Kelley's Fiesta Dip

This is another delicious recipe that is part of my review of Gooseberry Patch's Simple Shortcut Recipes

I made a half a batch of this dip, since there would only be two of us eating it.  I served it on some nachos on Thursday, ate it as a snack on Friday night and for lunch on Saturday.  It was delicious plain and on nachos.  I also think it would be good in a quesadilla or in a chicken enchilada.  Between the two of us, we finished it off in no time.  I guess you could say it was a hit with us!

It is super easy to throw together and it makes a lot, so it's the perfect dip to serve at a party.  The best part is you can make it a few days ahead of time, so no stressing last minute.  The recipe says to chill for at least 24 hours before serving, but I did eat some immediately after it was made and it tasted amazing.  The only difference I noticed after 24 hours of chilling was that it had thickened.  You can serve it cold or you could keep it in a small crockpot and serve it warm.  It was good cold, but I preferred it warm.  

Kelley's Fiesta Dip
adapted from: Simple Shortcut Recipes 
submitted by Kelley Nicholson
(Printable Recipe)

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. container sour cream
11 oz. can sweet yellow and white corn, drained
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 1/2 Tbl. salsa seasoning mix (I used taco seasoning)
2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
tortilla chips


In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.  Cover; chill at least 24 hours before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Serves 10-12.


Jenn's Notes: I used fat-free cream cheese, but full-fat sour cream.  I'm not sure what salsa seasoning is, so I just used taco seasoning.  This dip tasted amazing!  

Simple Shortcut Recipes Cookbook Review and Giveaway Plus Strawberry-Coconut Pound Cake

*This giveaway is now closed - thanks to everyone who entered.  Click Here to see the winner*

Gooseberry Patch's Simple Shortcut Recipes
(Giveaway information is at the very bottom of this post)

This cookbook is awesome.  I knew it was going to be a keeper, before I even had a copy, just from browsing through the sneak peak pages that you can see on Amazon.  I have so many things flagged to try and each time I flip through the book, I find something else that sounds good(like the rabbit scones that I found just now - a carrot cake scone with a cream cheese glaze - yum).  I have already made four of the recipes with two more planned this week.  Each recipe in this book contains at least one ingredient that is a "shortcut" ingredient, such as crescent rolls, cake mixes, canned/frozen vegetables and store-bought roasted chicken.


Not only does this book have 225 simplified recipes, but it is full of fun tips on the bottom of each page and I love the pages of "Common Ingredient Substitutions" and "Common Herb and Spice Substitutions" in the back of the book, like what to use in place of half-and-half, whipping cream and cream cheese and how to make your own cake flour or self-rising flour.  I am always searching the web for both ingredient and spice substitutions.  Now, I can just pull out this book and have a whole list right in front of me.

   This Strawberry-Coconut Pound Cake was delicious and my house smelled amazing while it was baking, plus you gotta love that bright pink color!  It is dense and moist, yet it feels light while you are eating it.  I served it with some coconut flavored whipped cream and fresh blueberries.  


I can't wait to share with you some of the other great recipes I have tried out of this cookbook. Make sure to come back throughout the week to check them out!

Strawberry-Coconut Pound Cake

adapted from: Gooseberry Patch's Simple Shortcut Recipes
recipe submitted by: Janice Woods
(Printable Recipe)

1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. strawberry cake mix

1 (3.5 oz) pkg. instant coconut pudding mix

1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin mix

4 eggs, beaten

1 c. water

1/3 c. oil

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 20 minutes; invert onto cake plate.  Serve plain, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with a dollop of whipped topping and some fresh fruit on the side.  Serves 12.

Finally, onto the Giveaway

Would you like a chance to win a free copy of this amazing cookbook?

How to Enter:

(Sorry - Giveaway is open to U.S. Residents Only)

• Mandatory Entry:  Leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite shortcut in the kitchen is!  

For additional entries:

(Leave me a separate comment for each one)

• Follow Eat Cake For Dinner via GFC, Facebook, Linky or E-mail (all are on the right hand side of my blog) 
• Follow Gooseberry Patch on Twitter  @gooseberrypatch
• Fan Gooseberry Patch on Facebook  www.facebook.com/gooseberrypatch
• Leave a comment on Gooseberry Patch's Blog gooseberrypatch.typepad.com

Giveaway will end Tuesday, May 22nd and I will announce the winner the next night!
**Winner must contact me within 72 hours or a new winner will be selected**

Gooseberry Patch provided me with a copy of this cookbook, but the opinions expressed here are my own.

S'mores Cheesecake Bars

Did you know that May 6th was "International No Diet Day"?  That is my kind of holiday!  A day to eat whatever you want and not have to feel guilty about it (at least until the next day when your pants are too tight)! 

