Month: December 2014

Baked Shrimp Won Ton Cups & other (healthier) Appies! {#Nasoya #Sponsored}

Kim

This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are 100% my own.

Well, somehow Christmas is OVER. As I say every year, I have no idea how it came and went so fast. It doesn’t matter that I started listening to Christmas music in November and *gasp* had my tree up BEFORE Thanksgiving. Yep, I sure did…doesn’t matter however, because Christmas still came and went too fast.

Oh yeah, and 4 weeks before Christmas…Number One got sick. Three weeks before Christmas, Mr. Three got sick. Two weeks before Christmas, Miss Two got sick. And guess what happened ONE week before Christmas? You guessed it…mama got sick. So, that is why my last blog post was December 16. *insert sad face* I have all this cool Christmas stuff to share too…and who wants to read about that now? It’s New Year’s Eve. Party time! Then it’s ohmigahhh….resolution time. Time to give up everything we indulged in over the past month. *insert crying sad face*.

Luckily, I have something that will make the transition from indulgent eating to healthy eating virtually painless. It’s also party ready, fun, cute, portioned controlled, low fat. low in Weight Watchers points…no, I’m not talking about air. These actually taste great and are portable! Great for New Year’s, football, appetizers, or if you are like me, can make a meal out of them. They are Baked Shrimp WonTon Cups. They are quick and easy to prepare too. You can make the filling with whatever veggies and quantities you like. I’m just going to give what I use, and you can play with the recipe to make them your own.

Baked Shrimp Won Ton Cups

Filling:
1 bag Cole Slaw Mix (or you can shred your own cabbage and carrots)
3-4 green onions, chopped (I usually use whatever onion I have on hand, green/red/yellow)
1/4 – 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped (just depends on how much you like celery!)
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bag frozen small shrimp, thawed and cut in half or thirds (can also use chicken/beef/pork)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer tamari)
1/2-1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (Hoisin is strong and sweet. I use it if I have it, but it’s not mandatory)
salt and pepper, (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil


  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Place won tons in a mini muffin pan, one won ton per muffin cup. (Just push them down in the cup, there will be some overlapping). Set aside.
  • In a skillet over medium heat, heat tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and celery. Heat until onions begin to soften. Add garlic, heat a minute or two until fragrant.
  • Add bag of cole slaw mix, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and salt and pepper. Carefully stir (my skillet is always very full until cabbage begins to wilt.)
  • Add thawed shrimp, stir frequently until shrimp is pink. Once shrimp is done and cabbage is softened, remove from heat.
  • Place a tablespoon of mixture into the won ton cup. Bake won tons approximately 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp.
  • Remove cups from oven and place on serving tray. Top with cilantro and drizzle with Ponzu Sauce if desired.

*Feel free to add any veggies and seasonings you like. My only recommendation is watch the amount of liquid produced (some veggies leach a lot of water out). You want as little liquid as possible in your wrappers because it will cause them to fall apart.

This is the same filling I use for egg rolls too. I love baked egg rolls, which is odd, because I do not like fried egg rolls, and we all know everything is usually better fried. To make the baked egg rolls, use the same filling, put a few tablespoons of filling in an (fold them better than I do!), place on a baking sheet, spray both sides with olive oil or cooking spray. Bake about 10 minutes per side. They are healthy and delicious!

My kids love these Baked Mozzarella Sticks. They are so easy, as it is just a mozzarella cheese stick (“string” cheese) wrapped in an egg roll wrapper and baked. Spraying both sides with olive oil or cooking spray just like with the egg rolls. They can be dipped in marinara or pizza sauce too.

Since my kids love Baked Cheese Sticks, I knew they would like Baked Cheese Cups too. I was right! Just add cheese to your won ton cups and bake until the cheese is melted and won tons are brown and crisp. You could serve these along side a sauce as well. So much healthier than frying and I love the little cups for a party or as an appetizer. You could add anything really…any dip can be placed in a won ton cup and suddenly becomes portable! Tonight I am making Buffalo Chicken Dip in won ton cups…it will make it so easy to eat! You can also bake the shells then add things like chicken salad or pimento cheese…the possibilities are endless. It makes me want to put pretty much everything in a won ton cup. What can I say, I love party food.

