So Simple a 6 year Old Could Make These!

Who says you have to make everything from scratch? I am all for making sure I have great food for my family made with fresh ingredients, but I totally remember those days when just getting everyone up and in the car at the same time was a huge feat! Being able to bake a little something yummy to take to early morning soccer games or for a fun alternative to basic toast? Yeah..that is not always an option.

I love being able to have things on hand that I can make up quickly. Better yet, I love having things on hand that my kids could help me with.

Spending time together in the kitchen created some of the most memorable times for us when our kids were growing up. I guess you could say we were very food and family focused!  Being able to have a few things up my sleeve helped me save time as well as money because we weren’t swinging through someplace to grab a snack. And I really love that this recipe is a pretty low mess option! Plus, kids LOVE to eat what they help to create!

So apron up and let’s back something fabulous with those we love.

This is what Tbsp.com has to say about this recipe inspired by Buns In My Oven.

These gooey, sweet little muffins are the perfect cure to a dreary morning. They’re full of a cinnamon and caramel and topped with a simple sweet icing.

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Quick Tip: you can also make this in a Bundt cake pan.

Image and recipe courtesy of Tbsp.com

The post Quick and Simple Because the Dough Is Already Made! Ssh ..It is Our Little Secret appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

One of The Most Decadent Quick Breads I Have Ever Made

Oh my! Ever had a craving for chocolate? Well this should do the trick for satisfying that sweet tooth. There is just something  luscious about a well baked quick bread. My mom used to make quick breads all the time and when I was a kid in 4-H I was always trying new recipes to enter in the county fair. I remember making anorange cranberry bread that was pretty darned good, if I say so myself, but I bet this recipe would have been a blue ribbon winner for sure.

The balance of cocoa and sweetness is perfect and it literally just melts in your mouth from the very first taste.

In fact you might want to go ahead and make a double batch of this recipe because I will guarantee you that one loaf is going to disappear so quickly you might even start a riot.

This is what Mel of Mels Kitchen Café has to say about this amazingly delicious recipe.

Simple as simple can be, this bread is exactly what a quick bread should be: quick and extremely non-fussy.

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Quick Tip:  Try this toasted with a thin layer of softened cream cheese on top. You can thank me later.

Image and recipe courtesy of Mel at Mel’s Kitchen Café

The post One Bite And You Will Be In Chocolate Heaven appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Put This in Your Crock-Pot and Dinner Will Make Itself!

I just bought a new cookbook, but before I got home I decided that before I even make anything I needed to downsize my cookbook collection. I could not believe how many different cookbooks I had crammed onto the shelf above my stove.

Even more surprising was the amount of cookbooks I had picked up or were given over the years that I had never even looked through let alone made any of the recipes. So I ended up boxing up several and donating them to the Goodwill, where hopefully they will be used and loved by someone else.

One of the cookbooks that I couldn’t stop laughing over was the Crock pot cook book from the 70’s. The cover was so memorable and totally took me back to macramé plant hangers and Ditto Jeans. Thankfully Ditto Jeans are no longer in style, but crock pot cooking is still as popular as ever. This recipe made a believer in me!

This is what Sarah from the Magical Slow Cooker has to say about her recipe.

What is not to love about these easy enchiladas I don’t have the huge mess all over my kitchen from frying tortillas, and rolling the enchiladas.

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Quick Tip. You can also make this with a green enchilada sauce.

Image and recipe courtesy of Sarah at The Magical slow cooker

The post No Need TO Fuss Over Making Chicken Enchiladas With This Crown Pleaser appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Not Sure What To Make For Game Night? Try This Twist On a Classic Slider!

I would have never thought to use a potato as a bun! I cook for a family and they want me to try to add more gluten free recipes into their menu. When I came across this flavor packed and tasty morsel I knew I had to try it! It is perfect for a family of any size because you can easily adjust the ingredients to meet your crowd’s size.

Whether you are watching the game at your house, or having everyone over for a get together Nobody can resist this creative finger food!

