Honey Bun Cake

Posted by Lori:

Well, my husband is continuing his recent baking hobby by providing his co-workers with a weekly treat of some sort. Today at noon he came home and made a cake for them to enjoy this afternoon. He said it got great reviews, so I decided to share it with you today. I'm thinking his co-workers must be really excited about his new hobby!

HONEY BUN CAKE

1 yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and sour cream. Stir by hand until most of the large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon. Swirl the cake with a butter knife until it looks like a honey bun. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. While cake is baking make glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Pour glaze over the cake while it is still warm.

Can be made in a Bundt pan. If doing a Bundt cake, grease and flour the pan. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture in the Bundt pan BEFORE the first layer of cake batter, as well as in between the two cake batter layers. Also, you will not need all of the glaze for a Bundt cake.

Because of the cool, rainy fall weather we've been having, this cake seems like the perfect treat. The cake is great at any temperature, but my husband says it's best warm.

Pin It Now!

Chicken Spinach Tortilla Pizzas

Posted by Kimberly

I had already planned to post this recipe before my sister did her "Oroweat Sandwich Thin Pizza", which, by the way, I thought was a great idea! I have my own healthy version of a pizza that is very easy and filling. The best part about it, though, is that I don't have any guilt about eating it!!!!

Chicken Spinach Tortilla Pizza

2-4 whole wheat or whole grain flour tortillas

jar spaghetti sauce

1-2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded (I boil and shred mine.)

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

salt, to taste

grated mozzarella cheese

grated Parmesan cheese

Pour approximately 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil into a pan. Add minced garlic being careful not to burn. Cook for a minute or two and then add thawed spinach and chicken. Cook until well-blended and warm. Add salt to taste. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place tortillas on cookie sheet and top with desired amount of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Next, add spinach and chicken mixture. (You decide how much you want on each pizza.) Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake in a 450 degree oven until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Of course, you could add any topping you like. In our family, my husband prefers his with chicken only, and my kids prefer theirs on a regular flour tortilla with mozzarella and cheddar.

Enjoy!!!

Pin It Now!

Taco Salad

Posted by Lori:
I grew up eating taco salad quite often and it is one of my families favorite meals. I like it because it's a quick and easy one-dish meal. All four of our kids like it, but the three boys don't like tomatoes at all. So, I just chop up the tomatoes and my husband, daughter, and I add them to our own bowls. 

TACO SALAD

1 pound hamburger meat
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Few dashes of salt and pepper
1 can ranch style beans (undrained)
1 head lettuce (I use half iceberg and half leaf)
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag tortilla chips
1 bottle Catalina dressing (I buy the large one, but you will only need 1/2 of it or less)

Brown hamburger meat with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in medium skillet on medium-high heat.  Drain grease on paper towels.  Return meat to skillet and add can of ranch style beans. Simmer on low while preparing other salad ingredients. Chop lettuce into bite-sized pieces.  Place in large bowl.  Add cheddar cheese and tomatoes.  Crush 1/2 bag of tortilla chips in large ziplock bag.  Add to lettuce mixture and stir well.  Just before serving add meat and beans to lettuce mixture. Stir.  Pour dressing over salad and stir once more before seving.

I double this recipe for my family of six, but we do have some left over.  I used to throw it out if we had a little left over, but didn't want to waste it.  I decided to try to reheat it in the microwave and my husband and I both like it this way!  The meat heats quicker because of the fat content.  Although the lettuce gets warm, it still tastes good.  We do think that the leaf lettuce isn't as good when it's reheated as is the iceberg variety....probably because it's thin and more delicate.

A note about the dressing:  Last year the Catalina dressing changed to "new and improved".  I think it seems hotter now (peppery-hot) and don't like it as well.  My family doesn't notice the difference.  Most of the time I purchase the fat free.  It's more like the "old" Catalina, so I like it better.  Wonder why they change formulas like that?????? 

Pin It Now!

Tiger Tea

Posted by Donna:

I tried this recipe for the first time this weekend. About three years ago, a family friend told me she fixed this beverage for a group of friends and that everyone really enjoyed it. For some reason last week I decided it would be fun to try it out; and since our daughter and her family were coming for the weekend, I thought they could tell me whether it was a keeper or not.


3 qt. water, divided
6 individual tea bags (I used green tea just because that's what I had on hand.)
3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup sugar

In a large pan, bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Remove from heat, and add the tea bags. Let the bags steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Stir in the lemonade and orange juice concentrates, sugar and remaining 2 qt. of water. ( I tasted the tea after adding only 1-1/2 qt. of water and liked the taste without the full 2 qt. of water.) Either way is fine, though. Serve over ice. I also think this would be a very good hot tea.

