Homemade Slushies

This recipe is a keeper.  My kids are begging me for it daily.  And, because it's well over 100 degrees outside and we are attempting to abide by the budget, I've been making the slushies for them almost daily!  The ingredients are so simple and not necessarily nutritional but it could be worse...I think.

I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs The Frugal Girl.  The Frugal Girl talks daily about how to live frugally, joyfully and I really really enjoy what she has to say!  The other day she blogged this recipe so we immediately tried it with some old Halloween Kool-Aid, it was good.  The next day the kids and I went to the store and I let them each get a few flavors.  Since the "Ghoul-Aid" incident, we've made cherry, grape and lemonade flavors.  All of them were good and a hit with the kids, but my personal favorite is the lemonade.  I think it would be super delicious with a little splash of rum or maybe some raspberry vodka...if you're so inclined to do so!

These slushies are super frugal, maybe cost $.50 for a whole blender-full which is WAY cheaper than the ones from Sonic (even at happy hour).  I like to use the ice you buy at the store because it crushes really well in my blender, but if you're lucky enough to have a Vitamix...toss an iceberg in there.

Homemade Slushies
recipe from The Frugal Girl

2 c. ice water
4 c. ice
1 packet Kool-Aid, any flavor
2/3 c. sugar

I use a Pyrex measuring cup and fill it about halfway with ice and fill with water.  Then get out your blender, sugar, measuring cups and the Kool-Aid.  Toss everything in the blender and blend until it's slushy.  We think these are best enjoyed in the little pool in the backyard.

*I really think this could work with Crystal Light powder and no added sugar.  I'm going to try it!

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

This is a fun side dish, especially convenient if you have a garden filled with tomatoes, which I don't... but I wish I did!  It goes great with grilled chicken or steak.

I came up with this recipe after reading several ideas on allrecipes, I wanted to use up some tomatoes I had leftover after buying a whole case.  It would be very simple to make this a vegetarian dish by excluding the bacon and then maybe just up the salt.


Baked, Stuffed Tomatoes

6 strips center-cut or turkey bacon, chopped
3/4 c. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 box spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 Tb. cream cheese, soft
1/2 c. sour cream, or more if it seems dry after mixing
salt & pepper
a few dashes hot sauce
1/2 c. shredded cheddar or mozzarella, your choice
4 large tomatoes, seeds scooped out

Preheat the oven to 400.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and toss in the chopped bacon. Once the bacon is cooked, remove to a paper towel and cook onions in the leftover drippings.  Add in garlic, spinach, cream cheese and sour cream.  Season well with salt & pepper. Pour in a few dashes of hot sauce, however much you like.  Stir in the cooked bacon at the last minute & stuff the mixture into the tomatoes.  Bake 15 minutes, then top each tomato with 2 Tb shredded cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

This recipe post is long overdue, I've made this frosting several times and it is so good!  These days, I don't bake much and I try to really limit my sweets, but this is a great "go-to" chocolate frosting recipe for your next birthday cake and the leftovers are great for graham crackers!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and doesn't need many alterations.  It calls for evaporated milk but I just use regular milk and it's great.  I always double it for a two-layer cake and have some leftover for aforementioned graham crackers.

The recipe is not for a double batch, so double at your discretion.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting
recipe from Allrecipes.com

2 3/4 c. powdered sugar
6 Tb cocoa powder
6 Tb butter
3-5 Tb milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl.  I use a small mesh strainer.  In a large bowl cream butter with a hand mixer until smooth.  Gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with milk.  Add milk until frosting is at the consistency you like.  Blend in vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.  Use on chocolate or yellow cake.

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is so delish!  Of course I borrowed the recipe from Our Best Bites.  I made this numerous times at the end of last summer and even brought it to people as a meal and everyone loves it!  This is a great summer meal, especially here in Phoenix, when you don't want your whole house heated up at dinner-time. 

The only changes I made are to roast the bell peppers first, which is entirely optional, and I like to use Trader Joe's fire-roasted corn--yum!  I also prefer diced red onion instead of green onions--your choice, you really can't go on.

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad
recipe minorly adapted from Our Best Bites
1 lb bowtie pasta, boiled al dente
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 Roma tomatoes or 2 big beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
3 colored bell peppers, roasted and chopped
3/4 c. minced red onion
1 c. frozen corn, defrosted.  Prefereably fire-roasted corn
zest from 4 limes
1 lb grilled chicken, chopped
1 c. crumbled feta or cotija cheese

Dressing:
3/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/2 c. white vinegar or rice vinegar
8 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 Tb. sugar or more, to taste
1 1/2 c. canola oil
1 c. cilantro

To make the dressing first zest the limes and set zest aside.  Add lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt & sugar to the jar of your blender.  Blend until mixed and while the blender is running on low, slowly stream in the canola oil until emulsified.  At the end toss in the cilantro and blend for another 20 seconds.  Set dressing aside.

