Reheating Leftover Pizza with a Crispy Crust (a tip)

I just wanted to share a tip with you all for reheating pizza that really works, and I absolutely love.  I'm such a fan of pizza, but not so much a fan of the soggy crusted reheated leftovers that the microwave provides.
Instead of sticking that leftover pizza into the microwave for a nuke - take this foolproof method.  Place the pizza slice, crust side down, into a skillet.  Heat over low heat until warmed through, which usually takes about 3-5 minutes or so.

  
Ta-da!  Perfect, crispy crust.  You see how it doesn't bend at all when lifted with a wooden spoon on one end?  Nuking them makes for a soggy pizza, while the skillet method produces a better-than-pizzeria result.  I must say that the pizza leftovers are very hard to stay away from with this method.  I honestly like the reheated version a tad bit better than fresh now.  How crazy is that?
By the way - this works on all leftover pizza, no matter where you get it from - pizzeria, frozen food section, homemade, etc.  Try it - you won't be able to microwave  your leftover pizza ever again!




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Makin' You Crave Monday

Welcome to another edition of Makin' You Crave Monday.
This week, I'm sharing my Strawberries & Cream Bread.

There will be no featured section this week as I'm preparing for my first ever plane ride (yikes) to take a dairy tour as part of the Real California Milk campaign.  (I will have posts scheduled for the week though!)  The features will be back next week.

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Creamy Aloha Pops

These creamy, dreamy aloha pops are GREAT for kids (and adults too) & are a much better alternative to the sugar-laden frozen treats that you buy inside the grocery store.  Plus, they're simple - great for busy moms (or dads) to throw together in a pinch!

With only 5 ingredients in this recipe, you won't have to overhaul the grocery store in order to make it.  You may even have everything you need on hand in your pantry!
A tip for those who may have a hard time finding the cream of coconut.  Most stores keep it in the alcoholic beverage section.

This recipe was created by me for the first ever social media driven television show, Life Around Home (which is hosted by the lovely Marie Louise Ludwig who you may know from QVC), as part of my weekly healthy/lightened up recipe submissions.  Come on over & engage yourself within the community!

Creamy Aloha Pops

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created by Mrs Happy Homemaker for Life Around Home*makes about 1 dozen ice pops, depending on the size of your popsicle molds
Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups milk
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut
• 1 (16oz) package frozen tropical fruit blend, partially thawed
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• popsicle molds

Instructions:
In a medium sized bowl, mix the brown sugar & tropical fruit blend.  Toss to combine; set aside.  In a separate bowl, combine the milk, cream of coconut, & vanilla extract.  Spoon the brown sugar/fruit mixture evenly between about 1 dozen ice pop molds.  Pour the milk mixture evenly on top.  Put your popsicle sticks in, & freeze until set - about 6-8 hours.  






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Strawberries & Cream Bread

This is one of my favorite breads to make & it's a slice of this makes one perfect, super delicious breakfast. Try it toasted with a smidgen of butter or cream cheese on top if you really want to do it up.  

Strawberries & Cream Breadprintable version at bottom of postmakes 1 loaf

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups bread flour (all purpose can also be used)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, & cream cheese. Mix the eggs in one at a time, & then stir in vanilla.  
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. Combine the flour mixture with the wet mixture; add buttermilk & stir just until combined.  Do not overmix!  Gently fold in strawberries.  The mixture will be thick.  
Bake for 45-55 minutes.






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Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

These brownies are addictive.  So addictive.  And, I must share the recipe for this with ya'll.  
See, I came up with these by combining a couple of recipes already here on the Mrs - my Red Velvet Cheesecake & my Fudge Ripple Cake, and then putting a brownie spin on it.  Did you get all that?

