You know that I am no stranger to swapping out pasta for veggies. Zucchini Lasagna anyone? Or how about this tasty zoodle recipe? Well, I am really trying to get back on track with my diet and exercise (because this baby weight is not going to lose itself, unfortunately.) Using Spaghetti Squash is a tasty and easy way to get more veggies, and less carbs in your diet. You can eat a ton of this spaghetti squash dinner and not feel guilty about loading up on all that pasta! Additionally, PH has finally admitted he may have gluten sensitivity issues. There is gluten free pasta out there, and you can hunt down a quality brand that doesn't immediately taste like cardboard. Spaghetti Squash tastes so much better! Everyone loves Spaghetti for dinner, and with Spaghetti Squash pasta it is back on the menu in our house! Cooking spaghetti squash for this spaghetti squash dinner is super easy. Follow the pictures below to see how! With your squash all ready, you just need to cook your meat and sauce as you normally would for a spaghetti dinner. I used lean ground beef this time. You could also use turkey meat if you'd like. Here is how I do it: Spaghetti Meat Sauce 1. Brown 1 pound lean ground beef with 1/4 cup white onion in a skillet. 2. When meat is cooked add in one can tomato sauce. 3. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning. 4. Let simmer about 10 minutes. 5. Serve over spaghetti squash noodles 6. Top with Parmesan cheese Your spaghetti squash will make a lot of noodles. You can eat more and fill up on veggies. We still had plenty of leftovers, so guess what I ate for lunch the next day?
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This chicken taco soup recipe happened because I didn't know what to make for dinner and I didn't want to go to the grocery store. I'm telling you, having food storage is so important. It can be really fun to figure out what you can eat simply from what you have in the house. The results can be magical. A Magical taco soup that your husband will rave about. I am always a fan of anything you can do in a Crock Pot, especially now with a five month old baby who doesn't always like when mommy is busy in the kitchen and doesn't have her attention 100% turned to the cute little rolly baby rolling all over the place. I can throw something in the Crock Pot and not think about it, and hours later have a tasty meal. Now, my mom has a recipe for taco soup that she uses that is a little different from this one. I wanted to try and come up with my own thing, because, options. Options are always good my friends. You could cook the chicken as the first part of the recipe calls for and then shred it for chicken tacos. That would be totally legit and delicious. If you're in the mood for tacos, without the tortilla, this chicken taco soup is the answer! So check your pantry and get to soup making!
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I am excited to share today's post with you because it was the first time I got to make a cake for someone in a long time (like really decorating a cake) and I enjoyed it! It was also my first time making a pinata cake, and it was a lot of fun!
About a month ago a girl I go to church with said she was looking for a cake maker for a cake she needed rather quickly. I told her I could probably do it for her if she didn't need anything too elaborate. That's when she told me she wanted a pinata cake for her gender reveal. I was so excited because I didn't even know she was pregnant! Babies are so wonderful and exciting, and this is such a fun way to do a gender reveal! She dropped offer her little piece of paper for me, and it was a weird feeling knowing that I knew what she was having before she did! Well, she is having a baby boy so I went and found some blue chocolate sixlet candies to fill the cake with. She and her husband were doing the gender reveal with her family in Spain, so there were only going to be two people eating the cake, so I decided to do six inch rounds. I felt like this would be the best size since the cake was going to be three layers. It was fun to make and I was so happy when she sent me the picture of the cut cake with the little chocolates spilling out!
To make a pinata cake you can use whatever cake recipe you like the best, or even a box mix if you want! (I have a great chocolate recipe I intend on sharing with you soon!) Since this was a gender reveal cake I decided to do a funfetti cake, since it would have colorful candy chips in the batter.
To Assemble Your Cake:
Now I feel like a minimum of three layers is bet for a pinata cake. You could probably do two, but having a layer underneath really helps the candy pop out! I used a small glass to cut a hole out of the center layer of the cake. Start with your bottom cake, spread a thin layer of frosting all around the cake, then place the center layer with the middle cut out. Spread another thin layer of frosting around the outside and top of the cake. Fill the center with your candy. Place the top layer on top, and do another crumb layer.
To frost the cake I put my frosting in a piping back and pipe it on with a flat tip. I have a round cake decorating tray. Once the frosting is all piped on so your cake looks like this you can use a frosting smoother make it look beautiful. Place the smoother on the cake at a 45 degree angle and spin the cake . You'll have to stop periodically to remove excess frosting, but eventually the side of your cake will be nice and smooth. you can then carefully smooth the frosting over the edges and smooth it on the top.
To decorate the cake I just used pink and blue sprinkles. It was simple and sweet, but I knew she didn't want to spend much time looking at the cake, she wanted to cut into it and find out if she is having a boy or a girl! So I just tried to make it look nice, but add a little fun with the sprinkles.
Cake making and decorating is something I really enjoy. It's hard to find the time with an infant to really spend on it, but there is something so satisfying about looking at a beautiful cake! Memorial day is really a great summer kick off. Most schools end the week before the Memorial Day holiday, and the weather is warm enough to swim without feeling like you're swimming in bath water. What better way to celebrate the holiday than with a summer barbecue? (Maybe after a parade to commemorate those brave men and women who have served in our military.) Well, we have no short supply of great recipes to whip up for your Memorial day Barbecue party, and I am putting them all right here, in one handy tasty place, for you! Or, maybe you can order some tasty barbecue from a place that delivers through Uber Eats. Or, maybe you can sign up to be a driver partner with Uber Eats and earn some extra cash for yourself this holiday weekend. These are all great options, and you can find help with two out of three of them right here! Happy Memorial Day! Main Dishes and SidesWe have a few options here! We've shared some pork recipes with you a few times. Like when I made these Honey Mustard Pork Chops! Although in my post I used a pan on the stove top, this recipe would work nicely on the grill as well. Continuing with the pork theme, remember when my husband made me a delicious Grilled Raspberry Chipotle Pork Loin? It was so tasty, and the raspberry chipotle sauce puts it over the top! Maybe you're in the mood for chicken instead. This post had a great grilled chicken recipe. If you're in the mood for sea food there was skewered shrimp as well! It also has some great side recipes. You'll never stop hearing my mom raving about the cilantro butter corn, and as you know from Friday Faves last week, I love grilled pineapple! Another great side is grilled asparagus! It is so easy to make! Wash your asparagus. Make a tinfoil packet by laying two strips of aluminum foil in a t shape. Spray with a little cooking spray. Place your asparagus in the center with 2 TBSP of butter and one minced clove of garlic. Fold the edges up and seal them together so you have a foil packet. Place on the grill in a spot with medium heat. Grill five minutes, flip the packet and grill another 2 minutes. You can serve the asparagus on top of your meat, or to the side! SaladsWe did a round up before of our favorite summer salads. This includes the vegan taco salad I made a while back. That taco salad can be a great option if you don't have a grill but still want something more hearty and filling. DessertsMy mom gifted us our own stuff 'em sticks for Christmas this past year and I think they'd make a fun addition to your Memorial Day Barbecue! There are lots of food options here, and I think the dessert ones would be a lot of fun. If you don't have a fire pit in your backyard then the grill is a great option! Last year for our Memorial Day Swim Party and Barbecue I made this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie! I had a lot of fun doing the star topped crust! You know what goes great with homemade warm, fresh from the oven pie? ICE CREAM! Especially homemade ice cream. If you want a tasty homemade vegan ice cream recipe, sign up for our email! You'll get access to that recipe, and other tasty recipes to come, as well as some fun printables for your home/office/whatever space you'd like to spruce up! |
Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
July 2024
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