Mexican Lasagna Cupcakes

I saw these and I knew I had to make them. They are just so cute.

We ate these for dinner one night but I have a feeling these are more of an appetizer type thing. Either way it filled me and my husband right up after about 3 each. We loved them!

Next time I think I am going to try and make it with black beans and maybe some corn.

I love me some corn!

Ingredients
Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package of taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 36 wonton wrappers
• 1 (16 ounce) can of refried beans
• 36 tortilla chips
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• optional toppings: sour cream, diced tomatoes, cilantro, salsa

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray 18 muffin cups with cooking spray.


Brown beef in a skillet and drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning mix, the water called for on the package, as well as the red onion. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Set aside.


Place one wonton wrapper in the bottom of each muffin cup. Layer about 1 Tbsp of refried beans on top of each wonton. Crush one tortilla chip on top of the beans. Top with 1 Tbsp of taco meat and 1 Tbsp of shredded cheese. Repeat the layers again with a wonton wrapper, refried beans, tortilla chips, taco meat, and cheese.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.


Remove cupcakes from tin and top with your favorite taco toppings (i.e. sour cream, salsa, diced tomatoes, or cilantro)


Enjoy!!
-Christy

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I would have to say that spinach artichoke dip is my go to appetizer when I'm at a restaurant. For some reason I had never made it before so I decided to make it one night before dinner to snack on.

I adapted this a little like the Spinach Cheese Bites I made a few months ago. I love those cheese bites so I knew it would be great to make some changes to the dip to resemble the cheese bites.

Ingredients

Source: Slightly adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

• 1 jar (8 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Coarsely chop artichokes and put them in a medium bowl. Add spinach, mayonnaise, garlic, Parmesan cheese, swiss cheese and sour cream and mix well.

Pour into a shallow baking dish or glass pie pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Serve it with tortilla chips and veggies for dipping.


Enjoy !!
-Christy

Momma B's Creamy Mushroom Pork Filet

I just want to start off by saying happy anniversary to Cathy and her husband Blake who have been happily married fro 7 years today!! 

This pork is awesome.

Momma B has been making this recipe for who knows how long now but it has always been one of my favorites. The ingredients are so simple but so flavorful!!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Pork filet
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3  green onions,minced
• 8  thinly sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (35%)
• 3 tsp dijon mustard
• Fresh parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste 

Directions

Marinade the pork in the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves and Dijon mustard for at least 3 hours in the fridge.

Grill pork on the BBQ or in the oven for 30 – 45 min at 375 – 400F once it is done being marinated.

In frying pan, add 1 Tbsp of oil and sauté green onions and mushrooms.  Add 3 tsp of dijon mustard and cream and slowly cook to thicken the sauce. Add fresh finely chopped parsley to the sauce once done.

Serve on Basmati rice with steamed green beans.

Bon Appétit!!

-Christy

Momma B's Herbed Cheese Bread

I would have to say my love for cooking has always been there, I just never knew it. One of my most favorite things growing up was coming home from school and smelling something baking in the oven. I think my love for food started when I realized how good my mom's food really was. She always put so much time into preparing our meals and they were always great. 

This cheesy bread recipe is great but I would have to say it must be paired with a soup and lots of butter--I love butter.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp basil           
• ½ tsp sage
• ¼ tsp thyme
• ¼ cup cold butter
• 1  egg
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven a 400F

Mix the white flour, wheat flour, shredded cheese, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, basil, sage and thyme together.

Add cold butter to mixture with a pastry cutter.

In a separate bowl mix together the egg, yogurt and milk.

Add the dry ingredients to the milk mixture gradually.  

Bake at 400F for about 25 min in greased pan.

Bon Appétit!!
-Christy

Deceiving Roasted Curried Cauliflower

Looks can be deceiving.

The title can be deceiving.

Heck, cauliflower can be deceiving, especially this one!

I have to say, I am not a cauliflower lover, but this one I can eat anytime. Did you know that roasting cauliflower makes it sweet? Mixed with curry, cumin, coriander, and paprika...oh man it is a real treat!

Next time cauliflower goes on sale, make this as a side vegetable, you will not regret it!

Ingredients:
Modified from epicurious recipes
Makes 4 sides

• 1 large cauliflower head, chopped into florets (about 3-4 cups)
• 1 half onion, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbs + 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 3/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Evenly spread out cauliflower florets onto a baking sheet. Spread the onion all over the baking sheet.
3. Mix the remainder of the ingredients, and poor over the cauliflower and onions.
4. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

How did you love it?

Bon Appetit!

Cathy

My sister and I will be reunited TOMORROW!!! I cannot wait!

CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza

So in high school I worked at California Pizza Kitchen. I was a hostess but in my opinion that was the best job to have there. For some reason hostesses were the only ones allowed to have a free meal after a shift. Man, that was the best job ever...seriously. Anyways, the BBQ Chicken pizza was something I got on a regular basis. I also got the BBQ Chicken chopped salad all the time too. We have the recipe for that here. This is by far the best pizza I have ever made

Ingredients

• 1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust (mine Makes Two Crusts)
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 cups Barbecue Sauce
• 16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
• ½ whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
• Chopped Cilantro, to taste
• Olive Oil
• Salt 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.

Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.

Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Enjoy !!

-Christy

Homemade Hamburger Patties

Summertime is a great time for grilling! Unfortunately Danny and I do not have a grill at our apartment so we take advantage of the grill when we go visit my parents for the weekend! We absolutely love hamburgers and we decided this time it would be nice if we made our own patties. Here is an easy recipe that will make your mouth melt!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 c. Worcestershire sause
• 1 small onion, chopped
• salt & pepper
• Montreal Steak Spice, as desired

Directions

Combine all the ingredients listed until it is mixed well. Take about 1/3 cup of meat and form into a patty. Once there are about 8-10 patties place onto the grill. Make sure you do not press down on the patty to help it cook faster, this only releases the juices from the patty and will make it very dry. Once the patties are cooked your burgers are ready to be created!

Enjoy!!

-Christina

Curried Coconut Chicken

I am a huge curry fan but I love coconut even more! I was craving something asian the other day and I knew what kind of flavors I wanted. I came across this recipe and the reviews were amazing. Everyone raved about how simple yet how good this recipe is.

The ingredients are quite simple. I think next time I will try adding some pineapple and some green peppers in the mix. I'll let you know how it turns out! This recipe can be eaten as a soup or it can be served over rice.

Photo Credit

Ingredients

Source:All Recipes

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of white rice
• Coconut Flakes (optional)
• 
  
• Directions

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Serve over rice and top with coconut flakes and/or cashews!

Enjoy !!

-Christy

Broccoli Bacon Slaw [Momma B Original]

I just LOVE this salad!!!

Lets face it, anything with bacon is a winner.

It is PERFECT for potlucks because then everyone will love you for making it!

Do yourself and everyone else a favor tho, and double the recipe if you are bringing it to share.

Ingredients for the slaw:

• 1 package of broccoli slaw mix
• 2 cups slightly cooked broccoli florets
• 1/2 cups craisins (or raisins)
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup bacon bits (real bacon crumbles make it even better)
• 1/2 cup red onion
• 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds OR roasted slivered almonds

Ingredients for dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 Tbs vinegar (or 1.5 tsp)

Directions are simple: mix up the slaw ingredients. Mix up the dressing ingredients. Combine and LOVE IT!

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Cathy

Sausage Alfredo

It's friday, but I don't know about you but this weekend will be jam packed so it doesn't feel like a friday! So, you need an easy-peasy recipe, using the help of jarred alfred sauce for this one. It is DELICIOUS and talk about some seriously good comfort food.


Serves 4, ready in less than 30 minutes people!


Ingredients:

• 4 sausages, cooked and coin-sliced
• 1-2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 roasted (roasted is optional but so good) red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 (16 ounce) jar alfredo sauce
• 1 lbs penne pasta, cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  In a large pot, heat up oil and fry the red pepper, onion, mushrooms for about 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add garlic cloves for 15 seconds.
2. Stir in the beef broth, bring to a simmer for a few minutes.
3. Add the alfredo sauce, sausages, and stir in the parmesan cheese.

Yuuuummmmmy et Bon Appetit!

Cathy

Whole Wheat Zucchini and Blueberry Pancakes

Monday, and we are all off...so off to Bumpa and Nana's we go! I love cooking big breakfasts on days off as a family, it's sort of a tradition, I guess...quite possibly maybe out of convenience, since I am not left to take cake of kids, cook, and clean alone :)

Anyways, I like this recipe because it has: whole wheat, vegetables, and fruit! Yes, sugar too...but moderation in all things is my motto! And who doesn't need another way to make pancakes?!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole grain wheat flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

The Process:

1. Heat up a non-stick pan on medium high
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour,baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon). In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (oil, eggs, vanilla, milk). Add the grated zucchini. Gently fold in the blueberries.
3. Dollop about 1/4 cup on a buttered hot surface, until the bubbles start to surface on the pancake and pop. Flip and cook for another 30-45 seconds.
4. Serve with whip cream, maple syrup, and/or fresh fruit and ENJOY!

Bon Appetit!

Cathy