Tag Archives: easy recipe

Recipe | Holiday Cheese Ball

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Is it ever too early to start thinking about holiday menus? I think not! As soon as fall comes around my thoughts immediately turn to Thanksgiving, and this cheese ball is always a hit. I’m not 100% sure of this recipe’s origin, but I’m going to bet it was my aunt’s because I have it down in my recipe book as “Aunt Susan’s Cheese Ball.” The Christmas when I was pregnant with my oldest, even though my mom had a huge spread of delicious Polish food (including kielbasa and pierogis), this was the only thing I could bare to eat.

Granted, if you’re a health nut, you will likely turn up you nose. That’s okay because it means there is just more for the rest of us! I usually make this at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas, but it makes a great cheese spread all year long.

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Holiday Cheeseball

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. dehydrated onion flakes
  • 12 shakes garlic powder
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 jar Kraft Roka Blue Cheese
  • 1 jar Kraft Old English Cheese
  • chopped walnuts or fresh herbs

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and let stand overnight in refrigerator.
  • Roll into a ball or log.
  • Cover with chopped walnuts or parsley. Serve with a variety of crackers.

Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pie

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Oh my, how long has it been since I posted a recipe here? Ages, I’m sure. I’m afraid to even look back to see how long ago it was. Anyway, it’s blueberry season here, and blueberries are one of my favorite fruits! I’ve been meaning to head out to one of the local Pick-Your-Own farms, but with the heat… yeah. This lazy girl just didn’t get around to it. However, they have been on sale at the supermarket and last weekend I decided that I had to have blueberry pie.

This has been my go-to recipe for just about 20 years. Simple. Reliable. It’s the kind of pie your grandma would have made. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pie

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blueberries, easy, pot pie

Ingredients

  • Pie dough for 2-crust pie
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup AP flour
  • 4 cups blueberries
  • butter
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice

Instructions

  • Carefully place bottom crust in a standard-sized pie plate. Spread a mixture of 1/4 c. sugar and 2 Tbsp. flour over the bottom crust. Toss the blueberries with the remaining sugar and flour to evenly coat. Dot with butter and sprinkle the lime juice over the berries. Cover with the top crust, and use a fork to poke several holes. Turn edges under the bottom crust and crimp to seal. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for an additional 30 minutes. To prevent over-browning of the edges, cover them with foil when you turn the oven down.

Notes

Top with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!

How to Make Whipped Coffee (Dalgona Coffee)

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So, if you have an Instagram account, no doubt you have seen photos of people showing off their whipped coffee creations. They look absolutely delicious, and I was intrigued! When I read over the ingredients list, I had a hard time believing that what you start with will create that luscious cream, so I had to try it for myself!

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Whipped Coffee (Dalgona Coffee)

A fun, creamy way to create a beautiful glass of iced coffee using pantry ingredients.
Course: Drinks

Equipment

  • Hand Mixer
  • Whisk

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. Instant Coffee
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Hot water

Instructions

  • Using a hand whisk or electric mixer, whip all ingredients together until they form a creamy consistency. Once the mixture resembles whipped cream, you're done!
  • Add ice and milk to a glass and top with whipped coffee. Stir whipped coffee into your drink to combine everything into a delicious treat.

This creates a really strong coffee flavor, so keep that in mind. Apparently, this food trend originated in South Korea and was nicknamed “Dalgona Coffee” because it resembles the look of a popular street snack with the same name in South Korea.

It’s a fun way to mix up an iced coffee because you’ll feel like you just ordered a fancy drink at a cafe, even if you can’t leave your house!

Recipe | Bow Ties with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

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Bowtie Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

Quite a number of years ago I had a separate recipe blog on my website. I eventually decided to just start posting the recipes here, and took the recipe blog offline. The other day I was going through those recipes I had posted and realized there were so many dishes I haven’t made in a while. This particular recipe had been in regular rotation when I was pregnant with Jacob (that goes to show how long it’s been!).

