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One of my favorite desserts of all time is a family recipe my mom has been making since..well..forever. If you are wondering, jimmies are chocolate sprinkles which are mixed into this moist cake, giving it a hint of chocolate which pairs well with a light coffee flavor.


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I must admit that I have been making the same Marshmallow Fruit Salad recipe for my entire life. It is a classic and deeelish. For Easter, though, I wanted to branch out and try new recipes and this recipe for Simple Summer Fruit Salad from Real Mom Kitchen looked perfect. If you are on the hunt for a fruit salad recipe I recommend trying this one out.

One note would be to make it the day you are going to serve it and try to finish any leftovers the first day or so. I thought it tasted much better fresh. I would also add marshmallows next time around and play around with different flavors of jello pudding to add. Delicious!

Quick Summer Fruit Salad
Makes many servings

• 1 (5.1 oz) pkg vanilla instant pudding
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits with juice
• 1 lb. fresh strawberries, quartered
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (optional, I think marshmallows would be a yummy substitution)
• 3 bananas, sliced

1. In a bowl combine the pudding mix and canned pineapple with the juice.  Stir until well blended and all the pudding mixture has dissolved.
2. Fold in the strawberries and blueberries if desired.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Just before serving, fold in the sliced bananas.

Recipe by Real Mom Kitchen

Happy Saturday peeps! Today I have a throw it all together dinner recipe that my mom came up with. It is so tasty, let me tell ya. It isn't baked, so no need to heat up the kitchen by using your oven. The combination of the roasted bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes really adds a ton of flavor so I highly recommend using both if you can. Enjoy!



Ravioli with Italian Cheese & Herb Cream Sauce, Chicken and Veggies
Makes 6-8 servings

• 1 container Philadelphia Cooking Creme - Italian Cheese & Herb
• 20 oz package four cheese ravioli
• 4 oz sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 lb grilled chicken, cut into cubes
• 10 oz fresh spinach
• 10 oz. roasted bell peppers (jarred kind, which was 2 bell peppers worth)

1. Cook the ravioli until al dente. While that is boiling, add the cooking creme to a sauce pan over medium heat and stir until melted. Pour over cooked pasta. Stir in chicken, spinach, peppers and tomatoes. Serve warm with breadsticks.

 Last time around we tried out Chocolate Chip Donuts which were delicious. Today let me introduce you to a moist pumpkin treat -- Pumpkin Spice Donuts. Topped with cinnamon and sugar, they are sweet but not overly so. Ready for the recipe?




Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Makes about 18 donuts

• 1¾ cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup pumpkin (canned)
• ½ cup milk

For Topping:

• ½ cup melted butter
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon

1. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, mix together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined.

3. Pour dry ingredients into liquid ingredients and mix on low speed until moistened. Do not over mix. Fill each donut reservoir with about 2 tablespoons of batter.

4. Bake about 4 to 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into donut comes out clean.

5. Melt butter in a small bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in a paper bag.While donuts are still hot, dip each one in melted butter, then shake in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to add topping.

Recipe from babycakes

Another update! This time around I remade the Frisco Melts to get a picture for the ol' blog. The recipe can be found here. Enjoy!

 This weekend I have a special treat for you guys. Flavorful and delicious Shredded Beef Nachos. The recipe for the shredded beef comes from Epicurious and originally, Texas Cooking.

While the ingredient list may seem a little long, it is broken up into three sections. The marinade for the meat, the ingredients added and simmered with the meat until it is falling apart, then the garnishes to serve it. It is amazing with a spiciness that isn't overwhelming but still packs a little bit of a bite. Ready for the recipe?

Shredded Beef Nachos
Makes several servings

Marinade:

• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• Juice of two limes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ cup vegetable oil or olive oil

Shredded Beef (Machaca):

• 2-3 lb Chuck Roast or Skirt Steak, trimmed and cut into lb portions.
• 1 Large Texas Sweet Onion (yellow onion) diced
• 2 Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce + 1 spoonful of sauce
• ½ green bell pepper diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, minced
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies
• ¼ cup beef broth
• 1 Tb dried oregano
• 1 Tb ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
• salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for searing the beef

1. For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

3. In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.

4. When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Saut for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked with a fork.

5. Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to add if any.

For serving:

• tortilla chips
• shredded cheese (whatever kind you like)
• sliced jalapenos
• sour cream

1. Put down a layer of tortilla chips. Spoon the shredded beef and juices over the chips. Top with garnishes and serve.

Recipe from Texas Cooking

 Normally I am not a huge fan of lots of appliances in the kitchen, but my mom picked up a little Sunbeam Donut Maker and I have to say, I love it. Having made both fried and baked donuts in the past, I prefer this appliance as it is very convenient, it cleans up quick, and most importantly it makes some damn tasty little donuts.

The recipe provided in the manual for these Chocolate Chip Donuts made tender and delicious treats that my family loved. I topped them off with a dark chocolate glaze and chocolate sprinkles. Ready for the recipe?


Chocolate Chip Donuts
Makes 10-12

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 9 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 3/4 c. milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• chocolate glaze (recipe follows)
• chocolate sprinkles

1. Preheat donut machine. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Whisk in the butter, milk, egg and chocolate chips until the mixture forms a smooth batter.

2. Spray machine with cooking oil. Fill bases of preheated donut rings with batter. Close lid and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the donuts are golden and cooked. Use a non-stick spatula to transfer donuts to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter. Let cool then glaze.

Chocolate Icing

• 1 c. confestioners sugar
• 1/2 c. sifted cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark chocolate powder)
• 2 - 3 Tbsp. milk

1. Sift confectioners sugar into a medium bowl. Stir in enough milk to make a soft, spreadable icing.

2. Drizzle over cooled donuts. Sprinkle with decorations if desired and set aside until set.