Homemade Soft Pretzels

Have you ever tried making pretzels?  I always thought they were too much work and not worth the bother.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  I tried making my first batch a few months ago and we loved them so much (and ate them so quickly) that I made a second batch that same week.

Think you’re not a fan of pretzels?  That’s what I thought too, but my only frame of reference were those pretzels you can find at any mall.  These are (like most things homemade) significantly better. 

I used this recipe from Alton Brown.  I recommend weighing the flour and not just scooping it out of the bin.  Also, when he says to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces I did 12. 

 Recipe found here

Orange Pound Cake

I have another cake recipe for you this week.  This is another Cooking Light recipe (from January 2012).  It is meant to be a Grapefruit Pound Cake but since I had a whole bowl of lovely oranges and absolutely no grapefruit, I decided to make this into an Orange Pound Cake.  Check out my adroitness.


I followed the recipe as written but swapping 2 T grated orange rind for the grapefruit rind and 1/2 cup fresh orange juice for the grapefruit juice.  The cake is lovely (can you spot the pretty little bits of orange peel?) and delicious.   This makes a delicious, summery dessert and would be terrific with a few fresh strawberry slices.

Recipe found here

Texas Sheet Cake

I’ve had my share of Texas Sheet Cakes.  There really are recipes everywhere for this sort of thing.  Most families have their favorite recipes.  I had one.  That recipe called for plenty of butter (both in the cake and in the frosting) and way too much sugar for anyone’s good.  A few months ago I found this recipe and tried it.  Really good.  Really.  Very.  Good.  Less sugar and less butter-great!.  The cake was still really sweet – almost too sweet.  I left out the nuts (kids don’t like ‘em) and we found that we didn’t use all of the frosting.  Instead we set the extra aside and used it as an ice cream topping.  Next time I’ll cut the sugar down and omit the cinnamon.

Recipe found here

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I cannot remember how I came across this recipe but it was one of our busy-day favorites during the winter months.  Really nothing beats homemade lasagna that someone has lovingly worked on for hours but let’s be honest – that’s way too much work for a weeknight meal that most of my family members are going to devour in less than 8 minutes.  This recipe (for me) is a nice balance.  Not a lot of prep work, but a decent tasting lasagna (maybe a bit messier though) that everyone in the family enjoys. 

Link to recipe HERE

The last few times I made this recipe I added a few tablespoons of basil pesto in with the ricotta/mozzarella mixture.  It’s fine without it, but if you have some on hand then add it in!

What’s For Dinner?

Tonight?  Fish Tacos!  My sister shared a sauce recipe that she loves on her fish tacos.  She found it here, but I make mine a little different.  Here’s what I do-

First of all this makes a bit more sauce than we need.  So I cut the mayo amount in half but use the same amount of plain yogurt.  We don’t ALL like spicy food, so I don’t use all of the jalapeno or cayenne pepper (start with a bit and add it as you taste.  Stop adding them when you like it!)  I do like a bit more cumin and oregano so I sprinkle a bit more on than the 1/2 tsp.  As you can tell, I don’t do exact measurements when I mix up this sauce. 

For the fish, we tried some leftover baked tilapia one week and it was just okay.  Then I found this at our local Costco.  Big hit.  Huge hit.  Baked AND crispy.  I make a batch for dinner, the adults eat them as tacos and the kids eat them like chicken nuggets.

Add a package of corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, some pico de gallo and a couple of limes and you have a quick weeknight dinner!

Link to Fish Taco Sauce recipe

 Hi Cathy!  Your hubby said you were wanting some new blog posts :)  

Oatmeal Peach Cobbler: rediscovery

I recently had a large box of peaches on my kitchen counter that needed to be eaten (they’re gone now…. and oh how I miss them.)  I flipped through some of my recipe notebooks and rediscovered this recipe for Oatmeal Peach Cobbler.  I had forgotten how much I loved it.  Especially when it is piping-hot from the oven. 

Now I have a large box of apples, and I’m wondering if an Oatmeal Apple Cobbler would be just as lovely.  hm…..

Pesto Panini

Come to find out that this bread makes a mean panini.  So. Very. Good.  Add a little pesto, some fresh mozzarella and a few slices of tomatoes from your garden and you have an easy dinner.


Another version we had was with pesto and some leftover grilled vegetables (zucchini, onions, red peppers.)  They were amazing. 





For the kids I use the same bread, spread it with a little (usually leftover) spaghetti sauce, add some fresh mozzarella and call them “pizza paninis.”  They love them.





P.S.  I love my panini press.  It is one of my most-used kitchen tools in the summer.