Caramelitas

Ah Memorial Day is here, time for the pool to open, summer to start, and a big family BBQ. This Memorial Day my mom and I were in charge of desserts for our family's dinner. The first dessert we made is called Caramelitas, and it was a huge hit with our family! (plus it was super easy to make)

Caramelitas

Ingredients:
1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 jar (12 1/4 oz) caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
In a bowl combine 1 cup flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. 
Stir in butter; mix well.
Press into a greased 13 in by 9 in baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until set
Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Combine caramel topping with remaining flour until blended; drizzle over chips
Sprinkle with nuts.
Bake 20-22 minutes longer or until bubbly. 
Cool completely, cut into bars
Yield: 3 dozen

*We only put nuts on half of the dessert

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

♥ The Westward Wives

Crockpot Hawaiian Pork Chops

Finals are finally over and summer has officially started. For the summer, the Westward Wives have all moved home (with the exception of Callie, she moved in with me!) for the summer. A couple of days a week Callie and I are in charge of making dinner for my family. Last night I made a new dish that I found on pintrest while looking for a pork chop recipe to satisfy both my father and myself. I personally choose to stay away from pork chop for most of the time while my father believes the more pork the better, so I found a recipe that we both would enjoy. And behold, we both enjoyed dinner last night!

Hawaiian Pork Chops (in the crockpot)

Ingredients:
1 package of pork chops
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits 
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I used light)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I would use half if I make this again)

Directions:
Pour can of pineapple at the bottom of the crockpot
Mix in brown sugar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes
Lay pork chops on top 
Cook on low for 8-10 hours

I served the dish over brown rice

HAPPY SUMMER!

♥ The Westward Wives

Saved the best cupcake for last

Over the weekend, for Callie's brother's graduation we the Westward Wives, made 124 cupcakes. First was the chocolate ones (the best batter of all), next was the lemon (so refreshing), third was the carmel cupcakes (yum), and finally is the Poppyseed Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling. These cupcakes were the first ones eaten and the ones most talked about. 
Tom's party was a success, went off with out problems, there was barely any rain, and every single cupcakes was eaten. (which for us was a good thing because we are a little cupcaked out and left overs sounded daunting) 

Poppyseed Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling:

Ingredients:
1 package white cake mix
11/4 cups Champagne or other sparkling wine, at room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 jar of raspberry jam
4 tablespoons milk or water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line cupcake tin with 24 liners
In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, champagne, vegetable oil, and egg whites.
Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes
Add poppy seeds
Beat an addition 1 to 2 minutes or until completely blended
Divide batter into cups and bake for 17 -22 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean
Once cooled, take cupcake plunger insert in middle, plunge out small section
Fill hole with raspberry jam
Cover hole back up with cupcake
Frost cupcake (we used cream cheese frosting)

These will be the hit of your party!


♥ The Westward Wives

Golden Carmel Cupcakes

Ah this recipe is a fun one to mix up the normal "chocolate, vanilla, etc" type of cupcakes. This recipe comes from the ever so lovely Sandra Lee.

Golden Carmel Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 box golden butter cake mix (we used Duncan Hines)
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
2/3 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 (13.4 oz) can dulce de leche

Frosting:
2 cups heavy cream, cold
1 1/2 (13.4 oz) can dulce de leche

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, milk, and eggs. Using a hand mixer beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to be sure the batter is well incorporated. In a small bowl, mix together the 1/2 can of dulce de leche with 1 cup of cake batter and set aside.

Using an ice-cream scoop, fill the muffin tins halfway to the top with the batter. Spoon a level tablespoon of the dulce de leche mixture into each cupcake liner, and with a butter knife swirl it into the batter. Bake until the tops are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting: In a cold mixing bowl, beat the cold heavy cream with a hand mixer until just before soft peaks form. Add the dulce de leche and beat until well incorporated and soft peaks form. Frost each cupcake with the caramel frosting, and sprinkle with gold dragees. Arrange the cupcakes on a serving tray and serve.

Recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/golden-caramel-cupcakes-
recipe/index.html?oc=linkback




So delicious!


♥ The Westward Wives

Lemon Cupcakes

Second batch offers a refreshing change to dessert and is perfect for the party tomorrow, and any other time in summer!

Lemon Cupcakes:

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
4 egg whites
1/4 cup oil 
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed **
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 3 lemons

Glaze:
3 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1-2 cups powdered sugar

** tastes significantly better freshly squeezed

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees, line pan with cupcake lines
2. sift cake mix into a small bowl to remove any lump (my first attempt at sifting)
3. In a large bowl, gently whisk egg whites, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest together
4. Combine cake mix and wet ingredients, stir well
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until inserted knife comes clean
6. Lemon Glaze: in a bowl, combine all ingredients using a whisk. Add powdered sugar until your glaze is smooth
7. Use a toothpick to punch small holes into the top of each cupcake so the glaze can sink into the cake
8. Spoon glaze over the nearly cooled cupcakes, and allow time for the glaze to set.
9. Add the cream cheese frosting (in other post) on cooled cupcakes
10. Enjoy!