Happy New Year’s Eve as my little one said first thing this morning! I’d love to hear what’s on your menu for tonight. Or tomorrow…I haven’t fully decided what I’m cooking for New Year’s Day yet…but I’m pretty sure it won’t be black eyed peas!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , ,  (Tuesday) , , , ,,, ,  (Wednesday) , , , ,, ,  (Thursday) ,, ,  (Friday) , , , , , ,, , ,, , , (Saturday) , 

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Cranberry Mousse (aka Jello Salad)

Kim

When I was growing up, my Grandma always had some type of jello salad at family gatherings. I, being the picky, stubborn, petulant child that I was, would never eat the jello salad because I do not like jello. And it often had either marshmallows or fruit cocktail in it…and I didn’t like those either. Don’t you feel sorry for my parents? Anyway, jello salad consisted of jello, obvi, and fruits, nuts, etc. If it was formed or molded into a shape…it was called a jello mold. I’m telling you all this for no apparent reason just to say that for Thanksgiving I wanted to make a jello salad. My Grandma is no longer on this earth, but she is very much a part of me and I knew my mom would like it. I found a recipe that felt familiar and I liked from Taste of Home, but they have given it a much more sophisticated name…Cranberry Mousse.

But to me, it will always be jello salad. You can call it whatever you like, but I know something else we can call it – a keeper! It was delicious! Obviously my tastes have changed a little over the years, and even though I still don’t care for jello, this salad/mold/mousse has a lot of flavors and textures going on and I really enjoyed it. I also decided to lighten it up by swapping out the sour cream with Greek yogurt. The ending result was delish. If I do say so myself. Which I do. I think my Grandma would be proud!

This plastic mold actually came from my Grandma’s house, but you could use any pan you like (it doesn’t have to be in a mold, I just think it looks pretty!) I have a Christmas tree shaped baking pan that I want to try for Christmas. Yes, I plan on making this again! I think it’s perfect for the holidays with it’s bright color and I love the multitude of textures going on…you have cranberries, crushed pineapple, crunchy nuts, then the creamy yogurt/gelatin combo. And even better…it’s easy!

Cranberry Mousse (aka Jello Salad)

1 package (6 ounces) strawberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained (SAVE juice)
1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups (16 ounces) Greek yogurt (I used , can also use sour cream)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • In a large heat proof bowl, pour in gelatin mix. Add boiling water and stir until jello mix has dissolved.
  • Add juice of drained pineapple.
  • Stir in can of cranberry sauce, gently breaking up the large chunks.
  • Add lemon juice, lemon peel and nutmeg. Stir to combine and chill until mixture begins to thicken. (Not fully set, just thick like pudding)
  • Remove from fridge and fold in yogurt, crushed pineapple and pecans.
  • Pour into desired serving bowl or a lightly sprayed mold (9-cup).
  • Chill until set, at least 2 hours. (I made mine the day before)
  • If using a mold, let mold sit at room temp for 20-30 mins., inverted onto serving plate. Gently remove from mold. It will soften as it warms, but not so soft that it loses shape.
Recipe Source: & my Grandmother
 
What kinds of foods are traditions at your house? Are there certain foods that always trigger memories for you? 
 
 
I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , ,  (Tuesday) , , , ,,, ,  (Wednesday) , , , ,, ,  (Thursday) ,, ,  (Friday) , , , , , ,, , ,, , , (Saturday) , 

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

3 ingredient Meatballs & other time-saving Holiday Hacks (#sponsored)

Kim

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of . All opinions are 100% mine.

