Category Archives: Make it Yourself

Rosemary Olive Oil Potato Bread

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Quick Post: This experiment was inspired my husband who told me he likes potato bread. I haven’t bought it in years, but I decided to search for potato bread recipes. I always like to try new breads and this one seemed easy enough. I like the addition of rosemary, and thought this would be a great bread to go with steak or chicken. These kind of loaves are great because they have that “wow” factor. It looks and sounds fancy, but it isn’t at all difficult to make. The texture is soft, with a dense crumb and a chewy crust – perfect for sopping up juices on your plate or bowl of soup. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Rosemary Olive Oil Potato Bread – adapted from What Megan’s Making
  • 1 cup cold, roasted mashed up potatoes, skins removed (*Can also use mashed potato flakes to make 1 cup of mashed potatoes)
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 envelope (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 3 cups white flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl mix together the mashed potatoes and olive oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the warm water with the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes, or until bubbly. Add the flour, whole wheat flour, salt, rosemary, and potato/oil mixture and mix together. Add more water or flour as needed to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Clean out the mixing bowl and lightly spray with cooking spray. Place dough in the bowl and cover with a dishtowel. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Turn risen dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Flatten the dough with your hands and fold up like business letter. (You could also separate the dough into two smaller loaves at this point.)Turn it seam side down, form into a plump oval shape, and place on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with flour, cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 400. Using a sharp knife make 3-4 diagonal slits in the bread to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before slicing.

Vanilla Bean Coffee Creamer

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Quick Post: It’s not too sweet,  perfectly creamy and it has the floral, fruity flavor of real vanilla bean. It’s classic and simple but also rich and indulgent. After adding quite a bit of this to my coffee, I add a little vanilla sugar for some extra sweetness. It makes about 3 cups of creamer and lasts up to two weeks in the fridge, so it’s good to share with your friends. I gave a jar to my neighbor because it was her birthday and she loved it. Who doesn’t appreciate food gifts? 😉 Now that teacher appreciation week is coming up, this would be a new favorite for them I’m sure! Thanks for reading, enjoy 🙂

Homemade Coffee Creamer – adapted from Piece of Cake

  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
  • 1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Set the pot over medium heat and slowly heat the mixture until it is hot and steaming, but not simmering. Cover the pot and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a jar or another container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Soy-Ginger-Lime Chicken with Cilantro-Lime-Ginger Rice

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Quick Post: The title is a mouthful! The combination of these two recipes was a hit at my house and it’s healthy, fresh and easy to make. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Soy-Ginger-Lime Marinade – adapted from Simply Scratch
  •  2 – 3 cloves of Garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 1 large Shallot, peeled and quartered
  • 1 Lime, juiced
  • 3/4 inch of Ginger, peeled, and roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1 tablespoon Honey
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients (using a stick blender makes quick work of this). Pour the mixture over the chicken and marinade for at least 4 hours. Preheat grill to medium heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes per side or until done.
Cilantro, Lime and Ginger Rice –
  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
  • 1 inch of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • the zest and juice of one lime
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • kosher salt to taste
  • 4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a a saucepan combine rice, ginger slices, salt and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lime zest. Serve warm.

Honey Oat Bread

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Another day, another bread recipe! This one has lot of honey in it, but it’s not too sweet. I ate the small slice of heel (I affectionately call “butt bread”, we fight over that piece around here), and it was so yummy. I have made other “honey-oat” breads before, but the honey really shines through in this loaf. I like that warm honey is applied over top the risen loaf and sprinkled with oats. It leaves the top sweet and nutty tasting, but this bread didn’t over power the sandwiches I made. As you can imagine, when toasted the flavors are turned up more. Overall, I’m pleased with this new recipe and I’m sure I’ll make it again and again. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Honey Oat Bread – adapted from Bakingdom

**notes for doubling**

    • 2 cups bread flour  (**508 grams **)
    • 1 cup white whole wheat flour  (** 240 grams**)
    • 3/4 cups old fashioned oats  (**135 grams**)
    • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (**two packages worth**)
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt  (**1 TBSP**)
    • 1 cup milk  (**2 cups**)
    • 1/4 cup lukewarm water  (**1/2 cup**)
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter  (**4 TBSP**)
    • 1/4 cup honey  (**1/2 cup**)

For Topping

  • 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons honey, warmed
  • 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons oats
Directions –

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, oats, yeast, and salt.

In a small bowl, or two cup measuring cup, warm the milk so that it’s hot enough to melt the butter, but not boiling. Add the butter, stirring until melted, then stir in the water and honey.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing until it just comes together to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is still very wet and sticky after 5 minutes of kneading, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is barely tacky. If the dough is too dry, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to soften it up.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Once doubled, place the dough on a clean, dry work surface. If the dough is too sticky, lightly flour the surface before continuing. With your fingers, flatten the dough into a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Tightly roll the dough, tucking the ends as needed, into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place an empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bring 2 cups of water to a boil.

When the loaf is doubled again, brush the top with the warmed honey and sprinkle with the oats.

