Roasted Potato Salad

Tender roasted red potatoes, crisp bacon, and bright green scallions get tossed together to create this delicious Roasted Potato Salad!

During summer months, I live in a terrarium, or at least that’s the way it feels sometimes! Given that, you might say there’s nothing worth cooking that requires the oven to be set to a scorching 450 degrees! Typically, I’m anti-oven in the hot, humid summer months, but I’m always willing to make an exception for this Roasted Potato Salad!

Tender roasted red potatoes, crisp bacon, and bright green scallions get tossed together to create this super summer potato salad. I was originally introduced to this recipe as a child when my mom would make it and our family would devour it. Traditionalists might say that there’s no place for a warm potato salad in the summer, but try it once, and you’ll be hooked!

Typically I serve this potato salad with anything I grill. This time around, I made it to go along with the burgers for the “how-to grill burgers” guide! This is the only potato salad that my potato-salad-hating husband will eat. It almost felt like a minor victory when I made this, and not only did he approve, he loved it! It serves a group, so feel free to scale the recipe back if you’re just making this for a few people, or if you don’t want leftovers. I happen to love the leftovers, because they heat up lovely, but it’s also great cold.

You’ll start with 3 pounds of red potatoes, quartered. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake them for about 30-35 minutes in a 450 degree oven.

Next, cook 8 slices of bacon. I like to bake my bacon. To do that you simply line a baking sheet with foil, arrange the bacon, and place it in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes, or until crisp. Because you’re already baking the potatoes, you’d need two ovens to be able to do this. I don’t have two ovens, but I wasn’t in a rush so I baked the bacon first, then the potatoes.

Chop the bacon into small pieces….

Then chop up a few scallions….

When the potatoes are done, you’ll transfer them to a large bowl and stir in the bacon, scallions, mayo, salt, black pepper, and a pinch of garlic powder. That’s all there’s to it! 

Serve this potato salad at BBQs or for any night of the week when you’re looking for a hearty, tasty side-dish. Enjoy!

Roasted Potato Salad
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Easy Ranch Pasta Salad

Easy Ranch Pasta Salad with bacon, broccoli, and red pepper!

All of you folks looking for an easy to make summer pasta salad, this is for you! I recently got an email from Sophia (a long time CCC fan and regular commenter) who told me that she loved the idea of my Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad, but she didn’t want to have to measure out all of the seasonings. I promised I’d come up with a variation that was a bit quicker, so Sophia, here it is!

The main difference between my original Ranch Pasta Salad and this version is the use of a Ranch seasoning packet from the grocery store. You can’t get much easier than this! You’ll start with 12 ounces of mini shells, cooked according to package directions.

When the shells are cooking, you’ll chop up some broccoli, green onions, red peppers, and crispy cooked bacon. You may want to toss the broccoli in with the pasta for the last few minutes to cook it just a bit. I went with raw broccoli, but sometimes I change it up. 

Now for the sauce. To keep is as easy as possible, I combined 1 cup mayonnaise with a ranch seasoning packet from the grocery store, and a couple tablespoons of milk. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it, then run it under cold water for a bit so that it cools. Toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Cover the pasta salad and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours so that all of the flavors can come together. You may need to adjust the seasonings with a bit of salt and pepper, I’ll leave that up to you. If necessary, add a bit more milk right before serving. There you have it, a super easy version of Ranch Pasta Salad!

If by chance you aren’t crazy about using the ranch salad dressing packet from the grocery store, checkout my original Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad!

This Easy Ranch Pasta Salad is perfect for summer BBQ’s!

Easy Ranch Pasta Salad
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Girl and the Goat and more…

Saturday’s Something: This week I’ll be talking about our experience at Girl and the Goat and offer some beginner photography tips!

Welcome to Saturday’s Something, my time to take a step away from delicious food and recipes to talk about anything my little heart desires. This week, I’ll be telling you all about our experience at a Chicago-area hotspot, Girl and the Goat, and give a few pointers for any newby photographers out there!

This is the hubby and I. Ryan and I are high school sweethearts and in July we’ll be celebrating 10 years of marriage. Holy moly time flies! We got married super young, but I wouldn’t change a thing.This pic was taken in beautiful Millennium Park on a perfect Chicago spring day. I <3 spring! And gorgeous weather! And Chicago… and Ryan ;)

Speaking of Chicago… Last week we finally made it to Chicago’s infamous Girl and the Goat restaurant. When I say “finally” it’s due to the fact that it takes 3 months to get a reservation for a weekend at a normal time. I just can’t do dinner at 11pm which is what we could’ve had like two months ago. 

This place is a hot spot! And for good reason! It’s owned by Stephanie Izard who I’m in love with. Like for real. If she called me up and said “hey Ashley, want to come hang out in my kitchen?”, I’d so be there. This girl has got mad skillz, man. The menu at Girl and the Goat looks a little… intimidating. But, our (way awesome, knowledgeable) server guided us through and helped us pick out a bunch of small plates for our group of four to share and every single gosh darn thing we tried was good. Some things stood out more than others, like the green beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews and the roasted cauliflower with pickled peppers, pine nuts and mint. Wow. I am NOT a vegetarian, but I could easily become one if I could have green beans and cauliflower the way The Goat does ‘em. And for the first time, I tried goat. To me, it tasted like beef, but now I can check “eat goat” off the foodie bucket list (I don’t really have a foodie bucket list, but we’ll pretend I do).

