Menu Monday: Smashed Potatos

Okay, I may have a potato problem. So many potatoes. All I want to eat is potatoes. I do not eat potatoes as often as I’d like, but this easy recipe definitely hits the spot and is just so tasty. This is also a great, easy potato appetizer. Here it is.

Ingredients:

• Small Red Potatos
• Salt
• Baked potato toppings (sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, whatnot).
• That’s It

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
2. Boil potatoes in salt water until they are soft.
3. Cover a cookie sheet or baking pan with aluminum foil.
4. Once potatos are soft, lay them out on the aluminum foil with space in between (think cookie spacing).
5. Using the rounded part of your spatula, press each potato until it is “smashed”.
6. Drizzle with olive oil.
7. Heat in oven for 10 minutes.
8. Top with toppings and enjoy.

 

 

Menu Monday: Easy Carrot Cake/Pudding Poke Cake

A few weeks ago our friend Steve celebrated his 32nd birthday, and requested a Carrot Cake. Now, I don’t know how to make Carrot Cake, but I hate cake mixes and try to make things a little more rich if  I can. So I took a cake mix, spruced it up, and made a pretty darn good cake, if I do say so myself. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 box Duncan Hines Carrot Cake Mix
• 1 cup carrot, finely grated.
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• Cooking Spray
• Cool Whip
• 1 box instant cheesecake pudding mix (two pictured here, but I only used one)

Directions

1. Grate one cup carrot finely (I used the smallest grate on my cheese grater) and add to dry carrot cake mix. This mix comes with dried carrots and raisins which I promptly threw away.
2.  Add three eggs, vegetable oil, and 1 1/4 cup milk to dry mix. Essentially you are subbing the water on the cake mix recipe with milk. Delicious.
3. I baked my cake in two well-oiled 9″ layer cake pans as directed on box.
4. Let cake cool completely.
5. Once it has cooled (if you are using a layer cake), flip your bottom layer over so the bottom is facing upward.
6. Mix together your pudding mix now.
7. poke a million holes in your cake either with a skewer or a wooden spoon handle.
8. Slowly spread pudding over the surface of your cake. Add your second layer (face up) and repeat.
9. Let sit for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
10. Spread whip cream as frosting.
11. Decorate as you like.
12. Nom!

Menu Monday: Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

I love potatos, and I love easy crockpot soup even more. This hearty soup is easy to make and is great on a cool fall day. Enjoy!

Ingredients (for two quart crockpot)

• Two large baked potato, peeled and cut to one inch cubes.
• 1/4 red onion
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 8 oz cream cheese
• pepper to taste
• baked potato toppings (shredded cheese, bacon, chives, sour cream, etc).

Directions

• Place potatoes in bottom of crock pot.
• Top with onions and garlic.
• Pour vegetable broth over the top of everything
• Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6.
• Before serving, mix in cream cheese either with an electric beater, or by pouring into a blender and blending together.
• Serve hot, topped with toppings of your choice.

Menu Monday: Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast

So, as y’all know I am a long-time vegetarian. However, as luck would have it four years ago I fell in love with a caveman. For the most part we have a vegetarian home, but occasionally I make the fella something meaty, and this is a new favorite in our kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2-3 lbs pork shoulder, boneless
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

• Oil the crockpot well
• Add pork to the bottom of the pan
• Top with veggie broth
• Mix all ingredients other than garlic in a bowl (or in your measuring cups).
• Pour over the pork
• Add garlic to top
• Cook 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high
• Eat up and enjoy
  

  Sloppily served up on my little brother’s plate

Menu Monday: Mama Lu’s Breakfast Morsels

I don’t know if this is a common breakfast recipe, but it is one of my favorites. Up at the Emmons’ home in Portland, Vaughn’s mom taught me this easy breakfast sandwich that is so tasty and easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Sourdough English Muffins
• Cream Cheese
• Avocado
• sliced cheese ( I prefer swiss, provolone, or muenster)
• Tomato
• Ham or Bacon if you’d like

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Toast your english muffins in the toaster, top with cream cheese.
3. Add avocado, tomato, and top with cheese slices (I alternate different kinds of cheese). Add your meat here if you’re into that sort of thing. 
4. Heat in the oven until the cheese is melted.
5. Enjoy!

