Domestic Superhero

menu icon
search icon

Sriracha Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Up until last year, I had never even had Brussels sprouts, but for some reason I had a bad mental image of them.  People always talk about how they aren't very tasty, or grew up hating them.  Well, I think things have changed, or maybe cooking styles have changed, because if you cook these little green vegetables right, they are so delicious!  First I tried roasting them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.....success!  I think the key is letting them get a little brown and crisp on the outer layers.  A little burn is good in the case of Brussels sprouts!  Next, I tried roasting them again, but this time tossed in a Caesar dressing.....success!  These were little explosions of flavor and I highly recommend that method of preparing.  More recently, I wanted to spice them up...so where did I turn?  Sriracha!  Have you jumped on the Sriracha bandwagon yet? No?  Yes? Regardless, this is the perfect recipe to try.  

This dish blends sweet (honey!) and spicy (sriracha) for the perfect flavor combination.  Even if you are a Brussels sprouts hater, try this out and let me know what you think...I *think* you might be swayed in the other direction.  This Sriracha glaze would be perfect for other things as well...chicken, tofu, fish, other veggies...you name it, I bet it would be tasty.

Sriracha Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Oh, by the way, The Savannah Bee Company is the bomb.com.  Their honey is so so so good! If you can't make a trip to Savannah, pop on over to their website and order some.  I love the Sourwood, but all the flavors are to die for.  AND, if you do by chance make it to Savannah, bee (haha) sure to stop at their store and do a honey sampling. LOVE! 

Sriracha Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Print
Sriracha Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
  • 1 bag of Brussels Sprouts or about 3 cups, cut in half
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1½ tablespoons honey
  • ½-1 teaspoon sriracha
  • ½ of lime the juice
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. 1. Trim the ends off the brussels sprouts and then slice them in half.
  3. 2. On a baking sheet, toss the brussels sprouts with the oil and season lightly with salt.
  4. 3. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Toss and roast for 10 more minutes.
  5. 4. Meanwhile, whisk together the honey, sriracha and lime juice until combined. After the brussels sprouts have roasted for 20 minutes, pour the glaze over them, toss to combine, and roast for 2 minutes more.
  6. Serve immediately

Recently I made some Sriracha Popcorn...ch-ch-check it out!


Crispy Pressed Tofu with Garlic & Mint

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

 

Crispy Pressed Tofu with Garlic & Mint

After pressing the water out of the tofu, the marinade is made, and then the tofu sits in the marinade for as long as you want (preferably over an hour-I did mine overnight).   

Mint Tofu 1

Then you cook it up, and it's done.  It's really easy, and tasty.

Print
Crispy Pressed Tofu with Garlic and Mint
Ingredients
  • 2 14-ounce packages extra-firm tofu
  • 4 large garlic cloves smashed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt plus more to season
  • ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves chopped
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. 1. Drain tofu with EZ Tofu Press or between books/towels if you have no press.
  2. 2. Slice each piece of tofu crosswise into 4 (½-inch) thick slabs.
  3. 3. Mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic paste, and pepper flakes. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the olive oil.
  4. 4. Toss the tofu with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate it for up to 12 hours.
  5. 5. When you are ready to cook, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes. Lift the tofu from the marinade and place it in the pan. Reserve the marinade. Press tofu down with spatula while cooking. Some liquid will come out, that is good. Cook for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the tofu is well browned, a few more minutes. Flip the tofu over, and cook until the tofu is browned on the second side and cooked through.
  6. 6. Transfer the tofu to a serving platter. Pour the oil out of the pan, then add the reserved marinade. Stir and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan; pour over the tofu and serve.

 

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake is delicious and super moist! Perfect for breakfast or a snack!

Look good? I promise you, it's to die for!   Head on over to Alderberry Hill and check out the Guest Post I wrote for her today! 

Need a quick fix? Print the recipe below!

Print
Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • Zest from 1 large lemon
  • ¾ cup + 3 tablespoons Sugar set 1 TBS aside for sprinkling on top
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups flour set aside ¼ cup of this to toss w/blueberries
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • ½ cup buttermilk
Instructions
  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and the sugar (keep 1TBS separate) until light and fluffy.
  2. 2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. 3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
  4. 4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes.
  5. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.)
  6. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake is delicious and super moist! Perfect for breakfast or a snack!


Buffalo Quinoa Bites with Bleu Cheese Dip

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Buffalo Quinoa Bites with Bleu Cheese Dip

Quinoa is seriously one of my favorite foods in the world. It is so versatile  and can be used in recipes that call for other ingredients such as rice, cous cous 0r some sort of filling.  I recently saw a recipe where it was used in making lasagna, in place of real noodles...genius!  Another one of my favorite things ever, is buffalo sauce.  At points in my life I have contemplated opening a restaurant with just buffal0 flavored foods...I think it would be a great success, because it seems like anything can be turned 'buffalo' style, and it's always delicious.  I would definitely have these little Buffalo Quinoa Bites on my menu...probably under the appetizer section.   At my house we ate these as a main dish, but they seem perfect for an appetizer, or dish to pass at a party or potluck.  I'll likely bring these to parties from now on, because they totally replace the idea of buffalo wings...and they are way healthier, too.

I make tons of Quinoa Cakes, and these are like a little mini version.  However, instead of lightly pan frying them, I tried baking them in a mini muffin tin, which turned out to be the best idea ever.  It was way faster than cooking them on the stove top, and healthier too (hey, every calorie counts!).  Baking them in the tin also made them crisp all over the outside, which was way better than being soggy on the sides.  If you have tried my Buffalo 'Mac' and Cheese (clue, it's not macaroni, it's quinoa!), then you would definitely love these.  In general, if you like buffalo flavor, you are going to love these...trust me.

Mix everything together....

Buffalo Quinoa Bites with Bleu Cheese Dip

Scoop into mini muffin tins.....

Buffalo Quinoa Bites 01

Bake & Serve...

Buffalo Quinoa Bites with Bleu Cheese Dip

Buffalo Quinoa Bites with Bleu Cheese Dip

Print
Buffalo Quinoa Bites with Bleu Cheese Dip
Ingredients
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 cups quinoa cooked
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 green onions thinly sliced
  • ½ cup Franks buffalo sauce
  • 2 small celery stalks diced small
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese I used extra sharp white
  • 4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese softened (also sold as ⅓ Less Fat Cream Cheese, or you can use regular cream cheese)
  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients For the dip
  • 1 cup low-fat plain Greek Yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 green onions sliced thin
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix together all the dip ingredients until well incorporated. Place in the fridge while you prepare the bites.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray the cups of a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together all remaining quinoa bite ingredients until well mixed.
  4. Spoon about two tablespoons of the mixture into each of the cups of the mini muffin tin. (for me it was helpful using the actual tablespoon) Press bites down with back of a fork.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bites are set and beginning to brown on top.
  6. Let cool for five minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and serve warm with the dip.
Recipe Notes

Serving size: About 3 bites and 2 tablespoons dip.
Servings per recipe: 8
Nutrition per serving (about): 213 calories, 13g fat, 14g carbs, 10g protein

Love quinoa like I do? Check out these other great quinoa recipes!


Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad

Around this time of the year, I love shopping for berries at the local Asian Farmers Market.  They are so cheap ($1 per container of strawberries), and while they won't last for days, if you have a recipe in mind they are perfect.  I went a little overboard that weekend with my strawberry purchases.  We were hosting a brunch and I had decided to make a strawberry danish, and I had also made fresh Strawberry and Basil Margaritas the night before. So I stocked up, and had some left over.  

With perfect timing, my friend shared a recipe with me for a Seasonal Strawberry Feta and Quinoa Salad.  She knows how much I adore quinoa.  It looked delicious, and since I had nearly all the ingredients on hand, I decided to make it the next day.  While the original recipe called for walnuts, I didn't have any, so I left those out. It also suggested feta, however I had barely any feta left, but a whole container of goat cheese.  I am sure it would be delicious as it was first written, but we absolutely loves the salad with the few modifications...even my husband, who doesn't usually like strawberries all that much.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad

This Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad is perfect for summer. It's light and sweet, and filled with protein from the nutrient packed quinoa.  Make this and take it along to your neighborhood BBQ, everyone will be asking you for the recipe.

Love quinoa like I do? Check out these other great quinoa recipes!

Make sure you don’t miss a thing! Follow Domestic Superhero on:

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | Email

For NEW RECIPES delivered straight to your inbox, signup for our email list! 

Print
Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa dry
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups sliced strawberries
  • ¼-1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese however much you like
  • 1 Tbs fresh basil chopped
  • 2-3 Tbs honey
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
Instructions

  1. In a small pot, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff with fork, and remove from heat. Refrigerate to cool (I only did this for about 15 minutes)

  2. In a large bowl mix together quinoa, sliced strawberries, goat cheese, and basil.

  3. In small bowl, mix honey and olive oil with a fork, then drizzle over quinoa mixture and toss.

  4. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Skinny French Onion Soup

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Skinny French Onion Soup


If there is one soup that I love, it's French Onion.  It's rich, decadent, and delicious.  However, since I became a vegetarian, I realized that this soup is actually made with a beef broth base (no!!), and although I may have had it a few times since becoming a veggie (give me a break!), I wanted to find a way to make it using a vegetable base.  Turns out making it with vegetable broth is just as delicious, as long as you give the onions the time it takes to carmalize and brown.  

