Our Plan for COVID-19

I know, you are all probably sick of hearing about it! You can’t look at your phone without seeing updates about the Corona virus.

We just wanted to let you all know we are all thinking of all of you. We hope you and your families are safe and well.

For the time being, due to an excess of stress and a lack of variety in the grocery department, we will not be posting as regularly as we used to. We hope to get back up and on schedule soon!

For now, please keep safe and think of those around you! Be sure to:

Wash your hands regularly!

Cough into your elbow!

Don’t touch your face!

Avoid large gatherings and stay at least 6 feet away from anyone in public

Stay home if you can!

Stay safe, stay healthy, and pray this passes by soon!

Always yours,

The Cason Family

March 2, 2020

Light Tuna Pasta

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Last week we shared our love for our latest discovery – Soy n’ Sesame Tuna! One way we used it was topping a light pasta dish that is a little more high brow than we usually serve.

This ain’t your mama’s tuna noodle casserole!

It’s easy to toss together, super customizable, and our little four year old loved it! He even dared try the “new olives”, though he didn’t like the capers. I am so proud of him and his adventurous eating habits !

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Light Tuna Pasta

Dinner, Fish, Fish, Italian, Meals for a Crowd, Pasta, Seafood, Splurge

Ingredients

2 lbs wheat angle hair noodles, prepared*
Olive oil, to taste
2 lbs Soy n’ Sesame Tuna, flaked
1 lb symphony cherry tomatoes, diced
Manzanilla olives, sliced, to taste
Capers, to taste

Instructions

Toss prepared pasta and olive oil in a large mixing bowl, coating to taste.
Top pasta with flaked tuna, cherry tomatoes, olives, and capers.
Can be served hot or cold.

Notes

*For a more pasta salad feel, use a shorter form of pasta.

What is your favorite way to use tuna? Let us know in the comments below!

February 27, 2020February 27, 2020

Soy n’ Sesame Tuna

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

As you all know, whenever we make it out to Oregon as a family we stock up on fresh seafood! Last time we headed out there we went beyond our usual clams and oysters and snagged some fish filets.

Some that we grabbed were some DELICIOUS albacore white tuna. We both love tuna (especially in sushi) and the price was one we couldn’t resist.

With my wife being pregnant, we’ve heard all about how great fish in small amounts are great for baby and mama. So we decided to try something new and bake up this tuna to put on pasta.

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My wife discovered that its great in tuna salad for a sandwich as well – it gave her sandwich a unique savory flavor she couldn’t get enough of.

Its also super easy! You marinate it for a bit, then bake and that’s it!

If you love this, you should also check out our other seafood recipes! And be on the look out for our pasta recipe using this tuna coming soon!

Soy n' Sesame Tuna

Dinner, Fish, Fish, Meat, Seafood

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh white albacore tuna
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried ginger

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger until combined. Seal the tuna and marinade in a container and place in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Remove the tuna from the bag and cut into 2″ chunks. Place back in marinade and put back in the refrigerator for another half an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with tinfoil.
Place chunks of tuna onto the baking sheet. Loosely cover the pan with another piece of tinfoil, closing completely. Place in the oven and bake for 10-20 minutes, checking often for desired doneness.*
Remove pan from oven. Allow fish to cool slightly, then flake apart. Use as desired.

Notes

*We had to cook ours through completely because my wife is pregnant. FDA guidelines recommend cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit or until the meat is opaque and flakes with a fork.

How are you going to use this tuna? Let us know in the comments!!

February 13, 2020

Lemon Blueberry Mini Bundt Cakes

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

At our house the party never stops, and Monday we shared our recipe for my wife’s Cherry Chocolate cake she picked. Today I’ll be sharing my pick – Blueberry Lemon!

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Lemon and any kind of berry is my favorite flavor combination! Light yet sooooo sweet! This one comes with a tangy glaze that goes over it hot, sinking into the cake and making it extra moist!

Lemon Blueberry Mini Bundt Cakes

Cake, Comfort Foods, Dessert, Fruit, Meals for a Crowd, Party, Uncategorized

Lemon Blueberry Mini Bundt Cakes

Ingredients

For the Cake

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 medium eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of well shaken low fat buttermilk, room temperature
Zest of 2 lemons
2 cups frozen blueberries, partially thawed

For the glaze

1/2-3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon low fat buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and Greek yogurt until just smooth, about 20 seconds. Add in the granulated sugar and beat for 1 minute to combine. Scrape down the bowl and then add the salt. Beat until fluffy and lighter in color, about a minute. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating until combined and scraping down the bowl between each egg.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beating mixture until the flour just disappears. Add half of the buttermilk, beating on low to incorporate. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating to combine as before, then add the second half of the buttermilk, mixing on low to incorporate, then the last 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated and the batter doesn’t have any large lumps.
Zest the lemons over the bowl and mix until the zest is fully incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.
Grease 12 mini bundt pans with butter or oil just before filling. Pour batter into pans until just half full and level the pans with a spatula.
Bake for 10-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Immediately run a clean butter knife around the edges of the pans to loosen the sides, then place upside down on a cooling rack. If the cake immediately comes out of the pan, remove the pan. If not, remove from pan after cake has been cooling for about 5 minutes. If it still sticks after 5 minutes, cool for a final five minutes, then give the pans a gentle shake to release the cake. Allow to cool completely on the cooling rack.
Once the cakes are almost cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking together 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and buttermilk. Add the remaining confectioners sugar in a tablespoon at a time, whisking in between, until it reaches your desired thickness. Drizzle glaze over the cooled cakes.

Notes

This recipe can also be used to make one 12inch bundt cake – baking time will vary.

What is your favorite cake flavor? Comment below!

February 10, 2020February 13, 2020

Chocolate Cherry Mini Bundt Cakes

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Its party time! Our family’s birthdays all fall within a week of each other, so we hold one big combined get together. To keep from having to pick one cake flavor we all like, this year we made a few different mini bundts so everyone could pick what they’d like most.

My wife loves cherries and chocolate, so we went with a classic chocolate cake filled with chocolate chips and sweet fruit. Its very rich, so its best paired with some simple vanilla ice cream.

This cake is easier than it seems to throw together, and everyone will rave thinking that you spend hours on it! If you prefer, you can always put this recipe in a regular sized bundt, though baking times will vary.

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Chocolate Cherry Mini Bundt Cakes

Cake, Chocolate, Comfort Foods, Dessert, Fruit, Party

Chocolate Cherry Mini Bundt Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 medium eggs
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups frozen cherries, slightly thawed
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add cocoa powder, water, and salt into the saucepan, stirring to combine. Bring to a low simmer, then remove from heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, granulated sugar and baking soda until combined. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add vanilla and Greek yogurt to the eggs, mixing to combine.
Add the heated cocoa mixture to the flour, stirring well to combine. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
In a small bowl, mix together the cherries, chocolate chips, and 2 tablespoons of flour, tossing to coat. Gently fold the cherries and chocolate chips into the cake batter.
Grease mini bundt pans and pour batter in each one, filling them halfway. Place mini bundts in preheated oven and bake from 10-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Immediately take a long butter knife and run between the cake and edges of the pans. Place the pans upside down on a wire rack, allowing to cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and then allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Once cooled, dust with confectioners sugar.

Notes

1 batch makes about 12 mini bundt cakes, dependent upon size of pans.

What kind of cake do you like on your birthday? If you want something lighter, you can always check out our Lemon Blueberry Mini Bundt Cake recipe!

February 10, 2020February 24, 2020

Hot Wings

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Its time to start planning for March Madness! Whether you’re a casual observer, or you watch every team get placed on the bracket and have a bet all your buddies, you’ll need some hearty snacks to get you through the games. And you can’t go wrong with the ultimate finger food – hot wings!

These are zesty with a tiny bite of heat you’ll crave all year long! With how easy to whip these up are, people will not believe you didn’t buy these from a caterer.

