Eggplant Parmesan...leave this one to the professionals.

One of my favourtie items to order at an Italian restaurant is Eggplant Parmesan. I love how it tastes and that it is not as filling as Chicken Parmesan so you feel satisfied but not over-stuffed. I was grocery shopping the other day and decided to pick up an Eggplant. Its something I never think about buying and I thought that I could make my own Eggplant Parmesan for dinner. I decided to buy my favourite store bought spaghetti sauce, President's Choice Marinara, because I needed to make a sauce for another meal. Call me lazy, but some days are easier to make meals than others. I checked out pinterest for a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan while shopping, oh the wonder of smart phones, to make sure that I had all the needed ingredients.

A couple of days after shopping, I decided that it was time to make my Eggplant Parmesan. I did a quick google search to see if I needed to prepare my eggplant in any way. I found out that once you slice the Eggplant, you should soak it in a salt bath for 5-10 minutes. There are two reasons for this bath salt: 1) it pulls out the juices that carry bitter flavours and 2) it collapses the air pockets in the eggplants sponge-like flesh, thus preventing it from absorbing too much oil and getting greasy. However, I missed one major important step...PEEL FOR THE BEST TEXTURE. I have a feeling this is where my eggplant making went so very wrong!! I will put some of the blame on the recipe because it did not state to do either step (a non-professional cook can pass the blame, right??)

The instructions seemed easy enough so it was time to begin!! I imagined cutting into my eggplant was like a surgeon cutting into a leg for the first time (and cue your favourite Grey's moment). Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but I was a little afraid since this was my first time purchasing, cutting and cooking an eggplant. I sliced the eggplant and placed the slices into its salt bath. While it was soaking, I prepared the cheese as well as the bread crumbs. After 10 minutes, I began to take the slices out of their soak and dried them well with paper towel. I then covered the eggplant in bread crumbs and cheese combo and placed them into the pan. I had decided to cook the eggplant in a pan with some oil first in order to make the batter a bit crispy. I read, during my google search, that it is best to pretty much overcook your eggplant so in my mind, a quick fry in a pan of oil would be helpful. I used olive oil and cooked them until the batter was golden on each side.

Next, I place a little sauce on the bottom of my casserole dish and then placed the eggplant slices on top. I added more sauce and then some of the cheese I had shredded to top it off. I then placed this into the oven, which was preheated to 400, and baked for 20 minutes. While the eggplant was baking, I threw together a salad and started to cook my pasta. I was so on the ball that everything was ready at the same time!! BONUS.

When the Eggplant Parmesan came out of the oven, it looked and smelled delicious!! I was very excited to chow down!! I placed eggplant slices on top of my pasta, added a little extra sauce from the dish and was pleased with the presentation. My daughter was also excited because she loves a good pasta night!! So, we sat down and I took a deep breath as I was about to place the first piece into my mouth. I had high expectations (haha). My daughter also placed her first piece into her mouth at pretty much the same time as me...and I am sure some would  of found our facial expressions priceless. No, they were not expressions of "omg, best meal ever," it was more like "what the ____ did I just make??!!"

I knew it was bad. The texture was bad, the taste was bad and our facial expressions were worse. My daughter looked at me, spit out what was in her mouth and proclaimed "Mommy, me full!!" Yes indeed it was that bad. I tend to brag a little at the fact that my kid is a great eater, and it is very rare that she does not like something new. I had to agree with her and could not place another bite into my mouth because the  thought of putting another piece in there made my stomach turn. Yes, cue the melodramatic music here, but it was so disappointing.

