A Night in Italy: Homemade Tomato "Red" Sauce

Tonight I decided to take a little trip to Italy... well not really, but I did decide to have a Italian dinner!  I found our old pasta maker and made my own pasta. It was so easy and fun to make it and then let it dry out during the day. 

The Pasta Drying

Not only did I make my own pasta, but I also chose to make my own tomato sauce. Some know it as "red" sauce or even marinara sauce. All ingredients especially the spices, onion and garlic can be changed based on your personal liking. I like a lot of garlic and onion, so I added a good amount.


 Here is a simple and quick sauce to put with any type of pasta. You can even use it was a dip for some yummy garlic bread!

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen


Kym's Homemade Tomato "Red" Sauce
(from: Kym's Kitchen)

The Final Product

Ingredients:

2 cans of tomato soup
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 can of water (use an empty tomato soup can)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
basil (to taste)
cilantro (to taste)
oregano (to taste)
2 tomatoes, diced
butter
1 tsp corn starch (if needed)

Instructions:

1. Heat the onions, garlic and butter in a pot until the onions are translucent.
2. Add in the tomato soup and water then stir.  Bring that to a simmer.
3. Next add in the spices and balsamic vinegar. If the sauce seems to runny, then you can add in the corn starch until it thickens to your liking.
4. Lastly add in the diced tomatoes. Let that simmer for a few minutes so that they cook down a little. 

Going Bananas for Banana Pudding...Cupcakes?

Seriously? Banana pudding cupcakes?? Believe it or not, YES!

Here is a cupcake that, in my opinion, is healthy for you! ;) I mean you are eating bananas after all! The recipe calls for 2 medium bananas, but I used 3 because I wanted a good banana flavor. I thought that the extra banana added enough flavor without it being overpowering. If you are unsure, I would make the batter with 2 bananas, taste it and then add more if you need to. I will admit it killed me to make this recipe a little because I had to use a box cake mix! But it was very good!

The recipe calls for whipped cream topping using Cool Whip. I made my own whipped cream and it turned out great! I will put the whipped cream recipe at the bottom too! After you put the whipped cream on, you sprinkle it with crumbled vanilla wafers and a banana chip! Yummy!

Hope you go "bananas" over this recipe! Enjoy!!

-Kym's Kitchen 


Banana Pudding Cupcakes
(from: Betty Crocker Cupcake Book*)

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® vanilla cake mix
1 box (4-serving size) banana cream instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium)
45 vanilla wafer cookies, crushed (2 cups)
15 vanilla wafer cookies, coarsely crushed (2/3 cup) 
24 dried banana chips 

Directions:   

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in mashed bananas and 2 cups crushed cookies. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. 
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely. 
4. Frost cupcakes with whipped topping. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup crushed cookies. Top with banana chips.


Homemade Whipped Cream
(From: Kym's Kitchen)

Ingredients:
 
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Whip cream in a stand mixer or hand mixer until it peaks. 
2. Add in the sugar and vanilla. Mix until the the sugar is completely mixed in. It should not taste gritty.  


* Link to the website: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/banana-pudding-cupcakes/bd30a3e2-efba-4128-af8b-843a3105b8c9?term=banana
 

Fresh Cinnamon Apple Sundae

I apologize that it has been so long since I last posted. One of my goals for 2014 (although I am a couple months late) is to post a new recipe or food find at least once a week! So, be on the look out for new blog posts!

I decided to start the year off with apples!! You can never go wrong with apples especially when it involves cinnamon and ice cream! This is a true homemade recipe that I came up with tonight by just putting different ingredients together!

It is a perfect little sundae for spending a nice night on the back porch. Enjoy this quick and yummy cinnamon apple sundae! Don't forget... always make it your own! If you want to add some liquor or something to it, GO AHEAD! I could see maybe a cinnamon liquor or even Pinnacle's Atomic Hot to add a little spice! Or maybe you could add some Jim Beam's Red Stag Spiced Bourbon! The options are endless! If you try something different, let me know! I would love to know what other people try!

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen



Cinnamon Apple Sundae

I know it isn't the prettiest picture, but it is sure good!

(From: Kym's Kitchen)


Ingredients: 
(Makes 2 sundaes)

2 medium apples, cored
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 stick butter (can be salted or unsalted)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream


Directions:

1. Take the 2 apples and core them. There are two options to slicing the apples. You can either chop them into cubes or you can thinly slice them (they look like little smiles).
2. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a skillet pan. The sugar should be dissolved.
3. Add the cinnamon. If needed, you can add either a little water or more butter to make the mixture as thin as you need. 
4. Next add the apples. Cook the apples until they are soft about 6-8 minutes. If you want the apples to have a little crunch, then I would only cook them for about 4-5 minutes.
5. Scoop your ice cream into a bowl and pour the cinnamon apple mixture over the ice cream.
6. Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Pie Cookies- A little "bite" of Fall

Fall is quickly approaching (even if doesn't feel like it for all my fellow FL people), which means everything pumpkin will be out. Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice lattes, pumpkin breads and just simply pumpkins! I thought it would be appropriate to experiment and try to make a pumpkin pie cookie.  I have successfully made a pumpkin pie cookie that is to die for. I am usually not a pumpkin person... I will eat a slice of pumpkin pie, but it has to have more whipped cream than pie on it. These cookies though... I could eat a dozen of them! These would be perfect for a Halloween party or even Thanksgiving. They could be topped with a little whipped cream, my pumpkin spice icing, or a pumpkin spice whipped cream (I will give both recipes below).