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Hot Wings

Appetizer, Chicken, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Fried, Holiday, Meals for a Crowd, Meat, Party

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken wings
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoons onion powder
1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 tablespoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons ground Dean Jacobs Spicy Garlic & Himalayan Pink Salt Seasoning

Instructions

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper until fully combined. Toss wings in flour mixture, coating pieces completely. Shake excess flour off of pieces and place on prepared baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry breaded chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Cool wings slightly, do not drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, mix the lemon zest, paprika, black pepper, and Dean Jacobs Spicy Garlic & Himalayan Pink Salt Seasoning in a small bowl. Place wings in a large sealable bag or bowl. Sprinkle seasoning over wings, seal, and shake to coat.

What is your favorite sporty snack? Comment below and we may just feature it!

February 3, 2020February 3, 2020

Homemade Pizza Dough

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Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday! Neither of our teams made it, so we were mostly there to hang with family and eat some tasty food!

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We brought hot wings, mini bundt cakes (those recipes are coming soon!) and a TON of mini pizzas. We used the pizza dough recipe we’ve used with these topping arrangements. Its our go to! Someone asked us for the recipe and we realized you’d have to read through a recipe with our toppings, and you may not like that!

So here we go… our pizza dough recipe unadulterated and on its own! We adapted this recipe from one of our favorite Italian cook books. Its super hearty and holds up to toppings well! Great for thin or thick crust!

By the way, we LOVE this granite rolling pin! I got it a few months ago and I’ve never had an easier time rolling out dough. It worked great for our pie dough as well, since you can stick it in the fridge to make it nice and cold, keeping the butter cool while you work it!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Bread, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Old Fashioned, Pizza, Vegetarian

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Dissolve the yeast completely in a large bowl by stirring it into 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water. Dissolve in 10 minutes or less. Once fully dissolved, add in one cup of the flour and mix thoroughly.
Continuing to stir, gradually add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, 1/4 cup of lukewarm water, and 1 additional cup of flour. Once combined, begin to add the remaining flour and water in small ammounts, alternating between the two and mixing completely between each addition. Add until you have the right consistancy – dough should be soft, but not sticky.
Take the dough out of the bowl and place onto a clean work surface. Pick up and slap down on the surface several times until it has stretched out to be about 10 inches long. Fold the dough over itself towards you, and then push away using the heel of your palm. Fold again and push like before. Rotate the dough one quarter turn and repeat, slapping it down on the surface and kneading. Repeat this process for up to 10 minutes or until the dough feels soft and silky. Pat into a rounded shape.
Coat the inside of a large mixing bowl with 1 teastpoon of olive oil. Place dough in the bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size, about 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat the pizza pan you will be using with olive oil. Divide the dough (into 2 for 14″ pizzas, into 8 for 7″ mini pizzas). Wrap any extra dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator if not using immediately. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into desired size circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough onto pizza pan. Trim or fold over and crimp edges, and pinch any holes closed as needed.
Top as desired. Place pizza in oven. Bake for 15-19 minutes for mini pizzas, or 19-25 minutes for large pizzas, rotating half way through. Cheese should be melted and dough should be crisp and lift up completely when one edge is lifted. Allow pizza to cool about 5 minutes before slicing.

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Comment below to let us know!

January 23, 2020January 20, 2020

Tuscan Butter Shrimp Pasta

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Sunday was our Seventh Anniversary! Traditionally on special occasions I like to make my sweet wife something special. Lately I’ve been trying new dishes (a gamble, to say the least!) but the last few have worked out perfectly!

This year’s installment was a creamy pasta dish filled with shrimp and delicious veggies!

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She absolutely loved it! This one has definitely been added to my list of recipes to make whenever I want to spoil her.

What is your favorite pasta dish to splurge on? Let us know in the comments!

