I was thrilled when Mindi asked me to do some Pretty Pink Princess Cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday. You see I have all boys, 3 teenage boys in fact, and I don’t ever get a chance to make anything Pink!

I started with a Strawberry Cake mix, you can learn all about how I make a cake mix taste like it’s from scratch on my Mother’s Day Cupcake vlog.

I whipped up some Buttercream Frosting, and tinted it, what else, a Pretty Pink!

Then, using the Wilton #1M tip, some Pink Wafer Cookies, Wilton Pink Sparkling Sugar, and a few White Pearls, I started decorating.

There are lots of Free Printables to use as cupcake toppers, Living Locurto has some really cute ones, I happen to find the Happy Birthday one I used on Paper Glitter. I simply printed them out onto white cardstock, cut it out and taped it to a sucker stick.

To see more Cupcake Creations, head on over and visit me at Hoosier Homemade, I also share lots of baked goods, Budget Friendly Meals, and decorating tips and tricks, all to help you “Make Your House a Home.”

Photo credit: Food Network

These are one of Brad’s favorite things to eat.  I usually make a double or triple batch and freeze the rest in freezer bags or containers! This recipe was inspired by Rachael Ray’s more traditional Sloppy Joes.

Hello, Moms Need to Cook, fans! I’m Liz, the Hoosier Momma from Hoosier Homemade. I’m a SAHM of 3 teenage boys, that keep me running with their sports and school activities. I’ve been blogging a little over a year, I share lots of  baked goods, Budget Friendly Meals, and decorating tips and tricks, all to help you “Make Your House a Home.”

These cupcakes were inspired by the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. Have you seen her cookbooks? Really great recipes and ideas using boxed cake mixes.

Strawberry Cupcakes:

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe strawberries, with juice
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and mix completely. Divide into cupcake liners, I use about 1/4 cup each. Bake as directed on box, until toothpick comes out clean.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon strawberry puree (see Note)
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Beat together softened cream cheese and butter, add strawberry puree, and slowly add powdered sugar until you get the right consistency.

Note: To make Strawberry Puree, like the picture above, clean and remove stems from 5-6 strawberries, depending on size. Place in small saucepan, add a small amount of water, 1-2 tablespoons and a sprinkle of sugar. **if your strawberries are extremely ripe, and you can mash them easily, you don’t need to cook them down. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes, until they mash easily. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes. Place small strainer on top of bowl, put a few spoons of berries in and mash with the back of the spoon. Discard the pulp that is left in the strainer and you will have strawberry puree.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries:

Wash and pat dry strawberries. Melt Wilton Candy Melts in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes, stir completely, until all the wafers are melted.

Dip strawberries and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet, place in fridge to set.

Decorating:

I used a Wilton 1M Star tip in a Decorating Bag and then placed a strawberry on top gently. I added a small sprinkle of pink decorating sugar for extra color.

Enjoy!

I made this for dinner last night and it was AMAZING!

I had the chance to talk to the PR Rep from Cracker Barrel last month when I was at Blissdom and told her what a big fan I was of the Hashbrown Casserole at Cracker Barrel. She was kind enough to send me this recipe!

:: Ingredients

1 (10 ¾ ounce) can cream of chicken soup
8-ounces Colby cheese, shredded
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup margarine, melted
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
42 ounces frozen country-style hashbrown potatoes

:: Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.

2.  In a stand mixer, place soup, cheese, onion, margarine, pepper and salt. Mix on low speed for one minute.

3.  Add frozen shredded potatoes. Mix on low speed for one minute.

4.  Spray 13” x 9” pan with food release spray.

5.  Place entire contents into sprayed pan, loosely spread casserole to fill pan at even level.

6.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

7.  Serve hot and enjoy!

nom nom nom!

Photo courtesy of Yumsugar.com

Kerrygold is giving away 10,000 free eCookbooks by Irish cooking superstar, Rachel Allen. Rachel is a mother of 3 and offers great recipes for families

To get your free download, click here and then use the Redemption code: KGLD-0319-2010-RACB

Thanks to Siobahn at Harper Collins for emailing me about this!

