Tortilla Pinwheels

If you are looking for a quick, easy and low maitenance appetizer for an upcoming event (*cough*cough* perhaps a new years countdown?) then this is your recipe. Not only is is quick and easy, but once it's made...you can pretty much put it on a serving plate on the table and forget about it. No worries about how to keep it warm, keep it from melting...just fix it and forget it. Well, don't entirely forget it. I do hope that you'll remember to at least eat it! But that shouldn't be a problem, because not only are these quick and easy little appetzers...they're delicious too!

These would work for any occaison as well...not just a new years party! You could make them for family gatherings, a picnic, a potluck, just for fun...the possibilites are endless because you will never find an occaison to which these will not be a perfectly acceptable addition to the culinary spread!

Ingredients...

...10-12 tortillas
...6 green onions, finely chopped
...1/4 c. salsa
...8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
...4 oz. shredded cheese

Directions...

In a large bowl, stir together green onions, cream cheese, salsa and shredded cheese. Spread over a tortilla, which has been microwaved for 30 seconds (this option is not entirely necessary, but makes the rolling process that much easier). Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for several hours and then slice into rounds.

Mini Sliders

This is the most perfect starter for a night out for two reasons. First, they are small enough not to count as a full meal. Second, they are big enough to put enough food in your stomach so that you aren't snacking on the super calorific appetizers all night! Not only would these make a great starter for any party or night out, but they also make a fun and easy meal. The only downside to this recipe? I don't measure. I just guess. So figuring measurements out is up to you and what looks good!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat
...2 eggs
...Shredded Cheese
...Seasoned Salt
...Minced Onion
...Garlic Powder

Directions...

In a large bowl, combine ground meat, eggs and cheese. Add in seasoned salt, garlic powder and minced onion until the flavor is to your liking. Form small patties from the mixture and cook in a hot skillet until browned all the way through. Serve on rolls or small hamburger buns with the appropriate condiments!

Bacon Quesadillas

New Years Eve is in just a few short days...are you ready? Whatever your plans are...going out, staying in, hosting a party, attending a party...here is your solution. This tasty and different quesadilla would be a great tummy filler before heading out on the town for the night...or a great appetizer to contribute to any party you may be hosting/attending for the big countdown. And if you're planning on sitting at home and watching the ball drop, then this would be a great addition to your snacking fare for the evening!

Ingredients...

...Tortillas (two per quesadilla)
...Bacon (one slice per quesadilla)
...Cheese (the amount can be determined by you)

Directions...

Cook bacon, according to your own preferences (I cook mine in the microwave). In a skillet, warm a small amount of olive oil. Place one tortilla in the pan and cover with cheese, leaving room around the edges. Cut bacon into pieces and top cheese with it. Put second tortilla on top and cook until cheese is melted. Flip, to brown top tortilla just a little bit. Cut into fourths and serve.

Beef Gravy over Noodles

Hubs always begs me to make sausage and gravy over biscuits. Except for one thing. I don't like sausage. I know, I know. It can't be natural to not like sausage. But I don't. So when I found this recipe for beef gravy I figured that maybe I was onto something! Hubs gets his gravy to eat over whatever he pleased...and I don't have to eat sausage. If you are a huge sausage gravy fan, then I'm warning you now that this isn't the dish for you. You will be disappointed by the lack of spice in this recipe compared to sausage gravy. I however, thought that this was absolutely fab! The spice was just right for me, it is great served over just about anything, and it's super simple to make, which is great for a busy night!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat
...1/3 c. flour
...3 1/4 c. milk
...black pepper
....salt
...garlic powder (not pictured)
...minced onion (not pictured)

Directions...

In a skillet, brown the ground meat. Once the meat is done, add the flour and continue cooking until the flour is no longer white. Add the milk and cook over medium high heat until thickened. While the milk is thickening, add salt, pepper, garlic powder and minced onion until it is the desired taste. Serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, biscuits, rice, or anything else that you please!