I wanted to make a dessert.  I was trying to decide what the most decadent dessert was?  In my opinion, it is cake and frosting.  I searched through my millions of cake recipes I have in my "to make" stack, but nothing was standing out at that moment?

Then, I was thinking maybe I would make some homemade ice cream or a homemade pie, but still nothing was hitting the spot. . . until someone at work mentioned a cheesecake!  

A cheesecake, huh?  That is not a bad idea.  I have only made one real cheesecake in the past few years.  I consider  cheesecake the kind of dessert you save for a special occasion and "International No Diet Day" was that special occasion.  Maybe you could have "Mother's Day" be your special occasion this Sunday?  Or even Father's Day?

These cheesecake bars were so easy to throw together.  You don't have to worry about cooking them in a water bath or worry that the top is going to crack, because it will be covered with marshmallows.  I loved that you can pick up a square and eat it.  No forks needed.  The graham cracker crust was delicious.  The filling is thick and creamy with a slight tang from the sour cream and has just a light chocolate flavor.  The mallows and chocolate drizzle turn these into the dessert we all love - a S'more!     

S'mores Cheesecake Bars

(Printable Recipe)

For the crust:

1 c. graham cracker crumbs (one package)

1 Tbl. sugar

4 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used milk)

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3 Tbl. sour cream

1/2 c. marshmallow cream

2 tsp. cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

For the topping:

1 1/2 - 2 c. mini marshmallows

melted milk chocolate chips, for drizzling on top

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line an 8x8" baking pan with foil; spray lightly with cooking spray.  Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a small bowl.  Stir together with a fork until well combined.  Press the mixture in an even layer into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.  Bake 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack while you prepare the filling.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325˚ F.

To make the filling, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and marshmallow cream.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined, 1-2 minutes.  Blend in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and eggs until incorporated.  Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended.  Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust and smooth the top with a spatula.  Bake about 30 minutes, or until the center is just set (does not jiggle when shaken gently.)  Remove from the oven.

Evenly top the cheesecake layer with the mini marshmallows.  Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes, just long enough so the marshmallows begin to melt into each other.  Transfer to a wire cooling rack.  Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the tops of the marshmallows.  (Alternatively, this can be done underneath the broiler with a very watchful eye.)  Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, drizzle with melted milk chocolate if desired.  Transfer to the refrigerator and chill 2-3 hours before slicing and serving (I refrigerated overnight). 

adapted from: Annie's Eats originally from: Visions of Sugar Plum

Jenn's Notes: I am a huge milk chocolate fan, so I used some milk chocolate candy bars for both the filling and the drizzle on top.  I personally did not think these were too sweet with the milk chocolate, but I like sweet things.  I thought these bars were super easy to make and they tasted great for several days!    

Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits

Back in the day, my Grandma Parker loved to copy down recipes from T.V.

I don't know if T.V. was different back then, but I am wondering how in the world did she write down all those ingredients so fast?

I tried it the other day and thank goodness for my DVR.  I had to click pause and rewind so many times and there weren't even that many ingredients to write down! 

Luckily I got them all right, because these Corn Biscuits turned out SO GOOD!

They are crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.  The cornmeal is soaked in buttermilk for 10 minutes, so your biscuits don't end up too grainy.  The texture is perfect and the flavor is just right, not to sweet.  They taste like cornbread, but in biscuit form and when drizzled with honey, you might find yourself eating one too many.   

Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits 

adapted from: Cooks Country
(Printable Recipe)

1 c. cornmeal

1 1/4 c. buttermilk

2 Tbl. honey

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbl. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbl.) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Whisk together the cornmeal, buttermilk and honey.  Let rest for 10 minutes to soften the cornmeal.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a food processor.  Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand.  If you don't have a food processor you can either use a pastry cutter or your hands to cut in the butter.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together using a rubber scraper until no streaks of flour remain.  Lightly flour board.  Knead dough a few times and pat out into a 9'' circle, 3/4'' thick.  Cut out biscuits using a 2 1/2'' cutter.  Transfer biscuits to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes, until they just start to rise.  Lower temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden and risen.  Yield: 12 biscuits.

Jenn's Notes: I added extra buttermilk, because the dough seemed a little dry and I ended up with a fairly sticky dough.  I don't know if that is why my biscuits ended up so moist, but that is how I will make them from now on, because I loved them. 

Quick Chicken Fricassee

This recipe is similar to my favorite pork chop recipe (I will post someday) that I make all of the time, so I knew I would like it and I did like it.  The chicken was sooooo juicy!  

But hey, I learned something new!  Leave it to Cook's Country to teach me something new.

The sauce that I use for my pork chops always seems to be just a little separated, like it never fully mixes together properly, but I never cared, because it still tastes delicious! 

As I was watching Cook's Country, they explained that in order to combine the sauce properly, we need an emulsifier (an egg yolk) to help keep the fat (sour cream) and water blended together.  It worked perfectly and resulted in a very creamy sauce.  I cannot wait to try out that little trick with my pork chops recipe.