Won’t they be surprised when I serve up a small platter of this with some sliced fresh fruit on the side! And if you are anything like me you are probably wondering what to do with the potato that you scoop out. I am such a frugal cook when it comes to using everything I can. So what I did was to save it for the next day to use in potato pancakes!

And since I knew I was going to do that, I went ahead and cooked up extra bacon for the morning as well. Seriously, life is way to short to always be cleaning so I try to plan ahead and cook ahead as much as I can.

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Quick Tip: We LOVE pepper crusted bacon or maple bacon but if bacon is not on your list of favorite foods, you can always swap out the hamburger for chicken or turkey sausage.

The post When My Family Bit Into These They Were In For a Bacon Surprise appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Put Mom’s Diner on the Map

Just the color of these fall cinnamon rolls makes me happy! Everywhere you turn there are pumpkin inspired foods, snacks, and recipe. There is no way I could ever make all the things I want to make, but I will try! I thought at one point during my fall baking I would begin to get tired of pumpkin but I have found the opposite to be true. The more new recipes I try, the more I am in love with the amazing and multifunctional gourd!

I used to think that pumpkins were just for carving or decorating, but now when I go shopping all I can imagine is how many cups of fresh puree can I make. It reminds me of the cartoon when one of the hungry characters sees his friend and all of a sudden they look like a piece of food.
Yeah..that is me looking at a pumpkin. I see the round orange vegetable but what I really am imagining is pumpkin scones, pancakes, or cinnamon rolls.

This is what Christy of The Girl Who Ate Everything had to say about the recipe her friend Ami shared with her.

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls With Caramel Frosting are soft and tender pumpkin spiced cinnamon rolls with a sweet caramel icing.

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Quick tip: Have a Kitchen Aid? Use the beater for the wet ingredients and switch to the bread dough hook when adding in the flour.

Image and recipe courtesy of Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything

The post You Might Want to Bake a Double Batch Because One Bite And They will BE GONE! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

This Bowl of Soup Will Really  Warm You Up!

I love being able to toss a handful of ingredients in a slow cooker and know that in 5 hours we will have an amazing soup ready to eat. This is the kind of meal I love putting together during the week when it feels like you are running out of time and the last thing you want to do is make a meal and clean up a mess! I mean, sure you will have to deal with the empty cans but I can totally handle that!

Ree Drummond always pulls together the easiest meals that are bursting with flavor! And this is one soup that does not disappoint! Ree knows that having a family dinner together is important and being able to take the frazzled mess out of meal planning is a huge benefit.

I love that this recipe can be made while you are out and about, but in a pinch, you can always make this on the stove top in a Dutch oven and let it simmer for a while. Since this recipe makes 12 servings you can count on having leftovers to take for lunch, or enjoy another meal!

This is what Ree says about her recipe.

“It’s my favorite kind of slow cooker recipe in that it requires no pre-cooking or sauteing or browning. You literally throw everything in, turn it on, then go live your life until it’s done.”

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Quick Tip: Make some cheese quesadillas to serve with this soup.

Image and recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond at The Pioneer Woman

The post One Taste and My Mother-In-Law Asked for the Recipe appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

In 30 Minutes This One Skillet Meal Will Be ready to Serve

Don’t you just love it when something comes together perfect? That is exactly how I feel about this super yummy meal that can be on the table in 30 minutes. Really? All you have to do is add a salad and maybe sliced French bread and your family will be amazed that you can create food that is as healthy as it is tasty.

The big key to making family dinners memorable is in using fresh ingredients and not relying on powdered mixes to bring out the flavors of your food. One thing I noticed was that the tastier the food was the more time we ended up sitting at the table and savoring it.

Being able to add in spinach was a great way to get some extra greens in our diet as well as add color. The last time I made this was for one of my high school friends who was in town. She wondered if I wanted to meet for dinner but I suggested I make her dinner instead. We talked and laughed for about 4 hours! Something that would have never happened in a busy restaurant and she insisted on getting the recipe before she left.

This is what Jen has to say about her yummy recipe.

“This flavor bursting chicken is your answer to “what’s for dinner” when you only have time and/or energy for a quick, easy meal that still tastes scrumpdiddlyumptious!”

