Lasagna Cupcakes (Yes I said cupcakes!)

Welcome back lovelies! It's another Tuesday so your blog foodie diva's are back rolling out another recipe for you. What a relaxing weekend it was for Ma and myself. We packed up and headed to the country (about an hour and a half away) to visit with our family. Always on the prowl for new food idea's I tried to get my Unkie Wade to give up his fried potatoes and gravy recipes (thinking a traditional southern breakfast for dinner was in our blog future) but the southern man would not budge an inch. He'll be more than happy to talk to you about anything to do with John Deere but the man is a stone wall on what goes into his amazing breakfast. To sweeten the deal I made him strawberry butter cream brownies for his birthday this past weekend and not even brownies will get this man talking. I think Unkie Wade has a future in espionage. So faithful blog readers I have lost the battle but I refuse to give up the war! I'll get the recipes out of him one day. Unkie Wade will talk. :D.

So now back from the country we are rested and ready to bring you guys a new recipe. This week comes from yours truly. Well, it's not entirely my idea. I was shuffling my feet at looking for a recipe (nothing caught my eye) and then Ma showed me tonight's recipe and it has yours truly written all over it. One word: CUPCAKES! Yep, I Dinah the blog/baking mistress wonder gal love the little fluffy concoctions. Come on, who actually doesn't? Exactly, what I thought. Now, before you think I'm serving you cupcakes that will send you into a diabetic coma, fear not these are on the savory side and have mucho to do with Italian cuisine. Intrigued? Follow me!

Lasagna Cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup marinara sauce
3/4 pound ground beef
12 wonton wrappers
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
3 ounces Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Ricotta cheese
(optional) basil for garnish

Directions

1] Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
2] Brown beef and season with salt and pepper. Drain.
3] Cut wonton wrappers into circle shapes using a biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass. You can cut several at a time.
4] Reserve 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 6 tablespoon mozzarella for the top of you cupcakes. Start layering your lasagna cupcakes. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Top with a little meat sauce and marinara sauce. Use around 1-2 teaspoons of all the ingredients depending on your personal preference.
5] Repeat layers ending with marinara sauce. Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
6] Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each lasagna out.
7] Garnish with basil and serve.









This was beyond a hit! It's amazing, it gives you the taste of lasagna without all the fuss of actually making a big pan full of lasagna. I'd say this is a definite keeper.



Tid Bits:
*These would be good as an appetizer. Hand held, mini, and not too messy so they would work great for a party.

*You can make these a day in advance and place them into the fridge. Bake the next day and then serve.

*If beef isn't something you fancy you could try turkey or chicken.

*With the leftover wonton clippings (from cutting the squares into circles) take them and mix them in a bowl with cinnamon and sugar then bake until golden brown. They turn into a nice treat.



Ma's Spot: I love lasagna but sometimes I don't like all the muss and fuss that comes with making it. This you get the wonderful taste of lasagna without all the work. Very enjoyable and the possibilities with the wontons are endless. I'm going to make them again this coming week but I'm going to make a taco version with sour cream and salsa on top. You could make mini pot pies with them, like I said the possibilities are endless, so I encourage you to use your imagination when it comes to this dish.

*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:



Dinah: Tonight's snack is by Magnum ice cream. We picked up the Double Caramel Bars. This ice cream is a tad on the expensive side but I think the taste is amazing. Maybe amazing enough for the price? Me myself, I don't know if I'd buy this again. The taste was epic but consider these things: You only get 3 bars in the box and it's around $7 a box. Taste VS. quantity. Is it really worth it? I say this, it's something to try at least once and if you have the cash to splurge then this just may be the ice cream to check out.

Ma: The chocolate on the outside of these bars was the smoothest chocolate I have ever tasted. I love the caramel and vanilla especially. These are on the expensive side, I encourage you to try them at least once. For me though, next time I would only buy these if I caught them on sale or had a coupon. It's hard for me to rate ice cream because I think ice cream and popcorn should be their own food groups, ha!


Just a short reminder, send in your own family recipes for us to showcase on the blog and try out for ourselves! Send us your yummy recipes for "Recipe Reach Out" at : tuesdaycookers@yahoo.com!

Alrighty guys, that's all we got for you this week. You know the drill be back here in 7 days to catch up on what's we're making next! Have a great week!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Ma's Double Decker Sandwich

It's hotter than hell outside (well here in MI at least) so come inside, cool down, and read your favorite blog recipe. Howdy all, Dinah here back again for your blog recipe enjoyment bringing you what's served up for tonight's dish. Now, with it being like a sauna outside we opted to stay indoors and make a recipe that involves absolutely NO COOKING. Wait! come back, I swear this one's good. Aw, come on trust me. I have yet to let you down. :D. It's nice not to turn on the oven every once in a while. Right? Ma's pick is going down the sandwich route. It's the kind of sandwich that has something for everyone. Now, I know those are words that may have you wondering because not everyone's sandwich styles are the same but I think this one truly is open to anyone's taste buds. Maybe it'll become your new fave sandwich?

