Hamburger Steaks

These are a favorite around my house. So delicious, hearty and simple to put together. You can even freeze the patties once you get them made to save for an even easier meal some other time!

You will need: 
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/2 t Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t worcestershire sauce
1 T vegetable oil
1 C onion, thinly sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup OR 1 jar of your favorite gravy

Flour coating:
3/4 C flour
1 t pepper
1 t salt

In a large bowl, mix together your ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, onion & garlic powder and worcestershire sauce. Form into patties and in a separate bowl, combine the flour coating mixture. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet. Take each beef patty and coat with flour mixture before placing in the pan to brown. Once they are browned on each side, remove excess grease from the pan. Pour the can of cream of mushroom soup or gravy over the patties and cover. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

If your skillet is not big enough to hold all of the patties you are making, once they are browned place them into an oven-safe pan and pour the cream of mushroom soup or gravy over them. Cover and bake at 375* for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

These are great served over mashed potatoes or rice.

S'mores Brownie Bars

These S'mores Brownie Bars are always a hit, and allow you to make the campfire treat whenever you'd like! It is a very simple recipe, as it uses a boughten brownie mix and just a few other ingredients you probably already have on hand. These are wonderful at room temperature, but when they are fresh out of the oven or heated in the microwave for a few seconds, they become extra ooey-gooey and delicious!

This recipe makes an 8x8 pan

For the crust:

10 whole graham crackers - crushed

7 T butter, melted

2 T sugar

pinch of salt

For the brownie layer:

1 bag fudge brownie mix

+all ingredients needed on package

For the marshmallow topping:

1 container marshmallow creme

OR

Bag of mini marshmallows

Begin by spraying your 8x8 glass dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil. Mix all of the crust ingredients & press into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 325* for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the brownie package according to directions. Pour over baked crust & put into the oven for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. When you remove the pan from the oven, turn it to broil and put the top rack closest to the top. Spread the marshmallow creme over the brownie and put on that top rack in the oven until golden brown. WATCH CAREFULLY, as it will not take long for it to become golden, and you do not want it to burn. Cut with a sharp knife  and run under cold water between cutting.

*If you are opting to use the mini marshmallows for the marshmallow topping, do not turn the broil on your oven on when removing the brownie. Instead, leave the oven at 325* and pour the marshmallows over the brownie crust until there is an even layer. Put on the middle rack of your oven and watch as the marshmallows begin to grow. When they have softened, turn your oven to broil and move them to the top rack so they can become golden brown.

Texas Caviar

My all-time favorite side dish during the summer is what my family calls Texas Caviar. Don't let the "caviar" scare you away, it is a delicious, healthy and fresh side dish that goes with any summer meal. You can either eat it with tortilla chips, or by itself!

Makes approximately 4 cups

You will need:
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can whole kernel corn, rinsed & drained
1 green pepper, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 C red onion, chopped fine
1/8-1/4 C jalapeños, chopped fine
2 t minced garlic
1 t salt
1/4 - 1/2 C Italian salad dressing
1/2 bunch cilantro (optional)
Tortilla Chips

Rinse and drain the black beans and corn and pour into medium sized bowl. Chop your green pepper, tomatoes, red onion and jalapeños and add to bowl. Add minced garlic, salt and cilantro, if using. Stir well. Add in some Italian salad dressing and stir to coat. Use as much or as little as you would like.

A few side notes..

• If you aren't a fan of black beans, you can easily substitute pinto beans
• This dish can easily be doubled for entertaining guests
• If you are in a hurry, you can substitute a can of Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and green chiles in place of the roma tomatoes and jalapeños 

Birthday Chex

My birthday was a couple of days ago and I wanted to make something I could share at work. Instead of bringing the usual cake or cupcakes in, I wanted to make something original but still cake flavored. Looking through my pins on Pinterest, I found a recipe for what I call "Birthday Chex". It is delicious and easier than the usual puppy chow.

credit: www.thespiffycookie.com

You will need:
8 C Chex cereal (rice or corn)
1 package white almond bark
1/2 - 1 T vegetable oil (for thinning)
1 1/2 C white funfetti cake mix
1/2 C powdered sugar




For starters, measure out the Chex cereal into a paper bag (or large bowl) big enough so that there is a little wiggle room for when you shake it. Combine the dry cake mix and powdered sugar in a bowl and set aside. Then, melt the almond bark and vegetable oil over low heat until melted through. Use your discretion on how much vegetable oil to use, it is to thin out the almond bark so try a little at a time until you get the right consistency!

Pour the almond bark mixture over the cereal and shake bag or bowl with lid until the cereal is covered. Pour the cake mix and powdered sugar mix over cereal and give another good shake until the cereal is coated. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

This is one of the easiest breakfasts to quickly put together and let bake for around 30 minutes and it is sure to be loved by everyone. Give it a try sometime this week!

