Air Fryer Roasted Jalepenos

Whenever we are grilling dinner, Mark will throw a few whole jalapenos on the grill to have them with whatever we are having.  

On this day we forgot to do that and I wanted to just see how they would turn out in the air fryer.  They turned out awesome!!

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat the air fryer to 380 and let warm up a few minutes

Air fry for 6 minutes and then check them 

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

Air Fried Chile Rellanos

Yes please!  This is a change up of frying chile rellenos in vegetable oil using a bread crumb coating.  (That way is also amazingly delicious!)  

We have used egg roll wrappers for many tasty things and scanning through some recipes one day made me think of trying to use them to make chile rellenos. 

Let's Get Crafty!

Ingredients:

Roasted green chiles, thawed and peeled

Cheddar cheese cut into sticks 

package of egg roll wrappers

A few tablespoons of EVOO

Arrange like so.

Using the corner closest to you, fold over one time.

Then snuggly fold in the left and right corners.

Roll forward again one or two times. 

Seam down, place each in the air fryer.

Brush some EVOO over each chile relleno.

Preheat the air fryer to 380 and let warm up a couple minutes.

Fry them for around 10 minutes flipping halfway through.  

We like ours extra crispy and cooking time might need to be adjusted depending on how full they are.

Hot out of the air fryer.

So melty and amazing.  

This recipe is a keeper and uses much less oil.

If you're wondering what we had with them... 

we had bacon and green chile wrapped tenderloin with a side salad.

Here's a similar recipe from a few years ago.

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

Toasting Burritos in the Air Fryer

If you love burritos but want to change it up a bit - give toasting them in the air fryer a try.  It adds an extra layer of crunchiness that takes a regular burrito to the next level.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees and let warm up a couple minutes

Using burrito filling of your choice - fill your tortillas and wrap like a chimichanga by folding in both sides and rolling.  

A couple tips:

- We've found the burritos are easier to wrap and stay folded together in the air fryer using the wrap size or a large burrito size. 

- When putting the burritos in the air fryer be sure to give them some space and place the seam down.

Using a pastry brush - brush each burrito with EVOO

Air fry for 3-6 minutes depending on how crispy you like yours.  

In the picture above we have a chicken philly cheesesteak situation going on that was super tasty.  (Shredded chicken, onions, peppers and mushrooms with cheddar cheese)

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

Super Easy Chili Dogs

You know how time flies by?  Well - we made this the day after 4th of July when we made too many hotdogs the day before.  This was a fun way to use them up and I had some frozen cooked hamburger that I wanted to use up too.  

I also really like chili anytime of the year.  It is starting to feel like summer is turning into fall.  YAY!!  That means soup and chili season is just around the corner and that fills my heart with happiness.  

Let's Get Crafty!

Ingredients:

1lb ground hamburger, cooked and drained
8 oz can tomato sauce

1 can of water (using the tomato sauce can)

1/2 packet of chili seasoning 

Toss everything into the crockpot and set on low for 5-6 hours

Add to the slow cooker in the last hour 

14 oz can chili beans

This chili worked great to top the chili dogs.  You could add some beef broth if you want to thin it out some. 

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

Tater Tot Fun!

This isn't really a recipe as much as a fun way to add some flavor to a favorite side we seem to be having more and more at our house.  Yay for fun Tater Tots!

My sister-in-law gifted me the newest Ree Drummond cookbook for this past Christmas.  One of the recipes included doing this to the tater tots and we just had to give it a try.  So good!  I find myself doing it each time we make them.

Let's Get Crafty!

Sprinkle tater tots with taco seasoning or chili seasoning before tossing them in the oven to bake or in the air fryer.  This adds more flavor than I expected!  So good.

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

Wonton Lasagna Cups

These are a little more time intensive than I usually like to do but I came across a similar recipe and wanted to give it a try.  These were really good.  I especially like the way the wontons get nice and crispy all around.  This recipe makes 12.  Next time we make this - I'm going to double it and freeze some for another night.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 350

Cook on medium heat (approximately 10-15 minutes): 

1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and drained

1 small onion, finely diced

1 tablespoons minced garlic

4 oz tomato sauce (I did 1/2 the 8 oz can)

14 oz fire roasted tomatoes

1 tablespoon fresh basil (I really like the added flavor of the tubes kept in the produce section)

1 cup beef broth

While those flavors are combining and cooking together - mix the following together:

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup monterey jack and cheddar cheese

Rather than noodles these are layered together using wonton wrappers.  You'll want at least 48 to have 4 wonton wrappers for each cup.

Spray non-stick spray in each of the muffin tins

Layer them up:

2 wonton wrappers at the bottom of each spread out to fill each tin

1 tablespoon of sausage spaghetti sauce using a spoon to spread out 

Cover with another wonton wrapper

1/2 tablespoon of cheese mixture

Cover with another wonton wrapper

1 more tablespoon of sausage spaghetti sauce

Top with extra cheese

Bake 15-20 minutes checking about halfway through

(I turned up the heat to 425 for the last couple minutes to help toast them up even more.)

Heading in the oven

Coming out hot!

Here they are on a pretty plate all by themselves looking...

pretty.  :)

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

Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs

This is from a day where we had planned to grill and changed our minds at the end of the day.  We have done bone-in skin-on chicken thighs in the air fryer before and they were a big hit.  I was surprised how crispy they were.  Click here for the link to timing for air frying timing on those.

Today we are having boneless skinless chicken thighs.  We get ours from Costco and really like them.

Marinate the chicken in whatever you would like and place the boneless skinless chicken thighs in the air fryer. We did a couple variations.  One was a cilantro lime marinade recipe that I wanted to play with and we also used tried-and-true grilling seasoning on some.

Put a little EVOO on top of each thigh and use a spoon to distribute evenly. 
(I keep wanting to pick up an oil spray container and haven't yet.  
I learned that using Pam isn't good for the air fryer.  I used to do that.  Shhhh....)

Set the air fryer to 400 degrees and let heat up for a couple minutes.  Air fry for around 10 minutes.  The thighs today seemed average - you may need to add or reduce cooking time depending on the size.  I would recommend just a couple extra minutes at a time so that you can catch them when they are done but not overcooked.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you are having a great day.

Super Easy Chicken Taquito Enchiladas

These are so good and so easy!  You won't even believe how easy it is.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:

12-15 chicken taquitos (our pan was full with 13)

1 can green enchilada sauce (we had a large can - I used about half of it and froze the rest)

1 1/2 cups of cheese (I used cheddar and a mexican blend)

That's It!  That is seriously it.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until cheese is all melty and bubbly

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

Crab Cakes

The dinner request was for crab cakes and we decided to make it work with canned crab meat.  Not fancy... but turned out much better than I suspected it would!  Big shout out to my husband for his frying skills.

Let's Get Crafty!

Gently combine together:

1 pound crab meat (4 cans of 4oz each)
2 teaspoons parsley, chopped fine
4 tablespoons panko
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

Whisk together and pour over the  crab mixture:

1 egg

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard

Add to the party:

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Shape the crab cakes into the size you want

We tried to bake them on a low broil and they didn't seem to be cooking right.  They certainly weren't getting the crispy edges we were wanting so my husband fried them for 2 minutes on each side on medium high.

So good!  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day.

Meatloaf Cupcakes

One of my favorite things about meatloaf is the crispy edges.  That is what intrigued me about this recipe.  By making them cupcakes - there are lots of crispy edges.   

Let's Get Crafty!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (I used 88% lean)

2 eggs

1 cup italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs 

3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Bake for 20-25 minutes and then flip in the "cupcakes" and bake on a low broil for another 10 minutes or so to help them crisp up.

This made 24 cupcakes for us.  We ate some the initial night and then I froze some for another super easy meal down the road.

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

Smashed Potatoes

We bought a bag of red and golden baby potatoes last time we were at Costco and I wanted to make a low maintenance side to go with dinner.  These are a total winner!  My favorite part is the way the edges get all crispy and delicious.

 

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes about a dozen - boil in water for 10-15 minutes until cooked

Smash the softened potatoes (I used the bottom of a cup) and then top with EVOO and minced garlic 

Then bake for 10-15 minutes. Ah-MAZ-ing.

So easy and so delicious.

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

Bacon Ranch Pasta Potato Salad

Not long after I graduated from high school - I bought a small magazine-like cookbook called Pasta while I was waiting in line at the grocery store to check out.  I still have it and flip through it at least once a year.  It holds many classic recipes that are fun to me to look through over and over again.  The Bacon Ranch Pasta Potato Salad is a spin on a recipe from that small cookbook that was published June 1998.

 
Let's Get Crafty!

Boil each until cooked - then combine in a large bowl:

10 small red potatoes
1/2 pound pasta (generally boxes are 1 lb - so I cooked 1/2 box)

This is great and more colorful with colorful rotini pasta but we didn't have any on this day.

Other fun things to add:

Cooked bacon, chopped

Diced peppers

Dressing - mix together and then stir into the pasta and potatoes:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ranch dressing

Refrigerate until ready to eat.

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

Coffee Cake

I remember my Mom making coffee cakes when I was a little girl.  There is something about a coffee cake baking in the oven that turns a home into a comfy, cozy place to be.  I'm hopeful that we make things that create feelings of happiness and comfort for our kiddos and that one day they too will be fondly reflecting back to being children.

One time my Mom had just taken one out of the oven and my Dad and brothers came in from outside.  (I'm guessing I was around 8 or 9 at the time.) My older brother asked if it was still hot and someone said "Put your finger in and see."  And he did... before anyone could stop him and say it was a joke.  It was smoking hot and he screamed.  He was okay, but lesson learned.  (1) Don't use your finger (2) Pause and reflect before acting.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 400

For the cake:

2 cups bisquick

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the topping:

4 tablespoons melted butter

2/3 cup bisquick

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

(Sometimes I double this... because... let's be honest - more is better for this buttery, melty yumminess.)

