Strawberry-Lemon Trifle

Hi there friends! I hope you’ve had a great start to your week!

Can you believe that it’s March already? I know that some of you are probably still digging out from snow, but here in southern California, March means the start of…

STRAWBERRIES!!

March is when we start to see strawberries everywhere, and who doesn’t love strawberries? In addition to eating them straight from the container, you can use them in salads, yogurt, cereal, pancakes, muffins, cakes, pies, cookies, and even salsa.

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries? If you’re anything like me, you can’t pick a favorite.

Well, this recipe may not make it any easier for you to pick your fav. However, I do think that this would be a great addition to any spring or summer get together.

It may look a little daunting, but it is so easy to make!

Here’s how I made it…

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients:

• 1 box strawberry cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 small boxes instant lemon flavored pudding
• 4 cups nonfat milk
• 1 (16 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
• 1 lemon (for zest)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
• In a bowl, stir together cake mix, eggs, and canola oil and spread in baking pan.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until done. Let cool.
• While cooling, prepare lemon pudding and allow to set.
• Once strawberry “brownies” are cool, cut into squares.
• Layer ingredients in trifle dish, beginning with brownies, then pudding, strawberries, and finally the Cool Whip. Repeat.
• Zest a lemon over the top layer of Cool Whip and top with a strawberry.
• Chill for several hours before serving.

 

*Note: Enjoy the presentation of the dessert prior to serving because once you remove a portion, it’s not so pretty anymore 🙂

Enjoy! ❤

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Hi there friends!

As I started to type this blog post, I realized that this must have been my “pepper recipe” weekend. 🙂

However, this recipe starts with a much different kind of pepper (bell pepper as opposed to jalapeno pepper) and ends with an entirely different kind of dish. Stuffed peppers…

I love stuffed peppers! This is just one of about a million (possibly an exaggeration) 😉 different recipes that you’ll find for stuffed bell peppers. That is what makes them great. You can add this, subtract that, substitute this, or substitute that and make them exactly what you want them to be.

When I started this dish, I wasn’t quite sure how it would taste with the combination of spicy pork sausage and Mexican flavors, such as the beans, corn, and El Pato, but they were delicious!! If you don’t care for spicy pork sausage, you could always substitute ground turkey or beef.

Here’s how I made them…

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers
• 12 oz spicy pork sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (7.5 ounce) can El Pato
• 1/2-3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup rice
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray baking dish with cooking spray.
• Cut tops off of bell peppers and remove seeds. Place peppers in boiling water for 5-7 minutes. Chop remaining pieces from top of peppers.
• Brown sausage, onion, and remaining chopped peppers.
• Add remaining ingredients, except cheese, to sausage mixture. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until rice is cooked.
• Fill and place peppers with sausage mixture and place in baking dish. Remaining sausage mixture can be placed in baking dish alongside peppers.
• Cover dish with lid or foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove lid or foil, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

 

Enjoy! ❤

 

Jalapeno Pepper Slaw

Hi there friends! I hope you’re having a great weekend!

I have a recipe to share with you that is derived from a recipe that I grew up loving as a girl in my home state of Pennsylvania. My mom used to make a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Pepper Slaw and I would eat it by the bowlful every time she made it.

Pennsylvania Dutch Pepper Slaw is different than your traditional coleslaw that you may serve with chicken, ribs, etc.  Instead of having a mayonnaise base, pepper slaw has a vinegar base. Yum! I love anything with a vinegar base. As you have probably noticed, if a food has a “bite” or lots of heat to it, I love it!

So, you may ask how a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe ended up with jalapenos in it. Doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it?  Well, this is what happens when you take a girl born and raised in Pennsylvania (with a big taste for spice) and move her to California! You end up with a girl that cooks and bakes a wide and wacky variety of foods. Why not mix it up? 🙂

This is a great side to accompany the foods that you would have a mayo-based slaw with, but it would be delicious on sandwiches or tacos as well. Just think of this on a grilled fish or chicken taco…YUM!!

A couple of extra-added bonuses…it is so easy to make and you don’t have to worry about it staying cold, unlike a mayo-based slaw.

Here’s how you make it…

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• 1 bag pre-shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 2 chopped jalapenos (adjust for taste)
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar (I use Splenda)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons celery seed

Directions:

• Combine cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, and jalapenos in a large bowl.
• Whisk together remaining ingredients in separate bowl.
• Stir vinegar mixture into cabbage mixture and combine.
• Chill for several hours before serving.

Enjoy ❤