Taco Casserole

No two tacos are the same but I wanted to make sure all 4 tacos I made this month were completely different. I have a love for noodles, which may be due to my Italian roots but I could probably eat noodles 3 times a day. I made this with noodles to act as the carb. I hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Taco Casserole

• 6 ounces of egg noodles
• 1 lb ground beef, cooked
• 2 cups southwest mixed veggies
• 1 can Rotel, undrained
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1.5 cups Mexican cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• Sour cream

Spray casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Brown ground beef and drain grease. Add in veggies, enchilada sauce, rotel, and water. Bring to boil and pour over egg noodles. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove foil, add cheese and green onions and bake an additional 10 minutes. This recipe is from the Rotel website!

Ramen Waffles

I was trying to find different ways to used my waffle iron and why not try it for out of the ordinary things. We like Asian dishes so I made a frozen stir fry and added some Asian flavors to it. I also decided to make a ramen side dish that turned out to be amazing! I will make this on it's own next time without anything else.

Ramen Waffles

• 1 pack ramen noodles soaked in hot water until soft.
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• whisk together the egg and soy in a separate bowl and add ramen and coat.

Ensure you spray the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray for best results. Cook about 3 minutes. I cooked mine until the green light turned on.

Jake says the waffle was confusing but enjoyed it none the less.

Cuban Sliders

Friday is only one day away and wedding venue touring on Saturday. I was going to stop blogging but when your uncle calls and asks why you haven't posted in a while, I figure I'd catch up. Tonight I made Cuban sliders which I put pickles on so it was very odd for my uncle to call and ask about my blog. Growing up we used to drink pickle juice because he told me it would put hair on my chest and to this day I will still drink it! Oh and if you were wondering he was wrong!

Cuban Sliders

• 1 pack Hawaiian rolls
• Ham lunchmeat
• Sliced Swiss cheese
• Sliced pickles
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced onion

Slice the tops off the rolls. Apply the ham, Swiss, and pickles and place the tops back on them. Place into a sheet pan. Melt the butter in the microwave and mix in the Dijon and onion and pout on the top of the buns. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Ooey, gooey, messy, and oh so good! The sweetness of the rolls, the gooey cheese, and the crunchy pickles made this a touchdown and may be even better for your superbowl party! (Jake ate 6, don't let him know I told you!!!) Serve with chips, that's my lunch tomorrow anyways!

Bacon and Egg Muffins

I made these muffins for dinner with some grits and toast with my homemade apple butter. These would be great on the weekends, on the go, and even for a snack!

Bacon and Egg Muffins

• 8 pieces of bacon
• 8 eggs, whisked
• 1/2 cup cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Line the muffin tin with the slice of bacon. Mix together the eggs, cheese, and salt and pepper. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 of the way up. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes and enjoy!

Easy to make and easy to grab, you will be coming back to this for a long time! I will continue to catch up on the blog tomorrow. Stayed tuned for Taco casserole, Ramen waffles, and hash brown waffles!

Cinnamon Apple Parfait

This dessert I put in a mason jar which is easy for one person to enjoy for more than one day, it is also good to help with layers, and it is easy to grab on the go.

Cinnamon Apple Parfait

• 3 apples, cored and diced
• toss apples the following and cook until apples are soft:
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• After cooking let cook for about 20-30 minutes
• Combine the following in the mixer to make whipped cream
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• granola (I used honey granola)
• caramel sauce

To assemble place whipped cream first, granola, caramel, then apples. I made 2 layers. Sweet, crunchy, and savory. And super easy to grab and go!

Caesar Chicken Salad

Hey again everyone! I hope everyone is staying warm! There has been a lot going on this week and I have just not had time to blog. All is settling down now well all except for the snow we're expecting tomorrow but I'll work from home, no problem!!! I made this chicken salad and added a homemade Caesar dressing and filled a pita pocket with it along with lettuce and tomato.

Caesar Chicken Salad

• 1.5 pounds cooked chicken, shredded
• 12oz plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1.5 tablespoons Dijon
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Combine all and chill before serving.

Creamy, rich, and hearty. Maybe even a little healthy with the Greek yogurt.

Fried Cajun Shrimp and Cajun Rice

Hello 3 day weekend! Sorry I did not post last night but better late than never. Last night was fried Friday and I made fried shrimp, Cajun rice (caution! it was spicy!!!), and left over creamy coleslaw from Wednesday. We tend to like more spicy stuff in this house so if that is not your thing just  add less seasoning.

Fried Cajun Shrimp

• 2 pounds raw and peeled shrimp (I bought out of the frozen section and just ran them under cold water until they were thawed. Then patted them dry with a paper towel)
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 2/3 cup of flour
• 1 cup panko brad crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 6 teaspoons of olive oil

Combine flour and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and whisk together. Combine eggs and milk in one bowl and whisk together. Place panko in a third bowl. Heat olive oil in pan. Place shrimp in flour mixture, then egg mixture, then panko bread crumbs and place in oil for about 3 minutes on each side.

Cajun Rice

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup green onions, diced
• Cook in pan until tender then add
• 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 3.5 cups water
• 2 cups raw rice
• 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

Stir and bring to a boil. Cut down to low and cover and cook 25 minutes or until the rice is tender.

This was definitely a spicy and crunchy meal. Perfect way to end a work week.

I love having a sous chef!

Join me later for a healthy spin on chicken salad for Sandwich Saturday!

Fried Tortellini

Hello Thursday and hello one day closer to my 3 day weekend!!! I am making up for a meal that I missed last week. Fried Friday's fried tortellini.

