Barbecued Ribs

My mom always told me the key to a man's heart is through his stomach. If you are looking for something to make on your next date night...ribs are the answer!

You will need...

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

3 to 3 1/2 pounds well-trimmed pork baby back ribs, cut into 4-rib pieces

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions

1. Coat crock-pot with cooking spray. Combine paprika, salt, thyme, black pepper and red pepper; rub mixture onto meaty sides of ribs. Place ribs in crock-pot. Cover; cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until ribs are tender.

2. Combine ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire and soy sauce; mix well. Remove ribs from crock-pot; discard cooking liquid. Coat ribs with sauce; return to crock-pot and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, or until ribs are glazed.

Enjoy :) Ali

Tye Dye Cupcakes

My friend Trish hosted book club last week. Our book club is basically a wine night with a theme based upon what we read. We read Water for Elephants and Trish really did it over the top! She had Sangria, popcorn, hot dogs and these adorable cupcakes. Circus music was playing in the background and she printed off questions about the book. Everyone specifically noticed the tye dye cupcakes. These cupcakes would be great for a circus themed event or birthday party! Enjoy :)

Thanks Trishy!

Ingredients-
White icing- decorator's icing if possible but canned icing also works
Paste food coloring- I used cookie dye and it worked fine
Disposable icing bags
Icing tip-I used a star tip size 18
Small paint brush

1. Take your icing bag with the tip inside and fold it a quarter of the way down to make it more manageable.
2. With the paint brush, paint your different colored lines on the side of the bag. I just used four different colors but you can use as many as you'd like. Each line should start at the tip of the bag and go up vertically 3-4 inches with a thickness of half an inch.
3. Fill your bag with white icing and you are ready to decorate!
Tip- I stood the icing bag in a tall cup while I painted the lines and filled it with icing, keeps things from getting messy!

Trish's Sangria

Happy Friday!

-1 bottle of sauvignon blanc
-2 ½ shots of triple sec
-2 cups of diet gingerale
-frozen or fresh mixture of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
-lots of ice

Cheese Fries

My husband and I LOVE cheese fries...we actually have quite a little problem on our hands. We stop at a local bar for late night food on the weekends called Hard Times. We always get an order of cheese fries to share.

In honor of football season and our addiction, I decided to share my take on cheese fries! Enjoy :)

What you need...

3-4 potatoes
EVOO
Variety of spices
pepper, season-all, chili powder OR substitute season-all with Old Bay

Directions
1. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Cut potatoes into wedges.
3. Drizzle EVOO over potatoes and add spices to taste.
4. Cook for 30 minutes-400 degrees or until crisp.

Note-Flip fries after 15 minutes.

Bridgette's Mini Zucchini Pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Zucchini
• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 Jar of your favorite Pizza sauce
• Crushed Red Pepper flakes (optional)
• Pizza Cheese - I used Mexican cheese (Jack & Cheddar combo)
• Turkey pepperoni
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the Zucchini into 3/4 inch rounds - OR you can slice down the length of the zucchini for 'french bread pizza.
3. Lay them flat on a baking sheet - then brush them with EVOO, add salt and pepper. OPTIONAL: Add crushed red pepper flakes to add spice!
4. Bake for 15 mins. in oven
5. Remove from oven, then add a dollop of pizza sauce to each round, spread evenly to the edges of the zucchini.
6. Top with enough cheese to cover the sauce, and then add desired amount of peperoni.
7. Bake an additional 5 minutes - or until cheese is melted.
8. ENJOY! :)

Chocolate Kiss-Peanut Butter Cookies

YUM.

What you need...

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

2 cups Original Bisquick

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sugar

About 36 milk chocolate kisses or hugs

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir milk and peanut butter in large bowl until smooth. Stir in Bisquick and vanilla.

2. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press chocolate kiss into top of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Salsa-Rice Burritos

I love having people over when I make Mexican food! All of the bright colors and spicy food makes me one happy girl.



Here is an appetizer trio I set out for my guests.
Salsa, avocado salad and queso. The recipe for
the avocado salad is already on Food Frenzi for

you to enjoy!

The recipe for Salsa-Rice Burritos is simple!
It is from Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook.

You will need...
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (11 ounces) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 flour tortillas

Directions

Heat 1 1/2 cups salsa and chili powder to boiling in 10-inch skillet. Stir in rice; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in beans, corn and cheese.

Spoon about 1/2 cup rice mixture onto center of each tortilla. Fold up bottom of each tortilla; fold over sides.

4 servings

M.Y.O. Cork Board!

I have been saving up my wine corks for a while and decided to put them to good use. It is amazing what you can do with a small cork board, wine corks and glue! It was fun to make and is a festive decoration in my kitchen. Enjoy! ~Ali

Penne with Vegetables in Tomato-Basil Sauce

After a weekend at the beach we needed a healthy dinner! This recipe is from Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook. I was able to prepare this entire meal in 25 minutes. Enjoy! ~Ali

Ingredients

2 cups penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrot
14.5 oz diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
8 oz tomato sauce
1 small unpeeled zucchini, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Cook onion and carrot in oil 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook 5 minutes.

