I love to have fresh-baked goods on hand, but with our crazy schedule, who has time to bake? I love it when I can find a quick, easy recipe that allows me to make delicious treats for my family, while keeping it simple for me. Cake Mix Cookies are just about the simplest cookie in my repertoire, but they are always a big hit. They are so delicious, in fact, that nobody would ever know they are made with only four ingredients (cake mix, butter, eggs, and extract). I call that a win/win.

You can make Cake Mix Cookies with just about any flavor of cake mix you like. We were craving a lemony dessert, so we went with a lemon cake mix and a little lemon extract. A week or so ago, I received in the mail a shipment of the newly reformulated I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®. It is made from real, simple ingredients you can recognize like a delicious blend of plant-based oils, purified water and a pinch of salt. Since the packaging states, “The new I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® offers a fresh butter taste to add flavor to any meal, and can be used for spreading, topping, sautéing, cooking or baking,” I used it in my Cake Mix Cookies in place of the butter. They turned out perfectly delicious! They were just the right amount of chewy and sweet. I was very pleased with the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, and I will definitely use it again.

To make Cake Mix Cookies, you’ll need:

1 boxed cake mix (Whatever flavor you want. We used lemon.)
2 eggs
8 oz I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon extract (Whatever flavor goes with your cake mix. We used lemon. Vanilla and almond are also good choices.)

With a mixer or by hand, cream together the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® and the eggs. Add the extract. While mixing, slowly add the cake mix until it is well blended.

At this point, I stick mine back in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let the batter firm up a little. You can skip this step, but yours will cook about a minute or so faster.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake on 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. As all oven temperatures vary, keep an eye on them so that they don’t overcook.

Remove to a cooling rack to cool.

Cake Mix Cookies aren’t as sweet as say, a chocolate chip cookie or a snicker doodle. However, they are perfectly light and airy.

I encourage you guys to try the new I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and see how great it is for baking. If you love it much as I did, be sure to leave a product review here so that others can find out about it, too.

[yumprint-recipe id=’45’]I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Though I’ve lived in Birmingham and/or Meridian, Mississippi, most of my adult life, I actually grew up in southeast Alabama. Most of my childhood was spent in Dothan, which was a fantastic place to be a kid. Our neighborhood was full of boys and girls who were allowed to ride our bikes anywhere we wanted to go, as long as we were home by the time the street lights came on. Most summer days, we’d make the one mile trek to Water World, the water park near our home that boasted the city’s only wave pool and water slide. We’d leave home dressed in nothing but a swimsuit with a towel draped over our shoulders (No sunscreen! Yikes!). By the time we got back home, we’d be wet, spent, and starving. That little town in southeast Alabama and the people who live there hold lots of happy memories for me.

Dothan is known as the Peanut Capital of the World, owing to the abundance of the crop produced by the multitude of farmers in the area. While Now Orleans and Mobile have their Mardi Gras, Dothan has the National Peanut Festival, complete with a fair, parades, and the crowning of the Peanut Festival Queen. Every restaurant in town serves dishes made with peanuts, but by far the most popular on every restaurant’s menu is peanut butter pie.

Peanut butter pie is as much a part of life in Dothan as BBQ is in Memphis. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories! Every restaurant and Dothanite cook has their own recipe, and each one is delicious. This pie really isn’t hard to make, but it tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. Do your family a favor and make them a peanut butter pie!

You’ll need:

• 1 graham cracker crust
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup + 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 8-oz block cream cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, chopped fine
• Chocolate syrup for drizzling

Whip the whipping cream and confectioner’s sugar together. Set aside. (If your crew will let you get away with using Cool Whip, by all means, make it easy on yourself. Mine revolt on me when I don’t use the real thing. :))

Whip together the peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in half of the whipping cream and mix until blended. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer for this pie because it saves my arm, but you can use whatever works best for you.

Pour into pie crust. (Incidentally, my friend Stacey introduced me to enamelware pie plates, and they are my new favorite way to serve pie.)

Top with whipping cream.

Sprinkle nuts on top when ready to serve. If you put them on too far in advance, they lose some of their crunch.

When cut into slices, drizzle with chocolate syrup.

I hope you enjoy peanut butter pie as much as our crew does.

