Holiday Corn Flake Wreaths

These are so fun and so easy.  A wonderful combination during a busy time of the year.  A friend shared a similar recipe on Facebook and said it was one of her favorites to make each year with her Mom.  Think rice crispy treats meet corn flakes.  Ta Da!

Let's Get Crafty!

Ingredients:

1 bag marshmallows 

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring

3 1/2 cups corn flakes

Red cinnamon candies or whatever you want to decorate them with

Melt the butter in the microwave on medium power

Stir in the marshmallows and microwave in 30 seconds intervals (stirring in between) until all are melted

Add food coloring and stir until evenly distributed

Gently fold in the corn flakes until the melted goodness evenly coats the cereal

Shape into wreaths and decorate (Tip: You'll want to decorate right away before the candies aren't able to stick as easy)

This made 10 wreaths

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great day and Happy New Year!

Christmas Tree Craft

This tiny little foot is a reminder of how fast time flies.  This is a craft using our Haley Bug's feet while I have the help of my oldest kiddo who now has feet larger than me.  Haley was super excited to put her feet in the paint.  So much fun!

Hope you have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

These are so good and a big favorite among our kiddos.  These are the cookies of choice that we set out each year for Santa along with carrots for reindeer.  This year Emily brought home a little packet of Reindeer Food from school that she said we should put out on our lawn on Christmas Eve.  She was so excited about it.

This recipe can be easily doubled if you're making cookies for a cookie exchange or just want more.  One batch leaves a few extra kisses for snacking or excited kiddos to taste-test.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
Additional granulated sugar (holiday colored sanding sugar is great!)
About 36 chocolate kisses, unwrapped

In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder until dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in additional granulated sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets, place about 2 inches apart.  I really like baking them on our cookie stone.  They seem to come out perfect each time.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. (9 minutes seems to be the jackpot time for our oven.)  After pulling the cookies from the oven - Immediately push 1 milk chocolate candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack.

This is our Haley Bug pointing out what she wants on the counter  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Baked Chicken Chile Rellenos

So... this was supposed to stuffed poblano peppers but I broke 2 out of the 4 peppers when I was peeling them in too big of a hurry.  What happened instead was a very yummy surprise.  

Let's Get Crafty!
Preheat oven to 500

Rub olive oil on poblano peppers and broil on a baking sheet at 500 for about 10 minutes (checking and turning often) until the skin is blackened:

4 large poblano peppers

Put the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for about 20 minutes 

(this will make peeling the peppers a cinch.)

If you're going to bake it right away rather than freezing it:  Don't turn off the oven after roasting the peppers instead shift the temp from 500 down to 350 and the oven will be ready for you when you're ready to put the casserole in.

Combine together:

1 1/2 tablespoons dry cornmeal

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

In another bowl - combine together:
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken

1 egg

1/2 of the cornmeal mixture 

1 1/2 cups cheese (we used a triple pepper blend and some cheddar)

Peel the peppers and layer them with the chicken sprinkling in the dry cornmeal mixture and adding an extra layer of cheese at the end.  I used an 8x8 foil pan to freeze with an extra layer of aluminum foil over the top.  

This recipe worked beautifully as a frozen meal.  When you're ready to bake it - Thaw overnight in the fridge and then the next night at dinner time - preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 20-30 minutes.  You'll most likely need to adjust the cooking time depending on if the meal fully thawed.

If you want to bake it right away - bake it at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.  

Sausage and Peppers with Orzo

I haven't cooked a lot with orzo and this recipe makes me want to use it more in our kitchen.  This dish brings out a creaminess that I didn't expect.  Don't be alarmed by how big the salad looks next to the main dish.  I totally had to go back for seconds on this one.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon EVOO

3/4 lb Italian sausage

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter (divided)

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 cup mozzarella cheese (divided)

1 1/2 cups orzo pasta

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups chicken stock

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat the oven to a low broil

Saute until tender:

1 tablespoon EVOO

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

Then Add to the Veggies and cook until fully cooked through:

3/4 lb Italian sausage

While that is cooking - combine and set aside:

1 tablespoon melted butter 

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 cup mozzarella cheese 

To the veggies and sausage - add and stir together until the butter is melted:

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups orzo pasta

Then add:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups chicken stock

Heat to a boil - reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked  (about 10-12 minutes.)  You'll want to keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.  You may need to add more chicken stock or water.

