Category: Recipes

Desserts

Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce

You don’t have to buy an expensive bottle of caramel sauce full of preservatives. You can make easy homemade caramel sauce with just three ingredients.

easy homemade caramel sauce
This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one of the links I provide, I may receive a small percentage at no cost to you.

Making caramel has become a favorite holiday tradition for me. Once the Fall hits, I get a baking bug and I love Fall flavors like pumpkin and caramel. When I got married, I really wanted to learn how to make more things from scratch including my own sauces and that included my own dessert sauces.

Can I tell you something? I come from a family of candy makers. My family, both maternal and paternal have always been skilled tradesmen. My grandfather was a furniture maker and my grandmother was an upholsteress. My grandmother‘s father however was a candy maker. He specialized in making Mexican candies. It’s hard to believe but he supported seventeen children doing that during the great depression.

This recipe isn’t from my family. In fact, I’ve made it for so long, I honestly am not totally sure where I originally got it. I’ve had it handwritten in a recipe book for years. But believe me when I tell you it makes perfect. gooey, caramel. Making your own caramel sauce isn’t hard at all and once you learn to make it yourself, you won’t want to buy the sauce in stores that is full of preservatives and chemicals.

The Tools

You don’t need many things for this recipe. It doesn’t call for any kitchen equipment that is out of the ordinary.

Medium Sauce Pan – You will need a medium sauce pan to cook in. It doesn’t matter if it is a stainless pot or a non stick pot.
Wooden Spoon or Whisk – Some recipes will tell you not to stir your sugar while it is melting. I think it is actually better to stir it to prevent scorching, particularly if you are a novice at melting sugar.
Mason Jar with Lid – I highly recommend storing this in a mason jar. particularly if you are storing in the fridge. If storing in the freezer, you,” need to store it something other than glass.
Measuring Cups – for measuring

The Ingredients

This recipe only calls for three ingredients – sugar, cream and butter. This is one reason why making your own caramel is actually quite easy. I always keep heavy cream on hand. I may be even do a blog post sharing all the reasons why it’s a good idea to keep heavy cream in your fridge.

SUGAR – Caramel can me made using white sugar or brown sugar. Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses. For this recipe, I recommend using white granulated sugar. This recipe will yield about a cup, but is easily doubled.

HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM – You only need a half cup of heavy whipping cream. You will need to let your cream warm up at the very least to room temperature but I find lukewarm is actually best. I’ll explain

BUTTER – I also find the letting your butter warm up is best also. Room temp or close is fine. To quickly soften butter, place the stick inside and upside down glass on the counter.

Instructions for Making Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce

Making your own caramel might feel intimidating, but it really isn’t that hard. The main thing is that this recipe calls for your attention. It isn’t something that you can walk away from and let cook on it’s own. That said, it also doesn’t take long. It only takes about fifteen minutes or so to make caramel.

In a medium sauce pan, add one cup of sugar to your dry pan on medium heat. It is important not to have too high a flame. Allow the sugar to warm up. You will start to see the sugar on the sides of the pan melt. You can stir it gently with a wooden spoon. You will the see the sugars melt and also start to see the sugar turn to yellow. Continue melting for a few more minutes until it resembles an amber color. Add your butter. It might seem at first like it is resisting to come together. It will become paste like and appear thick. That’s normal. Continue working together.

Once all the butter is melted, slowly add your cream. Your cream must be lukewarm or at the very least room temperature. If too cold it will crystalize (turn rock hard) and create toffee chips in your caramel or it will create a gritty like texture to your caramel. Once your cream is added stir well to combine. Your caramel should look smooth and creamy now. Remove from the heat. It will appear very runny when hot. Don’t worry. That’s normal and it will thicken once it cools. Let your caramel rest in the saucepan for 10-15 minutes before transferring. Use great care when transferring. The high sugar content keeps it scalding hot for a while.

Storing

I find this stores well in a mason jar (with lid) for 2-3 weeks. It will also freeze for up to 3 months. Just make sure you don’t freeze it in glass as it will break in the freezer.

How to Use Caramel Sauce

Whenever I share pics of this caramel sauce on social media, I always get asked, “what do I put it on?” You can basically use this sauce for anything you’d add caramel to. This sauce will be somewhat fluid and not solid like a soft caramel candy. You can put it in a squeeze bottle for easy drizzling the topping on ice cream, desserts and hot chocolate. You can even add it to desserts like pies or drizzle it on your pumpkin bread. I personally loving adding it to another favorite cupcake of ours called Harvest Cupcakes instead of icing – and of course I love adding it to my coffee. My youngest son loves me to put it on brownies with pecans for turtle brownies.

Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dessert

Equipment

  • sauce pan
  • wooden spoon or whisk
  • measuring cups
  • mason jar for storing

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Cup Granulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp Butter, unsalted cubed
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions
 

  • Take out your butter and cube it. Measure the heavy whipping cream and allow it to come to room temperature along with the butter. It must be lukewarm or room temp before cooking.
  • In a sauce pan over medium heat, add your white sugar to a dry pan. After a few minutes the sugar should start to melt.
  • Stir sugar with a wooden spoon or whisk as it continues to melt. You should notice the sugar starting to brown. Do not leave the sugar unattended as it can go from melting to burning very quickly. Continue caramelizing sugar until it reaches an amber color. Don't let it go too dark.
  • Once it reaches amber color, add your room temperature butter. The butter and sugar will resist coming together a little, but continue stirring until combined.
  • Once combined slowly add your room temperature cream. If the cream is too cold, it will turn hard similar to toffee. Stir in cream until rich and creamy.
  • Caramel will appear runny when hot. Allow caramel to cool and set for about 15 minutes before using or storing. Refrigerate in a mason jar with a lid. Stores for about 2-3 weeks in a fridge and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Keyword caramel, caramel sauce, caramel topping, dessert topping, dulce de leche, ice cream topping

That’s it. I hope you enjoy this recipe for easy homemade caramel sauce. I know that you’ll love it. I’d love to hear how it turned out and what you put it on. Tell me in the comments.

Breads / Baking, Recipes

Sourdough Cheddar Bay Biscuits

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Sourdough Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Looking for things to do with your sourdough discard? Here is a recipe for sourdough cheddar bay biscuits that will be the perfect addition your weeknight dinner.

Sourdough cheddar bay biscuits
This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one of the links I provide, I may receive a small percentage at no cost to you. Your purchase helps support my small business.

Can we be honest? The only reason I really love to go to Red Lobster is for those amazing cheddar bay biscuits. I mean the fish isn’t anything to write home about, but I can make a meal out of those biscuits. So today, I’m sharing a recipe for those lovely cheddar bay biscuits but with a little twist.

Just recently I decided to start a sourdough starter. I had started one last year, but with the multiple moves and taking care of my dad in hospice, I neglected it. So here I am starting it over again. If you have thought about starting a sourdough starter, I highly recommend Ballerina Farms. They take out a lot of the guesswork of a starter. They sell dry starters that you can reconstitute and then feed with detailed instructions. It’s great. They even sell the weck jars if you need them, though you can also purchase them on Amazon.