Menu Monday: My Top 5 Tailgate Faves

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the radio silence last week, V has  been traveling a ton for his new job, so I spent extra time with him while he was in town last week, and didn’t spend too much time in front of the screen.

This Saturday is the first OSU home game of the season, and we are so excited! Below I’ve linked a few of my favorite tailgate recipes, now that football season has arrived!

Enjoy!

-Candy Jean

Top Five Tailgate Recipes to Try

1. Tortilla Roll-Ups by FootballMom on Allrecipes
2. Fresh Peach and Avocado Salsa by Cooking and Beer
3. Healthier Chili by Mess for Less
4. Baked Mexican Bean Dip by a & o on the go
5. Walking Tacos by Kelli Biller @ The Good Weekly

 

Menu Monday: Peach Sun Tea

Sun tea is an easy summer beverage that I love to make. Something about the slow steeping of the tea makes it much tastier than any other tea on the planet. So, on a nice sunny day I set out my sun tea jar (you can use mason jars or find a sun tea jar at a local thrift store) and enjoy. Note: some believe there are some health risks for bacteria in Sun Tea, while I have never had problems with it, you can learn more here. This is also delicious with one of my favorite forms of alcohol Sweet Carolina Sweet Tea Vodka.

Ingredients

• 6 or so tea bags (I use a mixture of breakfast tea and peach tea)
• 2 peaches
• Water

Directions

1. Thinly slice your peaches into wedges and place in the bottom of your pitcher.
2. Top with tea bags.
3. Fill container with water.
4. Place in the sun for 4-6 hours. (depending on your sunlight this could take less time–I’m looking at you, the South.)
5. Enjoy!

 

Menu Monday: Easy Peasy Banana Bread

We have been out of the house a lot this summer. That makes it hard for us to get through our fruit and veggies. Fortunately, bananas can be frozen if they are overripe and used for banana bread. Delicious, delicious banana bread. I use an easy recipe to make banana bread, and have been known to add goodies such as Nutella or peanut butter from time to time.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together except flour and beat well.
3. Sift in flour.
4. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean.
6. NOM NOM NOM.

 

Menu Monday: Watermelon Margaritas

In the summer time, I like sweet and light drinks that are easy to make a smooth to drink.  This Watermelon Margarita recipe is simple to make and totally delicious.

Ingredients (per drink):

• 1 tablespoon agave
• 1/2 ounce triple sec
• 1 ounce tequila
• juice from 1/4 lime
• Salt
• 1 cup frozen melon balls (prepped the night before)

Directions

1. The night before you plan on drinking this, turn your watermelon into melon balls and freeze in the freezer.
2. Add 1 cup’s worth of melon balls to your blender cup.
3. Top with liquor, lime juice, and agave.
4. Blend well.
5. Rim your glass with salt.
6. Fill with the drink mixture.
7. Drink.

Menu Monday: Melon Caprese

One of my favorite simple salads is a basic caprese salad. This twist on the classic is a unique and light summer flavor that is truly delicious! It was a fun experiment for me that turned out so well I had it two nights in a row. Yum! Obviously this is a larger serving meant to be an appetizer or salad to share with a group.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cantaloupe
• 1/2 brick of mozzarella cheese
• Basil Leaves
• White Balsamic Vinegar
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt

Directions

1. Thinly slice the mozzarella cheese and lay out on serving tray.
2. In between each slice of mozzarella lay one basil leaf
3. Thinly slice cantaloupe and place behind each basil leaf.
4. drizzle with vinegar and sprinkle salt over.
5. Enjoy!