food Archives | Page 21 of 22 | Winstead Wandering

homemade strawberry sauce

April 3, 2015 by Abby

The days are longer, the temperature is warmer, and the local Piggly Wiggly has some beautiful produce.

Because it’s Spring, y’all.

What better way to welcome the season than with a batch- or four- of this sweet homemade strawberry sauce?

My favorite way to enjoy this sauce is in a glass of cold lemonade. The strawberry and lemonade combo? Red Robin has nothing on me.

In addition to the lemonade, strawberry sauce adds a sweet freshness to cheesecake, ice cream, or waffles or pancakes.

Or you can just enjoy it right off the spoon.

homemade strawberry sauce

2 cups sliced or diced strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

[Read more…]

march’s most popular posts

April 1, 2015 by Abby

Um, where did March go?

Between the whirlwind of the end of one term and the start of another, a week out of state for spring break, and all of the final decision-making before construction of our house is complete in a couple weeks, I feel like I barely blinked and the month is gone.

I did manage to write some posts in the midst of the craziness, though. Here are the most-viewed posts of March:

5. cinnamon roll bars

This is a recipe I posted a couple months back. The fact that it’s still getting a lot of hits is a testament to how ridiculously tasty it is.

4. how to maximize your wardrobe on a budget

Have a budget? Want to be clothed? Check out this post.

[Read more…]

10 best crescent roll dinner recipes + 3 desserts

March 23, 2015 by Abby

I try my best to create meals for my family that include more whole ingredients and fewer canned and processed foods. A lot of nights, I’m successful.

There are plenty of nights, though, that I’m mostly concerned with just getting something on the table. For the nights when I don’t have anything to pull from the freezer, I try to keep a tube of crescent roll dough in the fridge.

While crescent rolls may not be the most nutritious choice, they’re a super convenient way to pull a meal together quickly. Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite crescent roll recipes.

1. sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake from Winstead Wandering

2. Ranch Chicken Club Roll-Ups from Life With the Crust Cut Off

3. Pepperoni Pizza Crescents by Mess for Less

[Read more…]

jalapeño popper pizza

March 19, 2015 by Abby

I don’t pass up an opportunity to eat anything with the name “jalapeño popper”.

I also don’t say no to pizza. Ever.

So you can imagine my glee when, while scanning Pinterest, I saw a recipe for jalapeño popper pizza. I spent days drooling over the thought of this recipe. It took a couple weeks before I had the chance to make it.

And it was so worth the wait.

Jalapeño Popper Pizza
adapted from here

-1 ball of my never-need-delivery-again pizza dough
-4 ounces cream cheese, softened
-2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
-1/4 to 1/2 onion, finely diced
-4 slices of bacon, cooked and diced (the first time I made the recipe, I didn’t use bacon and it was still unbelievable)
-1 to 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (pepperjack, cheddar, or any blend will work fine)
-olive oil
-kosher salt

Preheat oven to 475 degrees with pizza stone inside and rack in second lowest position. Roll out the pizza dough to a 10 to 12 inch circle and transfer it to parchment paper. Use a fork to poke holes across the entire crust, leaving a one inch border. Bake crust on parchment paper for 5-7 minutes or until it loses its shine. Note: for full details on this pizza crust recipe, including baking instructions, see the original post.

Remove from the oven and brush olive oil over the outside rim. Spread with cream cheese. It’ll seem like you have too much cream cheese, but trust me, use it all. Next, add your shredded cheese, jalapeños, bacon, and onion. Return to oven and bake 6-8 minutes, until crust is a deep golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven again and brush olive oil over the outside crust. Sprinkle the whole thing with kosher salt, paying careful attention to the olive oiled rim.

I want to know: what flavor combinations are you powerless to resist?

mexican pizza {a taco bell copycat recipe}

March 5, 2015 by Abby

Confession: I’ve never had a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. Now that I make this fresh version at home, I’ll never need to.

The recipe calls for refried beans- I make mine using this recipe– and taco meat, but I often make mine with just beans and my husband’s with meat only.

Just as with regular tacos, this recipe can be adapted to fit the preferences or dietary needs of just about anybody; in fact, it practically begs for it.

Mexican Pizzas
adapted from here
(recipe makes 4 pizzas; quantities as needed)

8 6-inch tortillas
1 – 1 1/2 cups (1 can) refried beans (you may want more if you’re omitting the meat)
1/2 pound taco meat (prepare your ground beef or turkey as you normally do for tacos)
1/2 cup taco sauce (salsa works, too)
1 cup shredded cheese
cooking spray or 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Additional optional toppings:
-diced tomato
-shredded lettuce
-sour cream
-diced avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown your tortillas on both sides in a saucepan, either in hot oil or by spraying both sides with cooking spray. Spray a cookie sheet lined with foil.

On the foil, layer beans and meat on top of a browned tortilla. Cover with a second tortilla and spread that one with taco sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat until you’ve built four pizzas.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes.

