Macaroni Crackaroni Salad

This recipe came from Tasty Kitchen, submitted by agreatday. I had to try it just based on the name, I mean come on, anything described as "Crackaroni" because of it's addictive quality has to be good right?! Yuppers! This was my first attempt making any type of macaroni salad and truth be told, I am usually not a huge fan of it. However, I have been craving deviled eggs lately...(no not preggo) and this was a mighty fine twist on that. Kinda a deviled egg-y macaroni salad. It is a simple recipe that can be eaten as is or embellished as much as you want. It makes a LOT so it is good to make for a crowd or to munch on the leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 box  macaroni pasta. 
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 TBSP prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tsp salt (original called for 1 1/2 tsp but I found it a tad too much)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• A dash garlic powder
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 10-12 hard boiled eggs, diced (you know since you are going to have a TON left over after a certain furry, puff-tailed critter visits your house)

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Once cooked, rinse under cold water and shake off as much excess water as possible. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic. Stir until smooth. Combine dressing, macaroni, diced eggs, and diced celery. ENJOY!
This recipe has been linked over at Mommy's Kitchen Sunday Potluck!

Bunny Bark

Here is a quick and fun Easter themed treat to make with the kiddos, you know just in case you had some time to spare this week! This recipe is totally flexible to make for all the holidays but since Easter kinda snuck up on me this year, I thought this would serve as my kids craft and special fun treat all in one! This recipe is a spin off of Recipe Girl's Halloween inspired Candy Corn Bark. But, you all know me..I tweaked, I blinged, and I came up with this! We made one batch using mini Robin Eggs and one batch using jelly beans and no one has yet picked a favorite.
So, perk up those ears and fluff that tail and whip up some of these quick yummies...just remember, bunny mask is entirely optional when munching!

Ingredients:

• 14 Golden Oreo Cookies, broken into small-ish pieces. You could use regular or the spring one's too.
• 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel pieces
• 1 pound white chocolate, almond bark, or white candy disk melts found in the bulk section of some grocery stores
• 1 cup your choice of candy. As I said, I used Robin Eggs in one batch and Jelly Beans in another. Other options would be Easter Candy Corn, Pastel M&M's, etc.
• pastel sprinkles

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Spread broken cookies, pretzels, and about 3/4 cup of candy of choice onto the waxed paper. Place the white chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 minute - 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth. White chocolate melts faster and burns easier than regular chocolate. It also does that funky seize up thing if you microwave for too long too.
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with a spatula if needed to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining candy and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet. Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and gently break bark into small pieces. Store in air tight container.
In case you were so blinded by the cuteness of the above bunny picture, here is how my bark turned out minus the bunny! Special loves to my sweet kiddo for being my model, I will pay for your therapy if it scars you too much - xoxo



This recipe has been linked up at:
Mommy's Kitchen
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home

Aprikosenkuchen - Can you say that 10 times fast?!

AKA - Apricot Kuchen, AKA - Apricot Cake, or for April Fool's Day, you could call it Sunny Side-Up Cake!

Yes, I have been MIA for a bit and while I was gone, picked up an obvious affection for Acronyms, LOL!

Truth be told, my Mom flew in on Wednesday for her maiden voyage to the big NC. She lives in a certain state that had one of those insane spring snowstorms that dumped like 16 inches of snow the day she was supposed to leave. LSS, (that is my own, made-up one for long story short) her plane was delayed, delayed, delayed and we didn't get home from the airport until 3:00 am! So, I have been recovering.

So, in honor of my VERY German Mama, I made this German goodie. My Aunt Ingrid passed along this recipe and it is very authentic. German cakes are not as sweet as American cakes and should be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea. So, go enjoy this simply delicious cake!

Ingredients:

• 10 TBSP butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• zest from 1/2 lemon
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) Light Apricot Halves, drained. You could use 1 1/2 pounds of fresh if you desire.
• powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 11" spring form pan with non-stick spray.