Cake
3 C flour
¼ t salt
1 C sugar
4 t baking powder
1 ½ C milk
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
½ C butter, melted

Topping
1 C butter, melted
1 C brown sugar
2 T flour
1 T cinnamon

Glaze
2 C powdered sugar
5 T milk
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix all cake ingredients, except butter. Add butter slowly, and pour into a greased 9x13. Mix topping together & pour over the top of cake batter. Use butter knife to swirl the two. Bake for 28-32 minutes. Mix glaze together and pour over slightly cooled, but still warm cake.

This can be served at room temperature, but is best while still warm from the oven or heated up in the microwave for a few seconds.

To-Die-For Fresh Blueberry Muffins

Is there anything better than warm blueberry muffins right out of the oven? Better yet, homemade blueberry muffins made with fresh blueberries? I'm not convinced there is. Not to mention, this recipe is very easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry already. Not only do they taste delicious but they make your home smell amazing as well. Give them a try sometime this week!

Makes 9 large muffins

Muffins:                                     Crumb Topping: 

1.5 C flour                                   1/2 C white sugar
3/4 C white sugar                      1/3 C flour
1/2 t salt                                     1/4 C butter, cubed
2 t baking powder                     1.5 t ground cinnamon
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 C milk
1C fresh blueberries

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tin or line it with paper muffin liners.

The muffins: 
In a medium bowl, mix together 1.5 C flour, 3/4 C sugar, salt and baking powder. In a 1 cup measuring cup, add 1/3 C vegetable oil, an egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with the flour mixture. Fold in your blueberries. Fill your muffin cups to the top and set aside.

Crumb topping:
Mix together 1/2 C sugar, 1/3 C flour, 1/4 C butter and 1.5 t cinnamon with a fork. Once combined, sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until nicely golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed peppers are delicious, but if you've ever made them you will probably agree that they are time consuming and sometimes just too much work! I came across this recipe that has all the yummy ingredients of stuffed peppers, but in an easy-to-make, hearty soup. Give it a try sometime this week, it is delicious!

You will need:

1 lb ground beef

1 large bell pepper (whichever color you prefer)

1/2 C onion

1 can Ro*tel diced tomatoes and green chiles (with juices)

1 (10 oz) can tomato sauce

14 oz chicken OR beef broth

2 C rice (cooked)

1 T sugar

1 t garlic salt

S&P to taste

*Tortilla chips & shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

To begin, cook your ground beef, diced pepper

and onions in a large pot on medium-high heat.

Once beef is cooked through, drain excess grease. 

Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Cover and let simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

*When I made this soup, I had both red and green bell peppers, so I used a half of each to add more color to the dish. I also had spinach on hand so I coarsely chopped about 1.5 cups and added it in for the last 5 minutes of simmering. Feel free to experiment with other seasonings and additions!

White Chocolate Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

Looking in my cupboard for something to satisfy my sweet tooth, I saw a Valentine's Day cake mix. Since the holiday has come and gone and I clearly didn't put the cake mix to use as cupcakes or a cake, I decided to find a different recipe to utilize the mix. I did a little looking around and found this delicious twist on the usual use for cake mixes.

What you will need:
1 (16.5 oz.) box white or funfetti cake mix
1 (3.3 oz.) box white chocolate instant pudding mix
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C white chocolate chips
4 T sprinkles (optional if using funfetti cake mix)

*Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To begin, mix your cake mix and pudding mix and add in the vegetable oil and eggs.

Once combined, stir in the white chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Roll dough into balls the size of a golfball and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake in your preheated oven for 9-11 minutes.

Once you remove the pan from the oven, let sit for 1 minute and place cookies on newspaper to cool.

Makes 25-30 Cookies

Tip:

1/2 C vegetable oil is a lot! Instead, use 1/4 C vegetable oil and 1/4 C applesauce. You won't be able to tell the difference and it is much healthier. Well, as healthy as cookies can get ;).

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

With how cold and snowy it's been in northern Iowa the past week, making a crock pot of Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup really hit the spot. It's one of the easiest things to make, you literally just dump everything in the slow cooker and can even put it together the night before! The recipe is as follows:

2 C cooked, shredded chicken (canned chicken works well too)

2 - 10 oz. cans Old El Paso brand Enchilada sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can Ro*tel diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 packet taco seasoning

2 C milk

1 C cheddar or mexican cheese

1/4 C onion

1 C rice (white, brown, or mexican)

*For garnishing:

Tortilla chips

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Spray your slow cooker and add all ingredients. Heat on low for 4-6 hours, stirring every couple of hours. Enjoy once the soup is heated through.