The Christmas countdown is ON in the Mo’Betta house! I have a 6 year old that is literally counting down the days, and his excitement is contagious. (Let’s just hope the cold he had last week is not. ‘Tis the season.) I’m sure we all have some favorite recipes for the holidays, some being more labor intensive than others (can you say old-fashioned fudge?!), but we all need a few quick and easy ones lined up that will feed a crowd, yet be delicious. I thought I would share a few that have served me well over the years. These little ‘holiday hacks’ get me out of the kitchen, and able to spend more time with my friends and family.

These 3-ingredient meatballs have been around for years. They make an appearance around the holidays, as well as baby showers, bridal showers, you name it. I got the recipe from one of my uncles many years ago, and I’m surprised it has not made the blog before now. The ingredient list seems a little odd, but it works! I always have people asking for the recipe…and it’s SO easy! 

3-ingredient Meatballs

  1. 2 lbs. frozen meatballs
  2. 1 bottle (12 ounces) chili sauce 
  3. 1 bottle (12-15 ounces) grape jelly

*These can be prepared on the stove top, or in a slow cooker. The slow cooker is also great for keeping them warm during a party or get-together. Amounts can also be adjusted based on the number of people you are feeding. 

 Add meatballs to crock-pot aka slow cooker. Mix together the chili sauce and grape jelly, then pour over meatballs. Heat through on high for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, then turn heat to low or ‘warm’ setting for serving.

I’ve seen many variations of this recipe so feel free to play with it…you can use barbecue sauce in the place of chili sauce; you can use cranberry sauce in the place of grape jelly; you can use turkey meatballs instead of beef, which I do often.  makes original and turkey meatballs that are also gluten free. They look like this:

but you can use the  to find them near you. Before heading out, I would go  coupon! Another quick and easy meal is to heat up your meatballs, and add them to slider buns with a little pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. Stick them in the oven to melt the cheese…

In addition to frozen meatballs, you can save yourself a lot of time by stocking the freezer with other snacks that can easily be heated and served like Farm Rich Mozzarella Sticks, Loaded Potato Skins, Pepperoni Pizzeria Bites, Toasted Ravioli, and Breaded Mushrooms. My girls and I LOVE Loaded Potato Skins. Top with a little sour cream (or plain yogurt) and green onion and you are good to go. 

Sausage Balls are another family favorite, and to save time, I mix up a batch early in the season, roll into balls, and freeze. Then when company comes or we want sausage balls, I can pop them in the oven straight from the freezer. 

 What about a breakfast timesaver?

These Oven Baked Pancakes can serve a crowd quickly with all the great comforting taste of pancakes, without all the standing and flipping over a griddle. Or this Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole that can be made up the night before and just baked when ready in the morning.

 And of course, if you know me, you know that I will definitely have plenty of sweets…our favorites being a sweet and salty combo…

This Chocolate Lover’s Snack Mix can be whipped up fast and easy, using basically whatever is in your pantry. Also, these little gems…

These easy Turtle treats can be made in minutes. 

 So, these are a few of my ‘Holiday Hacks’…feel free to share yours!

 You can find more recipe ideas by following Farm Rich on . (They are also on , , and )

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Sausage & Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

Kim

I love a breakfast casserole. Actually, I love a casserole, period! What can I say…they are easy, and I like to have all my food mushed together so I get all the flavors in one bite. That sounds weird doesn’t it? Well, no weirder than my brother, who as a child refused to let any of his food touch. Too the point he had to have a plate with dividers, and he would even take apart sandwiches and eat them one piece at a time. Now that’s weird. You’re welcome little brother.

This one is a little different from my other breakfast casseroles on the blog in that it has hashbrowns. I do love a potato. It also has homemade turkey sausage, but you can use any sausage or meat you like.

This would be great for a breakfast or brunch, and feeds several so it may come in handy over the holidays. You can also easily adapt it to suit your family’s taste buds.

