Sunday, May 31, 2015

No-Cook Eats While I'm Home Alone!

I love to cook but I don't love to cook just for myself! So when my hubby's away for the weekend, I'm all about no-cook meals for one! What's better than a relaxing night at home with wine and cheese? I opened a bottle of Zin and decided to pair it with Smoked Gouda and Blue Cheese, which I researched and found were a good match. I will never pretend to be a connoisseur but I was happy!


I've been craving smoked salmon and got some to treat myself. I topped crackers with cream cheese, smoked salmon and some green onions. They were perfect bite-sized appies!


Another easy but oh so yummy no-cook meal are Trader Joe's Mini Chicken Tamalitos. I'm even too lazy to turn on the oven and just microwaved them! Dipped in salsa and the BEST dinner ever! I do miss cooking though so I'm really glad my hubby's home. Or maybe I just miss eating real food? :)


Friday, May 29, 2015

Sliders 2 Ways!

There's something about sliders that make them so irresistible! I mean, how can you go wrong with bite-size burgers? These past few days, I made them 2 different ways. First stuffed with pepper-jack cheese. SO YUM!


Then I went a total different route and made some Asian-style ones. They kinda fell apart and turned into Sloppy Joe's and I'm NOT complaining!


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

A LONG Fun Weekend!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long Memorial Day weekend as much as we did! I got out of work early on Friday and we had planned on going somewhere outdoors for happy hour but the weather was just NOT warm enough. Instead, I made us a beautiful cheese and crackers platter at home to enjoy with some drinks. Can't beat that even with happy hour prices!


For dinner I decided to get all fancy with Prosciutto-Wrapped Lobster Tails! Yes, they were as good as they sound! No real recipe here. I just cracked open the lobster tails, wrapped them in a piece of Prosciutto and then poached them in butter. It doesn't get better or easier than that!


For a sweet treat, I made Cookies with PB Oreo's in them inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction. I left out the chocolate chips and sprinkles and doubled up on the Oreo Cookies. The batter ended up being pretty stiff so I didn't even have to chill it. These cookies are amazing and so full of Oreo's!


We ended the weekend with one of my favorite go-to recipes, Campbell's Super Moist Pork Chops. I love how simple these are to make and I always have Cream of Mushroom Soup on hand. I added fresh mushrooms and onions for more flavor and it never fails!


Monday, May 18, 2015

Weekend Eats and a New Kitchen Toy!

I can't believe it's Monday already but we definitely had a fun weekend with some yummy eats! Friday night started off with Teriyaki Sliders which I made even easier by using canned pineapple and coleslaw mix. I swear you can't go wrong with these Hawaiian Sweet Rolls! They're good with everything!


For some Saturday afternoon snacking, I decided to make Rachael Ray's Pepperoni Pizza Puffs. Mine were extra healthy using Turkey Pepperoni and Fat Fat Mozzarella. I'm not sure why she recommends serving red pepper slices alongside these muffins cuz they were perfect on their own dipped in some warm Marinara!


I couldn't resist picking up some Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies at the store and decided to make Cookie-Stuffed Crescents. Talk about total decadence! Seriously, whoever thought up this recipe should win an award!


Saving the best for last, I finally tested out my Babycakes Heart Waffle Maker! I am totally in LOVE with it! These are just basic waffles but I'm thinking of all kinds of yummy recipes to make! Chocolate Waffles anyone?



Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Weekend Eats and Bakes!

It's been a fun weekend with lots of baking and eating! I ended Saturday night after our Mother's Day dinner with some Cookie Chip Bars. These are made healthier with whole wheat flour and high fiber cereal but taste just like regular cookie bars. I did bump up the chocolate factor by adding more chocolate chips because I felt that 1/4 cup was just not enough!

We were feeling snacky Sunday afternoon so I made some Meatball Tortilla Cups. How cute are they right? No recipe required. I just filled Tostito's Scoops with pre-made meatballs, salsa, sour cream and cheese. Perfect bite-size nibbles!


