Recipe: Quinoa Wraps

These have become a favorite. The recipe can be found here at Marine Mama Cooks. I've made these for dinner, then had enough left over that Kyle and I both ate a wrap for lunch for the next three days. Best of all, they are really, really versatile. I've replaced veggies I didn't have, added a few extra that we did have (sweet corn anyone?) and they turn out great every time. One suggestion…they are a bit spicy with the full tablespoon of crushed red pepper, our spice-loving girls couldn't eat them that hot. I've cut back to a teaspoon. (It's easy to sprinkle the peppers on your individual wrap or shake on some hot sauce. No use making the girls sweat through dinner!)

Big pan of everything before the quinoa cooks

Big pan of everything after the quinoa cooks

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I like to add a grilled chicken breast

Cilantro…it's a tie between cilantro and basil for favorite fresh herb smell

Add a little cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, maybe some Tabasco

Yummm…

Recipe: Norwegian Pancakes (AKA: Crepes)

When I was a girl, our retired pastor would invite me over for a few days whenever his grand-daughter would visit from Minnesota. Pastor Williamson and his wife, Vivi, would spoil Michelle and me rotten for two or three days straight. We'd go shopping, watch movie after movie while snuggled in bed, each batches of chocolate chip cookies and swim in their pond. My favorite part of my stay was always the Norwegian Pancakes Mrs. Williamson would make for breakfast. They were thin and slightly chewy. We'd spread them with jam, roll them up and either sprinkle powdered sugar or pour a tiny amount of maple syrup over the top. They were like nothing I'd ever eaten before.
Years later, I realized that I'd been enjoying Crepes for breakfast. I so wanted to duplicate the experience for Ellie and Josie, but they always seemed like such a difficult thing to make. Terribly thin, how on earth would I be able to flip them? Well…I was wrong. No wonder Mrs. Williamson made them for us each morning. I didn't realize how simple they are. Mix up the batter before bed, heat up a cast iron pan, and breakfast is ready in minutes. So easy and soooo delicious!

Simple ingredients, mixed in the blender smoothie jar

Refrigerate overnight

Pour, swirl, watch, flip

Spread with jam, butter or (E&J's favorite), Nutella

Enjoy!

Recipe: Norwegian Pancakes (AKA: Crepes)

Ingredients

1 cup flour

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

The night before:

Mix together all ingredients. This amount fits perfectly in the 00oz. blender jar of our Ninja. Refrigerate overnight.

The morning of:

Warm a 10" cast iron skillet (or other non-stick pan) to medium/medium high heat. Rub a little butter or coconut oil over the pan before making your first pancake. (Refer to photo above for steps shown.)

1. Once the pan is nice and hot, pour a small amount (1/4 cup-ish) of batter into the center. 

2. Swirl the batter until it reaches the edges of the pan (or at least thins out to an even thickness.) 

3. Cook until the top is no longer shiny (about 30-45 seconds.)

4. Flip and cook the other side until cooked through (another 20-30 seconds.)

Stack your cooked pancakes on a wire rack to keep them from getting soggy. Fill them with butter, jam, Nutella or roll them up plain and top with powdered sugar or maple syrup. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Printable Recipe

"May the 4th be with you" – Star Wars cooking class

In the café at SanChez restaurant – getting ready to cook

Wookie-Cookies on deck

Boba-Fettuccine (hey…I didn't ask her to make that face)

Recipe: Martha Stewart One-Pan Pasta

I stumbled across this recipe a while back and put it on the "back burner".  Friday evening I actually did put it on the back burner. We were all shocked at how simple and delicious it was!

A couple of changes…I would reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/4 teaspoon. Ellie and Josie ate it, but not without a couple glasses of milk on the side to cool their mouths. I also replaced half of the liquid with chicken stock that I had in the fridge. Lastly, I cooked a couple links of Itailian sausage, sliced them and served them on top of the pasta.

Recipe: Martha Stewart One-Pan Pasta

Ingredients

12 ounces linguine
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (suggest using 1/4 teaspoon)
2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 1/2 cups water (suggest 2 cups chicken stock and 2-1/2 cups water)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Addition: I cooked two links of Italian sausage, sliced and served it on top of the pasta.

Directions

Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan. 

Printable recipe here.