Makes 4 - 6 servings

*I will warn you this soup has a little bite to it, but that's coming from me, and I am a whimp when it comes to spicy foods. It's an easy fix though, I promise! Just omit, or use a mild flavor of your Ro*tel diced tomatoes and green chiles.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

If you've had "chicken, bacon, ranch" anything, I think most of you will agree that it is a wonderful combination. Chicken, bacon, ranch pizza? Might be the best way to have the trio. This past week I made this pizza and even added a few sautéed mushrooms - which I didn't regret!

The recipe is as follows:

1 can Pillsbury pizza dough (or your favorite recipe)

1 C Ranch

1/2 lb. Bacon

2 large chicken breasts

1 T vegetable oil

Shredded mozzarella cheese

2 C raw mushrooms

1/3 C butter

1-1/2 t garlic powder

S & P to taste

To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and cook up your meats and mushrooms.

Cut your chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and cook in the vegetable oil.

Crisp up your bacon in a frying pan. When it is fully cooked, place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat. Then, cut into bite-sized pieces for the pizza.

Melt the butter and add in the mushrooms. Once coated, sprinkle in the garlic powder, salt & pepper. Cook these about 15 minutes, or until they are as tender as you prefer.

While the meats and mushrooms are finishing up, roll out your pizza dough onto a non-stick or sprayed baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes to keep your dough from getting soggy when you add all the ingredients on top. Don't cook the dough too long, just enough to give it a head start!

(Tip: I have always poked my pizza dough with a fork all over to prevent the crust from bubbling up)

Once the dough is done pre-baking and the meats and mushrooms are ready, spread however much ranch you'd like on the crust. I put 1 cup in the ingredients, but this is your "pizza sauce", so if you usually like it saucy then load it up! Otherwise, maybe use a little less - you can always drizzle extra ranch over it at the end.

Continue with the chicken, bacon and mushrooms. Finish it off with a sprinkling of mozzarella or your favorite pizza cheese.

Now it's ready for the oven! Bake the pizza on the middle oven rack for 20 - 25 minutes or until the cheese begins browning. Everything you put on it is cooked, so just keep an eye on it for however well-done you prefer your crust.

(If you notice the cheese is ready and beginning to brown, but the crust is still a bit soft, move your oven rack to the bottom and put the pizza down lower. This will concentrate more of the heat on the crust, and give the cheese a little break. Make sure to check it often so it doesn't burn!

...and voilà! Your chicken, bacon, ranch pizza is ready to eat!

Homemade Banana Muffins

I rarely ever eat bananas, but when I do decide to buy them while getting groceries, I am notorious for letting them get far too mushy to eat. However, I never throw them away. Banana muffins or bread is far too good to pass up! This weekend I realized my bananas were looking very brown so I decided to make homemade muffins for breakfast, of course.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

The recipe is as follows:

1-1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

3 large bananas, mashed

3/4 C white sugar

1/3 C butter, melted

2 T vegetable oil

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees & put liners in your muffin tin

-Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt; set aside

-Combine bananas, sugar, egg, oil & melted butter in a large bowl

-Fold in flour mixture & mix until smooth **Be sure to not over-mix!

-Scoop into muffin tins & bake for 20-25 minutes

For a little added flavor, I also decided to add in these two ingredients:

1 t vanilla

1/2 t ground cinnamon

...and viola! Yummy homemade banana muffins in only about 35 minutes!

This recipe makes approximately 9 muffins.

A couple of added tips...

• You could easily make this recipe in a loaf or bundt pan, it would just take a little longer to bake so keep an eye on it!
• Adding 1/2 - 3/4 C of chocolate chips would be a great addition of flavor
• Many people enjoy banana nut muffins - just throw in 1 C chopped walnuts either toasted or raw

A Little About Me...

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I want to start off with telling you a little about me and the direction I hope to take my blog posts, so I'll keep it short and sweet! My name is McKayla and I am a senior marketing major with a sales emphasis at the University of Northern Iowa. My blog is going to focus on my own personal experiences with cooking while living away from home on a college budget. I'll share recipes of food that I have made, along with photos and tips!

Ever since I was little I have always loved learning from and cooking with my mom and sisters, and now that I am on my own at college I haven't lost my passion for cooking. More often than not, I am making dinner with my roommates and/or boyfriend throughout the week. If you looked through my Pinterest page you might guess I was a culinary arts major, as my pins are mainly food-related. I'm obsessed and not afraid to admit it. I love finding new recipes and putting a different twist on them every so often. Throughout my posts this semester I hope you love the recipes I share just as much as I do!

Enjoy!