Hawaiian Fruit Salad

I'm gonna go ahead a post a disclaimer up front.  There is nothing salad about this.  It has TWO BAGS OF MARSHMALLOWS in it.  TWO BAGS.  When  my family asked what was for dinner and I said, "Hawaiian Fruit Salad..." they replied, "Yum." until they asked what was in it.  Then Little Devil proceeded to ask if I was crazy and wrinkled her nose.  My first response was, "Don't knock it til ya try it..." followed by, "It has TWO BAGS OF MARSHMALLOWS in it.  What can possibly be bad about anything with TWO BAGS OF MARSHMALLOWS???"  I'm gonna go ahead and call it "salad" so my conscious and my waistline can feel less guilty about marshmallows and Cool Whip together in the same bowl.  Do not be discouraged by the ingredients like Little Devil was.  She loved it.  It's surprisingly light, sweet and just a little tart from the sour cream.  Plus the TWO BAGS OF MARSHMALLOWS puff up and get soft.  Seriously.  Eat the whole bowl.  It's just "salad."

Enjoy a hearty serving because it's SALAD.

Red Gold Peppers in Tomato Sauce

A while back, the nice folks at Red Gold Tomatoes sent me a variety pack of their tomatoes to try out.  I'm hooked.  We celebrated my Dad's 77th birthday this past weekend.  We had the whole family over for a home cooked meal, and I decided I would use the opportunity to experiment with some more of Red Gold's products.  I made their Caribbean Chicken Burger a while back, but this time I wanted to come up with my very own recipe.  My Dad is a meat and potatoes guy.  He doesn't go for fancy stuff, so I knew I'd be keeping the meal pretty straightforward.  I served assorted grilled sausages, Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (recipe coming soon), Sweet and Sour Green Beans 

from Christy Jordan's Southern Plate Cookbook, and for dessert: Spiced Peach Pie with Crumb Topping from my pal Michaela over at An Affair From The Heart.  When we lived in Nebraska, I used to buy these jars of peppers in a tangy tomato sauce.  We ate them with hot dogs and grilled sausages all of the time.  I can't find them around here, so I decided I would attempt to duplicate that recipe.  Not only did I duplicate it, I think I came up with something better: Red Gold Peppers in Tomato Sauce!

Don't have sausages or hot dogs without it!

Saute peppers, onions and garlic in olive oil.
Season with kosher salt and herbs.

Add cooked peppers to Red Gold Tomato Sauce
and simmer.

This would be delicious with pasta too!
Or serve along side your favorite meat course.

Copy Cat Orange Julius Drink

Mr. Devilish Dish is spoiled rotten.  Like a spoiled rotten egg.  Every night after dinner he says two things.  "Good Dinner Mom." Followed by, "What's for dessert?"  I love to make desserts so we do have dessert fairly often.  Probably more often than we should.  But when it's 500 degrees outside I don't feel like baking.  And (blasphemy) I don't like ice cream that much.  So what do you do when you have a spoiled husband that wants dessert but the Oklahoma weather dictates you never go near your oven in the month of August?  Well...you make Copy Cat Orange Julius drinks, that's what.  Remember these from your cool days at the mall?  When you hung out with your friends, got new stickers for your sticker album and checked out the latest records?  And the new Hello Kitty stuff from Sanrio?  And then you went to the food court and scoped out cute boys and drank Orange Julius?  Well now you can do that at home, look at the cute boy on your couch and stay cool. 

Bet you never had your Orange Julius in
a cool glass like this at the mall!

Easy One Dish Skillet Lasagna

The rut of figuring out what to make every night for dinner never stops.  Not even when you are a food blogger or an empty nester.  I still have to feed myself and Mr. Devilish Dish.  In the summertime, it's pretty easy because he grills a protein and we split it and enjoy a salad or some fresh veggies from our garden.  I'm usually excited for cold weather because I have all kinds of casseroles and soups and comfort meals I'm ready to try.  And then all of that gets old and boring and I find myself anxious for grilling weather again.  A while back Mr. Devilish Dish suggested we go back through the archives of recipes I have previously shared with you and give them a refresh.  We certainly have better lighting and better cameras these days.  I also have a better stove top and oven and fortunately some nicer cookware.  And I guess in a way, we've gained more cooking knowledge so I might even have new tips or tricks to share.  It has been a fun adventure re-visiting some of my older recipes, AND it totally takes the hassle out of meal planning.  I just scroll through the archives and grab something we haven't made in a while.  I've forgotten how good this recipe is, and how simple.  It is truly a one-dish recipe, so there isn't a lot of technique or clean-up involved, making it the perfect weeknight recipe.  All you need is a side salad or some garlic bread and you've got a satisfying meal, and all of the flavors of lasagna without the work.  

A simple but satisfying meal.
In one dish!

The ingredients...

Brown your ground beef
(or Italian sausage)

Drain off any fat from the cooked meat
and add your jar of marinara sauce.

Add the frozen cheese tortellini

In a bowl combine the Ricotta,
Parmesan, mozzarella and seasonings.

Scoop evenly over the top of the pasta.

Once your cheese is all scooped,
cover and bake.

Hot and bubbly cheesy goodness.

The perfect meal on a busy night.
Just a handful of dishes to wash.

EASY ONE DISH SKILLET LASAGNA

1 pound Italian Sausage or ground beef
1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
1 (19 ounce) bag frozen cheese tortellini
1 egg, beaten
1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage or ground beef until thoroughly cooked.  Drain any grease off.  Add marinara sauce.  Reduce heat.  Add tortellini and cook about 5 minutes, or until tortellini is almost tender. In a separate bowl combine egg, Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheeses.  Add seasonings and mix well.  Using a cookie scoop, drop scoops of cheese mixture into sauce mixture.  Cover and cook about 5-8 minutes until everything is hot and cheese balls are slightly melted. 

Prep Time:  Approximately 10 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 20 minutes

NOTE: This recipe was originally published on 8/22/14 and updated on 3/5/26.  

Browned Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats

Is there such a thing as a sophisticated Rice Krispie Treat?  Um....Yes there is.  You won't believe the flavor in these super simple treats.  The only addition to the standard recipe is vanilla bean paste.  If you haven't used vanilla bean paste, I highly recommend picking up a jar.  It's all the wonderful flavor of using fresh vanilla beans with the bonus of easy storage.  Browning the butter adds an extra level of flavor, that you don't find in your standard Rice Krispie Treat.  An extra richness and slightly nutty flavor.  To quote Mr. Devilish Dish, "These are like a regular Rice Krispie Treat on steroids."  Which I think is a compliment.  Sooooo, if you're looking for a modern twist on an old-fashioned treat, this is it.

Browned Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats...
"Sophisticated Rice Krispie Treats..."

If you don't believe me, you should have seen how
quickly a family of three dominated a 9x13-inch pan of these!

Caribbean Chicken Burger--Featuring Red Gold Tomatoes

A while back, the nice folks at Red Gold Tomatoes were gracious enough to send me a variety pack of their tomatoes, some recipes and the cutest lil' red apron ever.  Such a fun package to receive in the mail and I'm very excited to use their products.  While I've got a couple of tomato recipes of my own I'm playing with, I thought I'd share my version of Red Gold's Caribbean Chicken Burger with you.  Not only was this super simple to make, but the result was a very moist, flavorful burger.   I encourage you to head over to their webpage and try out some more of their recipes.  I especially enjoyed the recipes from the Summer Grillin' Party and I know you will too!

Thank you Red Gold Premium Tomatoes
for allowing me to try out your products!