Carli's Christmas Cookies!

If you're anything like me, you love making Christmas cookies, yet dread it all at the same time.  It's something fun you get to do once a year, but December is a busy month for EVERYONE!  Cookie baking can be incredibly time consuming (though incredibly delicious!).  Wouldn't it be great to have someone do all the work for you?

Well that's where I come in!  As some of you may now, my goal in life is to get into the culinary food and start my own business.  So think of this as an experiment as to how that might work for me!  I already have some experience under my belt (I've been cooking and baking since I was a kid, have done several wedding cakes and an entire dessert bar for 180+ guests, plus ask anyone who's been over to our house before!)  I love cooking and baking!!

I will offer free delivery to Lansing and surrounding areas.  Otherwise there will be a small charge for delivery.  Can also ship anywhere in the US for an extra charge.  Please place your orders at least a week in advance!

Please email spartygrl13@gmail.com with your orders or any questions you may have!

  

*Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies*

 My absolute favorite!  Rich chocolate cookies with chocolate frosting, filled with maraschino cherries!  $7 per dozen

*Peanut Butter Blossoms*

Simple yet delicious.  Peanut butter cookies topped with a Hershey's kiss.  $6 per dozen

*Crunch Cake*

 A great recipe from my grandma's kitchen, there's always a fight over the last piece during the holidays!  These bars have a graham cracker crust and are filled with coconut, chocolate, and butterscotch chips!  $6 per dozen

*Buckeyes*  

Despite their awful name (haha) these are amazing!  Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate.  $5 per dozen

*Cut-out Cookies*  

Assorted Christmas-shaped sugar cookies.  These are available plain (so you can frost them with your family) or frosted with red/green/white frosting and decorations.  $5 per dozen plain, $7 per dozen frosted

*Ice-Box Cookies*

These old-fashioned cookies never get old.  They are delicious shortbread cookies with chopped dates. $6 per dozen

*Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookie*

These aren't technically a "Christmas cookie" but everyone always says how much they love them so I figured why not!?  An oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookie all rolled into one! $6 per dozen

YUM! :)

BBQ pork egg rolls!!

Let me just tell you how thankful I was to be watching the Food Network a few months ago.  Down Home With the Neelys is one of my most favorite shows to watch, and I TOTALLY got sucked into the show that day.  The recipe I'm posting tonight was adapted from Pat and Gina's recipe.

BBQ Pulled Pork:

-1 2lb pork butt, fat trimmed
-salt and pepper
-1 tbsp paprika
-3/4 cup bbq sauce, plus more for drizzling and serving
-1/2 cup apple juice
-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
-1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
-1 tsp soy sauce

Peach Dipping Sauce:

-3/4 cup peach jam (I had homemade from my mom, MMMMM!!)
-3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
-2 tbsp dijon mustard
-2 tsp ginger (I used dried, fresh ginger was a bit too strong for me)

Egg Rolls:

-Peanut or canola oil, for frying
-1 egg, beaten,
-1 tablespoon water
-1 pkg egg roll wrappers
-1 pint coleslaw (I made my own...1 pkg coleslaw mix, 1/2 cup onions, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup mustard, and 1/2 cup sugar)

Directions

For the pork:

Season the pork with salt, pepper, and paprika.  Add the pork butt to a medium-large size crockpot.  Add all rest of ingredients.  Turn slow cooker on low for 8 hours.  Shred the meat in the crockpot using 2 forks, then let sit in the crockpot to soak in all the sauce

In a large pan, heat oil for frying (I have a non-sloped skillet that I use, and I usually fill it about halfway with oil).  Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.  Take one egg roll wrapper and brush the edges with the egg wash.  Place a small spoonful of pork, then a small spoonful of the coleslaw towards one corner of the wrapper.  Fold up the bottom part of the wrapper, then fold in the sides (Kinda think of it how you would wrap up a sub sandwich at Subway, lol).  Continue to roll the egg roll, keeping everything tucked in nice and tight.  Place finished egg rolls on a plate (I like to get them all prepared before I start cooking them!)

Add the egg rolls in batches to the oil and fry.  Once they are golden brown, use tongs to flip them over.  Remove them from the pan and drain on paper towels.  

