Southwestern Pasta Salad Recipe

I adore pasta salads, especially in the summertime. They are so versatile, and can be eaten as a main dish, or as a side. And they are usually pretty easy to put together, and most travel well for a picnic at the beach, or a barbeque at someone's house.

This Southwestern Pasta Salad has a nice spicy kick to it, and you can heat it up even more with the addition of some red pepper flakes. The black beans and tomatoes give it a healthy boost.

I've been trying to incorporate black beans into my recipes lately because of their great nutritional value. I do actually like the taste of them too, so I've included them in tacos, soups, and green salads.

But back to this yummy pasta salad. My family and I ate it for dinner out on the deck with steaks that my-son-in-law grilled. It was perfect with them, and there was enough left over for my lunch the next day. It will make about six portions for a side dish.

Recipe for Southwestern Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

3/4 pound rotini colored pasta, cooked and rinsed so that it is cool
1 can (15oz.) black beans
1 can (10 ounces) RoTel diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, taco seasoning, and black pepper.
Add the cooled pasta, black beans, tomatoes, and corn. Mix together well, making sure everything is incorporated. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours, so that the flavors can blend together nicely.

Makes about 6 side dish servings.

Easy Glazed Cinnamon Streusel Muffins



 

 



 

 

 



Cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors, and it reminds me of fall, and all the coziness that comes along with that season.

These great tasting muffins are topped with a cinnamon streusel and powdered sugar glaze that will make your morning start off on a happy note.

Besides tasting so yummy, they are super easy to make. They are made with Bisquick Mix, that old favorite from so long ago, and one my mother always had in her cupboard. I grew up with pancakes, muffins, waffles, and more made from it, and I am actually a bit nostalgic about it.

I do enjoy baking from scratch, but sometimes I pull out the Bisquick for an easy recipe like these muffins. And if you have any left over, a quick 15 seconds in the microwave makes them totally fresh allover again.


Recipe for Easy Glazed Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:

Topping:
1/3 cup Bisquick Mix
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons firm butter or margarine

Muffins:
2 cups Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a small bowl, mix together streusel topping ingredients until crumbly. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix muffin ingredients until well blended. Spoon into paper liners, about 2/3 full.
Sprinkle with topping. Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Let muffins cool before glazing.
To make the glaze, mix the tablespoons of milk and powdered sugar together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over muffins and let set before eating.

Makes 12 muffins.

I posted this last year, and it was a favorite, so I'm sharing it again. Enjoy!!

Summer Fun with Kids Fashion: Chooze Shoes

 *I was sent a pair of shoes for my review, all opinions of this product are completely my own.

Creativity and uniqueness are encouraged in our house. I am a mom who is not concerned if everything matches, I think mismatching is a fashion statement in itself. My son seems to have inherited my outside the box style and I love that. I have found a company that also feels the same way about choosing to be different with style. Chooze is a company that purposely mismatches its shoes and other items to foster uniqueness in kids. I think the idea is awesome!

This summer my family created a Summer To Do list and one of our items is plant a container garden. We want to have the choice to put in our own soil mixture and plant foods that are organic. Plus how fun is it to eat food you have grown yourself. My son is in charge of watering the plants each day and it has given him a confidence in watching something he nurtures grow. Just like the choice he made with his shoes, to have ones that do not match give him the confidence to wear something unconventional. A kid at the park mentioned his shoes did not match and he smiled so big and said "I know, I love them". The kid smiled back and they both took off running to playing.

I consider myself well informed about kids shoes. I know that flexibility and lightweight are key to shoes for little feet. I would definitely say these shoes are good for both of those. Many casual slip on shoes on the market are too stiff and heavy for kids. Its like they are adult shoes just made smaller. Chooze shoes are made for kids being lightweight and having the flexibility needed for playing at the park and going out and about. They also have an anti microbial removable padded insole and 100% vegan materials. Your child can be comfy and fashionable all summer long by giving them the choice to have Chooze.

The box the shoes come in are called art boxes that are made of recycled cardboard. Your child can color the pictures and designs on the box to make it uniquely there own. My son has decided his will be the new box he stores his crayons and markers in. I look forward to the other summer adventures we will have as we do more of our Summer To Do list and my son will be rocking his cool "Space" shoes as he calls them.

You can order Chooze shoes online directly from them or Nordstrom also carries them. Following them on Facebook and Instagram you can see the newest products and sales. They have just introduced backpacks, lunch boxes and this Fall, leggings.

Starting Summer Fun With My Recipe For Dr Pepper® Cherry Chocolate Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareFunshine #CollectiveBias

My grandchildren have officially started their summer vacations and that is something to celebrate around our house. No more school or schedules, or the many trips in the car everyday to get everyone where they need to be.

That's pretty exciting and we are all looking forward to having a great summer this year. So, to kick off the start to our summer of fun, I baked a cake. I love baking, and I've been hearing so much about baking with soft drinks that I decided to use one of my favorites, Dr Pepper® Cherry.

