Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Patty melts.


Do you ever wish to bring the diner food at home? Well, I know I do. Diners are home to classic comfort food. They serve up dishes and don't spare you the side of extra grease. I think Patty Melts are a classic diner dish. They are greasy, cheesy, and piled with meat. If you like grilled cheeses and you like hamburgers, then you will most definitely love Patty Melts. Patty Melts are easy to make and just so yummy. So here you go from the diner to your home table. 






Patty Melts

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Salt and Pepper, to taste 
5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce 
8 slices of cheese ( I use American or Swiss)
8 slices of bread (some use rye)
1 large onion, halved and sliced thinly
1/2 cup butter (or 1 stick)

Directions: 

  1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet. Toss in sliced onion and cook on low for 20-25 minutes until onions are golden brown and soft. 
  2. In a medium sized bowl, mix the ground beef and Worcestershire sauce. Form the ground beef into 4 patties. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of patties.
  3. In separate skillet, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Put patties into skillet and cook until cooked thoroughly, so that there isn't any pink on the middle.
  4. Next, assemble patty melts in this order. 1 slice of bread, a slice of cheese, hamburger patty, 1/4 onions, a slice of cheese, a slice of bread. 
  5. Over medium heat grill the sandwiches in a griddle or skillet. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet or griddle. Grill sandwiches over medium heat until golden. Remove sandwiches from skillet or griddle and melt another 2 tablespoons of butter. Turn the sandwiches onto the other side and grill until golden, crispy and the cheese is melted. Remove from skillet or griddle. Cut in half and serve immediately. Enjoy! 
I hope you enjoy this recipe! My family loves patty melts. They are classic at my home, and I hope they become the same at your house too.

Peace, love, bake on.

                             Andrea

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Pumpkin cupcakes with a cream cheese cinnamon frosting.


My favorite season is fall. The leaves are changing beautiful bright colors, and as they fall and drift through the wind, everything seems magical. I, more than normal, took great notice in the colors of the leaves this year. There were these trees that I passed everyday on my way to school that were this beautiful, bright red. You couldn't help but notice them when you went by. During this time of the year to express the magical qualities that I find in fall, I think of pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin, pumpkin pumpkin. Pumpkin just screams autumn. Above I mentioned pumpkin cupcakes, these little cakes are just scrumptious. Pumpkin cupcakes are fall, all wrapped up into one little delight. So if that wasn't enough to get you to make them, I don't know what will.

Another reason to love these is that this recipe is so super easy to make. If you have a cake mix and pumpkin then you can probably make these. Not a lot of work involved since it uses a cake mix. BONUS! You of course don't have to use the cream cheese cinnamon frosting recipe that I provided but I would highly recommend because it is awesome.  

The cream cheese cinnamon frosting as mentioned above that accompanies these pumpkin cupcakes is absolutely amazing. Cream cheese frosting is amazing with out cinnamon, but you add the cinnamon and it is even more amazing. I could probably just eat it right out the bowl all day long. Pair that with the pumpkin cupcakes, and you have one delicious dessert. So go ahead and make them for Thanksgiving or for just the heck of it. You won't be disappointed. 







Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients:


For cupcakes:
1 yellow cake mix
1 can (14-15 oz.) pumpkin puree 
1 cup milk
2 Tbs. oil
5 Tbs. butter, melted
4 eggs
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

For cinnamon cream cheese frosting:
1-  8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
7 Tbs. butter, at room temperature
1 lb. powder sugar (or about 7 cups powder sugar)
1 tsp.vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon 

Directions:
For cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake holder with liners.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pumpkin pie spice. Add pumpkin, milk, oil, butter, and eggs to the bowl and mix well until smooth.
  3. Fill each lined cupcake holder with batter 2/3 full. 
  4. Bake in oven for 10-16 minutes or until when a inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pan and let cool on wire rack or towel. 
For Frosting:
  1. Using electric mixer, in a large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy and smooth. Next add the butter and mix with mixer until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the vanilla and mix. Combine in powder sugar 1 cup at time, so that it doesn't make a huge mess. Mix until smooth.
  3. After adding all the powder sugar, add the cinnamon. Mix until well blended.
  4. Frost cupcakes or pipe frosting on with piping bag and tip. I used the Wilton 1M tip. 




Enjoy! Everyone in my family loved these cupcakes, They each came back wanting another one. I plan on serving these at Thanksgiving dinner. They will easily fit in with any Thanksgiving meal. Or eat them anytime like I am sure my family and I will. 


Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Peace, love, bake on.

                                             Andrea 


Saturday, October 12, 2013

Homemade Egg Rolls.


Have you ever wondered how to make egg rolls? Well, if you asked my dad he would say you push it. While I am casting him out as a smart alec, I am going to tell you that making homemade eggs rolls is actually not as hard as one might think. I always thought that making egg rolls would be tough, but after trying my hand at them several times, I can tell you that they are actually quite simple and delicious to make at home. These egg rolls can be either baked or fried in oil. It's your preference, I love them either way. 




Homemade Egg Rolls:
adapted from Joyful Abode

Ingredients:

1 package egg roll wrappers (can be found at grocery stores, I purchased mine from Walmart; you can also make them homemade, if desired)
1 bag coleslaw of mix 
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Splash of soy sauce 
salt and pepper to taste
Oil, if frying
Cooking spray, if baking
Some water in small bowl for sealing the egg rolls

Optional fun add ins:

Chopped mushrooms
Bean sprouts
can of shrimp
cooked chicken or beef
whatever else you find will taste good in egg rolls


Directions:

  1. If baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Or if frying, place oil in deep skillet and heat to about 375 degrees. 
  2. Put coleslaw mix in a large microwave safe bowl, cover, and then microwave for 3-6 minutes. 
  3. In a large mixing bowl, place the optional ingredients, if you are adding any. 
  4. Splash in some soy sauce. Add garlic and ground ginger.
  5. After coleslaw is cooked. Drain off the excess liquid. Then combine the coleslaw in with the rest of the ingredients. 
  6. Next, after laying out one egg roll wrapper pointing towards you, use the water and dip the tip of your finger in the water and moisten the edges of the egg roll wrapper (making a square on the wrapper, or outlining the whole wrapper). 
  7. Now, spoon a small amount of the filling on the center near the corner that is closest to you. Fold corner over mixture and then the two side corners toward the center and continue rolling up. Repeat for the rest of the wrappers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                
  8. If baking, place egg rolls on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Lightly spray the egg rolls with cooking spray, too. Bake 15 minutes in preheated oven and then flip the egg rolls over, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
  9. If frying, place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until  golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel or wire rack. Serve with dipping sauce or eat plain. Either way enjoy!
               
                                   



 Now you can enjoy egg rolls when ever you want in the comfort of your own home. You also now know that making egg rolls is no trouble at all. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I do. Comment or email me to give me suggestions or to tell me what you think.

Peace, love, bake on.

                                         The Fiery Redhead







Friday, October 4, 2013

Cheesy taco pasta.

It's been way to long since I have last posted anything, and for that I am sorry. I have been super duper busy lately. Tennis seemed to take over my life. Anyway on to better things. Things such as comfort food. Ahhh Comfort food. Lets take a moment of silence to savor these words. (brief pause) Just typing these words bring me comfort.

 Comfort food can be defined under a wide variety of cuisines. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary comfort food is defined as food that is satisfying because it is prepared in a simple or traditional way and reminds you of home, family, or friends. Sounds simple enough. To me anything with cheese, cream, pasta, or many other not-so-healthy items of food are comforting.

This brings me to my next point, sharing a delicious comforting recipe with ya'll. This recipe could be easily defined as comfort food and under the umbrella of super easy and quick. 



Cheesy Taco Pasta
adapted from Emily Bites

Ingredients:


8 oz. of pasta of your choice (I either use wide egg noodles or shell pasta)
1 pound of ground beef
1 packet of taco seasoning (or something equivalent to a packet)
1 1/2 cups salsa (I used a chunky salsa)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2  cups shredded cheese (used half cheddar & half Colby-Jack)
salt and pepper to taste
Olives (optional)

Directions:
  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, brown (cook) the ground beef in a large skillet. Break and crumble the beef while it is cooking. After it is thoroughly cooked, drain the grease from the beef.
  3. Add the taco seasoning, salsa, water to the beef and let simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes or until pasta is done cooking.
  4. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain pasta and add it to the beef mixture. Add the sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper and stir until it is combined. After the cheese has melted thoroughly, remove from heat and serve immediately.
  5. ENJOY!



As you can see, this recipe is easy and really good. I loved it the first time I made it. When I first made my family thought it looked kind of gross, but after they tried it they loved it. As always please and enjoy. Tell me what you think by either commenting or emailing me.
                                
Peace, Love, bake on.
                                                The Fiery Redhead 





Thursday, August 15, 2013

Roasted potatoes and sausage.