When I think about some of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had, this ranks pretty high up there. The combination of flavors that each dish offered was just out of this world. Some of the combinations sound a little weird, but together, I’m telling you, every bite was a little piece of heaven. If you ever make it to Chicago, seriously, go to Girl and the Goat.

When I started CenterCutCook, I was beyond intimidated of our DSLR Camera. I had used it plenty of times, but always in auto mode, and I never really knew what I was doing. Having a blog that focused on food and food photography forced me to figure out what the heck I was doing. And now? And now I love photography. There’s still a pretty steep learning curve for me, but photography is definitely a new hobby that I’m digging. 

I’m the most comfortable photographing food, since I do it every day, but I am in love with infant and toddler photography. One of my friends was nice enough to let me use her daughter as a test subject. I plopped her in front of my north facing sliding glass door, put a piece of white foam board behind her, and the result is what you see above. It is one of my most favorite pictures I have ever taken! And I loved that the image required zero post-processing. I didn’t edit a single thing with this image. Beautiful little girl + perfect lighting = one happy photographer.

Here’s what I’ve learned about photography in my short time dabbling with infants and toddlers:

1. If you have a DSLR camera, learn how to shoot in manual mode. For far too long I just kept it on auto mode. A DSLR is a powerful piece of equipment that is far more useful when you know how to use it. I just started playing around with the settings until I learned the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed. I also spent a good amount of time perusing the Internet for tips and pointers and found plenty of them!

2. Good lighting is key. I look at light in a completely new way now that I consider myself a photographer. When I enter a room, I pay attention to the areas where there’s the best light. If you don’t have a good light source, your picture is probably not going to turn out that good.

3. Take lots of photos! I usually end up with 100 or more for a short little 20 minute photo session. Some turn out awful, but there are always a few shining stars in the bunch. The other advantage of taking lots of photos, whether it be of the same subject or something different every day, is that it helps you learn. 

This Photography Cheat Sheet helped me understand exposure, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and is worth checking out!

Any newby photographers out there or wanna-be photographers?

This is another picture I took of my sweet little nephew in the same location as the photo above – right in front of my north facing sliding glass door with just a piece of white foam board behind him. This little guy has been through a lot in his one and a half years! He had a stroke in utero or shortly after he was born, and as a result, he has some type of therapy every. single. day. Despite all he’s been through, he still knows how to make everyone around him smile. He is such a sweet, sweet little boy and I’ve had so much fun photographing him.

That’s all I’ve got for this week! Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Girl and the Goat and more...
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Cheesy Little Smokie Cups

Looking for a new little smokies recipe? These Cheesy Little Smokie Cups are a fun new way to make cocktail weiners at home!

When it comes to little smokies, we’ve tried it all! From the slow cooker recipe for little smokies with grape jelly and chili sauce, to little smokies wrapped in crescent rolls (you know, pigs in a blanket?). And of course, we’re huge fans of Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies with a brown sugar glaze! I thought we had tried every variation, until I came up a way to use up the leftover wonton wrappers sitting in my fridge. Meet Cheesy Little Smokie Cups, a fun new way to make cocktail weiners at home!

You’ll start by heating your oven to about 425F. While the oven is heating up, arrange wonton wrappers in a cupcake tin. Bake for 4-5 minutes, or until the edges start to turn brown. You’ll need to do two batches for a total of 24 little cups.

Next, prepare the filling for the cups which consists of cooked little smokies (about 24 ounces), 3/4 cup bbq sauce, and about a 1/2 cup of cheese. The little smokies I used were a brand called Bobak’s (these guys make delicious sausage products!), and they were longer than your typical little smokies, so I cut them all in half. Stir the mixture together, then divide it among the wonton cups. 

Sprinkle a little extra cheese over the top of each cup, then pop ‘em in the oven for about 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. The hubby was a huge fan of these things! They look all tiny and cute, but it’s easy to keep eating them. Before you know it, you’ve consumed 10 of ‘em and you’re left wondering where they all went!

If you’re serving these for a crowd, you’ll definitely want to double the recipe because they go quick! Who knew crispy little wonton cups filled with little smokies, BBQ sauce and cheese could be so addicting? If you really wanted to go all out, cook up some bacon to chop up and toss in the mixture. Add these to the list of little smoky appetizers you’ll be making the next time you entertain!

Cheesy Little Smokie Cups
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Bacon Parmesan Garlic Burgers

Juicy grilled burgers topped with bacon, parmesan cheese, and garlic butter on soft pretzel rolls!

It’s grilling season, and I find myself trying to think of a new take on the classic burger. We tend to grill a lot, but especially during the summer months. Because burgers are SO versatile and easy to make, they are made quite often around here! 

This particular burger is all about bacon, parmesan cheese, and garlic, some of my favorite flavors! Combine this trio of fabulous flavors with a burger on a pretzel roll and you have yourself a juicy burger worth salivating over.

You’ll start with the meat. When I am making burgers, I always use fresh meat versus meat that I’ve previously frozen, then thawed. I also tend to use ground chuck for burgers because the fat content helps keep the burgers moist and juicy, but also helps keep the burgers from falling apart. You will get about 3-4 burgers from one pound of meat. I wanted the burgers a little bigger this time around to fit better on the pretzel rolls so I divided the pound of meat into 3.