I learned to leave this type of dish to the professionals. I also learned to keep some sort of plan B meal available when trying new recipes. We ended up having eggs and toast for dinner that night.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplant, sliced in 1/4" slices
• 6 large egg whites
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 cups Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs, or plain bread crumbs and two tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 ½ cups low sugar spaghetti sauce

Instructions.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray two non-stick baking sheets with olive oil cooking spray. Spray a medium sized baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Whip eggs with water and place in one dish, then place panko bread crumbs and half the Parmesan cheese in another dish.
3. Dredge eggplant in egg then in the panko and place on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake another 15 minutes.
5. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and layer half the eggplant on the bottom. Spread another 1 cup sauce on top of eggplant and sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese.
6. Add the remaining layer of eggplant, spread with remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Rating:

Preparation: 8/10...Preparing this recipe was not too hard but with a few steps to take, it was about an hour total, between prep and cooking. I learned that you really need to research how to prepare eggplant before cooking and always remember to PEEL FIRST!

Taste: 4/10...The sauce was good, the pasta was cooked to perfection and I love cheese.

Servings: 10/10...Honestly, this recipe yielded plenty and would of allowed for leftovers, if I hadn't thrown it out.

Overall, I give this recipe a 22 out of 30. Now, to be fair, the poor taste (okay okay bad bad taste) could of come from how the eggplant was prepared, however, the recipe did not give any indication that you needed to peel the eggplant and soak it first. The title of the recipe is "Don't like Eggplant? This Low Calorie Eggplant  Recipe Will Change Your Mind." I'm sorry, but this recipe will not change your mind if you are not an eggplant lover.

If you have any other tips on cooking eggplant, please leave a comment and let me know!!

Here is the website for the recipe:
http://motherrimmy.com/eggplant-parmesan-recipe

~Amanda

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I love a good taco night, and so does my daughter. I had pinned this recipe back in October out of curiosity and due to the fact that the picture made the tacos look super delicious. Truthfully, I had my doubts about how well this was going to turn out because chicken can dry out so easily. After many pinned recipes turning out so well, I had made a plan B for dinner tonight just in case this would of been the first "oh boy, what was I thinking??!!" moments.

This Crockpot Chicken Tacos recipe was super easy. Place in 4-6 whole chicken breasts (no need to cut them up) into the bottom of the slow cooker, add a packet of taco seasoning and a small jar of salsa. Stir the ingredients up a bit to mix them all together and then just place the lid on and turn the slow cooker onto low or high depending on when you want to eat. 

You know the chicken is done when you can shred it nicely (kind of like pulled pork). Tacos are so versatile, you can basically put whatever you want on them. I had whole wheat tortillas, low fat sour cream, I shredded some cheese, prepared some iceberg lettuce and sliced up some tomatoes (not pictured).

My initial thoughts on this pin were instantly changed after taking my first bite!! The chicken was far from dry and I really liked the taste the seasoning and salsa had created. However, I think next time I will squeeze a little fresh lime juice into the slow cooker for that extra kick. So I learned my lesson in regards to cooking...never judge a recipe by its cooking method.

Ingredients
1 envelope Taco Seasoning 
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa 

Directions
Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

Rating:

Preparation: 10/10...No cutting or measuring required! Just place the chicken, seasoning and salsa in the slow cooker, mix it up a bit and head out for afternoon errands. Once it gets closer to dinner time, just prepare your toppings and you are good to go!

Taste: 10/10...Chicken was cooked just right, the seasoning and salsa created a very savoury taste and you can add whatever you want on top. Its a tortilla wrapped around deliciousness :)

Servings: 10/10...The recipe can yield up to 12 servings, and I agree!! There is plenty left over to have more the next day. The website has a recipe for tortilla soup for the leftovers and I will add it to the end! (Please note that I have not, and probably will not make it the soup, but it is a good idea).

Overall, this recipe is a 30/30 which means we had Friday night fiesta on a plate!!

~Amanda

Tortilla Soup

2 cups of the shredded chicken
One 32oz box of chicken broth
One can corn(drain)
2 handfulls chopped cilantro
One squeezed lime
One can diced tomatoes (reg size)
One can diced tomatoes w/ chiles (if you can't find the can get another can of diced tomatoes and a can of diced chiles)
1/2 large yellow onion
One can black beans
2-3 table spoons of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 teaspoons of chile powder
2 teaspoons of garlic powder

Dump everything in a pot and simmer for ~30 minutes. Garnish with cheese and crispy tortilla strips!