For the sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Serve egg rolls with dipping sauce on the side!

SO this was definitely my first time using egg roll wrappers, and the first time doing anything is scaaaaaaaary!  They are seriously so easy to work with, I promise!  We usually drain them in a big tupperware bowl lined with paper towels, so we can leave the lid on it to keep them warm as I finish the others.  This recipe makes about 20 large egg rolls.  We ate it with a big skillet of grilled veggies and some fried rice!

I know this one seems like a LOT of work (Drew had all the dishes done when I started, and by the time I was done the sink and counter were super full again!) but you will NOT be disappointed!!  These egg rolls will spice up any party, but are also super tasty for dinner as well!!  

ENJOY!!

crabby patties!

Crab cakes were one of the first new recipes I tried out on Drew, and its definitely been one of our favorites.  And that's saying a lot, since Drew really doesn't so seafood AT ALL!!  For real, the guy goes to Red Lobster and orders the chicken alfredo!!  So the fact that he digs these means they aren't too bad!!  And they are really super easy to make too!!  Perfect for last minute dinners!!

Quick and Easy Crab Cakes

16 oz. imitation crab meat (I use 2 8oz. packages of the flake style, but it makes about 10 cakes so you could use less if you are just cooking for one)
2 eggs
one package of cornbread stuffing
1/4 cup chopped scallions (about 3-4 onions)
1/4 cup chopped red peppers
lemon juice to taste


Start out by preparing the stuffing according to the box, and letting it sit to cool for a few minutes once you're done.  While that's getting ready, chop up the crab meat nice and small (the smaller it is, the easier that it will all stick together at the end) and add it to a big bowl along with the onions, peppers, and eggs.  Mix well.  Once the stuffing has cooled off some add it to the bowl and mix very thoroughly. 

Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Using your hands, make patties, just like you would with burgers.  Cook about 3 minutes on each side, or until browned, but not burnt.  Flip and cook on the other side. 

Eat and enjoy!

I usually end up making my own tartar sauce with this as well.  I just mix together Miracle Whip, chopped up pickles (use as many as you would like), a little bit of the juice from the pickles, and paprika.  YUM!

Chocolate Espresso Brownies!

I bought a few pints of Starbucks ice cream the other day on sale, and I decided that tonight I wanted a bit more for dessert than just ice cream. But what goes well with coffee ice cream? Chocolate and espresso of course!!

Brownies
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons espresso powder
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Glaze
2 teaspoons espresso powder
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. In medium bowl combine water, oil, and eggs. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir in espresso powder and chocolate chips. Pour into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with no stick spray. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).

While you are waiting for the brownies to finish, dissolve the 2 tsp. of espresso powder into the 2 tbsp of water. Add extract, butter, and powdered sugar and beat until combined and creamy.

When brownies are done, pour glaze on top and cool immediately and thoroughly.

Serve with a scoop of coffee flavored ice cream and ENJOY!!

(I really suck at this whole "remembering to take pictures of what I made" thing, I promise I will get better. but you will NOT be disappointed if you make these!)

And if you stop by my house in the next few days you can try one for yourself!!

Delicious veggie pasta salad

Last night I made a delicious veggie pasta salad!

Veggie Tortellini Salad

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 package (9 oz.) of refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
1 cup matchstick carrots (thinly sliced)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I really like cremini but regular white will do)
1 medium red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup basil pesto (mine was homemade, so delicious)
1/2 cup buttermilk

-Cook tortellini according to directions on package. Place peas in microwave safe bowl with 1 tbsp water and cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Drain tortellini and rinse with cold water, let cool.
-In a big bowl (glass trifle bowl works best) layer the lettuce, carrots, mushrooms, peas, tortellini, and red pepper.
-In a small bowl, combine the mayo, pesto, and buttermilk (If you want the sauce thinner, just add more buttermilk) Spread over top of salad. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. ENJOY!!



You could also add a sprinkle of cheese to the top of this salad for a little extra taste. We had this salad last night with burgers and corn on the grill. We had lots of leftovers, and I plan on adding some shredded chicken to it today to have for lunch! YUM!

Orange Chicken....and crap, i forgot a side dish!!

