DIY Happy Home

Olive Garden Inspired Italian Salad

Yes, there’s lettuce under there. 😂 This Olive Garden Inspired Italian Salad is tossed with Cheesy Garlicky Croutons and Homemade Italian Dressing. It’s the perfect side for Italian Night, Pizza Friday, or any time you are in the mood for a delicious and filling salad.

Olive Garden Inspired Italian Salad on YouTube ⬆️

Ingredients:

1/2 of a head of Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
2 handfuls of Baby Lettuce
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup of grape tomatoes, sliced in half, sprinkled with olive oil and seasoned with garlic parsley salt
1/2 of a small red onion, sliced thin, and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes, then drained and dried
1/3 cup of pitted Italian olives, I used Leccino Olives
Peperoncini, as many as you like, I used Mezzetta Golden Greek Peperoncini
Grana Padano cheese, freshly grated (can substitute Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Homemade Cheese Garlic Croutons (or store bought, if you prefer)

Italian Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup of white vinegar
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Whisk all Italian salad dressing ingredients in a bowl, or shake in a mason jar until dressing is emulsified.
In a large salad bowl, add both lettuces.
Next, add the carrots, tomatoes, onions, olives, and Peperoncini.
Top with salt and pepper, and freshly grated Grana Padano cheese.
Add croutons and dressing and toss salad just before serving.
Top individual servings with more cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

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King Oyster Mushrooms in a Butter Honey Soy Glaze

I love mushrooms, and these King Oyster Mushrooms are the most “meaty”, flavorful, and the best mushrooms I have ever had.

King Oyster Mushrooms in a Butter Honey Soy Glaze

Ingredients:

1 package of sliced King Oyster Mushrooms (I used Wegman’s brand.)
2 Tablespoons of Neutral Oil (I used avocado oil)
2 Tablespoons of melted Butter
1 Tablespoon of Garlic Paste
1 Tablespoon of Ginger Paste
2 Tablespoons of Light Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon of Honey
2 fresh scallions, sliced in a bias

Instructions:

Make the Glaze: In a bowl, whisk together melted butter, garlic paste, ginger paste, light soy sauce, and honey.
Heat wok or frying pan to medium high heat and add neutral oil to the pan, Sauté mushrooms until golden brown. Once mushrooms are golden brown on both sides, turn off heat.
Add the glaze to the hot pan and toss the mushrooms in the glaze. Add some of the scallions (reserving some for garnish) to the pan and stir.
Plate the mushrooms and garnish with the remaining scallions.
Serve with your favorite rice, fried rice, or noodles.

Enjoy!

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Homemade Cheesy Spinach Quiche

This cheesy delicious quiche is good warm, room temperature, or cold, and is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Homemade Cheesy Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:

1 prepared Deep Dish Pie Crust (frozen section), or make your own crust if you’d prefer.
1 (10 ounce) box of frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and water squeezed out
1 Tablespoon of Butter
1 small Onion, diced
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
4 large Eggs
1 cup of Heavy Cream
1/3 cup of grated Locatelli Romano Cheese, or Parmesan Cheese
1 cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Feta Cheese Crumbles
Salt and Pepper
Fresh grated Nutmeg, optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Blind bake the pie crust: Prick holes on the bottom of the crust with a fork. Line the bottom the the crust with parchment and pie weights (or use dried beans as pie weights). Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and pie weights/beans. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until translucent. Or if you prefer, you can cook the onion low and slow to caramelize them. Once caramelized, add in the garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Squeeze the water out of the spinach and mix it in the the onions and garlic. Mix in half of the feta cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, Locatelli Romano cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg (if using).
Place the baked pie crust on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Spread 1/2 of the sharp cheddar cheese onto the baked pie crust. Spread out the spinach mixture evenly on top of the cheese. Pour the egg and cream mixture over top. Top with remaining sharp cheddar cheese and the rest of the feta.
Bake at 350° for 40 to 55 minutes, or until custard is set. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, or cold.

Enjoy!

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Butter Spritz Cookies

These buttery little cookies are deliciously addictive and can be decorated many different ways. I usually make a double batch.