Sausage and Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

1 pound sausage (I used turkey breakfast sausage)
1/2 cup chopped veggies (optional – I used some very finely chopped onion and green pepper, because my kids are super picky, and only about a 1/4 cup)
1/2 bag of shredded hashbrown potatoes (approx 3 cups), thawed
pinch of salt
8 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups cheese
seasonings – fresh ground pepper, parsley, etc. (optional)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • In an oven proof skillet*, cook sausage on stove top over medium high heat, breaking up sausage as it cooks. Add vegetables in (if using) when sausage is about half way cooked. (Drain fat if needed).
  • Remove from heat and sprinkle potatoes over the meat.
  • Add a pinch of salt over potatoes.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and desired seasonings.
  • Pour eggs over potatoes in skillet.
  • Top with cheese.
  • Place skillet in over and bake for approx 45 minutes or until eggs are set.
*I used a 10-inch cast iron pan.
Recipe Source: Makin’ it Mo’Betta
Other crowd-pleasing breakfast casseroles:

This recipe was featured at:

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , ,  (Tuesday) , , , ,,, ,  (Wednesday) , , , ,, ,  (Thursday) ,, ,  (Friday) , , , , , ,, , ,, , , (Saturday) , ;

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Santa’s Snack Mix & ‘Twas…Before Christmas!

Kim

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of . All opinions are 100% mine.

‘Twas the days before Christmas when all through the store, the moms were all busy buying more, moRE, MORE!! When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a display full of Christmas candy that I raced to get near! Red ones, greens, big ones and small….I just knew I had to have them all, aLL, ALL!
They had dark chocolate, pretzel, and mini’s too…and when I saw M&M;’S® White Chocolate Peppermint I thought it was too good to be true!

So I grabbed them all up and raced towards the door, I had cookies to bake and egg nog to pour! I would take cookies to neighbors so they wouldn’t be sad, but just then I spotted Holiday Storage products by GLAD!
These would be perfect for the cookies I bake, making it easy and convenient for the goodies I take. I grabbed a few and checked out with a swipe of my card, got home and searched Pinterest long and hard. 

Found the perfect recipe, it was out of sight! And when the cookies were all done I exclaimed “Happy Christmas to all…and to all a goodnight!”

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used 1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark and 1/4 cup regular Hershey’s cocoa)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup White Chocolate Peppermint M&M;’s ()
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used the red and green holiday ones)

  • Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and coffee crystals together in a medium sized mixing bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar until well mixed, add vanilla.
  • Slowly add in flour mixture to the butter/sugar (I say slowly since I use my stand mixer and everything will be covered in a flour cloud if you pour it all in too quickly). Batter will be thick.
  • Fold in candy and chocolate chips.
  • Chill in refrigerator for 30 mins.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
  • After dough has chilled, scoop about a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball.
  • Place on cookie sheet approx. 2 inches apart.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes. (The inside will seem slightly underdone.)
  • Allow to cool on wire rack and then consume several. Or package in your Holiday Glad containers and get them over to the neighbors ASAP!

Recipe Source:

Not only are the Glad Holiday Storage containers great for gifting, they also include recipes on the back! Each recipe will fit in the container it comes with. Of course, I just had to try out the Santa’s Snack Mix. The sweet and salty combo is always a favorite around here.

How yummy does that look?!

Santa’s Snack Mix from Glad

  • 8-10 cups Popped popcorn
  • 2-3 cups Holiday shaped pretzels
  • 1 cup red and green Holiday sprinkles
  • 1 package DOVE® Dark Chocolate candies *I used white chocolate drizzle 
  • 2 cups Peanuts *I omitted due to my son’s peanut allergies and used Cheerios instead
  • 3/4 c. Corn syrup
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c. Sugar
  • 1/2 c. Butter (1 stick)
  • 1 package M&M;’S® Holiday Baking Mini’s and/or M&M;’S® Holiday Mint candies
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine the popcorn, pretzels, and peanuts Cheerios. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, melt butter, vanilla, sugar, and corn syrup over low heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly.
4. Pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Toss until all covered.
5. Spread the popcorn mix on a baking tray or cake pan (may want to use two pans). Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Holiday sprinkles, stir. Sprinkle with M&M;’S ® candies, stir again.
6. Place DOVE® chocolates (or white chocolate) in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until melted and smooth. Drizzle over the popcorn. Sprinkle with remaining sprinkles. Let cool approximately 10-20 minutes (may put in refrigerator so chocolate hardens more quickly. Once cool, break into chunks.
Tip: Store in a perfectly sized GLAD® storage container for up to 7 days.
Perfect 🙂
M&M;’S® White Chocolate Peppermint and Glad Holiday Storage products are ONLY available at Target. Just another reason for me to love them so!
 

