Category Archives: Recipe

Super Easy Kid-Friendly Macaroni

January 15, 2015 Hubbard's Cupboard Leave a comment

I feel a little silly posting this. I’ve been going through my 2014 pictures and I took this picture 1 year ago. My little boys eat this at least once a week… cause it’s super easy for me. Lately, I’ve been minimizing the time I spend cooking so I can maximize the time I get to do my hobbies and teach my boys new things.

Ingredients

1 bag of elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter (or olive oil)
Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Cook and drain macaroni according to package then put macaroni back into pot. Turn heat down to medium-low
Put the butter on top of the macaroni in the pot. Stir until melted.
Stir and sprinkle Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese until desired coverage (~1/4 cup each)
Enjoy! Or….
FOR OVER ACHIEVERS: Put macaroni on a baking sheet and broil until a little crispy on the edges (~2 minutes)

Desserts, Recipe

Cinnamon-Sugared Candied Popcorn

December 18, 2013 Hubbard's Cupboard 2 Comments

We’ve been making Christmas treats all week for our friends and neighbors. I found this recipe of Cinnamon-Sugar Candied Pecans. I made the pecans and fell in love with it!! It tasted just like it does those cinnamon pecans you see and smell at the mall. I wanted to look up a cinnamon sugared popcorn recipe online but I couldn’t find one I liked. So I tried using the pecan recipe but substituted it with popcorn. It worked out just fine. 🙂 Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup popcorn kernels (~10 cups popped)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Butter a large cookie sheet.
Put the popped popcorn in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water and vanilla extract. Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt to the egg mixture. Mix well.
Pour the egg mixture on top of the popcorn in the large bowl while mixing the popcorn with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring the popcorn until the popcorn is evenly coated with egg mixture.
Place the popcorn on evenly spread on the cookie sheet.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring them every 15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker Cinnamon-Sugared Pecans.

What other candies do you think you could make with this cinnamon-sugar mixture? 🙂

Recipe, Sides

Broccoli and Cheese Soup with Bacon

November 13, 2013 Hubbard's Cupboard Leave a comment

At our church we like to do activities to bring the neighborhood together. Last week our ward had had a Chili and Soup Cook-off. This is the High Counselor Choice Award winning Broccoli and Cheese Soup with Bacon from the cook-off! I won a gift certificate for frozen yogurt. Good times! I almost didn’t add the bacon in the soup but my husband said I should. I’m glad I did because the bacon is the only reason why this soup won. HAHA! 🙂

Sorry my picture doesn’t actually have bacon in it… that soup got all eaten before I took a picture of it.

I modified a Broccoli and Cheese Soup Recipe off allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 onion diced
1 pound fresh broccoli head, no stems
4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1 pound velveeta cheese (original) cubed
2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup corn startch
1 cup cold water
1 package of raw bacon
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
In a frying pan cook the bacon on medium-low heat until crispy. Drain excess oil when finish and pat bacon with paper towel. Chop the bacon strips into small pieces. Set aside.
Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.
In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into cold water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.
Add the bacon bits and shredded cheese on top at the end.

Desserts, Recipe

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World with Chocolate Mousse Frosting

September 15, 2013 Hubbard's Cupboard 2 Comments

For Micah’s 2 year-old birthday we made pretty much the best chocolate cake in the world. We got the recipe from an Irish friend we met while in Dublin. This cake is sooo good! Really… try it.

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1- 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup hot water

Cooking Supplies

2- 9 inch round cake pans
parchment paper
2 quart sauce pan
big bowl

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and fit a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover 1 inch up the side of each cake pan.
Heat butter, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
Divide the sugar mixture between the prepared pans.
Sprinkle 3/4 cup pecans over sugar mixture and set aside to cool.
Combine the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the eggs, sour cream, canola oil, vanilla, and vinegar, and hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the cake pans — over sugar mixture
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the cake center comes out clean
Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes
Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack.
Remove the parchment paper and cool completely before frosting.
Frost cake with chocolate mousse frosting (see below).
Add the remaining 1/4 cups of pecans to the top of the frosted cake.

Chocolate Mousse Frosting

Ingredients

14 oz whipping cream
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoon butter

Cooking Supplies

Hand mixer with bowl or Kitchen Aid
2 quart sauce pan

Instructions

Melt butter in sauce pan on medium heat.
Add chocolate chips to sauce pan and stir with a wooden spoon until melted.
Put the whipping cream in a mixing bowl and add melted chocolate mixture.
Whip until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.

Main Dishes, Recipe

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

April 7, 2013 Hubbard's Cupboard 1 Comment

This recipe is awesome. It’s cheap. It’s easy. You can feed a big family or have left overs for the whole week! It’s really toddler friendly too. Micah loved it. This is definitely a recipe I’ll use again.

Serving Size

8 people

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 onion diced
1 pound ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 pepper diced
1-2 celery stick diced
4 Tbs flour
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 beef bullion cubes
4 cups water
3 cups macaroni
2 cups frozen corn (or 1 can corn)
1 can red kidney beans
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

Put 1 Tbs olive oil in a pot that is at least 4 quarts big. Turn heat to medium.
Add onion and garlic cloves. Cook until onion is caramelized.
Add 1 lb ground beef and cook till brown.
Add 1/2 tsp salt and 2 Tbs brown sugar to pot. Mix well.
Add diced pepper and celery to pot.
Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add flour to meat mixture and stir well. Cook for another minute.
Add 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 can crush tomatoes, 2 beef bullion cubes, 4 cups water, and 3 cups macaroni. Stir well.
Turn heat to high. Wait until simmer. Stir frequently to make sure noodles don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Once simmering turn heat down to medium low.
Add corn and red kidney beans to pot.
Put lid on pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Turn heat off and add grated cheese to pot. Stir until cheese is melted in.