Cream the butter with sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat into the egg mixture until combined. Add in buttermilk and continue mixing until incorporated.

Spread the batter into baking pan. Place the apricots on top, cut side down in a circular pattern until entire top is covered. You may not use all apricots, depending on size.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, careful not to over bake. Let cool completely and sprinkle top with powdered sugar. Served with sweetened whipped cream.

I am linking this recipe over at Mommy's Kitchen Sunday Potluck

Easy Basil Cheese Baked Pasta

Forget a 30 minute meal, this yummy little baby goes together in about 20...if you include the time it takes to get your water boiling. While I normally prepare this as a meat-free dish, it would be spectacular with some chicken or shrimp thrown in. ENJOY!!!


Ingredients:

• 1 box (1 pound) penne pasta
• 1 jar (26 ounces) favorite marinara sauce. I use Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara , but when I lived near Sunflower Market (sniff, sniff) the Sunflower Market Garlic Basil was awesome too!
• 1 cup store bought pesto sauce at room temperature. Both the Trader Joe's and Costco's Kirkland Signature brand of refrigerated pesto get my vote!
• 1 cup Ricotta cheese at room temperature.
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sass factor*
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, or fresh would be divine, but since sometimes convenience wins, go ahead and take that help from the store.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cook to al dente.

Gently warm marinara sauce in a pot on the stove.

Preheat your broiler and place rack in center of oven.

Drain pasta, then add back to warm pot. Gently stir in Ricotta cheese and Pesto sauce until pasta is coated. *If you are feeling sassy, throw a handful of grated Parmesan in as well. Pour into a casserole dish or 13x9 baking pan. Pour the hot marinara sauce over top of the pasta. Top with mozzarella cheese and add a final sprinkle of 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Place the casserole dish under the broiler, about 10-12 inches from the heat. Let cheese melt and bubble on top, 3-5 minutes.

Seriously, didn't I say it was fast?! While the pasta is boiling, make it an entire meal by baking some garlic bread and assembling a salad! This recipe is a Siggy Spice time saver tweaked version of a similar Rachael Ray recipe.

I am linking this recipe at Taste and Tell's Saturday's with Rachael Ray and Mommy's Kitchen Sunday Potluck

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Tonight for dinner, my Hubby Love grilled his signature burgers and famous BBQ beans. They are a story for another day because, well, I still have some bribing, begging, and nagging to do before he will divulge his secret recipe. (((sigh)))

ANYWAY, in an attempt to get in the kitchen so I could do some super spy work, I had to come up with a side that wasn't throwing french fries on a cookie sheet and baking in the oven. Oh no, I needed something different. Enter Beer Battered Onion Rings! Unfortunately for me, I think he was onto me because he mixed together his good eats while my eyes were burning and tearing from slicing onions. He is a clever one I tell you!

Now, I don't know why I thought onion rings would be a huge hassle to make, but they weren't! They were super simple to prepare and tasted better than anything I have tried in restaurants. The batter was light and crispy and it actually stayed on the onion ring instead of falling off like thicker batters tend to do.

Do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of these bad boys!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups canola oil
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 medium to large sweet yellow onions
• 2 cups flour, divided
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 12 ounces medium bodied beer
• couple dashes hot sauce, optional
• 3 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Peel onions and slice 1/4-1/2 inch thick and separate into rings and soak in buttermilk for 1 hour.

In a dutch oven or electric skillet, heat oil to 350 degrees.

In a shallow baking dish, whisk together 1 cup of flour, salt, pepper, and garlic. In a separate bowl, combine remaining cup of flour, beer, and optional hot sauce, whisking until no lumps are present.

Remove onion rings from buttermilk, shake off excess then dredge in dry flour mixture. Shake off excess dry mixture, then dip in beer batter. Add a few onion rings to oil, being careful to not overcrowd them or they will stick together. When they are golden brown remove to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat process until all onion rings are battered and fried. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

ENJOY!

Recipe adapted from Guy Fieri

This recipe was brought to Sunday Potluck at Mommy's Kitchen