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Brown Butter Pecan Pie

Kim

How do you improve upon a classic? By browning the butter. It takes the awesomeness of butter and amps it up times ten. True story. I discovered what all the fuss about brown butter was quite by accident when making my most favorite Chicken and Dumpling Casserole. Best mistake I ever made in the kitchen. So, when my daughter wanted to make pecan pie for Thanksgiving, and she found a recipe using brown butter, I knew it would be a winner.

I was so right! I apologize for the less than stellar cell phone pics. Per usual, I had several things going on in the kitchen and the light…ugh. I do not like that it gets dark so early now! My mother declared this the best pecan pie she has ever eaten. And just in case you are not aware, my mom is always right.
This one got a little overdone…it wasn’t quite as full as the first. I would recommend using a deep dish pie crust, but we used two regular/standard crusts.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:5]

 *We like our pecan pie a little more on the done side, whereas some people like it very gooey and runny. So baking time is going to depend on personal preference. And if you are like us, just guessing and luck. I’m kidding. (Not really.)
Recipe Source:
 
This was so good that I’m sure it will make another appearance at Christmas! (and to think I didn’t used to like pecan pie!)
 
I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , ,  (Tuesday) , , , ,,, ,  (Wednesday) , , , ,, ,  (Thursday) ,, ,  (Friday) , , , , , ,, , ,, , , (Saturday) , 

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Christmas Decorating & ‘Must Haves’ for Christmas Morning

Kim

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Duracell. All opinions are my own.

 In addition to egg nog, sausage balls and old-fashioned fudge, there are a few other things that are a requirement for Christmas at my house. Can you tell me what all of these things have in common?

If you said bourbon , you get an extra piece of fudge. Just kidding, I’m sure I have eaten all of that. Yes, all of these Christmas decorations, plus a few more, require batteries. Multiple batteries.
With three kids, I can’t even tell you the multitude of batteries we go through…Wii remotes, remote controlled cars, things that makes LOTS of noise…it’s a long list. Therefore, I am very familiar with bourbon Duracell. We’re practically BFFs. But seriously, if you’re house is anything like mine,
and you want to hear the Hallmark angels sing (in unison!) this Christmas season…better stock up on those batteries. And yeah, and those angels…we have a set for each child. Thanks Grandma. Where is that egg nog?!
Avoid the Christmas morning meltdown caused by not being able to play with new toys by stuffing those stockings with batteries. Duracell (as most of us probably know as the “copper top” battery), is a dependable brand with a 10-year guarantee in storage with Duralock Power Preserve Technology – which is great because I got smart last year and stored our Polar Express Train WITH all of it’s batteries (they were removed and placed in a paper bag, but stored in the same container with the train. Do not keep batteries in an item that is in storage.) That way, when time to set it up this year, we had everything we needed. Nothing like getting a 6 year old all excited about the train, just to say, ‘nope, can’t play with it yet, gotta go get batteries!’. 
 
Full disclosure: storing the batteries with the train may have been my husband’s idea..but I’m going to take credit for it since it worked out so well. *wink*
 
Check out Duracell on , and give a shout out on Twitter to and , letting them know how you will use Duracell to #PowerTheHolidays! 
 
What’s your favorite Christmas decoration? Do you have any really loud ones that drive you a little crazy when your child insists on playing it over and over again? Okay, maybe that’s just me…
But this guy’s batteries might get “lost”.

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta