Cornbread Casserole

Sometimes you just want corn.  I know, I know, it's not a 'healthy' vegetable, but it's delicious.  This makes a quick little side dish for any bbq….serve along side lots and lots of salad, of course.

Ingredients:  
1 box corn muffin mix
1/2 c. butter (melted)
1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs
8 oz Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

Instructions:
Grease a 9x12 pan.  Preheat oven to 375.
Mix all ingredients (minus 1/2 of the cheese).
Pour into pan and top with the other 1/2 of cheese.  Bake 50-60 minutes until the center is firm.

Air Fryer Quesadillas

 I'm always looking for something new to take to lunch.  I also have been trying to explore recipes with my air fryer.  This was so yummy and so easy to put together.  I wrapped each of the quesadilla in foil and I'm heating them in a little oven we have at work in the morning.

I bought (already made) fajita chicken, a bag of these peppers and onion blend in the freezer section (above), Mexican style shredded cheese, and flour tortillas (I bought the smaller ones, rather than the burrito size so they would fit in my air fryer).  

I set my fryer to 370 and layered the tortilla, cheese, onions and chicken, more cheese, and a second tortilla).  I sprayed the top with cooking spray, cooked for three minutes, flipped, sprayed, cooked for 3 more minutes.  The only tricky part was flipping these.  I used a spatula and tongs and a few times lost a little filling (though it stuck pretty well thanks to the cheese).  The air fryer made these really crisp which I loved.  

Here's a little peek at the inside.  Side note, the original recipe called for you to set the little basket on top of the tortilla while it backed so the tortilla didn't puff up.  I didn't have this issue, but...if you do...or future me does, there's a tip to try.

Taco Pinwheels

I love a little spicy for sure, and as Cinco de Mayo approaches, I tried out this recipe using some of my favorite Tex Mex spices.  These are super easy to make, and you can adjust as needed (for instance, I tossed out the black olives and accidentally forgot to put in the green onions....ooops, regardless, they were great, so add and subtract).

Taco Pinwheels

Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas
1 8 oz blocks of cream cheese (softened)
1 taco seasoning packet
2 t chopped black olives
1 4 oz can of chopped green chilies (drained)
5-6 green onions, chopped
10-12 jarred jalapeno slices, chopped
Salsa (for serving)
Instructions:  
1.  Beat the cream cheese with the taco seasoning.
2.  Stir in everything else except the salsa.
3.  Spread mix over flour tortillas from edge to edge and roll up.
4.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for a few hours.  Remove, slice into 1/2 inch slices and serve with salsa.

Party Mix for Cinco de Mayo

I put these together last year for the ladies at work for admin. appreciation.  Party mix-get it?  So easy, but cute.  I filled bags with a mix of color candies and salt sweet snacks, then just added the mini sombreros I got at Party City (I've also seen them on Amazon), and I taped on some little glittered mustaches that are actually confetti I saw at Walmart.  I attached a tag and they were ready to go.

Fiesta Ranch Pasta

I'm always looking for a new twist on Pasta salad for BBQs and misc.lucks.  I stumbled across this recipe, and it sounded like it was right up my alley.  It's a tasty treat, fun for a picnic on the 4th, and it feeds a crowd, as in, perhaps most of the armed forces.  Win!  Win!
The original recipe comes from butterwithaside.

Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta

PRINT RECIPE HERE

Pasta:  package of spiral pasta, 3 boneless chicken breast (seasoned and diced or 1 rotisserie chicken), 1 packages of taco season mix, 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed), 1 pkg frozen corn, 1 onion (chopped), 1 can of sliced black olives (drained), 2 cups of cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, 2 tomatoes (chopped)

Dressing:  2 cups of mayo, 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 pkg of fiesta ranch dip (they sell this by the dry salad dressings)

Fritoes for serving.

Instructions:  Cook and drain pasta according to pkg instructions.  Add all the salad ingredients.  Mix the dressing ingredients and toss with the pasta.  Right before serving, toss with Fritoes (corn chips).  

Jalapeno Poppers Cups

 Last summer I decided to grow jalapenos in my backyard.  Let me just say....they LOVE my yard.  And then...about August I was like, uhh...I didn't grow those for looks....so I got started hunting down recipes to try out using my peppers.  I found this one on Pillsbury's website and it was simple and tasty!

