Shecky's » Recipes to the Rescue

Pick Your Pie: 8 Tasty Homemade Pizzas

Shecky's — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:53 +0000

If you’re a pizza lover like myself, Friday night usually means a call to my nearest pizzeria to get a piping hot pie delivered to my house. With today being National Pizza Party Day, I decided to take my ‘za love and turn it up a notch by making homemade pies you can nosh on from your morning breakfast to your midnight snack. Sure, the traditional cheese-sauce-crust combo is delicious in and of itself, but I challenge you to try one of these special savory pizza recipes that will totally have your tastebuds tingling this foodie holiday!

-Casey Schmieder

One of the signature signs of summer starting is the grill being lit out back, and this Grilled Pizza from 101 Cookbooks allows you to bring your fave dish to the barbie. The delicious recipe combines thinly sliced caramelized fennel, kalamata olives (pitted please!) and grated Gruyère over a light layer of marinara sauce on flatbread. The slightly sweet taste of the Gruyère pairs well with the salty kalamata olives and the sweetness of the caramelized fennel, making your mouth water and want more! This recipe is perfect for a hot summer party—instead of heating up your kitchen with the oven, keep the heat outside where it should be!

Image Credit: 101cookbooks.com

Mouthwatering Mother’s Day Brunch Menu

christinasheckys — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:43 +0000

Mom slaves away in the kitchen all year long so give her the day off this Mother’s Day and cook up a mouthwatering brunch for your mama instead! Everyone always says food’s the way to a man’s heart, but it’s your mom’s heart that you’ll be stealing when you serve her this yummy sweet ‘n’ savory Mother’s Day menu. From delicious breakfast bites to special takes on the classic brunch cocktail, the Mimosa, I’ve rounded up recipes that will surely put a big smile on mom’s face and a big food baby in her belly this Mother’s Day!

-Christina Izzo

How adorable are these fancy little cinnamon rolls? The Faux Martha takes classic cinnamon rolls and gives them a cute makeover by serving them individually wrapped in parchment paper. But don’t let the size fool you—all that cinnamon roll taste you know and love is still there, baked up with buttermilk, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves, and then drizzled in delicious glaze made of confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, buttermilk and vanilla extract. They’ll taste just like mom’s but she’ll love ‘em even more thanks to the fact that she didn’t have to make ‘em!

Image Credit: thefauxmartha.com

Cinco Margarita-Inspired Sweet Treats

christinasheckys — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:00:44 +0000

Sure, everyone will be serving up the standard salt-rimmed margaritas come Cinco de Mayo, but why stop at only cocktails? The classic margarita can make a cameo in both your bebidas and your bites! These sweet treats are spiked marg-style with tequila and lime for a scrumptious way to cap off your Cinco de Mayo celebrations. From cupcakes to cookies to margarita jello shots (salud!), these delicioso desserts are the perfect finale for your fab fiesta!

-Christina Izzo

Margarita Cupcakes

Seriously, take a gander at that thing! Now wipe the drool off your chin and prepare to take notes: this Margarita Cupcake from sauzatequila.com tastes as delicious as it looks, with a lime zest-flecked vanilla base topped off with creamy frosting made of butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, lime and Sauza Blue Reposado 100% Agave Tequila . Yes, tequila…in a cupcake. It’s like everything you loved about childhood (sugar) mixed with everything you love about adulthood (booze). Top the treat with some lime zest and sanding sugar in the place of a marg’s usual salt and your sweet’s all set. Olé!

Image credit: cakespy.com

Spice Up Your Standard Salsa

Shecky's — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:00:53 +0000

One of the quickest, easiest festive fixings you can serve at your Cinco de Mayo party is a cool, refreshing salsa, but I bet you’ve never tried salsa this way! From ripe, juicy summer fruit salsas to spicy takes on the go-to pico de gallo, these recipes redefine salsa’s traditional place next to the tortillas—they’re so good, you’ll just want to eat ‘em with a spoon instead! This Saturday, while you’re busting out your margs y maracas, spice up your festive fiesta with one of these delicioso salsas!

- Danielle St. Pierre

The Perfect Pico de Gallo

Get la fiesta started with a Cinco de Mayo go-to, pico de gallo. In Mexican cuisine, pico de gallo is often used as a broad umbrella term to describe a variety of different regional salsas made with fresh cubed fruit or vegetables. The most common and traditional version of this staple calls for a simple combo of red tomatoes, onions and spicy green chiles. This side is at once versatile and packed with personality, marrying fresh ingredients in a balanced, perfectly spicy combination of flavors. This pico de gallo from bfeedme.com will easily become your go-to staple for any fiesta you host this summer!

Image Credit: bfeedme.com

Grilled Cheese Gets a Delicious Upgrade

Shecky's — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:29 +0000

Grilled cheese is one of America’s classic foods that never gets old, but what if I told you I could make it even better? Impossible you say? Nay! To celebrate the last day of National Grilled Cheese month, I’ve rounded up a few ways to make an already pretty perfect sandwich even more mouthwatering, fancified with added ingredients like guacamole, pepperoni, butternut squash and bacon. Get ready for some ooey, gooey goodness!