Frugal-Lisa Friday: Ranch Dressing Dip Mix

Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix

Ingredients

½ cup dry buttermilk powder 

1 tablespoon dry parsley

1 teaspoon dry dill weed

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dry onion

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and store in the refrigerator.

For Dressing

Add 1/4 cup of mix to 1 cup of milk and ⅔ cup of mayonnaise. Stir together and chill for an hour before serving.

For Dip

Add 1/4 cup of mix to ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt and ½ cup of mayonnaise. Stir together and chill for an hour before serving.

NOTE: If the dressing or dip doesn't have enough "punch" for you, you can either add a little more of the dry mix to your dressing or dip, or sprinkle in a little cayenne pepper. The recipe is pretty adjustable – play with the base until you've found the perfect combination.

Click here for a printable recipe. 

Recipe: Panera Bread Vinaigrette Copycat

Ellie and Josie adore Panera Bread's vinaigrette dressing. I found it at Sam's Club when we had a membership and bought a few bottles (can anyone say "ridiculous shelf life"!?) Well, we finally ran out and I was determined to figure out how to make it myself. After a few tries with our basic vinaigrette recipe, reading the bottle and numerous adjustments and taste tests…I think we've got it! Close enough for us at least!

Panera Bread Vinaigrette Copycat

Ingredients
⅔ cup olive oil
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, pressed
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions
Place all the ingredients in a blender…blend away! Refrigerate, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Printable Recipe

Strawberry Jam – healthier version

I love, love, love strawberry freezer jam. There's nothing better on a crunchy piece of toast than jam that basically tastes like fresh strawberry shortcake. I've always used the basic sugar/pectin recipe that comes with the Ball pectin box. Never fails, always delicious. The problem is that it's about 60% sugar, 40% berries. (Makes the daily PB&J that the kids eat basically and PB and sugar sandwich.)

I found Pomona's Pectin at our local health food store. So…I gave it a try. Instead of sugar I used Raw Honey that Josie's friend Kenai and her parents get from their bees. Local berries, local honey. Works for me! (No local lemon. Sorry.)

I'm not going to post the recipe since you can find it in the box or online here, but I'll tell you, it's delicious. Certainly not as sweet as the original recipe, but Ellie and Josie love it, and they're the ones that will be eating it the most. I think we're set for a while!  :)

Recipe: Low Country Boil Packets

We try a lot of new recipes around here. More often than not they're "good enough." Occasionally they're terrible, and once in a while you get one that after the first bite, makes its way into the family cookbook/binder. This is one of those recipes. So good!

Low Country Boil Packets from Katie Lee / Food Network

1) Load your foil with potatoes, corn, shrimp, sausage, corn, Old Bay and lemon. Don't skip the lemon, it gives everything such a bright flavor!

2) Wrap them up and throw them on the grill for 20 minutes or so.

3) Unwrap the seafood deliciousness. Crusty sourdough bread is the perfect accompaniment for dipping in the flavorful juices at the bottom.

4) Enjoy!!

RECIPE: Slow-cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

When we were in Houston, Aunt Amy made a variation of these for breakfast. They were so, so good! We cook oats for breakfast at least once a week – but these tasted so much better. Plus, it has the texture of rice pudding (which I love!) Delicious!

Recipe: Slow-cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of butter
2 apples – peels and chopped into ½" pieces
1 cup of uncooked steel cut oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of ground flax seed
¼ teaspoon of salt
1-½ cups of milk
1-½ cups of water
¼ cup of real maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
1. Butter the bottom and sides of the slow-cooker. Place the apples on the bottom followed by the oats, cinnamon, flax seed and salt.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the milk, water, maple syrup and vanilla. Slowly pour this mixture over the top of the oats and apples mixture.

3. Slow-cook (overnight!) on low for 8 hours.

4. In the morning, you'll have hot, filling breakfast waiting for you. (The oats almost look "burned" in the morning, but it's just the cinnamon that rises to the top during the cooking process.)

5. We like ours with some dried cranberries, pecans, milk and an extra drizzle of maple syrup. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable recipe.

Recipe: Brussles Sprouts Salad

Salmon cake with Brussles Sprouts Salad – delicious!

My mother-in-law shared this recipe with us. We've enjoyed it twice this week. So good!

The original recipe link is here.

