Cinco de Mayo

Looking for a great menu for Cinco de Mayo.  Try these!

APPETIZERS

 Pioneer Woman's Guacamole

Pioneer Woman's Pico de Gallo

SOUP

Taco Soup

 

MAIN COURSE

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Angela's Awesome Enchiladas

Biscuit Tostadas

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar-Pecan Topping

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar-Pecan Topping
 adapted from Epicurious
22 ounces red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 2 large), peeled,
  cut into 1-inch pieces 6 tablespoons
(3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt

For topping
1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; transfer potatoes to large bowl and add butter.

Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add egg, sugar, spice and salt; beat to blend. Transfer mixture to 8 x 8-inch baking dish.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)

Bake potatoes until beginning to brown around edges and slightly puffed, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare topping: Mix together all ingredients in medium bowl. Spoon topping evenly over potatoes. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes longer.

Modifications:
-I multiplied this recipe x3 to serve 20.

Here's what you'll need for the potatoes.

Cut the potatoes and put them on to boil.

Drain them.

Add the butter.

Using a hand mixer, whip the potatoes.

Add the sugar and spices.

Add the eggs and mix.

Spread out into a baking dish. 

(If making ahead of time, cover and put in the refrigerator at this point)

Now to prepare the topping.

Here's what you'll need:

Place the corn flakes in a bag and crush them.

Place the nuts in a bowl.

Add the brown sugar.

Add the butter and mix together.

Put the potatoes in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Add the topping and cook for another 10 minutes.

Our Thoughts:

I asked my friends on Facebook to send me their favorite Thanksgiving dishes and my friend, Andrea, sent this one to me.

Of course, sweet potatoes a staple at Thanksgiving but this dish was extra special.  Normally, our sweet potatoes are still in big chunks so whipping them with all of that butter really gave them a creamy texture.

The start of the dish, though, was that brown sugar-pecan topping.  SO GOOD!  The crunchiness of the pecans against the smoothness of the potatoes made for a perfect bite and the melted brown sugar was delicious.

I will definitely be adding this to my holiday favorites!

Hope you enjoy!
April

Cranberry Pineapple Mini

Cranberry Pineapple Mini
1 can crushed pineapple in juice
2 pkg. (3 ounce) Rasberry Jello
1 16 ounce can of whole berry cranberry sauce
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 Apple chopped

Directions:  Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add enough water to juice to measure 2 1/2 cups, pour into saucepan. bring to boil. Pour over gelatin mixes in large bowl stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in pineapple, cranberry sauce, walnuts and apple.Spoon into 24 paper lined muffin cups. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Modifications:
-I used pecans instead of walnuts.

I forgot to take a picture of what you will need but just look at the recipe.

Drain the pineapple juice into a bowl and add enough water to make 2 1/2 cups of liquid.  Put it on to boil.

Open the gelatin packet and pour the hot liquid over it.  Stir until the gelatin completely dissolves.

Add the cranberry, crushed pineapple, diced apple and walnuts.

Pour into muffin cups and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Here's what you'll get:

Our Thoughts:
A few weeks ago I put out a request on Facebook for my friends' favorite holiday dishes.  My friend, Kendra sent this recipe to me.

I didn't think that I would really like this dish because I am not a jello fan at all but, boy, was I wrong!  This dish was great and a huge hit at our Thanksgiving table.

The combination of the pineapple, apple, and nuts gave it the texture that I definitely need.  It was sweet and tart and went perfectly with my cranberry glazed turkey.

I ended up taking all of the little muffin bowls and just putting them in to one bowl so that we could each dip out as much as we wanted.

This is definitely a dish that I will start making year after year.

Hope you enjoy!
April

Pecan-Stuffed Butternut Squash

Pecan-Stuffed Butternut Squash
2 medium butternut squash (about 3lbs each)
3/4 tsp salt
Pepper, optional
4oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:  Cut each squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds.  Place squash cut side down in two 13x9inch dishes; add 1/2 inch water.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Turn squash over; sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.  In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in pecans.  spoon into squash cavities.

Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until filling is lightly browned and squash is tender.

Modifications:
-I divided the recipe in half.

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the squash length-wise and then scoop it out.

Fill the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with 1/2 inch of water and lay the squash, cut side down, into the dish.

Bake or 45 minutes to 1 hour.

While the squash is baking, mix together the cream cheese, butter and brown sugar. 

Throw in the pecans and mix it together.

After about 45 minutes to an hour, pull the squash out and turn it over.  Spoon in the cream cheese mixture.