Loosely form the meat into patties. If you handle the meat too much and pack them too tight, they won’t be juicy. Simply season each burger with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Heat your grill to medium-high heat and cook the burgers for about 5-6 minutes for the first side, then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until your burger is cooked to your preference.

While the burgers are cooking, cook the bacon, and shred some fresh parmesan cheese. You’ll need about 1/4 cup of cheese per burger. Now is also a good time to prep the garlic butter. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter, then stir in 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley. Spread this mixture evenly on the sliced pretzel rolls. Either toast the rolls in a 400 degree oven for 4-5 minutes, or, if you’re grilling, wrap the buns in tinfoil and place them on the grill for several minutes until they’re nice and toasty.

When the burgers are just about done, top each patty with about 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese. Top with crispy cooked bacon, place the burger on the toasted pretzel roll and enjoy! If you’ve never had a pretzel roll before, I HIGHLY recommend them. All of the best burgers I’ve ever had have been served on pretzel rolls. I found these in the bakery section of my grocery store.

The idea for this burger came from my friend Lisa who had something similar in a restaurant. Thanks for the idea, Lisa! We just loved the combination of flavors with these burgers! If you’re looking for a few pointers on how to make a good burger, check out my little guide on “How to Grill Burgers.” Happy grilling!

Bacon Parmesan Garlic Burgers
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Rainbow Rice Krispie Pinwheels

The Classic Rice Krispie Treat gets a makeover with these colorful Rainbow Rice Krispie Pinwheels oozing with buttercream frosting! This is a treat EVERYONE will love!

Rice Krispie Treats…. a treat that just about everybody has had at one point or another. They’re a classic, not to mention versatile! A couple of weeks ago, Ryan and I went out for dinner to our favorite BBQ restaurant where I spotted these beautiful colorful Rice Krispie Treats. It turns out, they were made with Fruity Pebbles. I suppose if they aren’t made with Rice Krispies cereal, you can’t actually call them Rice Krispie treats, but Fruity Pebbles Treats just doesn’t flow like Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats does.

At any rate, I decided I wanted to add them to my never-ending list of recipes to try. And then a couple of days later, I was perusing one of my favorite blogs, Cookies & Cups, and spotted Krispie Treat Pinwheels. What’s that you ask? It’s a Rice Krispie Treat made in a jelly roll pan, slathered with frosting, then rolled up into a log and sliced into pinwheels! It looked beautiful, and I just couldn’t resist combining that idea with the new idea I had to use Fruity Pebbles.

And here we are….

Today’s recipe for Rainbow Rice Krispie Pinwhels is such a fun, bright, colorful dessert that everyone, but especially kids will love. And it’s easy, easy, easy!

You’ll start by preparing Rice Krispie Treats like you normally would by melting a little butter in a large saucepan or stock pot. When the butter is melted, you’ll toss in some mini marshmallows and stir them until those are melted too. Add in a pinch of salt, then remove from heat and stir in 6 cups Fruity Pebbles Cereal. Arrange in a greased jelly roll pan (a rimmed baking sheet). Spray your hands with a little cooking spray so that you can use your fingertips to firmly pack down the mixture.

*Side note: I FULLY understand why certain cereals were not allowed in our house growing up. Fruity Pebbles worked FABULOUS as a dessert, but for a nutritious breakfast? I get why my Mama always said no when we’d beg for certain cereals at the grocery store!

Allow the Rainbow “Rice Krispies” to firm up for about 20 minutes. Then, slather it with about 1 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups of the frosting of your choice. I used Buttercream Frosting from this recipe. Start at the short end of the pan and roll it up.

Ta-da!!! Rainbow Rice Krispie Pinwheels! Okay, they’re not pinwheels yet. Not until you slice them up! I used a serrated knife to help with this process. I cut pinwheels about one inch wide and was able to get about 10.

Look how beautiful and colorful they are! The beauty of this is that you can use any frosting that you like! I used buttercream, but cream cheese frosting would also be delicious!

Looking for a fun, dessert idea for your child’s birthday party? I think you’ve found it! Rainbow Rice Krispie Pinwheels!

Rainbow Rice Krispie Pinwheels
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

Fresh, healthy, delicious, Thai Chopped Salad with peanut ginger dressing!

With summer right around the corner, I find myself trying to think of fresh, healthy salad ideas. Not only am I looking for salad ideas, I am looking for salad dressing ideas that are top notch too! Today I’m excited to share this Thai Chopped Salad with you. It’s paired with a peanut ginger dressing that is light, yet refreshing, and worked perfectly for this salad!

This salad is a bit labor intensive as far as salads go, I think it took me about 30 minutes to get everything assembled, which for a salad, is longer than I am typically used to. However, it is worth every bit of preparation to enjoy the flavors that you’ll enjoy with each bite.

You’ll start by prepping the dressing which consists of all kinds of yummy ingredients like peanut butter, fresh ginger, rice wine vinegar, and garlic. I used my food processor for the dressing, which was really helpful. If you don’t have a food processor, a blender works well too. 

Next you’ll need to prep the chicken. Either grill 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and chop them up, or take a shortcut and use rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Toss about 1 and 1/2 cups chicken with a few tablespoons of salad dressing and place in the fridge to chill.

Start with a bed of romaine lettuce, about 4 cups worth. I bought a large head of romaine and chopped it up, which yielded 4 cups.