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It only takes one trip to the local specialty grocery store to see that flavored cooking oils can be quite expensive. Not long ago, a recipe I was making called for garlic-infused olive oil. It was about $12 at my corner market, which I consider to be highway robbery. I’m a work-at-home mom who has to be careful about where to save and where to splurge, and this was definitely NOT a splurge item for me. So I made my own. It was super easy, and you can make your own flavored cooking oil with any of your favorite herbs and spices. You can even mix flavors and create wonderfully flavored combinations. You can use flavored cooking oil to sauté fish, veggies, or chicken. Substitute it in any recipe that calls for olive oil. You can also use it with your favorite vinegar for salad dressing, and it is to-die-for as a dipping sauce for bread!

Choosing Your Oil

To make your own flavored cooking oil, the first step is to choose your oil. Most any cooking oil will work, so there is no need to purchase the most expensive oil on the shelf. Besides, you are adding flavor to the oil, so it will be delicious. To get a flavor that is closest to the herb or spice you are using, use a more flavorless oil like peanut, corn, vegetable, or canola oil. My personal preference, though, is to use olive oil. While the olive oil has its own distinct flavor which will infuse with the herbs and spices, I actually prefer this blending of flavors because I want the flavor of the olive oil to shine through.

Choosing Your Herbs and Spices

Hands down, my favorite herbs to use to make your own flavored cooking oil are ones that come from my herb garden. Basil and rosemary are my go-to herbs, but I also love to use green onion. Fresh roasted garlic and whole peppercorns are terrific spices to add, and you can adjust the level of punch to your liking. Don’t be afraid to mix herbs and spices together in oils. For an Italian flavored oil, you can combine basil, oregano, and garlic. Another favorite combo is lemon and garlic. When using fresh herbs, I typically add about 15 leaves of basin, about 5 garlic cloves, around 15 peppercorns, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and/or about 5 long sprigs of rosemary.

Choosing Your Container

Most discount stores like Walmart and Target carry olive oil dispensers. They are found in the kitchen section, and they are pretty inexpensive, usually around $5. You can order the Tablecraft Olive Oil Dispenser from Amazon, and I believe it is the one I used when I made this basil oil:

A couple of things to note:

• Flavored cooking oils will last around ten days in the cabinet or around a month in the fridge. If you refrigerate, give the oil about 20 minutes to come to room temperature before using.
• Using dried herbs can make the oil last longer, but be aware that chopped herbs can clog up the spout.
• Flavored cooking oils make a fun gift for your friends and family. Who doesn’t love a handmade gift, especially one that is as useful and thoughtful as this!

One of the best parts of summer, at least from a culinary standpoint, is the abundance of sweet summer fruits. My children and I love to visit our favorite blueberry farm and pick a gallon or two. Our famous Chilton County peaches are at the height of sweetness. Our light and healthy Summer Salad incorporates both of these delicious summer delicacies.

I used my Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe for the dressing, as I believe that freshly made dressing tastes SO much better than bottled. But if you don’t have time, by all means use your favorite bottled dressing.

The first step in making our Summer Salad is to grill the peaches. I cut mine in half from top to bottom and removed the stone. Then I cut them fro top to bottom again so that they are quartered. Then I grilled them for about 10 minutes on each side. They should have a nice caramelized exterior, without getting too mushy. If your peaches are really ripe, you might not have to grill them for the full ten minutes on each side.

The next step in making a Summer Salad is to toast the walnuts. I line a cookie sheet with foil to make clean-up easier. Then I spray the walnuts with cooking spray and salt them. Toast in a 375 degree oven for about 6 minutes. Watch them closely, as nuts burn quickly in the oven.

With the peaches and walnuts done, you are ready to start assembling your Summer Salad. First mix together the greens and dressing, tossing to coat. Place your salad greens onto plates. Top with peaches, blueberries, coconut, and walnuts. Serve and enjoy.

How do you do summer salad in your house? Do you take advantage of in-season, juicy fruits?

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My friend Heather Brown from My Life Well Loved is back today with a delicious recipe for Breakfast Casserole. We love breakfast at The Hill Hangout, and I am always on the lookout for new breakfast ideas. This one is full of eggs, cheese, and sausage, so I know my peeps will gobble it down. And don’t be afraid to step out of the box and serve this for dinner!