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Quick Tip: This is SOO good you might want to make a double batch if having a larger gathering!

Image and recipe courtesy of Jen at Carlsbad Cravings

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And You Thought They Wouldn’t Eat Their Vegetables!

This is  true confession time. I don’t remember ever really eating fresh green beans as a kid. We usually we had several jars of my grandmother’s canned beans in the pantry. I Loved her canned green beans because she always cooked up a big pan of bacon and put  about 1/3 of a strip of crispy bacon in each jar. They were so delicious I could have eaten a whole jar by myself. But then I wouldn’t have room for homemade apricot cobbler with vanilla icecream!

Well, I am not really ready to can beans anytime soon,  but I still love the taste of bacon with the beans since that was how Grandma Miller fixed hers. This recipe hit its out of the park. It is easy, colorful, and tasty. And because each of the little bundles is wrapped in a neat little strip of bacon you have a handle on portion control!

I think my grandma would have approved!

This is what Holly of Spend With Pennies has to say about her fantastic side dish.

“These start with fresh green beans (washed and trimmed) and they’re cooked for just a few of minutes.  A little trick I learned at culinary boot camp is that adding a little pinch of baking soda to the boiling water keeps the beans a nice bright green rather than that drab boiled green color.”

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Quick Tip: You can buy pre-cooked bacon to save time if you are a bit pinched for time. Also feel free to try other flavors of bacon such as peppered or maple bacon.

Image and recipe courtesy of Holly at Spend With Pennies

The post You Had Me At Bacon Wrapped appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Hot, Spicy, and Loaded With Cheese

Game Night! We loved playing games when I was growing up. Whether is was card games, board games, or party games. Raise your hand if you remember when Pictionary came out! Okay, now raise your hand if you still own an original box of Pictionary. Our kids have loved it when my parents would come over or we would visit them because every night we would play a game. When you are playing games, you have to have good snack food.  It is amazing how much of an appetite you get just shuffling and dealing cards or rolling dice. This is one of those super easy appetizers that you can make ahead so all you have to do is pop in the oven in between rounds of whatever you are playing.

If you are out at a bbq, or camping, you can even put a cast iron skillet and set on the grill. Now that would make anyone a happy camper. Leftovers? Just toss into your scrambled eggs first thing in the morning and see how that spices things up!

This is what Sara of Dinner at the Zoo has to say about her fantastic recipe.

“If I’m making this dip for a special occasion, I often prepare the cream cheese mixture in advance, then add the topping right before I’m ready to bake it. Be sure to double the recipe for a crowd because there will be no leftovers!”

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Quick Tip: Instead of just one pan of this dip I usually divide it into two or three smaller ramekins so we can have one dip at each end of the table.

Recipe and image courtesy of Sara and Dinner At the Zoo.com

The post You Don’t Need A Tailgate Party To Make This Easy Dip! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

So Good You Might Be Tempted To Lick The Plate

The first time I made this for our kids piano recite dessert table I had a swarm of moms asking for the recipe. It was so yummy, yet it was so simple I was almost afraid to let them in on how easy it was to make. Seriously, I think I saw on of the Grandma’s licking her fork it is that good. You can image my surprise the next time a recital rolled around and the piano teacher gave me the invitation with a yellow sticky note attached asking if I could bring the yummy dessert I had brought before.

I guess you could say it really was my encore performance!

I always thought that if you were going to make a dessert it needed to be labor intensive and time consuming, but this dessert is so easy it is almost a sin to tell people you make it from scratch.

Here is what Lidia of Yummiest Foods.com has to say about her crowd pleasing recipe.

“Chocolate Lush – perfect combination of cream cheese, cool whip and pecans! This recipe is very easy to make and it is so delicious! Layer after layer of chocolate fantasy – Chocolate Lush!”

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Quick Tip. If you are not a huge Cool Whip person feel free to make up whipped cream and sweeten with powdered sugar.

Image and recipe courtesy of Lidia of Yummiest Food.com

The post Don’t Be Surprised When Your Guests Cry Out Encore After Just One Bite of This No-Bake Dessert appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.