Mama's Brownies

These here...are what we grew up with. They are not your traditional 'brownie & ice cream' dessert. They have the perfect frosting that sets and are rich and moist and MMmmm... oh so good.

Pinto Fajita Burger Patties

YUM! These are another fun bean burger that make me realize the possibilities are endless!

Black Bean Chipotle Burgers

Talk about a super fun experimental success! These are delicious black bean burgers that can be baked, pan fried, grilled or even eaten raw! I don't know why you'd want to eat them raw, but hey....they are that good that even my 8 year old boy was snitching from the bowl before they were baked. Add the delicious patty to a whole wheat bun with flax seed or a cheese & jalapeno bagel and enjoy!

Zucchini Muffins--Whole Wheat & Flax

These are a good hearty whole wheat muffin. Kids and adults love them! Beware that my recipe makes about 36 full size muffins, so you can adjust it to make less if needed.

Muffin in a Mug?!?

So, my darling daughter found this all-the-pintrest-rage recipe for making a blueberry muffin in a mug.  It sounded intriguing but then she said, "You make it in the microwave."  My initial instinct was, "Gross! No way. Not happening."  But, in the spirit of trying not to shoot down every crazy idea that my kids come up with, I said, "Sounds interesting.  Let me see the recipe." (forced smile)

Mama's Fudge

Mama's Fudge

1 can evaporated milk

1 cube butter

4 cups sugar

Cook over medium heat and boil for 7 minutes (stirring constantly)

Remove from heat and stir in:

1 bag of chocolate chips

2 (8 oz) large hershey's bars

1 jar marshmallow cream

2 tsps vanilla

Nuts**if you want

Spread in buttered pan and let cool. Too easy! Too delicious. Too good to make more than once a year. 

Quinoa Risotto

Many years ago, we had our first fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant as a married couple.  It was at the Ahwahnee Restaurant in Yosemite valley.  I had a piece of grilled salmon with salsa on top of a bed of risotto.  Just for kicks, I looked up their menu to see if they still served it, they don't, but I do.  Or at least my twist on it that has evolved many times over the years. 

Buttermilk Syrup

This is seriously good syrup... We use it for pancakes, wafffles, french toast and even as the glaze on sweet rolls. It's like almost too good that it could be bad. And of course, I'm posting it because I need it for when I'm away from home... 

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk (If you don't have this, I've used milk and it's still great)
1 TBS vanilla
1 TBS corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda

Bring first five ingredients to a boil. Add baking soda and let boil for 10 seconds and then remove from heat. ***IT will boil over very quickly, so use a deep pot.

Enjoy while warm! 

Edmame Craisin Salad

 

You can find this basic recipe idea easily on the web, but just in case you haven't come across it before, it is yummy enough to repost here.

Chocolate Spinach Shake

We have enjoyed spinach shakes with fruit for a few years now but recently I felt the need to shake things up a little bit (haha).  My kids were wanting an ice cream shake and, as always, I was wanting to make it a little more healthful.  This is what we came up with.  They vary some depending on what we have in the fridge but we have been enjoying them for months.