A Twist on Classic Cobb Salad

I love salads, but sometimes they are not always hearty enough to eat as a meal so my salads typically consist of adding some greens and veggies as a side to a meal. I was craving a good salad for dinner but I did not want to be left feeling hungry a few short hours later. I feel discouraged when searching for a snack late at night.

I came across a pin for 20 Hearty Salads on pinterest about a month back. It was one of those "pin now read later" (as I like to call them) pins. While meal planning for the week, I decided to check them out. It was hard choosing just one because so many of them looked super delicious!! The Classic Cobb Salad caught my eye. I checked out the ingredients and when I saw bacon, I knew it was the right one for this week. Okay...before you all think I am some bacon crazy girl (I do know one who I will keep anonymous haha), I am the first to admit that we tend to only have bacon during 2 special occasions; Easter and Christmas Breakfast. It is very rare that I plan a meal around bacon or even think about buying bacon outside of special occasions. 

Back to the recipe. I loved the look of the salad and the fact that it would yield enough for lunch the next day. One major problem, the recipe asked for avocados and I am really not a fan of them...and yes, I realize that I may be one of the only people out there. I decided that this would not stop me. With this being a salad recipe, you get to change it up a bit, and so I did.

I decided to use ground turkey instead of chicken breast because I already have a couple of chicken breast meals coming up. I used low in sodium bacon, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, boiled 6 eggs and added a little cheese. I had also purchased the ingredients for raspberry vinaigrette, however, I decided to use low fat ranch dressing instead as it was what I was in the mood for. 

This salad took a while to prepare, but what hearty salad doesn't? I began by cooking the bacon until it was crispy enough to chop up. I then used a little bit of the bacon grease to cook the ground turkey in. I had boiled the eggs the night before so all I had to do was take off the shells and cut them up. While the bacon and ground turkey cooled, I cut up the tomatoes and prepared my lettuce. All in all, in took about 45 minutes to make and yet it did not feel like I was stuck in the kitchen. 

Here is the recipe, but really you can add as many twists to this salad as you like!!

Salad

one large head of romaine or iceberg lettuce
2 lbs chicken breasts, grilled or cooked in leftover bacon grease and chopped
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped 
1/2 lb bacon, chopped and cooked crisp
2 large avocados, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 cup shredded Monterrey and Colby cheese (or crumbled blue cheese)
salt and pepper

Method

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Reserve bacon fat to cook chicken in if desired. Salt and pepper chicken. Grill chicken or cook in bacon fat for extra flavor.

2. Add lettuce to a large bowl. Top with cooked and chopped chicken, crisp bacon, chopped hard boiled eggs, avocados, onion, tomatoes and cheese.

Rating:

Preparation: 8/10...There is a lot to prepare and it did take some time. There is some stove top cooking involved as well as veggie prep and chopping too. However, you can get creative during the preparation process so it is fun :) I found myself checking out the veggie drawer wondering what I wanted to add next!! I think next time, I will add fresh peppers, mushrooms and celery.

Taste: 10/10...How could I not give this 100%? Bacon, veggies, cheese and you can top with whatever salad dressing your heart desires!!

Servings: 10/10...This hearty salad is very filling and yields plenty to go around plus have some for lunch the next day. You could also make up a big bowl and eat it for a couple of lunches or dinners. It also makes enough that you could take it to a dinner party or pot-luck.


Overall, this recipe is a 28/30 and really the only thing stopping it from being a 30/30 is the amount of preparation. Just remember to keep this mind when making it. You may not be able to whip it up really quick after work or kids activities.

Enjoy!

~Amanda

Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

                                             Please note: Photo was taken before being cooked

I am a big fish fan, especially salmon. We tend to eat fish at least 3 times a month. I have noticed that I make salmon the same way pretty much every time I cook it so I went onto pinterest one afternoon so that I could find a few new ideas salmon. I was curious about a brown sugar glaze for salmon as I have never really thought about using sugar on salmon, so tonight I thought I would give it a try.

