Spiced Apple Beer Cupcakes

I've been seeing lots of recipes for Blue Moon beer cupcakes on Pinterest lately.  Blue Moon isn't my favorite beer, so I went with Shock Top's new Honeycrisp Apple Wheat instead.  Add some apple pie filling to kick up the delicious apple cinnamon flavor!  Makes about 20 cupcakes.

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker Spice Cake mix
1 cup Shock Top Honeycrisp Apple Wheat beer (room temperature)
1/2 cup apple pie filling
3 eggs
1 tub cream cheese flavored cake frosting

Directions:
1. Place cake mix in a large mixing bowl.
2. Chop up the apples from the pie filling into bite-sized pieces so they will distribute evenly. 
3.  Add beer, apple pie filling and eggs to the cake mix.  Stir until well combined. You don't need the other ingredients listed on the cake mix box(water, oil, etc.).
4.  Place cupcake liners in your cupcake pans and pour in cake batter.  Cups should be about two thirds full.
5.  Bake according to cake mix directions, or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

Note:  You can try other flavor combinations as well!  Orange or raspberry wheat beers would do well in yellow or lemon cakes.  Dark beers like Guinness would do well in chocolate cakes. 

Independence Day Sunrise

Celebrate the Fourth of July with this red, white and blue cocktail.  This drink is for adults only.

Ingredients:
Ice
1/2 shot blue curacao
1 1/2 shots coconut rum
Sprite
1/2 shot grenadine

Directions:
1.  Add a handful of ice to a clear glass.  Pour in blue curacao.
2.  Fill the rest of the glass with Sprite.
3.  Carefully pour in the grenadine- it will settle in the middle.
4.  Enjoy the pretty layers, then stir and enjoy!

Paleo Tuscan Soup

This was inspired by a copycat recipe from Olive Garden called "Zuppa Toscana."  It took a few tweaks to get it to work with our low-carb diet.  It's still a tasty, creamy soup that's great for cold evenings at home.

Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage (or Italian seasoned ground turkey)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 steamer bags of cauliflower florets
1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
3 cans chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 or 3 stalks kale, chopped

Directions:
1.  Cook the sausage and red pepper flakes in a pan until the meat is no longer pink.  Set aside in a colander to drain off the grease.  While the meat is cooking, steam the cauliflower in the microwave according to the package directions and set aside to cool
2.  Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook a few minutes, until tender.  If you used ground turkey, there won't be much grease leftover, and you might have to add a bit of oil to cook the vegetables effectively. 
3.  Add the onions, garlic, bacon, chicken broth and cauliflower to a large pot and heat to boiling.  Boil for twenty minutes, using a spoon or spatula to stir and break down the cauliflower.
4.  Reduce the heat and add the milk and sausage, heat for a few minutes.  Stir in the kale just before serving.

Crockpot Stroganoff Soup

I've been on the hunt for easy meals in preparation for my maternity leave.  My husband is back on the Paleo diet, which makes it harder to find meals that work.  Fortunately I ran across this idea for stroganoff soup!

Ingredients:
1 can beef broth
2 cans chopped mushrooms, drained
1/2 onion, diced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of paprika
1 pound ground beef or turkey
4 ounces cream cheese, chopped into small pieces

Directions:
1.  Add all ingredients except beef and cream cheese to the crockpot.  Stir until well combined.
2.  Stir in the ground beef.  Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring after two hours to ensure even cooking.
3.  Add the cream cheese pieces and turn the heat up to high for 10 minutes.  Stir the soup to help dissolve the cream cheese and serve in bowls.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

**Note: If you're like me and don't care for eating large chunks of mushrooms, try chopping up half of the mushrooms into smaller pieces.  You'll barely notice them!

Sparkling Sunrise Mocktail

So in case you're wondering why my food posts have been few and far between, I am partially blaming a little thing called PREGNANCY.  Yup, there's a baby coming to the War Kitten household, and I've been too busy/tired growing a small human being to come up with many recipes.

I've always loved experimenting with new cocktail recipes, but being prego has put a temporary hold on that.  Instead, I've tried to come up with some fun non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy during parties.  Here is my newest favorite, which reminds me of a mock Tequila Sunrise.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
A few ice cubes
4 oz orange juice
4 oz lemon-lime soda (I used "Diet Twist Up," which is caffeine free)
1/2 shot grenadine

Directions:
1.  Place ice cubes in a pint glass.
2.  Add remaining ingredients.  Oooh, pretty!  Now stir the mocktail and enjoy!

Curry Pork Loin and Rice

Before last night I had absolutely zero experience in cooking raw pork.  I had bought some for a BBQ and it didn't get used, so I spent a while thinking of what to do with the meat.  Thankfully my husband suggested a curry- using those awesome premade curry sauces you can find in the grocery store.  I am pleased to report that "project curry pork" was a success, so I'm recording my recipe to share with you fine people.

Ingredients:
1 cup white or brown rice
Water for rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Curry powder
1 lb boneless pork loin chops
1 jar curry sauce (we used Korma Simmer Sauce from Fresh and Easy)

Directions:
1.  Cook rice in a pot according to package directions.  Once it's done, remove from heat and cover to keep it warm until the rest of the food is done.
2.  While rice is cooking, heat olive oil in a large frying pan.  Season both sides of the chops with curry powder, then place them in the frying pan.  Cook them until the surface on both sides begins to brown, about 3 minutes each side.
3.  Add curry sauce to the pan and heat to bubbling.  Continue cooking the chops in the sauce for 10-15 minutes, flipping them over every few minutes.  Remove chops and cut them down the middle to check for done-ness.  If they are still very pink in the center you can return them to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.
4.  There are two ways to serve this.  First, you can keep the chops whole (aside from being cut in half in the previous step) and serve them on a bed of rice, pouring some sauce on top of them.  A different option (the one I used) is to chop up the pork loin once it's fully cooked, return it to the curry sauce pan and add the rice, stirring until well combined.  You can then scoop the mixture into bowls.

**Note: I would recommend using tongs to flip the chops over.  This will reduce the "splatter" of sauce everywhere, which happened when I tried to use a spatula.

Enchilada/Taco Chicken

Also known as "Mexican Chicken" by some.  This is an easy baking dish that's packed full of flavor and cheesy goodness.  Serves two, but can be doubled to serve more.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 packet taco seasoning
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 cup green enchilada sauce
4 taco sized corn tortillas, chopped
2 oz shredded cheese (we used Mexican blend)
Salsa
Sour cream

Directions:

1.  Brush the chicken breasts with a little olive oil.  Take a few pinches of the taco seasoning and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken.  Grill chicken for about 6 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink.  Keep an eye on them because over-grilling = dry chicken.

2.  Remove chicken from grill and set aside.  Place the red pepper and onion at the bottom of an 8 by 8 inch glass pan in an even layer.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the pan in the oven while it is preheating.  This will make the veggies more tender and less crunchy.

3.  Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Add chicken, enchilada sauce and 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.  Once the oven is preheated, remove the pan and stir the veggies into the chicken mixture.  Be sure to use oven mitts with the hot pan!

4.  Line the bottom of the pan with the tortilla pieces, then pour the chicken mixture on top of it.  Spread the mixture into an even layer and top with shredded cheese.

5.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

6.  Spoon into bowls.  Add sour cream and/or salsa, according to your preference.

Note:  I'm sure you will have leftovers of taco seasoning, enchilada sauce and tortillas that haven't been used.  Just store them for next time or use them in a different Mexican recipe.  Enjoy!