My All-Time Favorite Number One Frosting Recipe: Whipped Cream, Cream Cheese OMG Frosting!

whippedThis frosting is THE BOMB!

I have always preferred a whipped cream frosting as they are so much lighter, and you can control the sweetness easily. I have tried many different recipes over the years, some better than others, but they all had a problem in common. They don’t hold up well. They can get very melty and flat at room temperature. Also, they aren’t great for decorating (for the same melty/flat issues)! I have also always loved cream cheese frosting…so decadent and tasty! This frosting is the perfect marriage of the two! It holds up extremely well, it has the lightness of a whipped cream frosting, and the decadent-ness of a cream cheese frosting. Try it. You won’t regret it.

Whipped Cream, Cream Cheese OMG Frosting

Ingredients

  • 8oz Cream Cheese (I prefer a whipped cream cheese - but a room temperature package is fine!)
  • 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/2 cup White Granulated Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

Note

For the Grapefruit Cake - I add a single drop of red food coloring to this frosting recipe. It gives it the most beautiful, palest pink color! It's not mandatory - but I highly recommend it!!

Directions

Step 1
Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract on a medium speed until well blended. If you have a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment.
Step 2
While it is still whisking, slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream.
Step 3
Once the mixture starts to thicken, you can increase the speed to high, and whip it until it can hold stiff peaks.
Step 4
Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Step 5
Give it one more quick whip after you've scraped the sides and bottom for good measure.
Step 6
Frost and enjoy!

Stupidly Easy, Crazy Good, Grapefruit Cake video!

cake

This is such a great trick…replace the eggs, oil, and water that you normally add to a cake mix, with 12 ounces of your favorite soda! When I first heard this I thought it sounded totally gross…then I was intrigued, then I thought…I have to try this!! Best. Decision. Ever. I used a grapefruit soda – but I think that gingerale would be yummy too!

Stupidly Easy Grapefruit Cake!

Ingredients

  • 1 box White Cake Mix (I like Duncan Hines...but use your own favorite!)
  • 12oz Grapefruit Soda (I use Trader Joe's Italian Grapefruit Soda)
  • 1/2 cup Grapefruit Segments (This is optional...but I find it to be yummy! I use the Del Monte jarred grapefruit segments - but you can go fresh if you want!)

Note

The 1/2 cup measurement for the grapefruit segments is approximate - you can do more or less to taste. I usually set my timer for a bit less than the recommended baking time, and then check frequently during the last minutes of baking...don't want to overcook it!

I recommend a whipped cream frosting for this cake!

Directions

Step 1
Pour white cake mix into mixer
Step 2
Add 12 oz. of grapefruit soda and mix. (The soda replaces the eggs oil and water from the box recipe)
Step 3
Add grapefruit segments and mix in gently. (low speed)
Step 4
Pour into greased baking dish, and bake as directed by the box recipe.
Step 5
While the cake cools, make your frosting...couldn't get much easier!

Super Yummy Tuna Cakes…Who Knew!?

Tuna Cakes

So…after viewing this Tuna Cake video, I realized that I made them sound really…not great. That is truly not the case – they were quite tasty, and I would totally make them again! Next time I make them though, I think I would also grate a single stick of zucchini into the mix. It would add a touch of moisture, the green color would be a beautiful addition, and the added nutrition would be a nice bonus! We paired the tuna cakes with one of my favorite salads – it is a mix of spring greens, purple leaf cabbage, cucumbers, mandarin oranges, and a sprinkling of feta cheese. My husband enjoyed them, and thought they would be good with a dollop of tartar sauce.

My daughter Rae is most definitely my partner-in-crime in creating these quick videos – and I can’t thank her enough. It is also wicked fun working together!

 

My Friend Bridget on “Go-To” Meals in Her Household

“With both son’s in high school, I work 50+ hour weeks now – my husband cooks most of our dinners (otherwise we would eat at 8:00p.m. every night) and we use our crock-pot once a week at least. I have to remind my “boys” to include a vegetable at most dinners. We often have a big green salad with whatever main course we’re having. We eat way too much pasta, but it’s fast and easy and teenagers can eat limitless carbs. My “boys” all really like rice and unfortunately will not take the time [to cook it] or especially like brown rice. On those heavy carb nights or pasta or rice, I try to heap my plate with salad and eat a small portion of whatever our main carby course is. I usually skip the rice altogether!”

“I can remember, off the top of my tired brain, two recipe that my boys really like. I probably had a written recipe for each at one time, but these are two of my Go-To’s now, and I don’t follow a recipe…”

It’s hard not to love enchiladas!

