Archives for April 2012

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

April 5, 2012 by amy 1 Comment

Not only do I enjoy using coupons (when I have the time), but I also really love when I can use them for things that I can actually use! For instance, every once in a while Publix will put cake mix on sale. I usually order extra coupons and stockpile it. Cake mix is such a universal baking ingredient. It’s nice to make a homemade cake, but sometimes you don’t have the time or patience to start from scratch. I love finding new ways to use it and spice it up.

If you get tired of making cakes with your cake mix, try something new and make cookies! I have a thing for pink so I naturally gravitate towards the strawberry mix. They come out in such a spring-y color. However, that doesn’t really matter because they will most likely be gone before you have time to enjoy their color. I kid you not, my family ate the entire batch in one day. They were THAT good.

These remind me a lot of sugar cookies because they are so soft. It’s the cake mix doin’ it’s thang. I love soft cookies and I hate them. They are so incredibly yummy and easy to eat, but this also makes them easy to inhale. And before you know it, you’ve eaten 10 of them. Don’t judge me. I don’t have much will power when it comes to soft, gooey, and strawberry cookies.

I also love these because they are incredibly cheap.

A box of cake mix ($1- $1.50)
1 egg ($.10)
tub of cool whip ($1- $1.25)
1 cup powdered sugar ($.50)

Total= $3.35

Not too shabby for feeding your sweet tooth. And these are also incredibly easy. We’re talking mixing egg and cool whip and then folding in the cake mix. You do have to chill it in the refrigerator for a little bit to help it firm up and set so that you can roll them into balls.

After they have firmed up a bit, you roll them into balls and then roll them in the powdered sugar. This gives a nice and sweet crusty coating when they bake. This is the most time consuming part. I did find it to be very tedious. But I’ve heard of folks not even going through this step so if you are in a crunch you can just leave it out. You won’t be banished to the corner and your cookies will probably be just as yummy.

These cookies can be made with any flavor cake mix. I’ve tried confetti cake mix and made birthday cake cookies. They were yummy too!

Let me know if you try other flavors and how it turns out!

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

These cookies are made out of cake mix and cool whip!

Ingredients

1 Box Strawberry Cake Mix
1 8 oz Tub Cool Whip
1 Egg
1 C. Powdered Sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, mix the cool whip and egg together until smooth.
Fold in the cake mix until well combined. Chill in the refrigerator for 20- 30 minutes.
Place powdered sugar in a bowl and drop spoonfuls of the dough into the sugar and roll it around to coat.
Place sugar-covered dough balls onto a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack.

Notes

The longer that you let the dough firm up in the refrigerator, the easier it will be to roll them.

I had to cook my cookies a bit longer because they were a bit too soft. Be sure to watch the time because you definitely don't want to overcook them.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/strawberry-cake-mix-cookies/

Like this post? SHARE it!

Filed Under: Desserts

The BEST Lassagna Soup Ever

April 4, 2012 by amy 1 Comment

Raise your hand if you like to make easy meals. *raises hand* I’m lucky to get dinner on the table by 8pm most nights. I had a little spurt where I was getting dinner ready around 5:30, but then I had my second kid and somehow the days got a lot shorter. I feel like there’s a time burglar slowly stealing time. Do you ever feel that way? I’m fairly impatient too which makes it really hard to wait for things. Of course when I’m waiting it feels like time is moving slowly.

This soup is perfect for those days when you feel like time is moving too fast. When you don’t have a minute to spare but want a hearty dinner, you might try this amazing soup. My mom shared this with me a few months ago and I’ve made it several times since then. It wasn’t meant to be made in the crockpot, but I threw caution to the wind and made it that way anyways. It worked!

Not only is this an easy meal to throw in the crockpot, it’s also low in calories. And we like low in calories don’t we? And to top it all off, this soup is delicious! You’d never know that it was low cal or low fat. Those are the best kinda meals. And even the pickiest of eaters will eat this. My daughter ate every bite and I didn’t even have to bribe her (I know!).

The recipe calls for spiral noodles, but I usually use whatever I have on hand. Although it does seem to look better with the spiral noodles. When making this in the crockpot, you’ll want to throw everything BUT the noodles in to cook. Then in the last 10 minutes or so, throw them in to let them cook up. This is what I’ve found to be the easiest way to make it in the crockpot. Top it with some parmesan cheese and you have incredible lasagna soup! I’m not even just saying that. It really is the BEST lasagna soup. I hope that you try it!

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home and my momma!

The BEST Lassagna Soup Ever

Serving Size: 8 servings

The BEST Lassagna Soup Ever

Transform your lasagna into soup and make it while you work!

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (Preferably 90%)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-1/2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Method

Cook in a Saucepan

In a large saucepan, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Drain.
Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in pasta. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cook in a Crockpot

Place all ingredients minus the pasta and parmesan cheese into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
In the last 15 minutes add in the pasta and cook until tender.
Sprinkle with cheese and serve!

Notes

The original recipe also called for 1 cup corn, but I didn't use it. Seemed a bit odd to me since you don't put corn into lasagna normally. I think it tasted just wonderful without it.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/the-best-lassagna-soup-ever/

Like this post? SHARE it!

