Tuna Macaroni Salad

This is one of my favorite lunches. My mom used to make it for me all the time when I was a kid.

1 lb. pasta, cooked and cooled (I like the little salad macaroni)
1 (6 oz) can tuna
1/2-1 c. mayo
1 tbsp mustard
1 pickle, diced
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Perfect light lunch for a sunny day ;)


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Homemade Applesauce

When life gives you apples, make applesauce. (You can even use old or bruised apples for this, so it is the perfect way to make sure nothing goes to waste!)

Peel and slice apples-making sure to cut away any brown spots
Place apple pieces into a saucepan or pot
Cover with about an inch of water
Squeeze in a small amount of lemon juice (for 5 apples a half lemon is perfect)
Bring to a boil
Turn heat down to med-low and simmer until apple pieces are soft
Pour apples and liquid into a blender and puree until smooth
Serve warm or refrigerate to eat chilled.


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Fancy Dinner Rolls

4 1/2-5 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp active dry yeast
1 c. milk, scalded and cooled
6 tbsp butter, melted and divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix well. Stir milk, 4 tbsp butter and eggs into flour mixture. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes. (Great job for kids) Shape dough into ball. Place dough in a large greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400. Grease 24 muffin cups. Punch down dough. Divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one half of the dough into a 1/8" thick rectangle. Brush with some of the reserved butter. Cut dough into 1 1/2" wide strips. Stack 6 strips on top of each other. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough stacks into 1 1/2" pieces. Place dough pieces, cut sides up in muffin cups. Repeat with remaining dough and butter. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Brush tops of rolls with egg glaze. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer rolls to wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

*Dawn's note: These sound a lot more complicated than they are. If you prepare the dough while you are making lunch, it will be risen and ready to shape when it is time to make dinner. To make even easier, you can just divide the dough into 24 balls instead of stacking and cutting.

~Dawn

*recipe source: Creative Cooks Kitchen


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Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 c. real butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Mix butter, sugars, egg and vanilla thoroughly. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture. Add chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2"apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet.


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Menu Plan Monday--Planned-Overs

One of the biggest money savers in menu planning is what I like to call planned-overs. Kind of like leftovers, except that you plan for it! The majority of the time, you get a bigger bang for your buck if you buy your meat in bulk (say that three times fast!). So, when you can get a good deal on a family size package of meat, go for it, and plan to have leftovers. (Of course, you can also divide the meat into freezer bags and prepare separately.) Here are some examples of planned-overs:

Monday's roast chickens becomes Friday's BBQ Chicken Pizza or Sunday's Chicken Bruschetta Casserole
Wednesday's steak becomes Sunday's steak tacos
Tuesday's pork roast becomes Saturday's BBQ pulled pork sandwiches

So much easier to cook meat once and be able to get multiple meals out of it. This tip will save you time and money! Keep checking here for lots of examples of planned-overs that I include in my weekly menus.

Menu for 4/26-5/2

Monday:
breakfast~bagels
lunch~baked potato soup
dinner~roasted chicken

Tuesday:
breakfast~oatmeal
lunch~leftovers
dinner~fish n chips

Wednesday:
breakfast~banana bread
lunch~sandwiches
dinner~bacon wrapped steaks, baked potatoes, salad, fancy dinner rolls

Thursday:
breakfast~eggs n toast
lunch~quesadillas
dinner~McDonalds (hehe)

Friday:
breakfast~yogurt
lunch~tuna macaroni salad
dinner~pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~pancakes
lunch~pasta
dinner~burritos

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~chicken bruschetta casserole


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Pancakes

One of my all time favorite recipes because it calls for all basic staples that we all keep on hand at all times.

1 egg
1 c. buttermilk (to make your own just add 1 tbsp vinegar to 1 c. milk and let stand for 1 minute)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted shortening
1 c. flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Blend egg, milk, and oil. Combine remaining ingredients. Mix dry ingredients into liquids all moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

*In our home of 6 people, we have to multiply this recipe by 4

*recipe source: 1961 Betty Crocker cookbook


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BBQ Chicken Pizza

Friday is pizza night around here, and I try to add in some variety every once in awhile. This untraditional pizza is one of my favorites!

