Fun and Festive Holiday Bundt Cake

Posted on December 17, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Kel's festive holiday bundt cake

I recently saw this festive Christmas-y bundt cake on Pinterest and knew I would have to give it a try, if for nothing else than to wow the kids. I did a Google search for it and found a number of different recipes (plus you can adapt it to other holidays as well, such as Halloween or Fourth of July.)  And wow the kids it did — young and old alike! I guarantee you will get a number of “ooohs and aaaahs” if you make this for a holiday get-together.

Have a couple of slices!

Instead of making my own batter or icing, I used the store-bought mixes since it was my first attempt, and I must say it tasted pretty good and was certainly moist. Since there are a few extra steps involved making this versus an ordinary bundt cake, you have my permission to use the store-bought stuff as well. And this time of year, lots of cake mixes and icings are on sale, so take advantage of that, too.

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Whisk Me Away to Whisk

Posted on December 9, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Whisk exterior

*Note – Unfortunately, Whisk is no longer open. I wish Dan and Diane all of the best!

If you haven’t been to Whisk yet, put down whatever you are doing and go. What a wonderful, wonderful kitchen store and more. And yes, all of you Cary-haters (you know who you are), it is worth the trip to the revived Waverly Place shopping center (316 Colonades Way, Suite 214, Cary, NC 27518) that also is home to Whole Foods, Gigi’s and a whole lot more.

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Kel’s Shells, Stuffed With Spinach and Cheese

Posted on November 25, 2013 by kelleychisholm

add sauce

It’s been entirely too long since I’ve made stuffed shells. They are a bit labor-intensive, especially if you make your own marinara or Bolognese sauce, but I knew that Lexi would help stuff them with me. It was the first time in several weeks that I finally found some time to tinker around in the kitchen, doing what I love to do: making a great meal from scratch while watching football, especially since the temps outside had nosedived. This is truly comfort food on a cold and windy fall night.

I couldn’t decide whether to go meatless with homemade marinara, or make a hearty Bolognese sauce, which is the direction I decided to take after getting input from Lexi and Brad. Great call on their part! I used a combination of ground sirloin and sweet Italian sausage in the sauce, and you can find a similar recipe for the sauce I make for my “free-form lasagna” (click here for the recipe.)

Stuffed shells

These are wonderful to make for a crowd and they reheat really well.  The following recipe uses an entire box of shells (approximately 40 of them), so you may want to cut the recipe in half, depending on how many will be eating.

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Easy Eggs in a Basket

Posted on November 12, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Egg in a basket

Eggs in a basket, eggs in toast — whatever you want to call them, they are so easy to make. I can’t believe I had never seen this breakfast fare until this past summer, when the kids and I visited Gabe’s friend Carter and his parents (and my friends) Jill and Greg, at the beach. Some of their friends had driven all the way from Illinois, and one of them, Walter, was completely at home in the kitchen, planning and cooking meal after meal (I just love that in a man! Or a woman, for that matter.) Anyway, one morning we woke up to these wonderful eggs in a basket. What a great and easy idea. Thank you, Walter!

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Halloween Sweet Treats For Kids of All Ages

Posted on October 29, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Happy Halloween!

Since Halloween falls during the week this year, I decided to make Gabe and Lexi some treats this past weekend. You may have seen my earlier post this week about my caramel dip with apples that was supposed to start off as caramel-filled spple slices. Luckily, all wasn’t lost and I came out with a great treat in the end.

Dipping apple slices in caramel sauce

The dessert the kids were more excited about was the chocolate pudding with “dirt” and “worms.” This is so easy to make and I used sugar-free Jello, 2% milk and lite Cool Whip so it wouldn’t be too laden with sugar and fat. I also used yummy chocolate creme Oreos (so much for being good about nutritional values with these bad boys), or you can use regular oreos instead.  This is a great dessert to have your kids help make as there is no cooking required.

There's worms in my dessert!

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Get Pumped Over These Pumpkin Pie Bars!

Posted on October 22, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Fancy Krusteaz pumpkin pie barAs I mentioned in my post on moist and delicious crumb cake, the folks from Krusteaz* recently contacted me and asked if they could send some bake mixes to review. I couldn’t wait to try the pumpkin pie bars after making the Krusteaz crumb cake, which I thought would be a hard act to follow.

