‘Recipe’ Articles at Sweetnicks, Page 5

Recipe: Loaded Baked Potato Rounds

October 5, 2016 · Narrative

Slices of potato topped with melted Cabot cheese, crispy bacon, and scallions… what’s not to love?

Neither of my kids really like potatoes. They will have the odd serving of french fries, and sometimes some hash browns, but for the most part, they’re not looking for potato dishes at meal time. ESPECIALLY mashed potatoes or baked potatoes.

Which is something I totally don’t get, because I’m like … give me all your potatoes. In fact, when a boyfriend and I broke up a few years ago, I seriously had mashed potatoes and gravy for a straight week for dinner. Just that. For dinner. Sometimes even the boxed version. I know. It was an awfully delicious seven days.

But potatoes? Comfort food to the max.

So when I created this recipe for my summer campers, it was with my class in mind, not my kids. But last week, when I was looking for a side dish, I made this one at home anyway. Despite my non-potato loving fam.

Because, I mean, COME ON. Tender potatoes. Melted cheese. Crispy bacon. How could you not love it?

The verdict?

They ate it, but didn’t request seconds. I’ll take that as a minor victory. And, really, tbh, they’re both good vegetable eaters overall, so I can’t complain.

Now if YOU like potatoes, you should totally make this dish. It takes just a few minutes to pull together, and I pop it in the oven to bake while I’m making the rest of our meal (which happened to be steak that night). For the cheese portion, you really can’t go wrong with any melted cheese, amiright? Bleu cheese would taste divine on this, as would Monterey Jack, but I do a lot of work with the team at Cabot, so I’m slightly partial to them. Especially a new-to-me cheese that they sent last month, their Orne Meadows sharp Cheddar. It’s kind of amazing and definitely worth seeking out at your local grocery store. It doesn’t have the sharp tang of your usual go-to sharp Cheddar, it’s more subtle and robust. What can I say? I’ve never met a cheese I didn’t like. #cheeseismyhappyplace

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Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Muffins

September 26, 2016 · Narrative

Dainty morsels of goodness, these Cinnamon Roll Muffins are a delicious way to start the day.

Over the summer, I taught several week-long cooking camps. We started out each week getting to know each other, talking about basic kitchen rules and hygiene, the importance of measuring ingredients properly and following recipes, and then each day, we would make a few recipes together. Towards the middle of the week, once the kids had a handle on measuring and following directions, I would give them copies of the recipes and they were on their own.

Giving kids a recipe and letting them do it all by themselves from start to finish is a big thing, both for me AND for them. Yet it really was amazing to watch them … figuring things out as they went along … but most importantly, seeing their confidence shine when they realized that they made something amazing ALL BY THEMSELVES. The pride when they told their parents what they had made, and shared the finished product at the end of the day was awesome to watch.

I mean, look at those faces above! That says it all right there.

I’m a big fan of making a batch of muffins over the weekend so the kids have a great grab-and-go breakfast for our busy mornings during the week, and these Cinnamon Roll Muffins were perfect, and one of the recipes my campers made over the summer. Nick loves cinnamon rolls, so he got a little of that flavor with these muffins, and Madeline doesn’t love cinnamon rolls, but does like muffins. Which means I managed to satisfy both of them with one easy recipe.

Twenty minutes from start to finish, using basic ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen, these muffins are light, slightly sweet, and perfect for a quick breakfast or afterschool snack.

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Recipe: Pizza Frittata

August 31, 2016 · Narrative

A delicious way to get a whole lotta veggies into your meal … whether it’s your plate or your kid’s.

I’m teaching kids’ cooking camp this week, and one of the things I look for when I’m choosing the menus is to get kids to eat more vegetables without complaining about it.

I don’t want to hide the vegetables. I’ve never been a fan of that movement.

I just want to see them in a different light. As in the kind of light that makes them want to eat more vegetables.

This Pizza Frittata is that.

Because it is seriously PACKED with vegetables.

Copious amounts of broccoli and spinach.

And then rounded out with onions, tomato sauce, and cheese.

Always cheese.

This recipe, as with most frittata recipes, is also easy enough that the kids can do most, if not all, of it themselves.

From the chopping of the broccoli and the onions, to the grating of the cheese to the hand-ripping of the spinach. Mixing the eggs. Dolloping with tomato sauce. Topping with pepperoni.

Totally kid-friendly both in terms of making and eating.

But, full disclosure, two kids wanted no part of eating it. Which is absolutely fine because they at least tried it. Camp rule.

