Easy Peasy Homemade Donuts

Mmmmm....donuts. So delicious. But there are some days even Dunkin's drive thru seems out of reach. Or, if you're a Jersey Shore food snob like me, you like the taste of real donuts. So I scanned Pinterest and my pantry and went to work.

All you need to start is a can of biscuits. Since I have a mini deep fryer, I went with the regular size, but depending on your fryer,   you probably want the Grands. For mine, I just ripped a hole in the middle and fixed up the circle.

 For larger biscuits, you could make holes with the rim of a water bottle (and then make donut holes!). Drop in the fryer at around 375,  let brown, and flip.

 When evenly lightly brown on both sides, drip and let them dry for a moment.

Now for the topping! Today I went pretty basic, though I'm hoping to try frostings and fillings next time. I started with a bowl of cinnamon and sugar mixed. 

After my first set, I also put confectionary sugar in a freezer bag and dropped the donut in and shook it up. Either way, the results were pretty awesome.

Recipe:

1 can of biscuits

Oil for deep frying

Powdered sugar

Granulated sugar

Cinnamon

Create donut rounds from the biscuits. Drop in deep fryer at 375 until lightly browned on both sides. Drip dry and frost as desired.

I finally made Banana "Ice Cream" and it rocks!!

Read the title. That pretty much sums up my post. If you haven't seen the trend of making bananas into ice cream, then you're obviously not on Pinterest. So I decided to just go for it. So this afternoon, I sliced up two bananas into bite size pieces, threw them in a freezer bag (an ice cube tray is useful too) and froze them for a few hours. 

Tonight, after my disappointing pizza (thanks Florida life), I decided I wanted ice cream but was not willing to brave the local Walmart Zoo at this (or any) hour. So I broke up the giant chunk of frozen banana back into it's smaller, more manageable pieces, and added a dash of milk. (You probably don't even need to do that; it's a personal preference I added with my Serious Mass powder. Vary the recipe for your diet. Duh.)

 I also threw in some cinnamon, a little vanilla extract, and cocoa powder. I used my Rocket Blender to mix it all up. If you have a cheap blender like me, it will probably take a few attempts; make sure you clean off the blades each round. Continue until smooth. Mine was cold, but not cold enough, and almost like very thick mousse consistency, so I put in a Tupperware, swirled in some cookie pieces and stuck back in the freezer for a bit.

The results? Very appetizing! A super easy way to enjoy ice cream and get some potassium in too!

Ingredients:

2 bananas, sliced, frozen

1-1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder

2 teaspoons of vanilla extra

Dash of cinnamon 

(Dash of milk)

Directions: 

Mix all together in blender until smooth. Garnish as preferred. Freeze extra if needed. Enjoy consistently!

Parmesan Baked Fantastic Fries!

Ugh! Deciding what to have for dinner is hard! I knew I really wanted a form of potatoes. But unfortunately, I didn't have the right ingredients for the awesome recipes I found on Pinterest, so I browsed some fry recipes on a whim and then decided to just wing it.

Can I just tell you how amazing they turned out?? I wish I had a better camera, because these iPad pictures do not do them justice. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and delicious all over. They took minimal time, minimal effort, and has maximum results 😀

Okay, preheat your oven to 400F. First rinse your potatoes in cold water and then peel (or don't peel based on your preference) your potatoes. I'm an idiot and sliced the the potatoes in half which gave me smaller fries. If you want longer ones, slice long way. Try to keep your slices even in width.

I obviously didn't do a good job keeping them even.

Next I threw them in a large bowl and poured over just enough olive oil to cover them and then added the Basics, SPGO (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder) and some Parm cheese. 

Ok, so my bowl might be a "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" container.

Spread them out on a baking sheet, and make sure they're not touching. I lined my pan with foil, but the Pinterest consensus seems to be parchment paper. It didn't make a difference with my recipe. Season with a bit more salt, pepper, and Parm. Place in oven for 15 minutes.

Take out, flip over. You can use a spatula, but it was easier to slide them up with one, and then flip them individually with a fork. Sprinkle with the s/p and Parm and place in oven for another 5-7 min based on crisp preference. Take out and let cool for a few moments.

Ta daaaaa! There you have it. 30 minutes to fantastic fries!!