Sourdough Discard

One question I get asked a lot from new sourdough bakers is, “why you have to discard your some of your sourdough starer?” Well the answer is pretty simple. Your sourdough needs to be fed a certain amount of flour based on how many grams of starter you have. The more you starter you have the more flour you have to feed it. So it can require more and more flour very quickly. To remedy that, we discard some of the starter.

Now you can throw your starter away, although most people don’t do that. We can just add the starter to something we are baking and their tons of things you add it to – pancakes, waffles, cookies, and of course bread. I don’t recommend ever throwing it down a sink. It will become like concrete in your pipes. The best thing to do is just add it to something you are making. What if you don’t have anything to bake? No problem. You can keep a jar of sourdough discard in your fridge. Keeping it in your fridge slows down the bacterial growth and you won’t have to feed it for a while. Try to use the discard as quickly as possible though.

So this week, I decided to add it to a copycat cheddar bay biscuit recipe I had. The turned out amazing. They were fluffy and light and well…cheesy of course. I shared it on my Instagram and people asked for the recipe. So I agreed I’d include it here.

Are They Different?

Sourdough definitely yields a different texture when added to breads. Sourdough crusts tend to be tougher on the outside. Sourdough breads will typically have a tougher crust and a stronger center. Now you may ask why honey is included in this recipe. It offsets any sourness and it so small that you won’t even taste in the biscuits.

Ingredients and Tools

Sourdough cheddar bay biscuits are drop biscuits. This means that you don’t need a biscuit cutter or anything like that. However, I do recommend using am ice cream scooper for your dough. I have found using an ice cream scooper will help keep your biscuits, all the same size which ensures, even baking time and keep them looking uniform. Other than that you just need a cookie sheet and a large mixing bowl.

Some people make them like scones. If you prefer the triangle method, form your dough into a pie shape, then using a dough scraper or pizza cutter cut the pie into â…› slices. I still really prefer the round shape because they cook more evenly in my opinion.

Sourdough Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Sourdough Cheddar Bay Biscuit

Print Recipe
Course Breads
Servings 8

Equipment

  • baking sheet
  • ice cream scoop or dough scraper
  • pastry brush
  • mixing bowl, medium

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Cup Sourdough starter 50% hydration starter
  • 1 Cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 ¼ Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

For the butter topping

  • 4 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried parsley

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, add 1 cup of sourdough starter and 1 cup of all purpose flour along with the baking powder and salt
  • Add the honey and fold in the cheddar cheese until its fully combined
  • Using an ice cream scoop place scoops on a greased baking sheet
  • Bake in 400° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown

For the topping

  • Melt the butter. Add butter, powdered garlic and dried parsley. Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter on the warm tops of the biscuits and serve warm.
Keyword bread, drop biscuits, easy bread recipe, garlic bread

Storage

I would recommend storing the bread in an air tight container or at least a covered cake dish or something similar. They store for about three days so eat them quickly. You can rewarm them in the oven if needed. I find it is best to sprinkle the tops lightly with a little water before you put them in the oven. Be careful not to over bake.

If you are interesting in yeast baking, be sure to try my simple white bread recipe. Baking bread is not as hard as you might think. It takes a little practice but most people catch on very quickly. With all the rising inflation, baking things from scratch is definitely a way to save some money. Thanks for stopping by. Let me know how they turned out in the comments.

Breads / Baking, Fall / Autumn, Recipes

Scratch Pumpkin Spice Muffins

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Scratch Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Fall is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than with warm, scratch pumpkin spice muffins.

This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one of the link I provide I may receive a small percentage at no cost to you.

So today, I’m going to share one of my favorite things. Pumpkin spice muffins. They are delicious and they are very easy to make. Years ago, I was very intimidated by baking from scratch. These days, I rarely used boxed baking goods. Today I thought I would share a funny story before we get cooking. If you’d rather head strait for the recipe, I’ll put a jump link below.

Once Upon a Time in England

Right after I graduated high school I went to England where I studied art. I was only 18 years old and so many things in England were different. First of all they use the metric system there. So trying to figure out how to make things with grams, etc took a lot of practice. Also, their temperatures on the oven aren’t just in celsius, but they actually have gradients called “gas mark.” I was stunned when I looked on the oven and it read “gas mark 1, 2, 3, etc.”

Anyway, I hadn’t been there long and I want to bake a birthday cake for someone. I went into our small co-op grocery store and searched the aisles for cake mix. Finally, after I couldn’t find it, I asked someone who worked there. “Where are the cake mixes,” I asked. The poor guy stood there confused. He had no clue what I was talking about. “Cake mix? What is that, love?” I was equally confused. How could someone not understand what a cake mix was. I began to explain. He stopped me mid-sentence and said, “we have flour and chocolate powder.” After a few more times back and forth I realized there was no such thing there. It was the first time, I realized just how spoiled Americans really are. We have so many conveniences here and we still complain about doing things. Well, that was back in 1998. I’m sure it may be different now.

That experience though, was the first time I had to bake a cake from scratch. Now, I bake nearly everything from scratch, but initially, I was terrified by it.

Making Scratch Pumpkin Muffins

I know that not everyone is a fan of pumpkin spice. I personally don’t really care for pumpkin spice flavoring when it is artificial. However, I love pumpkin spice when it is fresh. That’s why I love my Slowcooker Pumpkin Spice Latte which uses fresh pumpkin! You don’t need any special equipment to make this recipe. Just a standard muffin tin. You can totally hand mix this recipe as well. No need for a beater or stand mixer.

Full disclaimer, I’ve never tried making this recipe with fresh pumpkin. I’ve always used canned pureed pumpkin. The most important technique with this recipe is that the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients will need to be mixed separately first. I have found that this helps reduce lumps. If you don’t do this, you will have to do a lot of mixing to get the lumps out. This results in tougher muffins. If you are new to making breads, let me explain. The more you mix or knead a bread, the stronger and tougher it becomes. Muffins should be fluffy, moist and soft. That means you don’t want to over mix. Mix just enough to fully combine ingredients.

This recipe calls for vegetable oil but I have found you can use melted coconut oil just fine. This recipe also calls for baking soda in lieu of baking powder similar to many banana bread recipes. Don’t worry. I promise it will come out perfectly.

