Tater Tot Enchilada Bake



Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ pack taco or fajita seasoning (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 2 cups tater tots (enough to cover dish)
  • 1 can enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup Mexican blend cheese (or mozzarella)
  • ½ cup sliced black olives
  • Scallions or cilantro to garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Add the oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onions and garlic to skillet. Cook until just tender. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Add beef to skillet and cook until completely browned, add ½ pack of taco seasoning and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain away any drippings. Add onions and garlic back to beef and stir to combine. Pour the can of enchilada sauce into the beef and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Transfer the enchilada mixture from the skillet into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Scatter the tater tots on top. sprinkle the cheese and top with black olives.Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and tater tots are golden brown. Garnish with scallions or cilantro for added color. Serve warm while the cheese is gooey!
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Christmas DIY


Snowman Wrapped Candy Gifts 



Perfect for Christmas evening. Cute folded napkins 


Hand-Printed Ornaments 


Glitter Twine Ball Ornament! 



Apple Pie Cake


Ingredients

Topping
  • 1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
Apple Mixture
  • 6 apples, peeled, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Cake
  • 1 box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ yellow cake mix
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 3 eggs
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.
  2. In medium bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and the salt. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
  3. In another medium bowl, gently stir together Apple Mixture ingredients; set aside.
  4. In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
  5. Spread apple mixture evenly over cake batter. Sprinkle Topping evenly over top.
  6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Source

Banana Caramel Cream Dessert




Ingredients:
  • Vanilla Pastry Cream (recipe below)
  • Bananas (I used two bananas for 6 small dessert servings)
  • Good quality caramel sauce, or dulce de leche.
  • Fresh whipped cream (I used 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar)
  • Graham Cracker crumble (recipe below)
  • Vanilla Pastry Cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar (can be reduced to 1/2 cup if you prefer desserts less sweet)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
Directions:
  1. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a fork to combine. Set aside.
  2. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually pour in milk, while whisking, to make a smooth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Continue to cook and stir one minute.
  3. Pour several tablespoons of the hot mixture into the bowl with the eggs and immediately stir well. Pour warmed egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the hot milk mixture. Return to a slow boil, and cook one minute, stirring constantly.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool. When the pan has cooled, place in the refrigerator to fully cool. If desired, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the top surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.

Graham Cracker Crumble
  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full sized crackers)
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
Directions:
  1. Crush crackers in a large ziplock type bag. Pour crumbs, sugar and melted butter into a bowl and , stir until fully combined. Pour into a 9″x13″ casserole dish and press into a even layer. Bake at 350*F for 10-12 minutes, until light brown. Allow to cool.
Dessert assembly:
  1. Spoon about 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumble into individual serving dishes. Use a small glass to press the crumble into a firm layer.
  2. Add a layer of pastry cream into each dish. For easy assembly, fill a large ziplock type bag with the pastry cream, snip off the end and fill the dishes from this bag.
  3. Add a few slices of banana.
  4. Top bananas with a layer of whipped cream.
  5. Add some graham cracker crumble and a drizzle of caramel (scoop caramel or dulce de leche into a small ziplock bag and snip off the end for easy application).
  6. Repeat layers 2-5
  7. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 hours. Top with a slice of fresh banana just before serving.

Note: I used 6 small dessert dishes. If you make 6 desserts, you will have pastry cream and graham cracker crumble left over. If you want to make more desserts, or one large trifle dish, you will have enough pastry cream and graham cracker crumble for 10-12 individual desserts. For a large trifle, or more than 6 individual desserts I would double the amount of whipped cream listed above.

Source

HOW TO: Make Rainbow Pasta.


Colored Pasta:
  • 1 pound dry spaghetti, linguini (pictured), or other favorite pasta
  • food coloring
  • Parmesan Clouds:1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
  1. Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.
  2. While pasta is cooking, combine about 2 tablespoons of water and 20 drops of food coloring in a large zip top bag. Repeat with however many additional colors you would like. (shown are 6 colors -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.)
  3. When pasta is finished cooking, transfer pasta to a large collander to drain. Then immediately rinse it in cold water to halt the cooking.
  4. Transfer the pasta in even portions to the prepared zip top bags and seal. Use your hands to carefully combine the pasta and food coloring, and then let each bag sit for at least 1 minute to soak up the color.
  5. Then, one color at a time, transfer a bag of pasta back to the collander and rinse with cold water to remove any extra food coloring. Then transfer the pasta back to your original pot. Repeat with the remaining colors of pasta. Toss all of the colors of pasta together to combine the colors. Serve and enjoy.
  6. PARMESAN CLOUDS: To make the Parmesan clouds to accompany the pasta, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then, on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper, place about 2 tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese in a flat circle. You can use a cookie cutter to help you shape the circles, if desired. Bake for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges just begin to brown, then remove and let sit for at least 2 minutes. Peel off and serve.
Source