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli RabeI think it was my mother-in-law who first made this dish, and I got the recipe from her. Italian sausage and broccoli rabe happened to be on sale this week, so it made for a frugal dinner that everyone loved!

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli RabeAs summer starts to wind down into fall, simple, cozy recipes like this one are perfect. Easy enough for a weeknight, but great for entertaining, too. While my family prefers hot Italian sausage, you can certainly use a combination of hot and sweet or mild Italian sausage. 

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

1 lb bow tie pasta
1 (1-lb) bunch broccoli rabe, tough ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for garnish

In large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta according to pkg directions, adding broccoli rabe 3 min. before pasta is finished cooking. When pasta is firm but tender and broccoli rabe is tender, reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and broccoli rabe and return to the pot.

While pasta and broccoli rabe are cooking, cook the sausage in large skillet over med-high heat, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon, until the sausage is browned. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; saute for another minute or until fragrant.

Add the sausage, the reserved 1/2 cup cooking water, the olive oil, salt and pepper to pasta-broccoli rabe mixture in pot. Toss to coat pasta evenly. Serve with grated cheese on the side.

Recipe | Bacon, Spinach, and Caramelized Onion Quiche

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Bacon, spinach & caramelized onion quiche

Today I’m sharing with you a prize-winning recipe. I kid you not! This quiche won my son 2nd place for “Best Main Dish or Side” at his middle school’s annual Top Chef Competition! I was probably as excited as he was.

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So… quiche. For many years I found quiche intimidating. I loved eating it, but was nervous about making it. It just seemed like something that had to be complicated to prepare. It even sounds fancy. 

Last summer or fall Drew wanted to use up some random ingredients from the fridge and – BOOM! – our obsession with quiche began. It is actually exceptionally easy to make. So easy, in fact, that yes — an 11-year-old can do it!

I made three for a luncheon at work a while back, and there was not a slice leftover! 

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Bacon, Spinach & Swiss Quiche

Quiche

Ingredients:
9-inch refrigerated pie crust
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream OR half-and-half
4-5 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
3 slices of Swiss cheese
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ Tbsp. butter
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. fresh thyme
1 Roma tomato, sliced

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Fit pie crust into 9-inch pie plate.

2. Heat butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the thyme. Set aside.
3. In medium bowl, mix heavy cream, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper; set aside.

4. Layer swiss cheese slices, crumbled bacon, bacon, onion, and spinach over the pie crust. Pour egg mixture over top. Sprinkle shredded cheddar over the top. Arrange tomato slices over the top.

5. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for at least 20 min. Cut into wedges.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a side salad.

So this summer when you’re looking for a simple make-ahead dish, or a light supper, give this quiche a try! You will not be disappointed.

Linking up with Diary of a SAHM for Cooking Thursday

{Recipe} Old-fashioned Apple Crisp

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Old-fashioned Apple Crisp

It seems that pumpkin (or pumpkin spice) gets all the attention as the featured fall flavor. But you know what? As much as I love pumpkin, I still adore apple. Apple cider, apple pie, and of course… apple crisp all top my “must make” list for autumn. 

I think this was another recipe I started making while in college (thinking back, I did a lot of cooking in that Amherst apartment). Sure there are more exciting variations on apple crisp. They might call for oats or walnuts or something fancy. But I love the simplicity of this recipe. It never lasts long in my house, and is especially delicious warm and topped with a little vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

 

Old-fashioned Apple Crisp
A simple dessert recipe the entire family will enjoy
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Ingredients
  1. 4 c. sliced apples
  2. 1 tsp. cinnamon
  3. 1/4 c. water
  4. 1/3 c. butter, softened
  5. 1/2 tsp. salt
  6. 3/4 c. flour
  7. 1 c. sugar
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the sliced apples evenly in an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the apples with a mixture of water, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together the sugar and flour and then work the butter in, using a fork or a pastry blender. Spread the crumb mixture over the apples and bake uncovered for 40 minutes.
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