The recipe was simple enough: brown sugar, Dijon mustard and a little salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the brown sugar and Dijon mustard together and you have your glaze!

The recipe calls for you to use your broiler, however, I decided to bake the salmon instead. I pre-heated the oven to 350 F, put a little olive oil on top of aluminium foil and then placed the salmon on top. I rubbed in a little garlic powder, onion powder and squeezed some fresh lemon juice on top. I then spread the glaze on. Once the fish was ready to go in, I wrapped the foil around the fish and placed it in the oven. I set the timer for 30 minutes, but due to rack placement the salmon took 40 minutes to cook. 

The fish came out perfectly! It was moist and basically fell apart like a well cooked salmon should. The glaze tasted amazing!! It was not too sweet and it mixed nicely with the natural taste of salmon. I was a little worried that the brown sugar would become crunchy while baking, but this was not the case at all. The glaze basically melted and became more like a sauce; which helped to keep the salmon from drying out while cooking.

I served the fish with rice and carrot sticks. I was going to chop and steam the carrots but my daughter asked for "arrot iks" so I made sticks instead. This was a very easy and delicious weekday meal. You can make this at the end of the work day and not feel like you are stuck in the kitchen. The glaze took less than 5 minutes to make, which is always an added bonus. 

Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

1/4 cup of light brown sugar

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

Salmon (any cut will do)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source; prepare the rack of a broiler pan with cooking spray.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and arrange onto the prepared broiler pan. Whisk together the brown sugar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl; spoon mixture evenly onto top of salmon fillets.
3. Cook under the preheated broiler until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

Rating:

Preparation: 10/10...So very simple!! The glaze takes less than 5 minutes to mix up. Salmon is typically quick and easy to prepare in order to hit the oven (especially if you buy a boneless cut).

Taste: 9/10...This glaze added to the taste of salmon for sure, considering salmon is mild in flavour when it comes to fish, but I think next time I would add a little lime or even lemon juice to the glaze instead of the fish itself to give it a extra punch of flavour.

Servings: 10/10...There was more than enough glaze to cover the piece of salmon I was serving. I think this glaze recipe is pretty versatile depending on how much salmon you are serving. The measurements are simple so you could easily increase or decrease the measurements depending on servings needed. 

Total: 29/30...I feel that this is a nice addition to my recipe book. I like that it is easy to make, especially after a busy work day, and leaves your taste-buds satisfied.

~Amanda 

Potato and Farmer Sausage Casserole

Yesterday, Monday, was an incredibly lazy, pajama worthy, kind of day. So, I took to Pinterest looking for an easy meal to cook for dinner. I came across this recipe. Two main ingredients and a quick sauce piqued my interested. I summoned my motivation from its haze, and set out to make the easiest comfort food known to my kitchen.

Call it a moment of pure genius, but while I was whipping the sauce, I realized the recipe is just a scalloped potato recipe with meat tossed in the mix. I know, my brilliance knows no boundaries.


Having looked at the recipe bellow, you are acquainted with the ingredients and have them all prepped and ready on the counter. Meaning, you've sliced the potatoes and farmer sausage, and shredded the cheese.

(Note: I didn't want to wait 1 1/2 hours for my meal, so I precooked the potatoes. The farmer sausage was bought pre-cooked.)

Starting with the butter and flour, make a paste over low heat. Melt the butter in the saucepan, add the flour. Using a whisk, make sure the butter/flour mix is smooth.

Add the salt and milk. I did half milk, half cream. Stir well. Add the soup, once mixed, add the shredded cheese. Stir until all the cheese is melted

Once the cheese is melted, your sauce should look smooth, like the above picture. Set it to the side.