Next, you’ll thinly slice some cabbage. You will need about 2 cups of cabbage which was half a head of cabbage for me.

Cook about 6 ounces spaghetti. I used Barilla’s whole wheat spaghetti here. When the spaghetti is done cooking, drain it, then stir in about 6 tablespoons of salad dressing and place it in the fridge to chill for a bit.

Prep the veggies! I used thinly sliced cucumber, carrots, red bell peppers, and green onions.

Top the salad with the chilled chicken, and some crushed peanuts if you wish (not pictured). At this point, even though the salad looked super beautiful, and I just wanted to look at it instead of eat it, I mixed it all together and tossed in some dressing. Feel free to mix the dressing in, or serve it alongside the salad.

We ate this Thai Chopped Salad as a simple supper and it was healthy and delicious! There’s nothing better than a meal that tastes good, looks good, and is good for you!

This is a great salad for entertaining because it’s such a beautiful presentation! Another salad I am looking forward to making this summer is this Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad. Yummy!

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake with a Strawberry Cream Cheese glaze, from scratch, is SUPER moist and amazingly delicious!

THIS cake…. this cake my friends, just might win an award if there were a prize being offered for “most moist cake, ever!” I love greek yogurt, and regularly scope out new and different ways to incorporate it into the recipes that I make. I was so excited to have discovered a strawberry cake that uses greek yogurt as I was browsing around over at A Spicy Perspective. I KNEW I had to make it at first glance!

You’ll start by prepping a bundt cake pan with cooking spray, or grease it well with butter and little flour. Set it aside.

Next you’ll combine the dry ingredients. For this you’ll just need all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.Once you’ve sifted those three ingredients together, you’ll add in the zest of one lemon which is what you see below. The lemon zest adds a nice little tang!

And of course, what is strawberry cake without strawberries? You’ll need about 12 ounces of fresh, sweet strawberries, cut into thin pieces. Be sure to give the strawberries a good rinse before using them, and pat them with paper towels to make sure they’re dry before using them. The strawberries will get tossed with a little flour! Set these guys aside.

At this point you’ll start the cake batter by creaming together sugar and butter. When the butter and sugar are light and fluffy, you’ll add in the eggs, one at a time, and the juice from half of a lemon. Toss in a teaspoon of vanilla extract, then mix in some vanilla Greek Yogurt. The thicker the yogurt, the better.  Once the Greek Yogurt is incorporated, slowly mix in the dry ingredients and stir well. Fold in the strawberries. 

Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Note: The batter IS going to be thick, and that’s okay! You’ll start by pre-heating your oven to 375, but right when you pop the cake into the oven, you’ll reduce it down to 325 degrees F. Bake the cake for about 65 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before flipping it, carefully, onto a plate. Look at this beauty! If you’ve used a good thick Greek yogurt, the strawberries will be evenly dispersed throughout. If your Greek yogurt was a little thin and runny, the strawberries will probably sink to the bottom of the cake.

Now it’s time for the yummy Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze! For this, you’ll need about 4 mashed strawberries (about 1-2 tablespoons), cream cheese, a little vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.I used my food processor to create the glaze, but you could also use a hand or stand mixer. Spoon the delicious glaze evenly over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the sides.

Cut into pieces and serve! This cake is just bursting with strawberry flavor! Between the strawberries mixed in with the batter, and the strawberry glaze that’s drizzled over the top, one bite will leave you in strawberry heaven! 

Moist, strawberry cake from scratch has never been so easy to do with the help of Greek yogurt. It tastes fresh, and is perfect for celebrating summer or Mother’s Day! 

I cut up some additional fresh strawberries to garnish with, and it turned out to be a beautiful presentation. And with only one layer, it’s easy, easy, easy to make.

What are you waiting for? Go make this strawberry cake. It is so moist, and delicious, you won’t be sorry! :)

Strawberry Yogurt Cake
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Berry Banana Greek Yogurt Smoothie

Looking for healthy ideas for breakfast? This smoothie recipe fits the bill! It’s quick, easy, delicious, and packs a nutritional punch!

There’s nothing I love for breakfast, more than something that’s healthy, and packs a nutritional punch! Okay, I lie, I’d probably like bacon more if I’m being honest, but we all know that it doesn’t pack a nutritional punch like this smoothie does. I’ve been on a smoothie kick lately, and I’m always changing’ things up so that it doesn’t get boring.  Sometimes I make smoothies that consist of 100% fruit, other times I like to throw in yogurt. Today’s smoothie is chock full of fruits AND protein, to help you feel full for longer.

You’ll start with a 6 ounce cup of Blueberry non-fat greek yogurt. Speaking of greek yogurt, have you entered our Chobani Giveaway yet? Click here to enter!If you’re not crazy about blueberry yogurt, you could sub in strawberry, or another flavor of your choice. Even if you don’t like greek yogurt, no worries, by the time all is said and done, you won’t even taste it!

Along with the yogurt you’ll need about 5 strawberries. Fresh or frozen, doesn’t matter. You’ll also need one whole banana. In your blender, add the yogurt, strawberries, and banana. Add 1/4 cup of water, and about 4 ice cubes. Blend on high until the smoothie is we’ll…. nice and smooth! If you used all frozen fruits, you might need a bit more water. If you used all fresh fruit, you may need a bit more ice. Play around with it, you really can’t mess it up! I also added in about two tablespoons of hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are an awesome source for a variety of nutrients, including protein, and they don’t really alter the flavor. Another good add-in would be chia seeds. If you don’t have either of these on hand, don’t worry, they are optional.

