Motherhood with Maddi

Categories: Food & Drink

Vodka Slush

A summer staple that is always in my freezer, ready to serve on a hot summer day, this vodka slush super easy to make and is absolutely delicious. Funny story about this drink – last summer I was pregnant so I wasn’t able to indulge like I have in past summers. So, about a week before my due date, I made a batch and had it in the freezer, ready for me after I delivered my baby! 😂

This recipe is my grandma’s although, I’m sure it’s been passed around for years! It makes a pretty large batch that you just store in your freezer and then when you’re ready to serve, just scoop some into a glass and mix with sprite! The hardest part is boiling the tea and sugar mixture. You can use any vodka because you can’t really taste it, but my preference is to use either Tito’s or Kirkland Vodka.

Ingredients

Sugar Water Mixture

7 cups of water
2 cups of sugar

Tea Mixture

2 cups of water
4 black tea bags

Remaining Ingredients

12 ounces frozen lemonade
12 ounces frozen orange juice
3 cups of vodka
sprite

Directions

1. Boil 7 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar until sugar is dissolved.
2. Let this mixture cool completely.
3. Boil 2 cups of water and add the 4 tea bags.
4. Combine these mixtures together in a large airtight container.
5. Add in the frozen lemonade, frozen orange juice, and vodka.
6. Put in the freezer until frozen. Serve with Sprite.

Categories: Food & Drink

Cucumber Salsa

I know, I know, chips and salsa is a classic so why mess with it right? There’s nothing better than sitting down at a Mexican Restaurant and being served fresh chips and salsa. But I promise you, this recipe for cucumber salsa is SO GOOD. I typically only make it in the summer and I look forward to it every year because it’s just so refreshing. It’s also a great way to use up all of those cucumbers that go crazy in your garden at the end of the summer.

I cannot, for the life of me, remember who I got this recipe from but I’ve been making it for the past couple of years. It’s so simple and honestly, the hardest part is cutting up the cucumber. If you have a vegetable chopper, it might take you less than sixty seconds to throw it all together. In all honestly, I usually go for the dump/measure with your heart method when I make it, but for the sake of sharing it with you all, I tried my best at having measurements for the ingredients.

Four ingredients are all you need for cucumber salsa – yes four. Cucumbers, rotel, vinegar, and dry ranch seasoning. I think I remember the original recipe called for apple cider vinegar, but I am not a fan. So, I just switched it to white vinegar and loved it so I never even tried the apple cider version. You could also add in some red onion or hot rotel for more color and a little bite, but I usually don’t. The vinegar gives it a perfect bite in my opinon – it’s not spicy, but there’s just a little zing that spices it up.

My favorite chips to serve with it are the big triangle tortilla chips so I can really load it up with the salsa, but any chips will work! The salsa is so good fresh, but I think it’s best after it sits in the fridge for 2-3 hours and marinates for a little while. If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! And if you tweak it at all, I would love to know how so that I can try it sometime!

RECIPE:
2-3 cucumbers (chopped)
1 can rotel
1/3 cup dry ranch dressing
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop each cucumber into fine pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Add in the rotel, ranch, and vinegar and mix together.
3. Serve with tortilla chips or let sit in fridge for a few hours before serving.

If you want to check out some of my other recipes, you can find them here!



Categories: Food & Drink

Peanut Butter Popcorn

I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who doesn’t like peanut butter, so if you don’t like peanut butter, this recipe isn’t for you! But if you are a PB lover like me, you will love this recipe. It’s such a good twist on popcorn, and it’s the perfect amount of sweet and salty. You’d think that peanut butter on popcorn would be a terribly sticky mess, but I promise it’s not!

This popcorn is best a few minutes after it’s finished when the popcorn and peanut butter mixture are still warm, but it will save in an airtight container for one week. All you need are two bags of microwave popcorn, peanut butter, honey, corn syrup, sugar, and vanilla.

PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN
2 bags popped popcorn
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pop popcorn in the microwave.
2. Once popped get rid of any unpopped kernels and pour into a bowl.
3. Add sugar, honey and corn syrup to a medium pan and bring to a boil.
4. Boil for 2 minutes and then stir in peanut butter and vanilla.
5. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat all the pieces.
6. Spread out the popcorn on parchment paper to cool.
7. Store in airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 1 week.

Categories: Food & Drink

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

I can’t begin to imagine how many chicken noodle soup recipes are out there on the internet. It’s a classic with so many variations. While it’s such a cozy feeling to have a nice warm pot of chicken noodle soup simmering all afternoon, sometimes it’s nice to be able to achieve the same result in a fraction of the time. I absolutely love this recipe and make abundant amounts of it during the cold months. Everything (except the chopping) can be done in the instant pot which makes for a super easy clean up. It’s also done in about 30 minutes tops which is so nice for busy nights!

In my opinion, the key to the best chicken noodle soup is in the noodles. Homemade noodles are to die for, but I’ve tried them and decided I’m leaving that skill to my grandma. So, I hunted and hunted and discovered the next best thing. The best store bought option is extra wide Amish noodles, and I LOVE the brand Essenhaus. They are wide, flat, and perfect for chicken noodle soup.

The chicken can also be varied depending on preference and time. Occasionally, Colin will smoke a whole chicken and then we’ll shred it and use that for the added smoke flavor, but that takes more time. A rotisserie chicken is always a great option, and if the store is out of those, canned chicken also works as well.

I absolutely love soups. In the winter, we usually have soup one night every week, but I always struggle with what to serve with them. Cinnamon rolls always go well with chili, but I always go back to biscuits or bread of some sort with every other soup. So if you have suggestions, please let me know! I’d also love to hear if you try this recipe and if you make any variations to it! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion (diced)
3 cups chicken (cubed)
2 cups carrots (chopped)
2 cups celery (chopped)
1/2 bag Essenhaus egg noodles
6-8 cups chicken broth
1 Tablespoons olive oil
Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
1. Turn on the instant pot and select the “sauté setting”
2. Heat the oil and sauté the onions until clear
3. Add in the chicken and continue sautéing for 1-2 more minutes
4. Add in carrots, celery, noodles, broth, and seasonings. Stir.
5. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and switch to the pressure setting. Make sure the valve is set to sealing.
6. Set the time for 5 minutes.
7. Once the time is up, relieve the pressure and serve.

Categories: Food & Drink

Crazy Chocolate Cake

I have a SWEET tooth. Like an every night after dinner I need a treat, sweet tooth. Normally I have a bowl of cereal, chocolate chip cookies, or maybe brownies, but I wanted to mix things up so I decided to dig into my recipe box and came across this chocolate cake recipe. 

This recipe came from my grandma who also loves to bake. I definitely got that trait from her because when I have the time, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I have no idea why this is called “crazy” chocolate cake, but it does bring such good memories. 

Colin and I lived with my grandparents while he was still in pharmacy school and we happened to be living there during Covid. As you all know, entertaining yourself became quite the challenge, and we were lucky to have four adults under the same roof. My grandma and I spent many of those days finding new (and old) recipes to bake, and this one became a favorite. We made it several times during quarantine, and that is just such a special time I will always hold close in my heart. I will definitely always think of her when I make it. 

Besides the fact that this cake is DELICIOUS, another perk is that you mix all of the ingredients right in the dish you are going to bake it in! No mixing bowls necessary- you just dump everything together! 

The cake is so moist by itself, but there is also a frosting recipe that goes with it, and I definitely recommend making that as well. Colin’s favorite way to eat cake is in a bowl with milk. I’ve never tried it, and probably never will, but to each their own. 😉

Cake Recipe: 
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. vinegar
6 tbsp. vegetable Oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup water

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients in an 8×8 cake dish. 
Add the wet ingredients in the same dish. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
Let cool before frosting

Frosting Recipe: 
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
4 tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions: 
Mix butter, sugar, cocoa, water, and vanilla in a pot over medium-high heat.
Mix until it comes to a rolling boil and remove from heat.
Mix in the powdered sugar. 

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