What fast food favorite do you make at home?

mug brownie

March 3, 2015 by Abby

There are so many mug brownie recipes on Pinterest, so I was hesitant to add my own to the mix.

But here’s the thing about those other recipes. They suck. To be fair, I haven’t tried all the mug recipes. I’ve tried a lot, though. If I had a dollar for every failed mug brownie recipe I’ve tried…well, I could buy a few boxes of brownie mix.

If you, too, have been disappointed by the recipes you’ve tried, I urge you to try just one more. Trust me, it’s the last one you’ll ever need.

mug brownie
adapted from Creating & Co.

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water (optional: substitute 2 teaspoons of your favorite flavored coffee syrup; I prefer Torani salted caramel)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of salt

[Read more…]

baked spaghetti

February 26, 2015 by Abby

This baked spaghetti is my default the-labor-intensive-meal-I-had-planned-is-so-not-happening-tonight meal. It can be thrown together in just a few minutes more than the time it takes to cook the pasta, and it’s made with ingredients we almost always have on hand.

Don’t let the recipe’s simplicity fool you, though. This spaghetti is cheesy and gooey and saucy and just about everything you could want in a pasta dish. Plus, the way it bakes with the cheese and the sauce holding everything together makes it much easier to eat than a traditional spaghetti.

I love that this recipe is completely adaptable. You can use any type of noodles and cheese you have on hand, and you can totally toss in a handful of your favorite fresh or frozen veggies. Even my picky eater husband devours this dish and asks for seconds.What more can you want?

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb. whole grain spaghetti
1 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce
2 c. cheese, divided (I usually use half cheddar and half mozzarella)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

[Read more…]

crack(er) candy

February 24, 2015 by Abby

When I was in junior high, my step-mom, Ann, tried a new treat at a faculty potluck. The art teacher, I think, brought a strange family recipe that ended up being a huge hit. Ann liked it so much that she got the recipe and made them for our next family event.

They’ve pretty much been a staple at every gathering since, including as the dessert I choose on my birthday in lieu of cake. And y’all, I love cake.

Here’s the crazy thing about these addictive little morsels: they shouldn’t work. You shouldn’t be able to melt butter and brown sugar together into a caramel, pour it over saltine crackers, bake it and sprinkle it with chocolate chips, and end up with a dessert that’s startlingly addictive.

Lucky for me, though, it does work. Oh, does it work. Here’s how.

crack(er) candy

1 stick of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 sleeve of saltine crackers
2 cups of chocolate chips
kosher salt for sprinkling (optional)

[Read more…]

frosted sugar cookies

February 12, 2015 by Abby

Forget the crumbly, tasteless grocery store version. These homemade frosted sugar cookies are crisp and buttery around the outside and chewy in the middle. They’re everything a sugar cookie should be.

These cookies. These cookies.

Let’s be real for a second. Is there anything tastier than a well-made sugar cookie? I’m not talking about those crumbly, under-baked messes you buy from the “bakery” section of the grocery store. I’m talking about the real thing. The homemade version, with the slightly crunchy, buttery outside and the chewy, firm inside.

Every year I take my FBLA students to a district conference, where they compete in various business-related events. It isn’t the competition that they’re most excited about, though. It’s not the pizza we have for lunch, the scholarship opportunities, or even the day away from school that they most look forward to.

No, the thing my students spend all year talking about is these cookies. Because they’re that good, that buzz-worthy. If you think store-bought sugar cookies are “almost as good” as homemade, you owe it to yourself to make these and prove you wrong.

Frosted Sugar Cookies
cookie recipe adapted slightly from here, frosting recipe adapted slightly from here

for the cookies
1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder

for the frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp whole milk or cream

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla, eggs, and milk and mix until well combined. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix just until everything comes together.

Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

On a generously floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness, cut cookie shapes with cookie cutters, and bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and powdered sugar until they’re thick and well-mixed, about a minute. Add vanilla and milk or cream and mix on medium-high for about another minute.

Cool cookies completely before frosting.

What’s your favorite sugar cookie occasion?

Want to try more homemade favorites? Try these surprisingly simple and stunningly scrumptious peanut butter cup bars or this rich and fudgy mug brownie.

seasoned oven fries

February 5, 2015 by Abby

I mentioned in a recent what i’m loving wednesday post that I am so in love with my new French fry cutter.

We don’t have fries too often, but I do make them occasionally because they’re a great crowd-pleasing side. And now, with this new French fry cutter, they’re also super easy. It perfectly cuts a potato into fries in a matter of seconds, so you can get these babies in the oven and move on to the main dish.

This seasoned oven fries recipe bakes up in about as long as it takes to throw a few turkey burgers on the grill. With minimal effort, you have a side dish that’s hands down better than anything you’d pull out of the freezer section at the grocery store.

I used several of our favorite spices and seasonings in this recipe, but it’s completely adaptable to what you prefer and what you have on hand. And if you’re feeling naughty, go ahead and take the baked fries, sprinkle them with cheese and jalapenos and bacon, and toss them back in the oven for a few more minutes.

seasoned oven fries

3 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)

[Read more…]