Turkey Enchiladas

My Friend Bridget’s Turkey Enchilada Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey (you can use ground chicken or beef or shredded or either, too!)
  • 1 can low salt cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
  • 8 oz. low fat sour cream (if you don't mind the extrat fat + calories, regular sour cream is good)
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or monterey jack or both)
  • 1 small can green chilies - use fresh if you prefer
  • 1 large can enchilada sauce (red or green)
  • corn tortillas
  • sliced olives or cilantro to garnish (or both)

Directions

Step 1
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Step 2
Brown ground turkey
Step 3
Throw in chilies and mix in when almost done
Step 4
Transfer turkey into large mixing bowl
Step 5
Pour enchilada sauce into (same) skillet & turn on low heat
Step 6
Spray 9X12 glass baking dish with cooking spray
Step 7
Mix soup, sour cream and 1/2 cheese into turkey+chili mixture
Step 8
Once enchilada sauce is bubbling, remove from heat and dip tortillas, on at a time into warm sauce
Step 9
Take each tortilla coated in sauce and drop in about a 1/4 cup or a little less of the turkey mixture and roll
Step 10
Place each enchilada seam side down and side by side in baking dish
Step 11
Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese
Step 12
Heat in oven 25-30 minutes

Love the vibrant colors and flavors in this dish!

DSCN3082

Bridget’s Chicken Mediterranean Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4-6 chicken breasts or same amount in chicken tenders (you can use thights if your family likes dark)
  • 1 jar chunky salsa (medium hot) about a cup+
  • Olives (whatever you have works, but I like more flavorful green or calamata) (about 1/2 cup to taste)
  • Pitted prunes (a bag or so)
  • Crushed garlic cloves (2+ to taste)
  • Doesn't need more salt (already in salsa and olives, but pepper works in dish depending how hot your salsa is)

Directions

Step 1
Brown chicken, adding garlic when almost done in skillet
Step 2
Add remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly
Step 3
Serve over rice (I like jasmine)

 

My Friend Jennifer’s Chili Spaghetti Recipe

spaghetti

Jennifer’s Super Easy Chili Spaghetti Recipe

We always have garlic bread with this, which in my house if French bread sliced, buttered and sprinkled with garlic salt. Nothing too fancy, but still yummy!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef ((I use super lean, because I prefer that...you can use ground turkey as well))
  • chopped, dried onion (just a few shakes)
  • salt & pepper
  • chili powder
  • 1 - 15 oz. can or 2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
  • 1 pound spachetti

Note

Jennifer

"When I was growing up, my mom would make two kinds of spaghetti. One, a more traditional spaghetti with meatballs, was liked by my oldest sister, but not my middle sister. The other, a chili-type spaghetti, was liked by the middle sister, but not the oldest. Lucky for me, I liked both! What I really like about this recipe is that it 's really easy and I often have the ingredients on hand and can make it without much planning ahead."

 

Directions

Step 1
Brown the hamburger in a skillet
Step 2
Season with salt & pepper and onion - just a few shakes of the chopped, dried onion
Step 3
Pour the tomato sauce over the hamburger and add half a can of water (or a whole can if using the smaller sized cans)
Step 4
Let simmer over low heat while boiling your spaghetti. (I normally use about 3/4 of a one pound package of spaghetti)
Step 5
Once your spaghetti is cooked, drain it and add it right into the skillet with the sauce to mix - then serve!
Step 6
We always have garlic bread with this, which in my house is French bread sliced, buttered and sprinkled with garlic salt. Nothing too fancy, but still yummy!

One of My “Go-To” Recipes

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Stacy’s (non-slab) Tacos

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • enough
  • garlic salt (a few shakes)
  • dried parsley flakes (a few shakes)
  • Corn Tortillas (I like the white corn type)
  • Oil (for frying)

Directions

Step 1
Start preheating skillet with enough oil in it to fry your taco shells (it should be nice and hot, but not smoking - if it's smoking - it's too hot!)
Step 2
In a large bowl, blend the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, garlic salt, salt, pepper, & parsley flakes together until they are well mixed.
Step 3
Spray a pan with non-stick spray and preheat on a medium flame.
Step 4
Dump the meat mixture in and crumble it as it browns.
Step 5
Start frying the tortillas into a classic "taco" shape (folded over once)
Step 6
As the tortillas come out of the oil, drain them well on paper towels.
Step 7
Fill the tortillas with the meat mixture.
Step 8
I put a large green salad on the table and some grated sharp cheddar cheese. Everyone "fills" his or her own tacos with the cheese and salad. ENJOY!

Death by Taco (But Worth It)

taco

I grew up making tacos with my mom. The way I make them now is a hybrid of my childhood tacos, which I still love, but they are probably a heart attack in a tortilla, waiting to happen! We used ground beef, mixed it with all the same ingredients I utilize in my current day recipe, but then made patties that we laid in the tortillas. Next, you put the whole shebang in the hot oil and fried the meat right into the tortilla. My husband refers to them as “slab tacos”. I know. But they are insanely delicious!

A “Go-To” Recipe From My Friend Becky

Becky’s Pork Butt & Beer

Ingredients

  • Large hunk of pork butt ((or big hunk of cheap beef works too))
  • 1 large onion (cut up)
  • lots of cloves of garlic
  • bottle of good beer

Directions

Step 1
Drop all ingredients in a crock pot in the morning.
Step 2
Cook on low all day.
Step 3
By dinner time, you have some juicy and yummy pulled pork!
Step 4
It is great right out of the pot plain, or you can add BBQ sauce to some sliders or burgers. Another night serve leftovers with warm tortillas, diced onions and cilantro. If you still have any leftovers, you can put a little in a breakfast burrito.