I also decided to lighten it up a bit, and make it into a super low calorie meal.  Adding bread and cheese adds around 200 calories, but this soup is only about 70 calories to begin with, so it's an addition you can afford even when you are watching what you are eating.  BUT, trust me when I say, this does not taste like a low calorie soup. It is rich even after the healthy modifications.  

Skinny French Onion Soup

If you aren't a vegetarian, you can surely use beef broth. It probably adds a bit of depth that is difficult to achieve with the veggie broth (not gonna lie!), but even when made with the veggie broth, there is little left to be desired.

Skinny French Onion Soup

More soups you might love:

Make sure you don’t miss a thing! Follow Domestic Superhero on:

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | Email

For NEW RECIPES delivered straight to your inbox, signup for our email list! 

5 from 1 vote
Print
Skinny French Onion Soup

This Skinny French Onion Soup is vegetarian and low calorie! It is decadent even with the healthy modifications!

Course: Soup
Cuisine: French
Keyword: skinny french onion soup
Calories: 74 kcal
Ingredients
  • 4 sweet onions onions sliced
  • 2 TBS butter
  • 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 teaspoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 TBS all-purpose flour
  • 64 ounces beef or vegetable I used vegetable
  • 2 TBS fresh thyme
  • French bread add calories
  • Low fat cheese I used Havarti, but swiss is good too....add calories
Instructions
  1. Place a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions, butter, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook until onions begin to brown and caramelize, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes for me, slow is good here).
  2. Stir in the flour and let cook for 2-3 more minutes.
  3. Add the broth and thyme. Cook on low for at least 20 minutes (I let simmer for 45 minutes, the longer the better)
  4. Place in individual bowls, and slice a small piece of bread and place on top of the soup. Cover with one slice of cheese and broil for 3 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Recipe Notes

Servings: 8 cups
Serving Size: 1 cup
Nutritional Info: 74.1 calories, 3.7g of fat, 7.4g of carbohydrates, 1.1g of fiber, 3.2g of protein
2 WW points per cup

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Last year when I was researching things for my gallery wall, I stumbled upon this great tool for making your own Eye Chart Art. I thought it was so cool, and started experimenting with different combinations.  I loved how my son's name looked, with his birthday, and it fit perfectly.  I made one, printed it, and hung it up near his room. Everyone always compliments it, and I tell everyone how easy and super cheap (just the cost of a photo print!) it is.  There are a few tips and tricks though, so I decided to share a tutorial on how to make your own!

This is the final Photo Eye Chart Art that I made for my son's room

DIY Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Now onto making your own!  You need to go to this website: Custom Eye Chart Maker

This is what you will see

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

In the text box, you want to type in whatever you want your chart to display. You can experiment with different words and phrases and see what works and fits. It doesn't accept spaces, but you can put in symbols and dashes etc.  If you have extra room at the end (aka your phrase isn't long enough), it will add random letters, and that doesn't look great, so try to find something that fits well.

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Click make chart!

Nest you are going to see your chart, and then right click and select save. Save it somewhere on your computer where you know how to find it, like in 'My Pictures'.

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Okay, now you are going to go to a photo editing website called PicMonkey.

Once there, you will click edit a photo at the top, and then open your picture.

Once your photo is opened, look on the left side bar and select 'Crop'

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Next, select 8x10 in the drop down menu. You will need to expand this but dragging the little circles at the corners outward.  You want to cut out the grey border, so that is not in the crop rectangle (should be outside white space).  This should keep your 8x10 shape.

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Now you should have your eye chart with just plain white surrounding it. Click Apply (green button under crop)

Next you will click on the lipstick picture on the left sidebar.

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Then you will scroll all the way down that list until you see 'Clone'.  Click on that.  

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial
Now, this part might seem tricky, but it's not.  First, set the brush hardness to 100% by dragging the circle from 0, all the way right (100%).  Next, click on 'Source' so that the source button is blue (as seen).  Now, you will see a circle as your mouse pointer.  Take that circle and click next to where you see 'www', and click directly to the left of the first 'w' so that the circle is in a completely white space.  After you click, a plain circle will pop up.  Take that circle and put it right over the first w, and start clicking (see picture below). You will see the black starting to white out. Just continue clicking all the way over to the end until it is all whited out. 

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Once the text is all gone hit apply (under clone) and we are ready for the next step.

On the left sidebar again, click the black box for framing.  I use the 2nd frame from the top, Simple Edge.  I leave the settings alone because I just like the black frame, but you can do whatever you want with that by playing around with the settings.  

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

After you have your desired frame, click apply (green button under frame).

This is how it should look

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Now we are going to save the photo. Click save at the top center of the screen.

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

After you click save, this box will pop up on the left side.  Type in whatever you want for your file name, select 'Sean' for the highest print quality photo, and then click save photo at the bottom.  A box will pop up, and then you select the folder on your computer where you want to save it (my pictures is usually easy to navigate back to).

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

Now that your Eye Chart is saved, all you have to do is print it!  You can print it at home, or load it to any photo printing website to have it printed.  I used Snapfish because they were offering a free 8x10 print.  You can print it in whatever size you want, but I found 8x10 was the best choice.

DIY Photo Eye Chart Art with Tutorial

What cute phrases have you come up with?  Submit your DIY Eye Chart Art over at Domestic Superhero on Facebook! I would love to see what you come up with!


DIY Spring Burlap Wreath

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

DIY Spring Burlap Wreath

My front door has been looking pretty sad since....well, since right after Christmas really.  Making a wreath has been on my to-do list, but I just haven't had the time to do it.  I finally decided to bite the bullet and head over to a few stores to see what kind of spring wreaths they had for sale.  If I can't make one, buy one, right?  Wrong! I couldn't find anything I really loved an decided to really take the time to make one that weekend.

I have had this tutorial for the Easiest Burlap Wreath you will ever make pinned forever, and decided to give it a go. I already had burlap ribbon on hand from my Christmas Wreath, and just needed one more roll to complete the wreath.  I start to follow the directions and soon realize that this is not the easiest wreath to make...it's actually pretty frustrating.  Then, while browsing through all the comments on that post (looking for help...apparently a lot of people needed it), I noticed that my friend, Kelli, over at Little Cottage of Mine had made the same Burlap Wreath!  Score! I emailed her for help and she was quick to respond and explain how it's done.

For me, the most confusing part was how to get the burlap to look how it did on the tutorial , and I wasn't sure how to do it.  What you have to do, is fold little sections of the ribbon so the sides are touching, and then stick it through the frame...then do this over and over and over and over until your wreath is full.  This probably still doesn't make sense, so if you have trouble you can let me know and I can probably explain it better.

I picked up some wood numbers from JoAnn's and painted them white.  Then I picked up some flowers to add to give it a spring-y feel.  I love how it turned out, and the best part is that the embellishments can come off (just secured with wire), so I can dress this wreath up year round!

What do you think?

DIY Spring Burlap Wreath

Need some inspiration for other wreath ideas?  Check out my Front Door board on Pinterest filled with different ideas! 

 

Visit my Project Gallery to see all my DIYs!

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

- Allyson

DIY Vertical Garden

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

For the longest time I have wanted to start my own garden.  Growing up in Michigan, my dad had a small garden in the backyard.  He would grow horseradish, which took over a huge area, zucchini's, onions, and tomatoes (and I might be forgetting some other things).  I remember having tomato 'fights' when my cousins would come to visit, and we would all wind up stained with tomato juice.....and my dad would be wondering where all his cherry tomatoes went...oops!   When I lived in California, I was able to help with the family garden which was awesome.  It was more of a vegetable garden, and yielded a huge amount of veggies.  I remember making batch after batch of delicious zucchini bread and there was still always more to spare.  Then I moved to NYC where it is impossible to have a garden, unless you have a penthouse apartment that includes a sprawling rooftop patio.  Clearly, I was not living the high life so I was not able to have a garden.  However, farmers markets are extremely popular in NYC in the summer/spring, so I was able to get lots of fresh seasonal produce that way. I would have loved to make this DIY Vertical Garden, though.

So now we are in our own house in Georgia, and it seems like we need a garden.  I would love to have a huge garden, but our yard does not have the space for that.  We have a townhome, and while the yard is plenty big for our liking, it is not big enough for a sprawling garden.  However, it just hit me!  Instead of building horizontally on the ground, why not build UP, against the fence?!?!  Could this be done?  I didn't know!  I consulted some friends and pinterest and found it is indeed possible.  I am going to be working on a couple of these ideas in the next few weeks, and hopefully can get my garden going!

Here are some inspiring garden idea's for small spaces:

Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
DIY Garden Bed

This seems easy enough to build, and it wouldn't take up much space. If you have a lot of space you could build a larger design or several.  Click here for instructions.

Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
DIY Pallet Garden from Apartment Therapy

Recycling pallets are soooo popular right now!  DIY Pallet Garden.  Click here for instructions from Apartment Therapy.

Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
DIY Standing Garden

This is another idea from apartment therapy.  I like the look of this, but having a toddler I would worry that somehow it could get knocked over (although it may be unrealistic, I am a mom and I worry!).  Click here for instructions.

Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
Might be too hard for me....

This looks extremely difficult, but I still like it in terms of inspiration.  I guess you would have to contact the London Garden Designers for more information.

Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
Hanging Garden!

I absolutely LOVE this idea!!  It would be perfect for herbs or smaller plants!!! I love the colors and it looks really easy with minimal supplies!! Score!!  They use these things called 'Hang a Pot', which can be found here!  They hold up to 100lbs, so you could even do larger pots!

Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
Gutter Garden?!?!

This is sooo smart and simple!  I love this idea and think it may be the big winner for this year!!  I am definitely going to take some time to do this easy project in the next week or so.  See instructions on the awesome blog, Living Grace.

What are you working on in terms of gardening for this spring and summer?

Head over to Domestic Superhero on Facebook for more idea's! 


Spicy Steamed Bok Choy

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Spicy Steamed Bok Choy is the perfect easy side dish. Taking less than 5 minutes to make, it's quick, easy, and packs a punch of flavor!

Spicy Steamed Bok Choy is the perfect easy side dish. Taking less than 5 minutes to make, it's quick, easy, and packs a punch of flavor!

Being vegetarians, we are always looking for interesting new recipes to try. This spicy steamed bok choy is healthy, delicious, and easy to make. Pair it with Quinoa Fried Rice (One Pot), Instant Pot Asian Meatballs, or Instant Pot Asian Pork for the perfect meal!

I love going to our local Asian Farmers Market (which i will be writing another post about in the near future), and finding new vegetables and things to try.  If you haven't found your local Asian Farmers Market, you need to get on Google or Yelp and look for it right now.  

Not only do they have an incredible amount of produce, meat, and exotic foods, but I guarantee the prices on produce are the cheapest you will see anywhere. You will find things for half the price you would pay at your grocery store. One of my favorites lately has been bok choy.  It's a type of vegetable that is much like spinach, but has some crunchier parts to it.  The base of the stalk is more crunchy, and the leaves when cooked are wilted just like spinach.  

Spicy Steamed Bok Choy is the perfect easy side dish. Taking less than 5 minutes to make, it's quick, easy, and packs a punch of flavor!

You can throw it into soups, stir fry's, or serve it all by itself.  I have been making it as a side to go with other Asian food and it's so tasty!

This recipe for Spicy Steamed Bok Choy takes less than 5 minutes to make, it's really healthy, and it's super cheap as well.  At my Asian Farmers Market they had 1lb of bok choy for only .99 cents.  I was able to get 6 bok choy for only $1!! That's a great deal.  Most of the other ingredients you likely have on hand in your pantry.  You can also make this recipe with baby bok choy or regular bok choy. If you use regular bok choy they are bigger, and will take longer to steam.

Also, although this recipe is 'spicy', I will say it's not that spicy.  This would be totally fine for kids, but if you like more spice, you can add more pepper to kick it up.

I just love how vibrant the bok choy is! It's a very beautiful side dish!

Spicy Steamed Bok Choy is the perfect easy side dish. Taking less than 5 minutes to make, it's quick, easy, and packs a punch of flavor!

Pair this Spicy Steamed Bok Choy with these other meals for the perfect dinner:

Make sure you don’t miss a thing! Follow Domestic Superhero on:

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | Email

For NEW RECIPES delivered straight to your inbox, signup for our email list! 

Print
Spicy Steamed Bok Choy
Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
5 mins
 

Spicy Steamed Bok Choy is the perfect easy side dish. Taking less than 5 minutes to make, it's quick, easy, and packs a punch of flavor!

Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: asian
Keyword: Spicy Steamed Bok Choy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 or more baby bok choy or regular bok choy
  • 1 TBS roasted sesame oil
  • 2 TBS soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2 TBS sesame seeds
Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, cloves and chili flakes. Set aside.

  2. Cut bok choy length ways in halves. Place into a steamer, cut-side up. Steam covered until tender, about 3 minutes or 4-5 minutes if using larger bok choy

  3. Transfer to serving bowl. Drizzle over the dressing. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Serves 4

Skinny Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Simple and delicious, this skinny cauliflower soup is creamy and the perfect lunch or dinner!

Skinny Creamy Cauliflower Soup

The first time I made this skinny creamy cauliflower soup, I wasn't sure what to expect, and I wasn't sure it would be that great.  It's basically made of pureed cauliflower, and to me, this sounds very similar to baby food.

However, this soup definitely proved my early judgments to be wrong, and it ended up shining as a great healthy and delicious meal.  When cauliflower is pureed, it gives off a really creamy and decadent texture, and you forget that what you are eating is actually really healthy and good for you.

This soup is vegetarian, but it could be made for meat eaters as well.  You can substitute chicken stock for the vegetable stock if you have that on hand, and for a little something extra, you could add chopped bacon as a garnish (I imagine it would give the feeling of baked potato soup).

Skinny Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Can I freeze Skinny Cauliflower Soup?

This soup is great for freezing, and I always make a double batch and freeze half of it.  It's super cheap, low calorie, low carb, and so tasty! It takes about 20-25 minutes to make, and you can serve it as a main dish or a side dish.

If you like healthy soup as much as I do, checkout these other recipes:

Make sure you don’t miss a thing! Follow Domestic Superhero on:

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | Email

For NEW RECIPES delivered straight to your inbox, signup for our email list! 

5 from 1 vote
Print
Skinny Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

Simple and delicious, this skinny cauliflower soup is creamy and the perfect lunch or dinner!

Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: skinny cauliflower soup
Servings: 6
Calories: 150 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds cauliflower about 1 large head, chopped
  • ½ onion s, medium, chopped
  • 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth reduced sodium
  • 1 cup half and half fat free
  • ½ cup cheese jack or Mexican blend, reduced fat, about 1 ounce, grated
  • 2 ounces cooked bacon minced (if desired)
  • 2 green onions or more if you like
  • pepper black
  • salt
Instructions

  1. Combine broth, cauliflower and onions in a soup pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

  2. Use an immersion blender (or place ingredients in a blender) and puree. Add fat free half & half and blend for about 1 minute or until desired consistency.

  3. Pour into bowls and garnish with cheese, bacon (if desired) and green onions. Top with cracked black pepper and salt to taste.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition: Per Serving (with bacon) About: 150 calories, 3.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 12 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, 740 mg sodium; WW Points plus value 4

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Have an Instant Pot? You can make these Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps in the Instant Pot too! RECIPE HERE!

I pretty much love crock pot recipes because they are usually fairly easy and cheap.  They usually don't have too many ingredients, most you probably have on hand already.  This recipe is done in a pretty quick amount of time in crock pot terms, too- 3 to 4 hours.  When I made Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps last week, it left a really delightful smell in the house, and even being a vegetarian I was drooling looking at this.  The sauce looks really good, and I think it pairs perfectly with a nice crisp lettuce wrap.  You could also opt to serve this over rice, or in taco shells...I think there are a lot of options here.  As for the taste? My boss said it was really good, and described it as having a unique smokey-sweet flavor.

This is also super healthy, being from Skinny Taste. It has only 185 calories per serving and 2 grams of fat, while giving you a whopping 27 grams of protein!

Print
Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
  • black pepper to taste
  • ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce tamari for gluten-free
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce or more to taste
  • 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 2 medium scallions chopped for garnish
  • Lettuce for lettuce cups I used bib lettuce
Instructions
  1. 1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper.
  2. 2. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tablespoon water, sesame oil, onion powder and sriracha hot chili sauce. Pour over chicken and cook on LOW 3-4 hours.
  3. 3. Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.
  4. 4. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining ¼ cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.
  5. Serve chicken and sauce in lettuce cups and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.
  6. This could also be served over rice if you prefer that over the lettuce cups.
Recipe Notes

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: over ⅔ cup • Old Pts: 4 • Weight Watchers Points+: 4
Calories: 185.5 • Fat: 2 g • Protein: 27 g • Carbs: 13.5 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 504 mg

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps

You can also connect with me here:
      
Thanks for visiting!
-Allyson
 

Easy Baked Tofu

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Easy Baked Tofu

Even before I became a vegetarian, I loved tofu....especially when it's fried, crispy, covered in sauce and in Chinese food.  Who doesn't like that?  But, since learning to cook with it more, I have found different techniques to mock frying the tofu, and still being able to get a nice crispy outside, without all the bad points of frying.  In a different post I talked about 'dry frying' tofu, which is really handy and easy, but it can sometimes be time consuming.  So when I stumbled upon a baked tofu recipe on All Recipes, I thought I hit the jackpot.  With several positive reviews, I knew I had to try this one out.

I am happy I did, because it is delicious.  The sauce takes 2 minutes to whip up, and then you really don't have to do anything else because you just put it in the oven.  It turned out slightly crisp, and full of flavor.  I highly recommend making a double batch of this because it will go fast!  I also suggest finding a local Asian Farmer's Market to shop at, because you can get tofu super cheap, along with the rest of the ingredients in the sauce.  I served this baked tofu with Asian roasted asparagus, all over rice. It was awesome.  

