep mixing until your filling is completely smooth and creamy. Afterwards, divide the mixture evenly between the two pie crusts. Save the plastic insert you remove from the graham cracker crusts- they make perfect lids for your pies after they are done.


You should have TWO of these to work with after you have completed this step.  :)
Oh- I forgot to mention- before filling the crusts, make sure to taste-test your filling, or have your certified kitchen helper taste it for you. Okay, so this step is pretty much optional and is more for the cook's benefit than anything else, but I highly recommend it! 
 
Here is my trusted helper getting ready to perform her first taste test....

And the verdict is in... SUCCESS!
 Next, you want to slice up your bananas. Go for a medium-slice, and top each pie completely with the sliced bananas. If your kitchen helper is as ambitious as mine, always giving and willing to help, I am sure you will be able to utilize him/her in disposing of any extra bananas you may have. It is hard to truly gage the exact amount of fruit you will need in this recipe, so naturally, a lot of the measurements mentioned earlier are guidelines. Ok, who am I kidding? That is the basis for the majority of my recipes. I suck at measuring and recording, I just go all in and hope for the best 95% of the time.   
 
Cream filling with bananas layered on top


After you have layered the bananas, add the crushed pineapple on top of each pie. Make sure your pineapple is drained incredibly well or the acidity in the juices somewhat mangle the cream filling as they seep down into the pie. Spread the pineapple out as evenly as possible using a spatula or the back of a spoon.

With pineapple added
Okay- here is where we will diverge on what to do depending on which pie you are making. If you are making the Banana Split Pie, skip ahead to the next step. If you are making the Tropical Fruit Cream Pie, this step is for you! Layer the drained mandarin oranges on top of the pineapple. I know- this pie is complicated, right? Even with all of its technical difficulties, I am sure you will be able to get it on your first try! :)

A close-up of all the fruity goodness going into this DELICIOUS pie
For both pies, you are now ready for the whipped topping stage. Cover the fruit layers on both pies with your choice of whipped topping. Even though I used Redi Whip, I would actually recommend Cool Whip just because it holds up better. The Redi Whip melted into the pie pretty quickly, but it still tasted great- it just didn't have that fluffy look after a few minutes that it did initially, as you will see in the picture below, which is fine because I smoothed it out anyways. :)
 
Who doesn't love whip cream, regardless of what kind it is?

If you are making the Tropical Fruit Cream Pie with Toasted Coconut, this is where the toasted coconut comes into play. After you have smoothed your whipped topping of choice over your fruit layers, sprinkle the toasted coconut evenly over the whipped topping, pressing in lightly to make sure that it sticks well. Use as much or as little as you like, but it really adds a great element of flavor and an awesome, yet subtle, crunch, too. Next, slice up your maraschino cherries that have been drained, rinsed, and patted dry into quarters. Put the cherries on top of the pie however your decorative and creative mind wishes to do so. (That is the part I am not so good with-decorating of any sort is really just not my thing, but I am working on it.) If you chose to make just the Banana Split Pie, skip the coconut step altogether and go straight to topping the whipped cream with the cherries.


One more (unfortunately dark) look at the completed dessert
Whichever pie you chose, or if you chose both, you are sure to end up with a creamy, fruity, all-around fantastic pie that is so simple it's hard to compete with. This dessert is perfect for BBQ's or any other summertime festivity, but it is so good that you will probably want it year-round and will find yourself, like me, jumping eagerly at any excuse to make it. Enjoy! (I assure you, you will ENJOY!) :)

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Springtime Chicken and Veggie Pasta

So we are really, really trying our best to lead healthier lifestyles. In an effort to try and not only reduce our overall caloric intake, but also to incorporate more vegetables into our diets, we have been trying all kinds of new recipes and creations. We first made this pasta dish a couple of years ago, and while we loved it then, it always kind of slipped our mind when our menu planning was less health-oriented. It is very simple. One of the things I love the most about this dish is that the sauce is so light. It really adds a lot of flavor, but still allows the chicken and the veggies to really be the stars of the dish.