They are yummy & gooey - everything that a brownie should be.  But then, there is the twist of the red velvet & the added element of the cheesecake topping.  Decadent doesn't even seem like a strong enough word to describe it.  Out of this world good!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 1.5 cups brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2oz red food coloring
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 2.5 cups self rising flour (or all purpose with 2 tsp baking powder & 1/2 tsp salt added)
• 6 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 large egg

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat together the 1 cup of butter & both white and brown sugars.  Beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth.  Stir in the food coloring & half the vanilla extract.  Gently fold in the flour & cocoa, being careful not to over mix.  I can't stress that enough - don't over mix!  The batter will be very thick.
Spray a 9x13 inch baker with non-stick cooking spray or Baker's Secret.  Pour in the brownie batter, scraping the sides of the bowl to get it all out.  
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter until smooth.  Mix in the flour, sweetened condensed milk, & the egg until well combined.  Spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.





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Makin' You Crave Monday

Welcome to another edition of Makin' You Crave Monday!

This week, I'm sharing my Zucchini Crab Cakes.

Here are my favorites from last week.
Layered Strawberry Mango Smoothies from What's Cooking Love.

Lava Flow from That Little Touch

Chocolate Chip Snickers Cookies from Saving 4 Six

And, a friendly reminder - don't forget about the two giveaways that are going on right now!  One for a 2 Flavor Pack of Ring of Fire sauces & one for a 30-day supply of Grease Magnet!

Now, on to the party!!

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Zucchini Crab Cakes

I have been making these zucchini crab cakes for a decade now, and they are a family favorite.  They all began the first year we planted our own garden, and we were overloaded with fresh zucchini.  I experimented & came up with so many recipes to use it up, but this is by far one of my very favorites.

I really can't believe it's taken me this long to share it with you.  The greatest thing about this recipe is that you don't even have to add crab to it if you don't want to, and it will still taste like a crab cake.  My friend, Tammy, made them without the crab for her husband last summer - and he had no idea that there wasn't really crab in it.  Now, this recipe does call for crab - because heck, of course it's better with crab.  But it's still amazing without it. All you do is add an extra cup of shredded zucchini, leave out the crab, & add an extra tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning if you want to go the meatless route.  It doesn't even matter what kind of crab that you use.  Versatile I tell you.  You can do crab claw meat, canned crab, imitation crab, krabby patty, etc.

Now me?  I like them with crab & without crab, and I make them both ways often.  We have these in some form more times than I can count in the summer months, and I never get tired of them.

I like to serve them with my Chipotle Ranch Sauce - it's like the two were made for each other.  So good.  In fact, these little gems are my favorite thing to eat the sauce on.  If you go to the post for the chipotle ranch sauce back from September of 2011, you can see the sauce spooned atop one of these bad boys - but without the crab!

With crab.  Without crab.  Take your pick.  

Zucchini Crab Cakesprintable button at bottom of postMakes 8-12, depending on how big you make them

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Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups shredded & peeled zucchini
• 8oz crab (any kind, or omit & add an extra cup of shredded zucchini)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning (add 1 additional tbsp if omitting crab)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a large bowl, stir together the shredded zucchini, crab (if using), eggs, bread crumbs, onion, & Old Bay seasoning.  Form into patties - at least as big as a golf ball & no bigger than a baseball.  I usually go the baseball route. Dredge the crab cakes in the flour, & arrange in a skillet of hot oil, on medium-high heat.  Fry patties in hot oil on each side until nicely browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, & sprinkle with salt and pepper while still hot.  



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Steak n' Tater Kabobs

When you think about what a man likes to eat - steak & potatoes....or steak n taters where I'm from....always comes to mind.  So, on Father's Day - let's give Dad what he really wants.  These kabobs are so good though, you won't want to limit them just to Father's Day!

Click here for the printable recipe card designed by Life Around Home.

