Taco Toppings

I made these grilled fish tacos from Martha Stewart Everyday Food recently, and I needed some toppings to give them a summery kick. Enter the Corn and Tomato Relish from the same Everyday Food along with Guacamole 1-2-3 (combine the juice of 1 lemon, 2 small chopped tomatoes, and 3 mashed ripe avocados with salt and pepper to taste - delicious guacamole every time!). This was a nice, light, summery topping that would also do well as a Tex-Mex summer side.

Corn and Tomato Relish

The recipe calls for fresh corn kernels. I used canned corn in order to save time and a little money.

Ingredients

- 1 c. fresh corn kernels
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1 scallion, sliced thinly crosswise
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (I used more because my husband LOVES cilantro)
- 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice (approximately 1 small lime)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Shrimp Cobb Salad

This Cooking Light adaptation is perfect for summer! Takes longer than I thought it would because I had to compose all of the parts of the salad, but it's delicious, light, and worth the trouble.

Recipe Notes

The recipe calls for frozen corn - I used canned. The recipe also doesn't call for any cheese, but who can have a cobb salad without a little cheese?! So I added cheese to the recipe as well. Nutritional information will not be inclusive of blue cheese. I also crisped my bacon in the oven instead of in the skillet - seems to make the bacon crispier that way.

Nutritional Information - per serving - serves 4
332 calories - 15 g. fat - 30 g. protein - 22 g. carbohydrate - 8 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined1/2 tsp. paprika


• 1/4 tsp. black pepper


• 1/4 tsp. salt, divided


• 2-1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice


• 1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil


• 1/2 tsp. whole-grain dijon mustard


• 10-oz. package romaine salad


• 2 c. cherry tomatoes, quartered


• 1 c. shredded carrots


• 1 c. frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed (I used canned)


• 1 ripe, peeled avocado, cut into eight wedges or large chunks


• Crumbled blue cheese (my addition)
  

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in skillet or in oven until crisp. Remove from pan and crumble. Wipe pan clean and increase heat to medium-high.

2. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and black pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray and add shrimp. Cook two minutes per side or until done. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. salt, toss to coat.

3. Combine remaining salt, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and olive oil, stirring with a whisk until emulsified. Add torn romaine lettuce and toss to coat.

4. Arrange lettuce between four plates. Divide shrimp, all vegetables, and bacon evenly among plates. Add a small sprinkle of blue cheese if desired.

The.Best.Birthday.Cake.EVER!

This is my go-to cake any time anyone in my family has a birthday. Who can argue with yellow cake and chocolate buttercream frosting?! Thank you Cake Mix Doctor for the world's best birthday cake recipe!

MOM'S LAYER CAKE WITH FLUFFY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Recipe Notes

The Cake Mix Doctor calls for whole milk. I have always used skim because that is what we keep on hand, and I've never had a problem with it. I double the chocolate frosting and make two recipes for one cake so that I can have extra thick layers of frosting!

Ingredients

• Plain white cake mix (1 package)



• 1 c. whole milk



• 1 stick butter, softened or melted



• 3 eggs



• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract



• Fluffy chocolate frosting (recipe follows)
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. Combine cake mix, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Stop the machine and scrape down sides with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more.

3. Divide batter between prepared pans and place in oven side-by-side. Bake until cakes are golden brown and spring back lightly when pressed (approximately 27-29 minutes).

4. Remove pans from the oven and place them on wire wracks to cool. Run a knife around the edges of each pan and invert on a wire rack.

5. Frost each layer with fluffy chocolate frosting (below) and then frost sides of cake.

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, softened



• 2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder



• 3 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted (approximately 1 box)



• 1/3 c. whole milk



• 2 tsp. vanilla extract



• 1/4 tsp. salt
  

Instructions

1. Beat butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl, blend on low until well-combined.

2. Add confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until frosting is light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).

3. Use frosting to frost layer cake or cupcakes of your choice. I always make a double batch of this for a two-layer cake!