Crock pot Burritos

WELL....I'm not sure why this keeps posting with the format all messed up. I'm going to post it anyway. If you have any suggestions on how to fix it, let me know. I found this recipe over at Tried and True with Heidi. As soon as I saw this, I knew my family would LOVE it!! It is really easy too.

Crock pot Burritos

Ingredients:

• 
  
  1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained


• 
  
  1 envelope taco seasoning


• 
  
  2 cans refried beans


• 
  
  1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce


• 
  
  3/4 cup water


• 
  
  flour tortillas


• 
  
  toppings of choice (lettuce, cheese, sour cream, black olives)

Directions: Mix first 5 ingredients in a greased crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-10 hours. Place in flour tortillas with your choice of toppings. Roll up and enjoy.

Recipe coming soon

I am trying to get a recipe posted today. For some reason it is not posting the way that it looks when I type it in. Blogger must be having some issues. I'll check back later and see if it will post correctly.

Valentines Cookies, Reece's Style

I found these cookies over at the blog, my name is snickerdoodle. She called them 'melt your heart cookies'. SO cute!

I just wanted to share these really quick and tell you to go check out my name is snickerdoodle (her picture is MUCH better than mine:)). I used a different peanut butter cookie recipe than she used for hers. These are basically the same as the Reece's mini-muffin cookies that I blogged about here.

Valentines Cookies, Reece's Style

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 2 T. milk
• 30-40 miniature Reece's Peanut Butter HEARTS

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda, set aside
3. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
4. Using approx. 1 T of dough, shape into a ball, roll in sugar and place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Press Reece's heart into the center of the cookie and allow to finish cooling.

Edited:  I now let my cookies cool for 9-10 minutes before adding the Reece's heart.  The Reece's hearts will melt, if you add them too soon.  In the first picture above, I let the cookies cool ~10 minutes.  The second picture was cooling for ~2 minutes.

Paula Deen's Dreamy Creamy Hot Chocolate

There is nothing that reminds me of Grandma like Cinnamon Toast and Hot Chocolate. I tried this recipe from Food Network for Paula Deen's Hot Chocolate and it is really Yummy!

I am still planning to share the mixed berry syrup from the crepe post with you, I just can't find my recipe book. We have had a few things disappear lately...shoes, books, etc...guess it's time to go hunting for the 2 year old's hiding places:)

Paula Deen's Dreamy Creamy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/8 t. salt
• 6 1/2 cups hot water
• miniature marshmallows(optional-I used whipped cream)

Directions: In a large saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, vanilla and salt; mix well. Over medium heat, slowly stir in water; heat through, stirring occasionally. DO NOT BOIL. Top with marshmallows if desired.

Tip: Chocolate can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Mix well and reheat before serving.

Crepes with Cheese Blintz Filling

My Sister sent me this recipe. Her husband made them for her(lucky). We had to try them and we LOVED them. My Sister served hers with pureed strawberries and pureed peaches mixed with a little Splenda, fresh berries and powdered sugar. I served mine topped with mixed berry sauce(I'll share that recipe soon), whipped cream and strawberries.

I loved these, the filling wasn't too sweet and mixed wonderfully with the fruit syrup and whipped cream. Thanks for the recipe, Heather!

Crepes with Cheese Blintz Filling

Ingredients:

Crepes:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3 T butter, melted
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• additional butter (for pan)

Filling:

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup softened cream cheese
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 t. vanilla

Directions:

1. Use an electric mixer to blend together all crepe ingredients(except the butter for the pan) in a large bowl. Blend just until smooth. The butter will be very thin.
2. Combine the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix by hand. Keep the filling nearby.
3. Preheat a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot add 1/2 t. butter.
4. When the butter has melted, pour 1/3 cup batter into the pan. Swirl the batter so that it entirely coats the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until golden brown on one side.
5. Use a spatula to lift an edge of the crepe, grab it with your finger, use the spatula to quickly flip over. Cook for another 1 1/2 or until a bit lighter shade of brown than the first side, then slide it out of the pan. Repeat with the rest of the batter and stack finished crepes on top of each other to keep them warm.
6. Heat the cheese filling in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. When ready to fill the crepes, place each crepe, dark side down, on a plate. Pour 2 to 3 T of cheese filling across the center of the crepe. Fold the sides in and flip entire blintz over(to hide seam) onto a serving plate.
7. Top with desired toppings.

Chicken Enchiladas Creamas Verde

These are seriously some of the best enchiladas I have EVER tasted. I got this recipe from my super awesome cousin Tracey!


I wish I could have taken a better picture. I really don't know how to take a 'good' picture of enchiladas. Also, it seems like every time I try to photograph food, it is night(poor lighting), my family is STARVING(hands in pictures, shaking table)...the excuses could go on and on.

Anyway....you must try these...SO delish!!

Chicken Enchiladas Creamas Verde

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cooked chicken (a shredded rotisserie chicken would work well)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 jar tomatillo salsa divided (my jar was 16 oz.)
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 doz. small flour tortillas
• 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; Saute onion 5 minutes. Add chicken, 1/2 jar salsa, cream cheese and chilies. Reduce heat to medium; stir, melt cheese and blend mixture well. Heat tortillas briefly, then fill each with about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture. Roll up tightly and place in baking dish, seam-sides down. Combine remaining tomatillo salsa with cream; pour over enchiladas and top with shredded cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese melts.

Skillet Meaty Lasagna

I watched Chris Kimball make this on the Today Show last week. I had been trying to decide what to make for dinner that night and decided to try it. It was great!! My family loved it!! It was simple and easy clean up. I thought I had more lasagna noodles than I had, so I had to add some penne to it with the broken up lasagna noodles.

Skillet Meaty Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 3 (14.5-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• salt
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 Tablespoon)
• 1/8 t red pepper flakes
• 1 pound meatloaf mix (I just used ground beef)
• 10 curly-edged lasagna noodles (about 8 1/2 ounces), broken into 2-inch lengths
• 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
• ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 T chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely groun and no large pieces reamin, about 12 pulses.
2. Heat teh oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 t salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Scatter the pasta over the meat, then pour the processed tomatoes over the pasta. Cover , increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Off teh heat, stir in half of the mozzerella and half of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzerella and Parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Tips:

Do not substitute no-boil lasagna noodles for the traditional, curly-edged lasagna noodles here. Meatloaf mix is a combination of ground beef, pork and veal.