I felt like this smoothie was perfectly sweet as-is, so I didn’t add anything to sweeten it further. If it’s not sweet enough for your tastes, you can always add a little honey. Pour into a glass, garnish with a fresh beautiful strawberry (you deserve it!), add in a fun paper striped straw, and enjoy!

There’s no need to pay for an expensive smoothie from your favorite smoothie shop when it’s SO easy to make delicious smoothies at home!

Love smoothies like I do and looking for more smoothie recipes? Checkout this fabulous Tasty Green Smoothie or this High Protein Strawberry Smoothie.

Berry Banana Greek Yogurt Smoothie
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Cheesy Mexican Sloppy Joes

Cheesy Mexican Sloppy Joes are a twist on the classic sandwich! Ready in under 30 minutes!

Sloppy Joe sandwiches are a quick and simple supper that I’ve been eating since my childhood. While there’s nothing fancy about ‘em, it’s a classic recipe that I turn to any time I’ve got ground beef I want to use up, or when I need a quick, reliable meal.

Instead of making my go-to classic version of Sloppy Joes this week, I decided to put a little twist on the sandwich and create Cheesy Mexican Sloppy Joes! It turned out to be a tasty variation, and took no longer to make than the classic! The recipe, as written, serves 4. Feel free to double the ingredients if you’re feeding more than that!  This recipe for Cheesy Mexican Sloppy Joes is a keeper!

To get this recipe going, you’ll need 1 poblano pepper, diced. If you’ve never cooked with poblanos before, no worries, it’s actually a very mild pepper. Along with the diced poblano, you’ll need about 1/2 of a small purple onion, diced, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1 cup of shredded monterrey jack cheese. For the sauce, I used 1 cup red enchilada sauce. Don’t forget the buns!

Start by heating a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and sauté the onion and poblano pepper for several minutes, until they start to become tender. Add in the garlic, and cook for a few minutes longer. Remove this mixture from the pan and set aside. To the pan add in 1 pound ground beef. You could also use ground turkey if you’d like. When the meat is browned, drain any excess fat. Return the veggies to the pan.

Stir in 1 cup red enchilada sauce, and bring this meat/sauce mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. While the meat mixture is simmering away, grate about 1 cup of monterrey jack cheese! Divide the meat mixture between four sandwiches. Top each sandwich with 1/4 cup monterrey jack cheese. Place in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the buns are just starting to toast.

That’s all there is to it! This is a very mild sandwich that the whole family will love!

Cheesy Mexican Sloppy Joes
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Chobani Greek Yogurt Giveaway!

Win a case of Chobani Greek Yogurt, delivered right to your door by entering our Chobani Greek Yogurt Giveaway!

Happy Tuesday to you! How about a fun little giveaway to add a little excitement to your week? I’ve teamed up with the fabulous folks over at Chobani to offer you this week’s giveaway! One lucky winner will receive an entire case of Chobani Yogurt, and the wonderful thing about it is that it will get delivered, right to your door! How convenient is that?

I’m excited about this giveaway because Chobani Yogurt is something you’d regularly find stocked in my fridge. I use it for everything from Smoothies like this High Protein Strawberry Smoothie…

And savory recipes like these Skinny Creamy Taquitos! It is so versatile! Speaking of Taquitos, did you happen to see them on the Chobani blog for Cinco De Mayo?

Chobani yogurt can be used as a substitution for common cooking ingredients like sour cream, oil, butter, mayo, cream cheese and buttermilk. I spotted this handy chart on the Chobani Website that will really help you when you’re using Chobani yogurt for cooking. If you’re looking to lighten-up some of your favorite recipes, greek yogurt is a great way to do it! 

Here’s the deal. One lucky winner will win a case of 12 – 6 ounce cups of yogurt. You’ll receive a variety of flavors, and it’ll get shipped right to your door in an insulated freezer bag packed with ice packs. Cool, huh? Raspberry happens to be my favorite flavor as of late, but I love the Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry and Strawberry. Actually, I have yet to try a flavor that I didn’t like.

To enter the giveaway, just follow the instructions below with the Rafflecopter widget. There are numerous ways to enter, and it’s all outlined below! Good luck! PS: You must live in lower 48 states to participate!

Chobani Greek Yogurt Giveaway!
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, the perfect marriage between chocolate and peanut butter!

If you’ve been reading CenterCutCook for any length of time, you are already well aware of my love for all things chocolate and peanut butter! If you’re new here, it won’t take you much time to come this this conclusion. I adore chocolate, I adore peanut butter, and I adore chocolate and peanut butter even more when they’re TOGETHER! 

With that, let me introduce you to the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Brownies! The method behind these beauties is simple. You start with your favorite recipe for brownies, whether they come from a box or are made from scratch, it doesn’t matter! I’ve got two favorite brownie recipes that you could try, including Triple Chocolate Chewy Brownies or The Best Brownies. As for boxed brownies, my go-to is Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix that Costco sells.

Along with the brownies, you’ll need about 14 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Not the miniature ones, you’ll want the regular “snack size” peanut butter cups.

