My Mom's Test Meal Monday Features #15

I had a lot of fun this past week hosting Mom's Test Meal Mondays with Jaime from Mom's Test Kitchen.  This is not my first time hosting this fabulous party with her (and hopefully not my last!), but Jaime asked me to do a little something different this week... She asked me to post  my features- my top 3 favorite recipes- from her link-up party! ;)  Jaime has already spotlighted the recipes that were your all's favorites- CLICK HERE to see the top 3 most viewed recipes from Mom's Test Meal Monday #15.

Ready for my favorites of the Election Day, All American recipes that were submitted?  Drum roll, please....  ;)

Cherry Pie Bars from the Recipe Critic

We got the red and white here, folks! :) And how yummy do these look??

Firecracker Cake from Love Bakes Good Cake

It is no secret that I love me some bundt cakes and how patriotically festive is this one?

Individual Apple Pies  from Back For Seconds

You seriously don't get too much more American than apple pie in my book.  ;) And these little apple pies are too flipping adorable!

If one of your recipes happens to be one of the ones that I featured above, then please be sure to grab Mom's Test Kitchen Feature button below! 

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Be looking for an all new Mom's Test Meal Monday party with an all new recipe theme this Sunday! :)

Co-Hosting the Fabulous Mom's Test Meal Monday Party Election Style!

It's that time again y'all.  We've made it to another Monday.  I'm so glad y'all are back joining me for another week of Mom's Test Meal Mondays!!

Since tomorrow is Election Day, we are going to celebrate America this week!  With everything this country & the Northeast has been through this past week, I think taking a few minutes to remember what we love most about this great land is a pretty good thing!  So lets bring out our favorite red, white & blue dishes and have us a party!!

My friend & co-host Carrie from Frugal Foodie Mama has brought an amazing dessert that I know y'all are going to love!!

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Hello all! I am Carrie and I blog over at Frugal Foodie Mama about my life as a stay-at-home mom to a baby and a teenager, my family's journey to become a little more eco-responsible everyday, and how I still manage to stay a foodie on our one income budget.  Please stop on over and say hi! 

Blog~Facebook~Twitter~Pinterest

Tomorrow is a big day in this country.  Remember to get out there and vote because the only wasted vote is the vote that is never cast, my friends.  

In honor of the upcoming Election Day, I am sharing my recipe with you all for my Red, White, & Berry Cupcakes.  Now you could make this real fun and make half the batch with red raspberries and half the batch with blueberries, or you could just leave them bipartisan.  ;)

So what will you need to make these?

1 box of white cake mix

1 cup of raspberries

1 cup of blueberries (or blackberries)

2-3 tbsp of sugar

Your favorite white frosting recipe (or you can make it even easier & used canned frosting)

Mix the cake mix according to the directions on the box.  I reduced the water by 1/4 cup since I knew the berries would be adding moisture to the batter.  

Next, mix your berries together in a small bowl with 2-3 tbsp of sugar.  You can use either fresh or frozen berries.  I actually used frozen raspberries and fresh blueberries since it is what I had on hand. 

Mix the berries into the cake batter and then using a small measuring cup, fill your cupcake liners in a muffin tin about 2/3 full each with batter.  Bake according to the directions on the box for cupcakes.

Once baked, let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.  Whip up your favorite vanilla or buttercream frosting (just make sure it is white!). I figured that since I used the cake mix shortcut for the cupcakes that I would at least make a frosting from scratch. ;)  I used a cupcake frosting recipe from the blog, Natasha's Kitchen.  Click here for the recipe.  I divided the frosting into 3 bowls, using food coloring to dye one bowl blue, one red, and left the third one white.  

I admit it- I don't use fancy pastry bags for my icing.  I use a plain old gallon sized food storage bag with a bottom corner snipped off and then just slip my icing tip into the snipped off corner.  I literally just spooned each color icing into the bag side by side, but if you would like to the colors to stay more separate you could put each color into quart sized storage bags with snipped corners, and then set those bags down inside the larger gallon sized bag.  I kind of like the tie-dyed effect I got by just letting the colors mix and mingle. ;)

Just frost your cupcakes and then decorate however you see fit (Or not all, if you prefer. The frosting is pretty enough!).  You may have a hard time finding the star shaped marshmallows this time of year.  I originally first made these cupcakes for the 4th of July.  But I am sure it would not be too difficult to find some American flag toothpicks to adorn them.  ;)

Red, White, & Berry Cupcakes!

Happy Election Day 2012!

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So now let's party!

Remember this week's theme is Patriotic Recipes.