So being a big planner like myself, I love LOVE to meal plan! I pride myself on usually (USUALLY) having a pretty good idea of what we are going to eat each week, so I can get all my shopping done, have all my meat thawed out, etc. Tonight I was super excited to make one of our favorites, orange chicken! But as I was finishing up cooking, I realized I had nothing on the side. Luckily I had a half a head of cabbage in the fridge (leftovers from Monday's dinner...which I've yet to post about, but trust me it's WORTH IT!!) and was able to throw something together VERY quickly!!

Orange Chicken
Sauce:
-1 1/2 cups water
-2 tablespoons orange juice
-1/4 cup lemon juice
-1/3 cup rice vinegar
-2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
-1 tablespoon grated orange zest
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
-2 tablespoons chopped green onion
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

-3 tablespoons cornstarch
-2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
-3 tablespoons olive oil

-Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
-In a resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
-Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
-Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

I like to throw a bunch of broccoli in when I make this, I would do that after the chicken has cooked. That adds a healthy bit in there!!

So like I was saying, the sauce was simmering, the rice was almost done cooking (oh my lord brown rice takes for EVER to cook...as in almost a half hour!) and I just couldn't help but notice that dinner seemed very bleak! I started thinking about cabbage ramen salad (asian coleslaw, I'm sure everyone reading this has had a variation of this salad at least once). I grabbed the half head of cabbage and started shredding it up. After I dumped that in a bowl, I racked my brain for all ingredients that sounded like they would go....and this is what I came up with!

Carli's Simple Asian Salad

-1/2 head of cabbage
-1/2 cup shredded carrots
-1/2 cup diced red onion
-1 bunch (about a handful I used, but I really love it!) cilantro, chopped up
-1/2 sliced and toasted almonds

Dressing:

-3/4 cup oil (canola, olive, whatever will do)
-1/4 cup rice vinegar (which I used all of for dinner, so cider vinegar did the trick)
-1 tbsp sugar
-1/2 tsp ginger
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-salt and pepper to taste

I used ginger and garlic powder, but obviously fresh ginger root and chopped fresh garlic would be optimal for this recipe!

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. In separate bowl (measuring cup works great for this!) mix dressing. Pour over salad and voila! (This could be made ahead as well, just not TOO far ahead so the cabbage doesn't get soggy!)



Let me know if you try this and what you think! Also, let me know if there are any delicious recipes you are dying to know, I want to get as much feedback on this as I can!!

Mexican Rice Bowl

Tonight's dinner was a bit of an accident...we meant to make one of my fave recipes (Mexican Pizza) but I didn't have time to make pizza dough today, so we had to settle for Mexican Rice Bowls instead!

Mexican Rice
2-3 tbsp canola oil
1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used a can of stewed Mexican tomatoes I processed in the food processor, no tomato sauce but it worked just fine!)
1 1/2 cup water
2 chicken boullion cubes
salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Heat canola oil in medium saucepan. Saute rice in oil until it starts to get puffy and turn light brown. Add all other ingredients and boil covered for about 10 minutes (stirring occasionally). Once the rice starts to thicken up turn down heat and simmer for about another 5 minutes with the lid on.

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1 chopped roma tomato
1/2 cup chopped onion (red or white, depends on your preference)
1/2 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, chopped (do NOT touch your face or eyes!!)
handful of fresh cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor, and pulse until well combined and at desired consistency (sometimes I like it super smooth, other times a bit chunky..it's up to you!)

Homemade Refried Beans

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
I also added salsa and a few onions to taste
water as needed

Place all ingredients in food processor. Blend until smooth, adding water as needed to prevent beans from getting too dry.

OK so I realize that's a LOT of recipes, but that's for real what I made!

Mexican Rice Bowls

Mexican Rice
Guacamole
Homemade Refried Beans (or any refried beans will do)
1 lb. chorizo
chopped lettuce
salsa
Mexican cheese blend
sour cream
onions

Cook chorizo until brown, drain grease. Place a scoop of Mexican Rice in a bowl, layer in scoops of cooked chorizo, refried beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, onions, and cheese. Mix together and ENJOY! I also made some homemade cornbread to have with this, and it was SO GOOD!! Let me know if you try any of these and what you think!!

SORRY there is no picture, I promise I'll remember to take them from now on!!