We all thought it had a very good taste. Our nine year old grandson probably liked it more than anyone. It is something that I will definitely make again soon. The taste reminds me somewhat of the spiced tea mix that was so popular years ago that used Tang. I guess that's why I want to try it as a hot tea.

Our grandson told me to tell everyone that if you drink this Tiger Tea, you will grow a Tiger's Tail!!!!!!!!! I told him I would be sure and post his comment along with the recipe. So, if you're brave enough to try this recipe, just remember we warned you!!!!!!!!!! Pin It Now!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Caramel-Pecan Sauce

This weekend I attended the 30th Annual Ladies' Fall Retreat at Quartz Mountain Christian Camp near Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. Now, when you think of camp food, many of you might not think of "good" food; however, at QMCC, the food for the ladies' retreat isn't just good - it's great!

For breakfast this morning there were four choices of pancakes: plain, chocolate chip (or maybe M & M), blueberry, and pumpkin. There was regular syrup available, plus blueberry syrup, and then a special caramel pecan sauce. That caramel pecan sauce was sooooo good on top of the pumpkin pancakes.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES
2 cups Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix (my favorite brand!)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/4 cups cold water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

In medium bowl, stir together pancake mix, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Add water and canned pumpkin. Stir with a whisk until blended. Pour slightly less than ¼ cup batter per pancake onto lightly greased and preheated 375°F griddle (medium heat). Cook 1-1 ¼ minutes per side, turning only once.

CARAMEL-PECAN SAUCE
1 cup caramel topping
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1 cup pecans
a splash of milk

In a small saucepan on medium heat, toast nuts and coconut until lightly browned. Stir in caramel. Bring back to a simmer, remove from heat and add milk while stirring. Let sit while you make the pancakes and the sauce will thicken a bit.

I asked the "chefs" about the pancakes and they told me the ingredients. I found this recipe on the Krusteaz website to share with you. I didn't even notice the coconut in the sauce and others didn't either. In fact, many of us were surprised that it was even there! It would be fine to leave it out if you didn't want to use it. Enjoy!

Pin It Now!

Oroweat Sandwich Thins Pizza

Posted by Lori:
Have you tried the new Oroweat Sandwich Thins? They are healthy, low fat, and low cal (100 calories for both pieces), but they also taste great. Their texture makes them seem very filling - much more so than just a regular slice of bread.

On Tuesdays our local grocery store sells mini pizzas for $1.99. A few times a month we order the pizzas for the kids and take them to school for their lunch. I guess last week when I was ordering theirs, it made me crave pizza, too, so I figured out a healthy variety for myself for lunch that day. The mini pizza was great!

OROWEAT SANDWICH THIN PIZZA

1 Oroweat Sandwich Thin (I used whole wheat)
2 tablespoons pizza sauce
2 slices Canadian bacon, cut in small pieces
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella (I didn't have low fat at the time.)

Seperate the sandwich thin into the two pieces. Spread 1 tablespoon pizza sauce on each piece. Top with Canadian bacon and cheese (or cheese and then Canadian bacon - depending on your preference.) Bake at 350 degrees on small cookie sheet for 10 - 15 minutes. TOTAL: CALORIES-215; FAT-6.5 grams (would be less w/low-fat cheese).

When these pizzas first came out of the oven I folded them in half to make them easier to eat walking around the house straightening up. The cheese caused it to stick together and it was so thin it made it's own little "pizza pocket"!

I first found out about these sandwich thins while visiting my sister, Kimberly in Lubbock, Texas. Unfortunately, when I got back to Oklahoma, I couldn't find them in our closest supermarkets. Since then I've found them about an hour away. Can you find them near you? If so, try these healthier mini pizzas!
Pin It Now!

Meatloaf

Posted by Donna:

Whenever I ask Larry what he wants for a meal, his answer is always "meatloaf." He grew up eating it regularly; so, I guess that's where he developed his love for it. We have a very good Tea Room here in Altus that I enjoy. Larry swallows his pride and goes with me just because they always have meatloaf as a choice on the menu. I think that's why several of the men are more than happy to go there as well.

This is the recipe I always use when making this just for the two of us.

1-1/2 pounds super lean ground beef
1 egg
1 can Hunts tomato sauce
2 T. ketchup
Almost 1/3 cup of chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
8 crushed saltine crackers
salt/pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and put in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour and fifteen minutes. Take the meatloaf out and cover the top of the meatloaf with the following sauce:

1/3 cup tomato sauce
2 or 3 T. ketchup
About 1/4 cup brown sugar

The measurements for the sauce are approximates. I always start out with the sauce, then do a handful of brown sugar and a couple or three squirts of ketchup. The best thing to do is add and taste to your liking.

Once the meatloaf has been covered with the sauce, place the meatloaf back in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Larry's not big on leftovers; but, he loves meatloaf sandwiches. We never have any waste on meatloaf.


Pin It Now!