Butter Spritz Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks (8 ounces) of softened Butter
1 cup of Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon of Almond Extract
1 large Egg
2 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Various sprinkles and decorative sugars to decorate

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add in vanilla and almond extracts, and the egg. Mix until incorporated and fluffy. Don’t worry if mixture separates after adding the egg, continue to beat until combined and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, measure out the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together, or sift dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. Mix until just combined. Add the dough to a cookie press, press the cookies out into an ungreased cookie sheet (do not use parchment or a silpat, as the cookie dough will not grip to parchment or a silpat.)
Decorate cookies with sprinkles and sugars.
Bake at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes, bake until firm, no need for the cookies to be brown. After a few minutes, transfer to a rack to cool.

Enjoy!

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Delicious Cheesecake

This crustless cheesecake featuring whole milk ricotta, cream cheese, and sour cream is a must make for the holidays. I make one every Christmas for our Christmas dessert.

Delicious Cheesecake on YouTube

Ingredients:

3 cups of Ricotta Cheese (I use Whole Milk) (1.5 lbs.)
2 – 8 ounce packages of Cream Cheese
1.5 cups of sugar
6 Tablespoons of Flour
6 large Eggs
1 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon of Fresh Lemon Juice
1 pint of Sour Cream

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 10 inch Springform pan. Place pan on parchment or foil lined baking sheet.
Cream the ricotta and cream cheese together in a stand mixer, scrape the mixer bowl down and cream until we’ll combined and fluffy. Add in the sugar and flour.
Next, add eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
Add in vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Once combined, stop mixer and fold in sour cream by hand until well blended.
Pour into greased and floured 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 350° for one hour. Turn off oven and leave cake sit in oven for one hour to cool.
Store in refrigerator. Serve cheesecake at room temperature with your choice of preferred cheesecake toppings. Or serve it plain, it’s so yummy!

Enjoy!

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Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

This macaroni and cheese starts with a white sauce and incorporates four delicious cheeses to create a most delectable, dreamy, creamy, and cheesy pasta!

Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite pasta shape, I used orecchiette pasta (or you can use elbow macaroni, or whatever pasta shape you’d like or have on hand.)
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 cup of half and half (or you can use cream)
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
16 ounces Gruyere cheese, freshly grated, reserve at least 1/4 cup cheese for top of dish
8 ounces Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese, freshly grated, (I used Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar), reserve some cheese for top
8 ounces Mild cheddar cheese, freshly grated, reserve some cheese for top
1/4 cup of Grana Padano cheese, freshly grated (or you can use Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese.)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil to cook the pasta according to box directions. Cook until al dente. Drain when pasta is done.
While the pasta is cooking, make the white sauce. Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and let cook 2 minutes while stirring. Slowly whisk in milk, half and half (or cream), dry mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste. Also add in fresh nutmeg, if desired. Cook over medium heat while stirring until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in Gruyere, Seriously Sharp Cheddar, Mild Cheddar, and Grana Pandano cheeses until melted.
Mix cooked pasta in with the cheese sauce. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. (No need to transfer if using an enamel Dutch oven like Le Creuset, I poured the pasta into the cheese sauce that was prepared in a Le Creuset Dutch oven and topped with remaining cheese, nothing stuck to the pan.) Top with reserved cheeses. Bake at 350° until it is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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My Favorite Creamed Spinach

This creamed spinach is SUPER creamy and delicious and is a perfect side to make ahead and reheat when you are ready to serve.

My Favorite Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

For the Roux:

4 Tablespoons of butter, melted slowly and gently browned
4 Tablespoons of flour
1 cup Half and Half, or Whole Milk
1/4 teaspoon of Salt

The Spinach:

20 ounces of Frozen Defrosted Chopped Spinach, Squeeze out the Water, Fluff in a Bowl with a Fork (I use Two Boxes of Birds Eye brand Spinach.)
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1 small Onion, diced small
1/2 cup Water
1 teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons of Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup fresh grated Grana Padano cheese (or Romano, or Parmesan, whatever kind you like.)
Fresh grated Nutmeg, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, or garlic paste, optional

Instructions:

Make a Brown Butter Roux slowly melting 4 Tablespoons of butter in a saucepan until brown bits form in the bottom. Whisk in flour and salt until it forms a paste. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the Half and Half until the lumps are gone. Mixture will be thick, don’t worry, that’s ok. Cover until you are ready to use to keep it from drying out.
In a separate larger pot, heat 3 Tablespoons of Butter on medium heat and sauté the diced onions until translucent, for about 4 minutes.
Add in the water, spinach, and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir. Once combined, add the Brown Butter Roux into the spinach. Mix well.
Shut off burner and next add in Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, Grated Cheese of your choice, and freshly grated Nutmeg. Mix until well combined.
Taste the spinach for seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper to your taste. I also like to add some garlic paste, or garlic powder, whichever I have on hand, to taste.

