DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert


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Marga-Daiquiri-Screw-Aloda-On the Beach

What?! Yeah, you read it right. Marga-daiquiri-screw-aloda-on the beach. What is this you ask? Well, if you’re a country fan you may have heard Jerrod Niemann’s “One More Drinkin’ Song”. If you’re not a country fan then 1) shame on you and 2) you can find the video here. In the song, he sings “… my favorite drink, a marga-daiquiri-screw-aloda-on the beach”. Check it out at around the 1 minute mark. Excited, I decided to troll the internet and see if a recipe existed already. No such luck. It’s okay though, because being able to experiment to find the perfect recipe was really, really fun.

Anyway, this drink was so good. So dangerous, but so good. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with a drink that combines a margarita, daiquiri, screwdriver, pina colada and sex on the beach! Give it a try with a couple friends and have everyone bring a bottle so you aren’t shelling out $90 on everything. Oops. I’m writing the recipe with the specific brands I purchased. It would probably be fine if you subbed them with another brand, but I know this version is delish!

Marga-Daiquiri-Screw-Aloda-On the Beach
serves 2

1 shot Pucker Citrus Squeeze (or other citrus flavored vodka)
1 shot DeKuyper Peachtree (or other peach schnapps)
1 shot Jose Cuervo (or other tequila)
1 shot Malibu
1 shot Pinnacle Tropical Punch (or other tropical punch flavored vodka)
2 tablespoons frozen cranberry juice concentrate
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons frozen pineapple juice concentrate
4 cups ice
1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries

  1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Pour into two tall glasses and serve immediately.


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Tortellini with Basil and Tomatoes

I am so excited to share this dish with you guys because I finally got to use basil from my garden!! I am still so proud of myself for keeping something alive. This dish is a wonderful summer dish. It’s light and requires minimal time in front of the hot stove. In fact, it requires minimal time cooking, period. I can’t wait to try it again with tomatoes from our garden! I have no idea if we have any cherry tomatoes growing back there, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Tortellini with Basil and Tomatoes

18 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 ears of corn, cooked and kernels removed
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup basil, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

  1. Cook tortellini according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, combine olive oil, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth.
  3. Toss cooked tortellini with sauce and remaining ingredients.
  4. Serve immediately.


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Tangy Coleslaw

This was the perfect side to serve with the pulled pork sandwiches. The best part? Leftovers are even better. That’s right folks, make this coleslaw, stick it in the fridge and give it a few days to rest before you start shoveling it into your mouth.

Don’t like coleslaw? That’s ok. Make a batch and send it to me. I’ll take care of it!

Tangy Coleslaw

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 large red onion, diced
3 large carrots, grated
1 cup chopped celery, about 2 – 3 large stalks
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dry mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

  1.  Combine vinegar, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Combine cabbage, onion, carrots and celery in a large bowl. Pour dressing over and stir well to mix.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours or more before serving.


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Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Folks, I’ve never made pulled pork before in my life. In fact, I’ve probably only eaten it a couple of times. I don’t know why the idea of making pulled pork got stuck in my head, but I’m so glad it did. And I’m so glad I didn’t ignore that little voice, because oh my goodness, you have no idea how good this stuff is.

It’s so simple – toss everything into a slow cooker, set it, and come back to a delicious heap of tender pork. Take a few minutes to shred it, slap it on a roll, and BAM! Dinner. I made it a little more time-consuming, though, by trying my hand at making my own barbecue sauce instead of using the bottled stuff. I loved the way it turned out, but I would definitely use some Sweet Baby Ray’s if I was ever in a rush.

I served it with a side of tangy coleslaw – check back soon for the recipe! Or even better, subscribe or “like” me on Facebook to get instantly notified when it gets posted!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
serves 10

For the barbecue sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1  teaspoon black pepper
1  teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

For the pork
4 pound pork shoulder roast
1 cup homemade barbecue sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped

To serve
10 kaiser rolls

  1. To make barbecue sauce, combine all barbecue sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, or until thick.
  2. Place roast in bottom of slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 10 – 12 hours, or until roast shreds easily with a fork.
  3. Shred roast with two forks. Return meat to slow cooker and cook for 1 more hour.
  4. Spoon pulled pork onto kaiser rolls and serve with a side of coleslaw.


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Peach Cake

I bought 3 peaches with the intention of making a dessert of some sort. I had no idea what dessert I wanted to make; all I knew is that those peaches looked good. And I needed them.

They sat in fridge while I looked and looked for a recipe that sounded good. A few days later, I paged across a Fresh Peach Cake recipe in Food Network Magazine. Bingo. This cake was awesome – moist and not-too-sweet with a perfect crunchy topping. I’ll definitely be making this one again!!

Fresh Peach Cake
adapted from Food Network Magazine, June 2011

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large ripe peaches
1/2 cup chopped pecans

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
  2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Dunk peaches into boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove and plunge into ice water. Slip skins off peaches. Remove pit and slice into 1/4″ slices.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fit with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 1 cup sugar for 3 – 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.
  4. With mixer on low,  add eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream, yogurt and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  5. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients slowly to batter with mixer on low. Mix until just combined.
  6. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
  7. Spread half the batter into prepared pan. Top with half the peaches. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Spread remaining batter on top of peaches. Arrange remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar and the pecans.
  8. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  9. Serve warm or at room temperature.


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Cucumber Salad

I’ve tried a ton of cucumber salad recipes I’ve found online and every single time, I was disappointed. I finally gathered up the courage to just wing it. Man, am I glad I did that – this turned out so darn good and it was even better the next day!