In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, black beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, corn, lime zest and chicken.  Toss ingredients together.  Pour over dressing to coat, there may be some leftover for later.  Refrigerate at least one hour and serve with a sprinkling of cheese. 

Un-stuffed Mushroom Burger

We have somewhat of a burger obsession around here.  As soon as it gets to be prime grilling weather, we make up new burgers often.  This recipe is a spin-off of Pioneer Woman's Brie-Stuffed Mushroom's, which by the way, could change your life.

Please don't think we're obese because all we eat is homemade cheeseburgers, pasta, and pizza.  I do make healthy, waist-conscious food almost every day....I just blog the outlandish, amazing-tasting, fat-laden food more often apparently. 

Un-Stuffed Mushroom Burger
inspired by Pioneer Woman

1 lb ground beef
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/4 onion, grated or minced
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
plenty of salt & pepper
2-3 Tb. butter
8 oz sliced mushrooms (or more)
salt & pepper
wedge of brie
4-bakery rolls
butter for buns

In a bowl combine beef, garlic, onion, parsley, salt & pepper.  Make four even patties and heat the grill.  While the grill is heating, melt the 2-3 Tb. butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add in the mushrooms and saute them, lowering heat if necessary.  Continue cooking the mushrooms until they are soft and cooked to your liking, then season with salt & pepper.  Cook the burgers on the grill, topping with plenty of brie and letting it melt before removing from the grill.  Butter the buns and quickly toast them on the grill.  Serve the burgers on the buttered, toasted buns topped with plenty of mushrooms.

Black Bean & Quinoa Bowls

This recipe is vegan. (GASP!) I almost put that in the title, but I knew some people wouldn't even look at the recipe because of that, so I didn't.  I'm finding that with my youngest son's food allergies (beef, pork, cow's milk, strawberries, oats and peanuts), combined with the foods I'm not giving him temporarily (wheat, eggs, soy, tree nuts) vegan recipes are making life easier.  Cooking vegetarian and vegan actually makes cooking easier because the prep work goes so fast without having to cook meat, grate cheese, etc.  I need more vegan recipes!

Several months ago my mom challenged us to eat animal products less frequently, so I started cooking vegetarian a couple times a week and I realized we didn't really miss the meat on those nights.  AND it's much less expensive to skip the meat.  While we have no intention of ever giving up cheeseburgers and going vegetarian/vegan completely, it is not a big deal for us to do without it sometimes. 

I recently posted another quinoa recipe and someone commented with an idea that made me try this for dinner tonight and we liked it!  I loved that this entire meal was ready in the time it takes to cook quinoa.  I made a quick guacamole to put on top but simply chopping an avocado for the top would be perfect if you want to make it even simpler.

Black Bean & Quinoa Bowls

serves a family of 5 or 3-4 very hungry adults

1 c. dried quinoa, cooked with 2 c. water according to directions

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 10-oz can Rotel, mostly drained

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 large avocados

2 Tb. thick salsa

generous dash of granulated garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tb onion, minced

Tabasco to taste

3 green onions, chopped

lime wedges

While the quinoa is cooking mix together black beans, rotel, chili powder, cumin, 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic, salt & pepper.  Cook in a small pot over medium heat until hot or microwave 3-5 minutes until hot.  In a small bowl mash the avacado with a fork and stir in salsa, garlic, salt & pepper, onion and tabasco.  Taste and adjust seasoning as you like. (Or, simply chop the avacado and set aside.) To assemble the bowls, layer some quinoa at the bottom of a bowl, top with a generous amount of black bean mixture, a dollop of guacamole or chopped avacado, sprinkle on some green onions and serve with lime wedges.

French Onion Burger

I pulled this recipe out of a Rachael Ray magazine a long time ago and thought it looked just amazing.  Then I put it in the pile with the others and forgot about it.  When I was spring cleaning the cabinet I came across this and had to make it right away!

We loved this burger.  It is very flavorful, salty, gooey...it's just great.  It's kind of a "Friday night" kind of meal, a little rough on the calorie count but I'll make it again and again.  I made just a couple changes.  I recommend not salting the onions until it's all finished because the beef consomme is quite salty.

French Onion Burger

adapted from Rachael Ray

2 Tb. butter

4 onions, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

pepper

pinch of thyme

1 can beef consomme

1 1/2 c. sour cream

2 lbs. ground beef

2-3 Tb. worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 c. grated onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

swiss cheese for topping

kettle chips for topping

fresh bakery buns

To make French Onion topping: Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and bay leaf, pepper and thyme. Cook until deep caramel and soft, about 35 minutes.  Lower the heat if the onions are browning to quickly.  Pour in the beef consomme and scrape the bottom of the pan, cook until the liquid is almost all absorved.  Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf, let the onions cool.  Stir in the sour cream and set aside.