Place the bread in the oven and pour the boiling water into the empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the bread is deep golden brown and the internal temperature is about 190 degrees.

Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

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Quick Post: Yet another new recipe find thanks to Pinterest! I love meals that are restaurant quality at a fraction of the cost, especially when there are no fancy ingredients required. My family loves shrimp as you can see from past posts, and this is another dinner to go in the rotation. It’s definitely not something I would make all that often, though! Butter, heavy cream and lots of cheese, plus carbs? Yes, please! I had a partial stick of butter with 5 tablespoons left and I used a combination of half and half and heavy cream. I know I probably didn’t save many calories and fat, but it was the thought that counts, right? 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo – adapted from The Candid Appetite
    • 1 pound dried or fresh Fettuccine
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 shallot, minced
    • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
    • 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
    • kosher salt, to taste
    • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • Fresh Basil, sliced

Directions –

Cook the fettuccine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic and pepper flakes and saute until tender. Add the shrimp, in a single layer and allow to cook on the first side for 3-4 minutes. Or until the edges turn pink. Give them a flip and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Once cooked transfer to a platter or plate, and allow to rest while you finish the sauce. Add heavy cream to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium-high heat along with some of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the butter-cream mixture, half of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan, and basil. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Rainbow Cupcakes

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I have seen this recipe all over the place! It’s so fun and easy, especially if you’re using a mix. Well, I did use a mix, but a homemade one, but it’s worth making for the piece of mind it brings knowing what is in it. In order to make sure I had an equal amount of each color for these, I weighed out the amount in cups (8 ounces) and used my smallest disher to make sure I put roughly the same amount of each color batter in the cups. These were a lot of fun to make, and the kids enjoyed helping add the color to the batter. I liked the flavor of these and the almond extract tastes kind of like cherry to me for some reason. Next time I will try the same recipe, but with cake flour because I think all the stirring made the cupcakes more dense than I expected. I’m sure if I left the batter white, that wouldn’t have been a problem.
The buttercream was so fluffy, light and not too sweet. I found a recipe that I knew I needed to cut in half and it worked out perfectly. I’m not a “frosting” lover, but this buttercream was spoon licking good!

Overall, I’m really pleased with how these turned out. It was my first white cake I have ever made. I had never used almond extract before either, but I liked the flavor that it gave to these cupcakes. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Rainbow Cupcakes – 

  • One batch of white cake mix
  • 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 5 egg whites (or 1 cup of Egg Beaters pure egg whites)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • *equipment – five cups, five spoons, gel food coloring, #60 disher, and muffin papers
Directions –
1. Cream butter. Add egg whites, one at a time until mixed, (mine never became a cohesive batter, but don’t worry). Add milk, vanilla and almond extract then slowly add the dry mixture in batches. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl and do not overmix.
2. Divide the batter into five cups, then add a one color into each cup, (*I used pink, yellow, green, blue and purple gel colors. Liquid tends to thin out batters or icing, and you’ll use less of the gel vs. liquid) until your desired shade is achieved.
3. Prep your muffin tin by adding white muffin papers (you can see the colors through the white) Using a small disher (size 60) or a tablespoon measure, add your colored batter to each muffin cup in your desired pattern.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 17-20 minutes or until done. Cool in the pan for about five minutes, then remove the cupcakes and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Buttercream – adapted from Apron Days

  • 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
  • 2 cups butter, room temp
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons whipping cream
  • a good pinch of salt
 Directions –
1. Cream butter and sugar on low-speed until combined, then beat on medium speed for several minutes (the time here is crucial in order to obtain a lighter frosting, so don’t skimp.)
2. Add vanilla, cream, and salt and beat on medium speed for another couple of minutes, adding more cream if you want an even lighter consistency (here’s where you would add food coloring, too, if you’d like).

White Cake Mix

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My daughter’s birthday is this week! Why can’t she stop aging? 😉 I know that is impossible, but looking back at pictures makes me sad – she was so little! Now she’s a giant-almost-6-year-old. Anyway, I decided I would bring her class some cupcakes, and what’s more fun than those rainbow cupcakes that are all over Pinterest?? At first I thought I would take the easy way out and use a white cake box mix, but after reading the ingredient list I couldn’t justify it! Hydrogenated this and high fructose that…garbage! Ignorance is bliss sometimes, but now that I know better I have to choose better – even if it is for a group of kindergarteners that could care less! 😉 Of course it’s easier to throw a box cake together, but this is loads cheaper – easily pennies on the dollar for these pantry staples. I made my own superfine sugar – if you have a food processor you should if you don’t have it on hand. I put a piece of plastic wrap over the work bowl so the sugar dust didn’t fly all over the place. Once the sugar was finished and measured, I added all the other ingredients to the bowl and pulsed it a few times. That was it – couldn’t be easier! The next post will be on the super fun and festive rainbow cupcakes!! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
White Cake Mix – adapted from I Am Baker
  • 2 3/4 cup flour (343 grams)
  • 1 3/4 cups SUPER fine sugar (you can buy this or make it)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Directions – 

Sift all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container.