Mini Cauliflower Pizza Crusts


Ingredients:
  • 1 large head cauliflower (about 4 cups shredded) 
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil 
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder 
  • 1 cup pizza sauce 
  • 12 fresh basil leaves 
  • 1 tomato, sliced into 12 rounds 
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
  1. Using a box grater or a food processor, shred cauliflower into crumbles. Reserve 4 cups; store the remainder in the fridge or freezer for future pizzas.
  2. Cook cauliflower in microwave in a large microwave-safe bowl for 8 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes.
  3. Add eggs, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, oregano, basil and garlic powder and stir to combine. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  4. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets (or pizza pans); divide mixture into 12 balls. Place balls on sheets and pat each into a thin round about 4 inches wide. Bake in oven 15 minutes until golden brown (the edges might be charred; this is OK).
  5. Remove sheets from oven and heat broiler. Top each mini crust with pizza sauce, basil leaves, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and tomato slices.
  6. Broil pizzas until cheese is melted and tomatoes are slightly roasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Source

Blueberry Custard Pie


Ingredients
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
Streusel Topping:
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, 3/4 cup sugar, egg, 2 tablespoons flour, vanilla extract and salt with a spoon until smooth. Gently fold the blueberries into the sour cream mixture. Spoon the filling into the unbaked pie crust.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
  4. While the filling is baking, prepare the streusel topping: In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar and flour. Mix the butter in (I always use my hands) until the mixture resembles course sand. Fold in the chopped pecans. After the filling has baked 25 minutes, sprinkle the streusel crunch topping over the top of the pie. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until filling is set and topping is brown.
  5. Make sure your crust doesn't burn. Either use a crust shield or make a loose foil tent towards the end of baking.
  6. Remove from oven and let pie sit for at least 10-15 minutes. Serve pie warm or chill it and serve cold.
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Source

Peanut Butter “Cheese Ball”


Ingredients
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter chips
  • Graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, and/or apple slices for dipping
Instructions
  1. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended.
  2. Spoon onto a large piece of plastic wrap; bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.
  3. Freeze for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place peanut butter and chocolate chips in flat dish. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into morsels to completely cover, pressing morsels into the ball if necessary.
  4. Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm. (Can be made ahead. If frozen overnight, thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.) Serve with graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, or apple slices for dipping or spreading.
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Source

Pumpkin Cookies


Ingredients
  • 2 cups butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • Ground cinnamon (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat 2 cups butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.
  2. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.
  3. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until melted and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread frosting on cookies. If desired, sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Makes about 60 cookies.
Source

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas


Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ an onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 14.5 ounce can or 1½ cups chicken broth
  • 2 4 oz. cans of chopped green chiles or you can use 1 cup of fresh roasted Anaheim peppers
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 12 (8 inch) corn tortillas
  • ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil for frying
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or more
  • 1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese, or more
  • 2 cups roasted or cooked chicken, shredded
  • ½ pint heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion for a few minutes until soft. Stir in the flour. Add the broth, chiles, garlic, salt, and cumin. Simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat & stir in the cream. Set aside.
  2. In a small heavy skillet, heat the oil on medium heat & lightly fry tortillas one at a time, only for 5-10 seconds per side. I only add half the oil, fry 6 tortillas then add the other half of the oil & fry the rest. That way the first ones are overly oily with no oil at the end. You just want them to soften. If they crisp you won't be able to roll the enchiladas. Place tortillas on a paper towel lined plate as you fry each one.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)
  4. Assemble enchiladas one at a time by dipping a tortilla in the green chili sauce (both sides). Place 2 heaping tablespoons chicken and 2 tablespoons cheese down the center of each; roll and place seam side down in a shallow dish. I prefer to use a large cookie sheet because I don't like my enchiladas to touch each other. If you put them in a 9x13 pan they seem to squish together and make more of a casserole where you can't really separate 1 enchilada from another.
  5. After all the rolled tortillas are on the pan, spoon the additional green chili sauce over them. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese mixture.
  6. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped green onions, black olives, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole and salsa.
  7. Combine the cheeses and keep ½ cup aside for topping.
Source

