'Ono Made Easy

I love making treats, especially with a holiday theme in mind! When I was looking for a Halloween treat idea, Mark showed me this recipe for Bloody Broken Glass Cupcakes, adapted from all recipes.com. Ingredients 1 (18.25 oz) box white cake mix 1 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 ( 16 oz) can white frosting Sugar glass: 2 cups water 1 cup light corn syrup 3 1/2 cups white sugar 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar Edible blood: 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 cup water, or more more as needed 15 drops red food coloring 3 drops blue food coloring Directions Cupcakes  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 12-cupcake tins with paper cupcake liners. 2. Blend cake mix, 1 cup water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a mixture on low speed for 2 minutes. Divide cake batter between lined cupcake tins. 3. Bake cupcakes in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 18-22 minutes). Coo...

There's a first time for everything, including baking a turkey for Thanksgiving! Thanks to my co-worker/friend Hilah, I now have a wonderful turkey recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com)! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/perfect-turkey/detail.aspx Ingredients 1 whole ( 18 lb) turkey, neck and giblets removed 2 cups salt 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 large onions, peeled and chopped 4 carrots, peeled and chopped 4 stalks celery, chopped sprigs of fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 cup dry white wine ( I used Lucky Duck Sauvignon Blanc) Directions 1. Rub the turkey inside and out with salt. Place the turkey in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture for 12 hours or overnight. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Throughly rinse the turkey and disgard the brine mixture. 3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 of the melted butter. Place the breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff ...

Who ever thought it could get really chilly in South Carolina! It was definitely a soup day. Mark kept talking about how he loves the Pasta Fagoili soup at Olive Garden, so I adapted this recipe from Pinterest: http://stickafork.net/2012/11/pasta-e-fajoili-soup/ Ingredients  1 lb ground beef 1small onion, chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 28oz can diced tomatoes 15 oz can tomato sauce 15 oz can beef broth 15 oz can red kidney beans (with liquid) 15 can great northern beans (with liquid) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 8 oz dry ditalini pasta ( I couldn't find ditalini, so I used small shells) Directions  1. In a large stockpot, brown the ground beef over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain and return to the pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rema...

I wanted a healthy/quick chicken dish that made you feel good and full. Here's a recipe I adapted from Pinterest: http://attackofthehungrymonster.blogspot.com/2013/08/wiaw-clean-eats-mexi-rice-bowl-with.html ( makes 4 servings)  Ingredients for the chicken: 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes salt  to taste pepper to taste 1 tsp paprika ( I left this out b/c Mark doesn't like paprika, but I put it on my chicken later) 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo) 2 limes, zested and juice 2 garlic cloves, minced Directions 1. Place chicken into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. 2. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, adobo sauce, lime zest and juice and garlic. Pour it over the chicken and toss to coat. 3. Cook in a skillet on medium heat until done ( about 20 minutes).  Ingredients for the rice: 1 cup cooked rice 1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed) 1 cup cooked...

Mark and I were looking for a good crock pot recipe. We adapted this recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, heart healthy edition. Spicy Chicken in Peanut Sauce Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil 8 large skinless chicken thighs (about 3 lbs.) 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup) 2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained 2 tablespoons honey 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter Directions 1. In a 12in nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil about 4 minutes, turning once, until brown. 2. In 4-to-5-quart slow cooker, mix onion, diced and crushed tomatoes, honey, cumin and cinnamon. Add chicken. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken. 3. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours. 4. Stir in peanut butter until melted and well blended.

 Ever have a pasty from Michigan? This adapted recipe kinda reminds me of a cross between a pasty and a Hot Pocket: http://willcookforsmiles.com/2013/09/broccoli-chicken-alfredo-hand-pies.html Ingredients 1 tbs oil 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 cup diced broccoli florets ( steamed) salt, pepper 3/4 cup alfredo sauce 1 pack of pastry sheets ( 1 small egg whisked w 1 tbs of water for egg wash) Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet. 1. Dice and Cook the chicken in a medium size pan with a little bit of salt and pepper until completely done.  2. Mix the chicken with the steamed broccoli and alfredo sauce. 3. Break apart the pastry sheets. Separate the chicken mixture between half of the pastry sheets. 4. Take the other half of the pastry sheets and place them over the top of the chicken mixtures. Press the seams together. 5.  Brush hand pies with egg wash and bake on sheet for 20-25 minutes, until the pie are crispy a...

Mark was trying to think of a good salsa to make to go with our Slow Cooker Carnitas, so he decided to put a bunch of fresh ingreidents together and called it Two Tomato Taco Topping! Ingredients: 10 cherry tomatoes 10 orange super sweet Zima tomatoes 1/2 fresh green jalapeno pepper 1/3 medium red onion, chopped juice of one small lime 3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon of garlic powder 1 teaspoon cumin Directions: Mix and toss all ingredients in a bowl. Olé!