Bagel Pizza Appetizer

Need to make something quick and easy for the family? Or need something for an appetizer for your guests? This is a fun favorite that I make when I don't want to make anything too elaborate and can be done in less than 10-15 minutes.

5-7 mini onion bagels
Classico sauce
Shredded mozzarella
mini pepperoni (optional)

Split apart the mini bagels. Take spoonfuls of sauce and thinly spread it across the bagel halves. Then take pinches of the shredded mozzarella and sprinkle them onto the bagel halves. Line toaster oven rack with tin foil or use a small cookie sheet to place bagels on. Set your toaster oven for about 5-7 minutes.* Toast until bagels are lightly browned and cheese is melted; then serve!

*My toaster oven is an older model so I set it to Toast and for timing I have it on Medium.

Dogs in a Blanket

This is something that my Grandma use to make for dad and his siblings when they were younger. It so delicious, but I don't recommend making it all the time because it is high in cholesterol.

4-6 hot dogs
4-6 strips of bacon
3-4 slices of cheddar cheese

Preheat oven at 350. Take your cheese slices and rip them into halves then fold them in half. Take each hot dog and cut a slit longways on one side. Make the slit about a quarter of an inch. place one of your folded cheeses into the hot dogs slits. Now take one slice of bacon and wrap it around the hot dog. Repeat for all hot dogs.

Once all hot dogs have been stuffed and wrapped, spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and dogs in a blanket on the tray, then put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Cooking Tips!

Here is an article that I read on Yahoo! recently about bad cooking habits that some people tend to do. (My apologies for the long URL).

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/10-bad-cooking-habits-break-162400734.html;_ylt=AiXOvKGrfB.2IsylAbgPd9qjhaU5;_ylu=X3oDMTFjZnBiN25tBG1pdANGb29kIGJsb2dzBHBvcwM0NARzZWMDTWVkaWFCbG9nSW5kZXhUZW1w;_ylg=X3oDMTFva2pqdW0yBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANmb29kBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Here is another article that is featured on eatingwell.com that discusses other cooking no-nos. I hope that everyone finds these tips useful!

http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101_basics_and_techniques/how_to_break_your_bad_cooking_habits?utm_source=YahooBlog_Hilary_BadCookingHabits_022012

Feisty Scrambled Eggs

Just made this recipe on a whim. I more or less grabbed random things and threw them together. Turns out my improv with food is delicious once again!

2-3 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
2-3 handfuls of cheddar cheese
2-3 spoonfuls of mild salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. In a small pan over low-medium heat pour in egg mix. Constantly check the bottom of the eggs so they don't burn. Once the eggs start to solidify then start breaking up the egg mix and stir. When eggs are fully cooked then serve!

Apple Banana Crisp

2-3 Apples
1-2 Bananas
1/2 cup of Brown Sugar
4 tablespoons of butter
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven at 350. Slice apples and bananas into thin slices. Set aside. Melt butter in the microwave. In a medium bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Throw in apples and bananas; stir until fruit is evenly coated. In a 9x9 baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray of course), place apple mix in dish. Bake dish for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then serve!

Suggestions: Sometimes my mom and I like to use pears instead of bananas or we use pears with apples and bananas! If you use pears, however, I wouldn't use the ground cinnamon.

Hello everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. This week has been a pretty hectic because not only is it the first week of the spring semester, but I've also been trying to get casting done for my Theatre Arts senior thesis (the show goes up in April). My apologizes! I will have a new recipe up for you this weekend at the latest. This time I'll do a dessert :) Mmmmm yum! Of course I won't tell you what one because, well, I want it to be a surprise :)

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir Fry

I was going to make this a video post for next week but I decided to just post the recipe today before I forgot. Perhaps later in the week I'll try to make another video :) It was fend-for-yourself-night with the roommates so I decided to cook up something quick that wasn't out of a box. This recipe is very simple and quick to make. I did it in less than 30 minutes.

1-2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
3-4 tablespoons of La Choy Orange Ginger sauce
1-2 tablespoons of Srirachi Hot Chili Sauce
1 small bowl's worth of Thai Stir Fry Vegetables

Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray; put pan on medium heat. Cube chicken and place in frying pan. When chicken starts to turn white, add Orange Ginger sauce and Srirachi. When chicken is 3/4 of the way cooked, add vegetables. Constantly stir and make sure the chicken and vegetables are evenly coated. Cover for about 5-8 minutes. Once vegetables and chicken are fully cooked, turn off heat and serve :)

Optional: I didn't do this the first time I made it but if you'd like feel free to add rice to the meal!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Hello everyone! I'm back with another recipe :) This is another family favorite that goes quickly and is easy to make!