Pour into a baking dish and top with the panko and cheese mixture

Low broil for around 5 minutes - keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great day.

Baked Oatmeal

We eat a lot of oatmeal in our house.  I should probably rephrase that - the ladies in our household really like oatmeal and eat it frequently.  The gentlemen do not.  :)  

Although... Mark had some on his recent hunting trip to Alaska out of necessity and I think he might admit now that he doesn't dislike it as much as he thought he did.  

This recipe is delicious and freezes so nicely!  The best way I've heard it described is a warm oatmeal cookie.  Yes! I really like the change in textures with the diced apples and the craisins.  

Ingredients:

3 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup craisins

1 large apple

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup melted coconut oil or vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

cinnamon sugar (optional... but so delicious!)

Walnuts or pecans (optional... we didn't add any nuts)

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat the oven to 350

Mix together:

3 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup craisins

1 large apple, diced into small pieces

2 ripe bananas, smashed

Mix together in a separate bowl:

1/2 cup melted coconut oil or vegetable oil

2 large eggs, whisked

1 cup milk

Combine the wet ingredients with the oat mixture

Pour into a greased 8x8 foil pan (if you want to freeze) or into an 8x8 baking dish to cook right away.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if you so desire (you totally should!!)

Cover with foil if you want to freeze or pop it right into the oven to cook right away.

Ours baked for 35 minutes when we had it in the fridge overnight and cooked it the next morning.  From the freezer after thawing it took closer to an hour because it wasn't fully thawed.  I recommend setting your timer for 25-30 minutes and then checking it.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Chile Relleno Casserole

Fall time is in the air and chiles are reaching their prime.  This recipe is packed with green chile flavor.  The big discussion in our house each year about this time is whether or not the chiles will be hot.  I really like hot food but a chile full of flavor means more to me than little flavor and super hot.  My husband is a true believer that hotter is always better.  

Let's Get Crafty!
Preheat oven to 350

Coat a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray

Ingredients:

2 cups of shredded cheese
2 cups of green chiles
2 T of flour
12oz can of evaporated milk
4 eggs

Layer 1/2 the green chiles in a 9x13 pan then 1/2 the cheddar cheese and repeat each layer one time

Whisk together the flour, evaporated milk and eggs then pour over the top of the chile and cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins (ours needed another 5 minutes)

Heading in the oven.  

I love it when there are red chiles peeking through.

Hot from the oven!

Let it rest for a few minutes to set up and be easier to cut.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer - Bone In

These are perfect for a hot day where standing in front of the grill is the last thing you want to do at the end of a day.  This was a game time decision for us.  We had planned on grilling and decided to give the air fryer a go instead. These chicken thighs stayed very juicy while having a crispy skin.

Let's Get Crafty!

We seasoned up the chicken thighs just like if we were going to grill them.  I added a small amount of EVOO to each piece to help it crisp up in the air fryer.

When you're ready - preheat the air fryer for a few minutes at 400. 

Then air fry at 400 for 15 mins and then 350 for 10 minutes

You'll want to make sure it is cooked through.  You're shooting for a temperature of 180.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great day.

Potato Salad Using the Instant Pot - GAME CHANGER!

Oh my goodness!  This is a game changer in the potato salad world.  If you're planning on making some potato salad over this holiday weekend - I highly recommend using your Instant Pot to cook your potatoes and your eggs at the same time.  

Let's Get Crafty!

Here's the game plan:

Put your peeled and diced potatoes into the bottom of the instant pot with 4 eggs on top along with 1 cup cold water.  Set your instant pot to the manual setting for 4 minutes and do a quick release.

I diced my potatoes a little bigger than normal so that when I'm stirring them with the other ingredients they don't lose all their texture.