Easy Three Cheese Pinwheel Appetizers


Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 can Pillsbury crescent rounds
  • 1 tablespoon chopped basil
  • 2 tablespoon cooked onion
  • 1 garlic clove
Directions:
  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In small bowl, mix all cheeses and mayonnaise until well blended and soft. Add basil, onion, and garlic.
  3. Roll dough into long rectangle. Spread cheese mixture evenly over dough.
  4. Starting at shorter side, roll up into a cylinder. Set in fridge until ready to bake.
  5. When firm, cut into 16 slices. Place, cut side down, on cookie sheet.
  6. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
 Source

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders




Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of raw unsalted almonds
  • 1 chicken breast
  • extra virgin olive oil spray

Instructions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Prepare your almonds into almond meal. All you need to do this is a food processor!
  3. Raw almonds
  4. Give it a whirl… about a minute later you have almond meal!
  5. Now place on a plate or bowl (you won’t use all of it. I like to make extra and store it in the cabinet for future use)
  6. Slice your chicken into tenders
  7. Now spray each with a little olive oil spray
  8. Dip each one into the almond meal!
  9. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until brown on top
  10. So delicious, healthy, and CLEAN
Source

Fleur de Sel Caramels recipe!





INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • parchment paper or wax paper, for wrapping
DIRECTIONS:


  1. Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan (or loaf pan) with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil (or lightly cover with cooking spray), allowing the paper to drape over 2 sides.
  2. In a deep saucepan (6 inches diameter by 4 1/2 inches deep) combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until the caramel is a warm golden brown color. Don't stir - just swirl the pan to mix. Watch carefully, as it will burn quickly at the end!
  3. In the meantime, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon fleur de sel to a simmer in a small pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, set aside and keep warm.
  4. When the caramelized sugar is the right color, very slowly add the cream mixture to the caramel while stirring - it will boil up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate until firm.
  5. For rolled caramels:
  6. When the caramels are cool, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Starting at 1 end, roll the caramel up tightly until you've rolled up half of the sheet. Cut the sheet across and then roll the second half tightly. You will have 2 (1 by 8-inch) logs. Sprinkle both logs lightly with fleur de sel, cut each log in 8 pieces. Cut parchment papers (or wax paper) in 6 by 4 1/2-inch squares and wrap each caramel in a paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
  7. For square/cubed caramels:
  8. When the caramels are cool, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Then use a large knife to carefully cut the caramel into squares of your desired size.
Source

Chicken and Avocado Taquitos



Ingredients
  • 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 cup salsa, plus extra for serving
  • 1 (8-count) package Old El Paso mini flour tortillas
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 2 cups shredded Pepperjack cheese (or favorite cheese)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 lime

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then mist with cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together shredded chicken and salsa until combined. Set aside.
  3. Lay tortillas on a flat work surface. Place about 1/2 cup shredded chicken in a line down the center of each tortilla. Then add a few pieces of diced avocado. Then sprinkle with your desired amount of cheese and fresh cilantro and a sprinkle of lime juice.
  4. Roll the tortillas up tightly, and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Mist the tortillas with cooking spray or olive oil.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and tortillas are lightly toasted.
  6. Serve immediately with salsa for dipping.
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Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt




Ingredients
  • ½ cups Unsalted Butter, Softened
  • ½ cups Packed Dark Brown Sugar
  • ¼ cups Granulated Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup All-purpose Flour
  • ¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • ¾ cups Mini Chocolate Chips Or Chunks
  • 1 cup Vanilla Yogurt
Instructions
  1. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, soda and salt. Add the chocolate chips or chunks and stir.
  3. Add the flour and chocolate mixture to butter mixture and fold in gently. Add yogurt and stir again.
  4. Place in a container and cover with lid. Freeze until set, preferably overnight.
  5. Cookie dough recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Bridal Edition Cookbook.
  6. Makes about 2 cups.
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Beautiful Places


"The River of Five Colors"Caño Cristales River, Meta, Colombia


Santorini,Oia, Entrance to Canaves Oia Hotel, Greece 


White Rocks, Caves and Crystal Waters in Milos Island, Greece


Ross Castle ~ Ireland 


Bruges ~ Belgium

Spinach Ricotta Calzones



Ingredients:

