Cabbage Roll Skillet

Yields: 6-8 servings

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 head cabbage, roughly chopped

14 oz can beef broth

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles 

4 oz tomato sauce

1-2 tsp minced garlic (to taste)

ground black pepper (to taste)

3/4 cup uncooked rice (long grain white rice or jasmine rice)

1. In a large skillet with a lid, brown the ground beef with onion and celery on medium heat. Drain the grease and return to stove.
2. Stir in cabbage, beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, and pepper. Bring to a light boil on medium-high heat.
3. Add rice and stir well, making sure the rice is covered by liquid.
4. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until cabbage and rice are cooked through.
5. Serve with corn on the cob or a slice of bread and butter. Enjoy!

Better Than Sex Cake (Homemade!)

Yield: 6-8 servings

Homemade Caramel Sauce:

Recipe adapted from CookingClassy.com

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water
6 tbsp salted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Measure out the ingredients and have them ready to add to the saucepan as needed. 
2. Combine the sugar and water in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat, whisking constantly until sugar is dissolved.
3. Continue whisking the mixture until it comes to a boil. Once it is boiling, stop whisking and allow mixture to boil until it reaches a dark amber color.
4. As soon as it reaches the desired color, immediately add the butter and whisk until melted. Remove from heat, wait 3 seconds, and carefully pour in cream. Whisk to combine until mixture is smooth.
5. Allow caramel to cool for several minutes. Store in a glass jar or container.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Homemade Chocolate Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup water

1/3 cup butter (melted)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the vinegar, vanilla, water, and melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Pour into a greased 8x8 inch pan.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Homemade Chocolate Cake

Additional Steps:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz whipped cream

candy bar topping of choice (I used Snickers, Butterfinger, and Skor)

1. Poke holes in the cake with the end of a wooden spoon as soon as it comes out of the oven. Try not to poke all the way down to the pan though.
2. Spoon the sweetened condensed milk and the caramel sauce over the cake so that it seeps down into the holes. Use as much or as little as you like. This will make the cake super moist.
3. Allow the cake to chill in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours prior to serving.
4. Top with whipped cream and chopped candy.

Fried Rice (Ham or Shrimp)

Yield: 2 servings

2-3 slices of bacon
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 cups day old cooked rice
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce

Optional: Add in 1 cup cooked chopped ham for ham fried rice OR 6-8 jumbo shrimp for shrimp fried rice.

1. Cook the bacon slices on medium heat in a large non-stick skillet until desired crispiness. Remove the bacon, pat dry on paper towels, and crumble into pieces.
2. In the leftover hot bacon grease, add the zucchini, bell pepper, celery, and onion and stir-fry on medium heat for 5 minutes. Optional: add the chopped ham on this step if using ham.
3. Add in the frozen peas and carrots and cook another 3 to 5 minutes until heated through. Optional: add the shrimp on this step and cook until pink and opaque if using shrimp.
4. Add rice and stir-fry mixture until combined and heated. Push the rice mixture to the sides of the skillet to make a well in the center.
5. Pour the beaten egg into the center of the pan and cook until firm. Stir rice mixture into eggs, add in the crumbled bacon and soy sauce, and stir until well combined and heated through.

Enjoy this fried rice with Fried Wontons and Polynesian Dipping Sauce!

Fried Wontons and Polynesian Dipping Sauce

Fried Wontons and Polynesian Dipping Sauce

Fried Wontons

Yield: 2 servings

8 Wonton wrappers

8 tsp cream cheese

Oil for frying

1. Place 1 tsp of cream cheese onto the middle of each wonton wrapper. Fold in one corner onto the cream cheese, then fold the opposite corner over and stick them together using a dab of water. Fold in the remaining corners, creating a square, and seal using water.
2. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Place the wontons into the hot skillet and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until desired crispiness is achieved.
4. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil.
5. Allow to cool 5 minutes as cream cheese will be hot.

Polynesian Dipping Sauce

Recipe adapted from StockPilingMoms.com

Yield: 2 servings

1/2 cup California French Dressing

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 tblsp honey

1. Whisk together ingredients and place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Honey Chex Mix

1 1/2 cups Rice Chex

1 1/2 cups Crispix

1 cup Corn Pops cereal

1 cup Bugles, original flavor

1/2 cup Teddy Grahms

2 tblsp light corn syrup

2 tblsp honey

1 tblsp butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Kettle Corn, optional (Click here for homemade kettle corn recipe!)