The best victory? One of my campers looked at it and said, “Pizza Frittata? That doesn’t look anything like pizza!”

I explained that we’re calling it that because of the tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, and it was an adaptation of pizza as he knows it.

He promised to take one bite.

And then he proceeded to eat his entire slice.

**cue the victory dance here**

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Recipe: Cheesy Bean Dip

August 10, 2016 · Appetizers, Dips & Spreads

I’m a dip fan at heart, and if it includes hot, gooey, melted cheese, all the better. This Cheesy Bean Dip recipe is perfect when you have the munchies, are having a Movie Night at home, or just because.

No matter how many times I look at the word cheesy, it always looks like it’s spelled wrong.

Is it just me?

So… this summer I started teaching kids cooking camps. And that has actually morphed into some kids cooking workshops as well. It’s been a lot of work, but loads of fun. It’s truly one of those things where, during the first session, I looked around and thought, “this. this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

During one of my July sessions, my campers and I decided to have a Dip Day, where we spent the afternoon making all sorts of dip recipes, both savory and sweet.

Because, really, who doesn’t LOVE dip?

This recipe for Cheesy Bean Dip was one of my favorites, and I’ve already made it several times since then, most recently when we were down the shore with family this past weekend.

Just a few staple pantry ingredients, and a whole lotta fresh grated cheese, and you’ll be spooning this sinfully delicious stuff into your mouth in no time at all.

I’m not gonna lie. It’s probably not the healthiest thing you’re going to eat, despite the plethora of beans.

But balance. Focus on balance.

Just don’t miss this one.

Hungry for more dip recipes?
This Spinach Artichoke Dip is a healthy riff off an old favorite.
Pizza Dip was a recipe I made with some June campers.
For more hot cheesy deliciousness, this Bacon and Cheese Dip is another guilty pleasure.
And despite a flashback to bad photography and the trauma that surrounded Hurricane Sandy, this Warm Cheddar Dip is still a winner.

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Recipe: Southwestern Salad

July 16, 2016 · Narrative, Salads

A delicious, healthy salad that is filling and you can have on the table in thirty minutes. Let’s go!

When we were making plans to meet up with our family down the shore last weekend, I offered to make Saturday night dinner. Mostly because I feel like it’s my small way of contributing to our weekend, and I had just seen a recipe for a Southwestern Chopped Salad that would make excellent use of the leftover grilled corn I had in my refrigerator.

Two birds, one stone.

I found the original recipe from the Damn Delicious blog, but made a few tiny changes along the way. The biggest change was probably to use grilled corn instead of canned corn. Because when you’re in the thick of peak corn season, why wouldn’t you?

If you *have* grilled corn already, you can make quick work of this salad easily. It’s just a question of cutting the corn off the cobs. I set up my daughter, Madeline, and my niece, Sophie, and gave them that job. They could chatter about their day and be a huge help to me.

And the bonus?

My oldest, Nick, did all the other work, from washing and chopping all the ingredients to make the homemade dressing.

Teamwork at its finest.

Filling salads like this are such a great thing to have in your repertoire when it comes to the hot, hot, hot months of the summer. Who wants to heat up their kitchen or spend hours toiling away over a hot stove?

With all the ingredients, and a creamy dressing that uses Greek yogurt as its base, this is a nice summer meal that you can feel good about serving … and eating!

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Recipe: Blood Orange Olive Oil Brownies

July 5, 2016 · Narrative

A subtle little twist on a from-scratch brownie recipe, these Blood Orange Olive Oil Brownies are a little taste of summer sunshine.

With a teenage boy in the house, having an assortment of snacks is a given, and for the most part, he snacks pretty healthily. He does, however, have a thing for brownies, so every once in awhile I bake up a batch for him, and he usually knows they’re coming before I’ve even taken them out of the oven.

The nose knows.

This is a super simple, made-from-scratch brownie recipe, with one subtle difference. One of the ingredients is blood orange olive oil. Unique, right? The original recipe also calls for vanilla extract, but to bump up the orange flavor and scent just a tad more, I swapped that out and added orange extract instead. Check your local specialty grocery store for the blood orange olive oil. If you can’t find out, regular olive oil will do.

A delicious, sweet treat for teenagers and sweet tooth non-teens alike.

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Recipe: Mexican Street Corn Salad

June 27, 2016 · Narrative

Got corn? Since it’s grilling season, throw a few extra ears on your grill the next time it’s heated up, and make a batch of this delicious Mexican Corn Salad.