Hey everyone! It's been to long. I have had a rather busy summer. I had made all these plans to do all these fun DIYs, hair dos, and recipes and to share them with you and then it kind of hit the back burner. Sorry about that. The summer just flew by me, and time just escaped me. One reason for the lack of activity on the Fiery Redhead this summer was that I had an appendicitis. And so I had emergency surgery on a Sunday night and spent the next several weeks recovering at home in bed. I can't tell how much Netflix I watched while stuck in bed. After being released from the doctor a few weeks later, I found that my senior year was fast approaching. And with school comes tennis, which I love, but takes it a lot of my time. So now that my senior year has started and so has my last season of tennis, I find that I am hard pressed on time after practice to make a delicious supper (not only that but I am usually quite tired by the time it is time to make supper). So, I am digging up my favorite type of recipes, the quick and easy ones. And one of the recipes that I happened to dig up and make tonight was roasted sausage and potatoes. The great thing about this recipe is that you can ad lib. You can slice up and add an onion or even peppers, which is what I did tonight. Just add what you think you and your family may like and what you have on hand. Also this recipes can be easily multiplied to make more or even cut in half. It's kind of like a guideline.


Quick and easy roasted potatoes and sausage


To Make This Recipe:
6 potatoes  
Italian sausage or some other similar type of sausage (the sausage in the pictures isa spicy sausage)
Onion, sliced
Pepper(s), sliced
Garlic salt
Oregano
Black Pepper
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop up the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Place potatoes on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Cut each link of sausage into small pieces based on your own preference, but I would do about 1/2 inch pieces. Add the sliced vegetables to the potatoes on the baking sheet. Sprinkle seasonings (garlic, oregano, black pepper) on top of the potatoes and vegetables, evenly. Add the sausage to the potatoes and vegetables. Drizzle some olive oil on top the potatoes, vegetables, and sausage. Place in oven and bake about 30 minutes, or until potatoes and sausage are cooked all the way through. Flip the potatoes every so often while baking in the oven. Cooking time varies depending on the size of potatoes and sausage. So just keep an eye on it. 

*fun add in: tomatoes, canned or fresh. 

Quick and easy roasted potatoes and sausage

As you can see this recipes is super easy and quick. And it doesn't have a lot of clean up time. That is a definite bonus. Anyway enough of my rambling. Please enjoy!

Peace, love, bake on.
                              Andrea

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust (Bisquick Pizza Crust)


If you are ever like me, you are sometimes hard on time. And in my family everyone loves pizza and during the summer everyone wants yummy food for lunch. They always ask me for pizza for lunch. And instead going through the trouble of making a complicated time consuming crust for lunch, I usually use this extra easy crust instead for an easy lunch or what ever calls for a crust. It is easy and doesn't require a lot of preparation or time to make. So it fits in perfectly for lunch. 

I have made dessert pizza with this dough and to add a little sweetness to this dough, I just add a tablespoon of sugar to the dough. And when I am in a pinch, I make mini pizzas for the kids to make and decorate on their on for a fun hands on lunch time.







Quick and Easy Crust (Bisquick Pizza Crust)
based on recipe from Tablespoon.com

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

1/3- 2/3 cups hot water
1/4 cup flour to roll dough

Mix Bisquick and hot water together well in a medium sized bowl. Roll dough into desire size and shape. (I can get one 12-inch crust or 3-4 mini crusts)


I know this recipe has helped me in a pinch and I hope it does the same for you. Have an amazing rest of your day and thanks for reading. Enjoy!

 Peace, love, bake on.

                    
                                               Andrea 

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Everyone loves pancakes, right? I do and so does my family. We have them quite regularly because they are a family favorite and also because they are rather simple to make. I had been grasping at straws because while I liked the convenience of a boxed pancake mix there was something missing in flavor. I don't what it was but I found what was missing in this, now loved, pancake recipe. They make perfect fluffy buttermilk pancakes. And of course I want to share this amazing recipe with you. 
This recipe is originally a copycat IHOP pancake recipe. And it comes pretty close. 



Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

from Mostly Homemade Mom


1 1/4 cup flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (I used regular milk with 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon vinegar as a substitute)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add egg and buttermilk and mix until well incorporated. Stir in melted butter and sugar. Grease griddle and cook pancakes over medium heat, flipping once bubbles appear on surface of batter. Serve with softened butter and warmed syrup. And enjoy!

                            Peace, love, and cook on.
                                                     Andrea