Top your uncooked pizza crust with:
bbq sauce
4 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped
1 entire cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 diced tomato
shredded cheddar jack cheese-I use about 3 cups
4 leaves of fresh basil, sliced
Bake for about 15 mins (or according to the directions of your pizza crust)


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Cheeseburger Pie

Preheat oven to 425. Place one uncooked pie crust into a pie pan.

Brown 1 1/2 lb. ground beef in a skillet. Drain. Add 3/4 tsp oregano, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 3/4 c. bread crumbs, and one 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Stir well and pour into pie crust. Stir together 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 1 egg, 1/4 c. milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, and 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce. Spread over top of meat filling. Bake for 30 mins. Serve with a basic green salad. (I always add a platter of sliced pickles too!)

*recipe source: 1961 Betty Crocker cookbook


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Strawberry Bread

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 ts. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)
2 eggs
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. milk
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 c. chopped strawberries (can use fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 5x9 loaf pan. In a large bowl, combined flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg; mix well. Stir in pecans. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with orange juice, milk and orange peel; blend in butter. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in strawberries. Spread batter in prepared loaf pan. Bake bread until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Remove bread from oven. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn bread onto rack and cool completely.

*recipe source: Creative Cooks Kitchen


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Double Decker Brownies

Double Decker Brownies
¾ c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 ½ c. flour, divided
2 ½ tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. Butter or margarine, melted
1 c. mini M&Ms, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9" baking pan, set aside. In a large bowl, cream ¾ c. butter and sugars until light and fluffy, beat in eggs and vanilla. In a med bowl, combine 2 ¼ c. flour, baking powder, and salt, blend into the creamed mixture. Divide batter in half. Blend together cocoa powder and melted butter, stir into one half of the dough. Spread cocoa dough evenly into prepared pan. Stir remaining ¼ c. flour and 1.2 c. M&Ms into remaining dough, spread evenly over cocoa dough in pan. Sprinkle with remaining M&Ms. Bake 25-30 mins or until edges start to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store in tightly covered container.

**To cut, turn upside down first, to avoid breaking


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Menu Plan Monday--Real Food

In case you are wondering how I came up with the title for this blog, this post will explain. I've watched a lot of cooking shows and explored a lot of food sites in my time. While I have found A LOT of awesome resources, sometimes the food is not realistic for day to day cook. The woman like me who does like to try new things, and experiment with interesting ingredients, but for the most part just needs some great low-cost, simple, and quick meals to feed my family. REAL food for REAL families with REAL schedules. So, I have tried to create that here, and that is what this post is about.

Frugal meals are based upon the concept of real food. Nothing irritates me quite like a recipe that claims to be cost effective and then calls for a can of this and a box of that. In general, food is less expensive when you purchase it as close to the natural source as possible. For example, you can buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes for the same price as a bag of frozen hash browns or a box of mashed potato flakes.

So, when you make your menus, I recommend doing so with an attempt to stick to using real food as much as possible. Look for recipes with simple ingredients, or be creative in making substitutions that will use the natural source rather than a processed ingredient. One of the greatest resources for this type of recipes is old cookbooks, that were created before convenience foods were so, well, convenient. I hope that the recipes I share here will help you in your efforts to find real foods that you can use day to day.



Menu for 4/19-4/25

Monday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~ramen
dinner~ham and cheese casserole

Tuesday:
breakfast~cream of wheat
lunch~leftovers
dinner~chicken taquitos

Wednesday:
breakfast~strawberry bread
lunch~picnic-sandwiches, string cheese, and grapes
dinner~steak, spinach salad, baked potatoes, bread

Thursday:
breakfast~scones
lunch~baked potatoes
dinner~cheeseburger pie

Friday:
breakfast~crumb cake
lunch~tuna macaroni salad
dinner~bbq chicken pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~pancakes
lunch~red beans and rice
dinner~spaghetti

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~steak tacos


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Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies EVER

1 c. peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg

Heat oven to 350. Combine ingredients. Roll dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake 6-8 mins or until golden brown.

We have to double this recipe!


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Buttery Cornbread

It took me years to find a cornbread recipe that I liked. It HAD to be 13x9 and it had to be buttery. This one finally fit the bill. Here it is. It is so buttery and sweet.