I have a healthy fear of fire.

Which means that I haven’t had a grill since I got divorced in 2010.

Nor have I ever operated a grill.

Not in my entire life.

But I LOVE grilled food.

And I don’t know what came over me, but when I saw a friend was selling a $500 used Weber grill for $50, I took the plunge on the promise that her firefighter husband would show me how to use it so I didn’t burn the house down.

And in the first week that I had it?

I grilled three times.

Yeah, I don’t know who I am anymore either.

I spied a recipe for Mexican Corn Salad on a friend’s facebook feed recently and made a mental note to try it because it was so easy to make, and I actually had all the ingredients on hand.

And since I’m busy gobbling up the leftovers, I wanted to be sure to share it with you.

I mean, it is high grilling season and all.

The original recipe comes from Serious Eats, but I made a few tweaks.

Since I teamed up with Bush’s Beans on a separate project, I was inspired to add a can of black beans to this.

And, I also used hummus instead of the mayo the original recipe called for.

And the original recipe called for charring the corn kernels on a stove top, but why do that when you can grill?

And I would totally keep those changes the next time.

So good. Kind of creamy, healthy, colorful, and perfect for a BBQ or a side dish for a light summer meal.

Or as leftovers for lunch, which is what I just did.

Enjoy.

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Recipe: Asian Inspired Baby Bok Choy and Portobello Mushrooms

June 9, 2016 · Narrative

A very quick-to-make side dish that is bursting with antioxidants and flavor. Let’s talk about bok choy…

The first time I had bok choy was, surprisingly, only two years ago, when I received a menu plan from a personal trainer. I don’t know why it took me so long to try it, because I love most leafy green vegetables, but now I’m making up for lost time.

I originally created this recipe for a new recipe development client, but she won’t be using it, so now I can share it here.

One of the best things about bok choy is that it cooks up super fast.

Like, blink and it’s done.

And who doesn’t need THAT type of ingredient or recipe in their dinner repertoire?

Even better that bok choy is a superfood.

Bok choy is part of the Asian greens family (which means you can get it super cheap at your local Asian grocery store) and the Brassica family, which also includes broccoli and brussels sprouts. Choy in Chinese refers to all leafy vegetables and the word bok means white, so bok choy is literally translated to “white leafy vegetable.” Originally from China, it is now grown for the US market mostly in California.

Bok choy is very low in calories and carbs, and it quickly takes on the flavors of whatever you’re cooking it with. Kind of like the principles of cooking with tofu, except it tastes NOTHING like tofu. It has high amounts of Vitamins A, C, K, and B, and antioxidants. If you want to learn more on bok choy, this page is a good resource.

I won’t lie. What you see pictured in the bowl above was exactly what I ate for dinner. That and nothing else. But this would go nicely alongside some grilled chicken or seat, or even with a runny egg on top of it.

However you serve it, make it. It’s too delicious to miss.

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Recipe: Cheeseburger Salad

April 18, 2016 · Meat and Poultry, Narrative

What do you do when you are eating low carb, but a cheeseburger craving hits? Cheeseburger Salad, of course! All the taste without the guilt.

I could never be a vegetarian.

I just love a juicy, medium rare cheeseburger way too much.

I don’t indulge in them quite as often as I’d like though, because I keep carbs to a minimum and without the bun … well … it’s just not the same.

But last week I did a little out-of-the-box thinking and came up with the next best thing … Cheeseburger Salad.

If you close your eyes and dig in, it almost tastes like you’re eating a cheeseburger.

Almost.

Nice tender meat, the juicy tang from ketchup and mustard, a little bite from the pickle, a crunch from the onion … all the flavors you crave from a juicy burger and you can skip the side of guilt.

That’s my kind of meal.

And better still? It was kid-approved.

This recipe is very forgiving … use ground turkey instead of beef .. make a Mexican version and use Pepper Jack cheese on top and add some salsa. You can totally play around with the flavors without messing anything up, and it’s so quick and easy to make, it makes for a perfect weeknight meal when time is tight.

Dig in.

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Recipe: Fruit Pizza {#TheCakePlateProject}

March 31, 2016 · Narrative, Sweets

A delicious, slightly healthy, mostly awesome twist on dessert.

Every time we would go visit my grandmother in Texas, she would have a Fruit Pizza waiting for us as soon as we arrived. Although my grandmother wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, her Fruit Pizza (and the act of her making it for my sister and I) was one of my fondest memories of her, and something I’ve continued to share with my kids over the years.