They do end up being like a cake consistency. I have not experimented with trying to bake them as a "cake", but it might work. So if you are feeling adventurous, try it! It is hard to tell when the cookies are completely done, so you can either use the toothpick method or check the bottoms to see if they easily come off the cookie sheet.

Enjoy this little "bite" of Fall!


-Kym's Kitchen


Pumpkin Pie Cookies

(Kym's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 oz vanilla pudding, instant (usually it is 1 pack)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 can of pumpkin (You can add the whole can if you think it needs more)
1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and sugars
3. Add the pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla into the mix and stir well
4. Next add the flour and baking soda to the mixture, and continue to mix well
5. Add the pumpkin pie spice and mix well.
6. Lastly add the pumpkin and let it mix in well.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes. The cookies will be almost a cake consistency, so just check inside to the cookie with a  toothpick to make sure that they are done. 


Optional Toppings:

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting
(Kym's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions:

1. In a bowl/ mixer, combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat until blended.

2. Add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3-5 minutes or until smooth.

3. Add the Pumpkin pie spice to taste.

Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream
(Kym's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 16oz. container heavy whipping cream
1- 2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you like it. If you would prefer a non- sweet whipped cream, you can just leave it out)
1-2 tsp pumpkin spice

Directions:

1. Beat the heavy whipping cream until it peaks and is light and fluffy.
2. Gently add in the pumpkin spice and sugar.

** All of the sugar and pumpkin spice can be added in "to taste". This is why there is not a definite amount listed. I just added a little here and a little there. **

Joanne's Death By Chocolate Cake

Calling all chocolate lovers... Here is a super easy and amazing chocolate cake "trifle." This would be a great dessert for a simple birthday party or even something to take to a work event. We recently took it to a football game for tailgating and shared it with everyone. It was so yummy we didn't have any left! Since I knew we were going to be giving it away, I put it in a few Tupperware bowls. It was easy to split the recipe into all three bowls. You can put it into anything though depending on the event.

In order to make the recipe your own, I am sure you can add any type of candy bar you want if you don't want to use the Heath bars. Try it with Snickers, Reese's Cups, or maybe just regular peanuts. Have fun with this and enjoy!

Chocolate Love!

-Kym's Kitchen

Joanne's Death By Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's food cake mix
3 pk, small, instant chocolate pudding
1 container of whipped cream
Heath Bars (mini''s worked best)

Directions:

1. Bake the cake following the instructions on the box. Once baked, set aside to cool.
2.  Make the chocolate pudding following the instructions on the box as well.
3. Put the Heath bars in a ziplock baggie and crush into small-medium size pieces. **Freezing the bars ahead of time will help**
4.  Time for the fun part: LAYERING. First take the chocolate cake and break it up into pieces and place at the bottom of the container. Then add a layer of the chocolate pudding. Next a layer of whipped cream. Then sprinkle with the crushed Heath bars.
5. Repeat step 4 until all of the ingredients have been used.
6. ENJOY!

Sugar Dusted Splatter Cookies

Looking for an easy cookie recipe for the summer? Well here it is! This recipe you can use for any occasion. It is very simple and you can change flavors to whatever you want! I have tried lemon and now chocolate. Of course chocolate is my favorite! I would encourage you to try new flavors; strawberry, red velvet or whatever! My only suggestion is to think about what kind of extract to use. The lemon recipe calls for lemon extract and in the chocolate, I used vanilla. Try different combinations and see what works. Have fun!

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen

Sugar Dusted Splatter Cookies
(adapted from "Easy Lemon Cookie" recipe found at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-lemon-cookies/detail.aspx?lnkid=arm1029)

Ingredients:

1 package cake mix (your choice of flavor)
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp of extract (your choice)
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Pour cake mix into a large bowl and stir in eggs, oil and extract, until well blended. The batter will be sticky.
3. Drop teaspoon size balls into the bowl of confectioners' sugar. Roll them until coated with the sugar.  Then place on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake for about 6-8 minutes. The insides will be chewy.

Summer Piña Colada Cupcakes

I was recently asked to make a dessert for a Hawaiian themed event. I decided to make a alcohol free Piña Colada cupcake. It was so easy and so much fun to make this wonderfully sweet treat. I am sure that if you wanted to make it more "adult" friendly, you could add a little rum to the cake mix, just subtract some water when making it.  I used the buttercream icing from my Jack Daniel's cupcakes, except I doubled the recipe. To add the coconut flavor, I added coconut extract instead of vanilla to the icing. This was so easy to make and quick too! Here is the perfect summer party dessert!