1. Preheat oven to 250*F.
2. Combine Rice Chex, Crispix, Corn Pops, Bugles, and Teddy Grahms in a large mixing bowl.
3. Heat corn syrup, honey, and butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Pour corn syrup mixture over cereal mixture until well coated.
5. Spread this mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool before transferring to an airtight container.
6. For an added boost of flavor and texture, stir in 2 to 3 cups of kettle corn.

Kettle Corn

4 tblsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt

In a tall stainless steel stock pot with a lid, add the vegetable oil and one kernel of popcorn. Heat covered on medium heat until the kernel pops. Immediately after the kernel pops, add in the rest of the popcorn kernels. Quickly add in the sugar and salt, shaking the pot back and forth to dissolve the sugar in the hot oil. This works best with two people!

Replace the lid as soon as the sugar is added. Continue cooking on medium heat, picking up and shaking the pot frequently so the sugar doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan. It should take about 3 minutes until most of the popcorn is popped.

Carefully remove the lid and pour the popcorn into a serving bowl!

Chex Mix

3 cups Corn Chex

3 cups Rice Chex

2 cups Wheat Chex

1 cup pretzel sticks

1 cup Spicy Nacho Doritos, broken into smaller pieces

1/2 cup cheddar Goldfish

1/2 cup bite size bagel chips, broken into smaller pieces

1 cup butter, melted

4 tblsp Worcestershire

2 1/2 tsp season salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 250*F.
2. Add the Chex cereal, pretzels, Doritos, Goldfish, and bagel chips to a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix together the butter, Worcestershire, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture, stirring to coat evenly.
5. Spread this mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Allow to cool and transfer to airtight container.

Fish Tacos

Single Serving (3 tacos)

For the meat:

12 jumbo shrimp, cleaned and deveined 

1/3 lb cod or halibut steak

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cumin powder

¼ tsp onion powder

Mini flour tortillas

Suggested toppings:

Diced avocado

Diced tomato

Shredded lettuce

Shredded cheddar cheese

Enhanced Sour Cream:

¼ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp lime juice

¼ tsp cumin powder

¼ tsp salt

1. Mix together olive oil and spices into a small bowl. Coat cod/halibut steak with oil mixture and place in separate bowl into the fridge. Combine the remaining oil mixture with the shrimp, mixing to coat evenly. Place this in the fridge to marinate for roughly 20 minutes.
2. While the fish is marinating, mix together the ingredients to make the enhanced sour cream. Dice the avocado and tomato also.
3. Heat a skillet on medium and cook the shrimp and cod/halibut until the shrimp is pink and opaque and the cod/halibut is cooked through.
4. Assemble tacos: sour cream, avocado, tomato, cheese, shrimp, cod/halibut, and shredded lettuce.

*Note: The cod doesn't add much taste, so these tacos are just as delicious with only shrimp!

Pecan Pie

 Makes 1 12-inch pie

Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup Crisco
1/2 tsp vinegar
1 beaten egg
2-3 tblsp ice water

Pie Filling:
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups corn syrup (½ dark, ½ light)
4 eggs
¼ cup butter
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups pecans

1. In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, and Crisco. Mix together until flour and Crisco are combined. Add the vinegar, egg, and 2 tblsp of ice water to this. Stir until moistened. If it's too dry, add an additional table spoon of the ice water.
2. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge to stiffen up while you measure out the filling ingredients.
3. Roll out the dough using a little flour and some parchment paper to prevent sticking. Be sure to roll the dough large enough to fit your pie plate. Transfer it to the pie plate and form the crust.
4. In a saucepan, boil the sugar and corn syrup together for 2 to 3 minutes; set aside to cool slightly.
5. Add butter into sugar mixture to melt.
6. In large bowl, beat eggs lightly and very slowly pour the syrup mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly. Strain this mixture if desired.
7. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Pour into crust.
8. Bake in a 350*F oven for 45 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges are browning too quickly, cover them with tinfoil.
9. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting open.

The filling is thick and doesn't seep out of the pie once cut!