Tip: Use an ice cream scoop to add your batter to your muffin tin

scratch pumpkin spice muffins

Scratch Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Mary Lentz
No need to run out to a bakery to get some pumpkin spice muffins. This easy scratch recipe is simple to make and will satisfy any pumpkin spice lover.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Breads, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12 muffins

Equipment

  • muffin tin
  • 2 mixing bowls
  • ice cream scoop
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 ¾ Cups All purpose flour
  • 2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • ¼ Tsp Ground cloves
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • ¼ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 15 oz Pureed pumpkin (1 can)
  • ½ Cup Vegetable oil
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 375°
  • Line your standard sized muffin tin with cupcake liners or grease with cooking spray
  • You will need to mix your wet and dry ingredients separately so prevent lumps and to keep the bread soft. In a large bowl, combine your flour, sugar, spices, salt and baking soda together. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, add your, pumpkin, oil and vanilla and whisk well until egg is well combined.
  • Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and using a spatula, lightly mix until they are combined and flour pockets are gone. Do not over mix.
  • Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin wells. They should be filled up about ¾ full.
  • Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let cool for ten minutes before serving.
Keyword bakery style, breakfast muffins, comfort food, fall, fall desserts, fall muffins, fruit muffin, pumpkin, pumpkin spice

Variations

If you want you can also do some variations.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip

Turn your regular muffins into chocolate chip ones by adding a half cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

Brown Sugar Glaze

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans

To make the glaze, add all your ingredients to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes before

Cream Cheese Icing

  • ½ cup butter
  • 8 oz softened cream cheese
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add your softened cream cheese, softened butter and vanilla into a stand mixer and and mix on medium with a paddle attachment. Lower speed and slowly add your powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully combined.

Other variations

You can also create different varieties by adding a half cup to one cup of any mix in such as chocolate chips, cranberries, or nuts. I’d start with a half cup and add more if desired. Some times add ins can be overwhelming so I suggest starting with a half cup first.

Scratch pumpkin spice muffins

I hope you enjoy this recipe. This makes for a yummy fall breakfast or even afternoon snack for the kiddos. Be sure also to take a look at my Fall Bucket List before you leave.

Entertaining, Recipes

10 Super Quick Appetizers

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on 10 Super Quick Appetizers

Hosting on a budget or short on time? These 10 super quick appetizers are perfect for your next no-fuss gathering.

10 super easy appetizers

I love entertaining and I love having people over, but now that I have kids, I am often short on time. Before kids anyone could come over with a moment’s notice. Now, I need at least a day or two to pick up the clothes, the toys and all the goldfish crumbs. I always find myself short on time and no matter how early I start, I feel like I am running behind. So today, I thought I’d share 10 super quick appetizers. These appetizers are quick to make and generally don’t take a ton of ingredients.

Boursin on Baguette

Boursin cheese

If you’ve never had Boursin cheese, you’re missing out. Boursin is a French spreadable cheese similar to cream cheese. Although garlic and herb is the classic version, it comes in a variety of flavors like:

  • Pepper
  • Fig & Walnut
  • Cranberry & Spice (seasonal)
  • Red Chili Pepper
  • Shallot & Chive
  • Basil & Chive

No recipe needed. Buy your cheese and let it come to room temperature. Cut your baguette and brush a little bit of olive oil on each side and toast on a grill pan. Spread your cheese once the toast is cooled and serve!

Baked Brie and Chutney

Baked brie is one of my favorite appetizers. This mild cheese can be found in the “nice cheese” part of your grocery store and typically comes in a wheel. It isn’t the cheapest, but it’s always a crowd-pleaser and has always been considered an upscale appetizer. I love to wrap the Brie in puff pastry or phyllo dough but if you want to keep it simple, you can bake it naked for about 7 to 10 minutes at 350. If you don’t have time to get all fancy with chutney, consider just spreading with preserves or thick jam. Even cranberry sauce or honey pairs well with it.

Brie

Cheese and Grapes or Cheese and Olives Skewers

This is definitely an easy appetizer. In fact, many grocery stores will even cube the cheese for you at the deli so you don’t have to do all the cutting. Anthos or Kalamata olives pair nicely with cheese, just make certain that grapes are seedless and olives are pitted. All you need is cubed cheese, seedless grapes and pitted olives. The skewer them using cocktail picks and place them out. You can help keep cheese cool by serving on a marble pastry or cheeseboard.

10 super easy appetizers

Cheeseboard (Charcuterie Board)

For this, you can leave cheese whole in wedges and serve with cheese knives for easy cutting. Pair with a cracker variety and/or grapes. Three or four wedges should be plenty. A great cheeseboard has a variety of hard and soft cheeses. Stick to classic cheeseboard cheeses like:

  • Blue Cheese (Roquefort, Blue Stilton, Gorgonzola, Maytag, Danish Blue)
  • Cheddar (Farmhouse, Longhorn, Extra Sharp, Aged)
  • Brie
  • Goat Cheese
  • Other Cheeses (Havarti, Swiss, Provolone, Parmesan-Reggiano, Gouda, Gruyere)

Of course I love turning this into a charcuterie board full of fruits, nuts, and salami (see pic below). But if you need to keep it simple and don’t want to spend a lot of time putting it together, a few wedges of cheese and crackers does the trick! Be sure to read my post How to Make the Ultimate Charcuterie Board for a large scale version of a cheese board.

wine & cheese
My Charcuterie Board

Bruschetta

Brushetta is a simple salad that uses Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, Parmesan, and olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. You may need to add a little salt to it. But it doesn’t take much to whip up this five-ingredient appetizer up. You will need to help cut up a baguette to serve it on. You can even let guests spread it themselves if you are worried about the bread going soggy. To prevent this, toast your baguette with a little brushed olive oil and grill it until golden brown.

Bruschetta

Caprese Salad Skewers

Caprese Salad is a three-ingredient salad – tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. A simple dressing of balsamic vinaigrette and extra-virgin olive oil is drizzled on top. For parties, I love putting it on skewers or toothpicks or putting it in small cups. If preparing in advance for a party, don’t drizzle the dressing until you are ready to serve or keep it on the side. To serve on the side you can put the dressing in a small bowl for dipping. Or if you are offering the appetizer on small plates you can keep the dressing in a small creamer pitcher for guests to drizzle.

Caprese salad skewers

Pimento Cheese

About fifteen years ago, I found a fabulous recipe for pimento cheese. I was not a pimento cheese fan. Of course, I had only ever had it in a processed variety that you get in a jar from the grocery store. No wonder I didn’t like it. Try my recipe for a fresh version of pimento cheese. I know you will love it. The recipe uses Monterrey Jack cheese. I really recommend you use that instead of cheddar which can be overpowering. It then combines fresh dill, minced garlic, mayonnaise, and of course pimentos.

You can serve it with crackers and a spreader or you can purchase some nice artisan bread from your local supermarket and spread it on finger sandwiches. Either way, it’s an easy appetizer that whipped up quickly for guests.