Intrigued? Follow me:

Ma's double decker sandwich
Serves 4

4 bread bowls
package of pepperoni, turkey breast, salami, & roast beef
2 packages of white cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
2 tomato's (sliced)
head of lettuce (washed and chopped)
1 container of pre-made pesto sauce



*Slice bread rolls into 3 slices. Spray with veggie spray and toast up in electric skillet or skillet until golden brown. Once golden brown lather your bread sliced with the pesto sauce and then proceed with layering meat and cheese followed by lettuce and tomato. Plate and enjoy!



Now that is a pretty sandwich!

This is honestly one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. I loved everything on it (minus the roast beef, bleh) and I am hard to please in the sandwich department well except for Subway ;]. Definite keeper!


Tid Bits:
*Bread bowls don't tickle your fancy? Try any type of bread you like.
*Try any meats and cheese's you like
*PLEASE do not ever leave off the pesto sauce. It is epic, ha!
*Make sure you put your pesto on the buns while their warm, it helps infusion the pesto flavor on the bread slices.


Ma's Spot: As I was looking through my recipes I didn't really feel anything that caught my eye so I made up this one myself. I am a big sandwich fan anyways, especially for the summertime. So I came up with this dish for those hot days for when you don't want to cook or grill. To save a few calories you can get the low fat cheese and lunch meat. I didn't use any butter to grill the bread slices, just spray. I feel it makes the bread too soggy. The spray makes it more crisp. They are big sandwiches so if you like to half it and share with someone else, go for it.

*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:




Dinah: This week's snack comes to us from the healthy good people of Nature Valley. Aw, come on guys, it's nice to go healthy! Give it a chance. So Ma picked the Dark Chocolate Granola Thins (they also have peanut butter flavor if you dig the nutty goodness over chocolate) and I gotta say I love them. Thin granola, creamy chocolate, and healthy for you? I'm sold! The box comes with 10 squares for a really decent price. Definite buy, pick up for a nice snack or even breakfast.


Ma: This snack is not new to me for I have been buying them for a while now. I bought the chocolate backing for tonight due to Dinah's peanut allergy but I encourage you trying the peanut butter thins because it's also just as delicious. I love granola anyways so this is a low cal snack you will enjoy.



And so ends another week's blog entry. I know, I get sad too. We'll be back next Tuesday with another recipe and snack. Have a great week guys!



Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Potato and Cheese Pierogi

Welcome back dolls! It's Tuesday which means your blog mistresses are back with another recipe for you. This week I have to admit I am on the sore side. This weekend I headed to Irish Hills for a little beach time with my hubby and side kick Mel. We had a wonderful time...until I got home and realized how sunburned I was. I'm now at the blistering stage but fear not faithful blog readers my fingers weren't burned and are just fine for some blog typing goodness! Let's get this rolling, now it was yours truly's pick this week and I went out of the box. As always, trying to spice things up and try something new. I found it in the form on homemade PIEROGIES! Yes, those little pillows of potato and cheese yumminess that are amazing on their own but with sour cream take the taste of them out of this world. I (Dinah) have never met a pierogie that I didn't like. I'm betting you haven't either...oh come on! pierogies are amazing. Alright, alright still not going to admit it. That's fine...I know the real truth ;D.

Want the recipe? Follow me:

Potato and Cheese Pierogi

Prep Time: 2 Hrs
Cook Time: 10 Min
Ready In: 2 Hrs 10 Min

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 pinch salt
water as needed

5 pounds potatoes, peeled
1 pound processed cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
onion salt to taste

Directions

*Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain.
*Combine flour, eggs and salt. Mix in a little water at a time until dough is somewhat stiff. Roll dough in small sections about 1/4 inch thick. Using a large biscuit cutter or drinking glass, make circle cuts.
*To make filling: Mix together potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper and onion salt. Fill each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture, fold over and seal edges. To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil, carefully dropping in one at a time; stir once. They are done when they float to the top.




So did I pick a great recipe? Absolutely! and I'm not just saying that ;] My only complaints were they seemed to be a bit bland for me so next time I'll be adding a bit more seasoning. Oh and this recipe is for the patient kind. I sadly lack that quality so for me this took a little too long to make on a dinner night during the week.



Tid Bits:
*We highly suggest that you make the pierogies a few days before (or whenever you have a chance), place them in freezer bags, and freeze until you're ready to cook and serve.

*Not a fan of boiling them only? Try saute them in a bit of olive oil or placing them in the oven on 400 degrees until golden brown.

*Potato and cheese make you cringe? Try using your favorite mashed potato recipe for the filling.


Ma's Spot: This dinner was a lot of work but well worth it as fresh pierogies beat frozen boxed pierogies anyday. I will never make them on the night I'm having them for dinner again It takes up way too much time. I'm a big fan of pre-making stuff and placing them in the freezer. So on a day off I would make a bunch of these and freeze them so that next time I want them I'll have them ready to serve. The next time I'm going to try feta and spinach. Make them and enjoy them as we did.