And as I told my kids this weekend when we were talking about it, considering the fact that my grandmother basically subsisted on rice cakes and boiled chicken for herself, this Fruit Pizza was the ultimate indulgence.

When I volunteered to make dessert to bring to my parents’ house for Easter, I searched Pinterest and flagged a bunch of the usual suspects.

Cute cupcakes that look like bird’s nests.

Easter bunny cookies.

Easter bunny cakes.

You know the drill.

But then, for some reason, Fruit Pizza popped into my head.

Perfect.

Slightly sweet, kind of sort of healthy, and a solid food memory.

Over the years that I’ve been making it for my kids, I have made many iterations (Pillsbury has an awesome rainbow version).

When my grandmother made it, she used sugar cookie dough from Pillsbury, spread it with plain cream cheese, then a layer of drained, crushed pineapple, and then the assorted fruit.

When I’ve made it that way, I am usually obsessive about draining the pineapple because it makes for a soggy crusty in the days that follow, although my sister says that’s the best part.

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Recipe: Turkey, Spinach, and Feta Sliders

March 22, 2016 · Meat and Poultry, Narrative

A delicious burger that takes twenty minutes from start to finish … and neatly checks that “ate my vegetables” box? Yes, please.

This could be titled: A Recipe That Got My Kids to Eat Spinach.

But I don’t want to make it out like they don’t eat vegetables, because they totally do.

Nick would eat salad every day if he could.

Madeline eats grape tomatoes like they’re candy.

And they both love artichokes and roasted broccoli with wild abandon.

So no complaints from me.

And quite honestly, they both will eat spinach in the Spinach Cheese Squares we make often.

So, #winning all around.

But if I can find a new way for them to kinda sorta like a vegetable they really don’t?

Even better.

And these cute little sliders are just that.

They take less than ten minutes to mix together and are super stuffed with fresh spinach, a few pantry items, and feta (get the good kind! Dodoni! Not the already crumbled kind).

Once the burgers were cooked up (I used a stovetop grill pan I got a few years back, similar to this one), everyone topped them differently.

Which is the great thing about burgers.

Add your own personality to them!

The kids just went for straight-up ketchup.

While I tend to subscribe to the “mo toppings, mo better” camp and topped mine with caramelized onions, homemade mayo, and a few homemade bread and butter pickles that a friend made for me.

So good … and dinner was completely ready to go in less than 20 minutes.

YES.

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Recipe: Sour Cream Waffles

March 15, 2016 · Breakfast, Narrative

Waffles so tender and delicious, they’ll make a convert out of the most ardent waffle-hater…

As much as we use our waffle maker (this one!), I really don’t like waffles.

But you know how that story goes.

You don’t like something, until you have it a particular way, or with a particular recipe, and all of the sudden, everything has changed.

This is that.

Breakfast for dinner is probably a weekly occurrence in our house.

Because it’s easy, everyone loves it, and I can play Short Order Cook and make everyone their (different) favorites, but still be done within half an hour.

Which is pretty perfect for the average weeknight in our household.

Because between homework, showers, and extra-curricular activities, who needs a meal that takes forever to make?

Definitely not me.

So… I’m always looking for new recipes for waffles, whether sweet or savory, to continue to keep it interesting.

And I stumbled on a recipe for Sour Cream Waffles.

Checked the fridge. Have all the ingredients. It’s a done deal.

Like any basic waffle recipe, the batter mixes up in nothing flat, and bonus points for using basic ingredients that you likely have on hand already.

For some reason, likely starvation, I snuck a bite of the first waffle that came off the press.

And then I finished it.

Because it was THAT GOOD.

No butter or syrup needed (although my kids might disagree).

So tender. With a slightly crispy outside and a soft bite inside.

THIS recipe has converted me to liking waffles.

Whether you eat it hot off the waffle iron in all of its naked glory, or you add your favorite toppings … you can’t go wrong with this one.

EAT UP.

Hungry for more waffle recipes? I’ve got you.
Falafel waffles are a unique savory twist … and delish when topped with a soft avocado and a runny egg.
Rainbow waffles make a fun dinner or a perfect sleepover breakfast. And heck, they’re just pretty to look at.
Pizza Waffles were a crowd pleaser, and got a huge thumbs up from the kids. No surprise there.
And for a unique breakfast alternative, give these Bacon, Egg, and Spinach Wafflesa try.

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