A Real Susie Homemaker

My sweet friend’s husband has a birthday today.  I think we’re friends, too, especially since I made him homemade chocolate chip cookies and then something special for his birthday today.  I really think you can gain favor with a man through food.  ha.  What do you guys think?

Last Spring I discovered this recipe while flipping though my mom’s Southern Living magazine.  I tested them out on my Bible study group, and they were a hit.  Definitely a keeper.

This friend loves anything with cream cheese, so I thought of these.  Maybe he’ll let me have a slice, but hopefully he’ll just take them home and keep them away from me since I’m trying to fit in a dress by the end of May (which, might I add, is quickly approaching!).

This dessert starts out on a shortbread crust – which I love all by itself.  You could even add some pecans to the crust for a great flavor enhancer.  The next layer is a good slathering of strawberry preserves, and then you pour delicious, creamy, lemon cream cheese mixture on top.  When it bakes up, it has the consistency of a cheesecake.  YUM!

Here’s a link to the recipe found in the April 2011 Southern Living magazine: Strawberry-Lemon Shortbread Bars.

Lunch was so delicious, I couldn’t wait to share it with you.  I’ve been trying to add more fruits and veggies to my meals, and this recipe is the perfect way to do it.

It’s loaded with apples, grapes and grilled chicken, so my kids gobbled it up, too!  I actually went back for seconds, but it’s ok, because it is low cal.

I served my on top of a piece of whole wheat toast, but it would be great with your favorite cracker, on a roll, or just on its own.  Click For Printable

My New Year’s Resolution was to cut calories, so I’m discovering new ways to tweak recipes in my repertoire.  The recipe I tweaked this time was a family favorite – French Bread Pizza.  While on the bread aisle, I saw Sandwich Rounds, and immediately thought of thin crust pizzas!  I guess I must have really been craving pizza for me to think pizza when I saw Sandwich Rounds, instead of …sandwiches.

This is a great one to get your kids in the kitchen to help you out with!  My baby girl had the best time helping Mama.  She’s a pro at sprinkling cheese!

The great thing about these pizzas is you can use what you have on hand to make a delicious pizza!  I had some deli ham on hand, so that’s what we used this time. [Read more...]

This week has been a hectic week with little rest.  I can’t even tell that we had two days off from school for President’s Day and Mardi Gras.  In actuality, I only did 2 regular week activities out of my bajillion that I typically do because the family received some news that put everything else on hold.

One of the 2 regular week activities that I did get done was a cake for Friday.  I had to work fast on this one because we had to be on the road to join the rest of our family in a matter of hours.  Thankfully everything worked out great, and look how cute it turned out!  This was a great idea that my client had for a baby shower cake – a onesie!  And not just any onesie, this baby is going to be stylish wearing zebra print.

After baking this cake, I had a little batter left over for a few cupcakes.  [Read more...]

I discovered this recipe in my Cooking Light Fresh Food Superfast cookbook.  (Highly recommend the Cooking Light cookbooks…I also have Cooking Light Comfort Meals and it has a lot of great recipes, too!)

I tweaked the recipe to make it to my liking.  After all, that’s how cooking should be – not being confined to a recipe, but adapting to make it the way you enjoy it!

I’m not a fan of egg yolk, unless scrambled, so I made these with egg whites only.  I did try making them with scrambled eggs, and they were good that way…puffed up like a souffle…but I like the texture of egg whites only the best.

Play around with this recipe to make it your own!  How about a Southwest version by adding a little salsa to each?  Ooo…I think I’ll try it that way next.

Click For Printable