I served this as a side to the Pad Thai I posted about earlier.

Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, crushed

  1. Sprinkle sliced cucumbers with salt and set aside.
  2. Combine green onion, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, vinegar, soy sauce, honey and garlic in small bowl. Stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  3. Toss cucumbers with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.


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Pad Thai

It’s just like take-out. But better. I seriously can’t get enough of this stuff. I never bothered making it at home because I thought Mike hated it. Boy, was I wrong. I’m not sure why I ever thought that, but I tentatively brought up making Pad Thai for dinner and he enthusiastically agreed to it. I was thrilled. And disappointed that I hadn’t brought this up sooner. Like, 4 years sooner.

I purchased a large portion of these ingredients at the local Asian grocery store. I was able to find the tamarind concentrate, palm sugar, fish sauce, rice stick noodles, cilantro and mung bean sprouts there. I love the Asian grocery store because everything is so dang cheap. I can buy bean sprouts at the normal store for $2 or pay $1 at the Asian store for 3 times as much.

I opted to use shrimp for this, but I think I’m going to try chicken or tofu next time. Feel free to use whatever protein you want!!

The best part (other than the leftovers, that is)… I was able to cross of the first dish on my 11 for ’11 list!!

Pad Thai
serves 4

For the sauce:
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup tamarind juice concentrate
4 cloves garlic, minced

For the noodles:
14 ounces dried rice stick noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shrimp
2 eggs
2 cups carrots, match stick
1 cup green onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
1 cup cilantro, optional
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges, optional

  1. Combine sauce ingredients in small saucepan over medium high heat. Cook until sugar has dissolved. Taste, and add more sugar if you would like. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Boil noodles 5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and immediately run around cold water. Cut noodles in half with scissors.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoons oil in wok or large pan and cook shrimp. Remove to small bowl.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil to pan and scramble eggs. Remove to small bowl.
  5. Heat remaining  oil and add garlic and onion to pan. Stir fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add noodles and cook for an additional minute. Add 5 tablespoons Pad Thai sauce, stirring mixture until noodles are well coated.
  6. Add shrimp to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add egg and 3/4 of the following: carrots, green onion, and sprouts to pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  7. Taste noodles and add more sauce, if desired. Cook until all additional sauce has been absorbed.
  8. Remove from heat and plate. Garnish with remaining carrots, green onion, and sprouts. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and garnish with lime wedge and cilantro, if desired.
Recipe adapted from savory sweet life.


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Strawberry Smoothie

For the first time in my life, I made a smoothie without any ice or frozen fruit. Why? We didn’t have any. I did however, have some very ripe strawberries that I needed to use up. I threw this together and it was light and refreshing, even though it wasn’t ice-cold. Feel free to use frozen fruit or toss in some ice to up the chill factor.

Strawberry Smoothie
serves 2 

1 large ripe banana, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
3/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

  1. Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.


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Israeli Couscous Salad

Ah yes, another couscous salad. As much as I loved this recipe with grilled vegetables, I wanted to try something else. I wasn’t quite sure what to make, and I really didn’t want to go to the grocery store. I used this as an opportunity to use up some pantry and fridge items. Mostly, I wanted to get rid of the million limes I had left over from Mike’s birthday bash.

Have I mentioned that I love Trader Joe’s Israeli couscous?! Come to think of it, the chickpeas and olive oil were also from Trader Joe’s. I should just name this Trader Joe’s Israeli Couscous Salad!

See? I wasn’t kidding…

For being as random as this dish is, it turned out pretty darn tasty. I love that it requires so little cooking. I have 2 more boxes of couscous left and I really want to make more of this salad. But the thought of using up more of this couscous makes me want to cry. It’s hard to use up “valuable” food when you have to travel 2 hours to get more. Why oh why can’t we have a TJ’s in Appleton!?

Israeli Couscous Salad
serves 4

1 box Trader Joe’s Israeli Couscous*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, diced
3 limes, juiced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

  1. Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in couscous and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until couscous is lightly browned.
  2. Add in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.
  3. Toss cooled couscous with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight, if possible. Serve cold.


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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I can’t help myself. Every time I go to the store, I buy strawberries. Walking through the farmers’ market is dangerous. I buy strawberries. I just love strawberries!!! I love them in salads, I love them in cakes, and now I love them in cupcakes!

This was inspired by one of Mike’s favorite summertime drinks – strawberry lemonade. I wanted a cupcake that echoed the taste of strawberry lemonade – sweet, but tart, and really refreshing.

I think this one really hit the spot. I found a recipe on  Annie’s Eats and modified it to suit my tastes. I love this! Be warned – the more strawberry and lemon you put in, the runnier the icing will be. I ended up with 5 teaspoons of lemon juice and the whole half cup of strawberries in my frosting. I wanted the flavor in there. I paid for it with runnier frosting. Worth it 🙂

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcake:
1 cup and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and diced

For the syrup:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

For the frosting:
½ cup fresh strawberries
6 ounces cream cheese
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
  2. In medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Stir together and set aside.
  3. In large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in egg, scraping in sides, until well combined.
  4. Add half the flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Mix in milk until smooth. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in strawberries.
  5. Divide batter evenly into paper lines, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
  6. Once cupcakes have cooled, whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar for the syrup, until well combined.
  7. Poke holes into cupcakes with a skewer (I used a chopstick) and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.
  8. To make frosting, puree strawberries in a food processor or blender and set aside. Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in powdered sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract until incorporated. Mix in strawberry puree a little at a time until desired consistency and flavor is reached.
  9. Frost cupcakes and serve immediately or keep refrigerated.