Upside-Down Pineapple Cherry Cobbler

When I was growing up, my amazing mother cooked every meal at home. My darling little sister was the baker of the family, and would force me to choose a cookie recipe from Mrs. Field's cookbook every day. Needless to say, I didn't learn the art of cooking or baking at an early age. Truth be told, the first real meal I ever undertook was the first night of marriage at home... chicken-fried steak. Good thing I lived about six houses from my mother-in-law, and she grew her own aloe vera plants! I was nearly burned to death from sizzling oil up both arms!! Since then, I have perfected the art of easy, yet impressive cooking.

This family heirloom is a wonderful, fast and easy, "dry" recipe you can have in your cupboards for a throw-together dessert that is still going to knock the socks off your guests!

Upside-down Pineapple Cherry Cobbler

One box of yellow cake mix (dry)
One stick of butter
One can of crushed pineapple
One can of cherry pie filling

Grease a cake pan and dump the cherry and pineapple cans (juice and all) in the bottom. Mix well. I sincerely hate nuts in my desserts but the nut fanatic may add chopped walnuts at this point as well.

 

Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top. Roughly chop the butter over the entire surface.

 

And to quote one of my favorite movies ("Steel Magnolias") Bake @ 350 for about 20-25 minutes until golden bubbly! Just add vanilla ice cream to cut the sweetness.

Enjoy this easy family treat anytime with under five minutes of prep! If you are as busy as I am, you can impress in no time :)

{Recipe} Cheesy Smashed Cauliflower

This may be weird, but I grew up with a Grandmother who hated potatoes.  She would not eat them in any form: fried, mashed, baked, cheesy or plain.  This made for some creativity on our family’s part when it came to Thanksgiving dinner.  Because as Bobby Flay recently found out, you cannot have Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes!!  {Sorry but I’m a huge fan of Throwdown on the Food Network, and an even bigger Ree Drummond fan—a.k.a. Pioneer Woman.  She just schooled Bobby on the finer points of Thanksgiving and won the Throwdown last week.  Way to go Ree!!}  Anyway…this recipe from Erin may fit the bill for your non-potato loving guests this year.  It’s adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe.

Cheesy Smashed Cauliflower

1 cup chicken broth

1 large head cauliflower

1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup Boursin cheese or 1/3 cup other garlic & herb      spreadable cheese

1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese or 1/4 cup romano cheese

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons chives, chopped

Add chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil (one turn of the pan) to a deep pot.

Trim away greens and stems from the base of cauliflower. Cut away the core with a sharp paring knife. Set cored head into pot with broth.

Cover pot and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook cauliflower, covered, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Uncover the pot and let some liquid cook off as you smash the cheeses into the cauliflower.

 

As the mixture thickens, turn off heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in chives and transfer cauliflower to a serving dish. Enjoy!!

 

Taco Cupcakes

You know as well as I do that most children are picky eaters. My little ones are the exception to the rule! My kids routinely ask me for sushi, mushrooms, white clam linguine, and Greek Dolmas (grape leave wrapped seasoned rice. Looks disgusting but tastes amazing!)

But when I have other children visiting my home, I make this fun meal that everyone is sure to love.  It tickles them pink that they are allowed to eat "cupcakes" for dinner! The best part about this meal is that it’s complete. No side or veggie required, as it already has all the food pyramid requirements!

 

What you will need,

• 1lb meat of your choice. I prefer ground turkey
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cans of beans, semi drained. I usually use kidney & chili beans.
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 bunch of cilantro. Rinsed and chopped head to toe.
• 1 box of corn bread
• 1 cup of shredded cheese
• Sour cream optional
• 1 sleeve of cupcake wrappers

Directions

Make the corn bread as directed on package. Set aside.

Brown your beef with the onion. Stir in water and taco seasoning as directed on packet. Toss in corn, beans, and cilantro. Mix well.

Fill each of your cupcake wrappers half full with the meat and bean mix, and pour corn bread mix on top until it is 3/4 full. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of each and bake for 20 minutes or until the mix is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Dollop some sour cream on the top of each if the kids like, and it looks like a real cupcake!

Erin