Monterrey Jack Pimento Cheese

This homemade Pimento Cheese is to die for. Monterrey Jack. Is blended with mayo, Pimento, garlic and dill. 
Print Recipe
15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Servings 2 Cups

Ingredients
  

  • 8 Oz Monterrey Jack Cheese shredded
  • 2 Tbsp Garlic Minced
  • 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh Dill Chopped
  • 2 Oz Pimento Strained

Instructions
 

  • With a food strainer, strain the pimentos until all the liquid is gone. 
  • In a medium bowl, add cheese and Pimento. 
  • Mince garlic and add to mixture. 
  • Add dill and mayonnaise. Stir well  until fully combined. 
  • Refrigerate for one hour before serving. 
Keyword appetizer, cheese, dill, easy appetizer, entertaining, monterrey jack, pimeto, pimeto cheese, sandwiches
Pimento cheese spread

Hot Goat Cheese Fondue

I first tried this hot goat cheese fondue at a local farm-to-market style restaurant here in San Antonio where I live. Once I got home, I was determined to make it myself. If you are a goat cheese fan, this Mediterranean-inspired dish is delicious and it is super quick to make. You will need a log of goat cheese (at least four ounces), cherry tomatoes, pitted kalamata olives, fresh rosemary, and extra-virgin olive oil. Baked together, it is bubbly, cheesy, goodness. You can serve it with warmed or grilled pita bread or baguette. This recipe is easy with only a handful of ingredients and is done in less than half an hour.

Goat Cheese Fondue

Goat Cheese Fondue

This delicious new take on fondue fuses Mediterranean flavors like Goat Cheese, Kalamata Olives, Fresh Rosemary, Olive Oil and Sweet Tomatoes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Appetizer
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3-4 Small Sweet Tomatoes
  • 4 Oz Goat Cheese
  • 1 Tsp Fresh Rosemary
  • 6-8 Kalamata Olives Pitted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350
  • In a small dish, place goat cheese and place in the over for 5-10 mins until softened. 
  • While in the oven, pit olives (if not pre-pitted) and separate rosemary from stem.
  • Once goat cheese is semi soft take out of oven and spread the cheese to fully cover the bottom of the dish. 
  • Sprinkle fresh rosemary. Add 3-4 tomatoes and add olives
  • Turn broiler on low and place cheese in oven
  • Melt under broiler for approximately 5 mins. Pay close attention to the cheese as things can burn quickly under the broiler. 
  • Once melted, remove from oven. Drizzle olive oil on the top. Best served with warm bread.

Fried Ravioli with Marinara

Can we just agree that most things taste better fried? Okay, well maybe not everything. I definitely enjoy things fresh, but for an appetizer, fried ravioli is really good and it is a little more refined than say that fried cheese sticks that grace every sports bar in America. You will need fresh ravioli. It does not matter if it is cheese or meat filled. Heat up some vegetable oil to 365º F and fry your ravioli for 2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle salt and a small amount of grated parmesan on it. Plate a small bowl of marinara sauce for dipping. Easy peasy!

Quesadillas

Maybe it’s because I’m Hispanic, but quesadillas are so good! Sure you can always do chips and salsa if you want to really make it easy, but if you are looking for something a little more filling for your guests, you can always warm up some quesadillas. You can do a wide variety of different kinds. You can keep it simple and just do cheese (The best Mexican cheeses for quesadillas are Oaxaca, Asadero, Chihuahua, and Manchengo) or you can add meat or pico de gallo. You can keep them warm in a tortilla warmer until guests arrive. Then serve with guacamole, sour cream and salsa for dipping.

I hope you enjoyed this 10 super easy appetizers. Don’t forget to pin this post for later (you may need it). What is your favorite appetizer? Do you have a go-to dish? Tell me in the comments.

Holidays, Recipes, Slowcooker Favorites

Hot Cranberry Orange Cider

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Hot Cranberry Orange Cider

Hot cranberry orange cider is a delicious hot punch that is perfect for holiday parties in the Fall and Winter.

Hot cranberry orange cider

I love cranberries. I get so excited when I see them finally appear in our grocery store. Once Fall hits, I make a wide variety of cranberry foods. From cranberry-orange muffins to white chocolate and cranberry cookies, I love making things with cranberry. I’ve had this recipe for a few years and I’ve grown to love it. This recipe actually calls for cranberry juice which you can get year-round. However, I love to add a few whole cranberries to the punch when I serve it. We’ll get into all that later, but for now, let me tell you about this easy punch recipe.

We love entertaining around Christmas time. In fact, for the last seven years, I’ve been hosting Christmas for our family. I always set up an awesome hot chocolate bar that family and friends rave about! You can see my post on how to set up your own hot chocolate bar. I even have the best slow cooker hot chocolate recipe that you’ll ever try! Be sure to check those out before you leave.

How to Make Hot Cranberry Orange Cider

When I found this recipe years ago, it came with specific instructions to make over the stove. That is how I am going to share the recipe today, However, you can make the entire recipe in the slow cooker (e.g. crockpot) if you like. This recipe calls for several things, frozen concentrate and cinnamon imperials. Don’t know what those are? Cinnamon hard candy. Kind of like starlight mints except they are cinnamon flavored. You can find them at your local grocery store in the candy section.

This recipe calls for no actual sugar or cinnamon. Instead, it uses the sugar in the candies to sweeten the tart drink. The recipe instructions direct you to melt down the cinnamon candy by boiling it with the cranberry fruit cocktail which essentially turns the candies into a cinnamon syrup. Yes, the candies will still melt if done in the crockpot, but it will take a while. Until they are fully melted they can be a choking hazard, if someone doesn’t realize they are in there and they go for a cup before they are dissolved. Trust me, this can happen, even with adults. So I’d still recommend that you dissolve them on the stove. Then if desired you can transfer over to a crockpot afterward. I normally do just that, so the punch can stay warm as guests serve themselves. The recipe also calls for whole cloves, so you want to make sure you strain those out before serving. The stovetop method ensures your punch is ready in 30 minutes.

Cloves

Serving Hot Cranberry Cider

When you serve it, you can serve it directly in your crockpot. I recommend providing a ladle and spoon rest so avoid your countertop or surface from getting sticky from the ladle. If you don’t want to serve it in a crockpot and want a more classy look, they sell chafing punch bowls on Amazon. They are way more sophisticated than crockpots for your holiday parties.

By the way, if you are using a crockpot, allow me to introduce you to my best friend. A couple of years ago I discovered the slow cooker liners and they are awesome. I don’t typically buy disposable stuff, but these are awesome especially around the holidays. During the holidays my crockpots are used almost on a daily basis. The only thing I hate about using them is all the soaking and scrubbing in between uses. This totally eliminates the need for both. Just take and toss when you are done and then wash your crockpot without the elbow grease.