• Buttery Corn Bread
•
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture.
Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares; serve warm.


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Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of my hubby's favorite foods and quickly becoming my kids' as well! And when I realized how super easy it is to prepare, it started getting added to my menus regularly! I am sure there is some super fancy, French techniques to preparing this dish the authentic way, but this way is quick, simple and delicious! Works for me!

Heat about an inch of oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Take BLSL (boneless skinless) chicken breasts and slice across the center horizontally. Place one slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese into the opening of each piece of chicken. Close as tightly as you can. Holding closed, place into an egg wash and then dip into seasoned flour (I just use flour and seasoned salt). Put a toothpick into the chicken breast to hold together and place into the hot oil. Cook 5-7 minutes then turn over. Cook another 5 minutes, then check the internal temperature of the chicken. Once it reaches 165 or more, the chicken is fully cooked and you are safe to remove it from the oil. Place on a plate lined with paper towels and blot the excess grease. Bon appetit!


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Menu Plan Monday--Frugal Menu Planning

One of the greatest benefits of menu planning is the amount of money it can save you. Groceries is usually the second largest expense for the common household, second only to the house payment or rent. So, there is lots of opportunity in this area of the family budget. Menu planning can save you money because you are not running to the store at the last minute. As we all know when you go in for one thing, you come out with ten. Also, because you are planning each meal, you are not purchasing ingredients that you don't need, and that will end up sitting on your shelf or getting thrown out as wasted money. Over the next few weeks, I will share various ideas of how to best use your menu planning to maximize your savings.

*if you have any specific questions or concerns regarding frugal menu planning, please feel free to ask.

My first tip for frugal menu planning, is to first use what you have. So often we will go out and spend a fortune at the store, when we already have plenty of meals in our freezer and pantry. On the day that you make your menu plans, do a full inventory of what you have on hand, and plan meals using these ingredients first. You may have noticed that every Tuesday we have leftovers for lunch. That is because this is my menu planning day. So, we use up our leftovers, I clean out the refrigerator and freezer, and that allows me to see what I have left and what needs to be used up. This not only allows food not to go to waste (wasted food is wasted money) but also allows me to minimize the things I need to purchase at the store. Sometimes if it is a really tight payday, I will challenge myself to make a full week or two weeks menu with only what I have on hand. When I do this, I usually only have to buy milk, eggs, butter, flour, and sugar. Talk about savings!!

Here is my weeks menu:
*note--I am going out of town this weekend, and as you can see from my weekend menu, my family likes me to get all the quick fix, unhealthy, convenience meals I don't normally purchase for while I am gone. Good thing I saved money on my normal menu by using what I had on hand!!


Monday:
breakfast~yogurt with granola
lunch~minestrone
dinner~ham and cheddar bake (using leftover Easter ham)

Tuesday:
breakfast~oatmeal
lunch~leftovers
dinner~chicken cordon bleu, green beans, red potatoes, beer bread

Wednesday:
breakfast~strawberry muffins
lunch~picnic of sandwiches, pretzels, apples and dip
dinner~steak, baked potatoes, carrots, cornbread

Thursday:
breakfast~scones
lunch~southwest salad
dinner~pasta with diced tomatoes and fresh parmesan

Friday:
breakfast~pop tarts
lunch~chili dogs
dinner~pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~blueberry waffles
lunch~ham omelets
dinner~mac n cheese with sausage

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~steak tacos (using leftover steak from Wed)


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Asian Salad

I try to eat salad for lunch several times a week. I make lots of different varieties to keep from getting bored. This is one of my favorites :)

Asian Salad
Start with a bed of greens. I usually use romaine hearts and spring mix for my salad "base". Then add:

thinly sliced green peppers
grated carrots
water chestnuts
soybeans
diced pineapple or mandarin oranges
cooked chicken if desired

top with dried chow mein noodles

For dressing, you can purchase an asian style dressing in several different brands. Or you can make a simple dressing with soy sauce, oil, and vinegar. Shake well before sprinkling on top of salad.


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Super Easy Smoothies

I know that smoothies are very popular right now, with more and more specialty stores popping up, and many restaurants adding them to their menus. But you can make your own smoothies at home, for much less money, and they will be way healthier than their Juice It Up sugar loaded counterparts.

