Recipes Archives - sevenclowncircus.com

Let’s Get Zesty! {recipe} PLUS {giveaway}

May 16, 2013 By Angie 27 Comments

Let’s Get Zesty! Kraft has added a fun and flavorful way to dine at home by adding a little zest to their dressing. Their new Zesty Italian Anything Dressing lets me sail into the summer with fun new recipes full of flavor while buying me time since I’m spending less time seasoning! And, so that you can zest up your kitchen, too, I’m giving away a bottle of a zesty Italian perfume, such as Versace to a lucky reader. {{It’s one of those fun perks of working with Mom It Forward and Kraft!}} Scroll down to enter to win!

Let's Get Zesty!

Let’s Get Zesty!

We can now get cheeky in the kitchen and with friends and family by sending a personalized ZestyGram to add a little zest to everyday moments and special occasions. The Zesty Guy is definitely steaming up some kitchens around the globe. :) You can visit the Zesty Guy on Twitter and on Facebook, too! You’ll need to click the links to see what I’m talking about! Trust Me.

Zesty Recipes

Zesty Italian Chicken Salad – this simple, yet playful dish will surprise even the biggest mainstream foodie. Once you go Italian, you never go back.
Primavera Pasta Toss – a little added zest to fettuccine and veggies turns the most basic meal into a steamy, palette-able adventure.
More Zesty Guy-approved Kraft recipes.

Tomato, Basil and Cucumber Salad Recipe

Let's Get Zesty! {recipe}

Recipe Ingredients

Let's Get Zesty! {recipe}

4 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber-peeled, quartered lengthwise and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
5 TBS KRAFT Zesty Italian Anything Dressing

Toss all ingredients and serve chilled! Enjoy. It’s delicious! {{The Kraft Zesty Italian Anything Dressing makes all the difference!}}

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a bottle of a zesty Italian perfume, such as Versace.

Giveaway requirements: {found within the rafflecopter widget}

Answer the following question: How do you zest up your life?
Send out a tweet about this giveaway using the hashtag #GetZesty.

All other entries are optional.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends on Wednesday, May 22nd at Midnight, PST.

Disclaimer: I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward follow and Kraft follow partnered in support of this campaign. Kraft follow compensated me for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Recipes, Sponsored Post

Sweet Easter Popcorn {recipe}

March 21, 2013 By Angie 6 Comments

How to Make Sweet Easter Popcorn is easy and perfect to make with little helpers because it’s fun to mix with your hands! I’ve found a few variations of this recipe online and decided I had to try it because popcorn with add-ons just makes me happy. Plus, I’ve tried a variation of this recipe with Chex mix {Vanilla Chex Mix} and my kids loved it. This Easter Popcorn Recipe uses popcorn, white chocolate chips, shortening (makes all the difference in consistency) a lemon cake mix (yummy), and candy sprinkles. The mix is perfect for Spring or Easter because it’s light and just looks and tastes cheery! It’s a great homemade gift idea for friends and neighbors, too!

Sweet Easter Popcorn

Sweet Easter Popcorn Ingredients

Sweet Easter Popcorn

12 oz bag melted white chocolate chips
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup lemon cake mix
8 cups plain popped popcorn
food coloring {optional}
Sprinkles

Directions {step-by-step}

Sweet Easter Popcorn

MELT white chocolate chips in microwave safe dish in microwave. My 12 oz. bag took about 2.5 minutes. I’d recommend melting your chips in 30 second increments.

Sweet Easter Popcorn

ADD the vegetable shortening to the melted chocolate. This is key is making the mixture the perfect consistency for mixing.

Sweet Easter Popcorn

ADD food coloring if you want. Just add enough drops for desired color. Stir in.

Sweet Easter Popcorn

ADD cake mix to the chocolate mixture.

POUR the chocolate mixture over the 8 cups of popped popcorn {make sure you don’t have any un-popped kernels in there!}. I’d recommend digging in with your hands to get it mixed if you have little helpers because it’s fun for them, but if you are doing this alone, using a spatula works just fine and is way less messy.

Sweet Easter Popcorn

SPREAD mix onto wax paper and then add sprinkles.

LET cool.

Sweet Easter Popcorn

ENJOY, or GIVE as a GIFT!

