BakeAwayGirl

Quarantine day one bazillion We've stopped counting.  We stopped counting days, glasses of wine consumed, calories, and meltdowns.  We're safe in our house, we're avoiding all human contact, and nothing else matters. Baking and cooking gives us a pretend purpose during the day beyond responding to work emails, zoom meetings, changing diapers, and potty training.  It's a nice reprieve.  So here's our newest recipe! Couple of things to note: You can use either sweet or spicy Italian sausage.  We used spicy because I never buy anything else.  Also we used uncased, but there's really no reason you couldn't cook links and chop it up or slice it. Our bell peppers were tiny and there was enough, but I wouldn't have been sad if we had normal sized ones and more in the pasta We used our favorite marinara sauce, but you can use whatever tomato based sauce you want.  Plain tomato sauce?  Arrabiata? Do you. We used Costco's 5 cheese tortellini and...

Quarantine Day 9287473829. Or at least that's what it feels like.  Mostly due to anxiety.  Every time one of us coughs, it sends a panic shock through the house (at least for me).  The worries cause tension, of course, and the age old question of "What should we have for dinner" is a little loaded because we can't/won't go out if we're missing an ingredient.  And I'm a crazy person, so when I see a recipe call for an ingredient I have in limited supply, I discard it because the thoughts "What if I want to use that ingredient later?!" overtake any rational ideas. Luckily, we do love trying new recipes and I have a whole enormous Pinterest board filled with ideas, which is where we found this one.  I actually pinned this one years ago, but today proved a perfect opportunity for it.  We had heavy cream in the house because we wanted to make a soup and I forgot how much we needed, so I bought the big carton and now we have leftover!  It actuall...

Another fantastic crockpot dish to add to the long list of ways to cook lazily.  My favorite type of cooking!  I prefer to prep, go to work, and come home to a house that smells like I don't have to do anything.  It's my favorite smell of all. Wow, this one is spicy.  We went to my cousin's annual pumpkin party, where there is always copious amounts of delicious food, and this year was no exception.  The hostess with the mostest made this chili and it was a big hit.  We quickly added it to our to-do list, and quickly learned a critical component. All jalapenos are different sizes! The original recipe calls for 5 jalapenos, but doesn't specify size and it DEFINITELY matters.  We used 3 large-ish jalapenos.  So be as bold or as cautious as you prefer.  I love spicy, Jeff does not.  That said, this was perfectly spicy for me, but it would still be delicious with significantly less heat.  Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili Adapted f...

This is the most delicious soup we've ever made, and we've made some great soups.  It sounds sinful with its bacon, its sausage, its cream, but don't worry, there's kale.  Kale is the miraculous ingredient that just erases any semblance of calories while not tasting bad itself.  Who knew all these people who have been blending it in smoothies and eating it on everything were onto something?  Here I've been living my life thinking it was only useful to line salad bars! Just kidding, yes, this has all sorts of delicious ingredients.  And they are worth every. single. bite. Zuppa Toscana Adapted from here 1lb ground Italian sausage 8 slices of bacon, diced 1 medium yellow onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp dried parsley 1-1/2 tsp basil Salt & Pepper to taste 2 Tbsp flour or cornstarch 48oz chicken stock 4-5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 bunch of kale (leaves only) ...

Yum!  Fall is here, and that means everything turns into a pumpkin.  My kitchen churns out all sorts of pumpkin spiced baked goods, from bread to donuts to these new cookies.  My son loves to help me bake, and our favorite activity is cookies, mostly because he loves to eat the chocolate chips that play a major role in every cookie I make.  Including these beauties.  I've never had pumpkin cookies, but everything else it touches is delicious, so why not?  Well, except pie.  Pumpkin pie is gross.  Fight me. So in my first attempt of pumpkin cookies I have learned a few things. These don't spread.  However you plop them on the cookie sheet is pretty much how they come out.  I happen to like them to look like delightful little blobs of pumpkin-y goodness, but the original recipe suggests using the back of a spoon to squish them down a little. These are cake-like.  Very dense.  It makes it extra delicious and increases your...

