Category Archives: really good recipes

super simple pumpkin cupcakes

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super simple pumpkin cupcakes
I recently went to a little party & a friend brought a pumpkin cake that only had 2 ingredients and it tasted simply delicious! Since it was too good to be true, I felt I needed to share this recipe with all of you. For the cake: a yellow cake mix 1 – 15 oz can of pumpkin And for the glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoon of cider 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin .
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perfect tasting pickles

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perfect tasting pickles
Growing up my grandma made delicious tasting pickles using her home grown cucumbers and ever since then, I’ve been a bit of pickle snob.  I buy all of my dills in the refrigerated section at the grocery store and also love a local fav, Perkins Pickles.  So when we got this book in, I thought why not give it a whirl myself? Here’s what you need: 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar 1/2 cup apple .
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pass the pasta please

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pass the pasta please
Sticking with the theme of comfort food, I took home our 50 great pasta sauces book for some dinner inspiration this week and was quite happy my recipe choice. Here’s what you’ll need for four cheese sauce: 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese 4 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese (I used feta instead because I don’t like Gorgonzola) 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme salt & pepper to taste .
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toasting to the power of pink

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toasting to the power of pink
In celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the recent Rochester Girl’s Night Out event was all about the power of pink. So we got out our mixer & turned on our oven to bake up some pink treats for the ladies to enjoy. Here’s what we needed to make these mini pink champagne cupcakes. 1 box white cake mix 1 1/4 cups champagne 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 egg whites 4 to 5 drops .
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cooler temps = comfort food

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cooler temps = comfort food
Cooler temperatures bring oven-baked comfort food around our house so I perused a variety of chicken pot pie recipes & selected my favorite things about each one & put my own spin on this classic dinner. Here’s what I came up with to fill six 10 ounce ramekins: 4 boneless chicken breasts 4  potatoes 1 bag of frozen veggies 1 can of cream of chicken & mushroom soup 1 cup milk 1/4 cup melted .
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one last summer soiree

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one last summer soiree
Steve & I have made it a tradition to host a neighborhood get-together each year.  We’ve found that early/mid September is a perfect time since it’s technically still summer, yet everyone is back in town from their summer rendezvous.   Each neighbor brings sweet & savory finger foods to the party and this is what I whipped up this year. I’ve always noticed that cucumbers are a fairly popular choice on the traditional vegetable/dip .
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blt without the bread

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blt without the bread
The season is ending way too soon for tasty home grown tomatoes.  So I highly recommend putting a salad spin on a this classic sandwich combination before it’s too late. Here’s what you’ll need: 1 head of Romaine lettuce 1 red onion 1 package of bacon tomatoes croutons The Dressing: (what really makes it!) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon maple syrup 4 teaspoons of whole grain mustard 1 tablespoon of lemon juice So wash .
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sweet and salty summer dessert

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sweet and salty summer dessert
Steve & I were invited over for a little BBQ with some friends recently & it was my job to bring the dessert.  Ever since I had that pretzel ice cream cone from Springers in Stone Harbor, I’ve  been craving that sweet & salty combination so I cruised Pinterest & was inspired by this combination. Since I only needed to make 6 servings I decided to join the dessert jar trend & create these .
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mighty tasty mini lasagnas

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mighty tasty mini lasagnas
I like lasagna.  What I don’t like is how long it takes to make.  How long it takes to bake.  How much it makes…. I know you could freeze it, but once a dish finds it’s way into my freezer – it is never to be found again.  So when I discovered this twist on the classic dish I was sold! Here’s what you need… marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, won .
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bring on the bean dip

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bring on the bean dip
I love black beans & simple recipes that taste great so when I stumbled upon this Gracious Pantry post it was a no brainer.  Warning: this recipe makes a LOT of dip (at least 8 cups) but since I was assigned to bring chips, dip & salsa to our family’s Memorial Day going away party for Tessa, I made the full batch. (we still had left overs so taco salad is on the dinner .
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