There isn't an exact science to this. Just throw the ingredients in your blender go!

a small container of yogurt or about a cup--can use plain, vanilla, or any flavor you'd like

a couple handfuls of fresh fruit (favorites are strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwi, raspberries-you can use ANY)

a handful of ice
*OR you can use frozen fruit and not add ice

a splash of fruit juice or milk--add more if your smoothie is not liquid enough to drink

a spoonful of protein whey powder-optional

Blend on puree or higher speed, until ingredients are well blended and mixture is smooth.

Yep, it's that easy. Enjoy!!


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Banana Bread--2 ways

We love banana bread, and as soon as those bananas begin to turn brown, I look forward to using them up this way. I am including two recipes. The first one is a healthier version and good for a breakfast food. The second is a much sweeter version that can be served for dessert. They are both very yummy :)

Banana Bread

2 ½ c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ c. applesauce
1 c. sugar
3 egg whites
4 bananas
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x5 loaf pan. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together applesauce, sugar, egg whites, bananas and vanilla. Add flour mixture all at once and stir gently to blend. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 50-60 mins or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
3 large very ripe bananas
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Cream together the sugar and butter. Mix in the eggs and bananas. In separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour at 350.

*I usually bake them in mini loaf pans so they cook in less time and are more convenient to store.


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Chicken Enchiladas

Okay, I don't have an exact recipe-it is just something I throw together.I learned from my sister who learned from her Mexican MIL.

Before you start cooking:
Place one large can of enchilada sauce (red or green--green is awesome!!!)in a large skillet on the left burner. Place an empty plate on the right burner. On the counter to the right of the stove place a bowl of shredded cheese (cheddar and Monterrey Jack), a bowl of cooked shredded chicken (if you don't already have any, just cook a couple breasts in the microwave and shred up), and a 13x9 pan with a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom. Place your corn tortillas on the counter to the left of the stove. Once you get cooking it starts to move fast so make sure you have everything ready ahead of time. The process may seem confusing, but once you get a system, it is so easy. I can throw this together in five minutes once I have all the ingredients out and ready.
Turn the heat on the enchilada sauce on med high. Once it is nice and hot, place a corn tortilla into the sauce. If it is hot enough, it should get soft in a matter of seconds. (if not, heat to this point) Once the tortilla is soft, remove with a large spatula to the plate (if you do not use a large spatula or if you wait too long the tortilla will fall to pieces) Place another tortilla in the sauce. While that is softening, place a small amount of chicken and cheese into the center of the tortilla on the plate, roll up and place in pan. REMEMBER you only have a few seconds to do this before the next tortilla will be ready and it will be HOT! Remove the second tortilla and continue this process until the 13x9 pan is full. You can stuff it as full as you want as long as you have enough ingredients. As you go, you can add water to your enchilada sauce to stretch it, or consider using two cans if you are going to make a very large batch. You might think it easier to complete one tortilla before putting another in the sauce, but if you do it this way the sauce will get too hot and you will have to keep adjusting the heat. Once you have your pan full of enchiladas pour the remaining sauce over the top and add some more shredded cheese. I usually end up using two cans of sauce and about a pound of cheese because we LOVE it extra saucy and cheesy LOL. But you can use a lot less if you want and you can just top each individual enchilada with a small amount of sauce and cheese. I just pour it all over the top. You can cover and put in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to bake. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (or longer if it came out of the fridge or freezer) until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
This is a very basic recipe and you can add anything else you want--sour cream, olives, tomatoes, whatever.
This is my absolute favorite food!!!

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Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal

I love the cinnamon roll flavor oatmeal that comes in those little instant convenience packs. But I don't love the price. So, I duplicated it at home :) It took me awhile to find the right combination of ingredients, but I finally found the mixture the makes cinnamon roll yummyness!

Heat 6 c. water to boiling. Add 3 c. oats. Boil until water is absorbed and oatmeal is thickened. Turn heat off. Add 1/4 c. butter, 1/2-3/4 c. sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Stir until fully combined. Stir together 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 3 tsp water or milk. After serving oatmeal into bowls, drizzle powdered sugar glaze on top.