Aloha and ʻohoiho (or Enjoy!)

-Kym's Kitchen

Piña Colada Cupcake
(From: Kym's Kitchen)
 
 Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker Pineapple cake mix
Shredded, sweetened coconut
Dried Pinapple
1 doubled buttercream icing recipe (See Jack Daniel's Cupcake Post for recipe)
Coconut Extract

Directions:

1. Make cake as directed on box.

2. To toast the coconut, spread a thin layer on a cookie sheet and place in a 325 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes. You want the coconut to be a golden brown but not burnt! 

3. Slice the dried pineapple in half (for mini-cupcakes) or leave whole (for bigger cupcakes).

4. Make the buttercream icing (from Jack Daniel's blog post) and add coconut extract.

5. Pipe the icing onto the cucpakes, then dip the cupcake in the toasted coconut.

6. Top with the slice of dried pinapple.

7. Enjoy!

Tis the Season for Strawberry Jam

Some of my favorite recipes are the ones that have been passed down through the family. You know... the ones that are passed down from generation to generation. There are so many recipes I have that come from my grandmother, who got them from her mother. This homemade strawberry jam recipe is one from my mom. I am sure that I will pass it down the family later on in life. It is a perfect recipe to try on a beautiful Spring day. The nice thing about jam is that it not only goes great on toast, but other things as well. I like to eat mine on some vanilla ice cream. I absolutely love this recipe and wanted to share it with everyone!

Happy Jammin' !

-Kym's Kitchen


Mom's Homemade Strawberry Jam
(From: My Mom)

Ingredients:

5 cups strawberries, crushed (about 2 qts.)
7 cups sugar
1 box Sure Jell Fruit Pectin
1/2 tsp butter or margarine

Directions:

Prepare the Jars:

1. Boil jars in large pot filled with water for about 10 mins.
2. Place the flat lids and rims in water. Bring to boil for about 10 min.
3. Let the jars and lids stand in the hot water until time to cover jars.

** If you want, you can take the jars out of the water and then just keep them warm in the oven by placing them on a cookie sheet at about 200 degrees, until ready to use**

Prepare the strawberries:

1. Cut the stems off the strawberries and cut into fourths.
2. Using a masher (like a potato masher), crush the strawberries until it is a little chunky. Don't leave big chunks.
3. Measure the 5 cups into a large saucepan.
4. Measure the sugar in a separate bowl and set aside.
5. Using a metal spoon, stir the fruit pectin into the strawberries and add butter. Bring to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly.
6. Quickly stir in sugar and return to full rolling boil. Once boiling, stir constantly for an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat.
7. Skim off any foam with the spoon.

** The heating/boiling process does take a some time, so be patient! **

Putting it all together:

1. Quickly ladle into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8  inch of the top.
2. Make sure to wipe the rims and threads to get any excess jam off.
3. Cover with the flat lid and rim. Screw on tightly.
4. Invert the jars for 5 minutes.
5. After 5 minutes, turn back over and let stand. Soon you will start hearing the seals of the lids popping ( It is such a cool sound).
6. Once they have cooled check the seals to make sure they have all popped.
7. Enjoy!

Bang Bang Shrimp

If you love spice and you love shrimp, then you are going to love these "Bang Bang Shrimp." Some places call them "Dynamite shrimp", but they are the same thing! When I served these, I put them with some white rice. It really balanced the spice, so it wasn't too spicy. One suggestion that I would have is to make extra sauce. If you make the recipe as is, there will be enough sauce to coat the shrimp, but if you want more to dip them, then double the sauce recipe. I absolutely love this meal and would highly recommend it!

Enjoy some spice in your life!

-Kym's Kitchen

Bang Bang Shrimp
(from: http://fakeginger.com/2011/10/02/bang-bang-shrimp/ )


Ingredients

 

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 

 

For the sauce:

½ cup mayonnaise

4-5 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, such as Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon rice vinegar 

 

For the egg mixture:

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk 

 

For the breading mixture:

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried basil 

 

For frying:

8 to 12 cups vegetable oil

 

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl; cover and set aside.
2. Combine beaten egg with milk in shallow bowl; set aside.
3. Combine flour, panko, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and basil in another shallow bowl; set aside.
4. Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading mixture. Dip breaded shrimp into the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the breading. Arrange the coated shrimp on a plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This step will help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.
5. Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Use amount of oil required by your fryer.
6. When oil is hot, fry shrimp 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on rack or paper towels.
7. When all shrimp has been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl. Spoon about ¼ cup of sauce over shrimp and stir gently to coat.

Boyfriend cookies? Yes... Boyfriend cookies!!