You definitely don't need to be a vegetarian to try this Easy Baked Tofu.  Making it this way will have your mind totally off meat, and fills you up just as well.  I've also heard a lot of people say that they don't like tofu because of the texture, but the texture completely changes depending on how it's cooked, so give this a try.  At pretty much just the cost of the tofu (because it's likely you have most other ingredients on hand already), you can't go wrong with this healthy and inexpensive meal!

Easy Baked Tofu

Easy Baked Tofu

I don't have a 'tofu press' (whatever that is...), so I just put the tofu between paper towels, and put a heavy book on top to press out the water.

Easy Baked Tofu

I highly recommend honey from The Savannah Bee Company-it's SO SO SO good and I have been using it in everything lately!

Easy Baked Tofu

Print
Easy Baked Tofu
Ingredients
  • 1 16 oz package firm/extra firm tofu
  • 3 tablespoon gluten free low sodium soy sauce tamari or Bragg’s liquid aminos
  • 2 tablespoon honey agave or maple syrup can be subbed for vegan
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • couple dashes of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper
  • olive oil spray
  • chopped green onions/scallions for serving
Instructions
  1. 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil or use a silicone mat.
  2. 2. Slice tofu into ½-inch slices, and gently press excess water out of tofu (use tofu press or place between paper towels and put heavy weight on top for 10 minutes). Cut sliced tofu into ½-inch cubes.
  3. 3. In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, honey, vinegar and oil. Stir in ginger, garlic powder and red pepper. Gently stir tofu cubes into sauce. Cover, and marinate at least 5 minutes.
  4. 4. Place the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer. Spray tops with olive oil (I use the Misto) and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn tofu, and bake until the tofu turns golden brown, about 20 minutes more or until develops a nice crisp crust. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Serve over rice, with mixed vegetables, with stir fry...the options are endless!

Easy Baked Tofu

Like Chinese inspired food as much as us?  Check out some of my other ‘Chinese’ recipes (click photo for recipe)

Easy Asian Noodles

Spicy Steamed Bok Choy Recipe

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'

General Tso's Tofu

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

- Allyson

Spring Mantle

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Over the last week I have shared a couple projects that I had made for my spring mantle.  I was totally slacking and still at the end of February had my Valentines Day Paint Chip Banner hanging on the mantle (embarrassing!), so I knew it was time to get into gear.  Last weekend was full of craft store trips, an Ikea trip, crafting, and putting together the spring mantle.  This post is mostly picture heavy, because I don't have much to say about it, other than I love it's simplicity and colorfulness. 

Burlap Spring Banner

I shared this with you last week, and it hangs from the mantle

Bird House 31

I made 2 of these little guys, and they sit on opposite ends of the mantle

So here it is all put together!

Spring Mantle

...and a closer look

Spring Mantle

 I picked up 2 of these milk bottle vases from Ikea. The taller one was only $2.99, and the smaller on the right side of the mantle was $1.99!  I dressed them up by hot gluing a strip of burlap ribbon around the bottle, and putting some green floral decor (also from Ikea) into them.

Spring Mantle

Spring Mantle

I love these little chick eggs! They were in the $1 section at Target and came 2 to a pack!

Spring Mantle

Spring Mantle

Spring Mantle

That's it!  Happy Spring!


DIY Moss Birdhouses

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I was browsing pinterest a couple weeks ago, looking for inspiration for a spring mantle.  I found a couple really cute things, and then some awesome Moss Birdhouses from A Diamond in the Stuff.  I decided to keep an eye out for wood birdhouses, and when I was at JoAnn's over the weekend, BAM, there they were, right at the entrance...for $1 each!!  They have several different shapes and sizes, and I ended up purchasing the 2 most plain ones, because I wanted to do the moss on top of the roof.  These turned out SO cute, and the only thing I had to purchase was the houses ($2 total), and the ribbon moss (only $1.70 after coupon) because I had the paint and hot glue at home already.  Along with my Spring Banner, these little guys will be adorning my spring mantle which will be revealed later in the week!

DIY Moss Birdhouses

What you need: 

Wood Birdhouse

Hot Glue

Moss (I liked the ribbon moss because it was easy to manage)

Paint

What to do:

Paint your birdhouses

Put hot glue on the roof, and attach the moss (careful it's hot!)

DONE!

DIY Moss Birdhouses

DIY Moss Birdhouses
Of course my son saw me painting and decided he wanted to help me!

DIY Moss Birdhouses

DIY Moss BirdhousesDIY Moss Birdhouses

Thanks again to Courtney for this cute idea!  Don't forget to check back later this week for the spring mantle reveal!

DIY Burlap Spring Banner

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Burlap Spring Banner

Over the weekend I was seriously gearing up for spring. I made a trip to IKEA to get a few spring-y things (will share later), hit up the craft store for supplies to make a few spring projects  and then I actually did the projects!  I also made a side trip to Home Depot and purchased some flowers and bushes to spruce up our pathetic front yard.  Anyway, today I am going to share with you a super easy spring banner made out of burlap.  I wasn't even planning on making it, but my mom had sent me some burlap ribbon a few weeks ago, and I thought it would be a cute addition to the spring mantle I was putting together (and finally taking down my Valentines Day Banner....).

So, like I said, it's super easy and I think it took less than 10 minutes total....

What you need:

Burlap or Burlap ribbon cut to size.  I liked using the ribbon because 1) it didn't make a huge mess, 2) it was easy to cut into to make the little pennants, and 3) it just seemed easier.  BUT, if you don't want to go out and buy the ribbon and you have some burlap already laying around, by all means use that.

Craft paint in whatever colors you want to write 'spring' (I used white). Shocking fact: I didn't have any white paint, so I just used some white primer that was sitting in my garage! It totally worked, too!

Twine/ribbon/rope to hang the burlap letters on.

Hot glue to attach rope to letters

What to do:

1. Cut out your burlap, make the triangle indents for the pennant shape.

2. Use craft paint (or primer if you are rebel, like me), and paint a 'S P R I N G' onto each piece of burlap. I was feeling daring and just used my finger to paint the letters.  Don't forget the N like I did...oop

Burlap Spring Banner 

Burlap Spring Banner
Missing something?

3. Paint cute spring time silhouettes onto 2 burlap pieces (I did a bunny). 

  • For this I just googled bunny silhouette and found one that would fit on my burlap. I used a piece of paper to trace it through my laptop screen, and then cut that out. Then I traced that bunny onto the burlap using a crayon (totally worked!).  I even colored it in with a crayon too...looks great!

Burlap Spring Banner

4. Measured out rope across my mantle.  Cut the rope to size, and laid it on the floor. I placed the burlap along the rope to see the spacing.  

5. Then I glued the burlap onto the rope with hot glue.  I folded the top of the burlap over the rope, and put the glue in the middle of the fold, and pressed down to secure.

6. Hang on mantle!

Done!

Burlap Spring Banner

 

Spring Burlap Banner2

 

IMG_9953

Want to see the entire spring mantle?  Stay tuned for more this week!

Sriracha Popcorn

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

sriracha

Have you heard of Sriracha?  It seems like it's all the rage right now, even though it seems to have been around forever.  Anyway, people are coming up with many tasty and creative ways to utilize this Chinese hot sauce, and in my opinion, the more the merrier!  

So my husband and I usually have popcorn once a week for dinner.  Now, I am not talking about a single serving snack popcorn, I'm talking about a big bowl of homemade popcorn.  We purchased a popcorn popper a few years ago and have definitely made the most of it. What is that you say....You don't have one?  Go to your nearest Target/Walmart (or don'g get up, just go to amazon.com) and pick one up asap!  They are so easy to use, and the popcorn is 100 times better than what comes out of those little microwave bags.  I think our popper was $25, and popcorn seeds are super cheap too...like $3 for a huge bag, that you will use at least 10 times before they need to be replenished.  

Anyway, back to the Sriracha.  A couple of my friends have recently and frequently mentioned that they love hot sauce on popcorn.  Well, my husband loves hot sauce, and I like it enough, so I decided to give it a try.  I think most of them use Frank's Red Hot (which I am sure is delicious, too), but I have this whole bottle of Sriracha and I want to use it up!  

So this is relatively easy to make....

1. Pop the popcorn (or use a bag if you don't want to really pop the corn, but it's super easy even to pop it on the stove top in a big pot!). You want about 6 cups of popped corn.

2. In a small sauce pot heat Heat 1 tablespoon Sriracha, 1 Tbsp. butter, and 1 Tbsp. olive oi

Sriracha Popcorn

Sriracha Popcorn

3. Put the popcorn in a bowl, then drizzle the Sriracha sauce on top and toss around in the bowl.  Season with salt if desired.  Done and done.

Sriracha Popcorn

I have one little tidbit for you though, I thought it was a bit too spicy, but my husband really liked it.  I found a quick solution to be to mix half of the Sriracha Popcorn with half of the normal buttered popcorn.  This was PERFECT for me.

