Betty Crocker Blue Raspberry cupcakes

10 Aug

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I had a Betty Crocker blue raspberry cake mix that I thought my grandchildren would like because it was blue. But, I couldn’t use it because it contained milk.

So I had to make it into an adult snack.

Make the mix according to the box directions except DO NOT USE THE WATER.

Instead I used a container of berry yogurt that was almost expired.

Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 cups of mixed berries.

I used a lot of blueberries, some blackberries and just a few raspberries.

After the batter is mixed fold in the berries.

Line a jumbo muffin pan with oversize paper liners and put two full tablespoon into each cup.

Do not use more than that .

If you want to make 12 cakes use a little less in each cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Start checking after 28 minutes.

My first batch took 33 minutes and my second batch took 30 minutes.

Cool.

I just put more berries on the top instead of frosting.

This is a pretty good portioned snack instead of a big cake.

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

8 Aug

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Sometimes it doesn’t pay to bake from scratch.

This is one of those times.

Go to your nearest Stop and Shop and buy as many packages of the cookie mix as you can.

It is in the refrigerator section.

Follow and directions and hope you have enough for the next day.

Thank you Stop and Shop and please don’t discontinue these.

Pesto Pasta and Peas

7 Aug

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This is the time to harvest your basil.

What a treat.

I love pesto and I don’t even measure anymore when I make it but this is a good approximation.

4 cups washed basil you can even use the tender stems

4 cups Italian parsley use the tender stems too

2 cups baby arugula

8 to10 cloves garlic depending on their size

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup good olive oil

1 cup parmesan cheese

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Juice of one small lemon or 1/2 large lemon

This takes two minutes in the food processor.

Put the garlic and salt in the processor bowl and process till it is almost smooth

Add the basil, arugula, lemon juice and parsley

Process three or four spins

Add all the oil and process till it is incorporated.

Maybe six to eight spins

Add the cheese and pepper

Taste to see if you need more salt.

Process just so the cheese is blended.

This makes about 30 ounces maybe more.

Cook two pounds of pasta.

Use whatever shape you have.

1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen peas. Cook in the microwave till they are hot.

Take 1 1/2 cups of the pesto and mix it with the cooked pasta

Add the peas

Spoon extra pesto on top

Serve with extra cheese.

Use the zest of the lemon for garnish.

This is worth breaking my carb free diet.

 

 

Buffalo Chicken Patty

2 Aug

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Who ever thought I would be eating ground chicken???

I bought a package to use in a Chinese food recipe but didn’t feel like having it.

Buffalo anything is always a go to meal so I started to experiment.

One package of ground chicken

One chopped onion sautéed in two tablespoons butter with two cloves of chopped garlic

1 cup cooked drained spinach seasoned with salt and pepper

One egg

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup Franks buffalo sauce

Mix everything together

Make a ball the size of a baseball and flatter out to make a patty

Place on a greased baking sheet

Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the meat looks well done

Touch the top and if it is firm to the touch it is done.

Serve with a blue cheese or ranch salad and extra buffalo sauce

They make delicious sliders and are much less expensive then boneless chicken.

I also crumbled blue cheese on top.

 

The Hero Sandwich

28 Jul

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One of the best beach sandwiches of all time is a basic hero sandwich.

My sister Janet brought them to the beach and of corse I devoured it.

Janet is an artist so the sandwich was perfectly layered.

Mine would come out a little bit more free style.

1 sandwich size Italian roll

3 slices pepperoni

2 slices thin Genoa salami

4 thin slices good imported ham

2 slices American cheese

1 thin slice Provolone cheese

One tablespoon olive oil on one side of the bread

Sprinkling of dried oregano on the oil

Layer everything on the roll and wrap tightly

You can add lettuce, tomato, pickles, capers and onion.

Sometimes plain is the best.

 

Stuffies

27 Jul

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My sister Janet wanted to go dig for quahoggs and my son’s friend said he would take her, so I went along as well. We had such a good time  reminiscing of when we were kids and we ended up quahogging for three hours.

We caught a lot of quahogs, about 150, so we had a feast.

We used my Dad’s old hand made clam chucker machine to open them and then started to cook.

We made steamed quahogs, stuffies, clams casino, clam cakes, spaghetti with clams and still had some leftover.

We dug all morning and cooked all afternoon.

This is my Mom’s Stuffy (stuffed quahog) recipe with a couple of changes.

Two cups of quahog meat.

Keep the shells for stuffing.

1/2 cup fresh parsley

3 packages of cheese and cracker sandwiches, thats 18.

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 onion sautéed in 2 tablespoons butter  and cook till soft

Keep out enough onion to put one slice on the top of each quahog.

Place everything in the food processor and pulse maybe 6 times till everything is blended well but not mush. It should be a rough chop consistency.

Fill each shell with a tablespoon or two of filling depending on the size of the quahog shell.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

The top should be slightly brown.

Serve with wedges of lemon and hot sauce.

 

Quahog Casino

26 Jul

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My sister Janet makes the best quahog casino ever.

I watched her make them and was amazed.

25 small to medium quahogs

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, 1/2 panko and 1/2 seasoned Italian crumbs

1/2  stick melted butter

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 inch piece of bacon for the top of each quahog.

Cook the bacon till the fat has rendered off and it is soft. Set aside.

Mix everything together except the bacon with a fork till all the bread crumbs are coated.

Set aside

Open the small quahogs and put all the meat on one shell. Discard the other shell.

Place one teaspoon of buttered, seasoned crumbs on each quahog.

Place the semi cooked bacon on top

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the crumbs and bacon are slightly brown and the bacon is crisp.

Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce.

How easy is this.

Thanks Janet.

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