Quick Chicken Fricassee

adapted from: Cook's Illustrated
(Printable Recipe)

2 Lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 Tbl. unsalted butter
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 Lb. mushrooms, washed and sliced or chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1/4 c. dry white wine (I used chicken broth)
1 Tbl. all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 c. sour cream
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. minced fresh tarragon or parsley

Pat dry chicken with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Heat butter and oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until butter is melted.  Place chicken in skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.  Using tongs, flip chicken and cook until browned on second side, about 4 minutes longer.  Transfer chicken to a large plate.  Add mushrooms, onions and wine to now-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 8-10 minutes.  Add flour and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Add broth and bring mixture to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Add chicken and accumulated juices to skillet.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until breasts register 160 degrees, 5-10 minutes.  Transfer chicken to clean platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.  Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in medium bowl.  Whisking constantly, slowly stir 1/2 cup hot sauce into sour cream mixture to temper.  Stirring constantly, slowly pour sour cream mixture into simmering sauce.  Stir in nutmeg, lemon juice and tarragon or parsley; return to simmer.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Jenn's Notes: I used one large Costco chicken breast and it was enough for 2 people.  I still made the full sauce recipe, because I am a huge sauce person (as you can tell by my picture).  The chicken was so moist and flavorful.  I used broth instead of wine and parsley instead of tarragon.  

Bourbon Chicken Over Rice - Without the Bourbon

I was getting ready to make this recipe again and realized I never got it posted the first time.  It was very easy to make, so I was glad it was liked by all. After trying this amazing Honey Sesame Chicken, I was inspired to try making similar dishes and so far I have really enjoyed each of them.  Sometimes you just have to step outside your comfort zone and try dishes you normally wouldn't try.  Like I said with the Honey Sesame Chicken, the ingredients sounded so strange together that I would have never tried it, if it wasn't for all the awesome food blogs that said it was amazing.  Now, I have some great new dishes to add to my dinner rotation.

Bourbon Chicken Over Rice

adapted from: Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake
(Printable Recipe)

5 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 Tbl. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 c. apple juice

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 Tbl. ketchup

1 Tbl. apple cider vinegar or 

     3 Tbl. chicken broth

1/2 c. water

1/3 c. soy sauce

pinch red pepper flakes

1 Tbl. cornstarch

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add the cubed chicken and cook.  Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients.  When the chicken is done, add the sauce.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered with the lid at an angle.  Simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If sauce gets too thick, add a little chicken broth.  Serve over rice.  

Or - you can place your chicken breasts in a casserole dish and pour the sauce over the top.  Cover with foil and bake until chicken is done.  Remove from heat and take out chicken breasts.  Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and heat for a few minutes until thickened.  Meanwhile, shred or cube the chicken.  Toss with sauce and serve over rice.

Jenn's Notes: I cooked mine in the oven.  I think it would work great in the crock pot too!  I added a pinch of chili powder instead of using red pepper flakes.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls made with Crescent Rolls Topped with Maple Icing

Who doesn't love a quick and easy recipe?

How about a quick and easy recipe for a cinnamon roll?

These babies start out with a can of crescent roll dough that you roll out, brush with melted butter and top with cinnamon and sugar. Then, you roll em up, cut em and bake! Top with a glaze and voila, you are done! When I made these, I was not in the mood to take my time and try to make them pretty, but I was impressed they still came out looking pretty good!

Pop one in your mouth!

Okay, pop another one!

Now, these will never replace my favorite big, fat, doughy cinnamon rolls, but they were a great little snack to have any day of the week.  The buttery crescent roll flavor did stand out a little to me (I'm not saying that is a bad thing - I love butter), but if you are not a fan of store-bought crescent rolls, then you might not like these. 

This is the perfect thing to make with that can of crescent roll dough that you bought while it was on sale and never got around to using it!  Or wait . . . was that just me? 

Mini Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

adapted from: Very Culinary! originally from: Iowa Girl Eats

(Printable Recipe)

1 (8 oz.) tube crescent rolls

2 Tbl. butter, melted

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbl. brown sugar

1 tsp. maple syrup

1 Tbl. milk

1/2 c. powdered sugar

Carefully unroll the tube of crescent roll dough.  Pinch the seams together.  Flip over and repeat.  Take a rolling pin and roll out the dough until it is about 1/4'' thick.  Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.  Cut the dough in half, so you have two squares.  Roll up each half as tightly as possible.  Cut into 16 pieces (I just made 12, so that I only had to bake one batch).  Place into the cups of a lightly sprayed mini muffin tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for around 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine the maple syrup, milk and powdered sugar.  When rolls are done, drizzle with icing.  Enjoy!

Jenn's Notes: I made the recipe as is, except I think I might have added a small amount of vanilla to the icing, but that is totally optional!