Sriracha Popcorn


Guest Blog: Crock Pot Barbacoa

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Today we have another guest post from Shannon!  If you didn't see her first guest post, Guiltless Fettuccine Alfredo, I highly suggest you check it out!  Here she has whipped up her take on Barbacoa (and I am embarrassed to admit that I had not even heard of this!). Looks tasty!

Barbacoa (A Happy Accident)

Meal planning and grocery shopping is an art form for me. By the time I’m done with my weekly grocery list, it is full of notations. I star items for which I have coupons, mark BOGO deals and other weekly specials, and mark which stores some of the items will come from. I don’t have time to shop around at 27 different stores to find the best deals. I’ve found though, that what works best for me is hitting two stores each week. My area has a HUGE grocery store, complete with its own Starbucks and fancy cheese counter. I don’t go there. I go to the other side of town, where there is an Aldi and one of our grocery stores (a much smaller version) right next to each other. This makes it MUCH easier to go to two stores without wasting time, and it is much more efficient to be in smaller stores (with far fewer temptations!).

Since I broke up with my fancy grocery store and started going to Aldi first, I have saved a TON of money. I used to almost always go over my grocery budget. Now, I never spend all of it, even when we need dog food or supplies for a party. Aldi’s produce is SO cheap…we have been eating fresh fruit this winter, instead of pre-packaged fruit cups, and it is fantastic! I realize I’m late to the game on discovering Aldi, and that many of you probably have been shopping there forever. Forgive me, I’m slow sometimes.

The one thing I am a little hesitant to buy at Aldi is meat. There’s probably nothing wrong with it, and I have purchased it a few times, but for some reason I still prefer to buy that at my local grocery store. As a general rule, I wait until there are BOGO meat sales, and then I stock up. This finally leads me to the point of this post. My grocery store had BOGO pork roasts last week, so I picked up two of them. When I got home, I found that we still had one in the freezer. With a plethora of pork, I needed some new recipe ideas. Generally, we cover them with barbecue sauce and put them in the crock pot for pulled pork sandwiches. The other go-to is to make tacos with them, also in the crock. So this time, I wanted something a bit different. While perusing Pinterest, I found a Barbacoa recipe.

In case you were wondering (I was), Wikipedia says this about Barbacoa:

“Barbacoa is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the Taíno people, from which the term “barbecue” derives.[1] In contemporary Mexico, it generally refers to meats or whole sheep slow-cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with maguey leaves, although the interpretation is loose, and in the present day and in some cases may refer to meat steamed until tender.”

I suggested digging a hole in the back yard and throwing the pork roast in there to cook, but my husband looked suspicious. The dog, on the other hand, was all for that idea. So, we decided to go with the last interpretation of the term, and figured the crock pot was again a good way to go.

I normally reserve trying new recipes for the weekends, when I have more time to prep and follow directions. Since this was a crock pot recipe, I figured I would prep it Sunday and cook Monday, so we could come home to a (hopefully) delicious dinner.  So while my kid napped Sunday, I mixed up the marinade and sauce for the pork.

Crock pot Barbacoa

This was extremely easy, and took all of 10 minutes to do. One word of caution – chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are REALLY spicy. Also, there are probably 5ish of them in a can. I stupidly thought there might only be one in the can, so I bought two. The recipe called for one of the peppers, plus chipotle chili powder. Since I only had regular chili powder, I thought I’d add a second chipotle pepper to enhance the chipotle flavor. Even so, I definitely didn't need two cans of those peppers. I still have a container of them in the fridge, and have no idea what to do with them!

I defrosted my pork roast for about 5 hours, just until it was thawed enough that I could cut off the layer of fat on the top. I found it really easy to cut it off while the pork was still partially frozen. Then, I stuck it and the marinade in a bag and put it in the fridge overnight.

Crock pot Barbacoa

Monday morning, while getting ready for work, I threw everything in the crock pot and turned it on. This was where I screwed it up. I dumped the pork and its marinade in the crock pot, and then as I was pouring the sauce in, thought to myself, wait a second, maybe this sauce goes in AFTER it cooks. It was too late, so I dumped the rest of the sauce in there and then looked at the recipe. Not only was that the case, but I was also supposed to cook the pork in the marinade, and then dump the liquid before adding the sauce. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from playing around with recipes, it’s that it is pretty hard to make something completely inedible. So, I programmed my crock pot for 7 hours on low, and left for work.

Crock pot Barbacoa

When I got home, the house smelled AMAZING. As soon as my 2-year-old entered the house, he exclaimed, “I try it?” As I suspected, the sauce was way too thin. This was because of my mistake. I hate to throw away flavorful cooking liquid anyway, so I was actually kind of glad it worked out that way. I grabbed a can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce, and put it into the crock. After letting that melt in, the sauce was thicker. I tasted it, and it was really good, but fairly spicy. And, I was afraid of any of us getting bites of chipotle. So, I threw the sauce in my blender and pureed it. This gave it a very nice consistency, velvety and smooth, and thicker than before. It also leveled out the spiciness nicely. After this, I shredded the pork, put it back in the crock, added some of the sauce (I had way more than I needed), and turned it on warm until we were ready to eat. I had enough sauce leftover to freeze and use for another batch! My husband added extra sauce to his, since he likes things extra spicy, and that worked out well. We served the pork over brown rice and black beans, and topped it with cheese, light sour cream, and fresh tomatoes.

Crock pot Barbacoa

I have no idea what Barbacoa is supposed to taste like, but we've labeled this recipe a success! Maybe next time I will actually follow the directions, but I liked this version very much, so I must just continue doing it this way. Once it was mixed with the rice, beans, and toppings, it wasn't spicy at all. Adding the extra sauce was great for the adults in the house, and without it, it was mild enough for my kid to eat (although he likes curry, so he might not be the best representative of the average toddler). 

2013-02-25 19.20.55
Barbacoa....even tasty for toddlers!

Print
Crock Pot Barbacoa
Ingredients
  • :2.5 pounds pork loin roast fat trimmed
  • 14 ounces Coke Zero
  • ¼ cup brown sugar unpacked
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2--4 oz cans sliced green chilies
  • 8 ounce tomato sauce
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. 1. Mix all ingredients together and place in a gallon size bag, or directly in your crock pot. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  2. 2. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high 3-4 hours.
  3. 3. Serve with rice and beans, and/or in tortillas, or any way you want!
Recipe Notes

Servings: about 10 • Serving Size: 3 oz • Points+: 5 pts •Calories: 202.5 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 26.2 g • Carb: 11.5 g • Fiber: 0.6 g

Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic

 Shannon Brenner lives in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a career counselor, mother, wife, pretend chef, blogger, and Steelers fan (not necessarily in that order).  

Thank you so much, Shannon!!!

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Whenever there is some sort of school party, potluck, holiday gathering, etc...I love to make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.  I was first introduced to this classic recipe when I lived in Connecticut, by a mom who had been making these since her children were just toddlers.  After trying the cookie bars, I begged her for the recipe.  She laughed and said that people ask her all the time for it, and it's right in front of your eyes!  Literally right in front of my eyes, on the Tollhouse chocolate chip bag.  I looked at the packaging, but I only saw a recipe for cookies.  Alas, under the cookie recipe there is a cookie bar recipe.  It uses the same recipe as making cookies, but you spread them in a baking dish or jelly roll pan (depending on how thick you like your cookies-I like them more like brownies!), and cook for a bit longer.

Over the weekend one of my friends mentioned she was making these delicious bars, and I was shocked to hear how many people had never heard of them!  Right away I ran out to Kroger and picked up the only thing we didn't have-chocolate chips.  You probably have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your pantry right now, so these are pretty easy to make.  I highly suggest you don't make these, unless you are planning to bring them somewhere because you will eat the entire pan yourself.  Don't say I didn't warn you....

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Print
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups 12-oz. pkg. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
Instructions
  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.
  2. 2.Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spread into greased 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan or 9x13 baking dish for thicker cookies.
  3. 3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack, then cut into bars.
Recipe from Toll House


Heart Shaped Brownies....Pinterest Fail!!!

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

When I first joined Pinterest a few years ago, it was like a whole new world opened up.  No more searching for fun projects, there they were, all right in front of me, begging for me to try them.  The first few projects I tackled went well, and then I moved on to recipes.  It is amazing how far a great photo can go, you feel like you have to make whatever it is immediately, and you have to try it now!  Other things I find on Pinterest I file into the 'to do later' section of my head (or Pinterest boards).

This Heart Brownie thing was one of those ideas.  I saw this photo....

heartbrownie

.....and I though, "wow! what a clever idea!"  Pinterest is full of these clever ideas.  For this, all you need to do is put marbles behind the wrapper, and it makes a heart shape!  Bingo!   So finally, 2 years later, here I am making brownies for a school Valentine's Day Party.  With no real specifications other than to 'make brownies', I think that this would be the perfect time to give this clever idea a try.  So I put the liners into the muffin tin, put the marbles in place, and poured the batter into the liners.

brownie tin

It was really hard to get the batter in, because it was a really small space (I was using a mini muffin tin), but for the most part, it looks good, right?

