Cooking | The Pink Apron

Guilt-Free Chocolate-Banana Shake

Growing up, my mom would occasionally make me a chocolate banana shake for breakfast. She did it the tradional way of using ice cream. Now that I’m older and have had two children, I can’t have too many full-fat shakes. This weekend, I made a shake that tasted exactly the same as those shakes my…

Strawberry Glaze

Here is a recipe for an amazing strawberry glaze. Ingredients: I batch cream cheese frosting 2 C strawberries Directions: Puree the strawberries and place them in a strainer to drain a bit off the juice. Make your favorite cream cheese frosting. Whip pureed strawberries into cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate I drizzled this over almond cupcakes…

How to Help Children Celebrate Independence Day

In our home, we love Independence Day (the 4th of July). My son is finally at the age where he can understand why we celebrate Independence Day. Today, I tried to explain it to him and he looked at me like I was either crazy, or extremely boring. I decided I must be doing something…

Christmas Gift: Cookbooks and Recipe Collections

As I stated before, I like to get an early start on my Christmas gifts. One great Christmas gift is a collection of recipes. This can be in the form of a homemade cookbook, a box of recipes on cards, or even an electronic compilation. Below are some ideas for how to organize these recipes.…

Father’s Day Dinner: Lasagna and Peppermint Pie

I thought I’d share the recipes I used to make my husband dinner on Father’s Day. For the main course, he requested lasagna. Having never made lasagna, I had to hunt down the perfect recipe. When I found one called “Lots o’ Meat Lasagna,” I knew that was the perfect recipe for my husband. He…

Summer Pasta Salad

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. I offered to make him anything in the world for dinner. He chose this salad. It’s quick and easy, so I was okay with that. I often make it without the chicken and cheese as a side salad, but otherwise it is great as a main dish. Ingredients: 2 cups…

How to Recycle Green Onions

Every year, my husband and I enjoy watching “The Next Food Network Star”. For those of you who are not familiar with this show, 10 chefs compete in a reality show to see who will win their own show on The Food Network. Really it’s just a way to put a reality show on every station,…

Self-Filled Cupcakes

Growing up, our family went rafting every summer. During these trips, my mom and my friend’s mom would plan elaborate picnics for each meal during the week. We had these cupcakes on every trip. They’re a great dessert for travel, because they can be stored without worrying about frosting. These cupcakes have a lot of…

Beer-Free Beer Bread

This is a classic recipe for Beer Bread, but with one difference… no beer. I made this a few nights ago for dinner and my husband commented that it was the best bread I’d ever made. The great part is, the bread comes together in about 5 minutes. Ingredients: 3 cups self-rising flour (Tip: If…

Kid’s Apron

Because I love to cook and bake so much, it’s important for me to involve my children. Also, with the world’s pickiest eater as my son, he’s often more willing to try a food, if he helped prepare it. Here is a simple gesture, that helped my son get excited about getting in the kitchen…