Crust
  • 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup lukewarm water*
  • *Use the lesser amount in the summer, the greater amount in the winter, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.
Filling
  • 10-ounce package frozen spinach or 10 ounces fresh spinach, cooked, drained and squeezed completely dry
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese, whole-milk or part-skim
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping (optional)
  • tomato or pizza sauce
  • shredded mozzarella cheese, or the pizza cheese of your choice
Directions
  1. To make the crust: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and mix and knead — using your hands, a mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough setting — to make a soft, smooth dough.
  2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or other rising container (an8-cup measure works well), cover it, and let it rise until it's just about doubled in bulk, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  3. Gently deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide it in half.
  4. Working with one half at a time, place the dough on a piece of parchment, or onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Pat it into a 10" to 11" circle.
  5. To make the filling: Combine all of the filling ingredients, stirring until well combined. You'll have about 2 cups of filling.
  6. Spread half of each disk of dough with half the filling. Fold the unfilled half over the filling, crimping and pressing the edges together to seal. If you've shaped the dough on parchment, lift the parchment onto a baking sheet. Or, if you have a pizza stone in your oven, place the parchment on a peel, for easiest transport.
  7. Cut 3 or 4 slits in the top of each calzone, to allow steam to escape. Brush with olive oil; or brush with a thin layer of pizza sauce, and top with shredded cheese.
  8. Let the calzone rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 450°F.
  9. Bake the calzone for 18 to 22 minutes, until they're golden brown.
  10. Remove the calzone from the oven, and slice into pieces to serve.
Yield: two 12" calzone, 4 o 6 servings.

Source

Apple Cranberry & Walnut Stuffed Pork Loin


Ingredients
  • 1 boneless pork loin roast
  • 3 apples, peeled, cored and diced
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
  • ⅔ cup bread crumbs
  • ⅓ cup melted butter
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, make the stuffing by stirring together the diced apples, chopped walnuts, cranberries, bread crumbs, melted butter and thyme. Set aside.
  2. Butterfly the pork loin by following the pictures and instructions above.
  3. Spread the stuffing across the butterflied pork loin, leaving about ½ inch edge on all sides. Roll up the pork loin and tie it up using kitchen string (refer to the pictures above to see how to roll up a stuffed pork loin).
  4. Place in the fridge until ready to cook.
  5. Preheat oven to 350F.
  6. Place stuffed pork loin on a roasting pan or baking sheet with a rack. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and fresh ground pepper.
  7. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the pork should be 145-150F.
  8. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
  9. Slice and serve.
Source

Christmas decor


Need a centerpiece that takes less than five minutes to make? Just place pine cones in a large bowl and place a hurricane vase holding a candle in the middle.



Christmas window treatment - get cheap ornaments at the dollar store, hang on fishing wire, knotting around the loop on each one, and then attach to a tension rod to display in window.



Can't wait for Christmas


Front porch idea


Rustic Christmas


Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes




Ingredients
  • 2 whole Golden Potatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 piece (about 2 Inches Long) Parmigiano-Reggiano, Sliced Thinly
  • ⅛ teaspoons Garlic Powder
  • ¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
  • ¼ cups Heavy Cream
  • ¼ cups Cheddar Cheese Blend

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Scrub potatoes.
  2. You need 2 wooden spoons with handles of the same width. Place a spoon on each side of the potato and start slicing the potato into thin slices. The spoons will stop the knife from cutting all the way through the potato.
  3. Slice the butter into thin pieces. Alternate the butter and the parmesan, stuffing them in between the slices of the potato. Season the potato with garlic powder and kosher salt. Drizzle the potato with olive oil.
  4. Bake at 400ºF for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle heavy cream over the potatoes. Top with cheddar cheese.
  5. Place back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes. Remove and serve!
Source

Chicken salad recipe with apples and celery


Ingredients
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 2½ cups of Rotisserie chicken (cut and cubed)
  • 2 Tbsp Mayo (I use reduced fat mayonnaise with olive oil)
  • ½ cup non-fat plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1 cup chopped apple (I use 2 green Granny Smith apples)
  • 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a bowl mix chicken, celery, and apples well.
  2. In a separate bowl mix mayo, yogurt, and lemon juice together. Mix well.
  3. Combine chicken mixture with mayo mixture and stir well until mixed well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Source

Easy Chiles Rellenos




Ingredients
  • Poblano Peppers, 5 or 6
  • Egg Whites, 4
  • Milk, 1 cup
  • Flour, 1/3 cup
  • Cheddar, 6 ounces
  • Pepper Jack, 6 ounces
  • Tomato Sauce, 1 medium can (I only had a big 26 oz can so I used about half)
  • Cocoa Powder, 1 tablespoon
  • Cumin
  • Chili Powder
  • Oregano