I know that the title "Boyfriend Cookies" sounds funny but seriously these are the best cookies ever! There is a little bit of everything in these! Peanut butter, chocolate, sugar, Reese's...  Everything but the kitchen sink. These are suppose to help you get a boyfriend or at least make your boyfriend happy with these cookies, hints the name. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the boyfriend but I have had raved reviews of these cookies! So many people have requested that I make them over and over again. Here is a little warning: THEY ARE ADDICTING! You can't eat just one!

This recipe like most of them, are very simple. The only thing that I would say is tricky, is since there are so many goodies that get added to the mix, the batter is very thick! After I add everything, my mixer sounds like it is going to die. With that said, I would suggest adding the goodies by hand. Don't worry, you will get a nice arm workout!

Hopefully you will enjoy these amazing cookies! Make sure to share them! Oh... and add whatever goodies you want! Make them your own!!

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen


Boyfriend Cookies
(from: http://everycollegegirl.com/how-to-make-boyfriend-cookies/)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 oz vanilla pudding (usually it is 1 pack)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup M&M's, any kind is fine
1/2 cup Reese's pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and sugars
3. Add the pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla into the mix and stir well
4. Next add the flour and baking soda to the mixture, and continue to mix well
5. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips and the rest of the candy
6. With a regular spoon or a scooper, drop a spoonful of the dough onto regular ungreased baking sheets
7. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown
8. Remove and cool before packaging

A Girl Can Grill: Flank Steak and Oven Potatoes

Typically, men are the ones who take over the grilling duties, but women can grill too! I love to grill everything! BBQ chicken, steak, vegetables... you name it, I'll grill it! A little while back I tried a Red Wine Pomegranate Hanger Steak recipe from Food Network's Sunny Anderson. Since hanger steak was hard to find, I use flank steak. It worked just as good as if it were hanger steak. This time, I paired it with some herb oven red potatoes. This turned out to be such a good meal!

Don't be afraid of the grill!  Yes you are going to burn things, believe me! I have burned everything! My first time barbequing chicken, turned out to be more like a blackened, charred chicken! We all have done it! So just get out there and grill whatever you want, try new things and it's ok if you burn something, as long as it isn't the house!

Grill on!

-Kym's Kitchen

Red Wine and Pomegranate Hanger Steak

(From:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/red-wine-and-pomegranate-hangar-steak-with-cipollini-onions-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup Merlot wine
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (1 pound, 6-ounce) hanger steak *or Flank Steak*
8 to 10 cipollini onions, peeled and ends trimmed
3 cloves garlic, smashed

Directions

In a liquid measuring cup whisk in order, starting with the honey, molasses, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar, pomegranate juice, and wine. Cook's Note: Starting with the sticky ingredients then adding the liquid makes it easier to blend.

Pour half of the mixture into a large resealable plastic bag. Add to the bag the peppercorns, vegetable oil, and steak. Seal and massage the steak a bit before letting it rest at room temperature for 1 hour. If you need more time than that, refrigerate it, but make sure to bring it to room temperature before you grill it.

Pour the rest of the marinade, onions, and garlic into a small saucepot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer until the liquid reduces and thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Remove the steak from the plastic bag and gently pat dry. Discard the marinade from the plastic bag. Season the steak on both sides with a sprinkle of salt. Place on the grill, it's totally okay if a few peppercorns from the marinade hang on for dear life and go for a ride on the grill with the steak.

Cook until the steak easily releases from the grill, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook the second side for 5 minutes more for medium rare, which is best for this cut. Remove from the grill to a plate, cover with aluminum foil and let the steak rest 10 minutes, allowing the juices to redistribute before you slice it. Make notice of the direction the muscles in the steak are traveling and make sure to cut across or perpendicular to that direction to achieve the most tender results. Place the slices of steak in a serving dish and pour the glaze and onions over the top.

Herbed Oven Potatoes

1 bag red potatoes

1 medium onion , chopped

Garlic Powder

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Basil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Cut potatoes into quarters and place in a big bowl. Coat potatoes with olive oil.

3.  Add chopped onion, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper (all to taste).

4. Mix potatoes good. Spread evenly on baking sheet. 

5. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender. 

6. Enjoy!!

Pecan Toffee to Die For

During the holidays, I received two huge bags of pecans from a friend. I had no idea what to do with them until one day I Googled "pecan recipes" and found this amazing toffee from Southern Living. I made it once for Christmas, just to see how it went over. Then I took some to work. Everyone wanted to know where I got the recipe and when I would make it again! So I decided that I needed to post it here so that I could share it with everyone! I would recommend that if you do not have a candy thermometer to get one, because I think that it is one of the most important things in making this properly. Other than that, it is a super easy recipe and great for any occasion.

Enjoy feeding your sweet tooth! :)

-Kym's Kitchen


Pecan Toffee 
(From: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pecan-toffee-10000000410629/)
  
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened 
1/3 cup water
5 (1.55-ounce) milk chocolate bars, broken into small pieces *Or 1-2 Bags of Milk Chocolate Chips*

Preparation 

1. Line a 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil; lightly grease foil. Sprinkle with 1 cup pecans to within 1 inch of edges.