WRONG!  This was by far the worst thing I have tried off of Pinterest.  I have had a few recipe misses, but this was hands down the worst.  The brownies went over some of the liners, the hearts were distorted, they didn't cook evenly, and the wrappers stuck to the brownies like crazy.  Maybe...MAYBE this would work better with cupcakes, but personally I wouldn't ever try this again.  Luckily I had lot's of batter left and was able to make some good old regular brownies.

I only took a few after pictures, and they are bad because they are from my phone, but you can kind of see what I am talking about.  I actually kind of smooshed these together to see if I could salvage them...it wasn't possible.

pinterest fail

pinterest fail

 

While this may have been a disaster on many levels, there is hardly ever an excuse not to eat the brownies, right?  The kids and I may have eaten all one....


Guest Post: Easy Homemade Bread

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Easy Homemade Bread

A couple weeks ago, I went on a girls trip (13 of us!) to Savannah, and I had the pleasure to hang out with my friend, Joy.  We were talking about cooking and our families one day, and she mentioned how she makes their bread.  Yes, the bread that they use every day for sandwiches, snacks, everything.  I told Joy that I have always been intimidated to make real bread (give me some fruit to throw in a loaf and I am fine..but regular, no no no no!), and she told me that she was intimidated before as well.  She told me a heart warming story about learning to bake things (see cookie story below!), and how it turned out to not be as difficult or intimidating as she thought! I pretty much demanded that Joy write a guest blog post for me as soon as she got back to Utah.  She was quick to send this to me and I am really excited to share it with you!   This is definitely a recipe I am going to try, because I want to set my fear of bread baking aside, and start making it all the time!

Guest Post: Easy Homemade Bread by Joy

If you’re anything like I used to be, you may hear “homemade bread” and run the other direction. Before I went to college I literally did not know you could make cookie dough. I thought you had to buy it. Not kidding.

When I met my husband he would frequently rave about his mom’s homemade bread; at first I felt inadequate, but I eventually got to the point where I made it clear that fresh baked bread would never be coming out of my oven. Ever.

But one day about 4 years into our marriage I was at my mother-in-law’s house when she announced that she would be making bread. I decided I would watch, and as I watched I realized this was something I could do; it wasn’t that hard. So I went home and tried it, and while it didn’t look nearly as pretty as hers did, it actually turned out well.

Now, I make about 90% of the bread we eat in our house myself. And it is so good.

And seriously, if I can do it, I know you can.

Easy Homemade Bread

I start by letting my tap water get as hot as possible. Like too hot to put my hand under. I add oil and honey to the hot water and then pour it all in my mixer at once. This method works best for me since the hot water helps to make the honey a little bit runnier; it all comes out quickly instead of me having to wait while the honey drains into my mixer.

Easy Homemade Bread

Once that’s in, I add the salt, yeast, oats, gluten (if you don’t have gluten you can omit it, but be aware that your bread will be a lot crumblier), and wheat flour.

DSC_0435

I mix it on low until it’s well blended and then turn it to a medium speed for about 4 minutes.
At this point it’s still pretty wet.

Easy Homemade Bread

Next I add the white flour and turn my mixer back on low until it’s well blended. I sometimes add more white flour if it’s still too sticky once it’s blended.

Easy Homemade Bread

You’ll know it’s ready when it barely sticks to your finger and will fall out of the mixer and off of the dough hook without sticking very much.

I dump it onto my baking mat (or floured counter) and knead it by hand for about 2 minutes; then let it rise until it doubles in size.
How long to let it rise varies every single time I make bread. Today it took 45 minutes, but you’ll have to keep an eye on it.

Easy Homemade Bread

Easy Homemade Bread

Once it’s doubled in size I cut it in half and shape the halves into loaves. I put them into greased loaf pans and then let them rise again.

Easy Homemade Bread

When they go into the pans the dough should be under the lip of the pan; let them rise until they’re just above the lip. You don’t have to wait nearly as long to let the loaves rise in the pans; about 15 minutes generally.

Easy Homemade Bread

Easy Homemade Bread

I preheat the oven while they are rising.
Once they've risen enough they go into the oven for 45 minutes. Your house will smell amazing while it’s baking; it’s one of my favorite smells.

Once they’re done I remove them from the pan and let them cool on wire racks.

Easy Homemade Bread

Easy Homemade Bread

My husband likes the bread best warm, but it’s good all the time.  We like to add jam, butter, honey, and we use it for sandwiches.

Easy Homemade Bread

This recipe can easily be doubled and the bread freezes well. I tend to make a double batch (so 4 loaves) and use it for the month.
Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote
Print
Easy Homemade Bread
Prep Time
1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
 
Ingredients
  • 3 C hot water
  • ⅓ C oil
  • ⅓ C honey
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 ½ T instant yeast
  • 1 C instant oats
  • ¼ C wheat gluten
  • 4 C wheat flour
  • 2 C white flour
Instructions

  1. Add water, oil, honey, salt, yeast, oats, gluten, and wheat flour to mixer. Mix on low speed until well blended, then mix on medium speed for another 4 minutes.

  2. Add white flour and mix on low speed until blended. If it’s too sticky add more white flour by ¼ C increments until the dough barely sticks to your finger.

  3. Dump dough onto floured counter and knead by hand for 2 minutes.

  4. Let the dough rise until it’s doubled in size.

  5. Cut the dough in half and form loaves out of halves. Place loaves into greased loaf pans and preheat the oven.

  6. Let the dough rise until it’s just over the lip of the pans.

  7. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

  8. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. EAT!

7 Sweet Super Bowl Treats

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Super Bowl Treats

We are only 2 days away from the Super Bowl, and we are going to conclude our 3 part Super Bowl series with some yummy treats!  I know everyone is all about the dips, appetizers, wings, and drinks on Super Bowl Sunday, but who doesn't love to end the game with something sweet and delicious!?  Here are 7 options that are sure to please!

cookies1

Upon first inspection, you would never guess that there are delicious Oreos underneath this layer of chocolate, but there are!  Chocolate covered Oreos? Yes, please! Oh, and don't forget to update the Super Bowl number if you make these (XLVII)!

cookies2

What is under this layer of chocolate?  Well, this one is much easier to guess....strawberries!  There is a great Youtube video demonstrating how to make these Game Day Chocolate Covered Strawberries

cookies3

How about a classic Peanut Butter Cookie for the Super Bowl?  These tasty treats are topped with chocolate frosting and shaped like footballs.  Betty Crocker definitely got this one right!

cookies4

Mmmm, next on the list is my favorite, brownies!  Who can ever say no to the perfectly chewy, chocolate-y brownie?  Not me, that's for sure.   Shape these like little footballs and you are good to go! Another idea could be to bring a pan of brownies, and decorate it like a football field!

cookies5

Not into brownies or cookies?  How about some Football Themed Chocolate Cupcakes?  The Mini Baker topped these cute cupcakes with a little football gingerbread cookie! It's like 2 treats in 1.... How creative and cute!

cookies6

Now, these 'Football Chocolate Chalkboards' are probably the coolest thing I have seen so far.  Who would guess that the 'chalk' to draw on these is made from white chocolate, and the little boards are actually candy bars??!?!  Hungry Happenings was on a roll when she thought this up!  What a cute favor!

cookies7Lastly, Sugary Sweets came up with a Chocolate Oatmeal Cream Pie Football!  Although these look difficult to make, she promises they are really easy and super delicious!  This looks like a fun one to do with the kids!

There we have it, 7 Sweet Super Bowl Treats!

If you didn’t see the 15 Super Awesome Super Bowl Appetizers from Monday or the 7 Super Bowl Cocktails, be sure to check those out too!


7 Super Bowl Cocktails

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

7 Super Bowl Cocktails! 49ers and Raven themed drinks!

Today is part 2 of our 3 part Super Bowl series, and we are going to focus on drinks!  Now, I know most people probably say that they just want to drink beer or soda during the Super Bowl, but I think you should consider making a themed cocktail if you are hosting a party (or even if you are just watching at home)!  I found some really cute and yummy sounding city themed cocktails, and there is a fair share for both Baltimore and San Francisco.  Of course, I am not saying you shouldn't also have beer, but lets be a little creative!

Lets start off with a classic Sunday cocktail, a Bloody Mary.  This isn't a regular Bloody Mary though,  it is stacked with pepper and has the perfect ratio for Clamato to V8 Juice.  I have made this several times while entertaining, and there is never any left. This is the perfect Bloody Mary.

7 Super Bowl Cocktails

Next, we will move onto a themed drink.  If you are cheering on the 49ers, maybe you should opt to serve this Cable Car Cocktail. Rum and a delicious blend of citrus, this drink would be popular in any city.

7 Super Bowl Cocktails

Next, the Pomegranate Margarita   It's light, fresh, and full of tequila!  It doesn't really have anything to do with football, but who doesn't love a good margarita (or 3)?

pomegranate margarita

So for your beer lovers, I am just throwing my favorite beer out there, Hoegaarden.  I first learned about this delicious golden wheat beer from my Belgian friend, and I am happy that I did. It's light and easy to drink, and if you like light beers then this is definitely for you.  However, if you prefer a different beer, by all means drink that!

hoegaarden

Supporting the Baltimore Ravens?  Then this Baltimore Bracer may be for you!  This cocktail has raw egg (who would have thought?!) mixed with Brandy.  Sounds like you'd better be adventurous for this one....