Enjoy it while it’s hot!

Main Dishes, Recipe

Making Menus… Yikes!

February 25, 2013 Hubbard's Cupboard Leave a comment

Sorry for the absence. We’ve been traveling on the weekends and we were a little “under the weather” for a week or so.

I never thought I’d do it but I’ve started making weekly menus. With the high food prices in Ireland and not having a car… I need to make menus. I’ve actually kinda liked it. It’s really hard for me to sit down every Monday to figure out the entire week’s menu but it’s worth the time. It’s nice to have the rest of the week planned and not have to think about what to make or running to the store for last minute ingredients.

Old Tactic: Run to the store, buy stuff that’s on sale/clearance, stock our fridge… then make up recipes with the food I bought. This worked fine. I’m pretty good at making stuff up on the spot. I only bought the essentials so I didn’t spend that much money. It worked well in Utah because I could buy stuff in bulk. That doesn’t work here! Sometimes buying bulk here means it’s more expensive… crazy huh?

New Tactic: Make a weekly menu on Monday, figure out what I don’t have, make a shopping list, go to the store twice a week (I can only carry little amounts home), and then make recipes on my menu.

It’s been really fun. It’s saves us money and we don’t waste so much food. We’ve been eating healthy. I think I’ll stick with it even when I get back to Utah.

So here’s what has been cooking in Mother Hubbard’s kitchen:

California Rolls

Lamb Stew

Veggie Burgers

Teriyaki Salmon

Chicken Pot Pie

World’s Best Lasagna

Main Dishes, Recipe

Best Easy Veggie Burgers EVER!

January 30, 2013 Hubbard's Cupboard 1 Comment

I’ve been always afraid to make veggie burgers because I don’t know how they would turn out. I thought it’d be hard and that it wouldn’t taste very good. Well today I succeeded in making a veggie burgers that both my husband and my toddler loved! This recipe is SUPER EASY and it taste super good! It’s not vegan because it contains eggs and cheese but it’s 100% meat free. However, we commented at dinner on how it smells like meat and even kinda taste like meat too.

Serving Size

9 patties

Ingredients

1 can of cannellini beans, drained
1 can of butter beans, drained
1 can of red kidney beans, drained
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs (That’s all they sell in Ireland… they don’t have the dry stuff. I bet the dry stuff work too or take some white bread and shred it up yourself.)
4 green onion, chopped into scallions
1 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella. I’m sure the more cheese you add the better it taste or you can cut back on the cheese if you’re trying to be healthy.)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Burger buns
Burger condiments: lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, mayo, ect.

Instructions

Put the beans in a strainer and rinse throughly. Make sure they are very dry after rising by using a paper towel.
Mash the beans in a large mixing bowl using a potato masher until the beans are like mash potatoes. Some texture was fine. I couldn’t get all of the beans to mash.
Add breadcrumbs, green onions, cilantro, egg, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix well.
Pre-heat a frying pan to medium heat. Add the olive oil into the frying pan.
Divide bean mixture into 9 portions. Using clean hands, shape and press each portion into a chunky burger.
Fry each burgers ~5 minutes on each side or until light golden brown. Cook it until the burger is cooked all the way through and piping hot.
Put the hot burgers in a bun and add your favorite condiments!

Main Dishes, Recipe

Best Greek Recipe!

July 15, 2011 Hubbard's Cupboard Leave a comment

To get to the point of the story… Dallin’s friend took us to a Greek restaurant in SLC a month ago. It was good but we ended up spending like $40 on very little food! I got to admit though… it was good food because the taste was something different than what we always eat. I couldn’t help it…. I had to make Greek food and I finally found time to do it! These are some of the best recipes… and it worked the first time! You REALLY have to try them.

It took me about 1.5 hours of prep time but you should start prepping 3-4 hours before dinner. The recipes are really easy though. Trust me it’s worth a try!

Greek Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 small cucumber – peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 green onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Stir together the yogurt, sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, cucumber, green onion, garlic, feta cheese, oregano, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl; cover and chill 3 hours or overnight before serving.

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Greek Pita Bread

8 Servings (Feed 4 people)

Ingredients

1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured counter top. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed (see picture) and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Not all of mine puffed but it was super exciting when they did!
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Greek Seasoned Meat
Feed 4 People

Ingredients

1 lb of any kind of meet (Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Steak..) sliced in strips
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Small Onion Chopped

Combined everything. Cook the meet any way you want: grilled, pan fried with oil, baked covered with foil so the meat won’t dry out.

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Greek Gyros

Ingredients

Greek Cucumber Yogurt Recipe
Greek Pita Bread Recipe
Greek Seasoned Meat Recipe
Chopped Romain Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes

Directions

Use Pita Bread and top with Meat, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and a big heaping of Cucumber Yogurt Sauce! YUM!!!

Recipe, Sides

Wheat Thin Cracker Recipe

January 6, 2011 Hubbard's Cupboard Leave a comment

This picture is of a tomato basil cracker recipe. I cooked tomatoes in the oven for about an hour in 200 degrees F. Then I put the tomatoes in a liquid measure and filled it to 1 cup of water. I put it in the cracker recipe and sprinkled onion salt and basil on top. You have to play with this recipe and make some fun flavored crackers like garlic and parsley or taco seasoning. It’s a really good cracker recipe.

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cup white flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pour in the vegetable oil and water; mix until just blended.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough as thin as possible – no thicker than 1/8 inch. Place dough on an ungreased baking sheet, and mark squares out with a knife. Prick each cracker with a fork a few times, and sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and light brown. Baking time may be different depending on how thin your crackers are. When cool, remove from baking sheet, and separate into individual crackers.