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.