Layer the potatoes and farmer sausage, then pour the sauce overtop.
Did I mention a preheated oven set at 350? If your potatoes are raw, place your covered casserole in the oven for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. If you cheated, as I did, and precooked your potatoes, then bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Easy peasy.

I chucked a few pieces of asparagus into a frying pan with butter, a pinch of salt, white wine, and sliced garlic. The asparagus made a perfect side dish.

Overall, the dish was incredibly easy to make, it was creamy and had good flavour. It was also very filling.

Enjoy!
~Alea

Potato and Farmer Sausage Casserole Recipe 

Ingredients
6 small – med. potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 - 3/4 link farmer sausage, peeled and sliced

Sauce
1 Tbsp butter 
1 Tbsp flour 
1/4 tsp salt 
½ cup milk
½ - 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Arrange potatoes and farmer sausage in layers in greased 8 cup casserole dish. Melt butter; blend in flour, salt and milk gradually, stirring constantly. Add cheese and soup, stirring until sauce cooks. Pour over potatoes and sausage. Bake at 350F for 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hours.

Rating - 28/30

Preparation - 10 - Aside from chopping some potatoes, slicing some farmer sausage and making an easy sauce, it did not involve a lot of work, or concentration for that matter.

Taste - 8 - This recipe is pretty straight forward, there aren't many flavours involved, other than the cheese and soup. Yes, if you do not enjoy mushroom soup, I don't think you'd enjoy this recipe. I suppose you could switch the mushroom soup for cream of chicken.

Servings - 10 - This recipe yields a good amount, but is easily adjustable.

Quick and Easy Naan

Butter Chicken has become one of my favourtie meals to make over the past couple of years. The sauce is always easy to make and I love how you can change the spices according to your own taste. I have also recently discovered a delicious jarred Butter Chicken sauce from President's Choice which comes in handy for a quick weekday meal. I typically order a side of Naan from my neighbourhood Indian restaurant, however, I was excited to come across a recipe for Quick and Easy Naan bread on pinterest. 

Here is the link for the recipe:

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/2010/09/naan-127-recipe-016-serving.html

Although the description was "quick and easy," I will admit that yes, it was easy, but quick is a little deceiving. In total, it will take about an hour and a half to make this Naan recipe due to the fact that the dough needs about 45 minutes to rise. If you are planning to make your own Naan, I would not suggest whipping it up after work with hungry kids (or significant other) waiting for dinner. However, this Naan is worth the wait! 

The 5 steps are pretty simple and easy to follow. I was going to take a picture of each step, but my 3 year old helper was so excited that we had to just keep on going! The website that I have inserted above has step by step pictures for you. 

Although this recipe was supposed to bubble, mine did not bubble so well. I know it was because I rolled it out too soon. The recipe says to not roll out the ball until it is ready to be placed on the skillet. I got a little too a head of myself and basically rolled them all at the same time. Even though it did not bubble very much, the Naan turned out like it is supposed to. It was light, soft and delicious!! One of two things I would do differently in the future would be to use a little less cooking spray on the skillet. I found that it left a little bit of an after-taste and took away from the overall taste of the Naan. Although Nann does not have much flavour, I could definitely taste the cooking spray. Secondly, I would of waited to roll out the balls so that it would of been a little more bubbly. 

So, for my first attempt at making Naan bread, I would have to say that this recipe is really good!! It tasted almost as good as my neighbourhood Indian restaurant and I enjoyed making it as well. 

Preparation: 8/10...I would not necessarily say that it was quick. Yes, an hour and a half preparation is really not much, but you definitely need to be aware of the preparation time. 

Taste:9/10...I think if I would of used a little less cooking spray this would of been an easy 10 out of 10. However, when something leaves a bit of an after-taste in your mouth, it tends to take away from the taste in its entirety. 

Servings: 10/10...This recipe yielded 8 pieces which is plenty!! I have quite a few pieces leftover for lunch or even a snack of Naan with melted garlic butter (nom nom).

Total:...This recipe is a good 27/30. I will be for sure making this recipe again (as it will be a money saver), however, it is not the best for a quick throw together meal on a busy week night. I would suggest saving this for your Sunday family meal.

~Amanda

"The Best Roast Beef"

I suppose I'm cheating, as I already know the outcome of this recipe. Having found it a few months back, I've made it a handful of times and each time the results have been finger lickin' good.

I've also included the recipe and instructions for yorkshire pudding, as roast beef and yorkshire pudding were made for one another.

So, lets get started. First things first, a glass of wine and some cooking music. ;)

 

 I used my crock pot to cook my roast, which was completely thawed. I set it on the lowest setting and cooked it for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. If your roast is frozen, still set your slow cooker on the lowest setting, but let it cook for the suggested time, which is 6-8 hours. Keep an eye on it though, nobody enjoys an overcooked roast. You can also cook it in the oven, the package in which your roast came should have suggested cooking times.

Now that we've got the cooking method figured out, make a thin paste with the ranch, italian and gravy dry packet dressings. Pour the contents into the crockpot and add 1/4 cup water. Mix thoroughly.

Add your roast to the crock pot and spoon the liquid over the roast. Make sure the crockpot is on and at the correct setting, close the lid and forget about it for an hour or so, returning to baste the roast.

(I neglected to add the dry gravy because I didn't have any on hand, oops!) 

You're roast is done and resting, so lets get on with the yorkshire pudding. Turn the oven on to 400 and fill your muffin tray with about 1 - 1 1/2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil in each cup, the point is to ensure the bottom of each cup is covered in oil. 

(When taking the oil out of the oven, please use extreme caution, and ensure you don't have kids or pets near you.)

Put the muffin tray into the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes you should see bubbles in the oil, and there will be some smoke/steam when you open the oven door. That means you're good to go! (Putting the overhead fan on might serve you well, as would opening a window slightly). 

But, while your oil is getting good and hot, whip up your yorkshire pudding mixture. (Recipe below). 

Your oil is hot, and your pudding mixture is thoroughly whipped, so lets fill those cups up. Cups will be filled to about half or 3/4 full.

Keeping your oven set at 400, put the filled muffin tray back into the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Check on the puddings before the 15 minutes, if they're puffed and starting to brown, turn the oven down to 350 and reset the timer for 15 minutes.

While your puddings are cooking, peel and chop your potatoes and carrots, or get on with fixing whatever side you want to serve.

Slice your roast and let it sit in the juice while the puddings cook.

By the time you've got your sides well on the way to being cooked, and your roast sliced, your yorkshire pudding should be cooked. Take out the muffin tray, and flip the puddings to drain the oil. Your yorkshire puddings should be fluffy and wonderful. If you ended up with the dough version of hockey pucks, it's okay, we've all been there. The "hockey pucks" will still taste delicious, and the error was that the oil was not hot enough.

(Not my pictures. The top is what your puddings should look like, the bottom is result of the oil not being hot enough)

Whip up your gravy, by pouring the pan drippings into a saucepan. I like thickening it up with flour, by adding 1/4 cup hot water to a cup then 1tbsp flour to the water and stirring until all the clumps are gone. Add the flour/water paste to the pan drippings and stir until it thickens.

Et voila, a Traditional Roast Beef Dinner.

Overall, the roast beef recipe is a huge hit at our house. The gravy made from the pan drippings is the best I've ever had.

Enjoy!
~Alea


"The Best Roast Beef" Recipe

Ingredients
 - 1 Package Dry Italian Dressing
 - 1 Package Dry Ranch Dressing
 - 1 Package Brown Gravy

Directions
   1. Add to 1/4 water and make a thin paste, pour over the roast.
   2. Cook in the crockpot on low for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Don't forget to baste the roast.


Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

Ingredients
 - 3 Eggs
 - 1 Cup Flour
 - Salt and Pepper To Taste
 - 1 Cup Milk
 - 1/4 Cup Melted Butter
      

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
2. Put a little dab of oil in each muffin cup of the muffin tray. Put the tray in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile blend all the ingredients in a blender until well mixed.
4. Take out the muffin tray after 15 minutes and fill each cup 1/2 to 3/4 of the way with the mixture and return to the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
5. Pop out and place in bread basket and serve with gravy on top.

Rating - 20/20

Preparation - 10 - What's easier than throwing together some dry dressings in water and pouring it overtop a roast?

Taste - 10 - Stumbling across this recipe is probably the best thing to ever happen to my taste buds. You will not be disappointed.

Mexican Mini-Pizza's...Fun and Easy!

A couple of months ago, I had a good friend coming over for dinner. I really enjoy cooking for her as she comes a long way to visit and the pure joy on my daughter's face makes our visits amazing. Tired of cooking her the usual, I was looking for something delicious and different...also something that would surprise her :)

I had pinned this Mexican Mini-Pizza recipe and when I was looking at my food board I thought that it was perfect! I used ground chicken as the meat.
Here is the recipe: 

3-4	Large whole wheat tortillas, or enough to cut out 12 small circles (I prefer LaTortilla brand)
1 cup	Lean ground turkey, cooked (or lean ground beef or 1 cup Morning Star Meatless Crumbles™)
1/2 cup	Salsa of choice (I used one with corn)
2 tsp	Dry taco seasoning
1/2 cup	Low fat refried beans
1/2 cup	Low fat shredded Mexican blend or 2% cheddar cheese
Optional	Toppings: sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Here is the method:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray

2) Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, use an empty can, glass cup, or a cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each wrap.

3) Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. (Note: it doesn't have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!)

4) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ground meat, salsa, taco seasoning, and refried beans. Stir until well combined

5) Scoop 1/8th of cup of meat mixture into each wrap.

6) Top with shredded cheese (dividing evenly between each pizza), and olives if desired.

7) Bake in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted

8) Wait for mini Mexican pizzas to coo, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizza's should pop out with ease!

9) Serve with a side of salsa, low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and/or shredded lettuce if desired!


I had sour cream and salsa to add on top once they were baked and I served them with a green salad that I added fresh cut veggies to.

This recipe was so easy and yielded way more than 12 pizza's. I put the left over mixture in the fridge and made a taco salad with it the next night. It was nice getting 2 meals out of this simple recipe as well. The taste was really nice. My daughter ate them up as well and kept asking for more.

On a scale of 1-10, I would give this recipe the following:

Preparation: 9...I really liked that you can prepare this the night before and then just put it in the fridge. It only took 20 minutes to prepare. I spent the most time cutting out the tortilla's but it was not tedious by any means.

Taste: 10...Honestly, they were delicious!! We found ourselves putting another and then another on our plate because they just tasted that good :) I like that you can top with pretty much anything your taste-buds desire, so it really keeps it simple.

Servings: 10...It was nice that the mixture yielded more than a dozen. You can freeze the mixture for another meal or make a salad. I'm sure you could make taco's or a burrito out of the mixture too. The meal was also satisfying. It filled you up and left you feeling like you had a good meal.

Total:...this recipe is a 29/30 and I will be making this for dinner again very soon. It can also be brought for lunch at work or school too.

-Amanda

Karisafication! A Special Mention

As much as we are excited about our new adventure, we have a heavy heart tonight. A member of a very special community that we value has lost her battle with stage 4 adrenal cancer. One of her last wishes was to spread awareness regarding this type of cancer. We are asking you to please head over to facebook and like the page Karisification to keep her amazing strength alive.

Thank you,

Alea and Amanda

Welcome!!

We are very excited that you have decided to follow us on this journey!! We both enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, as well as many other activities. We have pinned a number of recipes each on pinterest and we thought it was time that we challenge ourselves to trying them. We hope to each make one recipe a week. With each new blog entry you can expect to find instructions on how to make the dish yourself as well as some hints and insights. So stop in weekly because you never know what you may find!

Thank you for joining us :)

Alea and Amanda