RECIPE: Brussles Sprouts Salad

Ingredients
1 lb. bag of Brussles Sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup pistachios, chop them after measuring
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 freshly grated parmesean cheese
salt and pepper

Directions
This is one of those meals where you want to make sure you have all the ingredients prepped before getting started!

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion until soft. Add the Brussles Sprouts and a few pinches of salt, and sauté for about two minutes. You want them to be lightly cooked, but still crunchy. Stir in the pistachios, cranberries and cheese. Season with more salt and some freshly cracked pepper to taste. Pile your plate high and enjoy!

Recipe: Pumpkin Muffins

I baked three batches of these muffins this week. They've been devoured by my sweet little anything-pumpkin-loving girls. We're packing them in lunches, eating them for breakfast, and begging for them as a snack. (I swear I'm throwing in some veggies and fresh apples before Ellie and Josie start getting an orange tinge to their faces.)

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour or GF baking mix
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
Raw sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325˚F.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin (or use muffin papers.) Combine all the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients (sugar through pumpkin), then add to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fill muffins cups and sprinkle each muffin with 1/4 teaspoon of raw sugar. Bake for 25 minutes.

Printable version here.

Recipe: Moscow Mule

Imagine a lime wedge balanced on the edge…

My mother-in-law sent me four copper mugs – the ideal vessels for delicious Moscow Mules. (Thanks river girls, Sue and Penny, for introducing her to this cold, perfect summer drink!)

Should I be concerned that I received four birthday gifts last week and three of them had something to do with alcohol? Nah.

RECIPE: Moscow Mule

Ingredients
1/2 a lime
2 oz. vodka
4 oz. ginger beer*

*Where to find ginger beer? I stopped at a liquor store and asked. They took me right to it.

Directions
Squeeze the lime into your class (or copper mug) and drop it into the bottom. Add a bunch of ice cubes. Pour in the vodka and fill with cold ginger beer. Stir and enjoy!

RECIPE: Smorkies

We made this for a get-together with my friends Tracey and Annalisa and our families. They were DELICIOUS!! The girls and I re-named them "Smorkies".

The recipe link is here: The Girl Who Ate Everything

RECIPE: Copycat of "The Victor" cocktail

When we stayed in Grand Rapids for the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon, I ordered a cocktail called "The Victor" from our hotel bar. It was incredible. Light, refreshing, and it packed a punch (in a good way!) Last weekend I took it upon myself (someone had to do it) to duplicate the recipe. I wasn't able to do a side-by-side taste test, but from what I remember, this is pretty darned close and delicious none the less. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Copycat of "The Victor" cocktail

Ingredients
Wedge of lime (⅛ of a medium-sized lime)
2 large Basil leaves
1 oz. Limoncello
1 oz. Tequilla
½ oz. Cointreau
3 oz. grapefruit juice
Ice

Directions
At the bottom of a glass, muddle the lime wedge and Basil leaves. Pour in the remaining ingredients and stir. Add ice (about 4-5 cubes). Cheers!

How to hard-boil (hard-cook) FRESH eggs

My cousin Beth is a genius. A pet-peeve of mine is the inability to hard-boil our fresh chicken eggs without them falling apart while peeling – those pesky whites stick to the shell making a perfectly peeled fresh egg an impossibility. Plus, what's the point of having fresh eggs if you have to save them for a few weeks before boiling them? Enter my cousin Beth and her spot-on tip for hard-cooking fresh eggs. Steam the little suckers! It works like a charm.

STEP #1
Rinse your eggs in warm water.

STEP #2
Place them in a steamer basket over boiling water.
Steam for 20 minutes.

STEP #3
Submerge them in a bowl of ice water. 

STEP #4
You're done – hard-cooked fresh eggs.

How I enjoy my hard-cooked eggs lately …
on gluten-free toast with cream cheese and avocado 

How Josie enjoys hers…
with gluten-free waffles and a side of googley-eyes.

RECIPE: Ranch Mix (for dip or dressing)

We eat a lot of veggies and dip in this house. A lot. I used to buy the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing powder/mix, but since I couldn't really pronounce ¾ of the ingredients, I realized that whatever those ingredients were, they were most likely negating the benefits of all the vegetables we were consuming. So…by trial and error I came up with what we have found to be the perfect dry mix that we use to make Ranch dip or dressing.

