Betty Crocker Colada Cooler Punch

Betty Crocker Salmon Burgers with Dill Sauce.

I love to play the pantry game. Ya know, when  you don't have a plan for dinner and haven't been to the grocery store in awhile but you have to come up with something for dinner. Well, tonight, the pantry just happened to offer some ingredients for a Betty recipe. 

I give you- Betty Crocker Salmon Burgers, a.k.a salmon patties. We didn't have much money growing up and salmon wasn't as affordable back in the day so we bought mackerel- same principal, different fish. Also, it wasn't served with a fancy sauce to dip it in. 

Ok, enough of the history lesson, back to the recipe. These came out pretty good. The only alteration I made was that I baked them rather than pan fry them (I had a moment of 'ok let's watch our fried food intake'). If I had to say anything, maybe just that the recipe could of used a bit more salt, but overall a tasty dish, I'd definitely make them again.

Betty Crocker Basil Pesto

One of my favorite foods.

Pesto. What else is there to say? Pesto. A condiment? A sauce? A topping? Whatever you call it or however you use it, it's a culinary gift of nature. One tablespoon of it packs such a flavorful punch it just blesses anything it touches with yumminess. 

On top of being one of my top three favorite condiments, I love to make it myself. I live all year to pick the first bunch of fresh basil from garden just to make a jar of pesto. The way my kitchen becomes perfumed with the fragrance of basil is like herbal aromatherapy. Inhale slowly, now exhale, ahhh.

Betty Crocker Fajita Quesadillas

The Front Porch

     All my life I've wanted a front porch. Whenever I go anywhere I always notice a full length or wrap around porch and wish I had one to sit on, decorate, entertain in, etc.
     What's funny about this is I have a front porch now. It's not a wrap around or full length but it's enough for the two rickety white rocking chairs that I have there now and the old wicker table and probably some really pretty planters to dress it up. So why haven't I taken the time to dress her up? Probably because I don't get out here much as it is. I think I'm going to have to do something about that- stay tuned.
     Back to 'the front porch'- like the lilacs of the previous post, the front porch is more than an entrance to a  house, it's a feeling, it's memories, it's the sound of birds chirping, the wind blowing the leaves, seeing a rabbit run across the road (that literally just happened as I was typing this), the smell of fresh air and grass, moments of inner reflection or planning the next 'whatever'. You could quite possibly change your life just by sitting on the front porch. Okay, that's sounds a bit cliche but I'm okay with that.
     I love the time I spend here, it's more than just a porch, it's a 'place'.

Betty Crocker Silver White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ok, so I have to disclose all the truths about this cake. I don't like white cake and I typically hate most frosting's and I especially don't like my cake cold which was the case here. The hubby loves white cake and white frosting- especially the gritty kind of frosting. I made this cake for his birthday, and conveniently for the blog too. He loves his cake cold, so I had put it in the frig, which to me makes it taste dry. I've left it out on the counter and will give it another try later today and hopefully the moisture will be there.  If it were up to me all cake would be DEVILS FOOD! (Excuse the pic, I didn't get a good one before we cut it and the frosting wasn't cooperating)

The smell of spring

The smell of lilacs in the spring, to me, is more than a fragrance, it's a moment. Because in the measurement of time it feels like they only bloom for a moment and then they're gone again. Some years back I began to try to extend that moment by cutting them and bringing them in the house. OHHHH, the smell! Not to mention they are the most gorgeous shade of purple. There's nothing like fresh cut lilacs in the house.

Betty Crocker Quiche Lorraine

Betty Crocker Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Betty Crocker Chicken Marsala

Betty Crocker Chicken Marsala

This was a fairly easy dish to make. Only a few non-staple ingredients and came out quite tasty. The chicken was tender and flavorful as was the mushrooms. I feel like there should have been more sauce so next time I’ll add more liquid so that the noodles can get some of the goodness too! 

Jarri liked it. I didn’t bother offering to the husband but did make a non-mushroom version for him. Just used chicken broth for the sauce. 

The recipe called for Marsala or a dry wine. I actually used a pinot grigio and I liked it.

Bon Appetit!

Betty Crocker French Toast

Betty Crocker French Toast

Family review: Kids are likes elves, if it has syrup, it’s good. Husband say’s it’s just typical french toast. And it is. 

Now if you are looking for a kick-ass French Toast, use texas toast for the bread, put heavy cream in your egg  mixture and then dip it in crushed Cap’n Crunch cereal and fry it. You have to have a good amount of oil though to make sure you get the crunch. It’s so delicious it’s dangerous. Dangerous because you’ll be making it all the time. The family will come to know if there is Cap’n  Crunch cereal in the cabinet, that you’re making french toast soon.

Betty Crocker Starlight Cake

Talk about a classic, this is it. It didn't last long . As a matter of fact it was gone the next day which is actually a shame because as everyone knows- cake is always better the  next day! Oh well, maybe next time.

Betty Crocker Vanilla Pudding

No fancy presentation or plating needed for this dish because it would just be a waste of time. Just grab a spoon!

Betty Crocker Spaghetti Pie

Our house is divided on the preferred way to eat spaghetti. +Kris Suvada prefers to have his his noodles topped with sauce just prior to eating rather than mixed together. I can have it either way. This dish actually has some good flavor to it. Jarri says it's a keeper.

Betty Crocker Tuna Noodle Casserole

This was the dish that started it all. Not a very photogenic dish but it sure was tasty. Unfortunately, the kids weren't fond of the tuna  part of it. This was strange considering my kids normally love tuna. Oh well, I like it.  Creamy and cheesy, what else could you want?

The inspiration

There she is, my Betty, in all  her glory. The book that has inspired this adventure.

So you may have noticed some photos of recipes titled Betty Crocker _____ (something, something). My current venture/challenge/activity is to cook every recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. No rhyme or reason, just because I want to. I will admit that I did love the movie, Julie and Julia, and the idea of cooking my way through an entire cookbook sounds like truly self indulgent fun . I like to throw a little gourmet flare into my food but my family isn’t down with that so I decided to stick with the mainstream and more recognizable dishes. I’ve had my Betty for several years and she’s showing some wear for sure, but I’ve only used it for the basic recipes such as pancakes, biscuits and salad dressings rather than actual dishes. So we’ll give her a whirl and see if the flavor stacks up.

Stay tuned.