Start by baking a batch of your favorite brownies in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish lined with foil. I went with the Ghirardelli brownies this time, just because I had them on hand. About 3-5 minutes before you’re done baking them, pop ‘em out of the oven and begin placing the peanut butter cups face-down in the brownies. Press down on them, just a bit.

Continue placing the peanut butter cups so that the entire pan is covered, leaving a little space in-between each peanut butter cup. Put the brownies back into the oven for the remaining 3-5 minutes that are left. When you take the brownies out of the oven, the chocolate from the peanut butter cups will be all melty. Take a spatula and spread the peanut butter cups over the brownies, almost like it’s a frosting.

The peanut butter portion of each peanut butter cup won’t really melt, as it’s not pure peanut butter, but the chocolate will, and that’s what you’ll spread around. At this point you need to let the brownies cool COMPLETELY.

I know, it’s difficult waiting for the cooling process to finish, but you really do want to wait until these guys are completely cooled before you do anything with them. Sometimes I put them in the fridge to help it go a little faster. When the brownies are completely cooled, chop up a few extra peanut butter cups and sprinkle the peanut buttery/chocolate goodness over the top of the brownies, Cut into squares and serve!

Now, typically I get about 9 brownies when I make an 8 x 8 inch pan. However, these are pretty rich (in a good way) with the addition of the peanut butter cups, so you could probably cut the pieces a little smaller. I’ll let you decide that! If you want to get extra fancy, drizzle chocolate syrup over each brownie and serve. Holy moly, this is good stuff!

Seriously, does a marriage between chocolate and peanut butter get any better than this? Go make these brownies, now! ;)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

A Record Breaking Month!

The month of April proved to be one for the record books!

Welcome to CenterCutCook’s Saturday’s Something! This is the one time during the week where I will talk about anything and everything my little heart desires, and often times, it will have absolutely nothing to do with food or recipes! This week, I wanted to dedicate an entire post on my little corner of the Internet to thank YOU for a record breaking month!

CenterCutCook has been around for about a year now, and each month I have been pleased with the progress. But this month, there are no words for what a great month it was! With 729,630 unique visitors and almost 1.7 million pageviews, I couldn’t have asked for anything more!

The overall star of the month, by far, was this recipe for Chocolate Lasagna, but there were some other stand-out recipes too.

1. Chocolate Lasagna with 497,498 pageviews
2. Amish Breakfast Casserole with 49,932 pageviews
3. BLT Wraps with 39,336 pageviews
4. Better Than Sex Cake with 36,175 pageviews
5. Oreo Truffles with 28,852 pageviews

There were times throughout the month that we’d log-in to Google Analytics to find 1100+ people on CenterCutCook at any given time. I remember when I was super thrilled to have 1100 pageviews in a day, so to see this was really exciting. Ryan (my #1 taste-tester, hubby, and official CenterCutCook IT guy) kept on top of our server performance to ensure there were no hiccups. It purred like a kitten all month long, even on the day where we hit 149,000 pageviews!

Social media also proved to be an especially useful tool with 396,571 page views from Facebook and 122,524 from Pinterest. Lesson learned: Never underestimate the power of social media! I  can only imagine what my Facebook pageviews would have been if everyone that posted my Chocolate Lasagna image had properly linked to the original source . My image and recipe was all OVER Facebook, and usually with no credit to CenterCutCook. There were even people that took great lengths to make my image appear as their own by cropping off my watermark (grrr… very frustrating!). Despite this, it was still a fantastic month in terms of referrals from social networks.

If you’re still reading all of this geeky stuff, I am impressed! I won’t continue on any longer. Just know that I truly appreciate the fact that you’re a fan of CenterCutCook and I love each and every one of you. And thank-you, to all of you who take time to send me emails, leave comments on the blog, and share my page with your friends on Facebook! It means a lot!

I’ve got a lot of great recipes in-store for May, and even a little giveaway planned! It’s going to be a great month! :)

xoxo,

Ashley 

P.S.: Did you notice our new logo? That’s new too!

A Record Breaking Month!
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

The Best Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork}

The Best Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork} is cooked in the oven, then broiled! This gives the pork amazing flavor and is perfect for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas!

Whenever I’m looking for a complete knock-out recipe, I always turn to America’s Test Kitchen for inspiration. As crazy as this sounds, as I’m plugging’ away on the elliptical each day trying to burn off calories from indulging in desserts like Fried Ice Cream Cake, I watch past episodes of America’s Test Kitchen. And on a recent episode, I watched them create this insanely delicious looking recipe for Carnitas. I hadn’t made homemade carnitas, simply because the thought of heating a pot of oil to fry the pork did NOT sound like something I was up for, but they showed me that no oil is required to get fabulous results!

For those of you unfamiliar with carnitas, it’s typically pork that’s been cooked in a big pot of lard. Yes, fatty pork slow-fried in port fat. While delicious, I had absolutely no intention of buying a few pounds of lard to cook a few pounds of pork in. This non-traditional method that I’m going to show you today eliminates the lard, and the frying, but still produces an amazing result!

You will start with around 4 pounds of boneless pork butt. Make sure there is no bone, otherwise you’re going to have a hard time with the next step which involves cutting the meat into small 2-inch chunks before cooking it. You will need an oven-safe dutch oven to get this recipe started. Toss the 2-inch chunks of meat in the dutch oven, and to it add 2 cups water, juice from 1 lime,1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 bay leaves, and an onion that has been peeled at halved. In a small bowl, juice 1 large navel orange. Discard any seeds, then toss the orange and the juice from the orange in the pot. The orange is going to produce great flavor!