This is pretty much the only breakfast casserole I’ve ever made or feel like I need to make. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and it has served me well over our 5 years of marriage so far. I have made it A LOT over the years for BRINNER (breakfast for dinner), company, and just to last us on a tight budgeted week.

This recipe makes a ton of food, so it’s great for weeks when I don’t want to have to cook a lot during the week and we need plenty of leftovers. This casserole is so good that my husband and I will sometimes fight over who gets to finish it! We take ours smothered in ketchup, please. Yes, that’s another weird habit I’ve picked up from the hubs. I used to think it was so weird to put salsa or ketchup on your eggs and now I’m one of those weirdos too. 😉

The Best Classic Breakfast Casserole
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
8 eggs
2 c milk
7 slices white bread torn into small pieces (take off the crust)
1 t salt
1 t mustard
1 lb crumbled breakfast beef or turkey sausage (cooked)
1 & ½ c shredded cheddar

Beat eggs, add milk, sausage, bread & seasonings.
Bake at 350 for 45 min or until done.

Salisbury Steak is one of those meals I grew up eating. I don’t remember my mom making it, necessarily, but I do remember that it’s what I’d order from a restaurant menu anytime it was available. It might have also been my go-to choice in TV dinners, which were often my after-school snack. Haha! I can still recall those little aluminum trays, each frozen food in its spot. I loved it, but I’m so happy that I’ve learned how to make homemade Salisbury Steak now. It’s a salt-of-the-earth kind of meal, and I believe it’s best served with homemade mashed potatoes and a good country vegetable like creamed corn or field peas. My peeps love hamburger steak, so I tried out this dressed-up version on them recently. They loved it, so I’m going to be sure to add it to the regular rotation around here.

2 lbs ground beef
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 small onion, very finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 jars beef gravy
1/2 cup port wine
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

In a big bowl, mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, worcestershire, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. I usually do this by hand (literally, with my hands), but you could use a Kitchenaid stand mixer. When it’s good and blended, divide into patties. I usually make about 6-7 patties from 2 lbs of ground beef. Place them into a skillet heated to medium. I use my Le Creuset braiser because it’s big enough to hold 6 or 7 steaks at one time. Brown on each side for about 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix together the gravy, port wine, garlic powder, and onion powder.

When patties are browned on the outside, I remove them from the pan so I can pour off the extra grease. Return steaks to the pan and cover with mushrooms. Pour gravy mixture over all, being sure all mushrooms are covered in gravy. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or until steaks are cook through and mushrooms are tender.

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Today I’d like to introduce you to my friend Heather at My Life Well Loved. Heather is a fellow Birminghamian, as well as a fellow food blogger. She is a contributor to our new Facebook and Pinterest site called Southern Roots Recipes, where Heather and I, along with four other Alabama food bloggers, share our tried and true recipes. I’d love for you to join us there. And now, I give you Heather and her fabulous Cauliflower Casserole recipe…

Cauliflower, Shmauliflower is what I always thought….until NOW! I have loathed this veggie and loved to hate it since I was a child. It is basically the arch nemesis veggie in my eyes. We are not friends cauliflower and I. Or at least, I thought we weren’t. My mind started to open up when I saw others pinning it as a fake out mashed potato and as fake out casseroles, so I decided in the name of healthier eating to give this enemy another shot!

The hubs made this recipe for us one night this week. Seriously, I’m a lucky girl that he’s willing to cook for me. This recipe did take a little bit of work between cooking the chicken, steaming the cauliflower and chopping up the ingredients but man, it was well worth it. I gave it a thumbs up which I didn’t necessarily think that I would and even the hubs liked it!

We were shocked by how much we liked this cauliflower casserole. In fact, we plan on making it again!! I hope you guys enjoy this loaded casserole dish that feels like a cheat but isn’t really that bad as much as we did! The recipe has so much yummy goodness in it that the cauliflower just takes on the other flavors and becomes much more mild. Do any of you have any other cauliflower recipes you’d recommend I try?

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 package cauliflower
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 bundle green onions, sliced
4 ounces bacon pieces
1/8 t garlic power
Salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Steam cauliflower until tender.
Meanwhile, combine cheeses in a large bowl. Remove ¼ of cheese and set aside. Stir chicken, green onions, bacon, and garlic powder into remaining cheese.
Stir cauliflower into cheese mixture and season with salt & pepper. Pour into a 9×13 glass baking dish. Top with additional cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.