The preparation for this dish can be somewhat time consuming, but it is worth it. If you have a mandolin, now would be a perfect time to put it to use. The idea with this pasta is to have consistency between the general shapes of the long pasta, the vegetables, and the shredded chicken. It really adds to the overall cohesiveness of the dish.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make Springtime Chicken and Veggie Pasta:

-1 lb. chicken, poached and shredded

-1 zucchini, peeled and cut into thin strips
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
-1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
-Approximately 15 baby carrots, sliced into thin strips

-4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
-2 tbsp. reduced fat cream cheese
-1 tsp. McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning
-1/2 tsp. black pepper
-1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
-3/4 tsp garlic powder

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Begin by poaching your chicken. Once it is cooked, let it cool slightly and rest before you shred it. Start your water for the pasta. While the chicken is cooling and the water is coming to a boil, prepare your veggies. Slice all of the veggies as thin as possible and try to keep the size and shape between all of them as consistent as possible.

After your veggies are cut, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Just eyeball the olive oil, one or two turns of the pan should be sufficient. Once the oil is heated, add all of the veggies and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover with a lid to help veggies steam.

Add your pasta to the boiling water.

While your pasta is cooking and the veggies are steaming, combine the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add in the Parmesan cheese and the cream cheese. Stir well to incorporate the cheeses into the broth mixture, then reduce heat and let simmer.

As the sauce simmers, shred your chicken into somewhat long and thin pieces, again trying to stay somewhat similar to the shape of the vegetables. Add the chicken to the vegetable mixture and toss all together. Season once again, lightly, with pepper. Reduce heat. Your vegetables should still have a slight bite to them and not be too done.

After your pasta has been cooked al dente, drain and return to large pan. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture into the pasta, then pour the sauce over and mix well with a pair of tongs to combine. Serve immediately- the fresher, the better in this case!


The end result should be a well-mixed, light, delicious chicken and vegetable pasta dish that will not only leave you feeling full and satisfied, but will do so without also leaving you feeling guilty. The combination of vegetables in this dish can easily be interchanged with a variety of others, if you prefer. This particular combination is just what we prefer, but I would like to try it with broccoli at some point in the future. Whatever veggies you choose, this pasta entree just feels like Spring, although I am sure it would be especially delicious in early fall, when so many vegetables are fresh for harvesting. Maybe save this one for a night after you visit your local Farmer's Market and let the selection of veggies there determine what you put in your version.

Speaking of Springtime, it FINALLY feels like it here! For the last month or so, even though the calendar said Spring was here, the weather by no means reflected that. Wind, cold, just all around BLAH. But now, overall, we have sun and are starting to warm up. Jordan is full swing into t-ball, so we are glad that Mother Nature finally decided to cooperate and allow us to watch games without risking hypothermia. He had an especially good game on Thursday at first base. He had several outs, and then hit really well when he was up to bat, too!

 Swinging hard!

Aly and Brooklyn enjoy watching their big brother play, but sometimes I think Brooklyn has more fun playing in the dirt and then waiting for our reactions to her attempts at putting random rocks, mud clumps, and sticks in her mouth. I almost think that, at times, she has no real intention of actually eating them, rather she loves to laugh at our frantic reactions and shouts of "NO!" She is ornery- there is no getting around that!

Here is Brooklyn as the Tent Monster, trying to get her brother and sister during our indoor camping trip on Memorial Day Weekend

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! We have lots of fun outdoor stuff planned tomorrow, and even though some of it is yard work, we are just happy it is finally warm enough we can enjoy being outside!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Cake Bites

I am sure everyone has heard of cake bites by now, or cake balls, as some people refer to them. They are growing steadily in popularity, and there are now even several books and/or websites dedicated solely to the production of these adorable little treats. I had heard about them for quite some time, but for some reason, they never really interested me that much at first. I think that was because I didn't fully understand what they were. For those of you that don't know, cake bites are small balls of cake and frosting mixed together, then dipped in a candy coating of some sort. They are fabulous in so many ways! Convenient, delicious, and exciting- they take the idea of cakes and cupcakes to a whole new level and add just one more layer of sweet goodness in the candy coating layer.

