Thai Cucumber Salad

My hubby and kids got me a cilantro pot for Mother's Day. Cilantro is basically the best thing every grown on this earth. I LOVE IT! The plant has taken off quite well, so we have lots. We also have cucumbers growing in our garden. Hubby was surfing recipes to find something we could make for a 4th of July cookout. He found one and it is delish!



Thai Cucumber Salad

3 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 T. salt
1/2 c.. white sugar
1/2 c. rice wine vinegar
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 c. cilantro (or more!)
1/2 c. chopped peanuts


So yum!

In a Rut

I am in a severe food rut. I have been putting as little effort as possible into making dinner and it needs to stop. Partly this comes from us having something going on about every evening. If I was organized, I would plan a head so I wouldn't feel so rushed in between dance class and baseball practice on the same night. The crock pot would be an excellent option for these crazy nights. Hopefully some new recipes to come very soon! :)

In a Pinch (Cheater Chicken Parm)

We spent the majority of the day at church today. We got home close to dinner time with 2 extra kids in tow, bringing my total up to 5 kids to feed. Did I mention I haven't done a very good job of grocery shopping lately? Tired and lazy with no desire to run to the store. What do I feed all these yahoos? I had noodles and sauce. Perfect. Spaghetti it is. Then I realized I have no burger. I always have hamburger in the freezer, except when I really need it apparently. I would be fine with meatless spaghetti but the Hubby would not. Then I saw a bag of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. Chicken Parmesan it is! The kids came to the kitchen and said "Spaghetti AND CHICKEN NUGGETS?!?!?!? AWWWEEESSOOMMMEE!!!" I think it works. :) 

I am not good at impromptu meals, but this one worked out really well.

Tater Tot Taco Casserole

This is yummy and really quick. Everyone really liked it.

TATER TOT TACO BAKE 1 lb ground beef
*1 small onion (diced)
*1 garlic clove (minced)
*1 small can black olives (sliced)
*1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (or make your own!!)
*1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn
*1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)
*1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
*1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend 
*1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
*1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.
Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.

Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. :)

Easter Goodies

Here a couple of yummies I made for Easter plus the cupcakes. Which by the way got very mixed reviews. Anywhere from "tastes like gingerbread" to "tastes like dog food smells..." So, yeah?! I thought they were good, but I will tweak a few things next time I make them.....





This is The. Best. Cheesecake. I. Have. Ever. Had.......

No joke. It is just a plain cheesecake dyed orange instead of the orange flavored cake it called for (Yuck!). It didn't turn out as pretty as I hoped it would. I cut into it before it was completely set because I was in a hurry. Side note....Don't make cheesecake unless you allot yourself plenty of cooling/setting time. That is edible Easter grass. I had never seen it before, but it sure is cute. :)

These are my Rice Krispie Nests. My son saw these in a magazine and begged me to make them. They were easy and quick so I did. Happy Boy.

My Goodness, My Guiness (Drunken Cupcakes)

Beer and dessert? Yes please. Desserts are one of my most favorite things to make. I like to try new ones. Last year I made Irish Whiskey Brownies for St. Patrick's day. They were good, just a little strong.

This year, I ended up not cooking for St. Pat's day, but I was asked to bring dessert for Easter.  I found the recipe for these babies and decided that I had to make them. They are really good, although they don't have much of a beer flavor. They actually taste a lot like gingerbread. Enjoy


Drunken Cupcakes

* 1 box devil's food cake mix
* 1 T. ground cinnamon
* 1 t. ground nutmeg
* 2 c. confectioner's sugar
* 1 can Guinness

Prepare cake per directions on box, only swap the water for beer. Add cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake according to box.

For icing. Boil 1 c. Guinness until it is 1/2. Add 2 T. at a time to confection's sugar until you get a thick icing. Spread on cupcakes and enjoy!

Update to Chicken Taquito post

I posted the recipe for the Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos March 14, right after we ate them. I made them about a week later again, and Hubby just asked me last night for them again...... This is impressive since he gets burnt out on food very quickly. He will eat left overs for lunch the following day, but usually not more than that. These he ate for at least 2 days after we had them and then was bummed when they were gone. These really are a winner!