Ranch Mix

Ingredients
½ cup dry buttermilk powder (found at the health food store, or grocery store baking aisle)
1 tablespoon dry parsley
1 teaspoon dry dill weed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dry onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together and store in the refrigerator.

For Dressing
Add 2 tablespoons of mix to 1 cup of buttermilk and ⅔ cup of mayonnaise. Stir together and chill for an hour before serving.

For Dip
Add 1 tablespoon of mix to ½ cup of plain greek yogurt and ½ cup of mayonnaise. Stir together and chill for an hour before serving.

NOTE: If the dressing or dip doesn't have enough "punch" for you, you can either add a little more of the dry mix to your dressing or dip, or sprinkle in a little cayenne pepper. The recipe is pretty adjustable – play with the base until you've found the perfect combination.

PRINTABLE FILE

Recipe: Snickerdoodle Chex Mix

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix – adapted from the Cinnamon Chex box

The girls and I found this recipe last weekend and decided that since we like Snickerdoodles, Chex, and popcorn, we should probably give it a try. Am I glad we did – it's sweet, but not too much so, and satisfies my sweet & crunchy cravings. Yum.

(The original recipe called for 4 cups of popped corn, I used 6 cups. I think with 4-cups it would have been a little too saturated and sweet.)

Ingredients
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal
6 cups air-popped popcorn (½ cup of kernels)
¼ cup butter (I think coconut oil would be delicious too!)

Directions
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large, microwave safe bowl, mix the two cereals with the 6-cups of popped popcorn.

In a small pan or the microwave, melt the butter. Pour the butter over the popcorn/cereals mixture. Stir until coated. Microwave the mixture for one minute. Stir, microwave for another minute.

Pour the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the popcorn. Stir until well coated. Microwave for one minute, then pour onto parchment or waxed paper to cool.

Print recipe here.

RECIPE: Granola

My mother-in-law, Jessica, shared the base for this recipe with me. I used to buy granola on a regular basis, but after tweaking this recipe to our tastes, I can't imagine ever buying it from the health food store again. This stuff is easy as…granola. Enjoy it for breakfast with milk, as a snack on Greek yogurt or simply on its own. So delicious!

RECIPE: Granola

Ingredients
4 cups old fashioned, rolled oats
3/4 cups chopped pecans
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 300˚. Combine the oats, nuts, coconut and salt in a large bowl. In a small pan, melt together the coconut oil, honey and syrup. Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir to combine. Pour onto the baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

For a printer-friendly recipe, click here.

RECIPE: Skyline Chili – A Happy Little Family Copycat Recipe

Many years ago, our friends Dave and Nicole introduced us to Skyline Chili. At first glance, it looks like a strange combination of ingredients – pasta, chili, cheese, mustard, onions, beans – there are a number of "ways" you can have your chili. The taste…it's like chili-dog heaven in a bowl.

RECIPE: Skyline Chili – A Happy Little Family Copycat Recipe

Ingredients
1 lb. of cooked spaghetti
-----
1 lb. of lean ground beef or venison
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
6 oz. can of tomato paste
2-1/2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1-1/2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of steak sauce (like A1)
1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups of water
-----
shredded cheddar cheese
diced onions
chili or pinto beans
yellow mustard

Directions
In a large dutch oven or stock pot, brown the beef and drain off excess fat. Place the beef in a blender and pulse until medium-sized. (Alternately…chop the beef into very small pieces while browning.) Return the beef to the pot and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low (uncovered) for at least one hour.

Toppings (or Ways)
3-way…spaghetti topped with chili and cheese
4-way…spaghetti topped with chili, cheese and onions
5-way…spaghetti topped with chili, cheese, onions and beans

My way…gluten-free spaghetti topped with chili, cheese, beans and yellow mustard!

PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte

I crave Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Even though I find them irresistible, with the nearest Starbucks 45 minutes away, they are very easy to resist. Now…I don't have to.

RECIPE: Pumpkin Spice Latte (Starbucks-ish Copycat)

Ingredients
2 oz. hot water
1 packet of instant coffee (or amount required for an 8 oz serving)
8 oz. hot milk
1 teaspoon sugar or stevia
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions
Pour everything into a blender and blend until frothy. Pour into a warm mug and enjoy!