*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:



Dinah: This week's pick comes to us from the good people at Crystal Light. I myself was never a fan of the drink until they started making cocktail flavors. That makes me sound like such a lush lol. Something about them make them amazing and have made me a lover of Crystal Light. Tonight we tried the Appletini and Margarita and both were yummy and they both taste very close to the real cocktails. They also don't break the bank which is nice so they are a definite buy. P.S. I've had the Mojito (that was the one that turned me on to them all) and it is fabulous as well.

Ma: Who says your snack has to be food? I enjoyed these very much but I'm a big fan (unlike Dinah) of the Crystal Light brand. I liked them because you can add your own alcohol to them and make yourself a nice little cocktail without all the syrup calories of a normal cocktail but punch up your drink. On a nice hot summer day and a pitcher of ice with these make a perfect summer treat! I would definitely buy these again.



So remember me saying last week about how we had something new up our sleeves? Well, here at Tuesday Cookers wanted to include you guys in the mix. So we decided to start up something new called "Recipe Reach Out". What's that all about? We want to make your family recipes. If you have a recipe you want to have spotlighted send it our way! We always give full credit (no stealing here, this is not a Slugworth situation lol) and we would be super happy to make your favorite dish. Interested? Send us your best recipes at: tuesdaycookers@yahoo.com and once a month we'll highlight your fave dishes. Oh and have more than one you wanna showcase? No probs, send as many as you'd like!


That's it guys for this week. Never fear your blog mistresses will be back here (<---hey that rhymed!) next Tuesday to bring you our best recipes (and hopefully yours, send your recipes in!). Next week is Ma's pick and it's something that requires no cooking. WHAT! Insane. Come back to find out all about it. Have a great week guys!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Slow-Cooked Orange Chicken Recipe

*RUSHES IN*
Phew! sorry about the delay but I was in Frankenmuth with my hubby for the past 4 days and I'm finally home! It was a wonderful trip (minus the bit of heat exhaustion, burnt skin, and aches) filled with a lot of shopping, walking, and yummy food! If you have never been to Frankenmuth, MI or even Birch Run, MI I have to wonder what are you waiting for!? lol it's a great place to stay and take in the German atmosphere and let's be real the stores there are stellar, ha! and with that we're back to the real world. So fear not, your loyal blog mistress is here to bring you this week's recipe. It's Ma's pick and she went with a recipe that goes into your good ole slow cooker. What is it exactly? Follow me:



Slow-Cooked Orange Chicken Recipe

4 Servings
Prep: 10 min. Cook: 4-1/2 hours

Ingredients
1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 pounds), cut up and skin removed
3 cups orange juice
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
4 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked rice, optional
Additional minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

*In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until chicken juices run clear.
*Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking liquid. Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until thickened.
*Serve with rice and sprinkle with parsley if desired. Yield: 4 servings.





So how did this one turn out? Well it was split down the middle. Ma and Aunt Jane loved it and Geoff and I weren't fans. The orange tasted nice but it had a weird after taste (for us) and Geoff compared the consistency to that of snot but again just because he felt that way and I didn't like it much doesn't mean you guys shouldn't whip this up and give it a try yourselves. Ma and Aunt Jane loved it after all.


Tid Bits:
*I never serve plain rice, I always flavor my rice. I place butter in a bowl with italics seasoning or basil/parsley then mix the rice with the butter mixture. This gives your rice a nice taste for anyone who likes plain rice and it happened to work well with this dish.



Ma's spot: I loved this dish. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts cause that's the part I love the most but feel free to use any part of the chicken you prefer. At first when I heard the only juice used in this dish was orange juice I thought "wow, that will be overpowering orange taste" while you can taste the orange juice it actually turned out to be not so overpowering. It made a lot of servings. The 4 of us had the dish and there was leftovers for later. I encourage you to make it and whatever is leftover place in freezer bags to freezer for another night's dinner.



*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:





Dinah: This week's product is Ma's pick and she went into the savory category with this treat. It's New Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Cracker Chips. They currently come in two flavors: cheddar and multi-grain. While Ma would love the multi-grain over the cheddar she took one for the food team and went with the cheddar since the rest of us like cheddar over multi-grain any day. These cracker chips were light, well seasoned, and crispy. My only complaint was they gave me heartburn a few hours after eating them. I think it had to do with my gastric reflux disease and the crackers overpowering it. So sadly for that reason I won't be buying them for myself personally again but I definitely will encourage you guys to pick these up. They taste fantastic!


Ma: I LOVE THESE CRACKERS! As you guys know I'm not a cheddar cheese fan but it did have 3 of my favorite cheeses which made me intrigued to try it. I had a coupon for these but even without it I would buy these on their own right simply because they taste amazing.



That's it kiddies for this week's entry. We'll be back next Tuesday (on time lol) with an all new recipe (which is my pick) and we're going with something we have NEVER done before as well as something else new for the blog. Wanna know what they are? Meet us back here then.

Have a great week guys!


Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma