Trista Thinnes

Strawberry cupcake cookies

These are not the typical cookie texture. They remind me of the muffin tops that bakeries sometimes sell. They are very light and fluffy. My daughter calls them princess cakes because obviously they are pink. They are so easy to make that she actually made them.

1 box strawberry cake

1 container whipped topping

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

powdered sugar for dusting

This is the hard part. Mix it all together.

It is very sticky. Take about 1 tablespoon at a time. Roll it in powdered sugar until coated and no longer sticky. These will not look like perfect balls. They will be lumpy.

Place them onto a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes or until center is set to finger pressure.

Ground turkey stir fry

Dinner

AKA my version of the “egg roll in a bowl”. It is really just cabbage stir fry but I guess that does not sound like as much fun.

I am not sure there are many filling meals that are also this healthy. You can easily leave out the rice, or use brown rice, or even quinoa.

2 pounds ground turkey 93% lean

1 package 8-10 ounces shredded cabbage

2 large carrots julienned

1 orange bell pepper thinly sliced

1/2 cup broccoli cut small

5 green onions sliced

2 hot thai peppers chopped

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon sriracha

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon chinese 5 spice

Lime wedges to garnish

cooked white rice

roasted cashews to garnish

soy sauce to garnish

Prep all the veggies first.

Mix the soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, brown sugar, sesame oil, sriracha, garlic powder and 5 spice.

Sauté the turkey until done.

Add in veggies. Cook about 3-5 minutes. Add in the sauce. Stir and done. Garnish with fresh lime juice, cashews, green onions, sriracha.

Jalapeño popper chicken bombs

Dinner, Garden creations

These were AMAZING! I am not sure they are healthy but nevertheless.

4 large jalapeños

2 chicken breasts

1/2 pound bacon thin sliced and not maple flavored

1 8 ounce container plain cream cheese

2 green onions sliced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons bbq sauce. I used Stubbs

Using a jalapeño coring tool or a knife, remove the center of the jalapeño.

Mix together the cream cheese, bbq sauce, garlic and green onions. Stuff each jalapeño.

Butterfly each chicken breast and then pound very thin. Add salt and pepper. Wrap ine jalapeño inside of each prepared chicken breast. Cover each with bacon. Secure in place using toothpicks. Grill at 250-300 for about 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is at 165 degrees.

These are really better for a charcoal grill than a propane unless you like fires. We used our green egg.

I expected them to be pretty spicy. Jalapenos are all different. These were pretty hot to start but the spicy really dissipated when cooked this way. It ended up pretty sweet and I was a little disappointed. We love our poppers!

Asparagus and zucchini saute with sun dried tomatoes

Garden creations, Side dishes

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

5 sundried tomatoes in oil thinly sliced

1 zucchini chopped

1 bunch asparagus cut into thirds

salt and pepper

Saute the garlic in olive oil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the tomatoes. Cook 1 minute. Add both the asparagus and zucchini and cook 2-3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

This was found on the HEB website. I love my garden zucchini but sometimes I run out of ways to cook it. This was very good.

Buttermilk biscuits

Bread, Breakfast

1 stick cold salted butter

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the butter, flour, salt, and baking powder into a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl. Add buttermilk and mix by hand. Turn onto a floured surface. Press to 1/2 inch thick. Try to manipulate the dough as little as possible. Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass. Place onto a greased baking dish. The edges of the biscuits should touch. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Top with melted butter if desired.

This makes 12-13 biscuits. They freeze really well from the circle but unbaked state. To use them, do not thaw prior to cooking. Just cook frozen. Start at 475 degrees for 5 minutes then finish as 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

Creamy dill cucumbers

Garden creations, Side dishes

1 cucumber, sliced thin

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon dill

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all of the seasonings. Pour over a bowl containing the cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before eating.

This also works with yellow onion.

Pecan shortbread thumbprints

Dessert

This is an old recipe for her jam thumbprint cookies. I was not in a jam mood so I created a pecan filling. Boy, did they turn out good. This is all stuff I typically have in my pantry. Anything that tastes this good without an extra shopping trip is a bonus.

This is also a recipe for 13 cookies. I enjoy small amounts. Cookies don’t keep for more than a few days and we will not eat a dozen in hours. This is a perfect sized treat for the four of us. If you want, the recipe can easily double.

Filling

25 pecan halves

2 tablespoons room temperature butter

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons white karo syrup

Place all into a food processor and pulse until very small pieces.

Cookies:

1 cup flour

6 tablespoons butter room temperature

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

Combine all well. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll 1-2 tablespoons of dough into circles. This should make 13 cookies of equal size. Using the rounded edge of a teaspoon measure, indent the center of each dough ball. Place 1 packed teaspoon of pecan filling into the imprinted area. Bake for 12 minutes.

Skillet potatoes

Side dishes

I remember eating these a lot growing up. They are totally a midwestern dish. What I like about them is the sweetness of the onion when it caramelizes and also that I use less butter in this than any other baked or mashed potatoes. To me this is one of the few dishes that are so easy to make it is ridiculous.

1 shallot sliced thin

2 cloves garlic minced

red potatoes – about 6-8 peeled and thin sliced

3 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper to taste

Layer all of the ingredients in a skillet on low to medium low heat. Cover the skillet. Stir every 10 minutes. The key to these is a slow cook with minimal stirring. Stirrinn them too often will cause them to all break. By stirring, it is really more flipping them over like hash browns. Remove from heat when slightly browned and all potatoes are soft – about 30-40 minutes.

Dirty rice

Dinner, Side dishes

I will never alter this recipe. It is just perfect as it was written. I found it on Genius kitchen by Folkdiva as a true cajun dirty rice. We eat a LOT of this.

2 pounds ground beef

2 cups onion, chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dark roux – bacon grease/flour

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups beef stock

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons worcestershire

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon black pepper

15 cups cooked white rice

Garnish: green onion, fresh parsley, hot sauce

In a skillet, brown the beef. Do not drain. Add all the veggies. Cook on low for 10-20 minutes or until very cooked. Add roux. Continue to stir. Add the remaining ingredients except rice and garnishes. Cover and simmer on low for 2 hours. Stir every 30 minutes.

The roux! Mmmmmm…… slow and low.

After each 40 minutes of cooking:

Pickled red onions

Garden creations, jalapeno

1 red onion thin sliced

1 jalapeno thin sliced

1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper

2 garlic cloves smashed

1.5 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup apple cider vinegar

Dissolve the sugar and salt into the vinegar. Pour all of the liquid over the onions, jalapeno, black pepper and garlic that are placed into a mason jar. Refrigerate at least 24 hours. This will store refrigerated for 2 months.

My favorite use for these is on a grilled hot dog or bratwurst.

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