3. Stir in zucchini and basil; reduce heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is desired consistency. Stir in parsley. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

Sweet Green

Are you looking for a healthy place to grab a salad or wrap on your next lunch break? Sweet Green is the answer! Sweet Green has 10 different locations and I am so lucky to live near one. Check out a location close to you.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

My sister Perry with her dip!

This recipe is perfect for football season! Go Redskins!

Ingredients
3-4 Chicken Boneless Chicken Breasts (boiled)
16 oz cream cheese
1 large jar of hot sauce
12oz blue cheese

Directions
Boil chicken until cooked through (8-10 minutes)
Press cream cheese in bottom of pan.
Mix shredded chicken with hot sauce and pour over cream cheese.
Top with blue cheese.
Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
*Optional-sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of dip before baking.

Mina's Pumpkin Cheesecake

My prayers were answered! Mina sent me the recipe to a cheesecake that will be perfect for the Fall! I am so excited to try this out.

Ingredients:
Crust-
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup ground pecans (reserve a couple whole pecans for decor)
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Cheesecake Batter-
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
3/8 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. To make crust - combine the graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, 2 tablespoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and the melted butter/margarine. Mix well. Press mixture firmly into a 9-inch springform pan.
3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, Combine 3/4 cup of white sugar, the pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, gradually adding 3/8 cup white sugar. Mix well. Add the whole egg, 1 egg yolk, and the heavy whipping cream, beating well. Add cornstarch, vanilla extract and lemon extract, beat batter until smooth.
5. Combine pumpkin mixture (step #3) with cream cheese mixture (step #4) and mix well. Pour this batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes in a water bath. (Note: center maybe soft, but will firm up once chilled).
7. Important steps to prevent cracking - After turning oven off, crack the oven door open and let the cheesecake sit for about 5 minutes. Once out of the oven, let the cheesecake cool on a wire rack for about in hour with a cookie sheet on top of it to slow down the cooling process. Finally, refrigerate the cheesecake for several hours before serving.

Additional tips/notes:
- Bringing cream cheese to room temp to aid with mixing.
- Double crust mixture to make a thicker and more defined crust.

xoxo Mina

Cheesecake

My Mom called me the other day and asked me to bring dessert to my Dad's birthday dinner. Luckily...I had just gone to the store that day and bought a No-Bake Cheesecake. Jell-o makes a box with the crust and filling inside. You just have to add melted butter and sugar to the crust and milk to the filling.

I am OBVIOUSLY not a baker!! The cheescake turned out great but I need a REAL RECIPE. Does anyone have one they can share?

Ali

Italian Herb Chicken

I have a confession…I am in love with my crock-pot. There are endless recipes that you can EASILY make during any season! I recently made Italian Herb Chicken and was pleasantly surprised with the final product!

Here is what you need to do...

Ingredients
2 ½ lbs. chicken parts 1 pkg. (8 oz.)
fresh mushrooms, halved or sliced
1 pkg. McCormick® Slow Cooker Italian Herb Chicken Seasoning
2 cans (14 ½ oz. each) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

Directions





PLACE chicken and mushrooms in slow cooker.

MIX seasoning, tomatoes, and tomato paste until blended. Pour over chicken and mushrooms. Cover.

COOK 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving.

Enjoy! ~Ali

Peanut Butter-Toffee Cheescake Brownies

My sister made these brownies for a family gathering this summer. They literally melt in your mouth. Peanut butter...toffee...CHEESECAKE!!! Do I need to say more? Enjoy.

Click on this site to view the recipe-http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/peanut-butter-toffee-cheesecake-brownies/f0b18bef-197d-4955-8347-7970c58188de/

Beware: These brownies are very addicting.

Your Next Picnic...

Are you looking for the perfect backdrop for your next picnic? Head over to Great Falls National Park. The falls are gorgeous and you won’t find any place like this right off the beltway. Admission is $5.00 per vehicle and only $3.00 if you decide to ride your bike! The park is open 7:00am until dark. Bring a football, blanket, jug of water and a cooler filled with your favorite foods. I guarantee you will enjoy your time at the park.

Paper Canoe

I AM BACK!

I have been so busy with traveling and enjoying the summer life of a teacher... I have lost track of time! I can't believe it has been so long since I last blogged. I am ready to start sharing more ideas and searching for new places to eat! If you have any ideas please email me and I will put them on Food Frenzi to share!

I recently went to Duck, North Carolina with my husband's family. We ate dinner at a new restaurant called Paper Canoe. The view was stunning and the food was filling. Two of the favorite meals at our table were the Rib Eye and Local Catch of the Day-Mahi Mahi.

Check out Paper Canoe on facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/ThePaperCanoe