Last year for Jeff's first father's day, he sent me this recipe with the caption "All I want for Father's Day."  It's a generic recipe for oatmeal, and you can add whatever you want to it to make it delicious.  I was a little hesitant because oatmeal isn't my favorite breakfast food.  I mean, I'll eat it, but it's not my first choice. Then we had it for breakfast and I was sold.  This is now our go-to breakfast on a Sunday morning, and (for now) we have enough leftover to eat throughout the week.  The best part is, everyone loves it! Oatmeal Bake 3 cups quick oats or old fashioned oats 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp clove 1/2 tsp all spice 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla *1 can of chopped peaches (NOT drained) *1-1/2 cup dried cranberries Grease 9x13 pan.  Preheat oven to 350*. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Bake for 30-35 minutes or ...

We had a ton of cherries that we just could not eat them all before they were going to go bad.  I always wanted to bake with cherries, but I don't have the patience to pit them.  Luckily, I have the best, most patient husband in the world, and he said he would pit 6 cups of cherries for me!  Perfection!  That was the right amount for my very first cherry pie, something I've wanted to do forever. But the group we were having over had a gluten-free member.  She never expects anyone to accommodate her, but a life without dessert just sounds terrible, so I always try to make some dessert she can have.  Seriously, I'd never go to a party if I couldn't ever have dessert.   So instead, I found two similar recipes, one gluten-free.  That one was supposedly with blueberries, but the topping was a sort of lemon shortbread topping, which would work just as deliciously with cherries.  So I made double the amount of cherries needed for the crum...

This is a childhood staple for me.  Anytime we have uneaten bananas that have gone beyond edible in our eyes, we would mash up 3 of them and make banana nut bread.  It was always a breakfast food, but it's definitely dessert-like.  It's delicious and even moreso now that I usually incorporate chocolate chips as well! Banana Nut Bread 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp baking soda 2 cups flour 1 1/4 cup mashed bananas (3) 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts) - Optional 1 cup chocolate chips - optional Cream butter and sugar.  Beat until smooth; add eggs. Stir in flour and baking soda, one cup at a time.  Mix until fully incorporated. Add bananas and any extras such as nuts and/or chocolate chips. Line a bread pan with parchment paper, or wax paper.  Pour batter into the pan. Bake at 350* for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  This varies.  The edges finish first, but the very center usually is still doughy.  Bake until it's to ...

When we first moved into our house, we embarked upon the adventure of discovering all the plants in our yard.  We played "Weed or Legit Plant" for pretty much the whole summer.  Turned out, the giant growth of plants in our arbor was raspberries!  Jeff had some for breakfast every day for a few weeks.  The next year, the plants grew, but no berries, so I gave it one more year to produce or I was cutting it all out and seeding over the area. This year, Jeff picks about 4+ cups of raspberries every single day. So we immediately took to Pinterest to find baking ideas including fresh raspberries, and this bread was our first foray into it.  It's named "bread" but make no mistake; it's a cake.  A delicious, lemony, raspberry-filled cake.  Yummmmm Mini Loaves Raspberry Lemon Bread Adapted from here Bread 1 cup butter 2 1/4 cup granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup sour cream 1 tsp vanill...

I have admired trifles from afar for a while now, and then my cousin told me about one she made and I was very jealous.  But as it's not a baking dessert, I generally steered clear.  Also, I didn't have a trifle dish and wasn't about to buy one for something I wasn't sure I even sure I would like. So when we were browsing the shelves of Bed, Bath, and Beyond to register for our wedding, I somewhat sheepishly added a trifle dish.  Secretly, I think, I hoped that being a grown married woman would encourage me to make fancy desserts, like trifles. Well being a grownup married woman didn't have much to do with it, but hosting my first book club in our first house sure inspired me. That, and having a 10 pound box of fresh Michigan blueberries in the fridge. It was easier than anticipated and certainly a crowd-pleaser.  It's rare when you have a group of women that every one goes up for seconds!  But I will admit I was slightly disappointed in my first adv...