2. Bring sugar, butter, and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 12 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 310° (hard crack stage). Pour over pecans; sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Let stand 30 seconds.

3. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans. Chill 30 minutes. Break up toffee using a mallet or rolling pin. Store in an airtight container.

** I added some of the Heath Bar Toffee Bits to the top which really added a nice touch! **

Super Simple Spicy Chicken Sandwich

It has been so long since my last post! I apologize! The other night we wanted to make a quick and simple meal for dinner. We always have some frozen chicken breast in the freezer, so I pulled out some and decided to make my own spicy chicken sandwiches. I took very easy ingredients and was able to make a sandwich that my dad is still talking about.

The nice thing is that these sandwiches aren't fried, but baked! So they are little healthier for you than the fried sandwiches! I made sure that I coated each chicken breast with a lot of Panko, so that it still had a little crispiness to it. I chose to double coat the chicken with the Panko to help with the crispiness as well.  I also made sure that I took some extra sauce and poured it on top! That added a nice kick to the sandwich!

It was fun to try something new and to truly make it my own! I hope you enjoy and try to make it your own too!

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen

P.S. There is no picture because there wasn't any left to take a picture of!

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 tsp. red pepper (Cayenne), divided*
4 chicken breast
2-3 cups Plain Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 egg
1 cup water
1 bottle of hot wing sauce (I used Ken's)*
Hamburger buns
Blue Cheese or Ranch

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. In a small pan or plate, combine 1/2 cup of wing sauce, egg, water and 1/4-1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. Wisk together until well blended.
3. In another pan or plate, mix together Panko with the remaining cayenne pepper.
4. Grease a 9x13 pan.
5. Dip 1 chicken breast at a time in the "egg wash" or liquid mixutre. Then dip it in the Panko mixutre and coat it well.
6. Then repeat one more time to double coat the each chicken breast.
7. Cook for 10 minutes then flip the chicken and cook for another 10-20 minutes.
8. Let the chicken cool slightly before pouring extra sauce on top.
9. Take a hamburger bun and build your sandwich however you want it!  Enjoy!

**If you find you want more heat, you can always add more red pepper or hot sauce to any of it**

Jack Daniel's Chocolate Cupcakes Part 2

After making the Jack Daniel's cupcakes the first time, I knew that they were going to be something that I would make many more times! I decided to make them again for a friend's birthday the other day.  I decided that I would make a simple change, so instead of making the chocolate icing, I would make a vanilla buttercream. I searched the internet to find a good buttercream frosting with pretty good reviews from people. Amazingly, that was a fairly difficult task, but I finally found one.

Anyone who makes cupcakes or knows anything about cupcakes, has heard of a place called Sprinkles Cupcakes. Well, I stumbled upon their vanilla buttercream frosting recipe and everyone seemed to be pleased with it. So I decided to try this recipe and all I have to say is that it was AMAZING!! I had leftovers, so I put the rest in the fridge and my mom and I have been eating spoonfuls of it! I have heard horror stories about buttercream frosting, but this was actually a very simple recipe that anyone could do.  I used a piping bag with a round tip and simply swirled the icing on top. Then I took a dark chocolate chip and sat it in the middle for a little decoration. I am excited to make these again this week for a Jaguars football game. I'm going to make a teal buttercream and make paw prints on top!! :D

For the Jack Daniel's Cupcake recipe, look at my very first blog post (Jack Daniel's and Chocolate? A Perfect Combination).

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen



Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
(http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=222188)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl/ mixer, combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat until blended.

2. Add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3-5 minutes or until smooth.


** Kym's Touch:  Add fun food coloring to make different colors **

Healthy "Fried" Shrimp with Spicy Green Beans

Have you always wanted to find a way to turn something fried, into something healthy? Well look no further than Lisa Lillian or a.k.a. Hungry Girl. She has a great show on the Cooking Channel and Food Network (I would highly recommend watching it). She takes ordinary recipes, your favorite snacks or the most delicious desserts, and turns them into something a little healthier.

I recently bought her book simply titled "Hungry Girl."  There are so many delicious recipes that I can't wait to try, so I had to choose one to start with.  I decided to try the "Swapcorn Shrimp" a.k.a "healthy fried shrimp." There is a secret ingredient that makes it healthy. Wait for it... Fiber One Bran cereal. Yeah I said it Fiber One! Let me tell you, I had my dad fooled the entire dinner thinking that it was a new breadcrumb mixture that I made up.  It was that good! This was a meal that I would definitely make again and again! I would encourage you to at least try to shrimp and not the let that fact that Fiber One is used scare you! It really is very tasty!

Healthy "Fried" Shrimp

As one of the sides for the shrimp, I made the homemade coleslaw that I blogged about in my post "A Great Summer's Night Meal." Check it out! This time I cheated a little and bought the pre-shredded cabbage, which worked a lot better! To quote my dad, "This is the best coleslaw I have ever had!"