Steak n' Tater Kabobs 

printable button at bottom of post

(Serves 4-6)

created by Mrs Happy Homemaker for Life Around Home

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Ingredients:

• 1 pound sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 4 large potatoes, skin on - chopped into large chunks
• 2 medium onions, cut in half - and layers seperated
• 3/4 cup steak sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup water
• wooden skewers, soaked for 30 minutes in water

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion powder, & black pepper.  Set aside.  Mix the potato chunks with the water in a medium sized dish, cover with vented plastic wrap, and cook for 6 minutes in the microwave.  Drain the water, & set the potatoes to the side to cool enough to handle. Thread the skewer through the kabob components as so:  First a steak cube, then an onion layer, a potato, another onion layer, & finishing off with another steak cube.  Do this until all the steak & potatoes have been used.  Brush the entire kabob with the sauce mixture.  Grill on med-high heat for 5 minutes.  Turn; and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes - basting with the remaining sauce. 

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Cleaning the Grill & A Giveaway!

It's summer time, and the grilling season is in full gear.  I know we have been grilling out half our meals lately to avoid heating up the kitchen.  So, when I was contacted by CLR about trying their Grease Magnet for my grill, I was super stoked.  I love CLR products as it is, and this is one I hadn't yet tried yet.  My grill gets lots of use, and on top of that - it's old. So, a cleaning was past due.
The Grease Magnet by CLR  is simple to use.  Just spray it on, let it sit a few minutes, and clean it off with your grill brush.  No scrubbing or scraping required - all the ickies just slide right off.  You can see my grill grate in our old grill below.  It cleaned it right up.

The grill is just one of the many things you can clean with it. Try it on a variety of other things too.

• CLR Grease Magnet features an eco-safe, garage strength formula.
• Effective for cement, concrete, asphalt, terrazzo, granite, garage, & factory floors
• Degreases motors, machinery, BBQ grills, & other surfaces with grime, grease, & oil
• Industrial strength, fast-acting formula is biodegradable & will not hard grass or shrubs.

Here's your chance to win a bottle of Grease Magnet to try out in your own home!  For entry in this giveaway, you must leave a comment on this post. You can earn additional entries by liking Mrs Happy Homemaker on facebook and liking CLR on facebook - among other things.  Leave 1 comment for each thing that you did, which will be verified if you are chosen as the winner.  
The winner will be chosen via Random.org.  Giveaway ends Friday, June 22nd at 12:01am.  Winner will be announced on this blog post, & on facebook.  
The contest is over & a winner has been selected using Random.org.  Congratulations to Mary Cochrane!  Please email me at MrsHappyHomemaker@yahoo.com with your shipping address to claim your prize!
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Disclaimer: CLR provided me with a sample of Grease Magnet to review, along with another one to give to a lucky reader.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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Shrimp Scampi Po' Boys {On Garlic Bread}

The following recipe came to me only because I was out of lettuce. Yep.  
I set to making a traditional po' boy, but before I got started I realized I was completely out of lettuce.  I didn't want to make a grocery run, so I decided to make shrimp scampi instead.  But wait - I had already made the french bread, and it smelled too good not to use right then.  Then the idea gates opened up in my head, and I knew what I was going to do.

I was going to make a Shrimp Scampi Po' Boy, and make the french bread into garlic bread to sandwich all that yummy shrimp in between.  And, I did - then I devoured it.

 
Shrimp Scampi Po' Boys

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Ingredients:

• 2 pounds raw shrimp, tails removed & deveined
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 6 cloves garlic, minced & divided
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 2 bunches green onions, chopped & divided
• 2 loaves french bread
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter.  Stir in the shrimp.  3 cloves of minced garlic, shallots, & 1 bunch of chopped green onions.  Cook for 6-10 minutes on medium-high heat, or until the shrimp is done.  Season with salt & pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Combine the other stick of softened butter, 3 cloves minced garlic, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, & the other half of the green onions.  Cut your french bread in half lengthwise, & hollow out the insides halfway.  Spread on the butter/mayo mixture.  Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the bread is toasty.
Sandwich the shrimp in between the bread.  Serve & enjoy.






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