A Good Lookin' Gal's Guide to "Go-To" Meals (And The Meaning Of Life)

This 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

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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!

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!

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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!

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!

“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!

My Friend Bridget’s Turkey Enchilada Recipe

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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!

Bridget’s Chicken Mediterranean Recipe

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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)

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!