Spicy Green Beans

One of our favorite places to eat out is P.F. Changs, and my dad's favorite side is the Spicy Green Beans.  After a little "googleing",  I found a recipe for them! I thought that the spicy green beans would work nice with the coleslaw and the shrimp.  If you like hot and spicy, then this is the perfect recipe for you! I bought 1.5 pounds of green beans, so with a little math I had to figure out the correct amounts of ingredients. The one ingredient that really determines how spicy the beans are, is the hot pepper flakes. If you like real spicy, then add what the recipe calls for. If you like a more mild heat level, then I would maybe cut it in half. Either way these beans tasted just like the ones at P.F. Changs.

It was nice to have a really good meal and know that it was good for you! I can't wait to make this meal again!

Enjoy!!

-Kym's Kitchen



Swapcorn Shrimp
(from Hungry Girl cookbook, by: Lisa Lillian)

Ingredients:

1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
2.5 cups Fiber One Bran cereal
1-2 eggs
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree.

2. Wisk 1-2 eggs in a bowl.

3. Use a food processor or blender to grind the cereal to a breadcrumb consistency. Pour the cereal into a big Ziplock bag.

4. Dry the shrimp with a paper towel. Place a few at a time in the eggs and then into the Ziplock bag. Shake.

5. Place the shrimp on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes flipping them about halfway through.

6. Serve with cocktail sauce and tarter sauce.  



Homemade Coleslaw


(see post "A Great Summer's Night Meal)



P.F. Chang's Spicy Green Beans
(from: http://www.food.com/recipe/pf-changs-spicy-green-beans-462084)

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans 

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated 

2 tablespoons garlic, thinly sliced 

2 tablespoons cooking oil 

1/4 cup water 

 

Sauce 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon rice vinegar 

2 teaspoons sugar 

2 tablespoons szechuan hot chili flakes 

 

 Directions: 

1. Rinse and trim green beans, set aside. 

 

2. Mix sauces in a bowl well.

 

3. Pour water in wok, heat over high heat until bubbling, boil green bean for 3-5 minutes until crispy tender. Remove and drain. 

 

4. Heat cooking oil hot in wok over high heat, stir in ginger and garlic until aromatic, combine green bean, stir constantly until beans are soft about 2-3 minutes. 

 

5. Combine sauce mixture, stir around until the sauce is thicken and glazes the bean.

 

6. Transfer and serve spicy green bean with cooked rice.

A Great Summer's Night Meal

Buffalo Chicken Skewers

Homemade Coleslaw

The summer is usually the time for friends, family and of course grilling. One of the easiest things to do on a grill is skewers. There are meat skewers, vegetable skewers and seafood skewers. I found a great recipe for buffalo chicken skewers. I wanted to add some shrimp to my meal, so I decided to do buffalo shrimp skewers too. The skewers have vegetables with them like celery and tomatoes. Our family likes onions so I added onions to the skewers. I marinated the chicken in the buffalo sauce  overnight in the fridge and the shrimp 30 minutes before i put them on the grill . These were such good skewers that my dad keeps asking me when I am going to make them again!

As I researched side items for buffalo style foods one of the sides that was mentioned in almost everything I read, was coleslaw.  So I found an easy homemade coleslaw recipe. The recipe just called for cabbage, not a specific kind. So I used Napa cabbage which worked just fine, except I decided to drain it a little before mixing everything together. It was a really good coleslaw! Even if you don't like coleslaw, I would encourage your to try this one! It was a mix between sweet and salty. Just try it!!


What is a meal without dessert!?! For dessert, I made a super easy crock pot cherry cobbler! Now you can choose whatever fruit you want, just in case you don't care for cherries. It was so simple that it is something we made last for a couple days! It was perfect with a scoop of ice cream! This was a great dessert to make late morning or mid-afternoon and enjoy that night! One of the things that I had to adjust was we did not have a 5 qt crock pot, but a double crock pot that had 2, 2.5 qt pots. So it was easy to split the recipe between the two pots.

Crock Pot Cherry Cobbler

 Now this sounds like a perfect summer evening meal! Next up on the blog post lineup, blueberry angel food cake bars!

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen

Here are the recipes:


Buffalo Chicken Skewers 
(from Jamie Dean; foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup Buffalo wing sauce
Cooking spray
About 30 bite-size pieces celery (about 5 stalks)
About 30 grape tomatoes
Blue cheese dressing, for serving

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken and Buffalo wing sauce in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Spray a grill rack with cooking spray and preheat the grill to medium high.
3. Thread the chicken, celery and tomatoes onto skewers.
4. Grill, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
5. Serve with blue cheese dressing.

** To make the shrimp skewers, follow the same directions except only marinate them 30 min before grilling them **



Homemade Coleslaw

Ingredients:
6 cups cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the carrots and cabbage.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine: mayo, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and celery seed.
3. Toss cabbage with dressing and serve. 