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Menu Plan Monday--Ways to Make Menu Planning Easy and Fun

Choosing meals

Okay, so you decide you are going to sit down and invest the time into planning your dinners for the next couple weeks. Good decision! But now you are faced with the challenge of choosing what meals you are going to serve. Sometimes this task alone can seem so daunting. But here are a few ideas that will help make it super easy.

1) have your family help
Let's say you are planning 7 meals for this week's dinners. Have each person in your home choose one meal for the week. If you have the average of three children, plus you and your husband, that is 5 meals already picked. That only leaves a couple for you to choose to fill in the gaps.

2) what would you order?
If you are having trouble coming up with ideas, imagine you are eating out at a restaurant. What would you order? You can easily re-create those restaurant favorites in your own home. You can even explore the website of your favorite restaurant to get menu ideas.

3) have a list of standbys
Keep a list of basic meals that you can make quickly and easily and don't mind eating somewhat frequently. Things like meatloaf, spaghetti, tacos, and fried chicken...things that use ordinary ingredients and can be easy meals to help fill in between the more exciting meals you prepare.

4) use the resources you already have
You probably have a huge stack of cookbooks in your kitchen. Clippings of recipes you've saved from magazines, websites you've bookmarked, old little scraps of paper with a recipe you copied down real quick. Pull them out and make all those recipes you've been wanting to try. Ask your friends for their tried and true recipes. There are SO many sources for recipes out there, just explore all those different options and start cooking!

Menu plan 4/5-4/11

Monday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~leftovers
dinner~tacos

Tuesday:
breakfast~cinnamon roll oatmeal
lunch~veggie soup
dinner~salmon, rice, corn, fry bread

Wednesday:
breakfast~ham quiche
lunch~egg salad sandwiches, ranch crackers, fruit salad
dinner~chicken enchiladas

Thursday:
breakfast~banana bread
lunch~pasta
dinner~blts, potato wedges

Friday:
breakfast~smoothies
lunch~baked potatoes
dinner~bbq chicken pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~eggs n toast
lunch~Asian salad
dinner~red beans n rice

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~chicken cordon bleu, red potatoes, green beans, bread


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Brownies

I searched for years for a good basic brownie recipe. Whenever I found a good one, it was always for an 8x8 size, and in our family we definitely need 13x9!! I finally found this one in one of those school cookbooks given to us for Christmas by my niece. This recipe is delicious, simple, and very easy to dress up and make different variations.

Hershey's Best Brownies

1 c. (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 c. Hershey's cocoa powder
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 pan. In a large microwave safe bowl, place butter. Microwave on high about 2 mins, until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into the sugar mixture until fully combined. Pour batter into prepare pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until brownies just begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes about 36 brownies.


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Strawberry Shortcake

2 c. fresh strawberries
1/4 c. sugar

2 1/4 c. flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. shortening
1 egg
2/3 c. milk

1 container whipped topping

Rinse the strawberries and cut into eighths. Place into a large bowl and sprinkle the 1/4 c. strawberries over the top. Let rest for at least 30 mins.

Heat oven to 425. Grease and flour an 8" cake pan.

Combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening in with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Beat the egg into the milk. Stir into the flour mixture just until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Spread the mixture into the pan. Bake for 10 mins. When cooled, slice in half horizontally. Pour the strawberries (reserve one or two large pieces for garnish) and syrup onto the bottom half of the cake. Top with almost all of the whipped topping. Place the top piece of cake on top of the strawberries and whipped topping. Scoop the remaining whipped topping in a large dollop on the top of the cake. Garnish with the reserved strawberries.


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Cupcakes for dinner?

Yes, we had cupcakes for dinner tonight. Well, April Fools style cupcakes that is.

Here is how you make 'em:
Prepare your favorite style meatloaf (1 lb of ground beef will produce 12 cupcakes)
Prepare a batch of mashed potatoes (for 12 cupcakes you will need about 5 potatoes)
Steam up some finely chopped veggies

Spoon the meatloaf mixture into the cups of a muffin pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, until fully cooked. Once cooked and cooled slightly, remove from the pan onto a large platter. Place your mashed potato mixture into a piping gun. Pipe onto the top of the meatloaf cupcakes in a swirled design. Top with chopped veggies.

These were cute AND yummy!


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