Berry Cake

I had some extra strawberries and blueberries to use up and this berry cake turned out wonderful!  I adapted this berry cake recipe from Martha Stewart's Strawberry Cake (original recipe here).  The cake is light and moist.  One of the online Martha Stewart reviewers said it tastes like a cross between an angel food cake and a buttery pound cake, which is exactly right!  I couldn't have described it any better.   I will definitely be making this cake again and again.  You could serve this berry cake as is or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Berry Cake

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ pound strawberries, hulled and halved

½ pound blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.   Grease a 10 inch pie plate with butter.

In a bowl, whisk together (or sift) flour, baking powder and salt.

In a stand mixer, on medium-high speed, beat together butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy.  On medium-low speed, mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

On low speed, slowly add in flour mixture about ½ cup at a time.  You may need to use a spatula to scrape sides of bowl down.  

Pour batter into buttered pie plate.  Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top.  Place strawberries cut side down.  Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.  

Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce temperature to 325 degrees F.  Bake for additional 60 minutes until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch.  

Allow cake to cool in pie plate.  Store cake at room temperature loosely covered for up to 2 days or refrigerate.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

I made this chicken pot pie with cornbread crust on Sunday because it just felt like the perfect dish to make on a chilly, rainy Sunday.   I already had some shredded rotisserie chicken that was used for the creamy piquillo pepper and chickpea soup with chicken recipe. I also decided to add in mashed potatoes since I had some leftover mashed red potatoes (click here for mashed red potatoes recipe).  This chicken pot pie with cornbread crush was a comforting dish for a rainy fall day.   The cornbread is slightly sweet and provides a great texture to the creamy chicken pot pie filling.  This recipe gave me extra chicken pot pie filling that I made a couple of mini shepherd's pie too!  I plan to post that recipe next so check back here tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

½ onion, diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 cup mashed potatoes (optional - recipe here)

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon thyme

For cornbread crust

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

½ teaspoon parsley, dried

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together jiffy cornbread mix, egg, milk and parsley.  Set aside.

In a dutch oven or saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt butter.

Add onions.  Cook until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.

Next, stir in chicken broth and milk.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until thickened.

Add frozen vegetables, mashed potatoes, and chicken.

Stir in thyme, salt, and pepper.

Spoon into a 9x9 inch baking dish.  Top chicken mixture with cornbread batter.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I cannot get enough of pumpkin these days, and I have already made pumpkin cupcakes.  Since I made banana bread earlier, I adapted the recipe for this pumpkin chocolate chip bread.  This bread is moist, delicious and full of pumpkiny goodness!  Is pumpkiny even a word? LOL  This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is perfect for breakfast and I had a slice today with my morning latte.  I also shared the bread with some of my coworkers and everyone enjoyed it.  It is nice that I get to share my baked goods at work because I should not be eating it all myself!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

¾ cup pumpkin

4 tablespoons butter, melted (I microwave in a bowl for about 45 seconds.)

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 ½ cup flour

½ cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together baking soda, salt, flour and cinnamon.

In another bowl, combine pumpkin, butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.

Combine the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan.  Bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Zucchini Squash Cakes

I helped my friend make zucchini cakes for her 1 year old a few days ago and I thought what a great idea.  I decided to make my own adaptation and included yellow squash too.  These zucchini squash cakes were so good!  They would be great as an appetizer, a side dish or as a vegetarian meal.  I made them for dinner tonight and served them over my mashed red potatoes.  These zucchini squash cakes are just simple, delicious and healthy.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Squash Cakes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic, granulated (or powder)

½ teaspoon Mrs. Dash seasoning (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Grate zucchini and yellow squash.  Squeeze between paper towels to remove excess moisture.

In a bowl, combine grated zucchini and squash, panko, parmesan, egg, Italian seasoning, Mrs. Dash seasoning, salt and black pepper. (I used a fork to combine everything.)  Shape zucchini squash mixture into 2 inch sized patties.

In a nonstick pan, over medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon olive oil.  

Cook zucchini squash cakes for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until lightly browned.  Add more olive oil if needed.  

Makes about 8 zucchini squash cakes.

Zucchini squash cakes served over red mashed potatoes...mmmm!

One Bowl Banana Bread

This one bowl banana bread recipe is my go-to recipe for years now.  It is so easy to make and turns out delicious each time.  Cleanup is a breeze since you only need to use one bowl and I just mix everything by hand.  I honestly don't even remember where I got this recipe from but I still have it written on a piece of note paper that I keep in my recipes box.  I have used this same recipe to make muffins too, you would just reduce the bake time to about 15 to 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

One Bowl Banana Bread

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup butter, melted (I microwave in a bowl for about 45 seconds.)

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 ½ cup flour

½ cup chocolate chips (Optional but I almost always add it in!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mash peeled bananas with a fork.

Mix in butter, sugar, egg and vanilla.  

Next, add in baking soda, salt and flour.

Stir in chocolate chips if adding.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan.  Bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Sometimes I have leftover ingredients from a recipe and I am able to reuse it for another recipe like this spinach and ricotta stuffed shells.  I used the leftover ricotta mixture from my recent lasagna recipe and just added spinach to it.  What is also great about these stuffed shells is that it is freezer friendly and I even tested it out for all you already.  I made the spinach and ricotta stuffed shells and froze them in freezer bags.  You would just need to bake the frozen stuffed shells longer, about 45 to 50 minutes instead of 30 minutes.  These spinach and ricotta stuffed shells went great with my basil tomato sauce.  Top with extra parmesan cheese if you want it to be extra cheesy.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

12 ounces jumbo pasta shells, cooked

2 cups basil tomato sauce (recipe here)

7 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup parmesan cheese

6 ounces baby spinach

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1 cup of basil tomato sauce on bottom of baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, mozzarella, parmesan and spinach.

Spoon filling into each pasta shell. 

Arrange stuffed pasta shells in baking dish.  Spread remaining 1 cup tomato sauce over shells. 

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

Freezer Option:  You may prepare the stuffed shells ahead of time and place in a freezer bag (without the tomato sauce).  When ready to bake, there is no need to defrost, just place in baking dish with tomato sauce and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.