Our sweet friend Sarah Yocum made these yummy Marshmallow S’mores with the girls and we all went crazy!  They are to die for, especially if you are snow bound at home, like we are today!

Lasagna Soup

This is one of my favorite WOW recipes, it never fails to impress!  It’s easy to make so don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you.

• 1 cup diced or shredded carrots
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 6-8 cups beef broth
• 1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 can of condensed tomato soup
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 1/4 cups mafalda or other small pasta
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, brown the ground beef or turkey and drain well. Add onions and carrots; saute 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to saute 3-5 minutes. Add beef broth, tomatoes, tomato soup, and Italian seasoning. Simmer over low heat 25-30 minutes to combine flavors. Add pasta and cook 6-8 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Stir in spinach and cook 1 minute.

To serve, place 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese in the bottom of bowl and ladle hot soup over the top. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Garlic bread is a MUST with this soup!

I also like to serve it with Parmesan crisps. To make the Parmesan crisps spread 2 tbsp. of shredded Parmesan cheese thinly into a 4-5 inch circle on a preheated nonstick skillet. (it should look lacy) Cook 1-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. To turn, lift an edge with a spatula, carefully grab with your fingers and turn over. Transfer to a paper towel to cool. These are SO easy to make but look and taste impressive!
You can also make these with cheddar cheese. Just make sure to keep the layer of cheese thin so they will be crispy. They are also yummy crumbled over a salad.

Marcy’s Fish Tacos

I am so honored to be Kari’s guest today.
I am going to share with you my recipe for Fish Tacos, they are CRAZY good!  If you have never had Fish Tacos, you may be thinking that they sound strange; but trust me, they are worth trying.  I have had a ton of requests for this recipe and everyone who tries them, loves them.
The fish for these tacos is super easy, I buy the Trident ultimate fish sticks from COSTCO.  I know it’s cheating but for a weeknight meal you can’t beat them.  If you can’t find the Trident ultimate fish sticks then look for a high quality whole fillet fish stick…no minced fish!  You could also use unbreaded fish or make your own.

Bake the fish according to the directions on the back of the package. I usually use 1-2 pieces per taco.
This sauce makes the taco!

Cilantro Sauce

• 1 bunch of cilantro- washed and dried
• 1/4 cup of REAL mayo
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 clove of garlic peeled
• juice of 1 lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend away. If you would like a thinner sauce you can add 1-3 tablespoons of milk.
If you really want to impress someone, make this salsa to go on top.

• Tomato Avocado Salsa
• 2 cups plum tomatoes diced ( about 2 med)
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1 avocado diced
• 1 jalapeno minced-optional
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well.

You will also need shredded cabbage and warm corn or flour tortillas to make your tacos.

To assemble tacos: Place fish into warm tortilla , top with cabbage, cilantro sauce, tomato avocado salsa and/or hot sauce.

*Quick Tip- Make your cilantro sauce and salsa early in the day and refrigerate. When you need to make dinner, all you have to do it put the fish in the oven and warm your tortillas. EASY!  As a busy mom, I’m all about quick, easy, healthful meals that I can get on the table in a hurry.  These fish tacos are perfect when you don’t have a lot of time…if you plan ahead.

I hope you all enjoy these tacos as much as we do!

This is hands down, my kids favorite treat for Christmas… Kringle Krunch is easy to make and soooo yummy!! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 40 Saltine crackers or Club crackers (my personal favorite)
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 12 oz. milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375 degrees

1. Line cookie sheet with foil.
2. Place crackers in single layer.
3. In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Place back in over for 10 seconds!!!  Spread melted chocolate. Cool completely and break into pieces. (you can put in the fridge or freezer for added Krunch!)

Side Dish: Oregano Green Beans

Cat Cora, Southern Living

I LOVE the crazy cake man, Buddy Valastro on TLC Cake Boss!  It’s summer and new episodes are already showing off his craziness.  If you are not a fan yet, take a peek at this fun clip video of cake bliss and you will be hooked!  In the meantime, I want to know if you have ever had a “cake wreck?” Share your crazy story with me.  I found this hilarious blog called Cake Wrecks.  It shows off some of the best wrecks out there in bloggy land.  Her definition of “what’s a wreck?” is messy:

“A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate – you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it’s simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I’m not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.” (Cake Wrecks blog)

Get recipes from the cake artists featured on Ultimate Cake Off:

Episode 1:
*Simply Cakes – Richard Medina
*Southern Lemon Butter Cake – Ashley Vicos
*Tahitian Vanilla Butter Cake – Tariq Hanna

Episode 2:
*Yo Ho Ho and a Cake Full of Rum – Mike Elder
*Yummy Yellow Cake – Bob Brougham

Episode 3:
*Butter-Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Mousse – Norman R. Davis
*Chocolate Caramel Decadence – Clemence Gossett
*Gold Cake – Courtney Clark

Episode 4:
*Buttermilk Orange Blossom Pound Cake – Carrie Biggers
*Patty-Cakes White Wedding Cake – Pat Jacoby
*Red, White and Blue Cake – Tariq Hanna

Episode 5:
*Chocolate Chip Espresso Cake – Greg Marsh
*Deep South Chocolate Cake – Martha Hebert
*White Cake – Leslie Poyourow

Episode 6:
*French Vanilla Cake – Norman R. Davis
*Orange Pound Cake – Mark Randazzo
*White Velvet Cake – Rebecca Sutterby

Episode 7:
*Graham Cracker Cake – Anne Heap
*Raspberry Cake – Dana Herbert
*Simply Delicious Yellow Cake – Kate Sullivan

Episode 8:
*Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake – Mary Moy-Hochstetler
*French Vanilla Sour Cream Cake – Roland Winbeckler
*Southern Lemon Butter Cake – Ashley Vicos

Roger and I had no idea that we skipped the famous Pecan Fudge Balls the first night dining at the Grand Hotel.  It was such a simple name for a dessert.  We went for the Caramel Apple Bread Pudding and the fancy Mango cheesecake, but watched the balls passing by all around us.  They looked amazing.  We ordered the Fudge Balls the next night and we were not disappointed!  They are extraordinary and live up to their famous reputation.  We were Grand Hotel newbies, but quickly caught up by the end of the week.  I was so excited to find the recipe online and wanted to share the delicious dessert with my crazy readers.  I hope you enjoy and don’t gain a pound or two devouring this tasty Mackinac treat.

Grand Hotel Pecan Fudge Balls

Courtesy of The Grand Hotel

Pecan Balls:

1 quart vanilla ice cream
2 cups roasted pecan halves
FOR THE SAUCE:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups light corn syrup
1 pound chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon creme de cacao

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop the ice cream into a ball about the size of a baseball, perfecting the shape by rolling it between your hands. Roll each ball in the roasted pecan halves until well coated on all sides and place the balls on the parchment-line baking sheet. When all the balls are created, place in the freezer.

TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:
In a large saute pan, combine the heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips, vanilla extract and creme de cacao. Let cool.

TO SERVE:
Cover the bottom of a plate with about 1/4 cup of the sauce and place the pecan ball in the center of the sauce. Serve additional sauce on the side if desired or store for another use.

Makes 6 servings

Pecan Ball – Ice Cream, Pecans, Fudge Sauce – you could make this at home. Loved the cute dish they served it in.