The party is open to any and all of your favorite recipes, but only recipes that fit the theme will be featured at the end of the week. :)

Just the reminders:

• Myself & Carrie would love to have you as new friends!! Please take a minute to follow us both via GFC, Twitter, FB, or any other social media you prefer
• You are welcome to link up any recipe you like but only recipes that are consistent with the week's theme will be featured at the end of the week.
• Please feel free to grab the button in the sidebar or add a direct link back to the week's party that you are linking up to
• And finally, go make some new friends ~ spend a few minutes checking out some other recipes that you might want to try out yourself & comment! Everyone loves comments!!
• Please note that by linking up you are giving permission to use the photos along with a link back to your post in the Mom's Test Meal Mondays Features post & on Mom's Test Kitchen's Social Media Networks

And remember, if anyone is interested in being a co-host for Mom's Test Meal Mondays, please email me at momstestkitchen (at) yahoo (dot) com! I'd love to have you!

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Co-hosting Mom's Test Meal Mondays & a Recipe for Summer Market Potato Salad

I am a busy, busy birthday gal today!  A co-hosting extraordinaire, if you will.  ;)  Today I am sharing a recipe and co-hosting with Jaime of Mom's Test Kitchen for her Mom's Test Meal Mondays.  

And now I will let Jaime take it away... :)

Welcome to week #6 of Mom's Test Meal Mondays y'all!! I'm so excited to have y'all joining me in the kitchen again! We had some amazing slow-cooker recipes shared last week! If you missed the features, you really should go check them out!!

I hope you are all having a great holiday weekend!  I hope you are getting to spend time with your family & friends and enjoy some good fun & food!  This week in honor of the holiday we are going to share our favorite potluck/cookout recipes!  And to kick us off, my amazing friend Carrie from Frugal Foodie Mama, who just so happens to be celebrating her birthday this weekend too, is sharing a scrumptious potato salad recipe with us! 

Inspired by some gorgeous veggie finds at my local farmers market (and some fresh green beans from my parents' garden), I decided to combine all that summer freshness into one delicious and healthy potato salad.  Not only is this potato salad better for you (no heavy mayonnaise here!), it is also really flavorful and can be served cold or warm.  I had it both ways- warm right after I made it with dinner, and cold the next day and both were equally tasty. ;)

I have a favorite vendor at the farmers market for my potatoes each week.  They grow and sell such a unique variety of local potatoes.  From Yukon Golds to Cranberry Reds, and All-Blue to Russian Banana Fingerlings.  I am pretty sure my husband and I have tried just about every variety they offer by now.  Their booth is always my first stop when I visit the market.  I have to get our weekly potato fix before they are sold out.  For my Summer Market Potato Salad, I used a combination of their All-Blue and their Yukon Golds.  You could use a combination of any potatoes, or just one kind of potato.  But the All-Blues were just too beautiful to not use in this salad...

What you will need:
2 lbs potatoes (any variety or combination of varieties as long as they as smaller)
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Heat your oven to 450 degrees.  Clean the potatoes under warm water.  Cut the potatoes into 1 1/2 inch chunks.  Place in a large saucepan and cover the potatoes with water.  Bring to a boil and continue to cook the potatoes until they are almost fork tender.  Remove from heat, drain in a colander, and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine the cut up zucchini and summer squash in a medium sized bowl.  Pour a touch of olive oil over them and toss well to coat.  Turn out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Now for a quick blanch on the green beans.  Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Boil the green beans for 3 minutes.  Quickly drain in a colander and then plunge into an ice bath.  This can be in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water and ice. 

Combine the potatoes, squash, zucchini, and green beans in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil, fresh chopped parsley and basil, and cider vinegar.  Pour the Dijon dressing over the veggies in the large bowl and toss well.  Taste your potato salad and add salt and pepper to your liking. 

This salad makes about 8-10 servings and is perfect for a barbecue or family get-together.  And since it is mayonnaise free, it is safe to leave at room temperature. 

How perfect is this for a cookout?!?  Thank you so much Carrie for such a great recipe!  I know y'all loved this recipe, so make sure you head over and check out the rest of Carrie's site!   You can also follow her via Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest.

So now, lets see what y'all are enjoying this weekend!

Just the reminders:

• Myself & Carrie would love to have you as new friends!! Please take a minute to follow us both via GFC, Twitter, FB, or any other social media you prefer ~ you can find my links in the sidebar & Carrie's are listed above.
• Please stick to the theme for the week and only link up your recipes that go with the theme.
• Please feel free to grab the button in the sidebar or add a direct link back to the week's party that you are linking up to
• And finally, go make some new friends ~ spend a few minutes checking out some other recipes that you might want to try out yourself & comment! Everyone loves comments!!

And remember, if anyone is interested in being a co-host for Mom's Test Meal Mondays, please email me at momstestkitchen (at) yahoo (dot) com! I'd love to have you!