Today’s recipe comes to you courtesy of Saving For Someday!
Photo Credit:  FineCooking.com

Beef Stroganoff (Serves 6)

:: Ingredients

1 1/2 lb beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut into small cubes & seasoned with salt/pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced or 2 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 cup beef broth or consomme
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream (regular or light)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pkg (1 lb) egg noodles, cooked to package instructions

:: Directions

1.  In skillet, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.

2.  Working in small batches, cook beef over high heat and sear until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes depending on size. When done, remove beef from pan and set aside to rest.

3.  In same pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons butter and chopped onion and saute until translucent.

4.  Add (fresh) mushrooms when onions are nearly done. (If using canned mushrooms, don’t add until later.) Saute mushrooms 3-4 minutes or until tender.

5.  Whisk in beef broth and Dijon mustard. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

6.  Whisk in sour cream and allow sauce to thicken 2-3 minutes.

7.  Remove from heat, add beef in to the sauce (if using canned mushrooms, add now), stir and season with salt/pepper to taste.

8.  Serve over egg noodles.

Options: If you like pickles, chopped cornichons (or small dill pickles) can be mixed in to the sauce (aprox. 1/4 cup)

Today’s recipe comes to you courtesy of My Blessed Life.  Myra has a bunch of great recipes on her site, so be sure to check them out!

and my note:  I don’t care if this is considered a “breakfast” recipe…I would be VERY happy to have this for dinner!  So easy and…YUM!

Ingredients:

Croutons (plain or cheese and garlic) not Caesar!
7-8 Eggs
Milk (about 1/3 cup or so)
Salt and Pepper (dashes)
Garlic Powder
Salsa (1/4 cup)
Bacon, sausage or ham, cooked
Onion, chopped
Bell Pepper, chopped
Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease baking dish. I usually use an 8 x 8 or a round pie plate. Spread one layer of croutons over bottom of baking dish. Mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder just like a scrambled egg mixture. At this point, I like to add a little salsa to give the casserole some zing!

2.  Evenly sprinkle onion, peppers and meat over croutons in baking dish. Slowly pour egg mixture over vegetables and meat. Sprinkle (lots!) of cheddar cheese on top.

3.  Bake for 30-45 minutes until center of casserole is set.

4.  Try not to eat the whole thing yourself!

Tara has been a bloggy friend of mine for many years.  One of the things I love about her is her ability to “roll with it”.  She was given this recipe by some Korean friends and, while the beef part of the dish is very easy to make, the fermented cabbage side dish?  Not so much.  So what is a mom to do?  Chuck the whole thing because we can’t make the side dish?  Absolutely not!  Just make the beef and serve it over rice and stop trying to be perfect! (seriously – stop it!)

Bonus:  not a fan of beef? According to Tara, it’s just as delicious with chicken (something I will confirm tomorrow, as the chicken version is on the menu for tomorrow night!)

Ingredients:

1 pound flank steak
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sesame oil (can substitute ½ cup sesame oil, and ½ cup canola oil)
2 cups low sodium soy sauce (regular is too salty for me)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1-3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (to taste, depending on how hot you like it)
2 cups jasmine rice, cooked (Mindi’s note:  try Jasmine Brown Rice – Trader Joe’s has an amazing one!)

Directions:

1.  Season beef with salt and pepper.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Place meat in a shallow pan, pour marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or over night. (I put the steak into a heavy duty plastic freezer bag and pour the marinade into the bag, remembering to turn the bag over occasionally for even marinading.)

3.  Remove beef from marinade, and bring to room temperature. Pour left over marinade into heavy saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil and cook for 6-8 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

4.  Preheat grill. Grill the steak a few minutes on each side to desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill, let sit for a couple minutes, then cut into very thin slices.

5.  Serve over hot rice and garnish with hot marinade.

Nom-Nom-Nom!