Pineapple Upside-Down cupcakes

All I can say is delicious! I have made these several times. They were a big hit at a party, I made 1/2 with nuts & 1/2 without.

Makes 24 cupcakes

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple tidbits in juice, drained
1/2 cup chopped Pecans
12 maraschino cherries, halved
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Lemon Flavor Gelatin
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 tsp. lemon zest


HEAT oven to 350ºF.

MIX sugar and butter in medium bowl; stir in pineapple and nuts. Place cherry half, cut-side up, in center of each of 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Cover with pineapple mixture.

ADD boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Cool 10 min.

BEAT remaining ingredients in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add gelatin; mix well. Spoon over pineapple mixture in muffin cups. (Cups will almost be completely filled.)

BAKE 15 to 18 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Invert onto plates just before serving; remove paper liners.

French Dip Sandwich Rolls

So, my sister in law passed this recipe on to me. As soon as i read it, I knew I had to try it. I will be making this again. I think it could also frozen & heated for later use or to give away to a new parent. I got 12 decent sized sandwiches out of mine. My sister in law also suggested chopping up some pepperoncini's, green olives & hot peppers to add a little kick to the sandwich. It was awesome!!!!

Serves 4-6

1 packet onion soup mix
1 can beef broth
1 cup water
3 pounds pot roast
1 package potato rolls
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese


Combine onion soup &beef broth in crock pot, stir to combine. Add roast & cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove roast to slice or shred. Open rolls & place beef then cheese. You can toast these in the oven if you wish. To toast have oven preheated to 375 and bake for 15 minutes. Serve sandwiches with side of au jus (leftover broth in crock pot).

Porcupine Meatballs

I don't think my quest for trying to "find something different for dinner", will ever end. I think my craving, for something new will always be there. I had never heard of porcupine meatballs, but I guess it is a fairy common recipe. I had leftover rice in the fridge, so I used that instead & omitted the first water. Also used canned tomatoes, because I wanted something more chunky. I served it over mashed potatoes & sauteed up some corn & zucchini to go along with it.


Serves 4-5

1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Add beef and mix well. shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. In a large skillet, brown meatballs in oil; drain. Combine tomato sauce, water, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce; pour over meatballs. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1

Panko Chicken with Hummus and Zesty Carrots

I love finding new recipes. Especially something different. This was simple to make & tasted great. The best thing is depending on your mood, you can switch out the hummus. I don't like the flavor of cilantro, so I substituted Greek hummus instead. I could have put parsley on top, but wasn't in the mood.


Serves 4


Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
4 chicken cutlets (about 1 lb)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (8-oz) container Deli cilantro/jalapeño hummus
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 pouches boil-in-bag rice
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon water

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat both sides of chicken with hummus (about 1 tablespoon for each cutlet). Place panko in shallow dish. Dip chicken into panko (coating both sides).
Cook rice following package instructions.
Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Place oil in pan, then add chicken; cook 3–4 minutes each side or until 165°F.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup hummus with cilantro, lime juice, and water; drizzle sauce over chicken. Serve.

Zesty Carrots
1 (16-oz) bag dip chip cut carrots
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place carrots in microwave-safe dish and cover; microwave on HIGH 4–5 minutes or until tender. Drain any water in dish.
Whisk together in medium bowl, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper until blended. Stir carrots into sauce. Serve.

Orange Julius

Remember back in the day, when there were the Orange Julius stores. Well, I got a craving for one, which lead me on a hunt for a great recipe. This is what I came up with.

6 oz can of frozen orange juice concentrate (I like the orange pineapple myself)
1 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar (I think the powdered sugar makes it a little creamy)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-12 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender except the ice cubes. Blend for 1 minute, then add ice cubes one at a time.

Note- I make up a batch & place extra in disposable cups, then I pull one out & let sit on the counter for about 20 minutes. I then have a great pick me up in the morning.

Bourbon Chicken

I ran across this recipe. Boy, was I glad I tried it! It was awesome, it is as good, if not better than what you get in a Chinese restaurant. The only thing I would change about the recipe, is I would double the sauce and serve it with a vegetable.

Serves 4

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons bourbon or to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet.

Dredge chicken in the 1/3 cup cornstarch. Add chicken pieces and
cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken.
Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed
and dissolved.
Bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and add chicken back into pan,
simmer for 20 minutes.
If sauce is not your desired consistency. Take the remaining 2
teaspoons corn starch, add a little sauce to it (making a slurry). Add
cornstarch mixture to the bourbon sauce. Bring to a boil & sauce will
thicken.
Serve over hot rice.

Zucchini Bread

Well, it's summer time & I am sure you have way to many zucchini's coming from your garden. This is an easy & yummy recipe to use some of it up. The best thing? Kids don't even know they are eating their veggies. I think some chopped apples would be a great addition to this recipe. Also, you could top this with cream cheese.

I made muffins & mini loafs, but you could make regular loafs if that suited you better.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. (It will be thick, like play dough) Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If baking muffins, bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.