Heat the dutch-oven to medium-high heat on the stovetop. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. The goal here is to get everything up to temperature pretty quickly before placing it in the oven. After the mixture has simmered for about 10 minutes, cover it and place it in a 300 degree oven. At this point it’s going to cook for a good 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. You’ll stir the meat halfway through the cooking process.

When the meat is tender, you’ll take it out of the oven and use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the cooking liquid. Discard the orange, onion pieces, and bay leaves from the dutch oven. Next, you will place the dutch oven back on the stove over high heat. Your goal now is to reduce the liquid down until it is thick and almost syrup like. This process will take about 15 minutes. While the liquid is reducing down, you’ll take two fork to split each piece into two so that you’re left with smaller chunks of meat like what you see above.

The liquid should reduce down to about a cup. I know it seems impossible when you first start because there is a lot of liquid, but it’ll happen, just be patient! Arrange the meat on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with a little salt and pepper and when the cooking liquid has reduced down to about a cup, pour it over the meat and toss to coat. Place the meat in the broiler, on high for about 8 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the meat, then cook for another 8 minutes longer. When the meat is starting to crisp up and looks golden brown, you’re done.

Carnitas work wonderfully for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and whatever else you can think of! I used the carnitas for tacos the first time around, and then used the leftovers for quesadillas. The crispy little pieces of pork are so flavorful and delicious, you will find yourself craving it! While this is not the authentic way to cook carnitas (Rick Bayless would likely not approve of this method!), it’s a bit easier and also a bit healthier.

This recipe will feed a crowd! And while it does take a bit of time to make, it’ll be worth it, I promise! :)

The Best Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork}
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

The Best Guacamole

Hands-down, my favorite recipe for guacamole. It’s creamy just like guacamole should be, but it’s got incredible flavor with the addition of spices like cumin and a pinch of cayenne pepper!

If I’m gong to include the words “the-best” in the title of any recipe, you better believe that it deserves to be there. This is, by far, the best guacamole I’ve made at home to-date. I used to take the simplistic route with guacamole and throw in some chopped tomatoes and cilantro and I thought it was perfect. Then I tried this recipe and it blew the simplistic guac out of the water!

So what makes this guacamole special? It all comes down to the seasonings, in particular, the cumin, and a hint of cayenne pepper. This guac ends up being perfectly creamy with just a subtle hint of heat. The kind of heat that just about no one would be turned off by. Of course it has the traditional veggies that most guac’s have including chopped tomato, purple onion, cilantro, and a little jalapeño. Actually, jalapeño’s are considered fruit (assuming wikipedia is correct and all… ) if you wanted to be scientifically correct! Did you know that?

Anyhow, back to this guacamole. It is best if you let it sit for about an hour so that all of the flavors can hang out for a bit. It’s definitely good fresh, but we noticed it tasted even better after about an hour or so! Make sure you store the guacamole in an air-tight container so that you get the longest possible life out of it. Avocados, like bananas and apples, brown when exposed to oxygen. The lime juice in this recipe helps with the oxidation, but an air-tight container is important.

Now go grab a bag of your favorite tortilla chips or a handful of veggies, and dig in!

The Best Guacamole
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Fried Ice Cream Cake

This Fried Ice Cream Cake Dessert isn’t actually fried. It’s made in a pan, and is the no muss, no fuss way to enjoy the flavors of fried ice cream without the hassle of actually frying it!

I feel like after today, I need to just stop making new dessert recipes for the rest of the Spring/Summer because this is the only dessert that I will want. Over. And over. And over. I love fried ice cream, but the idea of taking the time to coat a ball of ice cream, heat a pot of oil, and actually fry the ice cream, has prevented me from making this dessert at home.

When I came across a pin on Pinterest for Fried Ice Cream, made in a pan, without the hassle of heating oil, I knew I had to try it. And what better time to try it than during the week when we’re celebrating Cinco De Mayo? I do realize that fried ice cream is not Mexican at all, however, the very first time I tried fried ice cream was in a Mexican restaurant. For that reason, I always tend to associate it with all things tacos and quesadillas, and of course, Cinco de Mayo!

You’ll start by taking the ice cream (2 quarts) out of the fridge so that it can soften for about 30 minutes. While the ice cream is softening, you’ll crush 6 cups of corn flakes. I used a food processor, but you could also just put them in a big ziplock and use a rolling pin to crush ‘em. 6 cups corn flakes amounts to about 3 cups crushed corn flakes. Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. When melted, add in the crushed corn flakes and 3/4 cup sugar. Sauté this mixture for about 3-5 minutes.

In a large 9 x 13 inch baking dish, sprinkle 2/3 of the corn flake mixture over the bottom. Use your fingers to press the corn flakes into the bottom of the pan. Next up? The ice cream! You’ll combine 2 quarts softened ice cream with an 8 ounce tub of cool whip. Use 2 cups real whipped cream if you don’t have access to Cool Whip. Fried Ice Cream wouldn’t be Fried Ice Cream without the cinnamon, so toss 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon in with the ice cream and cool whip. Use a mixer to combine this all together, then spread it over the cornflakes in the pan. Top with the remaining corn flakes, then put it in the freezer to firm up for about 3 hours.