Fried Tortellini

• 2 Cups panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 4 teaspoons parsley
• Combine the above and set to the side
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 1 package of tortellini, boiled for about 2 minutes and drained
• Flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Dredge the tortellini in the flour, cover with egg wash, then cover with breading. Fry for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown and serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

Crunchy, creamy cheese, and chunky marinara are an amazing combination. I hope to see you all again tomorrow for another fried Friday!

Cornbread Waffles with BBQ and Coleslaw

We are halfway there! Happy waffle Wednesday everyone! Only two more days to go until my 3 day weekend! On Wednesdays I have decided to show you different options to use your waffle maker that you dust dust every few months. The waffle maker makes food quickly and effectively. I only bought a waffle iron to make Jake waffles when we went to the beach to save money, other than that we didn't use our waffle iron. It probably doesn't help that I'm not a waffle fan. I started tonight going to make this recipe up but grabbed the jiffy corn mix and noticed there was already a recipe on the side so I just used that one. The BBQ is some that I had previously made and frozen in 1pound bags. I also mixed together a coleslaw. All together this whole meal took me 20 minutes to throw together. I hope you enjoy this meal as much as Jake did. Next time I'm going to sneak a picture of his face, he'll love that!

Cornbread Waffles

• Jiffy corn mix
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons shortening, heated
• 1/2 cup milk

*I found this recipe made about 3 waffles

Coleslaw

• 1 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar

BBQ

• Pork butt or shoulder
• Salt
• garlic powder
• Pepper
• Dr. Pepper

Place pork into crock pot fat side up. Score the fat and put the salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the top. Add Dr. Pepper to crock pot. Cook on low until meat is done. I usually put it in before I go to sleep and take it out when I get up. Shred or mince to your liking. I like to mince mine and package in 1 pound bags. It makes for an easy dinner when you're running low on time.

I will be cooking tomorrow despite it being my day off. I have to make up for all the days I missed last week! See you tomorrow!!

Crescent Roll Tacos

Happy Taco Tuesday!! I hope everyone is ready for the cold weather tomorrow, I know I'm not. I know one thing for sure is this wedding planning is going to be the death of me. I'm not one to sit around and wait and procrastinate and I like to get things done quickly. So far all I've done is hurry up and wait. Hopefully we can get a venue secured in the next few weeks and I can continue on with the next step.

Tonight I made tacos, but they're a little different.  I used a crescent roll instead of a shell and baked them. These were really good and had a lot of flavor and will definitely be a new favorite.

 Crescent Roll Tacos

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 can green chiles, drained
• combine and cook until beef is done and drain
• 1/2 can enchilada sauce
• pour into beef mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes
• Spray casserole dish with non stick cooking spray
• Crescent rolls
• tear apart at perforations and spoon mixture into roll and roll up. Place into casserole dish.
• Pour other half of enchilada sauce onto crescent rolls
• Add cheese to top of each roll
• Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes
• Add favorite toppings and serve

I hope to see you tomorrow for Waffle Iron Wednesday!

Buffalo Chicken Muffins

Happy Monday! I can say this and mean it when I  can finally breathe out of my nose. I've had a respiratory infection and Jake has been "cooking" for me. Not such a great start to the year...or my blog for that matter but things happen. This week I made buffalo chicken muffins. Spicy and easy. These would be great for a Superbowl party along side of the chicken wings or even in place of the wings, great for kids to grab if they like spicy things, and if you need to clear your head after a upper respiratory infection!

Buffalo Chicken Muffins

• 2 Cups cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 Cup shredded cheddar
• 1/3 cup buffalo sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
• Blue Cheese
• 1 Can biscuits

Press biscuits into the muffin pan. Combine chicken, buffalo sauce, and cheese in a bowl. Spoon the mixture into the biscuits and cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with blue cheese crumbles and enjoy!

Tomorrow is Taco Tuesday!!

Broccoli an Beef Taco Bowl

Hello Taco Tuesday!!! Today I made a different type of taco, I suppose a healthier version. New year healthy options? ...This may be the only healthy option this month, so I guess I'll take it where I can. No taco shell needed just add chips if need be.

Broccoli and Beef Taco Bowl

• 1lb ground beef, cooked
• After cooked add in;
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 can rotel, drained
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Broccoli pieces, steamed
• Cheddar cheese

Layer the bowl with the beef mixture and top with broccoli and then cheese and enjoy!

I hope to see everyone tomorrow for waffle iron Wednesday!

Chicken Pot Pie Muffins

Happy New Year! Thanks for coming back to visit me this new year. December was a very busy month for me and my family. Jake and I cruise in December and this is our third year crusin'. We went to Nassau, San Juan, Turks and Caicos, and St. Thomas. We had the best time like always!

Oh yeah and for those who do not already know...we got engaged!!! I'm so excited to take this journey with him and plan this wedding. Now if I could just hear back from some venues we would be well on our way. I guess I should probably talk about dinner tonight.

I got on a muffin kick about a year ago and made absolutely everything into muffins until Jake started looking at me like I was crazy.  Muffins are easy and quick, they're also good for kids because they can be picked up and taken on the go!

Chicken Pot Pie Muffins

• 1 Can cream of chicken soup
• 2 Can canned chicken, drained
• 1 Can mixed vegetables, drained 
• 1 Can of your favorite biscuits
• Salt to taste

Mix together the cream of chicken soup, canned chicken, and mixed vegetables. Take the biscuits and in a muffin tin push the dough against the sides of the tin and fill the cups with your chicken mixture. Bake to the instructions on the biscuits. 10-13 minutes. Then serve.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Monday's this month will be muffin Mondays and devoted to my muffin craze! See you tomorrow!!