I have only made cake bites twice, and the first time they were on sticks, like a lollipop or a popsicle. I call those ones lollicakes to differentiate between them and their stickless counterparts-cake bites. The first time I made them, I looked online for help and direction on where to get started. It seemed as if there absolutely must be some difficulty involved or something tricky in the process, but really, there isn't. They are time-consuming, that is for sure, but they really are not hard to make whatsoever. Either way, I had no idea what to do, so here are two of the websites I referenced to help get me started:


Both of these websites are fantastic, not only for their cake ball ideas but for all of their other recipes and concoctions, as well. I highly recommend you peruse through their sites whenever you get the chance. I also bought Bakerella's book, which is dedicated solely to the cake ball revolution sweeping the world: Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats. You can find it on Amazon or a variety of other book shopping venues. She is so creative- I can't wait to have the time to try some of her ideas and put my own spin on them!

So, anyways, my good friends Monica and Ramsey recently celebrated their wedding anniversary and asked for some cake bites to help them celebrate their special day. Monica, much like Alyson, adores Rainbow Chip Cake and Rainbow Chip Frosting, so that made it especially easy for me to fulfill their request for them. I wanted to have the candy coating be in their wedding colors, but we don't have a craft store here in Laramie where I could find the colored candy melts that make that coloring possible. Therefore, their cake bites were just good, old-fashioned white.



Here is what you will need to make Rainbow Chip Cake Bites:

-1 box Rainbow Chip Cake Mix
-1 can Rainbow Chip Frosting
-Eggs, oil, and water called for in cake instructions
-1 small package vanilla or french vanilla pudding mix, optional
-White Wilton Candy Melts (or white chocolate chips) for dipping

First, make your Rainbow Chip Cake according to the instructions on the box. I always add pudding mix to all of my cake batter while I am mixing all of the ingredients together. I think it adds a little extra flavor, as well as the fact that it is pretty much a guarantee that your cake will be extra moist. Moist cake = Delicious cake! If you choose to add the pudding mix to your cake batter, mix it in at the same time as the eggs, oil, and water. If not, simply skip that step.

Next, bake your cake as instructed on the box, using whatever type of pan you prefer. The cake will be deconstructed, so shape is definitely not important for this stage. Once your cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool COMPLETELY. I usually just make the cake a day ahead of time and split up some of the time between two different days. It's easier that way at our house.

Once your cake is cooled, divide it into four sections, putting one or two sections at a time into a large bowl and then gently pulling the cake apart using forks. Continue this process until the whole cake is essentially just fine crumbles. There should be no large chunks of cake in the bowl.

After your cake is crumbled, add in your frosting. Only use 3/4 of the frosting from the can or the cake bites will be too moist and will not form/roll properly. Still using your fork, gently incorporate the frosting into the cake crumbles until you can no longer see the frosting.

Now, you're ready to start making your cake bites. Roll about a tablespoon or so of the cake mixture in between your hands to form small balls. Once the balls are formed, place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place the baking sheet and cake bites into the freezer for AT LEAST one hour.

When your cake bites have had an adequate amount of time in the freezer and are thoroughly chilled, begin melting either your candy melts or your white chocolate chips. You can use either a double boiler or the microwave, but I prefer the double boiler because it keeps the candy smooth for a longer period of time. Just make sure that, if you do use a double boiler, you continue to stir the candy mixture so that it does not scorch.

Once your candy is completely smooth and melted, you can remove the cake bites from the freezer. I would only remove a few at a time to work with so that the others stay well-chilled until you're ready for them. Using a fork, dip the cake bites one at a time into the melted candy mixture, rolling about as needed to coat the entire ball. Lift fork from candy mixture and allow excess coating to drip off, then place the coated cake bite onto another baking sheet lined with wax paper. Continue until all of your cake bites have been dipped and coated.

Allow your cake bites to dry and harden, then they are ready to serve! If not going to be consumed in the near future, it is best to keep them in the freezer.


You will not be disappointed with these scrumptious and tempting bite-sized treats. They are the latest craze for a reason, after all!