Crock Pot Cherry Cobbler 
(from: http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-cherry-cobbler-49912) 

Ingredients:

2 (21 ounce) cans cherry pie filling 

1 (18 1/4 ounce) package yellow cake mix, dry 

1/4 cup butter, soften 

1/2 cup chopped pecans 

Directions: 

1. Pour pie filling into 5 qt crock pot; spread evenly.

2. In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix with butter until it is crumbly. 

3. Sprinkle cake mix over pie filling. 

4. Sprinkle with nuts. 

5. Turn on crock pot to low and cover and cook 3-4 hours. 6 Serve warm.

** The nuts can be optional if you would like**

Attention Tailgaters and Sports Fans of All Sorts: Quick N Easy Salsa

Here you go avid tailgaters.... football fanatics... and sports fans of all sorts! This is a quick and easy recipe for an amazing salsa! It is a simple recipe that can be made the night before or even the day of a big game! A few ingredients and a food processor makes for one perfect tailgating snack!

I used the tortilla scoop chips, but you can use all sorts of chips for this. I also used tortillas and dipped those into the salsa. The recipe calls for a can of Rotel tomatoes. I had no idea what these were until my mom showed me. They have about 3 or 4 different "degrees of heat" that you can choose from. I chose to use the mild, which adds just a little kick to the salsa. If you like a lot of heat, then I would use the hot Rotel tomatoes. This was a fun recipe to make and one that was so simple even the least experienced tailgater could make it!
Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen

Quick N Easy Salsa

Ingredients:
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
10 oz can Rotel (any "degree of heat")
1/2 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
small handful of cilantro
juice of lime

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds

*If you do not have a food processor, try using a blender*

Quick N Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I realized that I have not done a breakfast post, so while I was in North Carolina, I tried a new cinnamon roll recipe. I had seen a version of this recipe on a website, but I decided to try and make it my own! This is the perfect recipe for that time when you maybe only have 20 minutes to make a breakfast.

To make the rolls you simply take a crescent rolls, sprinkle with cinnamon and roll! Drizzle with a little icing and you are done! It really is that simple! One thing that I would try the next time I make these, is sprinkle the cinnamon while I roll them. I think they would taste better because the cinnamon would be a little more spread out. Another little idea I would like to try is stuffing the rolls with something like apple, to make a cinnamon apple roll.

This was a short and sweet post, but next up.... quick n easy salsa! We are getting ready for football season!

Enjoy!

-Kym's Kitchen


Quick N Easy Cinnamon Rolls
(Kym's Kitchen Version)

Rolls:
1 package of crescent rolls (I used the big and flaky)
Cinnamon Sugar
Ground Cinnamon
2 tbs. butter, melted

Icing:
Powder Sugar
Water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. After opening all of the rolls, brush each one with melted butter
3. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and cinnamon sugar.
4. Roll up like a normal crescent roll and bake for 12-15 minutes
5. To make the icing, take a small amount of powdered sugar (probably about 2-3 tbs.) and add a small amount of water until desired consistency.
6. Once the rolls are cooled slightly, drizzle with icing
7. Enjoy!!

Lobster Rolls and Sliced Baked Potatoes

 Every September to October  we go down to Disney for their food and wine festival at Epcot. They have all of these fun kiosks of food from different countries and places. At America, they have the best lobster roll ever! They put the juicy lobster on a warmed buttered bun and it just melts in your mouth! That is my dad's absolute favorite food there, so for his birthday I thought I would make him some lobster rolls! In my new Food Network magazine, there was a recipe for two types of lobster rolls: the Maine style and the Connecticut style.

I planned on making both since each only made 4 rolls, but when we go to the store, we had a rude awakening. I did not realize how expensive lobster had become! It was about $40 a POUND! After I calculated how much lobster was needed for both recipes it came to a total of 6 lbs! So let's do the math... 6lbs of lobster at $40 a lb equals $240!!! Obviously I was not going to pay that for these rolls, so i decided to only do one type of roll  I talked with the lady to get some ideas  She suggested I take some crab meat and mix in the crab meat with the lobster.  So I bought about 1 lb of crab meat that was already cooked and decided to add that to the lobster mix.

The lobster tails that I used were not cooked and so you have to cook the meat. So I boiled a pot of water with a little salt and threw the tails in. I let them cook until they were bright red which was about 5 minutes. In order to cut the meat out I turned the tail with the back side down on a cutting board.  Then spread the tail out and take a knife and cut down the middle. Yes there will be cracking noises but no worries! Then I simply just pulled the meat out and cut it up. It was that simple!

Like I said in my last post, make a recipe yours in whatever way you can! Our family likes onions so I also added about half of an onion chopped to the mix. I think that it added a nice touch to it.  Another thing that I had trouble finding the top sliced buns. I chose to use the baby slider buns instead and they worked perfectly!