7 Super Bowl Cocktails

Another San Francisco themed drink would be the Gold Mine cocktail.  Also with egg (is this really popular?!) and whiskey, this is sure to be a big hit with the fruity drink lovers!

goldmine

Lastly we have one more Baltimore themed drink, the Baltimore Bang. It definitely sounds light and refreshing!

7 Super Bowl Cocktails

That wraps up part 2 of our Super Bowl Series!

What will you be drinking this Sunday afternoon?

If you didn't see the 15 Super Awesome Super Bowl Appetizers from Monday, be sure to check it out.  

15 Super Awesome Super Bowl Appetizers

 

And don't forget about the 7 super sweeet treats you should also make! 

Follow Domestic Superhero on Facebook for special announcements and updates!


Super Bowl Series

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

To help kickoff our new design here at Domestic Superhero, we are going to have a big Superbowl Series this week!  We will be having 3 special posts leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, so you can get some great ideas on what to serve during the big game.  Whether you are celebrating at home, hosting a party, or attending a party, you are not going to want to miss all the appetizers, drinks, and desserts to come!

In addition to all the yummy Super Bowl foods and beverages, we will conclude the week with a giveaway for a FREE ConAgra product.  With nearly 50 different brands, I guarantee there will be something you like!  Each post will be another opportunity for you to enter in the giveaway, so that means you could have several entries!  Stay tuned for our first post tomorrow on delicious Super Bowl appetizers!

superbowl

Valentine Paint Chip Banner

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

A few weeks ago I posted 14 Fun Ideas for Valentines Day, and I was really inspired to put together some Valentine's decor for my house.  I think Valentines Day is one of those holidays that sometimes falls by the wayside, but these days I will use any excuse to do a cute new craft!  With only 20 days until Valentine's Day, I loved the idea of making a banner for my fire place, and had a few left over paint chips from when we moved in.  I had already done one craft using paint chips (DIY Paint Chip Moving Cards), and I thought using them for this banner would be so cute.  This was so quick and easy, and it looks so cute hanging from the mantle.  I need to get some additional things for the mantle to tie everything together, but I am happy I started off with this banner.

Supplies
Supplies

For this project, I used red and white striped baker's twine, paint chips, double sided tape, and scissors.  I ordered a huge spool of baker's twine over the holidays to use for my gift wrapping theme, and still have tons left over.  I recommend this one from amazon.

I cut a V in the bottom of the card, and then used that first one as a template to trace the V on the rest. I wanted the V to be mostly the same size and shape on all the cards (and since I can never cut the same straight line twice...), so I stuck with the tracing and then cutting it out.  Next I folded the top part of the card down, and ran the string under the fold.  I stuck a long piece of double sided tape on the fold to secure the flap.  I repeated this until I had 9 cards on the twine (this might differ depending on how big your mantle is, and how far down you want the hang).  Make sure to leave a little extra twine on the ends so you can secure it.

With the scraps from cutting out the V's, I cut out little hearts to glue on the contrasting colored paint chips.

I put one clear push pin on each side of the mantle, and then tied the string around it to secure.  Finished!

Valentine Heart Banner

Valentine Heart Banner

What are you working on for Valentine's Day?


Chinese Broccoli & Zucchini

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

A while back I made a recipe for some Beef and Broccoli (wight watchers recipe), and I noticed that the sauce was delicious.  I decided to try it with just some veggies, and it has been the base of all my Chinese food in the last 6 months.  The sauce tastes just like any sauce you would get from a Chinese restaurant, but doesn't have all those unknown ingredients.  I love being in control of making my own 'take-out', because I know exactly what is in it, and I can make it a lot healthier.  This is also such an easy recipe because you can really take any veggies that you have on hand, and any meat too.  I used broccoli and zucchini for this time, but have also made it with peppers, cauliflower, eggplant, yellow squash, water chestnuts, tofu...you name it.  It is so yum, and so quick and easy!  I usually serve my veggies with a side of rice (because the sauce is amazing on rice, too!), or some Hot and Sour Soup.

Make your own chinese food- Chinese Broccoli

Make your own chinese food- Chinese Broccoli

Make your own chinese food- Chinese Broccoli

5 from 1 vote
Print
Easy Chinese Broccoli and Zucchini
Ingredients
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup reduced-sodium veggie broth can use chicken as well, divided
  • 5 cup uncooked broccoli about a 12 oz bag, florets
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1 TBS ginger root fresh, minced
  • 2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
  • ¼ cup water s
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce s
  • ¾ TBS Corn starch
  • **any other veggies you want can be added see WW recipe above if you want to incorporate meat
Instructions
  1. 1. Add ½ cup broth to pan. Add broccoli and zucchini; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon water if needed, until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. 2. In a cup, stir together water, soy sauce, remaining ½ cup broth and ¾ tablespoon cornstarch until blended; stir into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
  3. Serve over rice or alone. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Serves 2 (as a meal, maybe 4 as a side dish)
187 calories (for 1 of 2 servings), 1.7g of fat (see below for full nutritional information)

chinese broccoli nutritional info
Chinese Broccoli and Zucchini Nutritional Info

 


Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars - sweet and slightly crunchy - these are the perfect dessert!

When I was in college, I spent one summer working at a popular Mexican restaurant in my hometown.  At that point, I didn't really know much about Mexican food, aside from that I liked pretty much everything I had tried.  During my training period, I had to learn about all the food on the menu, memorizing all the ingredients, what everything was, what it was served with etc (if you have worked in a restaurant, this is likely a familiar process to you).  Flautas, Chile Rellenos, Tamles, Flan...everything was delicious, and it was rare I came across something I didn't enjoy.  After a couple months of working there, they decided to feature a limited time 'special' dessert.  This was the first time I had heard about Sopapilla cheesecake....a mexican spin on cheesecake.  This dessert is incredibly easy to make, and affordable, and they are delicious.   Hosting a party?  Pair this with some Mexican Baked Eggs or Black Bean and Potato Enchiladas and be on your way!   These Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars are the perfect addition to any fiesta!

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars - sweet and slightly crunchy - these are the perfect dessert!

I have lightened up this dessert by using Neufchâtel cheese in place of cream cheese, but you could also use cream cheese.  In my opinion, if didn't make any change on the taste.

5 from 1 vote
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars - sweet and slightly crunchy - these are the perfect dessert!
Print
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
  • 2 cans Crescent Rolls
  • 2 packages Neufchâtel cheese 8 oz, or cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅓ cup butter melted
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls and lay flat in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stretch the rolls to cover the bottom of the pan. Pinch any seams closed.

  3. In a mixing bowl combine Neufchâtel cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth.

  4. Spread the mixture over top of the dough. Unroll your remaining can of crescent rolls and lay this on top of the cheese mixture, again, pinching closed any open seams.

  5. Pour your melted butter on top of the crescent roll.

  6. In a bowl mix the remaining sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon together and sprinkle that evenly on top.

  7. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden brown. Let cool for approximately 20 minutes and then put in refrigerator to completely chill before cutting into squares.

  8. Serve cold, or warm up individual slices for 10 seconds in the microwave. Enjoy!

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

- Allyson

Winter Squash Soup

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

After 9 months of blogging, and featuring tons of various guest posts, I have finally convinced my husband to write a post for Domestic Superhero!  When we moved into our new house in April, I decided one of my goals would bee to have the house in order enough to host Thanksgiving there.  It is our first house, and how great would it be to host our first Thanksgiving?!  As November grew closer, I was menu planning, and my husband said that he would love to make one dish for the occasion.  We looked through recipes together, and he ended up finding a Squash Soup that appealed to him.  Of course when I noticed the recipe was from Smitten Kitchen, I knew it would delicious.  It turned out great, and I am so happy he wrote this post for me...maybe I have a Mr. Domestic Superhero on my hands.....

I even made the soup again over this weekend (with some healthy modifications-see below), and it was really great!  You could easily serve this as an appetizer, side, or main dish.  It's perfect cold weather food! Check it out below 🙂

_________________________________________________________________

After a very successful  launch and relaunch of my wife’s blog, I am excited to finally be writing an entry…it’s been a long time coming!  Keeping with the theme of postponed blog entries, I am writing today regarding a soup that I made for our Thanksgiving meal, approximately one and half months ago.   Better late than never, though, and this soup turned out really, really good.  Considering that I am not much of a cook, it will probably turn out even better when you make it, so expect a mouthgasm when you have it.

The soup is a winter squash soup with gruyere croutons, and I found the recipe over at Smitten Kitchen.   It was a perfect complement for the Thanksgiving meal, and I was glad that I chose it over some other recipes I looked at.  The only difference I remember making is that we did not use chicken broth.  We used vegetable broth (vegetarians making 12 times less the carbon footprint than meat-eaters, what-what?!?) and it still came out great.

Although the first step is the hardest, it isn't all that bad, and you have satisfaction of knowing that the rest of the work is downhill from there.  You have to peel, seed, and cut up the uncooked squash, and that part is hard.

Taking out the seeds is easy, but peeling the tough skin and then cutting up the hard squash can be a bit difficult.  As I mentioned, though, not too bad, and you won’t regret it.