For dinner, I made mini burgers inspired by Giada's Lamb Sliders. I used beef instead and added sliced tomatoes, which were hiding under all the cheese!


We had to end the weekend on a sweet note, so I made some mini Orange Cranberry Muffins. Super easy to make and super easy to eat!


Ingredients: (24 mini muffins)

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c milk
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c dried cranberries

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until well combined. 
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Add to the stand mixer. 
4. In a measuring cup, stir together the milk and orange juice. Pour into the stand mixer. 
5. Add cranberries to the stand mixer and mix until everything is combined but don't over mix.
6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling all the way to the top.
7. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until the muffins are light golden brown.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Friday, May 8, 2015

Perfect Breakfast Bites

If you haven't seen no-bake bites around the web, let me help you get out from that rock you're living under! (JK) I actually just started making them recently and now I'm totally hooked. These bites are perfect for breakfast because they're made with my favorite morning ingredients like oats, flax and PB. I've never added coconut to my oatmeal but I'm thinking that might be a great idea! My go-to oatmeal is the Simply Balanced Oat and Quinoa Blend from Target and I always add some Garden of Life Flax and Chia to it for extra nutrients. The measurements here don't have to be too precise since they're not baked. As long as the dough comes together, they're good to go!


Ingredients: (12 bites)

1 c oats
1 c coconut flakes
1/2 c flax seed
1/2 c PB
1/2 c honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Prep:

1. Mix all the ingredients together to form a dough.
2. Use a cookie scoop to portion out dough and form into balls.
3. Store in the refrigerator.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Muffins for Mommy!

Mother's Day is just around the corner and I've been baking up a storm for some treats to give my mommy! She doesn't bake but she sure loves baked goods! I thought I'd start off with something healthy and made some Banana Cranberry Spice Muffins with Fiber One Cereal in them. I also added chopped walnuts for some nice crunch and healthy fat. They came out great and make perfect little breakfast treats!


My mom LOVES pecans so I knew I wanted to make some Mini Pecan Pie Muffins for her. This was actually a complete fail the first time around because I followed the recipe and added the chopped pecans to the muffin cups before filling them with the batter. DO NOT DO THAT! It makes these muffins impossible to get out of the pan no matter how much cooking spray or butter you use. I was really sad to waste an entire pan but was determined to remake them. The next time around I left out the extra pecans on the bottom and they came out perfectly! They taste JUST like pecan pies but in cute little muffin form!


Super Stuffed Pork Chops!

My hubby LOVES pork chops so I'm always looking for new ways to make them. I came across this recipe for Stuffed Pork Chops and just knew it would be awesome! I had picked up a couple of HUGE thick pork chops over the weekend that were just perfect for stuffing. The only thing I changed was leaving out the ham because I thought it was just overkill. I mean...pork inside pork? Anyway, the pork chops came out really yummy! I served them with stuffing and it was a great meal to get over the hump of the week!


A Few Recent Cards






Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Cinco de Mayo!

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a mini fiesta at home starting with some beefy nachos. I recently discovered how to make nachos in the microwave and I swear it has changed my life! We both love nachos and order them every time we're at a Mexican restaurant but making them at home always seemed like such a hassle. It always seemed like a waste to turn on the oven just to melt some cheese. Now I just layer everything in a baking dish and stick it in the microwave for 1 min! These were made with Oscar Mayer Roast Beef and all the toppings! I just love the combination of the colors and you really can't go wrong with cheese and sour cream!



For our main meal, I made fish tacos with Gorton's Beer Battered Fillets. They're so easy to make and much healthier than deep frying your own fish! I was also super excited to find Old El Paso's Flat-Bottom Taco Shells! Not only do they stand up on their own but you can stuff them with more filling! On top of the fish I made a simple slaw with a mayo/sour cream dressing and of course, LOTS of cheese and tomatoes!




No Cinco de Mayo celebration would be complete without some Margaritas! I made ours with equal parts Tequila, Orange Liqueur, Blood Orange soda and just a splash of Sweet and Sour Mix. It's definitely our new favorite! Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?
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