2 cans of tuna
1 Family-size can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups of milk
1 bag of egg noodles
2-3 cups of frozen peas
Black Pepper
Parsley
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Paprika (optional)
6-8 Ritz Crackers or croutons (optional)

Preheat oven at 375. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; once water is in a rolling boil, throw in egg noodles. While water is heating up, combine soup and milk over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add in spices and tuna. Strain noodles when they are just about tender. After straining, place noodles back into the pot and stir in soup mixture. Add peas. Stir so that the noodles and peas are evenly coated with the soup mix.

Spray a baking pan or casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour in casserole mix. Take out a rolling pin and a sheet of aluminum foil. Place crackers or croutons in the center of the foil. Fold tin foil like an envelope. Fold any edges where crumbs might escape. Make sure there are no open seams. Take your rolling pin and roll over the tin foiled croutons or crackers (pound on them if needed) until they are fine crumbs. Once crushed, open foil and spread your crumbs along the top of your casserole.

Wrap casserole in tin foil and place in oven for about 25-30 minutes.

Substitutions: If you don't like tuna, you can either use chicken or even canned salmon. I've made it with canned salmon before and it just as delicious! Chicken you can do almost anything with so I don't see why it wouldn't be just as good :)

Mango Chicken

Here's a personal favorite that is a little on the spicy side! This is a Thai dish that I acquired from an acquaintance of mine a couple of summers ago. I've adapted it a little so it isn't as spicy as the first time I tried it at his place but it still has some kick to it. In my videos I give some recommendations for those who have acid reflux or for those who like heat but not a lot of spice. Along with the recipe, I have videos of me making this if you'd like to see the cook in action! :)

2-3 chicken breasts (defrosted and cubed)

2 Mangoes

2 tbspns of Srirachi Hot chili sauce

2 tspn Paprika (optional)

2 tspn of Crushed Red Pepper

1-2 tspn Onion Powder

Stir fry veggies

1 1/2 cups of Jasmine Rice or White Rice

Start boiling water for rice in a small pot; after water boils throw in rice. Meanwhile, spray a medium-sized pan in with cooking spray then heat the pan over medium heat. While pan is heating, cube the chicken in a small-medium size chunks; place in pan. While chicken is cooking, slice the mangoes in chunks that are the same size as your chicken pieces. When chicken is starting to turn white in the pan, throw in mangoes. Let the mangoes cook down so they are soft. Add Srirachi Hot Chili Sauce and other spices. Constantly stir the mangoes and chicken so they are evenly coated. Once chicken is 3/4 of the way cooked, add in stir fry vegetables. Stir the vegetables so they are evenly coated in spices and chili sauce. After vegetables and rice are cooked, you're all set to enjoy this spicy dinner!

Part 1

Part 2


Part 3

The Final Product :)

Lita's Macaroni Salad

This is a pretty simple recipe and doesn't take too long to make. What takes the most time is boiling the eggs and the macaroni so set aside about 30 minutes (15-20 minutes of boiling and 10 minutes of vegetable prep). This recipe is something that my mom and I always make and have fun doing! I hope you enjoy it as well :)

Lita and Ma’s Macaroni Salad

• Sweet Bell Peppers (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green or all four) (chopped, finely)
• ½ can of Chickpeas (whole)
• ¼ Green Onion (diced)
• Cucumber slices (quartered)
• 3-4 big spoonfuls Lite Miracle Whip
• ½ a box of Elbow Macaroni
• 3-4 Hard boiled eggs (chopped)
• Black olives (diced)
• 1 5oz can of tuna in water (drained)
• Spicy Brown Mustard
• Cherry tomatoes (chopped)
• Baby carrots (chopped)
• Black pepper
• Dried Parsley
• Paprika

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the macaroni. Once it’s brought to a hard boil throw in the macaroni. Have a separate pot to boil your eggs and boil them for 15-20 minutes (If you’re feeling lazy or low on dishes, boil macaroni and eggs together but be careful of egg shell shards when draining). Meanwhile, chop and dice all your vegetables and set them aside. Once macaroni is semi-soft, drain with a colander and run it under cold water for about 10-15 seconds. Place in large mixing bowl along with all your vegetables. Once eggs are finished, drain and run them under cold water for about 30 seconds. Peel off shells and rinse them off to make sure you got all the shell shards. Roughly chop them up and thrown them into the mixing bowl. Add Miracle Whip and mustard. This amount may vary on how much you put it in. If you like mac salad to be a little dry, then do 3-4 big spoonfuls. If you like a little more creaminess then do 5-6 spoonfuls). Stir until Miracle Whip mixture is evenly distributed. Add spices and stir again. Put in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes. This will give the macaroni some more time to absorb but if you can eat it right away if you’d like!