Recipe: Lemonade Cake

I had some Girl Scout Lemonades cookies leftover and used them to make this DELICIOUS lemon cake.

Lemonades Cake 

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temp (or 3/4 cup milk with 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened 
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract 
10 crushed Lemonades cookies (could be substituted with just about any lemon cookies)

Lemon Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 
4 tablespoons lemon juice 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. 
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 
In another bowl, sift together 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
In a separate bowl, combine 3/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. 
Add flour and buttermilk mixture to batter alternately, beating well after each addition. Begin and end with the flour mixture. 
Stir in crushed Lemonades cookies. 
Pour batter into loaf pans. Bake about 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove cakes from pans and place on wire racks before moving to plate. 
Stir glaze ingredients together. Drizzle glaze over cakes, allowing some to run down the sides. 
Sprinkle with additional crushed Lemonades cookies, if desired. 

Recipe: Taco Stuffed Shells

I grew up loving the Italian Stuffed Shells that my mom always made. I adapted a recipe to this Mexican version of stuffed shells. :)

Taco Stuffed Shells 

Ingredients:

1 lbs ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning 
2/3 cup water
4 oz cream cheese 
16oz pkg large pasta shells  
1/2 cup taco sauce

1 cup salsa
2 cups colby jack or mexican blend cheese
top with sour cream and guacamole, if desired

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare shells according to pkg directions. 
2. Brown hamburger and drain. Return to pan. Add taco seasoning and water. Bring to boil. 
3. Reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cream cheese. Cover and simmer until cream cheese is melted. 
4. Pour taco sauce in bottom of pan. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish. Pour salsa over the shells and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
5. Bake for 15-30 min until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove and let stand 5 min. 
6. Serve topped with sour cream and guacamole, if desired. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on May 21, 2019 at 7:19pm PDT

Recipe: Cheesy Chicken and Vegetables

This is a nice one-pot cheesy chicken and vegetables recipe that the girls love!

Pressure Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Vegetables 

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I use frozen chicken breasts for convenience)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp paprika
6 cups water
3 cups rotini pasta
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
3/4 cup milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese 

Directions: 
Pour chicken broth in pot and add paprika. Add chicken. 
Put lid on the pot and lock. Cook on high pressure for 15 min.  
Allow pressure to naturally release for 5 min. then quick release. 
Remove chicken with tongs and transfer to cutting board. 
Turn to saute function. Add 6 cups of water. Bring to boil. 
Once boiling, add noodles and vegetables to pot. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Shred or cube chicken while waiting for rotini and vegetables to cook. 
Turn pressure cooker off. Carefully remove pot using oven mitts and drain. 
Return noodles and vegetables to pot. Set to saute setting. Add milk, soup, cheese, chicken, and stir until cheese is melted. 

*I used the CooksEssentials 8qt Oval Pressure Cooker for this recipe.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on May 8, 2019 at 8:05pm PDT

Recipe: Creamy Tuscan Chicken

I really love the Smoked Mozzarella Chicken dish from Olive Garden. I'd been trying to find a similar recipe to make it at home. I came up with this and it is pretty darn close...very tasty!

Creamy Tuscan Chicken 

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2" thick strips
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 pt heavy cream
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp garlic powder 
1 tsp Italian seasoning 
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup spinach
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
16 oz cooked pasta (penne, rotini, egg noodles, whatever you prefer) 

Directions: 
Mix flour, garlic salt, and paprika in a shallow bowl. 
Beat eggs in a separate shallow bowl. 
Dip strips of chicken in egg then in the flour mixture. 
In a large skillet, add oil and cook chicken on med-high heat until cooked through. Set aside. 
In large sauce pan, mix cream, broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, Parmesan, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes. 
Whisk while simmering until thickened. 
Add spinach and let simmer until it starts to wilt. 
Add chicken back to the pan and stir.  
Serve over pasta. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on May 6, 2019 at 8:31pm PDT