Jalapeno Popper Cup Recipe

Ingredients:  12opped green oz can jr biscuits with golden layers 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies (drained), 1/2 c. shredded cheddar, 1/3 c. mayo, 2 T. real bacon bit pieces, 1 t. minced onion, 20 oz jalapeno slices (I took the seeds out so it wasn't as hot)

Instructions:  Pull apart each biscuit (getting the flaky layers is important-it makes it so much easier to pull them in half).  

 Press each half into a mini (ungreased) muffin tin.  Press on the bottom and up the sides so that there is a scoop left in the middle.
Mix all the other ingredients except for the jalapeno slices.  Distribute evenly into each cup.  Place the sliced jalapenos on top.

 Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 20

I've gone full circle on Good Morning, Texas today.  My very first segment was a pinata.  I'm bringing them back on today's show in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  I've pulled out a few new techniques over the last few years to share.  

I used the same steps to make the letter shapes that I used to make this donkey shape last year.  Here is that tutorial.  See what I did there?  GMT....get it?  I've also used this same technique for two parties I'm hosting-I wanted the initials....just you wait...they have some pretty fun innards!!!  I'll blog those very soon.

I'm also making these mini pull tab pinatas (the shell is a toilet paper tube).  Here is that easy tutorial.

Last up, I'm doing a little demo on spray painting pinatas.  Simple enough-pinata+spray paint=new little creature without all the tissue/glue work.

I'll be doing a step by step for making tissue flowers to decorate these little guys, and in a few weeks/months I'll show you what all these little guys were used for)-two fiestas in the work-a baby shower and a birthday party with a very specific color theme. They have quite a party coming along for the scene in which they will be used :O)  I'll post a link to the segment on facebook later, and I have a few WEEK's worth of details to post about on my blog soon....just as soon as these party props make their debut at some upcoming parties-they will get their own post as well.

Pinata Favor Cups

 Here's an easy little trail mix holder for Cinco de Mayo.  Fun little table settings made with every day 'stuff.'
I grabbed the small 'punch size' plastic cups from the grocery store and some put together some colorful trail mix.

I filled both cups, then used hot glue to seal the seam.  I fringed some crepe paper (folded it in half and cut halfway up to create little slits), and glued it over the seam to cover up my glue and it's ready to bust open for assorted guest celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo: Sour Cream Enchiladas

 Here's a super simple recipe for sour cream enchiladas-just in time for the 5th.  A big deal in Texas, any excuse for a day that seems to 'require' eating Mexican food.  Here's a dish to add to the list.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Ingredients:  1 lb of chicken, cubed, 1 med onion (chopped), 1 T vegetable oil, 8 flour tortillas, 1 1/2 c. grated Monterrey Jack Cheese, 1/4 c. butter, 1/4 c. flour, 15 oz chicken broth, 1 c. sour cream, 4 oz chopped green chilies
Instructions:  Cook chicken and onions in oil over medium heat until chicken is cooked through.  Place chicken in 8 tortillas and add 1 1/2 T of cheese to each enchilada.  Roll and place them seam side down in 9x13 inch pan that you lightly spray with cooking spray.  Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour and cook until bubbly.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add the green chilies and sour cream.  Pour over the enchiladas.  Top with 3/4 c. cheese.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
*You can wrap your pan and  freeze these before baking at a later date.  

Cinco de Mayo: Pinata Brownies

 A festive little brownie for Cinco de Mayo.  These are super easy to put together.  And tasty.  And colorful.  If you need one of those three things in your life---here a dessert recipe for the 5th.  ...or any day that ends in y.

Pinata Brownie Recipe

Ingredients:  1 box yellow cake mix, 1/4 c. vegetable oil, 1 egg, 1/2 c. milk, 1/4 c. multi colored sprinkles, 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
Instructions:  Combine the cake mix, oil and the eggs.  Add the milk.  Fold in the sprinkles and the white chocolate.  Spray an 9x9 pan.  Pour in the batter.  Bake for 25 minutes for 350 degrees.  Let them rest for about 30 minutes before cutting.

Cinco de Mayo: Mexican Pasta

Here's an easy summer salad with a fun twist and lots of vegetables disguised within the noodles.  That pretty much covers all my requirements.  The recipe came from Cara's site.  As far as the noodle shape-jut pick something fun, it's the seasoning that makes it tasty and the noodles that make it fun.
Mexican Pasta Ingredients
1 lb of (fun) pasta, 1 can of black beans (drain and rinse), 10 oz of frozen corn (just throw it in while it's still frozen-it'll thaw over the few hours it sits in the fridge chilling), 2 med tomatoes seeded and diced), 8 oz of Mexican blend cheese (shredded), 1 1/2 c. salsa, pepper (to taste), 1/2 c. olive oil, 1/2 c. fresh cilantro (chopped), 4 T. lime juice, 1 avocado (cubed), 1 T. cumin, 2 garlic cloves (minced), 2 t. chili powder
Mexican Pasta Instructions
Boil and drain noodles according to instructions.  Rinse and drain beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add cooled pasta.  In a second bowl whisk olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and pepper (to taste).  Toss in cilantro.  Dice and add avocado right before serving.

Pinata Gift Card Holder

I recently made this baby pinata to hold a gift card to a Mexican food restaurant that I bought as a gift and wanted a clever way to present it.  You could do this for a dinner parties etc.  I saw a tutorial like this at HappyDay and at first I thought-no way, too much work.  I went on a hunt of baby pinatas...I could find them in bulk online, but not in stores, so I decided to give it a go....these were MUCH easier than they look and made a really fun way to present a treat!
I created a little outline in the shape of the traditional donkey pinata.

Here is the link to the donkey outline (free to a good home).  You could use this same strategy for any shape/design.  This is what I chose.  I cut it out of tagboard (you could also do this on any recycled box-cereal etc as the original tutorial suggest to be 'earth friendly).  I cut out two shapes, and then a thin strip of posterboard to connect the two.
I tapped the poster board strip along the edge of the outline on one side. 

I made mine just large enough to hold the gift card to the Mexican Restaurant.  You could fill it with little candies or confetti just to make it fun.

Once I had the git card in place I attached the top outline to the rim with more tape.  I also added a string to 'hang it' that I would cover with decorations later. 

Then I cut little strips of tissue paper, folded it in half and fringed the edges...

...and attached it with a line of glue. 

Mexican Pizza

 I found this recipe on pillsbury.  I needed an appetizer to bring to a Mexican themed dinner, and this one can be served cold, so it eliminated the 'how do I keep this hot going/waiting on a party.'  So if you have one of those events in your life, here was my solution! 
Ingredients:  2 cans crescent rolls, 16 oz can of refried beans, 1 c. sour cream, 2 T taco seasoning mix, 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 c. green onions, 1/2 c. green bell peppers (I skipped this), 1 c. seeded/chopped tomatoe, 1/2 c. sliced black olives. 
Instructions: 
Heat oven to 375.  Unroll both cands of dough and place on a cookie sheet in a large rectangle.  Press seams together.  Bake for 14 minute (until golden).  Cool completely.

 Spread the beans over the crush leaving a 1/2 inch edge for the 'crust' (to hold the pizza).  Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning.  Spread this over the beans. Sprinkled on the remaining ingredients evenly over the sour cream.  Refrigerate for 1 hour. 
Cut and serve with salsa. 

Sombrero Cookies

 I've seen multiple versions of these all throughout the internet, so....here is my version, just in time for Cinco de Mayo.  Sombrero Cookies!
I used Oreos because...hello, there is nothing better than cream filling.  I've seen these made with vanilla wafers.  I actually found an Oreo with sprinkles inside so they were even festive to the bite.  I also used yellow melting chocolate.  You could use white and dye it yellow, but.....I'll let someone else do that for me.  The only other things you need are sprinkles and yellow gumdrops. 

 I melted the chocolate at 30 second intervals.  Mine took about 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir every 30 seconds and it's ready when it's smooth.  The time usually depends on how much you are melting at one time, I go in small doses so it doesn't harden too quickly.  Dip your Oreo.  Place it on wax paper.  I then dripped the gumdrop bottom. 

 I added sprinkles to the wet chocolate, then placed it on the still wet cookie to adhere. 

 I let the chocolate harden,then melted the chocolate again, rolled the edge in chocolate, then in sprinkles, and...ta da.

 See, sprinkles in the middle.  You could quickly twist off the top of the cookies and add your own sprinkles. 

The toughest part of blogging is having to test the creations.