Then you just prepare your potato salad using your favorite recipe.

Hope you give this a try and love it!  Thanks for stopping by. 

Low Carb Cheeseburger Casserole

I love it when I stumble across a recipe that the whole family likes.  This came together quickly on a weeknight and everyone went for seconds.  

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat to 350

Brown the hamburger and onion - adding in the minced garlic and seasoning salt in the last couple minutes:

2 lbs ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Add to the beef and gently mix until well combined:

4 oz cream cheese

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mustard

Optional layers:

Jalapeno slices

Bacon (we didn't do this today - but we will another time!  Because... well... BACON!)

Dill pickle slices

Whisk together eggs and 1/2 and 1/2 - then stir in cheddar cheese

3 eggs

1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cups shredded cheddar cheese - evenly over the top

Layer it up:

Beef mixture

Optional layers you want to add

Egg mixture

Top layer of cheese

Bake for 20-25 minutes

We'll be having this again very soon.  Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great day.

Jalepeno Popper Stuffed Biscuits

This is one of those recipes that surprised me that I didn't already have it on my blog.  Mark and I made these many times when we were newly married.  We love jalapeno poppers and trying out different recipes that incorporate their flavors.   

Yes, these are as tasty as they look.  The only problem will be trying to limit yourself to having just a couple.  

 

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat the oven to 375

Ingredients:

1 can Pillsbury grands jr. layers biscuits

1 can chopped green chiles (we used 1/2 cup of the hot green chiles we keep in the freezer)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup olive oil mayo

2 tablespoons of cooked bacon bits

Pickled jalapeno slices (we use a few for each biscuit)

Separate each biscuit into two rounds and put each one in a muffin tin like this:

Stir together the rest of the ingredients (except for the pickled jalapenos that will go on the top)

Evenly distribute the filling and top with pickled jalapenos before tossing in in the oven

Bake for 15 minutes and then BAM! - a tasty appetizer or side to go with your dinner

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great day.

Cheesy Stuffing Chicken

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and the picture drew me in so we had to give it a try.  It's ridiculously easy and made the house smell great all day long. 

Let's Get Crafty!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (the ones we had were really big so I only used two)
1 onion, diced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 can rotel
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 box stuffing mix (I used the chicken Kroger generic brand)
1/2 can chicken stock

Spray non-cook spray in the slow cooker
Spread the onion on the bottom
Then chicken breasts
Then evenly sprinkle on the garlic, pepper, cheese
Then stuffing mix and pour melted butter on top
In a separate bowl - Mix together the rotel, cream of mushroom and chicken broth and pour over the top

Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 6 hours.

Hope you have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Chicken Flautas / Taquitos in the Air Fryer

We're loving our new air fryer. Especially on those hot days when the last thing you want to do it start the oven. Making dinner is a snap when you have some leftover meat on hand that you're looking to use in a different way.  This is a perfect recipe to have in your back pocket as school is getting back into full swing.

 

Let's Get Crafty!

We had some cooked, shredded chicken on hand so I warmed it up on the stove with taco seasoning and let it simmer for a few minutes. Along with about 1/4 cup of chicken in each small soft shell size flour tortilla we added cheese and other fixings depending on the person. 

We were able to fit 6 taquitos in the air fryer at once. Once they are lined up - I sprayed the top of them with non-stick cooking spray to help their outside get crunchy during the cooking process.

Air fry at 370 degrees for 10 minutes flipping halfway through.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Super Easy Way to Freeze Meals for the Instant Pot

We haven't made a lot of freezer meals for the instant pot but I'm starting to come around to the idea more and more.  A lot of bloggers recommend using 64 oz round containers to freeze the meals.  I don't want to have to buy a bunch of those containers so I tried this trick with the sloppy joes and it worked great to get the shape to go easily into the instant pot and free the plastic container back up.  

Put the bag in the 64 oz round container hanging onto the side 

Fill it up!

Close the freezer bag (getting out as much air as possible)

and put in the freezer overnight.