When I serve it, I often serve it in my old depression glass punch bowl or in cute Santa mugs. These Santa mugs (below) are from Pottery Barn. They are exactly like my mother’s vintage ones in her kitchen. You can also put it in Mason jar mugs. Another favorite of mine. I serve the punch with whole cranberries which I put in the punch while being warmed and I garnish with a cinnamon stick.

hot cranberry orange cider
santa mugs

Hot Cranberry Orange Cider

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

  • 64 fl oz Cranberry Juice Cocktail
  • 2 Cups Water
  • ½ Cup Cinnamon Imperials (candy)
  • 12 Whole Cloves
  • ½ Cup Frozen orange juice concentrate
  • ½ Cup Frozen lemonade juice concentrate

Instructions
 

  • Combine cranberry juice, water, cloves, and cinnamon candy into a large stockpot.
  • Boil mixture until candies are fully dissolved. Reduce heat to low.
  • Add lemonade and orange concentrates. Remove cloves.
  • Transfer to a crockpot or heatproof serving bowl. Keep heat on low. Serve with heatproof mugs or punch cups. Garnish with cinnamon and whole cranberries if desired.
Keyword citrus, cranberry, holiday, holiday party, holiday punch, lemon dressing, orange, punch
Vintage Green Punch Bowl
Desserts, Recipes, Side Dishes

Easy Sweet Potato Casserole

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Easy Sweet Potato Casserole

Easy Sweet Potato Casserole has become a family favorite of ours. My family begs me to make this dish every Thanksgiving. So today, I’m sharing these easy fall dish that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Easy Sweet potato casserole

When I was a child, both my grandmother and my mother always made candied yams for Thanksgiving. Candied yams is a traditional thanksgiving dish. First, they used canned yams. I don’t mean to offend if you use canned vegetables. I actually love to can food. But the yams always seemed mushy and soggy. Candied yams then top them with marshmallows, cherries, even pineapple. It was never a favorite of mine. I just didn’t care for the combination. So for years, when people passed them to me, I passed them right along.

Fast forward to my twenties. I can recall watching a morning program where Martha Stewart was a guest and was sharing her version of sweet potato casserole. Oh my, this dish looked divine and I’ll never forget what she said. She said it tasted like sweet potato pie without the crust. Now that I had to try. (I dare say, it is better because of the praline topping). So that day I headed to the store for my first try of sweet potato casserole. It was a huge hit at Thanksgiving. To this day, my family will pass over the pies to have the sweet potato casserole. I often get asked to bring it to Fall parties. Trust me, it’s delicious! What really makes this superb is the praline topping.

Making Sweet Potato Casserole

Over the years, I’ve tweaked Martha’s recipe based on my own experience. I’ve also been influenced by other versions. You will need a nice deep casserole dish. I personally love baking it in stoneware because it is so easy to go from oven to table. I also highly recommend using raw, fresh sweet potatoes. You can cook them any way you like (bake or boil). However, I have found that boiling them makes them much easier to mash because they are very tender. Baking also takes much more cook time.

Now, if you want to save yourself some time in the kitchen or want to save some real estate on your stove on Thanksgiving Day, you can always cook the potatoes the day before and store in the fridge. Then you can take them out when you are ready for them and create your casserole. I’ve been asked if you can prep the whole casserole the day before. Yes, you can. However, you’ll need to make sure you put it in a metal pan instead of glass or stoneware. Putting an ice-cold dish in a piping hot oven can cause the glass to shatter. Also, you may need to increase the cook time to an hour if your casserole is refrigerator cold.

Sweet Potato Casserole

One of my favorite kitchen tools I’ve ever come across is this brown sugar keeper. If you haven’t discovered this, you don’t know what you are missing. It contains a terra-cotta disk that keeps your brown sugar soft and fresh. And it isn’t just for brown sugar! They also sell little terra-cotta discs that keep lots of things soft and fresh. Things like cookies, baked goods, marshmallows, baker’s coconut and granulated sugar. Anything that you want to keep soft. Best of all you can use them forever. Just wash them with soap water whenever you want to put it in a different food container.

Brown sugar

How To Make Sweet Potato Casserole

You will need about 3-4 lbs of sweet potatoes. It is up to you if you want to peel before or after boiling. I prefer to peel after so they aren’t too waterlogged. Once peeled, transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Mash your sweet potato with a potato masher. I typically don’t mind lumps in mashed potatoes, but for this recipe, I recommend working out as much of the lumps as you can. In a separate small bowl, beat your eggs, then add them to your potato mixture. Then you will add your pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, milk, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, butter, and mix well. You will then pour the mixture into an ungreased casserole dish.

In a separate bowl, you will create a sugary praline topping. You will mix brown sugar, butter, flour, and pecans until it resembles a coarse mixture. The sprinkle atop the potato filling. You’ll bake it in the oven uncovered for about 45 mins. If you love this recipe, you should try another Fall favorite of mine Slowcooker Pumpkin Spice Latte. I make it every Thanksgiving as well! Your friends will ask you for that recipe also.

Easy sweet potato casserole

Easy Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole is a lot like sweet potato pie without the crust. This delicious sweet potato dish with praline topping is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Deep casserole dish
  • potato masher

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Large Sweet potatoes peeled, cut into large chunks
  • ½ Cup Milk
  • 2 Large Eggs Slightly beaten
  • ½ Cup Brown Sugar packed
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ Stick Unsalted butter (4 tablespoons), melted
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

For the Topping

  • ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ Cup Brown Sugar Packed
  • ½ Stick Unsalted Butter melted
  • ¼ Tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¾ Cup Pecans Chopped
  • 1 tsp cinnamon ground

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°
  • In a large stockpot, add peeled, cubed sweet potatoes with a pinch of salt into boiling water. Bring boil to high heat and then reduce heat and cook until potatoes are very tender (about 20 mins).
  • Drain potatoes in colander and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Smash potatoes using a potato masher.
  • In a small bowl, slightly beat eggs then add to the potato mash.
  • Add milk, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, melted butter, vanilla into the bowl with potato and egg mixture. Stir ingredients well until fully combined.
  • Transfer to an ungreased baking dish. Spread the mixture out so that it is even across the dish.
  • In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the topping – brown sugar, pecans, all-purpose flour, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Sprinkle topping over the pumpkin mixture.
  • Place into the oven uncovered. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
Keyword casserole, casserole recipes, chocolate dessert, fall, praline, side dish, sweet potato, thanksgiving

Storing and Leftovers

If you have any leftovers you can store them in an air tight container for three to four days. Leftovers are easily warmed up in the microwave or in the oven.

Friends, thank you so much for joining me today. I know that 2020 has been an exceptionally hard year. But I encourage you to make the best of it. FaceTime or Zoom with family and friends. Write some gratitude lists as a family. Focus on what is going right instead of all the things that wrong this year. There are always reasons to be grateful. Until next time friends. Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving.

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Desserts, Drinks, Recipes

Authentic Mexican Champurrado

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Authentic Mexican Champurrado

It is sweater weather! Today on My Beautiful Mess, I’m sharing a family favorite. Authentic Mexican Champurrado is a thick, earthy, Mexican hot chocolate, perfect for those crisp, Autumn nights.

