Posts

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan 1 1/2 pounds ground beef  1/4 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 cups tomato sauce 2 tablespoons tomato …

Comfort Food, Easy, Ground Meat

Easy Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients 5 to 6 cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots 1 teaspoon minced garlic 12 ounces assorted mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced, stems removed 2 cups arborio rice 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 cup dry …

Easy, Mushroom, Risotto

Fresh Lemonade


When you have lemons…make this yummy lemonade!  I have a lemon tree that gives us the best Meyer lemons, and this lemonade recipe is super simple and quick to make.   When I have extra time and too many ripe lemons, I squeeze lemons and freeze the juice in 1 cup juice packets.  I use small plastic bags, and lay them flat in the freezer for easier storage.  The hot water melts the frozen lemon juice and you don’t always have the mess of squeezing lemons.  

The packets come in handy when I have kids over and they want lemonade. It also makes having last minute lemonade stands easier too.  My kids always like to have lemonade stands on warm, sunny days.  For some reason, that happens a lot in our Newport Beach neighborhood. 


Lemons at The Parker Palm Springs

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

  • ½ cup hot water
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ gallon cold water
  • 1 lemon, sliced

Directions:

In a large pitcher, place sugar and hot water, stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and cold water to make a ½ gallon. Stir until well mixed. Pour lemonade over glasses of ice. Add a slice of lemon or mint to garnish.

Beverages, Lemon

Banana Chocolate Fudge Bars

Ingredients:1/2 cup butter1/2 cup shortening1 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar1 tsp. vanilla1 medium banana, mashed2 cups flour1/3 cup dark cocoa1 tsp. baking soda1 tsp. salt1 1/2 cups chocolate chipsDirections:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter, crisco, sugar, and brown …

Banana, Bars, Chocolate, Dessert

Banana Caramel Cake

This recipe seems somewhat involved due to the amount of ingredients.  It it actually is very easy and I should probably make this recipe more often. This recipe is labeled as dessert, but who says you can’t have dessert for breakfast? Leftover dessert for breakfast, …

Banana, Cake, Caramel, Dessert

Double Chocolate Pancakes

These pancakes are decadent. This is a “special” morning breakfast for sure.  Probably not the healthiest way to start your day, but a wonderful treat indeed.  My kids said the pancakes could be dessert.  Maybe that’s because I always serve pancakes with whipped cream.  

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups milk
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup cocoa
¾ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and milk until light and foamy. Stir in melted butter. Add in flour mixture and mix until just blended. It will be lumpy…that’s O.K. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto a griddle heated to medium heat. Bake until bubbles start to form. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. Serve with butter and maple syrup. An extra sprinkle of chocolate chips is pretty good too…not that I would know anything about that.

Recipe from: Becky Bakes October 2011

Breakfast, Chocolate, Pancakes

New England-Style Baked Beans

ENLARGE IMAGECredit: Todd Colema INGREDIENTS1 lb. dried navy beans, picked over and rinsed1 medium yellow onion, ends trimmed, peeled, and left whole4 whole cloves8 oz. slab bacon or salt pork, trimmed and cut into 2″ x 14″ pieces¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. maple syrup¼ cup …

Beans, Side Dish

Bucatini all’ Amatriciana

Bucatini all’Amatirciana is one of my family’s favorite meals. This recipe is great for serving lots of people too.  You can make the sauce before the guests arrive, and then when the pasta is finished, you simply toss the pasta in the sauce and you are done. It …

Easy, Italian, Pasta