Pecan Pie

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I hope that you are all enjoying the day, and remembering the true meaning! And just so you know, no, I am not blogging on Christmas. I sneakily scheduled this one to post on it's own so I can spend the day competely and entirely with my family! But I figured I best share a last minute pie recipe with you, just as I did on Thanksgiving with the Pumpkin Pie...because I know that there are a few of you out there hurridly searching for a last minute recipe for...something...to take to that family gathering today...or maybe to put your kids in a sugar induced coma with so you can sneak in a nap (sneaky little you!). So here. Make this. Because you can never eat too much pie at this time of year...and with New Years in a week (and that inevitable resolution to lose weight come the new year) you better get all the pie in while you still can! This is pretty different recipe from your typical pecan pie. It doesn't call for Karo syrup. And it's still delicous. Perhaps even more so. Give it a try. I bet you'll like it!

Ingredients...

...1 unbaked pie crust (9")
...1 cup light brown sugar
...1/4 cup white sugar
...1/2 cup butter
...2 eggs
...1 T. all purpose flour
...1 T. milk
...1 tsp. vanilla extract
...1 cup chopped pecans

Directions...

In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy and then stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and flour until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla and then stir in the nuts. Pour into the unbaked pie shell and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional 30-40 minutes.

Monkey Bread

Merry Christmas Eve! I'm sure today finds you hurridly finishing last minute details for tomorrow! I thought it most appropriate that today I share a recipe for a breakfast delight that you can make tomorrow morning for after church or while you open gifts with your littles. Growing up, we always had a tradition of having cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter mornings. I've decided to keep with this tradition now that I am starting my own family, and this year I am making this delicious monkey bread for our Christmas morning breakfast! It's so gooey and delicious warm from the oven...mmmmm...I'm salivating just thinking about it!

Ingredients...

...1 cup white sugar
...2 tsp. cinnamon
...1 pound bread dough (or 3 cans of refrigerator biscuits)
...1/2 cup. butter
...1 cup brown sugar, packed

Directions...

In a small bowl, stir together white sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Divide bread dough into small balls (if you are using refrigerator biscuits, divide each biscuit into four pieces) and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place coated balls into a well greased bundt pan. In a small saucepan, melt butter and then stir in the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and continue to let boil for 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the dough in the pan and then bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Once removed from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes before turning the pan over on a plate and dumping the bread out.

Layered Chocolate Pie Dessert

If you are plum fresh out of ideas for something to take to a soon coming Christmas gathering, then I urge you to take this. This, Heaven in a Pan, AKA Layered Chocolate Pie Dessert. AKA Robert Redford Dessert. AKA DELICIOUS NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT!! It's creamy, it's rich (but not too rich!) and it's a refreshing change from pies and cookies (not that I'm complaining about pies and cookies!). I doubt you'll have leftovers when you do make this for your family gathering, and if...IF you have leftovers, it's a perfectly acceptable next day breakfast.

At least that's what I told myself...

Because over the holidays calories don't count :)

And because I'm 5 months pregnant, so that kind of thing is acceptable ;)

Ingredients...

Crust:
...2 c. flour
...1 1/2 sticks butter
...1/2 c. nuts (I used chopped pecans, and they're not pictured)

Mix all three ingredients together and lightly press into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Filling:
...8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
...1 c. powdered sugar
...1/2 tub Cool Whip

Mix these three ingredients together and spread over top of the cooled crust.

Pudding:
...2 (3 oz) boxes of chocolate pudding mix
...3 c. milk

Mix pudding and milk together according to package directions. Spread over the cream cheese layer.

Topping:
...1 tub Cool Whip
...Crushed Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (or nuts, shaved chocolate...anything goes really)

Spread Cool Whip over pudding layer and then sprinkle crushed (insert what you're using here) over the Cool Whip. Refrigerate until serving time.