Fall is my favorite season. I love all things Fall. The bonfires and chilly nights, pumpkins and falling leaves. It’s heaven. I am definitely a pumpkin spice girl and if you haven’t checked out my Pumpkin latte recipe, you don’t know what you are missing! It’s the best ever and uses fresh pumpkin instead of artificial flavors. But I don’t just enjoy pumpkin lattes in the fall. I also love hot apple cider and hot chocolate. Since I’m Latina, I also love Mexican versions of this chocolatey drink.

Mexican hot chocolates have a unique flavor to them. Instead of strait chocolate, sugar and milk, they are made with aromatic spices. Like many Mexican desserts, they are also less sweet than American varieties. Traditional Mexican hot chocolate has bittersweet chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, cayenne pepper and/or chili powder. The pepper and chili powder added is only a small amount. In fact, you’d probably never know those spices are in there. Today, I’m sharing another special hot chocolate variety. Authentic Mexican Champurrado.

A Quick History Trip

Hot chocolate actually originated in Mexico, and Central and South America. Cocoa beans are indigenous to this area. The Aztecs and Mayans made hot chocolate before the European old world. The Spanish explorers would eventually bring it back to Europe. Because sugarcane was native to Asia, the original versions of this drink were very bitter and an acquired taste as the chocolate was drunk in its pure form.

When Spanish colonists began drinking it they added sugar, sweetening it to the yummy drink we know today. But back then in the sixteenth century, cocoa beans were such a commodity that only the rich and aristocrats could afford it. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine a life without chocolate!

Making Authentic Mexican Champurrado

Mexican Champurrado is a warm hot chocolate drink, but it has a slightly different spice palette than traditional Mexican hot chocolate. Instead of chili powders, the drink is made with vanilla, star anise, cinnamon, and piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar). But the biggest difference is that corn masa is added to thicken the drink. This changes the texture quite a bit from traditional hot chocolate drinks. First, it is fairly thick and the texture will be different because of the grain that is in it. When I was a child it reminded me of a chocolate cream of wheat. If it is too thick, you can add some more milk to thin the consistency. As you bring it to a boil, the starches in the masa will break down and act as a thickener. You will need to stir and whisk constantly with a molinillo to avoid any lumps. It should not be grainy or gritty. If it is, you haven’t boiled it long enough.

For the chocolate, you can use Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate tablets. Incidentally, if you want to make traditional Mexican hot chocolate, just use these tablets with milk as I find they are the perfect blend of cocoa, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon which gives it that authentic flavor. Also, you will see that the recipe calls for simmering whole spices in water and then using that fragrant water to add to your chocolate mixture. I highly recommend using this method over ground spices. You will know your water is reading when the water is brown and fragrant. Strain the cinnamon, cloves and star anise out and add the spiced water to your Champurrado mix.

Tools

If you plan on making this often, I recommend buying a molinillo. A molinillo is a wooden Mexican whisk. It helps to froth the milk manually and breakdown the chocolate while blending the spices. The one in my kitchen is well-loved as it has been passed down to me. To use the molinillo, place the whisk head in the hot chocolate pan and roll the handle in the palms of your hands. Other than that all you really need is a large saucepan and of course your favorite mugs for serving. If you don’t have a molinillo you can use a regular whisk, it just won’t froth the milk as well as the molinillo. I find using a whisk doesn’t really alter the taste in any noticeable way.

Hot Chocolate Bar Printable - Red Buffalo Plaid

Hot Chocolate Bar Printable – Red Buffalo Plaid

Every year I set up a hot chocolate bar for the Holidays. Its a great way to get your guests to serve themselves and be happy about it! A hot chocolate bar is fun for kids and adults alike. It’s a great addition to playdates, parties and get togethers. This is a hit at all my parties! I put the toppings in mason jars for easy storage when not in use. Here is a hot chocolate bar printable you ca…

$5.00
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Serving Champurrado

Champuraddo is very popular on Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) which is the same week as our American Halloween and during Las Posadas during December. We often enjoy it fireside. I love serving authentic Mexican Champurrado with some Mexican desserts like homemade churros or conchas (pan dulce).

Just like American hot chocolate, you can serve it with whipped cream or marshmallows and a cinnamon stick, but it isn’t necessary. I personally think everything is better with whipped cream. If you want, you can also add alcohol or liqueur to it and turn it into an adult hot chocolate. Champurrado does not store well, so drink it up while it is fresh and piping hot.

Authentic Mexican Champurrado

This Mexican style hot chocolate is thick and earthy with aromatic spices like cinnamon, vanilla, star anise, cloves, and piloncillo
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert, Drinks
Cuisine latin, Mexican
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Molinillo
  • Strainer

Ingredients
  

  • 4½ Cups Whole Milk
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 1 Star Anise
  • ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Whole Clove
  • 1 Tbsp Piloncillo crushed, to taste
  • ¾ Cup Pinole, coarse ground masa flour
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 2 Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate Drink Tablets

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan, add water and cinnamon stick, clove, and star anise. If you are using a vanilla pod instead of vanilla extract, add it to the water with the other spices. Boil the water and spices until the water is fragrant (about 10 mins). Then allow it to steep for an additional 2-3 minutes. Strain and reserve spiced water.
  • In another saucepan over medium heat add milk. Add the Mexican chocolate drink tablets and the pinole. Using a molinillo, roll the handle in the palms of your hand to froth the milk and dissolve the pinole and chocolate tablets. If you don't have a molinillo, you can use a whisk. Continue until fully dissolved and chocolate mixture is thickened (about 10 minutes).
  • Remove from heat. Add piloncillo. Let rest until sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes)
  • Add the fragrant water. Stir well and serve.
Keyword atole, champurrado, chocolate, hot chocolate, mexican hot chocolate, milk

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Breads / Baking, Recipes

Simple Homemade Flour Tortillas

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Simple Homemade Flour Tortillas

They are little rounds of heaven. You’ll be surprised to know how easy it is to whip up a batch of simple homemade flour tortillas tonight for dinner. Today, I’m sharing my authentic recipe straight from our Tex-Mex kitchen.

simple homemade flour tortillas

Homemade flour tortillas are one of the best things on the planet. Growing up in my Hispanic family, I loved it when my mom had a steaming hot, fluffy stack of homemade tortillas waiting for us. I loved smearing butter all over freshly warmed tortillas. They were so good.

Lately, I’ve been making them often. First, they are great for lunches for the kids. I grill them up with cheese and make quesadillas for their lunch. Sometimes I have some leftover meat, but not quite enough for a meal, that’s when I shred it up for tacos or quesadillas. I’m a little embarrassed to say that it doesn’t matter how many tortillas I make, we always seem to eat them all!

So today I’m going to show you how easy it is to make simple homemade flour tortillas right in your kitchen. They are far superior to store-bought ones and once you get familiar with making them, you won’t want the rubbery, chewy mass-produced ones.

