A Few Recent Cards

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?

A Full Day of Valentine's Celebration!

Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday this year so naturally, we had to celebrate it ALL day! It actually started with Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies that I brought into work on Friday. I cheated a lil and used Betty Crocker Cookie Mix and topped the cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Hearts. SO cute and full of peanut butter!

To show my Valentine (my hubby) how much I love him, I surprised him with a breakfast feast in bed! I used a heart-shaped cookie-cutter to cut the blueberry pancakes after they were done. What a perfect plate!

We decided not to go out to dinner and pay those ridiculous pre-fix prices. So instead, we had an incredibly gourmet meal at home starting with a big appetizer platter. This one had all sorts of cured meats and cheeses along with olives, mini toasts and salsa. It would've cost an arm and a leg if we were out!

For the main course, I made a Wasabi-Pea-Crusted Rack of Lamb. There's really no recipe involved. I just crushed up some Wasabi Peas and used them to form a crust around a rack of lamb. Then I just baked it in the oven for about 15 minutes and served the chops over mashed potatoes and garnished with a Prosciutto flower! I'm pretty sure our meal was way better than any restaurant AND we saved a whole lotta money! 

Christmas with my Mommy!

Happy Birthday Honey!

My hubby's birthday fell on a Tuesday so that means we're definitely celebrating it both the weekend before AND after! The weekend before, I treated us to appetizers and Margaritas at Tres, a local Mexican place that we both love. We started out with a plate of chips, which came with 3 yummy salsas. The spicy one on the right is my hubby's favorite!

For a comforting bday dinner, I made Curry Braised Lamb Shanks. It was incredibly flavorful and the meat was so tender, it fell right off the bones! I served the lamb on top of couscous and it was just perfection!

Since we believe in dragging out of bdays for at least 2 weeks, I decided to treat my hubby to some yummy appetizers and drinks at Lark Creak Steakhouse. We got some oysters and steak tartar and had a blast! Can't wait till Christmas!

When Life Gives You Lemons

Or in my case, when a coworker brings in a huge bag of Meyer lemons from her lemon tree, I just couldn't resist! I mean, who passes up on free food right? I grabbed a few to make a yummy dinner of Meyer Lemon Chicken. I loved the addition of the capers and frying up some lemon slices to go on top was just genius!

Then, since she kept bringing more lemons in and I was afraid they'd go to waste, I decided to make a special treat for the office, Meyer Lemon Cardamon Crinkle Cookies! They were a HIT! I mean who doesn't like cookies dipped in sugar right?

Not Ready for Fall to be Over Yet!

We've still got a couple of weeks of fall left and I'm definitely taking advantage! First up, Orange-Glazed Pork Chops. Any recipe that includes stuffing is all good in my book!

Next up, super simple Red Curry Meatballs using store-bought meatballs. You really don't need to make them from scratch when you add amazing flavor with Red Curry Paste and Coconut Milk!

More meatballs went into this yummy sliders! Just heat them up with some Marinara Sauce and add a slice of cheese. PERFECT football-watching dinner!

Finally a sweet treat, M&M Pretzel Cookies using Fall-colored M&Ms. Such a perfect combination of salty and sweet!