Filed Under: Crockpot, Main Dishes, Pasta

3-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream

April 3, 2012 by amy Leave a Comment

Do you remember making homemade ice cream as a kid? I remember we had one of those crank machines that took FOREVER to produce about 2 bowls of ice cream. By the time you were done doing hard labor cranking the machine, you were almost too tired to eat it! Almost…. Though I do specifically remember the taste of how amazing it was compared to the stuff that you buy at the grocery store.

It’s incredible to me how expensive that ice cream has gotten. It’s worse than GAS at $6 or $7 bucks per gallon. And just like we have to get around in our cars, we have to feed our ice cream cravings. Especially in the summer.

I’m going to go ahead and tell you that you’ll probably want to go out and buy some mason jars if you don’t already have some. It’s not good (I’m so ashamed), but sometimes I ~~inhale~~ eat ice cream straight from the carton with a fork. Yeah the fork thing came from my dad. It’s how he always eats it and I’ve just picked it up too. The mason jars are a great way to prevent overeating and make great portion control. It’s always great to have your own personal container. Less feels like more that way.

This recipe only involves 3 ingredients and is so perfect every time. I cannot believe that I didn’t figure this out earlier. And by the way, you won’t need one of those horrible hand-crank ice cream machines for this recipe. Just an appetite for smooth and creamy strawberry ice cream. You can always use another fruit of your choice.

I will never go without homemade ice cream again!

Recipe courtesy of Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body.

3-Ingredient Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

With very few ingredients you can make the most amazing (and easy) strawberry ice cream!

Ingredients

1 (14 oz) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk- I used Fat Free and it works!
2 Cups Heavy Cream
2 Cups Strawberries, Chopped- Measure them out and them chop or puree them

Method

In a large bowl using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Just about to where it gets stiff.
Add in the sweetened condensed milk and whip for another minute or so.
Fold in the strawberries and pour into freezer containers or mason jars.

Notes

I used my KitchenAid stand mixer to make this and it worked very well!

I chopped my strawberries this time, but next time I plan to puree them. I liked the large bits of strawberries, but I think it would taste more strawberry-y if they were more pureed.

If it's really hard when you take it out of the freezer, just set it out on the counter for a few minutes and it will soften up a bit.

I'm going to try this with oreos soon for Cookies and Cream ice cream!

It tastes almost like soft serve and it's fabulous!

http://www.pennywisecook.com/3-ingredient-strawberry-ice-cream/

Like this post? SHARE it!

Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts

Ranch Oyster Crackers

April 2, 2012 by amy Leave a Comment

How was your weekend? We had a really great weekend full of physical activity and fun. My husband’s parents came for a visit and we enjoyed being with them. I also ran a 5k and came in 238th. Woo hoo! No really, I am proud of that considering there were around 2,000 people in this race. As long as I wasn’t last, I’m happy.

I’m always snacking on something. I don’t like feeling really full during the day so I usually end up “grazing” (that’s what my husband and I call it) throughout the day. I’ve got a simple favorite that’s easy to make and is a great snack idea for a party or get together. People easily grab a handful at a time, but usually come back for seconds. You may have heard of these yummy ranch crackers before, but in case you hadn’t I thought I’d share.

One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that it’s inexpensive. (My favorite kind) Most everything in it is something you might have a hand. Spices, a little bit of oil, and some oyster crackers. If you don’t usually have oyster crackers, you can find them at Dollar Tree or most grocery stores for around $1.

When I was refreshing my memory for how to make these Ranch Oyster Crackers, I came across this version at Peas and Thank You. I liked the idea of not using store bought ranch mix, so I tried this one out.

It starts out with 6 different spices: garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, dill, dried parsley, and salt. You don’t have to use these. You are more than welcome to use whichever spices you have on hand or think might be tasty. These are a great starting point.

Pop them into a bowl and they will look pretty and earthy like this.

Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget? Maybe one spoon or pan that you love and use more than another? These are my favorite measuring spoons. Since I was using them to measure out all of those spices, I had to stop and take a picture of them. I just love ’em.

Back to the recipe. So you add some olive oil to the spices and mix them up. This is a part of the recipe that I might change the next time that I make it. See the notes for why.

Then you mix the oyster crackers into the spices and oil mixture. Pour them evenly onto a baking sheet. Don’t stare at my baking sheet! It’s really old. Bake them to toast them up and help the spices bake in.

What are the magic words? Tah-dah!

Your spices and oil have transformed oyster crackers into a flavorful and tasty snack.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

Spice up those cute little oyster crackers with the flavor of ranch! So easy and cheap and makes the best snack.

Ingredients

2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
2 Tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp. Dry Mustard
1/2 Tsp. Dry Dill
2 Tsp. Dry Parsley
1 Tsp. Salt
3 Tbsp Oil (Canola, Olive, Grapeseed etc.)
8 oz Package Oyster Crackers

Method

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine dried spices. Stir in oil and mix well.
Stir in oyster crackers and toss to coat.
Transfer the crackers to a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn and bake another 10 minutes for a total of 20 minutes.

Notes

I liked these, however the powerful garlic taste was a bit much. I think I will be using only 1 tsp of both onion and garlic powder next time. I think I'll also only use 1 tsp of parsley next time as well.

I would recommend tossing the crackers in the oil FIRST and then tossing the crackers in each of the spices separately. Mixing spices in the oil makes for a pasty-like texture which can cake onto the crackers. The oil coating would help the spices stick better to the crackers. Just FYI and something that I noted.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/ranch-oyster-crackers/