Girls Turtle Cake

My sweet girl loves turtles, so I bravely started to decorate her cake when I suddenly remembered the cute wooden turtle we picked up at the craft store. 

 I hot glued the turtle to two wooden skewers and cut them to the depth of my cake.  I poked two green straws into the cake and cut to size, so no splinters got in the cake.  Then I poked the wooden skewers into the straws!

The cake was one box of Betty Crocker baked in two pie pans.  I layered the cakes with a coating of white frosting between the layers.

Then I coated the entire cake with pink frosting.  I piped some green tinted frosting (white frosting+green food coloring) along the edges.  Voilà!

I plan on making some of these:

Easy Cheesecake!!!

I'm not even going to take credit for this recipe, but it was easy and decadent! Found at Kraftrecipes.com

Easy Chicken Enchilladas (crock pot)

So easy!!!!  My friend Shelley makes these every Christmas Eve!  :-D

1. Throw frozen chicken breasts and green salsa in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on low. 

2. Add a package of cream cheese.

3. Stir chicken mixture until chicken shreds and cream cheese is mixed in.

4. Roll chicken mixture into corn tortillas and place in baking dish.

5. Cover with cheese and cover dish with foil or oven safe lid.

6. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

This was what was left of it, I will get a better pic of it next time, as I'm sure we will be eating this at least bi-weekly.

Sugar cookies with Icing

These are a holiday tradition since I was a child and now I do it with my children. 

It's an inexpensive way to do something fun together.  

These can be given as gifts, served at parties or simply enjoyed as a family.

The no chill cookie recipe I used is here

(I added an extra egg because my dough was too crumbly):

http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2011/12/best-sugar-cookie-recipe-and-kitchenaid_28.html

Here is the easy icing recipe:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-decorate-cookies-with-icing-the-easiest-simplest-method-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-198240

This was pretty simple:  just mix, bake, and decorate!  

Fun memories to last a lifetime :-)

Easy Ham Salad

I bought a spiral sliced ham and it was Soooo much meat!  I've been thinking of ways to use it up!

I'm very glad I remembered to make ham salad.  

The first time I tried it, was at a park play date many years ago...another mom had simply brought a container of ham salad and crackers.  She and her children shared some with me and it was delightful!

You won't believe how simple it is to make.

I used to use a food processor, but I had to use a cutting board and knife this time, which wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be.

Then I put all of the finely chopped ham in a bowl and mixed in enough mayo to moisten the meat and added a few tablespoons of sweet pickle relish to add a bit of crunch, color, and tang to the salad.  Keep chilled.

Serve with crackers or on bread as a sandwich.

Ingredients:

Finely diced ham

Mayo

Pickle relish

Serve on Bread or crackers

Cafeteria Yeast Rolls

Buttery, fluffy goodness!

These take me back to the days when we ate a church dinner before church on Wednesday nights.

I started out by mixing the dough and setting it aside to rise through dinner.  

Then I took half the dough, kneaded it, and rolled it to 1 inch thickness.  

I then cut it into squares with a pizza cutter and put in a buttered dish or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

I did the same with the other half.

I let these rise for about an hour and then baked at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. 

We ate them HOT out of the oven with butter and honey.

There are plenty leftover to freeze for later...yields 5 dozen.

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water

5 Tablespoons yeast

1 tablespoon white sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs 

1 tablespoon salt

10 cups all purpose flour

1 cup butter, divided

Instructions:

1. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and the yeast to a large bowl with the warm water. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. In another large bowl, mix flour and 2/3 cups sugar.

3. Dice 1/4 cup butter and mix into the flour mixture with your hands until mixed through.

4. Mix milk, egg, and salt into the yeast.

5.  With a wooden spoon, slowly mix the flour into the yeast mixture until it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.

6.  Cover bowl with a hot, damp towel that's wrung out until double in size. About 45 minutes.

7. On floured surface, roll out dough to 1 inch thick.

8. Cut into 2 inch squares with a pizza cutter.

9. Place 1inch apart on greased backing dish or parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Let rise again, 45 minutes.

10. Melt remaining butter and drizzle over rolls.

11.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes.

These were excellent the next day! I put spiral sliced ham and cheese in them and popped them in the microwave for a minute and they were wonderful ham and cheese sandwiches!  I added Dijon mustard and sweet pickle relish to mine for a bigger flavor!

Adapted from this recipe:

http://carzycook.com/showthread.php?tid=7068

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is one of my husband's favorite meals from his childhood. So, I make this as a special treat just for him!

I've come up with some short cuts to make this easier and cheaper without sacrificing quality or taste.

I used a package of stew meat instead of steak, because once it has cooked on low in the crock pot for 7 hours, it will be tender and falling apart anyway.  I also simplified the ingredient list to just a handful of items...

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs stew meat

1 packet of dry soup mix: beefy onion

1 onion, thinly sliced and coarsely chopped.

6 ounces of cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

Rice or Egg Noodles

Directions:

1. Turn crock pot on high and add 1 cup water and dry soup mix.

2.  Lightly fry stew meat in frying pan in a couple of tablespoons butter or oil until meat is browned.

3.  Add meat to crock pot.

4. Slice onion and add to crock pot.

5. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 tsp pepper to crockpot.

6.  Turn crock pot down to low and cook for 7 hours.  

7.  When meat pulls apart when fork is inserted, you are done.  (Prepare rice or noodles.) Turn off crock pot, add cream cheese and stir until blended.