Pull the freezer bag out of the container the next morning and put back 

in the freezer for when you're ready to make it.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Salsa Verde Shredded Pork Tacos

We seem to eat a lot of pork in our house.  Especially pork tacos.  We don't eat a lot of salsa verde but when I saw the Guy Fieri brand... I just had to give it a try.

Let's Get Crafty!

2 lbs pork roast

16 oz jar Salsa Verde

1 onion, diced

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

I doubled this recipe today and split it between two freezer bags to throw into the crockpot once school gets back up and running.  I'll cook it on low for 8 hours.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Sloppy Joes - A new recipe that got 2 thumbs up from the kids

As school gets closer and closer - it gets me to thinking about freezer meals.  I think what I love about freezer meals is that you do what you can when you can and you make your own rules.  If you don't want to do 10 meals at once.  Don't!  I tend to make a few depending on what is on sale at the grocery store at the meat counter.  

For today - I'm making an extra large batch of sloppy joes so that we can have some tonight and then freeze some to make in the Instant Pot on another night for a ridiculously easy dinner.

Let's Get Crafty!

Ingredients:

4 lbs hamburger browned

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

8 oz tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup ketchup

3/4 cup BBQ sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 can beef broth

Brown the hamburger with the veggies until completely cooked:

(once done keep half in the pot and put half in another container)

4 lbs hamburger

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

Whisk together until well combined:

(once done put half in the pot for tonight and put half in the other container you're freezing)

8 oz tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup ketchup

3/4 cup BBQ sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 can beef broth

The meal for tonight: 

Bring to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for another 10 minutes or so until the liquid has reduced into a beautiful thick sauce

For the meal you're freezing:

Stir the hamburger with the sauce until well combined and freeze until ready to use.  

When you're ready to use it - put the frozen sloppy joes directly into the instant pot with a little water (I'm going to do a 1/2 cup or so and that is it since there is beef broth in the mix) and cook on manual for 5 minutes using a 10 minute natural release.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Taco "Empanadas"

It seems that sometimes my mission is to find something fun to make for dinner that avoids going to the grocery store.  I tend to stock up on things like crescent rolls and canned biscuits when they are on sale because they make a quick and easy dinner later on - even if I'm not sure what that looks like when I buy them.  This was a fun dinner to try.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:

1 can of 8 flaky layer biscuits (or whatever - these are just my favorite and crisp really well)

Filling of your choice - you'll need a couple cups - we used taco filling

Whatever fixings you might like 

Roll out the biscuits

(Next time I will give myself some more space to roll them out more.

They were good - but I wish I had given this step some extra time.)

Fill them and roll them into a half moon

Use a fork to seal the edges

Sprinkle with cheese - if you so desire

Bake at 375 for 15 mins

Because what you dip it in is so very important - Here's what I did:

More green chiles, salsa and quac

Bada bing - bada boom.  Serve with a salad and dinner is a wrap!

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great day.

Roast Beef Sandwiches

This is one of the first things I remember making for Mark when we were dating. It's crazy that we've been together for 10 years now!  Time surely does fly when you're having fun. This recipe came from a page I pulled out of one of the many cooking magazines I had on hand.

This recipe is really easy for a weeknight and it was perfect tonight because I wanted Mark to have leftovers that he would be able to take to work.  Funny thing is - having something tasty that would include leftovers easy for Mark to eat at work and on the go was exactly what intrigued me with this recipe 10 years ago.  

Over time we've played with the recipe in different ways but it seems important to share this one as it was written from Campbell's in its original glory.  It takes a little extra time - but I highly recommend separately toasting the rolls with garlic powder. It is oh so worth the extra time..

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Dilly Pretzel Sticks

This recipe is special to me because Connor brought it home from school one day.  He had a friend that would bring these pretzel sticks to school for snack and he liked them so much that he asked his friend to ask his Mom for the recipe.  He brought it home on a sticky note so that we could make them too.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 200

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (1/2 packet)

1/2 tablespoon dill weed

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 cup EVOO

1 bag pretzel sticks

Whisk together the first 4 ingredients and then toss with the pretzels until they are evenly coated

Bake at 200 for 1 hour - stirring every 20 minutes

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.