All I have to say is if you are a pumpkin lover, you have to make these awesome bars while the mix is on the shelves. As my friend and coworker Elaine put it, “these taste like they came from a bakery, not from a box!” She wanted to know what I added to the mix. Absolutely nothing. I decided to follow the easy directions on the box, and guess what? You really do not need to add a thing to the mix — they are so tasty and have just the right amount of spices. Plus the gingerbread crust is great!

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Kel’s Grilled Corn With Habanero Butter

Posted on October 16, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Habanero grilled cornI picked the last of my habanero peppers this weekend and was trying to decide what to make with them. I ran across some nice looking Silver Queen corn on sale at Harris Teeter, so decided to grill it in its husks with a habanero-butter spread. We haven’t cooked much corn this summer since the kitchen has been out of commission, so I’m trying to take advantage of the last bit of it while I can.

This corn was so tasty — grilling it brings out its sweetness and adds some smokiness, while the habanero pepper adds some heat. I liked the addition of the sweet basil as well, also fresh from my garden. Next time I may use a larger habanero — none of us, including Gabe and Lexi, thought it was too hot.

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Kel’s Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup for the Soul

Posted on October 14, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Kel's Roasted Butternut Squash and Red pepper Soup2The weather is getting cooler and that means one thing: Time for soup! Back in January, I asked my readers where to get the best soup in the Raleigh area. I must have tried soup in at least 30 different places and by the time I was wrapping up my research, the days were getting warmer so I decided to wait until fall to publish my favorites. I know you’re chomping at the bit to see my recommendations, so please stay tuned.

In the meantime, I urge you to make this wonderful roasted butternut squash and red pepper soup. Butternut squash is plentiful in grocery stores right now, many of which have squash on sale. Plus it’s the end of pepper season, so now’s the perfect time to make this awesome soup. I used nonfat yogurt instead of heavy cream this time to keep it light, and loved the taste and texture. The orange peel and ginger add so much depth and flavor to this soup and next time I make it I will probably add another teaspoon of each. I recommend keeping this vegetarian and using vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth that I used (it was all I had on hand at the time.)

Cuisinart Smart StickThis was the first time I got to try out my new Cuisinart Smart Stick® Hand Blender that I bought on sale right before the kitchen remodel. I love this gadget and can’t wait to use it again! However, if you do not have an immersion blender you can use a regular one as described below.

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Moist and Delicious Crumb Cake From a Box Mix? Absolutely!

Posted on October 11, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Krusteaz cinnamon crumb cakeThe folks from Krusteaz* recently contacted me and asked if they could send some bake mixes to review. Since I already love Krusteaz’s fat-free Cranberry Orange Muffin Mix (I add fresh blueberries for an extra special muffin), I did not hesitate to say “Yes, please and thank you!”

Krusteaz sent me four mixes, three of them just in time for fall baking:

  • Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake and Muffin Mix
  • Pumpkin Spice Muffin Mix
  • Pumpkin Pie Bar Mix
  • Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancake Mix

Krusteaz productsI started off with the Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake and Muffin Mix and I have to say – Wow! I opted to make the cake instead of the muffins and it turned out crazy moist and wonderfully delicious. As suggested on Krusteaz’s website, I added a cup of diced apples to the mix, which blended great with the cinnamon and added a slight crunch to the cake. Gabe and Lexi loved, loved, loved this. So did I.

Gabe loves Krusteaz crumb cake Continue reading →

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Kielbasa With Red Gold Chili Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans

Posted on October 8, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Kielbasa with Red Gold Tomatoes and Cannellini beans

Last week I promised to post a couple of recipes using Red Gold* tomatoes. With the weather getting cooler, here is a hearty and tasty dish with smoky kielbasa, smooth and creamy cannellini beans (which are white kidney beans) and Red Gold petite chili tomatoes that add just enough heat to spice up things a bit. This is such a simple recipe that packs a ton of flavor! While I like to eat this by itself with bread, you could also serve it over pasta or rice by adding an extra can of tomatoes to make it saucier.

I made this in my Ninja Cooking System — I still love this appliance, especially since I can brown the kielbasa with little oil and then add the rest of the ingredients in the same pan. Cleanup is a breeze! Use a large skillet if you don’t have the Ninja (and if you don’t, you should put this on your Christmas gift list — I still love mine!)

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