Mint Tin Mini Album

 I'm going to visit my goddaughter in a few weeks.  She is currently living in Seattle.  I decided to get ahead of the game this time and make my album ahead of time.  I will only be there for the weekend, so I won't need to make a large album, but I try to store special memories in more than my facebook feed.  This go round I decided I'm going to use thumbnail size photos (more to come on that later).

 I've seen little albums you can make using an Altoids Mint can.  I've been meaning to put one together for years, but when I found these little tins and ready to go albums at Michael's for half off....I let them do all the work.

 I bought 5 sheets of paper, which I have MOST of still remaining b/c these took very little paper.  I bought a set of letters for a dollar, a few flowers and sticky gems (probably another 4 dollars, but..I didn't use them all).  I didn't want to make it too thick, since it has to live inside the tin.

 I also got a 50 cent roll of ribbon in Hobby Lobby's scrapbooking section and then I went to work.

 I measured the size of the folded 'pages' and cut out my paper.

 I left a few places for journaling, and the rest of the space will be used for thumbnail size prints.

 Now....I just need to take those photos...I'll be back with the finished product and how the whole 'thumbnail' print thing goes.

Olympics: Torch Trail Mix

 A little Olympic Trail Mix.  I think I will.  I've seen torches via ice cream cones, and what is cuter than a big Olympic edible torch?  A mini torch!!
Bugles-a buck a bag, which chocolate, and dye (if you want, just in case your sprinkles show through) and red and gold (or silver) sprinkles.

 I heated my chocolate in the microwave as the package instructed.  I do it in small batches.  I added a little yellow dye for the bottom, I picked it up out of the chocolate with a fork, tapped off the excess, then dropped it into a bowl of gold sprinkles.  I rolled it around, sticking a tooth pick up the center, and pulled it out the same way.

 I let it dry, then repeated with the red "fire" top.  You could add a little something to make it higher, but I was fine with this.

Toss in a trail mix, a bowl of this is sure to set the mood for opening ceremonies.  :O)

Individual Dip Bread Bowls

 I saw this idea on picky palate and thought it was genius for football parties.  Nothing is less appetizing than watching 437 other people digging into dips....so why not create some mini bowls with the dip included...one touch-it's yours?  You can use any version of spinach dip-mix it all up, but before baking=grab a canned french loaf. 

 I sprayed tins with cooking oil, and then lined each with the french loaf.  I was able to get about ten 'regular' size muffins out of the can.  If you want less dough, roll them thinner.  But really, who wants less dough?

 I created a crater in the middle, and filled it with my uncookied dip.  I topped the tops with a little parmesan. 

 I baked them at 350 for 12-15 minutes until the edges were browned. 

I'm definitely doing this in the future for 'other dips.'  I think the key is cooking the dough all the way through.  The dip will follow. 

Chili Cheese Frito Pot Pie

I assure you, this is not a calorie friendly recipe.  I am going to pretend I invented it b/c I've never seen anything like it, but....in a world this big, I have no doubt it's been done before!  Basically, I decided to solve my bread to chili ratio.  When I eat chili of any sort-I have to do a lot of running, but it's worth it to consume those delicious calories.  I also realize that frito pie is a staple in the south and a little more foreign in other parts of the country....world, but man, if you only knew!  So....I had all the makings for chili, but I also had some pie dough that was about to go bad.  I used a hodge podge of stuff from my kitchen and....yum. 

I took a ramekin and just put some crushed fritoes (just enough to cover the bottom) to help the bottom of the pie from being too 'wet.'  Not necessary, but I had a mini bag of chips so....who doesn't want fritoes with their chili? 

 I topped my fritoes with some chili I made in my crockpot the day before-just pick your fav.  I topped the chili with some onions and some shredded cheese. 

 I added a little top and cut some slits so it could 'breath.'  I'm not really sure this was necessary, but.....let's pretend.  If a white crust disturbs you...and it disturbes me, add an egg wash (the white of the egg mixed with a little water). 

 I baked my pie about 30 minutes (until the crust was brown....everything else was already cooked, the cheese just needed to melt, and it had plenty of time to do that...

And there you have it-carbo loading, crap-o loading, winterizing your menu, just a weird thing I put together with weird stuff in my fridge that was pretty tasty.....whatever-it worked! 

Mini Taco Bowls

 I love taco salad.  The deal is, usually when you order one, you get a ginormous floured bowl, which I can't resist.  Not only can you make your own, you can make them at home using tortillas with whatever calorie count you are willing to add to your diet plan.  I made small bowls to go with a taco meal, so perfect for bite size food for football games etc. 
Basically, heat up the tortilla in the microwave for 10 seconds or so, just so it's often and will flop down a little over a muffin tin to curve down into the bowl shape you want.  You can use the bottom of a pan and stick this in the oven upside down for about 10 minutes at 350 (they will be browning around the side and firm when they are ready. 

 I had some stubborn tortillas, and I used a mini baking dish to stick over the tortilla and make an even deeper bowl. 

I used to buy 'kits' at the store that came with templates you could make and put in the oven....now I spend a dollar on 16 tortillas and save a few bucks, and have enough for friends. 

Pie: Cinnamon Bun Pie Pockets

 I recently saw this recipe over at picky palate and I had to try it out.  These remind me of pies on a stick in their little minature form, but I've never tried a cinnamon bun flavored pie.  Oh.  My.  These were super simple and super delicious.  You can call them dessert.  I called them breakfast.  I halved the recipe for the sake of the buttons on my clothes, but I'll post the full recipe.  It also calls for a 3 inch cookie cutter (round).  I used the lid of a jar. 

Cinnamon Bun Pie Pockets

Ingredients
2 refrigerated 9-in pie crust, 8 oz of softened cream cheese, 1/4 c. packed brown sugar, 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, an additional 1/2 t. ground cinnamon (for pie topping), 1 T. sugar, 2 T butter (melted), 1 c. powdered sugar, 2-3 T milk or heavy cream. 
Instructions
1.  Unroll pie crust and cut out 3 inch round pieces (12 per 9 inch round)

 2.  Mix cream cheese, brown sugar and 1/2 t. cinnamon.  Place cookies on siplat lined baking sheet, or baking stone.  Place 1 T. of mix into 1/2 of the rounds. 

 3.  Brush water along the edge of the filled dough and add top dough piece.  Press together. 
4.  Mix the sugar and 1/2 t. cinnamon.  Brush the tops of the pies with the melted butter, sprinkle with the cin/sugar mix. 

 5.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.  Whisk together powdered sugar and cream.  Drizzle over the tops of the warm pies.  Devour.  Rinse.  Repeat.

Pizza Muffins

 I love bite size foods...especially when talking tailgate parties etc.  These are super simple.  I saw a recipe like this via Martha, and just adapted it to make it easy. 
I took refrigerated pizza dough from a can, cut it into squares and slipped it down into muffin tins and sort of 'shaped' the cups.  I didn't add any cooking spray, and they popped out just fine. 

 I decided for my pizza to add tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese. I've also made these with various pizza toppings, but I usually leave the marinara off, and then add a cup for dipping the muffins into to taste. 
One way I've 'tried' to lighten these up is to use the 50 calorie cheese sticks.  I grate these up (tip from WW)....it makes a really big pile of cheese, and significantly cuts calories. 

 I baked these at 400 for about 13 minutes....basically, until the cheese was browning and the dough looked ready.  Very scientific.  One can of dough made 12 pizza muffins.

Mini Chili Bowl Appetizers

 This is such an easy idea....I wish I had seen it years ago.  Sure, I like a big bowl of soup or chili, but it's usually accompanied by a bunch of different foods, and when I saw this floating around the net, I had to try it out.  Instead of soup rolls, grab a bag of rolls.  Hollow them out....toast them up if you want....

 In this case I added the fixing for chili. 

 I love the idea of having a big basket of these for a football party ready to be put together....you don't have to worry with the utensils, it only takes a few bits, you can hold the bread the whole time, and go back in for seconds.  Relatively mess-less chili....hello, yes. 

July 4th: 7 Layer Picnic Dip To Go

 I saw the idea for putting dip in individual cups at the girl who ate everything.  I love this idea for football parties, or even better....summer picnics.  No messy spoons and plates. 

I used a combination of recipes from the past.  Here are my seven layers. 

1.  Can of refried beans.

2.  I bought pre-made guacamole at the store. 

3.  8 oz of sour cream mixed with 1/2 pkg of taco seasoning.

4.  Salsa

5.  Shredded cheese. 

6.  Tomatoes

7.  Green and purple onions. 

 I'm serving these up with the star shaped chips from yesterday.  I cut a wedge in a few pre-cooking so they can dangle on the edge.  I'm capping these off and packin' 'em up for picnicking fun in the summer.