Lemon Linguine

Lemon Linguine

This recipe makes the amount of a side dish, but I made it into a main course meal with salad & bread.
Go ahead & add more of what you like & make as a side or meal

·        8 ounces linguine

·        3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted

·        1 tablespoon lemon juice

·        1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

·        1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·        1/2 teaspoon  lemon-pepper seasoning

·        1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.         In a saucepan, cook linguine in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine butter, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder and lemon-pepper; cook and stir until butter is melted. Drain linguine; add to butter mixture and toss to coat. Add Parmesan cheese and toss.

Christmas cards

In honor of the holidays quickly approaching, I wanted to let you all know about a fabulous company.

Shutterfly.

As a person with a passion for photography, I am always on the hunt for the best quality place to print my photos.

 I have tried every place I can think of….

Rite Aid, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Walgreens, Meijer, Snapfish, Winkflash, etc.

 and I have always been disappointed. 

Then one day I came across Shutterfly & I was blown away at the print quality. 

My photos always come back stunning, clear, glossy, & here’s a bonus…

they have very reasonable pricing!

 That is a very important feature to me because I love to score a deal!

As I have been preparing for Christmas cards this year, I am moving on from making my own handmade cards to ordering from Shutterfly. 

I know that they will look professional & outstanding. 

I have ordered cards from them before, when I graduated from college I made some & was impressed by the thick paper quality they were printed on.

 I look forward to ordering my cards from them this year and encourage you all to do the same! They have TONS of various types of cards & no doubt you will be thrilled with the outcome.

To view  their Christmas cards go to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

And they also have fantastic holiday photo cards, see the designs here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Combine 2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Then in another bowl, mix 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup canola oil, & 1 tsp grated lemon zest

Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture until moistened.

Fold in 1 1/4 cups raspberries

Fill 18 muffin cups 2/3 of the way full & bake @ 400 for 18-20 minutes.

*I sprinkled some sugar on the top about 1/2 way during baking too, for a little extra*

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

    2  tablespoons  olive oil

       1    medium onion, chopped

       3    cloves garlic, sliced

      1  can (28 ounces)  whole tomatoes

       1  can (15 ounces)  tomato sauce

    2  tablespoons  tomato paste

       2  teaspoons  sugar

   1/4  teaspoon  salt

    1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

    1  can (14.5 ounces)  basil-and-oregano diced tomatoes, drained

      1/2  cup  fresh basil leaves, chopped

   1    box (16 ounces) ziti

       1    bag (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

       1/4  cup  grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 375°. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

For Sauce:

 Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. 

Add onion and cook 4 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook another minute.

 Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, breaking tomatoes apart with your hands or a wooden spoon. 

Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper.

 Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. 

Stir in diced tomatoes and basil.

Ziti and Cheese:

 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boiling. 

Add ziti; boil 10 minutes, stirring. 

Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

 Add half the sauce to bowl with ziti.

 Stir to coat. 

Pour ziti mixture into prepared dish. 

Top with remaining sauce and then sprinkle with the cheeses.

Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned. 

Cool 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Mini strawberry shortcakes

A few weeks ago I was trying to make another dessert & it didn't work out, so instead I created something super easy that you can take as a dessert appetizer!

I crumbled up lemon cake & sliced up some strawberries & topped with whip cream.

They're mini strawberry shortcakes!

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

 As the weather gets chilly, this is the perfect dessert!

• 1 Pillsbury single pie crust (or your own recipe if desired)
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 to 1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare and roll out Pastry for Single-Crust pie (below). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. For filling, in a large bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Add eggs; beat lightly with a fork until combined. Gradually add milk; stir until combined.

3. Carefully pour filling in pastry shell. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie crust with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes more or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.

4. To serve, top with whipped cream.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix, any kind you like

Bake the cupcakes according to package.

To make the Peanut Butter icing you will need.....

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp.

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

chopped peanuts (optional)

Place the confectioner's sugar, pb, butter, vanilla, & salt in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down bowl with spatula as you go.
Add the cream & beat on high speed until mixture is light & smooth.

Frost each cupcake with pb icing & sprinkle chopped peanuts, if desired!

Banocolate Cookies

These cookies are like eating banana bread in the form of a cookie! I wasn't in a mood to add the chocolate, so instead I added butterscotch chips!

Delish!

1 ripe banana

4 oz. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup flour

½ tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup oats

4 oz. chocolate, broken into small chunks 

Preheat to 350. Grease 2 cookie sheets with butter.

Peel & slice banana & put in food processor. Add butter, sugar & egg until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, & oats & pulse until combined. Transfer to bowl & stir in chocolate chunks. Drop by spoonfuls onto sheets. Flatten then & bake 15-20 minutes.

Mini pizzas

I love making Mini Pizza's & I got this recipe from my sister in law!

all you need is:
4 or 5 tomatoes
EVOO (enough to coat the pan)
salt
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
oregano & basil
pinch of sugar
Mama Mia's personal pizza crusts (they come 3 in a package)
Sesame Seeds
Mozzarella Cheese
pizza toppings: pepperoni, bacon, veggies, pineapple, etc.



This is super simple,
for the sauce, dice up the tomatoes & put enough EVOO in pan to coat it. Then put diced tomatoes, chopped garlic, oregano & basil (however much you like), sugar, & a tiny bit of salt & mix together. Put on medium-high heat until the tomatoes turn into more of a sauce (8-10 minutes).

While the sauce is going, take the pizza crusts out of the package & place them on large cookie sheet. Brush them with EVOO & sprinkle sesame seeds on edges.

Then add the sauce to each pizza, cover with mozzarella cheese & add whatever toppings you like.
Then just throw in oven (the temp is on the pizza crust package) I believe it is 400 degrees.
Cook until cheese is melted & crust is slightly browned (about 7-9 minutes)

Enjoy!!

Fruit tart

I have tried a few different ways to make this,

but they required too many ingredients and this one worked out quite well. 

Such a quick dessert! Just grab a graham cracker crust, add some vanilla pudding, and any fruit you like!

You will need :

a graham cracker crust

vanilla pudding cups

kiwi

strawberries

blueberries

apricot jelly

*any other fruit you like*

To Make:

I bought a graham cracker crust (careful not to break it!)

Then vanilla pudding cups and emptied them into the center

then sliced up some kiwi, strawberries & added blueberries.

and this time around, it took NO TIME! 

Then I found a recipe for a glaze over top & it turned out great!

Take 1/2 cup apricot jelly & in a saucepan, melt jelly with 1 Tbsp. water

Brush glaze over fruit & serve!