I learned the hard way that while people throw around the terms “yams” and “sweet potatoes” interchangeably, they’re not the same thing. Wanting to make what’s commonly called “mashed sweet potatoes,” I bought something at the store labeled “sweet potatoes.” When I returned home and peeled the “sweet potatoes” I found that they were hard, white potatoes– not what I was looking for. So on the second trip to the store, I bought yams, and these were right on. Peeling them revealed their soft, orange flesh. Score!
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These cupcakes are super easy (we cheated, using a boxed cupcake recipe, much to my husband’s protests– there’s only so much time in a day!) and we winged the recipe for the filling, and they turned out awesomely good.
Here’s what you need:
- 1 box yellow cake mix (and ingredients for mix, usually eggs, oil, water)
- 1 cup whipped chocolate frosting
- 1 cup whipped butter cream frosting
- 1 cup peanut butter (we used Jif all natural)
- 1 cup whip cream
- cupcake pan and cupcake paper inserts
- piping instrument (to inject cupcakes with pure yum)
This is one of my favorite breakfasts ever. Though it looks fancy and complicated, you’ll be shocked and no longer impressed once I’ve revealed the recipe (that’s how most of my dishes go). It’s so simple, I’m infusing this post with lots of pretty pictures to make it seem more interesting/impressive. Okay, ready? Here’s what you need: 4 ramekins, a roll of Pillsbury croissant dough, and 4 eggs. That’s it. Here’s a visual reference to emphasize the simplicity:
If you don’t have ramekins, you can use a muffin tin. Just put half the dough in each muffin slot and cook for a shorter amount of time.
If you’re looking for cookies that make you weep with happiness, this is your lucky day. These whoopie pie cookies with a creamy to-die-for pumpkin cream cheese filling will leave you a blubbering wreck. Side note: if you want to avoid people giggling every time you say “whoopie” you can call them sandwich cookies, everything an Oreo wishes it could be in its wildest dreams.
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the cookies:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
For the filling:
5 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Now, here’s a meal that’s actually healthy to boot, for those times when we’ve had too many dinners in a row smothered in gravy. It does happen eventually.
Here’s what you’ll need for lemon garlic chicken:
1/3 C chopped Italian parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 C chicken broth
Salt and pepper
We love chicken thighs. They’re usually pretty inexpensive, and it’s a nice, rich piece of meat that’s difficult to screw up. They’re also smaller than chicken breasts, so they cook faster and you can get more of a crispy surface area on the outside.
Here’s what you’ll need for chicken thighs with a mushroom wine sauce:
1 1/2 Lbs boneless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic
3 Tbsp flour
1 C chicken broth
1/3 C chardonnay
1/2 C cream
1 Tbsp parsley (or Italian seasoning mix)
Take your pretty chicken thighs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add chicken and brown the outside (about 2–3 min a side) until it has a gorgeous golden crust. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Brown mushrooms in skillet and then add the garlic. Stir in flour until blended. Then stir in chicken broth and chardonnay. Add that chicken back to the skillet, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 20–30 min. Stir in the cream and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley or Italian seasoning before serving. Get ready for a party in your mouth.
*Note: we served this with baked asparagus. So easy: place asparagus with salt, pepper, and olive oil on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 15–20 min. Done.
In reality, this isn’t quite chicken divan; it’s our more delicious version of chicken divan.
What you’ll need:
3 pounds chicken breasts
3 C fresh broccoli (or frozen broccoli if you prefer)
1 box quick rice (we use Rice-A-Roni chicken and broccoli)
1 C mayonaise
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C dry white wine (we use pinot gris)
1 C grated cheddar
2 Tsp lemon juice
Dash of curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C breadcrumbs
1/2 C fresh grated parmesan
Butter for greasing pan
Ashley’s grandmother was very Swedish, and she inherited the stereotypical rosy cheeks, blonde hair, and blue eyes. But she also inherited some Swedish recipes– ones that we’ve tweaked and made easy peasy. We love this recipe because we can usually make it from stuff we already have on hand.
What you’ll need:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 C bread crumbs
2 Tbsp milk
1 medium onion
3 C water
1 box quick rice (or white, if you prefer)
1 envelope Liptons onion soup mix
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 C flour.
For the spinach all you need is
1/2 bundle of fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
Whenever we make homemade spaghetti, it reminds us of Goodfellas, and we’re pretty sure this recipe would make any Italian grandmother proud. It just so happens that this recipe is insanely delicious and pretty healthy: 400 calories per serving (4 servings per recipe).
1 pound lean ground beef
3 portobello mushroom tops, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 C parsley leaves
3 fresh sprigs thyme
1 small bunch fresh basil
1 egg white
1 28-oz can tomatoes
1/2 C low sodium beef broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
12 oz whole wheat spaghetti
Parmesan