 

Recipe:

3/4 equal size potatoes

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder 

Onion powder 

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse, peel, and evenly slice the potatoes, making sure they're not too thick. Mix  in bowl with olive oil, spices and cheese. Lay out evenly on baking sheet, making sure they don't touch. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cheese. Bake for 15-17 min. Take out and flip the fries. Reseason slightly and cook for another 5-7. Let cool before digging in!

Until next time! Enjoy my friends!!

Aloha and Hello Smoothie

Ok, definitely still on this shake/smoothie kick. They're healthy, delicious, and let's face it, it hits the spot.

For my morning smoothie, I usually mix and match between which fresh fruits and juices I currently have in stock. A trip to ALDI and Walmart gave me all I needed.

Today's shake includes

Pre ground oatmeal (about a tablespoon for this recipe)

1/2 frozen banana

A few cubes of melon and cantaloupe

Can of Pineapple juice

Splash of cranberry juice( I have pomegranate cranberry)

2 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt

4-5 ice cubes

Blend all together, top with whipped cream! and indulge in this healthy but phenomenal shake!

Check back for more shake and smoothie blends soon! I'm experimenting everyday! And let me know if you have any great ideas to mix it up!

Cookies n Creme n Marshmallows n Banana Shake

Ok so, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly counting calories when I cook. If that's the type of recipes you're looking for, you've come to the wrong blog. But on the other hand, if you could actually use the help gaining some weight (healthy, and ...ahem, non healthy ways included) then you're probably at the right place. I like to indulge, and add extras wherever I can. And if that means calories, so be it.

This past year was the first time since middle school that I seemed seriously underweight. Call it the stress of moving a thousand miles away from home to work a dead end job with crappy friends, or whatever you will, but I'm on the upswing now. One of the things I did to get my appetite up was to start drinking shakes. My dad helped my invest in a package of Serious Mass (because they are seriously expensive). I bought the vanilla flavor and I'm glad I did. It gives me more options to flavor it, or add it to things.

I also recently have purchased not one, but two blenders. Yes, poor, terrible with budgets me, bought a $17 sports drink blender thing from ALDI recently, and then with a Macy's gift card, bought a Bella 12 piece Rocket Blender (similar to the Magic Bullet). My reasoning was the Bella blender was more versatile. In reality, I just love kitchen gadgets and appliances.

So I've been going crazy making these drinks, and tonight's drink was just so inspirational, Instagramming it alone would not do it justice. I had to share, even if only 3 people see this blog. Try this at home. Vary it up however you please. Just have a shake. It's good for the soul

Ok! Time for the Super Awesome Cookies and Creme and Marshmallows and Banana Chocolate Shake

Ingredients:

5 Oreos

Handful of mini marshmallows

Chocolate ice cream

Whole milk

1/2 banana 

Ice cubes

Dash of cinnamon

Whipped cream 

Directions:

Start with the Oreos (or ALDI equivalent). Grind them up in your blender/grinder. You might need to break them in smaller pieces first. After a few pulses, add a handful of mini marshmallows. Set aside just one moment. Add 3-4 scoops of chocolate ice cream to your tall cup for your blender. Add half sliced banana (I prefer a frozen one). Add in cookie blend and scoop of Serious Mass ( or anything else you might be using like protein or whey or omit this step completely). I also added a little teaspoon or two of my pre-blended oatmeal that I use for my breakfast smoothies. Next add 2-3 ice cubes and fill with milk. Blend. Add more milk or ice cubes/ice cream depending on desired thickness/taste. As always, I sprinkled a dash of cinnamon for good luck, blended one last time, and topped it off with whipped cream and cookie pieces. Sweet tooth satisfied! I'm off to enjoy and watch Airplane! Life is good!

Crescent Nutella S'mores

Ok, so I'm definitely on a crescent roll kick. Last night, I just couldn't find it in myself to reheat leftovers, so I added some cheese and leftover tomato sauce, and in Zack's case, bacon, to a pack of unrolled crescent rolls. The results? Not so pretty, but definitely tasty. I'll have to write about it next time.

But this morning I'm all alone while Zack is doing his show, so I've decided to treat myself to something other than a Pop Tart. (And since healthy and nutrional options are currently not in stock in this household, I'll let this fun unhealthy breakfast slide, just this once 😉

Now I'm pretty sure I've seen this on Pinterest before, so no copyright infringement intended. This is just my own take on what I'm craving and what's in my pantry.