♥ The Westward Wives

Best Chocolate Cupcake Ever

So Tom (Callie's older brother) is graduating next Friday from CSU and Callie and I have been given the task to make cupcakes for the party. We are making 4 different kinds but the first type of cupcake we made are the chocolate ones, so this is for you chocolate lovers.

Best Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box devils food cake mix

1 small package Jello instant pudding mix (chocolate)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit  

Mix everything together 

Cook as directed on box (which was 19-23 min for our box)

*We are using cream cheese frosting to frost them. Recipe to follow later 

First round done off to do 3 more

♥ The Westward Wives

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

So in Colorado it has officially stopped snowing for the season, but the last couple of days it has been raining; and in Colorado the rain is cold!
Also since the school year is almost done (today is our last day of classes, yay!), we are trying to eat all of our food without having to go to the grocery store, it's a fun game let us tell you.

So we thought we should bring out an old recipe and make it our own way with the ingredients left in the fridge/freezer. We present to you..... 

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
2 packages of cubed beef steaks (4 total steaks) <---- super cheap by the way!
2 cans of cream of mushroom
2 cans (5 oz) of mushrooms
4 Tablespoons of ketchup
2 Tablespoons of worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Place steaks at the bottom of the crockpot
Mix rest of ingredients in a separate bowl
Pour mixture over steaks
Cook on low for 8 hours

Serve over rice

♥ The Westward Wives

Coming soon.....

CHECK BACK IN LATER TODAY FOR SOME CUPCAKE RECIPES!

Grad season recipes

Graduation season is coming up and you may be hosting a newly graduate or going to a pot luck. These recipes are also perfect for picnics (which are our favorite in the summer). I am going to continually add to this post so keep looking back for new recipes!

First, this recipe I had for the first time last year at Callie's friend's retirement party and I fell in love right there. I even grabbed a red solo cup and filled that with the grape salad to go, because it is THAT good.

Grape Salad
Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup ( 8 oz) sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 lbs seedless red grapes
2 lbs seedless green grapes
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp chopped pecans

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth
Add grapes and toss to coat
Transfer to a serving bowl.
Cover and refrigerate until serving
Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans right before serving

To be continued.....

♥ The Westward Wives

Artichoke Bread!

Today  is our last week of classes in our junior year. As summer is coming closer, finals are looking harder, and  our fridges are looking bare. We are trying not to stock our fridge with unnessary items. (I don't think we have gone grocery shopping in weeks) We are trying to eat out whatever we have left!
So today I thought I would share a recipe that we made last night. Which we served with spaghetti (because there is always spaghetti in our pantries, always!)

Artichoke bread

• 1 loaf french bread
• 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts in water, drained
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 0.25 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Slice bread. In a bowl, combine drained artichokes, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Spread evenly over sliced bread. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted and bubbly

♥ The Westward Wives

A long class

Yes I am in class right now.
No my teacher is not talking about anything important (just stories of his life)

So what is a girl to do? I am pinning to find more recipes for you guys!

♥ The Westward Wives

Chicken and Dumplings (on a diet)

Although it is May 3rd and summer is coming up soon, there are a few cold night dinners left to be had (at least in Colorado) and this recipe is one of my favorites! Its chicken and dumplings (yum) that I found in my mom's diet cookbook. Its delicious and nutritious, win win. So here it is:

Chicken and Dumplings 
Ingredients

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 cup sliced fresh carrots

3 cans (15 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1/2 teaspoon poultry season

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1-2/3 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix

2/3 cup fat-free milk

Directions:

coat skilled with cooking spray, saute celery and carrots for 5 min

Stir in broth, chicken, poultry season and pepper.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a gentle simmer

For dumplings, combine biscut mix with milk

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering brother

Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes It is always a big hit with everyone I cook for! and you know I wouldn't steer you wrong :) ♥ The Westward Wives

Yet another snowy day

Its snowing... again. Don't worry folks its May 1st. I am done with school in 15 days and then it's summer, but it certainly does not feel like summer right now. I thought I would share one of my favorite pasta dishes today, Marge's Holiday Pasta. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 1 T olive oil
1/2 cup minced garlic
1 box linguine
1 1/2 skinless, boneless chicken (cut into chunks)
3 Anaheim raw chilies (deseeded and chopped)
3 plum tomatoes (diced)
1/2 cup thinly chopped fresh basil
4 oz proscuitto ham (chopped)
2 T butter
1 cup fresh parmensan cheese
salt and pepper
Directions:
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat
Add garlic and saute until brown
Strain garlic from olive oil and retun oil to pan.
Add enough olive oil to make 1/4 cup
Add chicken and cook 5 minutes
Add chilies and cook 2 minutes
Add tomatoes, basil, ham, reserved garlic, and saute for 1 min
Remove from heat and add butter, stir until melted
Add linguine and 1/2 cup parm cheese and toss until mixed well
Add salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle with remaining cheese

Hopefully your weather is better than ours...

Ps. Happy one year anniversary to Caitlin and her boyfriend Jeff

♥ The Westward Wives