To Use: 

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 5 egg whites ( I used Egg Beaters, pure egg whites, about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
Directions –

1. Cream butter and add egg whites one at a time until mixed. (*The batter separated terribly and never emulsified, but it still worked out once the dry ingredients were added*). Add milk, vanilla and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients in about three additions, making sure to scrape down in between and being careful not to overmix.

2. Fills two 8-inch rounds, or 16-18 cupcakes. Bake 325-350 degrees for 20-30 minutes; and cupcakes 17-22 minutes or until done.

Sam’s Club/Costco Knock-Off Jumbo Muffins

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You know those giant chocolate muffins with chocolate chips from the club stores? Well, these are so similar to those it’s a little scary! The only difference is that these much less dense and a whole lot cheaper to make at home. I used to make this recipe in the recommended bundt pan years ago. I haven’t thought of it until recently when my big sister told me about it. She blogged the recipe here, and I remembered where I first saw it. Years ago I used Allrecipes all the time, but now there are so many options out there, but my most recent discovery is Pinterest. It is so easy to find new recipes that I might never find via Tastespotting.com. Anyway, I don’t normally use boxed cake mixes anymore, or the instant pudding mix but this recipe makes for a super easy, moist and chocolaty cake. I’m sending M to work with several of these so I don’t eat them all!;) (Oh – I made the muffin papers from parchment squares, it’s really easy to do.) Thanks for reading, enjoy!


Chocolate Muffins –  adapted from Allrecipes.com

makes 12 jumbo muffins, or 24 regular sized muffins

  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into muffin tins (3/4 fill for jumbo, 2/3 for regular sized). Bake for 20-25 minutes for jumbo, or 15-20 minutes for regular sized muffins – or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in muffin tin for 3-5 minutes, then take them out of the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Garlic Bread Pizza

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Quick Post: I found this on Pinterest the other day and knew that this would be on the menu this week! We finished the whole pizza 🙂 Next time I will have to double the recipe to make sure there are leftovers. I love the texture of the crust because the butter made it slightly toasty and pleasantly crisp. I will make this again, but I will plan ahead next time to let this dough age in the fridge for a few hours to give the dried herbs and garlic powder time to meld and flavor the dough. Thanks for reading, enjoy!


Garlic Bread Pizza Crust – adapted from How Sweet Eats

  • 1 1/8 cups warm water (100-105 degrees)
  • 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed or very finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, garlic powder and dried basil, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but it still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work the additional 1/2 cup flour (you don’t need to use all if it is not needed) in to the dough, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.

Once the dough has finished rising, roll it out and finish with your favorite pizza toppings. I used pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and parmesan cheese.  Spoon the garlic butter over the edges of the dough. I baked the pizza off in a 475 degree oven for 10 minutes on top of my pizza stone.

Orange Chicken

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I don’t like take-out orange chicken because it has that fake, candy orange flavor – ick! I did however love this homemade version. The sauce is easy to make and doesn’t require lots of exotic ingredients, it’s fresh and the orange flavor is far superior to typical take-out versions. My family really enjoyed this too – my husband who is a fan of take-out orange chicken may never go back to that again 😉 I ruin things for him in really good ways! Same with cinnamon rolls, because he’ll never want the canned stuff again.

I would recommend making another half batch (or double if you like lots of sauce) of the marinade/sauce mixture. It is perfect mixed into the white rice. Next time I will add veggies to this like sugar snap peas or steamed broccoli to make up for the lack of fiber in this dish. Also, I used a combination of peanut oil and vegetable oil (it’s all I had) because I didn’t have enough peanut oil – that stuff is expensive! I’m sure you could fry this all in canola or vegetable oil though. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Orange Chicken – adapted from Annie’s Eats

For the marinade and sauce:

  • ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1½ tsp. finely grated orange zest
  • 6 tbsp. white vinegar
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup brown sugar (dark or light)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1½ lbs. boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp. cold water
  • 8 thin strips orange peel (optional)

For the coating and frying:

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups peanut or canola oil (I like a combination)

To make the marinade and sauce, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper in a large saucepan; whisk to blend well.  Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture and transfer it to a large zipper lock plastic bag.  Add the chicken pieces to the bag, pressing out the excess air and sealing well.  Refrigerate and let marinate 30-60 minutes, but no longer.  Place the saucepan with the remaining mixture on the stove and heat over medium-high heat.  Bring to a simmer.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth.  Add the mixture to the saucepan with the sauce.  Continue simmering until the sauce is thick and translucent, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the strips of orange peel, if using.

To prepare the coating, place the egg whites in a pie plate and whisk until frothy.  In a second pie plate combine the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne pepper; whisk to blend.  Drain the chicken of the marinade in a colander or large strainer; pat dry with paper towels.  Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat.  Transfer the pieces to the cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly, shaking off the excess.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in a 11- or 12-inch round Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan until the oil reaches 350˚ F.  Carefully place half of the chicken pieces in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through cooking.  Remove from the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.  Return the oil to 350˚ F and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Reheat the sauce if necessary and toss with the cooked chicken pieces.  Serve over rice, if desired.