To make the burgers: Heat the grill.  In a large bowl combine beef, worcestershire, salt, pepper, parsley, onion and garlic.  Combine all ingredients and form into 6 patties.  Cook the burgers until almost done to your preference, top with swiss cheese.  Remove from grill when the cheese is melted.  Place the burgers on a bun and top with a generous amount of onion mixture and a handfull of chips.  Serve immediately.

Mango Quinoa Salad

My entire family loves this salad and I've adapted it a few times, finally coming up with the perfect recipe for us and perfectly acccomodates my Weight Watchers points allotment.  It isn't over-dressed just a small bit of olive oil and red wine vinegar.  The best part is this is naturally allergen-friendly.  You could easily adapt the veggies and fruit for what you have.  I think fresh pineapple or peaches would be good.  I've used red or green onions and many colors of bell pepper based on what I had.

Try this salad with meat off the grill this summer for an oven-free meal.  (We had some wild-caught Alaskan salmon...yum!)

Mango Quinoa Salad

recipe inspired from Our Best Bites

2 c. cooked quinoa (any color)

2 small mangoes, or 1 large, diced small

1 c. cucumber, diced (I peel conventional cucumbers, but not English cucumbers)

1/4 c. red or green onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. olive oil
3 Tb. fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to taste
dash of sugar or honey

Cook the quinoa and let cool.  In a large bowl mix together quinoa, mango, cucumber, onion, bell pepper and cilantro.  To make the dressing mix together vinegar, oil, lime juice, salt & pepper and sweetener.  Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately or refrigerate until you're ready to eat.

Even Better 7-layer Dip

I've always loved 7-layer dip.  But it's a real bummer when the good stuff is all scraped off and all that is left is the hard canned-refried beans that break your chip when you attempt a scoop.  That's been my experience at least.

This recipe solves that "problem" and I'm happy to say it was a giant hit at a Super Bowl party.

If you need to make this gluten free, skip the taco mix and add in some granulated garlic, salt, cumin and chili powder in place of it.

This makes a LOT so if you are making it for a smaller group of people, half it.

Even Better 7-layer Dip

1 28-oz can refried beans or 3 c. homemade
3/4c. - 1 c. salsa
1 1/2 c. sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened (half a block)
2 Tb taco seasoning OR 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2-1tsp granulated garlic, 1/4 tsp salt
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. red onion, minced
2 large tomatoes or 3 small, seeded and minced
2-3 avocados, chopped (my taste-testers preferred more avacado)
1 small can chopped black olives, drained or 1/2 can whole black olives, chopped
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

Mix together refried beans and salsa to your desired consistency.  Less salsa for thicker beans, more for thinner.  Spread the bean/salsa mixture on a large platter (or a cookie sheet if you don't have a big platter).  Rinse out the bean bowl and mix together sour cream, cream cheese and taco seasoning.  Spread the sour cream mixture over the beans.  Then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients in layers over the top of the sour cream. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or refrigerate until you're ready to eat it.

Goat Cheese Mac

I found this recipe and it looked yummy and then I forgot about it until recently....when we started my younger son on an elimination diet to try to get his intestines healthy and determine what foods are causing the upset.  So, for the next 4-6 weeks he can't have wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts or fish.  This pretty much eliminates my current recipe repertoire.  Then...I was going through my Pinterest recipes board and found it.  It was an "aha moment" for me.

I will say, if you don't care for goat cheese you probably won't like this.  I do think that a cream cheese/parmesan mix could work for this if you wanted to try this.  The thing I love most about this dish is it is so very simple, and comes together very quickly.  It does take time to roast the tomatoes but you can certainly sub some sundried tomatoes instead.  Unfortunately I ignored the "cover your plants it's going to freeze" warning and my basil plant died so I used dried...next time fresh basil for sure!

Goat Cheese Mac

recipe adapted from Nummy Kitchen

2 lbs roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

1 lb short-cut pasta (brown rice or quinoa pasta for GF)

3/4-1 c. pasta water reserved

2 Tb. olive oil

1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped or 2 tsp dried basil

salt & pepper to taste

6-8 oz goat cheese, crumbled (I used more like 8 oz)

Ahead of time, preheat the oven to 250, quarter the tomatoes if using roma and layer them on a baking sheet.  Roast for 2-3 hours, until they're dried on the edges but still moist in the middle.  Remove from the oven and let the tomatoes cool, chop them up and set aside until you're ready foor them.  Boil the pasta according to directions, before draining reserve some cooking water.  Add to the hot pasta: water, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper and goat cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted and it's all combined.  Add more cooking water if needed. Stir in tomatoes and serve immediately.