Squash soup1

Next, melt the butter in a large pot on medium heat and add the onions and garlic to give them a nice saute   Add the broth, all of the squash (which will be cubes at this stage), and herbs, and bring this to a boil.  After the soup is a-boilin’, lower the heat and cover it.  Simmer the soup until the squash is tender, which was about 20 minutes; you can go a little less or a little more, depending on how much or little tenderness you want on the squash.

Squash soup2

The last part was the most fun.  Doing the puree in batches, pour some of the soup into a blender and puree it.  Pour it out into another container, and do it again.  Probably took 4 batches to in the blender to get finished with the whole pot.  I say it was fun just because of messing around with the blender, but also, if you have a little one at home, they will love helping you pour it in, out, and pressing the blender buttons.  After it has all been pureed, return it back to the pot to re-simmer.  Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper as you like.

Winter Squash Soup5

For the croutons, you need about 2 minutes and 24 seconds.  Just butter one side of the type of bread you want to use and put in on a baking sheet with the buttered side up.  Broil it until a little brown/golden and turn over.  Sprinkle the cheese, and if you like, some herbs and salt and pepper.  After sprinkling the cheese, broil until the cheese melts.

Pour the soup into the bowls, place the bread in the soup, and…ENJOY!

Squash soup4

Print
Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup butter ** ½ stick
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves chopped
  • 3 14 ½- ounce cans low-salt chicken broth or vegetable stock
  • 4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash * about 1 ½ pounds
  • 4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash * about 1 ½ pounds
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons minced fresh sage
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ cup whipping cream **
Gruyere Croutons
  • 2 tablespoons butter ¼ stick
  • 24 ¼- inch -thick baguette bread slices
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
Instructions
Soup
  1. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.
  2. Working in batches, puree soup in blender )or use an immersion blender in the pot). Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)
Croutons
  1. Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.
Recipe Notes

**I made this recipe a second time, and tried to lighten it up a bit. It was great the first time, however I thought I could make it more waistline friendly. I used only 1 TBS of butter, and ⅛ cup non fat plain Greek yogurt in place of the heavy cream.
Without the croutons, the recipe came out to about 125 calories, 1.2g of fat, 28g carb, and 3.2g protein (per 2 cup serving). I would definitely call this healthy!

 

Squash soup3

 

Domestic Superhero's Most Popular Posts of 2012

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

2013, already?  This year has flown by and while I can't yet say that my blog has been around for a year, I can say I am that much closer (3 more months!).  In the last 9 months I have had had 116 posts, which averages a post about every 2.5 days...not too bad!  I would like to do better in the 2013, but with a lack of time, I am not sure how realistic that goal would be...we'll see.  I thought I would start off the year with a quick recap of 2012's most popular posts.

We will start off with the DIY Dresser turned into a TV Console, which was not only the most popular DIY project, but the most popular post on my blog all together.  It has had over 40,000 pins on pinterest (and I am assuming more, except for some reason my pin counts have totally stopped showing up...ugh), and my friends are constantly telling me they have seen it randomly on pinterest, pinned by their friends or someone they are following.  It makes me really happy to have such an inspirational post!  DIY can be really easy, and this is definitely one of those projects!

popular3

Also in the DIY category, the Refinished Farmhouse Hutch, and the DIY Tufted Ottoman made from a Pallet, were also extremely popular.  In fact, in the last week the Ottoman project has blown up and become really popular.  It might be a front runner for most popular of the new year...we shall see!

popular2

As for food posts, there were quite a few that were popular.  The Artichoke Cheesy Bread was very popular around football season, and the Corn Fritters had a lot of attention when Chobani featured them on their blog!  Also, my very last post of the year, 8 Great Dips for New Year's Eve, was super popular too...I think it was the timing 🙂

popular5

The other top food posts were:

Mac and Cheese Gnocchi

Mexican Baked Eggs

Buffalo Quinoa Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Low Carb Crab Cakes with Mustard Sauce

Braided Broccoli and Cheese Calzone

The Best Ever Banana Bread (or muffins!)

Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread

&

Spicy Eggplant and Tofu

And our most popular drink post of 2012.....

basil margs2

If you haven't already 'liked' Domestic Superhero on Facebook, head over there and do it!

Thank you for all the support over the last year, and here's to a great 2013!


Kid's Activity: Handprint Christmas Trees

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Keeping in the spirit of the holidays, if you are looking for a fun and easy holiday activity to do with the kids, this one is great.  I made these last year with the twins I nanny, and they had a lot of fun.  This was probably one of the first handprint activities we attempted, so it is a little messy, but they are sure pro's now!

If you do a quick search on pinterest for "Handprint (insert holiday there)" you will find 100's of really fun ideas.

All you need for this is finger paint, paper or canvas (we used thicker paper for painting), glitter paint (optional), and tiny hands!

Sorry the pictures aren't the best....phone cameras are not ideal!

What fun kid's activities have you done this holiday season?

One Pot Shakshuka

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

One Pot Shakshuka is an Israeli dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce!

One Pot Shakshuka: Israeli dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce

If you follow my blog, you most likely know that I make a lot of poached egg type of recipes.  After I shared my Mexican Baked eggs a while back, one of my friends, Becky, said that I was making Shakshuka!  She said while a little different, it was basically the same.  Living in Israel she would have this dish regularly, and suggested I make it true to the recipe.  She said I would love it.I of course thought it looked delicious, because I love basically anything having to do with eggs.  I got to making it a few days later.

It is a very simple dish of of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce and topped with feta cheese and parsley.  It is so simple to make, healthy for you, budget friendly, and it tastes so delicious.  Becky was right.  Serve this with warm pitas and hummus and you have an authentic dinner.

Also, if you are nervous about poaching eggs, this is the perfect recipe for you because it takes no effort. You crack the egg into the sauce, and let it cook. No messing with it, no removing it, no stress or worry.

Other egg recipes you might like:

Print
Shakshuka: Israeli dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce
Ingredients
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 3 jalapeños don’t forget those gloves!, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped **
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic crushed then sliced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 28- ounce can whole peeled tomatoes undrained
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 6 eggs
  • ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Warm pitas optional, for serving
Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add jalapeños and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

  2. Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with ½ cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

  3. Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley. Scoop into bowls and serve with pitas, for dipping.

Recipe Notes

**For me, this dish was not very spicy, but if you are serving to children you may want to adjust the pepper content. 1 would probably be enough, but if you have a child who doesn’t mind a little spice, go ahead with the three.
Serves 4-6

YUM!


Tomato Basil Soup

Published by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This lightened up Tomato Basil Soup has minimal ingredients and only 115 calories per two cup serving!

This lightened up Tomato Basil Soup has minimal ingredients and only 115 calories per two cup serving!

This time of the year, as it starts getting cooler (not too cold, we are talking about Georgia after all), I tend to gravitate towards making soups.  They are generally easy to prepare, fairly inexpensive, and there are always left overs for my husband to take to work with him the next day.  

I mostly enjoy any type of soup, and love finding new vegetarian recipes to try.  Even soups that have meat can usually be altered pretty easily to be vegetarian....and it goes the other way too, as it is easy to add meat to vegetarian soups as well.

Growing up I used to love eating tomato soup with grilled cheese, but now that I am older, I don't really each much condensed soup anymore.  Making my own tomato soup seemed like it would be fairy easy, so I wanted to give it a try.  I used some additional veggies to bulk this recipe up (so it wasn't just tomatoes), and it turned out great.  I also got to use some basil from my herb garden!

This lightened up Tomato Basil Soup has minimal ingredients and only 115 calories per two cup serving!

This Tomato Basil soup is very easy to make.  It's fast, there are minimal ingredients, and it tastes delicious.  Instead of the traditional grilled cheese, I served this with Cheddar Biscuits.  The meal was perfect.

This lightened up Tomato Basil Soup has minimal ingredients and only 115 calories per two cup serving!

For a cold soup alternative, try this delicious Tomato Gazpacho recipe!

If you like soup as much as I do, checkout these other delicious options!

Make sure you don’t miss a thing! Follow Domestic Superhero on:

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | Email

For NEW RECIPES delivered straight to your inbox, signup for our email list! 

Print
Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 30 oz fresh plum tomatoes or you can use canned tomotoes, peeled
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 3 sprigs parsley
  • 10 basil leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Parmesan cheese for serving optional
Instructions
  1. Chop onions, carrots, celery and garlic using a **mini food processor or chopper. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add butter until melted, then add chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook stirring often until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes, stirring well.
  2. Using a string or a rubber band, tie herbs together and drop into the soup. This will make it easy to remove later. Add salt and fresh pepper, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
  3. Remove herbs and discard, **blend with a hand blender until smooth. (A regular blender would work, but be sure to let the soup cool before blending and fill only halfway in the blender so it doesn’t explode on you).
  4. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated cheese and fresh basil.
Recipe Notes

**From the beginning I used my food processor to chop all the vegetables. I let them process for a minute to get them as chopped/pureed as possible. I skipped using the hand blender at the end because I didn’t mind that my soup wasn’t super smooth.
Makes 8 cups. About 115 calories per 2 cup serving.