I love this one so much, I hope you like it too. You could even throw some chopped artichoke hearts in and bake it off as a creamy dip and serve with warm tortilla chips. That would be soooo good!

Enjoy!

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Challah Bread Mushroom & Fresh Herb Stuffing

Challah Bread, butter, sautéed mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, vegetable stock, and fresh herbs star in this delicious stuffing.

Challah Bread Mushroom & Fresh Herb Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Challah Bread, cubed and dried.
1/2 cup butter, plus 3 Tablespoons of additional butter to dot the top of the stuffing, and more grease pan
1 cup of onion chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped small
3 medium carrots, chopped small
2 containers of mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, add more if mixture is too dry
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

To dry bread cubes quickly; Place the bread cubes on a sheet pan in a warm oven (oven was previously set at 350°; and then turn off the oven and add the sheet pan of bread cubes) periodically toss the bread cubes until they are dry. Remove from oven to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a casserole dish. I used an 8 x 8 pan.
In a large dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat, Sauté mushrooms until lightly browned, remove from pan. Next, sauté onions, celery, and carrots until soft.
Add dried bread cubes to the Dutch oven, mix in chopped herbs and vegetable stock. Stir until combined and until bread is soft. If stuffing is dry, you can add more stock or butter. Once well mixed and the texture you prefer, pour the stuffing into a buttered casserole dish. Dot with butter on top. Bake at 350° covered for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the top is crispy.
You can make this stuffing in advance and store it in an airtight dish in the freezer for up to 3 months to have stuffing to enjoy at a later time.

Enjoy!

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The BEST Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Make this Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing for the upcoming holidays. This cake is a winner and everyone will love it!

Watch me make The BEST Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing on YouTube.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
.5 cup sugar (I used Domino Golden Sugar)
1 cup brown sugar, packed (light brown)
1 15 ounce can of 100% pure pumpkin purée
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

1 brick (8 ounces) of cream cheese, softened
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, softened
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
3 cups confectioners sugar
A pinch of salt

Your family will love this Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9” x 13” pan with cooking spray to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
For the dry ingredients: Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Whisk dry ingredients to combine.
In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract.
Next, Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix with a hand mixer until just combined. Do not over mix.
Pour cake batter into the prepared 9” x 13” pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, prepare your icing. In a bowl combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla extract, confectioners sugar, and salt with a hand mixer until nicely combined.
Let the cake cool completely before icing the cake. Store the cake in the refrigerator. This pumpkin cake freezes well, just wrap tightly. I like to serve the cake at room temperature.

Consider making this cake in lieu of, or addition to a pumpkin pie for your holiday dessert table, it will not disappoint!

Enjoy!

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Homemade Sweet Potato Pie

Smoked, caramelized sweet potatoes and all natural ingredients are used to create this delicious, homemade sweet potato pie. 🥧

Watch me make Homemade Sweet Potato Pie 🥧 on YouTube.

Ingredients:

Approximately 1 pound of cooked sweet potatoes, peeled. (1 pound is approximately 3 medium sized sweet potatoes.) These sweet potatoes were smoked on the Traeger grill on high heat (approximately 450°) skins on, for about 50 minutes. Then allow the potatoes to cool and the skins easily come off.
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 cup of sugar (I used Domino Golden Sugar)
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust

Homemade Sweet Potato Pies going in the oven.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Slice up cooked and peeled sweet potatoes and put in blender with the softened butter, sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
Blend until mixture is combined and smooth. Pour into cold 9 inch deep dish pie crust. Place pie on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 350° oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The pie will puff up in the oven, but deflate as it cools.

I hope you give this recipe a try. I suggest making two pies at a time and either gift, or freeze the second pie for future enjoyment. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. YUM!

Enjoy!

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