As a side to the lobster rolls, I made a sliced oven baked potato. To do this, I thinly sliced a potato and rubbed olive oil on top. Then I brushed some melted butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I baked them in the oven at 425 degrees for about an hour. My suggestion is to wrap each in foil and bake them directly on the rack. When I did ours, they were still a little undercooked, so I think wrapping them in foil would help!!

This lobster crab roll was a quick and easy recipe that would be perfect for any occasion! Enjoy y'all!

-Kym's Kitchen



Lobster Roll (Maine-Style, With Mayo)
(From foodnetwork.com)
* Indicates a personal change in the recipe 


3 lobster tails* 
1/3-1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup celery, chopped*
1/2 of onion, chopped*
sea salt to taste

Directions:

1.  Fill a large steamer or pot with about 2 inches of water. Add 1 tablespoon sea salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Put the lobster tails (about 1 lb of meat) in the steamer basket or directly in the pot; cover and steam until the shells turn bright red, 5 to 10 minutes.
2.  Remove the lobsters and rinse under cold water until slightly cool. Remove the meat from the shells and roughly chop; chill the meat.
3.  Mix  mayonnaise, celery, and the zest and juice of  lemon in a bowl. Stir in the chilled lobster meat and season with salt.
4. Divide among 4 split-top hot dog buns and top with celery leaves.


Sliced Baked Potato
(from:  http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/05/hasselback-potatoes.html)

Ingredients

6 Medium Size Potatoes
2 - 3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
30 g Butter
Maldon Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C (425˚F). Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.

2. Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and insert the garlic in between the slits. Scatter some butter on top of each potato. Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.




**If you want to try the Connecticut style lobster roll, here is the recipe:

Lobster Roll (Connecticut-Style; Butter)
(From: foodnetwork.com)


Fill a large steamer or pot with about 2 inches of water. Add 1 tablespoon sea salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Put 2 lobsters (about 1 1/2 pounds each) in the steamer basket or directly in the pot; cover and steam until the shells turn bright red, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lobsters and rinse under cold water until slightly cool. Remove the meat from the shells and roughly chop. Melt 1 stick unsalted butter in a saucepan with the juice of 1 lemon and 1/3 teaspoon paprika. Remove from the heat; stir in the lobster meat and season with salt. Divide among 4 split-top hot dog buns. Serve warm.

Cherry Lime Delight

One of my family's favorite drinks during the summer is Sonic's Cherry Limeade.  So when I saw a recipe for Cherry Limeade cupcakes, I figured that I had to make them for my Dad's birthday! These were really a lot of fun to make and super easy! This was a recipe that would be fun for kids to make and help out with!

There is a step in this recipe that calls for a lime syrup to be drizzled over the top of the cupcakes before icing them. I was a little nervous to use too much because I didn't want to make the cupcakes too tart, but I would change the way I did that. I personally would add more syrup to the cupcakes during that step! I did change the syrup just a tad and added a little of the cherry juice to the lime syrup, just to get a little more cherry in there.

Cherry Limeade Cupcake with Cherry Slice and Brulee Lime Slice

After making many of these recipes, one of the most important things that I have learned is to make it your own. Yes, follow the recipe and everything, but maybe find one or two things to either add more of, simply add or change. This is the way I have made many basic recipes, something of my own! In this Cherry Limeade Cupcake recipe, I decided to do something fun with the decorations.

The recipe does suggest that for the decoration, add a slice of cherry and lime on the top! I decided to go a step further and brulee the lime slice! I have seen this done before on Food Network's Chopped, so I decided to try it! This little touch added a nice decoration, plus one that may be a bit more edible!

 To brulee the lime slice, this is what I did:
 I made sure that the slices were fairly thin, then I sprinkled it with Turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar is perfect for brulees because it is a coarse sugar.  It is also known as Sugar in the Raw.  After I sprinkled the lime, I took my brulee torch (found at World Market) and "toasted" the top until it was golden brown! It is that simple!

This is the perfect summer cupcake to enjoy at a cookout, family event, birthday party or wherever!!

As the wonderful Paula Deen says "From my kitchen to yours," ENJOY!!

Most importantly have fun!

-Kym's Kitchen


Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
(From: http://annies-eats.com/2009/02/13/cherry-limeade-cupcakes/)
Yield: 24 cupcake

For the cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. limeade concentrate
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

For the lime syrup:
3/4 cup limeade concentrate
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 tbsp. (or more) maraschino cherry juice
red food coloring (optional)

For decorating (optional):
fresh lime slices
maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two muffin pans with paper liners.
 
2. In a medium bowl combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir together and set aside. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed. 

4. Add in the limeade concentrate and mix to incorporate. 

5. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. 

6. Add in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix ingredients just long enough to incorporate but no longer.

7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack over wax paper to cool completely.

8. Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the limeade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lime syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.

9. To make the frosting, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter and maraschino cherry juice in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until smooth. 

10. Add more maraschino cherry juice as needed to achieve desired texture.  Add red food coloring if desired.

11. Frost cooled cupcakes.  Garnish with lime slices and maraschino cherries, if desired.