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Filed Under: Featured Content, Recipes Tagged With: easter, poporn, recipe

Sausage, Fennel and Cauliflower Soup {recipe}

March 8, 2013 By Angie 2 Comments

How to Make Sausage, Fennel and Cauliflower Soup is easy, and I can’t tell you how delicious the soup is. I’ve made this for my family on MANY occasions and taken it to various get togethers and it always gets good reviews. The sausage adds the perfect “kick” of heat, and the fennel adds flavor that I just adore. The soup is hearty enough to be served as a meal, which is nice, too. The great thing about this Recipe is that you can change things up a bit. If you don’t like pinto beans, try cannellini beans, or try other vegetables instead of cauliflower. The only two staple ingredients I wouldn’t change are the sausage and fennel.

sausage fennel cauliflower soup

Sausage, Fennel and Cauliflower Soup Ingredients

sausage fennel cauliflower soup

1 package of spicy Italian Sausage
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 fresh fennel bulb
2 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
4 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 cans(15 oz of pinto beans)
fresh basil for garnish

Directions {step-by-step}

sausage fennel cauliflower soup

REMOVE casings from sausage by cutting a slit in the sausage and then pop the meat out of the casing into a (4 qt or more) pot and brown.

ADD chopped fennel and garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

MIX in cauliflower which has been chopped into bite sized pieces.

STIR tomatoes and broth into the mixture.

DRAIN and rinse beans with a colander. Add to soup.

SIMMER soup until cauliflower is tender (about 20 minutes).

GARNISH with chopped basil.

SERVE and enjoy!

sausage fennel cauliflower soup

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Filed Under: Featured Content, Recipes

Irish Soda Bread Muffins {recipe}

March 1, 2013 By Angie 1 Comment

How to Make Irish Soda Bread Muffins is super easy, and the perfect St. Patrick’s Day food. The muffins hardly take any time and the result is worth the time and effort. This hearty Irish Soda Bread Muffin Recipe uses golden raisins since they are golden in color and my kids won’t touch brown things (like traditional raisins or currants) in baked goods unless it’s chocolate, and sour cream which always makes baked goods more moist. I used green sugar sprinkles to make the muffins more festive and add sweetness and my kids thought they were a great breakfast muffin, which is high praise for a muffin that isn’t loaded with sugar.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Irish Soda Muffin Ingredients

irish soda muffin ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped golden raisins
1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
sugar granules or sprinkles for topping

Directions {step-by-step}

irish soda muffins

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners, or grease if you are not using liners.

WHISK together the dry ingredients and raisins {excluding the sugar or sprinkles for the topping}.

MIX together the wet ingredients in separate bowl.

COMBINE the dry and wet ingredients. As soon as they are combined, stop stirring.

SPOON batter into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Top with sugar or sprinkles.

BAKE for 20 minutes or until fork inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Serve plain or with butter and jam.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Easy Strawberry Mango Freezer Jam {recipe}

February 1, 2013 By Angie 1 Comment

How to Make Strawberry Mango Freezer Jam is super easy as far as jam making goes. It hardly takes any time and the result is well worth the time and effort. This Easy Strawberry Mango Freezer Jam Recipe uses Sure-Jell Pectin, Strawberries, Mangos and sugar. The resulting jam is beautiful to look at and tastes really divine. My kids could slurp it up. You won’t find this flavor combination (strawberry/mango) on the box, but it should be. :) It’s a great homemade gift idea for any occasion, too!

Strawberry Mango Freezer Jam Ingredients

4 cups prepared fruit made up of strawberries and mangos (I usually use the fruit of 1-2 mangos to make up part of of the 4 cups of fruit)
1 cup of water
1 box SURE-JELL Premium Fruit Pectin (make sure you buy the pink box. This is important)
3 cups sugar

Directions {step-by-step}

(directions for the most part from the SURE.JELL box)

GATHER four pint jars and make sure they are washed and dried.

PREPARE strawberries and mangos. You need 4 cups total of crushed fruit. I blend my washed/prepared fruit in the blender since I don’t like “chunks” in my jam. I usually use the fruit of 1-2 mangos to help make up my 4 cups of fruit. Set aside.

POUR sugar (3 cups) into saucepot. Add package of pectin and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Don’t walk away! Once it’s reached a boil, set a timer and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

POUR fruit mixture (4 cups) into the hot sugar-pectin mixture and stir for 1 minute.

POUR immediately into clean jars, filling to 1/2 inch of tops to allow for expansion during freezing. Wipe jar rims and threads. Allow to set at room temperature for 24 hours, and then freeze or refrigerate. Good in freezer for up to a year.

EMBELLISH jars with gift tag if you are giving as a gift. I found these free printable tags from Eat Drink Chic. The fabulous thing about her labels is that she has printables for six varieties of jam!

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Filed Under: Featured Content, Recipes Tagged With: freezer jam, recipe, strawberry jam, strawberry mango jam

Vanilla Chex Mix {recipe}

January 24, 2013 By Angie 6 Comments

How to Make Vanilla Chex Mix looks easier than it actually is. Maybe I’m just deficient in the art of chex mix making, but it’s a messy business and those Chex pieces are harder to cover than they seem. On the upside, it’s a treat that looks super cute and tastes really yummy. This Vanilla Chex Mix Recipe uses Rice Chex cereal, Instant Vanilla Pudding, white chocolate baking chips, Peanut M&M’s, and candy sprinkles. The mix is perfect for a birthday party, Valentine’s Day, or customize the color to match your party or event! It’s a great homemade gift idea for friends and neighbors, too!