Instructions
  1. Preheat the broiler to 450. Use nonstick cooking spray to generously coat a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Now rinse and half the peppers, removing the stems and seeds. Place them skin side up on a baking sheet and stick them under the broiler for about 10 minutes or until they just begin to soften and brown.
  2. Whisk the egg whites, milk and flour together in a small bowl. I got a little yolk in this one but it really didn’t matter.Pour the mixture into the greased dish.
  3. Combine the tomato sauce with the cocoa powder and teaspoon or so of the other spices. Stir it together and heat it just until it’s blended and heated through. Grate the cheese and set aside about half a cup of each for the final topping.
  4. the peppers should be done. Remove them from the oven, turn the oven to bake and reduce the heat to 350. Arrange a single layer of peppers in the casserole dish, making sure to coat them well with the egg mixture.Sprinkle with about of the remaining cheeses.
  5. Repeat with a second layer. I used a spoon to scoop up the egg mixture from the edges of the pan and spooned it over this second layer of peppers. Add a second layer of cheeses.
  6. Pour the sauce over the top.Finish it off with the reserved cheese. Bake at 350 for about an hour, until it’s bubbly and the egg mixture is set.
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Merry Christmas

 

Burlap bow with berries....

 

 

Colorful...


 

Pine cone wreath...



Beautiful Christmas...


little Christmas tree..



Falling snow...


Avocado Mozza Puffs


INGREDIENTS
  • 1 package puff pastry (2 sheets inside)
  • 12 pieces fresh mozzarella cheese, 1 inch each
  • 1 avocado, mashed
  • ¼ cup salsa
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • juice from ½ lime
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Make Crostinis w/ Sausage, Onion & Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl mix the mashed avocado with the lime juice and freshly ground pepper.
  3. Roll out the puff pastry sheets so that they are about 12" x 16". Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter cut 12 circles in each sheet. You should get 24 circles from both sheets.
  4. We will use 12 circles for the bottom and 12 for the top. Brush a bit of the egg wash on the edge of each circle, for the first 12 only. Top 12 circles with a dollop of avocado, a piece of mozzarella cheese, and about a tsp of salsa.
  5. Take the other 12 circles of puff pastry and place on top of the ones with the filling and stretch them if needed to completely cover the bottom circle. They will look like little sombrero hats. Using a fork seal the edge of each circle. Brush with egg wash.
  6. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden.
  7. Serve with additional salsa if desired.
Source

Outdoor Living


looks good to me



What a great outdoor living room!


Barn roof, cathedral ceiling, rose window, indoor/outdoor living, chandelier!


So perfect!


Raised bed 

CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES




Ingredients
  • 6 chocolate or vanilla cupcakes
  • 3 cups homemade or store-bought vanilla frosting (See Kelly's Notes)
  • 2 Tablespoons green food coloring
  • 6 ice cream sugar cones
  • Edible silver ball sprinkles
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
  • Special equipment: pastry bag or gallon-sized sealable plastic bag; small star-shaped pastry tip
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Jalapeño Popper Egg Bake




Ingredients
  • 1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 milk
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1 cup cheese (I used shredded cheddar)
  • 1 cup bacon, cooked
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Start by whisking together the eggs, milk, seasoned salt, cheese and bacon. Pour this mixture into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pull of little chunks of cream cheese and place them around the top of the egg mixture. Do the same and place the jalapeño slices on the top as well.
  3. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes depending on how big of a baking dish you are using.
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Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Cilantro




Ingredients:
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded into large pieces
  • 2 medium avocados, diced
  • 1 T + 1 T fresh squeezed lime juice
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (or chop it more coarsely if you prefer)
  • 2 T mayo or light mayo

Instructions:

  1. Shred the chicken apart until you have 2 cups of chicken shredded into fairly large chunks. Dice the avocados into medium-sized pieces, mix with 1 T of the lime juice, and season avocado with salt to taste. Thinly slice the green onion and finely chop the cilantro. Mix mayo and 1 T lime juice to make the dressing.
  2. Put the chicken into a bowl large enough to hold all the salad ingredients. Add the sliced green onions and dressing and toss until all the chicken is coated with dressing. Add the avocado and any lime juice in the bottom of the bowl and gently combine with the chicken. Then add the chopped cilantro and gently mix into the salad, just until it is barely combined.
  3. Serve right away or chill for a while before serving. This could be served inside pita bread or sandwich bread, or inside crisp lettuce cups, but we just ate it as a salad
Source

Beautiful Pathways


Beautiful!



Lighted path


Beautiful & Enchanting Garden Paths



 Stone Mosaic



Love this! Drought tolerant and peaceful.

 

Dress up a worn pathway 



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