Coffee Crumb Cake

My husband isn't known for his sweet tooth. Give the man a Popsicle, and he's alright with the world. He hates chocolate. Yes, I just typed those words. Hate and Chocolate shouldn't be combined in the same sentence. It's a sin. He's my dessert rebel. And this is one of his favorite "desserts".

You will need:

{ For the Cake }
2 Cups of Bisquick
2/3 Cup of Milk
2 Tblsp. of Sugar
1 Egg

{ For the Crumb Topping }
1/3 Cup of Bisquick
1/3 Cup of Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Tblsp. of Cinnamon
2 Tblsp. of Soft Butter




Mix all cake ingredients together in a medium bowl. *** To kick it up a notch, you can add a swirl of brown sugar / cinnamon mixture. Why not? Play around with it. Get creative! ***

Pour into a greased 9" pan.

In a separate bowl, mix all topping ingredients together with a fork. Sprinkle on top of cake.

Bake @ 375 for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.



WARNING: This will make your house smell ah-mazing. It will bring the children down from upstairs in their bedrooms where they were {quietly} playing. You will be surrounded and THE most popular family member in town. Your husband will kiss you. Your children will praise you and hug your legs. Beware. Only bake this if you dare.



You've been warned.

Homemade Lasagna ... Extra Cheese Edition !!!

I have a confession about a certain addiction I have.
It's Cheese.
I can eat Feta cheese straight from the lil' tub it comes in.
Nothing else. Just Feta. Yum.
I love Munster, Gouda, Swiss, ridiculously sharp Cheddar ... and I've been known to throw back a block of Mozzarella too.

So, of course when I take on the task of making my family homemade lasagna, I'm going to triple the cheese. Yes, Please.

You can thank me later. :)

You will need:

1 Package (12 oz) of Oven Ready Lasagna - you DON'T have to boil these noodles first! Yay!
2 Jars of Spaghetti Sauce - I use Sundried Tomato & Sweet Basil
1 Large Tub of Ricotta Cheese - We prefer the 32 oz tub of Kraft Ricotta
3 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Baby Spinach
1 Clove of Garlic, chopped
1 lb of ground beef
1 Can of Italian Herb Stewed Tomatoes
Chopped Onion - depends on how much you love onion!
1 Cup of Water
Olive Oil
2 Eggs, slightly beaten




Begin by cooking the hamburger meat with chopped onion. Drain and add stewed tomatoes on low heat once meat is completely cooked.

In a separate skillet, drizzle olive oil, and add chopped garlic with the baby spinach.

Combine ricotta cheese, 2 cups of mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and eggs in a large bowl. Once spinach has been cooked down, add to the cheesy goodness. Mix well.

Drain the beef and tomatoes one more time and add to another large bowl. Add both jars of spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of water. Mix well.

You now have two separate bowls. One with a cheese and spinach mixture; the other with beef, sauce, and tomatoes.




In a 9"x13" pan, spread about 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce. Place your oven ready noodles over sauce. Spread some cheesy goodness over the lasagna and top with more meat sauce. Add another layer of noodles. Continue layering until your hearts content. (I like THICK lasagna and got away with almost 4 layers)

When you're finished layering, top with meat sauce and sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Wrap it up tight with foil and bake for 1 hour @ 425. You'll know it's done from the delicious aroma that will fill your house (and if it's fork tender). Let it sit for 10 mins outside of the oven and try NOT to dunk your face in the awesomeness. Because that would burn.

Enjoy !!!



{ I love how you can see the ridges from the lasagna ... and my daughter's ranch dressing on the side. This is real life folks ... Hello Kitty plate ware and all!!! }

Summer Shrimp Pasta

If you're a fan of carbs, shrimp, and memories of eating on rooftop decks overlooking the ocean, with a little salt water spraying your dinner, then you'll LOVE this dish!

You will need:

1 bag of Shrimp - we prefer the already removed tails/veins/etc ... you can use as much or as little shrimp as you like.
1 lb of Angel Hair Pasta
1 Lemon
Baby Spinach - I love the Organic MarketSide spinach found in most grocers produce
Mushrooms - buy the jar, drain them and again, depends on how much you love or hate the lil' fungus dude
1 Garlic Clove
Olive Oil
2 Tblsp of Butter
Grated or Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Chop up the clove of garlic and throw into warm skillet coated with Olive Oil and slabs of butter. Lean over the skillet and inhale deeply.

There is nothing like the smell of butter and fresh garlic cookin' in the kitchen. I salivate just thinking about it!

Put the mushrooms into the garlic/butter and cook over medium heat.

After a few minutes, add the shrimp.

In a separate pot, begin cooking the angel hair pasta in boiling water.

Cut the lemon in half ***TIP*** For a juicier lemon, press firmly on the lemon with the palm of your hand and roll back and forth on the counter several times.

Squirt half of the lemon over the shrimp and the boiling pasta. Cut the other half into slices for garnish later.

Add the baby spinach into the shrimp/mushroom/garlic. Toss everything together to well coat the spinach in the olive oil. It will shrink once cooked.

*** Remember, the amount of shrimp, spinach, mushrooms, and garlic all depend on your taste preference.

You will know when the shrimp is done by the color (pink). By this time, the mushrooms should be well cooked too, since you started with them first.

Drain the pasta and pour in a large serving bowl. ***TIP*** I drizzle and stir in a tee-tiny bit of olive oil into the drained noodles to prevent them from sticking together.

Pour the shrimp/mushroom/spinach/garlic over the pasta and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Garnish with lemon slices.

Take your beautiful beach dinner outside on the patio and enjoy in the warm summer evening!

*** This makes a wonderful leftover dish when you include the lemon slices in the tupperware as well. It really brings out the citrus pop this dish is famous for!

Bon Appetit!!!

{ When I make this dish again, I will take cooking photos and add them here ... but for now, my Blackberry-quickly-snapped-pic-before-we-dug-in-like-cavemen picture of the finished product will have to do. And pay no attention to the lil' man in the corner. He's just hungry and loves being near his Momma! }

Sausage and Rice

If you're looking for something a lil' different that doesn't take much time at all, here's your dinner :)

You will need:

2 Sausage Links (We use Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage) - they are usually on sale 2 for $5
2 boxes of Zatarain's Rice - We've used Black Beans & Rice and most recently, Jambalaya with Cheese, but this is where you can really play with what you like and switch it up!
Red and Green Bell Peppers - You don't have to add these if you're not a big pepper fan.

Cut the sausage into 1 inch thick rounds and cook in skillet with chopped peppers over medium heat.

In a separate pot, cook the rice according to the box directions (usually takes about 20 minutes). Do NOT drain the rice.

Drain sausage on a paper towel covered plate and then stir in pot with rice with peppers.

Um, you're done.

{ This tastes really good with cornbread }

You can eat now.

You're welcome.