8. Add sour cream and stir until blended.

9. Taste and add salt, if needed.

10. Serve over cooked rice or wide egg noodles.

Easiest Guacamole Ever!!!

Guacamole!!!  

I feel silly calling this is a recipe because it is SO easy.  But, in case you don't know this shortcut...it's time you learned :-)

As indicated in the name: Easiest Guacamole Ever!  It is very simple.

Ingredients:

Avocado(s)

Salsa

Salt

Instructions:

1. Wash avocado and slice in half, remove seed and set aside.

2. With a butter knife, score one side in a tic tac toe pattern.

3. With a spoon, scoop avocado that is pre-sliced into a bowl.

4. Repeat with other side.

5. Add salsa to avocado and stir. (Add as much or little salsa to get the consistency you like.)

6. salt to taste.

Poor Girl Tip:  keep the avocado seed in the bowl of guacamole to keep it from turning brown.

Schlotzsky's Knock Off Sandwich

We looooove Schlotzskys original!  But there is not a Schlotzskys near us, so we make our own from home :-)

It's really simple.  You just use French or sour dough bread and open face the bread on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Add the toppings, minus the lettuce, tomato and mustard. 

Then you heat in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  You will know it is done when the cheese is melted and the bread is crunchy.

Then add mustard and sliced tomatoes, lettuce and red onions.  I love it with hot sauce!!!

Ingredients:

-hard salami

-Sliced smoked ham

-sliced provalone

-shredded or sliced cheddar

-French or sour dough bread

-chopped black olives 

-tomato, sliced

-lettuce

-red onion

-mustard and hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. On a baking sheet: Open sliced bread and top both slices with one of the types of cheese.

3. Put thin layer of olives in cheddar side.

4. Top olives with salami

5. Top provalone with ham.

6. Heat for about 10 minutes in the oven.

7. Add sliced veggies and mustard.

8. Close both sides together, and slice diagonally.

9. Serve with hot sauce!

Acorn Squash!

It's fall and I'm enjoying the changes around me and the new selection at the grocery store.  I picked up an acorn squash.  

I heated the oven to 350F.  I washed and cut and scooped out the seeds.  Then I lined a cookie sheet with foil.  I turned the acorn and sliced apples upside down and poured about half a cup of water in the pan.  I cooked them in the heated oven for 30 minutes.  Pulled them out, flipped them over, added butter, a tiny bit of sugar and cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt on these babies.  Cooked in the oven for another 15-20 minutes and served.  

This is as sweet as pie.

 I like to get a bite with both Apple and acorn in it, just like my Grandpa Charlie taught me :-)

Jello Cake from Scratch!

Im SOOOOO excited to bring you another Poor Girl Original recipe today!

I had some leftover jello and was thinking I could make a cake with it.  Surely I could find a cake recipe online.  No such luck!!! The only recipes I could find called for a boxe cake mix, which I didn't have on hand or the kind where you make a cake and pour jello on the top, which I did not have the patience for.  I wanted near instant satisfaction.

So, I decided to throw some ingredients together, which I had on hand and I am SO happy with the results!  And how fast and easy it was to make!!! And so light and spongy!

Jello Cake from Scratch

Ingredients:

- package of jello, 3 oz.

- 1 cup sugar* (minus package of jello)

- 2 cups flour

- 1 cup water

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 3 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. (For the 1 cup of sugar: pour the jello packet into the measuring cup and fill the rest with sugar until you reach the 1 cup line.)

2. Make a well in the center and add eggs and oil, mix together eggs and oil in the center.

3. Add water and stir batter until smooth.

4. I rubbed oil on the bottom of two glass pie pans and poured the batter equally among both. 

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

Wasn't that easy?  And good enough for a tea party, indeed!

Lime Chicken Picatta

Creamy lime sauce with tart capers over bow tie pasta with lightly breaded chicken...

This dish will impress!

This exquisite dish is one of the first meals I learned to cook as an adult.  I simplified it a bit and changed the normal "Lemon Picatta" into Lime Picatta.  I did not have any white wine, so I omitted that too. Made this with cute little farfalle or bow tie pasta. I also had a vegetarian dining with us, so I added sliced yellow squash.

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked bow tie/farfalle pasta

3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

5 limes

3 sticks of salted butter

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1/2 milk

1 yellow zucchini squash, washed, halved and thinly sliced.

1/3 cup capers (1 jar, drained)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Start boiling water for pasta.

2. Trim fat off of chicken breasts and slice into 1/2 inch thick medallions.

3. In a pie pan or bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of milk. Add a couple dashes of pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

4. In a pie pan or bowl place 1 cup of flour.

5. Melt 2 sticks of butter in a pan on low heat. 

6. Dredge sliced chicken through egg mixture then roll in the flour.

7. Place chicken in the frying pan.

8. Once water boils, add pasta and cook until al dente and drain.

9. Cook chicken on both sides until golden and no longer pink in the center.  

10. Remove chicken and set on a plate.

11. Slice limes and squeeze the juice into frying pan.

12. Add 3rd stick of butter and sliced squash.

12. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over squash in frying pan.

13. Once squash is cooked through, add capers.

14. Stir butter sauce to release all drippings from bottom of the pan and salt to taste.

15. Pour lime butter sauce over cooked bow tie pasta.  Top with chicken.