When you’re ready to serve this Fried Ice Cream Cake Dessert, you’ll drizzle a little honey over each piece, top with whipped cream if you wish, and a cherry! This dessert definitely ranks up there with the Chocolate Lasagna and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes! And obviously this is a no-bake dessert which, for Summer months, I love!

Fried Ice Cream Cake
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Get The Best Recipes Delivered to Your Inbox

Sign-up for our email subscription to get the best recipes delivered to your inbox!

Hey guys and gals! I just wanted to take a quick break from posting fabulous recipes to talk to you about CenterCutCook’s new  email subscription service. Up until now, we have been using a third party service (FeedBurner) to send you each new recipe via email. While it worked just fine, we weren’t completely satisfied with it.  So, Ryan (he’s my #1 taste tester, hubby of almost 10 years, and the official CenterCutCook IT guy) got to work and put together a brand new email subscription service. Thanks Ryan! :)

For those of you who are already subscribed, you’re probably wondering… now what? No worries, nothing will change, other than the email will look just a bit different. You will still get all of our mouth-watering recipes delivered to your inbox. Yay!

For those of you who haven’t yet subscribed via email, you’re probably wondering…. how do I sign up? All you have to do to get our mouth-watering recipes delivered to your inbox daily is click here. You will enter in your email address to subscribe, and then you’ll need to check your inbox for a confirmation email. Once you confirm, you’ll join thousands of others who don’t have to leave the comfort of their inbox to view our recipes. 

We value your email address and will never sell or trade it… not even for a nice set of pots and pans. If that doesn’t demonstrate our dedication to keeping your email address private, then I don’t know what will!;)

The format of the email will be similar to what you see if you happen to use our “Email This” feature  within each recipe (by the way, over 13,000 of you have emailed a recipe to a friend or family member over the last month!). 

Alright, what are you waiting for? Go sign up to get the best recipes delivered to your inbox daily! Click here to be taken to the sign-up page!

Get The Best Recipes Delivered to Your Inbox
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Taco Dip

One of my favorite appetizers of all time, this taco dip served with tortilla chips is easy to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser.

When I got married and my husband’s family threw a shower for us, the ladies were asked to bring a recipe to share with me. To my surprise, I got at least three recipe cards for the exact same Taco Dip. Family recipe? I think so! Since then I have had this dip at too many family gatherings to count, and have made it myself probably just as many times. It’s simple, and delicious, and I have found that every time I make it, someone is always asking for the recipe.

The base of the dip consists of cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. You will want to use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to combine the ingredients so that they are incorporated well. Use your favorite brand of taco seasoning, or go ahead and make it from scratch with my Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe.

Next you’ll need some shredded cheddar cheese. I always like to shred my own cheese because it tastes better! 

Top with any of your favorite garnishes. I usually just add chopped lettuce and tomatoes, but feel free to add olives if you’d like. Sometimes I pile all of the toppings right on top, other times I arrange the garnishes off to the side.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy! Be prepared, because this dip never lasts long! It is always a hit.

Note: Make sure the cream cheese is almost room temperature before using it, otherwise you may find you end up with a clumpy dip instead of a creamy one. Use any taco seasoning you like, French’s Taco seasoning happens to be our favorite as far as store brands go.

Taco Dip
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Cinco De Mayo Recipes

If you’re looking for Cinco De Mayo Recipes to create your own Mexican Feast at Home, you’re in the right place! Here you’ll find all of your favorite Mexican inspired recipes!

Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner which means it’s time to whip up all of your favorite Cinco De Mayo recipes! Truth be told, I don’t need a holiday for an excuse to make all of my favorite Mexican inspired recipes, but if you do, here’s your excuse! I am a sucker for all things Mexican – from good authentic tacos, to the not-so authentic kind. And there’s nothing I love more than homemade guacamole and salsa with warm tortilla chips!

Below you are going to find everything from dips and appetizers to a variety of taco ideas, and even a casserole to create a Mexican feast filled with something everyone will love! There are plenty of flavorful south of the border bites to try all week long! The only thing I’m missing is a Mexican inspired dessert, but don’t you worry, that’ll be coming up this week!

Just click on any image to view the full recipe!

Cinco De Mayo Recipes
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

If you are looking for a beautiful, fun way to serve fruit, look no further than these rainbow fruit kabobs. Kid-friendly is one phrase I can think of to describe them, insanely delicious is another.

If you are looking for a beautiful, fun way to serve fruit, look no further than these rainbow fruit kabobs! Kid-friendly, and delicious, they are perfect for an after-school snack, a party, or even as a side for dinner during the summer months. Each kabob has a variety of fruits like strawberries, oranges, pineapple, kiwi, and grapes. You can select any fruits you’d like, but these kabobs tend to look best if you follow the colors of the rainbow as best as you can (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet). They also make for a beautiful presentation when entertaining. I’ve made these for Christmas parties, a baby shower, and even brought them to girl’s night one week.

Choose any fruits you’d like, as long as they go along with the rainbow theme! If you’ve never cut a pineapple before, and you’re not quite sure what to do, check-out this handy guide: how to cut a pineapple. A pineapple can look a little intimidating, but it is really pretty painless to cut up!

Don’t they look so pretty? You’ll get compliments left and right when serving these guys! Fresh, healthy, delicious! Love ‘em!

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs
Copyright © 2013 CenterCutCook.com