I found this recipe on Butter, with a Side of Bread. Their recipe uses Strawberry Cream Pudding (hard to find) which gives the mix a strawberry flavor and they don’t use nuts in their recipe, but inspiration definitely comes from them with thanks!

Vanilla Chex Mix Ingredients

6 cups Rice Chex Mix
12 oz bag of white chocolate baking chips
1 box of Instant Vanilla Pudding (you’ll use 4 TBS of mix)
Peanut M&M’s
Candy Sprinkles
Food colorant (I used magenta colored gel by Wilton’s)

Directions {step-by-step}

MELT white chocolate baking chips in microwave safe dish in microwave. My 12 oz. bag took about 2.5 minutes. I’d recommend melting your chips in 30 second increments.

ADD 4 TBS of Vanilla pudding mix to melted white chocolate.

ADD food coloring. Just add enough drops for desired color. Stir in.

MIX 6 cups of Chex mix into melted chocolate. Good luck with this part. It’s harder than it looks to try to cover the Chex pieces without breaking them.

SPREAD mix onto wax paper and then add M&M’s and sprinkles.

LET cool.

ENJOY, GIVE as a GIFT, or let the chex mix be part of your birthday party decor like I did for my daughters party!

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Filed Under: Featured Content, Recipes Tagged With: chex mix recipe, m&M's, sprinkles, sweet, vanilla

Easy German Pancakes {recipe}

January 17, 2013 By Angie 6 Comments

How to Make German Pancakes is easy peasy. The prep time is minimal, the aroma that infuses your house while it’s baking is to die for (from the butter), and the flavor and texture is heavenly. My family LOVES this recipe. In fact, my kids would probably eat it every morning if I’d make it for them. I like that this recipe fluffs up when it’s cooking and can be topped with anything you like to make it versatile-jam, jelly, syrup, etc. This German Pancake Recipe combines milk, eggs and butter to make the yummy goodness. The resulting breakfast dish is delicious!

Easy German Pancakes Recipe

Easy German Pancake Recipe

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Milk
⅓ Cup Sugar
1 tsp Salt
8 Eggs
6 TBS Butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
Place butter in 9×13 casserole dish while oven preheats. Allow butter to melt, but don’t let it burn!
Place remaining ingredients in a blender and whip until blended.
Carefully remove casserole dish from oven and pour mixture into dish.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until top has puffed and is lightly brown.

Top with your favorite syrup or jam and Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Featured Content, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, german pancakes, recipe

Easy Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

January 11, 2013 By Angie 8 Comments

How to Make Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese is easy peasy. The prep time is minimal if you buy pre-shredded cheese, and the end result is delicious. My family LOVES this recipe, although I have to warn you that it tastes better than it looks. I like that this recipe is pretty versatile. You can use whatever macaroni noodles you have on hand and it always tastes great. This Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe uses milk, eggs and cheese to make the creamy goodness. The resulting mac and cheese is a crowd pleaser!!!

Easy Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe type: Crockpot

Serves: 8

Ingredients

½ lb. uncooked macaroni
4 cups milk
2 eggs
4 cups shredded cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 TBS dijon mustard

Instructions

Spray bottom crockpot.
Add macaroni to crockpot.
Whisk eggs in bowl and add to macaroni.
Add the rest of the ingredients.
Cover and Cook on Low for 2-5 hours or on High for 1-3 hours.

*You can make this recipe gluten free by using a gluten free macaroni like I did. The macaroni still tastes great, but the noodles didn’t hold up as well as gluten enriched/derived macaroni so the noodles didn’t hold their shape very well.

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Filed Under: Featured Content, Recipes

Pomegranate Jelly Recipe {How to}

November 8, 2012 By Angie 5 Comments

How to Make Pomegranate Jelly is NOT easy peasy. It’s time consuming and definitely pricey if you don’t have a pomegranate tree. But, it can be an enjoyable way to spend the day if you get together with friends and make the jelly making process into a party! This Pomegranate Jelly Recipe uses Sure-Jell Pectin, Pomegrantate juice and a whole lot of sugar. The resulting jelly is beautiful and tastes really nice, too. It’s a great homemade gift idea for the holidays!

Pomegranate Jelly Recipe

Pomegranate Jelly Ingredients

3 1/2 cups prepared juice (about 5 large fully ripe pomegranates)
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine
1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
5 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl (yep, you read that right. 5 cups)

Directions {Step-by-Step}

(directions for the most part from the SURE.JELL box)

BRING pan, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

CUT pomegranates in half horizontally. Remove seeds. Extract juice in juicer. {or blender and strainer}.

STIR pectin into juice in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

THANK your friend with a pomegranate tree if she’s invited you over to make jelly! {{wink}}