Ingredients

Tortillas are a wonderfully easy bread because they require few ingredients. In fact, you may already have what you need. First, all you need is all-purpose flour. There is no need to use any kind of special flour. As I mentioned before, tortillas are unleavened bread, so you don’t need leavening agents like baking powder or yeast. However, you can add baking powder to make them fluffier if you desire. Really, all you need is flour, lard, water and a pinch of salt.

Traditionally tortillas are made with lard. I think lard makes the best version of tortillas. The tortillas seem to have a fluffier, smoother texture with lard. I highly recommend using lard above any other fat. However, if you don’t have lard on hand you can substitute other fats. You can also make them with butter, shortening and even vegetable oil in a pinch.

You can buy lard at the store in the butter section. It costs around the same price as butter and it stores in your fridge for months. You can even make lard at home (see video below). That’s right, don’t throw those drippings away!

Tools

Many people are discouraged from making tortillas for one simple reason – rolling out circles, I know I underestimated how hard it is to roll out a perfect circle. Like really hard! Personally, I don’t mind if mine aren’t perfect, but others do. I will say that it takes lots of practice to roll them out, so don’t get discouraged if they aren’t perfect. I guarantee you regardless of their shape, they will still taste amazing! So you can use two different methods to make them. You can roll them out using a rolling pin or you can use a tortilla press.

homemade flour tortillas

Tortilla presses are great because you put your ball of dough in, clamp down and it presses out your tortilla to the perfect thickness and size. It definitely makes them more uniform looking. Using a tortilla press also seriously cuts down on time. It takes far less time to press them as it does to roll them out. So if you are making them for a weeknight dinner, this really speeds it up. I highly recommend using a cast-iron one. I love mine.

Frankly, you don’t need any special tools to make tortillas, but I’ve used my stand mixer to speed things up as well as using a pastry blender if I am doing it by hand.

Also, if you make tortillas often, you may want to invest in a tortilla warmer. They really do keep them warm for a long while. They are fairly cheap too. If you don’t have a tortilla warmer, place a clean dishcloth inside a covered dish and slip them into the dishcloth to keep them warm.

Cooking the Tortillas

To make tortillas you’ll combine your ingredients – flour, salt, hot water and your lard. If you want them to be fluffier you can also add 1 teaspoon of baking powder. If you are substituting a different fat for lard such as vegetable oil or shortening you will use the same measurements as lard which is â…“ cup. Mix the dough with a dough hook attachment on your stand mixer or you can use a pastry cutter to cut in the lard.

You can divide your dough into sixteen portions. That will make about 16 small 6″ tortillas or you divide into twelve pieces and it will yield about a dozen 8″ tortillas. I typically make 8″ ones.

Tortillas need to be cooked one at a time unless you have a long griddle, in which case you can do two at a time. Place the tortillas down on a griddle with medium heat. Cook for about 2 mins on each side. You will likely see the tortilla puff as it cooks. That is totally normal. Flip it over. The cooked side should have some light brown spots That’s how you know it is cooked! Then repeat on the other side.

How to Store Them

So you can choose to warm your tortillas all at once or you can choose to warm them up over a period of a couple of days. Store the ready-made tortillas in your fridge in a zip lock bag. You can separate them with wax paper so they don’t stick together. I recommend taking them out of the fridge about ten to fifteen minutes before you are ready to warm them up so they cook quickly and evenly on your griddle. I think they cook better that way than when they are a stone-cold temperature.

Simple Flour Tortillas

Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Breads
Cuisine Mexican

Equipment

  • Griddle

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1/3 Cup Lard, cold
  • 1 Cup Hot Water
  • 1 Tsp baking powder optional

Instructions
 

  • Add flour to a large mixing bowl.
  • Whisk salt and baking powder (optional) to the flour. Baking powder is optional but will give you a fluffier tortilla. Alternatively, instead of mixing by hand, you may use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
  • Add lard to flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender (or if using a stand mixer mix on low. You can also you use your hands if you don't have tools. You do not need to need the dough, only mix.
  • Slowly add water until a tacky dough forms
  • Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface. Divide dough into twelve pieces. Roll each piece into a ball about the size of a golf ball.
  • Heat a griddle on your stove at medium-high heat.
  • Begin by flouring your rolling pin to prevent dough from sticking. Take a ball of dough and roll it evenly into a 7-8" circle.
  • Place a tortilla on the hot griddle. The tortilla will puff as it cooks. Cook on each side for about 30 seconds. Flip regularly until you see light brown spots on the heated side.
Keyword bread, easy bread, flour, mexican bread, mexican food, tortillas, unleavened bread

That’s it! Enjoy your homemade tortillas with your favorite Mexican food dish. Be sure to check out some of my favorites like perfect Spanish rice and Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas.

Main Dishes, Recipes

Easy Low Carb Meatloaf

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Easy Low Carb Meatloaf

This yummy recipe leaves out all the heavy carbs and grains for a protein-packed, easy low-carb meatloaf that will be your new family favorite.

Easy low carb meatloaf

I’ve got a new recipe for you. Well, it is new to you but old to me. That’s because this is actually my grandmother’s recipe. I’ve been making this for years and when I got on the Keto diet, I thought I should share it with others for those looking for a low-carb meatloaf recipe. Hold up, don’t run away. I hope you give this recipe a chance. I know there are a lot of people out there who cringe at the idea of meatloaf. Admittedly, I’m not a meatloaf fan of the other recipes I have tried in the past. This is the only one I like!

Meatloaf is a nice hardy dish to serve your family. Here in the south, it is comfort food. I love serving it with a steaming heap of buttery mashed potatoes and some greens like Southern-style green beans or roasted Brussel sprouts and bacon. By the way, if you are looking for another easy weeknight recipe, take a look at my Easy Chicken Tetrazzini recipe before you go.

Making Easy Low Carb Meatloaf

One thing that is nice and different about this meatloaf is that it is low carb. If you are doing a special diet like Paleo, Atkins or Keto, this is going to be great for you. Obviously, if you are doing Paleo, you’ll want to try and use grass-fed beef. Lots of meatloaf recipes call for breadcrumbs, stuffing, or other grains to form the loaf shape. This recipe uses absolutely no breadcrumbs or other grains. The only carbs in it are from bell pepper, onion and a small amount of tomato sauce. Instead of using breadcrumbs to hold the meat together in a loaf, this recipe uses protein – one large egg. The egg acts as the binding agent.

The other thing that makes this meatloaf unique is that it uses ground breakfast sausage. I highly recommend using Jimmy Dean Breakfast sausage. I like to use the sage version for added flavor, but you could also use the regular or even the hot if you wish.

It takes about an hour in the oven to cook the 2-pound loaf. However, it only takes a few minutes of prep time. You can even prep it the day before, then pop it in the oven when you’re ready to start dinner. I personally don’t need a sauce with this meatloaf because it is so flavorful, but you can add your favorite meatloaf sauce to it.

easy low carb meatloaf
easy low carb meatloaf

This recipe calls for simple ingredients. Ground beef, breakfast sausage, green bell pepper, white onion, one egg, a small amount of tomato sauce and salt and pepper. Just combine and press into a regular-sized loaf pan. Then you’ll cook it for one hour in an oven preheated to 375. Let the meatloaf rest for about five minutes before serving. This keeps it juicy and allows the juices to recirculate through the meat.