Put it back into the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:
We have developed a love for acorn squash.  Normally I just cut it up and make it into "fries" almost by just roasting the squash but this had a great flavor, too, and the cream cheese filling added a little extra sweetness.

While we enjoyed this dish, I just don't think it is very feasible for a normal summer's day.  The whole time I was eating this I kept thinking how good it would be for Thanksgiving dinner as it seems more like a comfort food with the cream cheese and pecans. 

While little effort went into making this dish, it still took almost an hour and a half from start to finish.

Hope you enjoy!
April

Roasted Acorn Squash

I got this recipe in my Weight Watchers packet this week and thought they would go great with the veggie-filled burgers.

Roasted Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash
Coarse salt
Chili powder
cooking spray

Directions:  Peel and chop up the squash.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Sprinkle on salt and chili powder.  Spray the cooking spray on the squash.  Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Here's what you'll need:

Cut off the ends

Peel

Scoop out the seeds

Cut up

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Coat a pan with cooking spray.  Spread out and sprinkle with sale and chili powder and then spray the squash with the cooking spray.

In to the oven for 18-20 minutes.  I had some extra sweet potatoes so I cut them up and put them in, too.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

We loved this!  I was really kind of surprised because I wouldn't say that I have typically been a squash kind of girl but it was really good.

The one thing I will say is that it was really, really hard to cut, peel, and cut up this squash-much harder than a sweet potato.  The sweetness came out of the squash after roasting but it still had a firm texture like a potato.  I can't wait to make this again and maybe cut up some onion and apple to roast along with it.  I also can't wait to grill the squash.

I did have some left-over sweet potato so I just added it to the pan and roasted it, too.  It was fabulous!  Scott couldn't get enough of it.

Hope you enjoy!

April

Rum and Eggnog French Toast

A couple of weeks ago I found a blog, Three Jewels in My Crown.  Crystal had posted a recipe for Rum and Egg Nog French Toast. The title of this recipe just screamed Christmas to me and I knew that I wanted to try it.  As it happens, though, I had never even tasted egg nog before but when we had our PJ, Cookies and Craft night my friend, JoAnna, brought and left some at my house so I had all of the ingredients.

Rum and Egg Nog French Toast

2 eggs
1/2 C. store bought egg nog
2 T. spiced rum (optional)
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/8 t. cinnamon plus 1/8 t. nutmeg)
6 slices bread (I used thick french bread)

Directions:  Whisk together eggs, egg nog, rum and spices. Heat a griddle. Dredge bread in egg mixture.{I say that like I know what I'm talking about. For non-culinary peeps like me, "Dredge" simply means to dunk or soak something} Butter the hot griddle and place soaked bread on the griddle. Cook on each side until golden brown. Serve with butter and powdered sugar or syrup.

~The rum is optional. If you leave it out (like I did because it was just me and the kids tonight) then try adding 1/2 t. vanilla in it’s place.

Here's what you will need:



Here are a couple of REALLY crappy pictures but it is 1/2 cup egg nog and 2 Tbsps of Captain Morgan's. 

Next comes 2 eggs and a good dash of cinnamon.  I didn't have nutmeg so I just added a bit more cinnamon and whisked it altogether.

 I was using my griddle to fry up some turkey bacon so I just used a regular old skillet and threw some butter in there.

I dipped both sides of the bread into the egg mixture and then put it in the skillet until it was brown on one side and then flipped to brown the other.

When both sides were browned, I pulled it off the skillet and put sprinkled powdered sugar all over with a side of turkey bacon.

I had to take one more picture.  A little story . . . when my husband was growing up and his mom made French toast they never used syrup or powdered sugar.  They used 100% granulated sugar out of the sugar bowl.  They would sprinkle the entire thing with nothing but sugar.  I have always laughed about this because there is no way I would put just pure sugar all over my kids' French toast but that's what they did and that's how he likes it.  This morning I asked him if he wanted me to get out the sugar and he said that he would try it with powdered sugar.  I had to take a picture and the amount of sugar he put all over it with NO SYRUP!  Notice the huge clumped balls of powdered sugar.

Our Thoughts:

I was so excited to get up on Christmas Eve morning and make breakfast for the family.  I hope that I will make this a yearly tradition.

I have never cooked French toast before and this was really, really easy.  I was a little apprehensive about the rum and egg nog but, honestly, we really couldn't taste either one of them.  I think the egg nog just help to coat the bread more than just straight eggs.

The taste that everyone loved was the cinnamon.  Scott kept saying that there was a really good after taste.  When he figured out that it was the cinnamon, he told me to always make it that way.  Big success!

Hope you enjoy!
April