- Maureen Meekins

Grilled cheese is already considered a comfort food but here, it’s all about the Southern comfort. This Southern Comfort Grilled Cheese (on douglicious.blogspot.com) takes classic down-home ingredients like rustic country bread, bacon, mayo, and granny smith apples to pair with gooey gouda that’s a step up from your ordinary g.c. sammie. I reckon you’ll love this one!

Image Credit: douglicious.blogspot.com

Don’t Fear the Vegan: Delicious No-Meat Menu

Shecky's — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:41 +0000

True or false: vegan food simply doesn’t taste good? False! It’s a common misconception that if you cut out animal products, you cut the taste. But, in fact, vegan cuisine can be so delicious, you might not even know it’s vegan until someone tells you! To get you ready for Earth Day, here are some super tasty no-meat menu options that will please all of your family and friends, not just the veggies in your group!

-Maureen Meekins

Start the day off with a traditional pancake breakfast, vegan-style! Yes, it can be done and it will taste just as yummy as your usual recipe. These Vegan Pancakes from allrecipes.com are the real deal—fluffy, moist and stacked with flavor, they’ll seriously make you question whether or not they’re really vegan friendly, but, yes, they really are! So wake up and smell the vegan pancakes!

Image credit: veganyumyum.com

Healthy Twists on Bad-For-You Sweets

Shecky's — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:00:28 +0000

It’s hard to give up on those deliciously fattening desserts altogether if you’re looking to drop a couple of lbs before bikini season. So, don’t just quit cold turkey! You can still satisfy that sweet tooth with low-fat treats that taste just like the real deal. Forget that whole “half the calories is half the taste” spiel—these treats are so yummy, you won’t even know you’re eating better, and really, isn’t that the point?

-Maureen Meekins

I know what you’re thinking—these can’t possibly be healthy. But really, they are! By substituting regular cream cheese with low-fat (it tastes the same!), low-fat buttermilk and using only egg whites in these Cheesecake Brownies from Food Network Kitchens, you eliminate the majority of fatty ingredients that could hinder the beach bod results you’re looking for this summer.

Image credit: foodnetwork.com

Southern Comforts: Down-Home Snacks & Sips

Shecky's — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:00:04 +0000

The weathers getting nicer and we’re whippin’ out those tanks the gals down south have been sporting for weeks now. It’s hard not to crave a little taste of that good ol’ Southern cuisine when the sun’s shining bright as a southern star. Let’s share a taste of what our gals at Girls Night Out Atlanta have every day with these delicious Southern snacks and spirits guaranteed to put a twang on your tongue!

-Maureen Meekins

SNACKS

We all know chili is a signature dish us Yankees got from the south so, let’s make it the way it was meant to be! Quit your piddlin’ around and grab that cumin and chili powder and get to work! Spice up your boring beef, cheese and tomato sauce with a fixin’ of the taste that makes southern food, well, southern! Then pour some of Southern Living’s Super Quick Chili into a hollowed out dinner biscuit and slap your pappy!

Image credit: southernliving.com

Copy That! Recreate Restaurant Recipes at Home

Shecky's — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 04:00:36 +0000

Ever wonder how your favorite food joints get their popular dishes so perfectly delicious? And how come it’s just not the same when you try to recreate these dishes at home? It’s probably because you haven’t found the right recipe, the one with that little somethin’ somethin’, that key ingredient you’ve been leaving out. Luckily for you curious foodies out there, I’ve rounded up fab recipes from all your fave restaurants so you can eat those delicious dishes whenever you want without leaving home!

-Maureen Meekins

Somehow Domino’s has managed to make the best darn cheesy bread ever, but you just know that if you order up some cheesy bread, you’ll probably wind up getting a pie (or three) and spending way more than you bargained for. Skip the tip for delivery and temptation to get that 2 Medium 2-Topping Pizzas deal, and enjoy your cheesy bread without having to loosen your belt. This copy-cat Domino’s Cheesy Bread recipe from KeyIngredient.com has got all the original’s ooey gooey goodness, with delicious French bread, cornmeal, garlic and so much cheese you’ll understand why you can’t stop at just one piece!

Image credit: yummly.com

Fun Twists on St. Patrick’s Day Fare

Shecky's — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:00:40 +0000

The phrase we so often hear around St. Patrick’s Day, “Luck of the Irish,” definitely applies to the eats from Ireland. But, it’s likely that not all of us are gonna sit down to an all-out traditional feast come March 17. See some updated takes on the usual Irish food to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

-Kenia Mazariegos

Unlike regular bready sandwiches, Taste of Home’s Shamrock Sandwiches Recipe is petite in size but jam-packed with rich corned beef, dill and dijon mustard. Fashion into a shamrock shape using a shamrock cookie cutter for an easier-to-eat update on Irish corned beef and cabbage.

Photo credit: TasteofHome.com