Storing the Meatloaf

This is a great meal for leftovers. Because of the sausage (high-fat content), the meat doesn’t dry out when reheated. You can reheat it in the oven again or use the microwave. Also, you can store in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. I have also frozen it before and it freezes well for up to a month. Honestly, I’ve never stored it longer than that. If you are freezing it, just make sure you wrap it really well to prevent freezer burn.

dinner
dinnerdinne

Easy Low Carb Meatloaf

This yummy low carb meatloaf is all meat and few carbs and is sure to become a weeknight favorite!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lbs Ground Beef
  • 1 lbs Breakfast sausage Jimmy Dean preferred
  • 1 Lrg Egg
  • 1/2 Bell Pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 Sm White Onion, chopped
  • 3-4 oz Tomato sauce about half of an 8 oz can
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°
  • In a large mixing bowl, add beef, sausage, onion and bell pepper. Knead well until combined to avoid bites of only sausage or beef. You can use clean hands or use a pastry cutter to help combine them.
  • Add one egg and knead until fully combined.
  • Add tomato sauce and knead until fully combined.
  • Transfer meat mixture into an ungreased loaf pan. Press into pan to pack meat tightly. Level the top.
  • Place in oven and bake for one hour at 375°
  • Let meat rest for 5 mins before serving.
Keyword atkins, beef, beef dishes, comfort food, ground beef, healthy meals, italian sausage, keto, leftovers, low carb, meat, meatloaf, southern recipes, weeknight favorite
meatloaf

Main Dishes, Recipes, Weekday Dinners

Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

Today I’m going to share my favorite dish to use up leftover chicken, easy chicken tetrazzini, a creamy cheesy casserole that is easy to whip up for a weeknight dinner

This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through a link I provide, I may receive a small percentage at no cost to you. See my full disclosure policy for details.

I stumbled across this dish nearly two decades ago. When I first started making it, I learned that chicken tetrazzini was a casserole dish from the turn of the century. Some say it dates back all the way to 1908. You might think it is an Italian dish because of the name and the fact that it has pasta, but it isn’t. It was actually named after turn-of-the-century opera Luisa Tetrazzini.

Making Chicken Tetrazzini

It was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s as a staple casserole dish. In my household, it has become one of our beloved family favorites, not just because of the delicious creamy taste, but because it is a wonderful way to use leftover chicken. I also go to this recipe if I don’t have enough chicken to make it a main course. This recipe stretches a few breasts out enough to feed a family.

Apparently, that’s why it grew in popularity. During the Great Depression, it was used to make the most of the little meat families had. Housewives also used whatever pasta they had on hand. That’s why you see it with all kinds of pasta like spaghetti, broad egg noodles, linguine, even penne, and elbow macaroni. In fact, many people even use the recipe to make turkey tetrazzini with leftover turkey. I almost always do this after Thanksgiving. During the 1940’s and 1950’s some housewives even used canned tuna along with whatever cheese they had on hand. Tetrazzini is a truly versatile dish.

It may surprise you to learn that there is no universal standard recipe for tetrazzini. It was kind of a first throw-down recipe of sorts. Earlier recipes are slightly more complicated than what I will share today. Early recipes call for sautéing your own fresh mushrooms and then creating a cream sauce with heavy whipping cream, butter, white wine or sherry, meat stock, and cheese. However, thanks to the 1950’s housewife, she used a more convenient method of using Cambell’s Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken condensed soups to quicken this recipe and that is what I am going to show you today – easy chicken tetrazzini.

Roasted chicken
Courtesy of Unsplash

Start by shredding your chicken while your pasta boils. If you prefer, you can slice your chicken or meat into bite-sized chunks. Once your pasta is drained, add it to a large bowl, combine your cans of cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup. Add milk, half and half, or cream. If you are using cream you need about a cup of cream. If using half and half or milk, you can use about a half cup or change until you reach your desired consistency. We like ours extra creamy and rich. If you don’t care for such a heavy sauce, you can dilute with more milk. If you don’t have milk, you can substitute a half cup of meat stock to dilute.

You’ll add in your cheese to the cream sauce. I reserve half for spreading on top. As I mentioned earlier, housewives used whatever cheese they had on hand. I prefer parmesan because it adds a lot of flavor. But I’ve used Mozzarella, Monterrey Jack, Colby Jack, Cheddar and various combinations of cheese. Some people also like to put a topping on the top. Like toasted breadcrumbs, crunchy cornflakes or fried onions like a green bean casserole. I, however, don’t do that, although you can if you want. You may notice, I’ve omitted any salt from the recipe. That’s because there is plenty of sodium in the condensed soups and cheese. So I suggest tasting before you add any salt on your own.

Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

Al dente noodles and chicken are smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce in this easy casserole.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 Large Chicken Breasts, Cooked Shredded
  • 1 ½ Cups Shredded Parmesan or other cheese Divided (two 3/4 cups)
  • 1 10.5 oz Can of Cream of Chicken Soup Preferably Campbell's
  • 1 10.5 oz Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • ½ Lbs Spaghetti or other pasta
  • 1 Cup Heavy cream or half and half (or milk for a lighter sauce)
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped (Optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°
  • Cook pasta according to the package instructions
  • While pasta is cooking, shred cooked chicken into a large mixing bowl.
  • Add one can of cream of chicken condensed soup, one can of cream of mushroom soup and cream or milk. Stir well to combine.
  • When pasta is cooked, drain well, and combine with cream sauce.
  • Add half of the divided cheese into the pasta mixture and combine well.
  • Transfer pasta to a deep casserole or baking dish.
  • Spread remaining cheese on top and bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes or until it is bubbly and cheese is golden.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Keyword chicken, chicken breast, chicken casserole, easy casserole, easy recipe, family favorite, leftovers, pasta, weeknight dinner
chicken tetrazzini

Serving and Storing Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini is a heavy dish, so I like to serve with a garden salad or other green like roasted asparagus or green beans. If you have leftovers, chicken tetrazzini will keep in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can microwave it or warm it in the oven to reheat it. I have never tried freezing it, although pasta normally freezes okay if placed in a good quality container to protect it from freezer burn. Also, I’d probably allow some room in the container since cream tends to expand when frozen. As I said, I’ve never tried freezing it, so let me know in the comments if you try it.

chicken tetrazzini

Thank you for joining me for this recipe. I know you will enjoy it. Over the years, I’ve really grown to enjoy using older recipes because they are tried and true and women knew how to feed a large family and provide comforting home-cooked meals every day. If you are fond of casseroles, be sure to check out my Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole and Baked Ziti.