Strawberry-topped version from this summer A few years ago, a friend of mine was getting married and asked if I would make cupcakes for her wedding.  As an amateur baker, I was both incredibly flattered and terrified.  What if people were just indulging me and my cakes were secretly garbage?  What if I messed up?  What if I forgot an ingredient?  What if.. what if... what if! I immediately set to Pinterest to find recipes.  Originally I had grand ideas of espresso frosting with chocolate cupcakes and lemon cupcakes with a light raspberry frosting.  But I abandoned those ideas pretty quickly as 200 cupcakes was daunting enough without getting fancy beyond my capabilities.  So I decided to do 100 white cake cupcakes and 100 chocolate cake cupcakes.  I had a chocolate cake recipe , but I didn't have a quality white cupcake recipe.  So to Pinterest! They turned out wonderfully, and all my "what if"s were put to rest.  One of the...

This recipe was a find years ago, but I never remembered to take a picture for the blog until this last time.  It combines two delicious things into one.  As the name indicates, it is a combination of taco salad and pasta salad.  I will admit, I was skeptical at first.  First off, I'm not a fan of French or Western dressings (which this recipe uses), however it does work with the other ingredients. I've played with a few different ingredients, but the nice thing about both tacos and pasta salads is that you can add anything you'd like.  Besides the basics (taco meat, lettuce, pasta), I use cheese, black beans, and tomatoes.  You can do corn, any kind of peppers, or other types of beans.  This practically begs  for black olives, but I hate them so... no. Important:   We ate this the very first time without the crushed fritos.  We decided we wouldn't make it again.  Then we ate the leftovers with  the crushed chips and i...

Jeff's work has an awesome tradition of taking turns to provide Friday lunches.  Everybody who wants to participate signs up with a small group for a couple of Fridays during the year so that every Friday, one small group is providing lunch for everyone.  He really enjoys it and frequently comes home to brag about the delicious food he had that week.  Our recipe this week comes directly from his Friday food. Last June, Jeff came home raving about a fantastic soup he had at work that Friday, and he wanted me to make it.  I have a thing about "winter food" and "summer food," so I didn't make it over the summer.  But with the nice cool weather lately, I suggested we try it this week.  We had the ground beef, but we were low on all the canned veggies this recipe calls for, so I hit the grocery store. Now, I like mine very savory, so I went a little heavy on the spices.  The original recipe called for one packet of taco seasoning, but I used an equivile...

So it's been a long time!  My Pinterest-ing this year has mostly been wedding related and staring at all the delicious food on Pinterest certainly doesn't mesh with that.  But today, Jeff suggested I browse for dinner options, and the one I stumbled on required ingredients we always keep on hand, such as chicken, rice, black beans, and chicken broth.  However, the original author states (and I agree) that you can make this with whatever veggies you have on hand.  So feel free to take a little creative license with this! The burrito bowl originally requires chicken, but we both said it would be easy to make it with ground beef.  If you do, brown the ground beef in a separate pan, drain it, then add it to the sauteed onions.  It was quite delicious with chicken, and probably would be good without any meat, though you'd need to add many more veggies.  I also added some seasoning to the raw chicken, then a little more to the uncooked rice, and then abo...

I had my cousins over for an annual party, and needed some appetizer ideas.  Of course I was browsing Pinterest, and I had stored away a little beauty of Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels.  As if the name weren't enough to convince me it was delicious, the author's admission that it was her, more than her husband, that enjoyed going to the dive bar food places really sold me.  Jeff loves burgers and wraps and all that, but hands down, I am the driving force for beer and wings.  Judge all you'd like, but man oh man, nothing tastes better. So I pulled my ingredients together and read the directions.  The only issue is that it only made a handful of pinwheels, and that just was not going to cut it.  I decided to use the ingredients in a different way and make a pizza instead of rolling the dough. It's the same general concept, but more flatbread and less dough pinwheels.  We found it almost a little too sweet, with the mozzarella and green onions.  I ...