Well, I'm not exaggerating when I say this cake is absolutely, fabulously delicious!! My daughter and I both looked at each other in shock when we first tasted it. The chocolate is so intensified, with the hint of cherry in it, and I just love it. This recipe is a keeper, and I'll be making it again soon for a family member's birthday that is coming up.

Summertime fun means buying our favorite treats and drinks to have on hand. While I was shopping at Walmart, I thought I would surprise everyone with some  SNICKERS® Ice Cream Bars, Dr Pepper® Cherry, M&M's® Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, and some Skittles®.

If you'd like a chance to win a $100 Walmart e-gift card, be sure and enter the contest below. What a fun shopping trip that would be if you won!



Share a Little Funshine Sweepstakes

I enjoy making cakes for birthdays, holidays, and other occasions. I do think it's very much worth the effort of making a cake from scratch.

My grandchildren were super excited that I was making a cake to celebrate the start of their summer vacation, and I know I'm making a memory with them. Even though they are young, I know they won't forget this amazing cake and the day I made it for them.

This recipe is pretty easy to follow, but I do have a couple of things I want to emphasize. First, make sure you use a high quality cocoa powder because the chocolate flavor is so intense and you want it to be the best it can be.

Only let the Dr Pepper Cherry, cocoa powder, butter and sugar get hot enough to melt the butter, you don't want it to get too hot or boil. It has to cool down so that the eggs can be added, and you don't want the eggs to cook in a hot mixture.

And I did use canned frosting for this cake, which tasted great on it. With three little ones asking over and over when the cake was going to be done, I was happy to skip having to take the time to make frosting.

Recipe for Dr Pepper Cherry Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

 2 cups Dr Pepper Cherry
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

2 containers white frosting
1 jar Maraschino cherries, rinsed and dried
white sugar sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease or use cooking spray on two 9-inch round cake pans.
In a medium saucepan, heat the Dr Pepper, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans about 30 minutes, then carefully run a thin spatula around the edges, then invert the cake onto a cake plate.
Frost layers, then put the cherries on top of the finished cake. Sprinkle with white sugar sprinkles if desired.

Of course when summer rolls around, I can't forget about our sweet dog, Chewy. He is very much a member of the family and deserves his own favorites, too.

I like buying him Pedigree Dentastix® Original and Pedigree Dentastix® Beef Flavor, for a treat he loves that also helps with his oral care.

Of course he can't have cake, but he can have a Dentastix® once a day to keep him happy and ready to jump in the car for some summer adventure.

The kids loved the cake, and I scored big Nana points because of how delicious it turned out. My five year old grandson, Liam, will start all-day kindergarten in the fall, and it's sort of bittersweet. They aren't babies anymore, and it's just as hard to see time passing with them as it was with seeing my children growing up.

So I want this summer to be filled with lots of spontaneous fun, family days, games, and favorite things to eat. And this cake got us off to a great start!!

You can find Dr Pepper® Cherry, M&M's® Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, SNICKERS® Ice Cream Bars, Skittles®, Pedigree Dentastix®, and more, all at your local Walmart.

 Click here to receive instant savings on M&M's®, SNICKERS® Ice Cream Bars, Dr Pepper® Cherry, Skittles®, Pedigree Dentastix®! Download the Blippar app from your Apple or Android store to scan your package and receive exclusive content.

I'd love to hear your favorite ideas for making summer FUN!

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Bread Recipe

Lemon is one of my favorite dessert flavors, whether I'm eating out or making one at home. There's just something so good about the tangy fresh flavor of lemons that I really love.

My mom was a champion at making lemon meringue pie, but for some reason I've never made one. It's on my list of recipes to try this year, and of course I'll share it here.

When I'm at Starbucks, I'll often grab a little something to go with my coffee, usually a muffin or slice of something yummy. One of my absolute favorite treats there is the lemon bread. It's so good, always moist and lemony.

I really enjoy making quick breads and pound cakes so I decided to try to make a copycat version of Starbucks Lemon Bread. Nailed it, because this lemon loaf tastes just as delicious as the coffee giant's does.

It's really so, so good and goes great with coffee, tea or a cold glass of milk. My family really loved this recipe and it was all gone pretty quickly. I plan on making another loaf to take to a school picnic, and some for beach picnics this summer.


Recipe for Copycat Starbucks Lemon Bread

Ingredients:


 3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

For Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x5-inch with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.
3. Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.
4. Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don't over mix. Batter will be lumpy.
6. Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
7. Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for 20 minutes before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.

I also like giving loafs of quick bread as gifts, and tired with pretty paper and a ribbon, they make wonderful end of the school year presents. It's a thoughtful way to show your appreciation for teachers, office staff, or someone special at your child's school. And I don't know anyone who doesn't love food gifts.