Bake for 20 minutes and check.  Ours needed a couple more minutes.

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

Egg Bites without Cottage Cheese

I was excited to make Egg Bites this morning.  I could tell when I opened the cottage cheese container that something went awry (even though we were two weeks from the expiration date.)  I decided to give it a go without the cottage cheese and see where we landed.  These were really good.  I did everything the same except for not having cottage cheese and adding some extra milk.  

Let's Get Crafty!

4 large eggs

4 bacon strips (I used a generous spoonful of the Kirkland Bacon Crumples from Costco)

1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese (I use about half this amount and they still feel super cheesy to me)

1/3 cup 2% milk

I use a whisk to mix all this together and then divide among the pods.  (Before filling the pods - I like to add a few green chiles to a couple for me.)

Put the trivet that came with the IP at the bottom of the pot along with 1 cup of water.  Gently set the filled pods into the IP on top of the trivet and water.  Put the lid on and make sure the knob at the top is set to Sealing.  Then select the Steam option for 8 minutes.  Once that 8 minutes are up you are going to let it Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes.  

Here's a quick link to the recipe I initially posted in 2018.  Egg Bites

(When I click on the link - this post shows up first and then the original Egg Bites shows up below it.)

Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Unfortunately, our air fryer stopped working.  It was a replacement Power XL that we got when the first one lasted just under a year and this one lasted just a little longer than a year.  If you have an air fryer you love, please tell me!  It hasn't even been a week and we miss it already.

Tonight we are making roasted potatoes in the oven and they smell delicious as they are baking away.  Tonight worked out to be a night with a little extra time in the evening to roast them.  It is a little gift of joy when that happens.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 400

Ingredients:
7-8 potatoes - chopped (trying to get similar sizes as much as possible)
About 1/4 cup of EVOO (or a little more depending on the size of your potatoes)
Add to your liking - garlic powder, seasoning salt and Italian seasoning

Spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet 

Bake for 20 minutes and stir (some will be pretty stuck to the foil)

Bake another 20 minutes and stir again

We did another 10 minutes to help them brown up a little more

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

Sausage Breakfast Casserole from my Sister in Law

My sister-in-law made the most fabulous breakfast casserole when we visited last year.  It is hard to believe it has already been a year ago!  There was so much melty goodness and creaminess from the cheesy glories of using multiple cheeses. 

This picture does not do this breakfast casserole justice!  We used half and half this time around and I think next time we'll do the whipping cream.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

1-pkg frozen hash browns  (salt & pepper)

1-pkg (I think it’s 1lb) mild sausage

1-pkg hot pork sausage

1-pkg (2 cups) shredded cheddar

1-pkg (2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1-quart whipping cream OR half-n-half

Mix cooked sausage, hash browns, and cheese in bowl

Pour mixture into greased 9x13 baking dish

Pour overtop of mixture: 1-quart whipping cream OR half-n-half

Bake 350 for hour or until golden Brown

I made this the night before so that I could just put it in the oven on the next morning.  So our baking time was a little longer.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful week.

Hot Fudge Cake

When I was a little girl, we would go out to eat at a buffet called King's Table. My Uncle Jay and Grandpa Bob used to call it the Fork and Spoon.  That makes me smile just thinking about it.

They had a dessert that was part chocolate cake and part ooey gooey chocolaty deliciousness.  This recipe reminds me of that.  I'm not sure what got me reminiscing about that but then I really wanted to make it.  I remember when we would go out to eat that my brothers and others seemed to be excited to put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  I'm not really a fan of ice cream and think it is quite tasty just like this.  

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat the oven to 350

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa (divided)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 3/4 cup hot water

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, 2 T cocoa, baking powder and salt

Then stir in the milk, vegetable oil and vanilla until smooth like the picture below

Spread into a greased 9x13 baking pan

Combine brown sugar and 4 T cocoa and sprinkle over the top of the batter

Pour the hot water over all - DO NOT STIR

Bake for 30-35 minutes (it was 30 minutes for us)

You will want to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't overcook

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

Sprite Biscuits

We had these last night and they were so good.  My son's exact words were "10 out of 10."  They are so light and fluffy.  Many recipes you find call these 3 ingredients biscuits... but technically there are four.  

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 450

Ingredients

2 cups bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream (we used light)

1/2 cup sprite

1/4 cup butter, melted (we used unsalted)

Combine the first three ingredients until just combined

Sprinkle some bisquick on the counter, put the dough ball on the counter and kneed it some just until softened.  Ours was still sticky so I added some more bisquick.  (Not a lot - maybe 1/8th of a cup.)

Spread out the dough and cut out small circles with a cookie cutter or jar.  We ended up with 13. (None were leftover and I'm guessing we'll be making these again very soon.)

Put the melted butter in the bottom of the pan you want to bake them in.

Put the biscuits on top of the butter and bake for 12-14 minutes.

I added a little bit of butter to the top of each as they came out of the oven.

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