Let's start by preheating that oven. Lay out your crescent rolls on your baking sheet (or prep plate). Add some melted butter on top and spread evenly.

Next, add a nice scoop of Nutella to each roll, and spread evenly. Sprinkle some cinnamon. Add about little scoop of chocolate chips to the top portion of each roll, followed by 4 or 5 mini marshmallows. Roll carefully. Sprinkle with cinnamon on top as well. Bake as instructed on package.

They really are a thing of beauty when they're done. I wish I had whipped cream, but I did sprinkle some chocolate syrup on top.

I don't know if I can wait the cooling off period. So pumped. 

Gonna nene a big glass of milk to go with this one! 😄

Until next time, good eats!!

Kate

Creamy Yummy Easy Mac n Cheese

Ok my first blog since my LiveJournal days at the turn of the century. Have you guys seen this lip sync video of Katy Perry's "Roar" at Dartmouth Children's Hospital? Truly moving. http://youtu.be/lnG3MKos87A

Anywho, onto the yummy stuff.

This recipe's credit goes to my old pal Shannon and Campbell's Soup. Shannon and I loved to cook/bake together, so a lot of my recipes are inspired by her, or ones that we tried out for the first time together. This one I stole from her, and it's always been a hit!

First off, preheat the oven to 375F and pick your pasta. I'm going with shells tonight. 

The sauce takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare, so if you prep everything beforehand, you can start the boil as you start the sauce.

Mix two cans of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup in a bowl. Fill up each can 3/4 of the way with milk.

  

You're gonna want a whisk or a fork. Get those clumps out!

Now for my Basics.

These puppies pretty much go into everything I cook. Please add them. Add some Parmesan or Asiago (or both!) and stir. 

Now for those who don't know me very well, know this. I love garlic. Garlic and cheese. But definitely garlic. So this next step is vital.

I don't know what I'd do without my garlic press (Thanks Mom!). Considering how poor this household is, good cooking tools are rare. But this is a hand-me-down from MommaBear. So go ahead, add your fresh squeezed garlic to that mix!

Now it's time to mix it all together. Hopefully your water should be boiling and you can focus on stirring your pasta and cooking it perfect. You actually don't want to cook it all the way. Pre-al dente, if you will. Now when your pasta is done, strain and add some butter. Everything is better with butter. Or in my case, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! thanks to my upbringing. (It's damn good!) Put pasta in a casserole/baking dish. Add sauce slowly, making sure to stir it every so often so the cheesey goodness gets in and around each shell. 

We're not done quite yet! This is where it gets fun. Raid your fridge and see what kind of cheeses you have. Cheddar, American, Mozzerella, Provolone, Swiss, whatever! Or maybe all the above. Being that we haven't been grocery shopping lately, all I had was some leftover mozz from my homemade pizza last week (Florida pizza just doesn't cut it). 

I cut that that up into pieces and randomly dropped them over the pasta. Then, using my fork, I smushed each little nug in so it could eventually be in a bite of cheesey awesomeness. 

Almost there guys! One last step!

Since this is baked macaroni and cheese, it wouldn't be much good without breadcrumbs. So stir in some melted butter with your breadcrumbs and some more grated Parm cheese. Sprinkle that amazingness on top of your pasta. Your creation is ready for baking.

Bake at 375F for about 22 or till the cheese is all bubbly. Take out and for the love of all that is holy, LET IT COOL. Yes, your entire tiny apartment with flow with the sweet aroma of cheddar cheese and garlic, but if you like your tongue to function properly, you'll have to wait.

Voilà! Cheap, easy, delicious. That's what she said. Seriously.

Enjoy.

-Kate

Easy Cheesey Macaroni 

1lb of pasta 

2 cans of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup

2 cans worth of milk

Parmesean cheese

Mozzerella (or any other awesome cheese)

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder.

Breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons of butter

While pasta is cooking, mix all ingredients for the sauce. Cook the pasta, but not all the way. When ready, mix in baking dish with sauce. Add shredded or additional cheese. Mix. Melt butter and add to small dish of breadcrumbs. Spread evenly over pasta. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles.