Potato Tacos

So have you ever wondered what to do with leftover mashed potatoes? I hate leftover mashed potatoes. If you are like me and never know what to use them for I have a yummy recipe for you that will take care of them so you don't end up just throwing them out. They are potato tacos. I got this idea from my mother in law. Believe me they are yummy and my kids usually prefer them over beef tacos and even if you don't have leftover mashed potatoes and want to have potato tacos you can do these with leftover baked potatoes or even raw potatoes you just dice the raw potatoes up and cook till tender and crispy.

Potato Tacos
left over mashed potatoes(doesn't matter the amount just whatever you have)
2 T. olive oil, oil, or butter

Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet. Place mashed potatoes in the pan and cook on medium heat until starts to brown. Stirring and flipping the potatoes frequently until nicely browned all over. Serve in corn tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.
Here is what the potatoes should look like when done cooking:

Healthy and Hearty Chicken Quinoa Stew

I found this recipe awhile back over at Picky Palate and knew I had to try it out. It was so yummy and good for you!!! Quinoa(keen-wah) is very good for you and for those who don't know what it is google it and read all about it and its benefits. I will not bore you with a history lesson on it. Anywho, I know I have posted a lot of soup recipes but the winter is what soup is for. Go ahead and give this soup a try you won't be disappointed believe me!!!

Hearty &Healthy Chicken Quinoa Stew adapted from Picky Palate

2 T. olive oil

2 T. minced garlic

1 large onion, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

5 large carrots, chopped

2 cups mini sweet peppers, chopped (or 2 red orange or yellow bell peppers)

1 large zucchini, chopped

64 oz chicken broth

3 cups water

3 T. chicken bouillon or 3 bouillon cubes

15 oz can diced tomatoes

3 cups cooked Quinoa

3 medium chicken breast cooked and shredded

2 T. spicy brown mustard

1/2 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

1-2 T. parsley

Heat oil in a large pot. Saute the garlic, onion,peppers and zucchini until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour. Serve with homemade bread or rolls!!!

Overnigh Apple Cinnmon Oatmeal

This oatmeal is really yummy and good for you!! What could be easier than dumping things in a crockpot the night before and having a yummy warm breakfast the next morning. Give this a try it is tasty!!

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
4 cups water
2 cups apple juice
1 cup rolled or steel cut oats
1/2 cup pearl barley(not quick cooking)
1/3 cup flax seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger(optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1 apple (chopped, you can peel if you want but I didn't)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Place all in a crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Serve with any toppings you like:milk, cream, nuts, chopped apple, honey, etc.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1 T olive oil
2 T garlic
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
9 sweet mini peppers, or 1 bell pepper
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups cooked wild rice
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 T parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T chicken bouillon
1 small can cream of chicken soup

Saute the onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and garlic in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer for a few hours. Serve with warm bread or rolls.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

These bars are so yummy and easy. They would be great for a potluck or a get together with friends. Way easier than making cookie after cookie and taste just as good. I saw this recipe over at Jamie cooks it up and Mels Kitchen cafe and knew I had to try these out. Please don't judge them by the picture because I had friends over for dinner tonight and took a fast picture while trying to get these on the plate fast enough for our kiddos. Give them a try you won't be disappointed!!!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 1/8 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

12 T. butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

Stir dry ingredients all together. Melt butter in microwave. Whisk in the sugars, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and whisk till well combined. Pour butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Line a 9x13 inch pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Press the dough into the pan.(the tin foil is going to make it super easy to pull these out of the pan and cut them) Bake at 325 and bake for 24-28 minutes. Let your pan cool and then cut into bars. Enjoy!!!

Cafe Rio Pork

For those of you who have lived or live in Utah this is the knock off of Cafe Rio's pork they use in their burritos and salads. It really is to die for and oh so easy to make. If you make a salad out of it it is pretty healthy for you as well(if you limit the dressing you put on it). Most recipes I have seen use a fattier piece of pork like the pork butt but I use the lean Pork loin roast and it works out great. If you love Mexican food you need to give this a try.

Cafe Rio Pork

3- 4lb pork loin

3 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups dr pepper, pepsi, or coke, root beer would even work

1 1/2 cups salsa

Place pork loin in a crock pot. Rub the pork with cumin, pepper, and salt. Mix the salsa, brown sugar, and soda together then pour over the spiced rubbed pork. Cook on high for 5-6 hours until the pork can easily pull apart and be shredded. Drain the Liquid off the pork but save it, you will dump most of it back over the shredded meat. Shred the pork and dump enough of the juices back on the pork to your liking.

Serve the pork in tortillas with black beans or refried beans or our favorite way is to make a salad. We use lettuce and fresh spinach, then add a little shredded meat, black beans, tomatoes, avocadoes, tortillas strips(for a little crunch) shredded cheese, and tomatillo ranch dressing.

Tomatillo Ranch dressing

1 ranch dressing mix packet

1 cup mayo

1 cup milk

2 tomatillos(found by the jalapenos and they look like a little green tomato)

1 jalapeno

juice of 1 lime

2 cloves fresh garlic

1 bunch of cilantro

Place all in a blender and mix until well combined. Serve with above pork on a salad.

Chocolate Chip Oreo/canybar Sandwiches

The other day I saw these at Picky Palate. I knew I had to try them out especially with the candy bars because I have tons of fun sized candy bars left over from Christmas still. My kids love these and I may or may not of eating two of them and they are huge!!! I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. YOu can use you favorite recipe for them or if you are real lazy you can use store bought dough.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo/Candy Bar Sandwiches
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
4-5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 bag of chocolate chips
about 24 oreos or 24 fun size candy bars( I used twix, milky way, snickers)

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugars together till fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Take a hunk of dough and inclose an oreo or candy bar completely in the middle of the dough. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until done to you liking. Take out of the oven and let cool 5 minutes on the pan. Then enjoy!!!

Cookie with a twix in the middle!!!

Thai Chicken

I found this recipe for Thai Chicken Pasta over at Recipe Shoebox and wanted to try it out. I decided to eat it over rice and make it in the crockpot so it could be a quick fix meal. I love the crockpot cause you can put it in in the morning or at lunch time and leave it and then you have dinner in a few hours. Love it!! Anyway, this chicken was really tasty and easy to make. If you need an easy meal to make give this a try. I served it over Cocnut rice!!! So yummy!!!


Thai Chicken adapted from Recipe Shoebox
3 cups salsa
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup orange juice
4 T. honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 chicken breasts, cut in large chunks

Dump all in the crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until the chicken can be shredded and is cooked. Serve over Rice or pasta.

Coconut Rice
3 cups rice or jasmine rice
2 cups cocnut milk (found in the asian aisle of grocery store)
1 3/4 cup water
2 T. shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil

Rub oil on bottom of saucepan. Place everything else in the pan and bring to a boil. Stir, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins

I made these muffins this morning for breakfast and they were a hit. My kids loved them and I thought they were pretty tasty as well. They will be added to my pile of recipes we love.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 T. Maple extract
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour(I used half whole wheat half all purpose)
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, maple, syrup, sour cream, butter, and eggs until well combined. Add the extracts. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix just until combined. Fill your greased or lined muffin tins 2/3 the way full with batter then sprinkle each with crumb topping(recipe below) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Crumb topping:
6 T. flour
6 T. sugar
4 T. nuts, chopped(i used pecans)
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T. butter

Mix all these together with two knives or a pastry blender until crumbly.

Italian Tortellini Soup

For a church activity I had to make some soup. I decide to make some tortellini soup. I found a few recipes for it but decide to make up my own. This turned out really well and I got asked for the recipe many times.

Italian Tortellini Soup

1 lb hamburger

2 T. garlic

1 onion chopped

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 green pepper or I used about 10 mini sweet peppers(yellow, red, and orange)

1-2 cups carrots, chopped

2-3 zucchini, chopped

2 large cans of crushed tomatoes

1 (6 0z) can tomatoe paste

8 cups beef broth(or 8 cups water and 10 tsp beef bouillon)

4 cubes beef bouillon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 1/2 T, parsley

1 tsp basil

1 pkg. Good Seasonings Italian dressing mix or Roasted red pepper and basil dip (if you can find it just use one or the other)

1 can tomato soup(normal size can)

1 to 2 cans Drained pinto beans

20 oz of cheese tortellini (cooked)

Brown your hamburger. Drain the grease. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrot, and peppers Saute until veggies are starting to get tender. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the tortellini and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until veggies are cooked all the way. (I simmered mine for about 1 hour) Then add the tortellini and serve with bread or rolls.