Tuscan Butter Shrimp Pasta

Cheese, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Seafood, Shrimp, Vegetable

Tuscan Butter Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and tails removed
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 tablespoons butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups halved cherry tomatoes
6 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
Juice of one lemon, to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. As oil is heating, season shrimp with salt and pepper. Once oil is shimmering, not smoking, add shrimp. Cook shrimp for about 2 minutes or until golden on underside. Flip and cook again until opaque. Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Once butter is melted, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, only about one minute. Add in the cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook tomatoes until they are bursting. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is beginning to wilt.
Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, and basil. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has reduced to desired thickness, about 5 minutes.
Add shrimp back into the skllet, stirring to combine. Cook until the shrimp have warmed through. Taste and add lemon juice as desired.*
Serve over pasta with more Parmesan cheese to garnish.

Notes

*We used half the lemon’s juice to the skillet. You can also serve lemon wedges on the side so people can add their own lemon.

January 20, 2020

Slow Cooker Mushroom Pork

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As the cold weather drags on, all we want is something warm and easy. Cue the mushroom pork!

This dish is designed to be served over potatoes or rice, and is super simple! Pair with a steamed veggie for a complete meal that takes almost no effort to throw together! You only need three ingredients! The pork is super tender with plenty of flavor from the soup, this dump and go recipe can’t be beat!

Slow Cooker Mushroom Pork

Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Meat, Pork, Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Mushroom Pork

Ingredients

6 lbs boneless pork
3- 10.5 oz cans of cream of mushroom soup
About 14 oz milk

Instructions

Place pork and canned soup into slow cooker.
Fill two of the cans about 2/3 of the way with milk to rinse extra soup out of cans. Pour milk into slow cooker.
Cook on high for 9 hours, stirring every few hours.
Using forks or a pair of tongs, shred the pork into the soup mixture. Serve hot over potatoes or rice.

What’s your favorite dump and go slow cooker recipe? Share with us in the comments!

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020

Easy Flaky Pie Crust

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You know that feeling…that feeling when you bite into someone’s pie and you can just tell they made their own pie crust. Its flaky, its buttery, and its got that rustic texture and taste you just can’t get from store bought crust.

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The pie crust recipe we’ve come to depend upon is so easy! When we first used it, we were making Banana Cream Pie, and it we succeeded on our first try! After hearing for years that pie crust is hard and super easy to mess up, we were delighted!

What would you use this pie crust for? Let us know in the comments below!

Easy Flaky Pie Crust

Comfort Foods, Dessert, Old Fashioned

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
7 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
7 tablespoons shortening, cubed
1/3 to 2/3 cups of ice cold water

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter and shortening. Mix this way until the mixture looks like small dough balls about the size of peas. Work quickly to make sure butter doesn’t soften.
Add ice cold water a tablespoon at a time to one area of dough, mixing with a fork. Move dough to one side of bowl and continue adding water until dough is moistened but not sticky.
Once dough is ready, use your hands to gently fold over the dough a couple of times. Divide into two even balls.
Using a rolling pin, flatten one ball into a 12″ circle on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll the dough onto your rolling pin and unroll over a prepared 9″ pie pan. Trim around the edges to leave a 1/2″ overhang. Crimp and decorate as desired.
Bake according to baking directions.

Notes

To Freeze unprepared dough: place each dough ball into an airtight freezer bag. OR roll them out and store flat with parchment paper between each layer. Once frozen, store discs in a large airtight freezer bag. To thaw, let them come to room temperature and use flour on surfaces to keep the dough from sticking.

To Blind Bake: Place dough in pie pan. Create shape and desired design of edges, making edges wider than usual. Poke small holes using a fork at the bottom of the crust. Place dough in freezer for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the frozen crust with aluminum foil. Fill foil with pie weights or sugar to the top of the crust. Bake the crust for 45-50 minutes if you will need to bake the pie again after filling, or 60-75 minutes if using for a pie that will not need more baking. Once baked, remove weights and allow crust to cool completely before filling.

Cason Cooks

Posts

Our Plan for COVID-19

Light Tuna Pasta

Soy n’ Sesame Tuna

Lemon Blueberry Mini Bundt Cakes

Chocolate Cherry Mini Bundt Cakes

Hot Wings

Homemade Pizza Dough

Tuscan Butter Shrimp Pasta

Slow Cooker Mushroom Pork

Easy Flaky Pie Crust