Spicy Taco Braid

I have made this a couple of times and it is a hit every time. Everyone loves it. We even tried it out on company! Warm bread filled with spicy taco fixings... really nothing is better. The braid makes for a fun presentation and you can cut as much or as little as you want. Just use your favorite bread recipe, store bought dough, or even frozen bread dough. It is really easy too!
                                
Ingredients:
1 recipe for bread (homemade, store bought, or frozen)
4 oz of low fat Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Salsa
1 lb ground turkey, cooked and seasoned with a taco seasoning packet
1 can (15oz) of black beans (drained)
1 cup of colby cheese, grated
olive oil
garlic salt
sour cream
cilantro

1. Roll dough into a 15-in. x 12-in. rectangle on a floured surface. Carefully place your dough on a greased cookie sheet. It's very important to place the dough on the cookie sheet before you fill it because once you fill it, it will be too heavy to move onto the cookie sheet. :)  Mix salsa and cream cheese in a small bowl until smooth.  I take a knife and gently score my dough, dividing it into thirds length wise. This was I know where all the filling is supposed to go and the outer edges are ready to be cut and braided. Ok, spread the cream cheese and salsa mixture down the center. Then top it with the seasoned meat and black beans. Sprinkle with cheese.

2.On each long side, cut 1 inch wide strips about 2-1/2-inches into center. I use my clean kitchen scissors. It makes it super easy. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling.

3. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Don't worry about what it looks like. After rising for a few minutes and cooking it..... it will look beautiful! 

4. Next, cover and let rise for 20 minutes. I just let it sit in the oven that I turned on for a few minutes, then turned off. Just warm....not hot.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, cover with a big piece of foil and cook for another 10 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and lightly spray with butter flavored non-stick spray. Ok, that may seem weird and gross, but it's not! This is my secret to soft bread right out of the oven. So lightly spray it and put the foil back over it while it cools for a few minutes. You will have soft, fluffy bread. promise!Transfer your braid to cutting board with 2 spatulas and cut of big pieces of delishisness! I
* Serve this with a green salad, sour cream and guacamole.

The finished braid. Before cutting into it. You see that baby eyeballing dinner? So good.

                                 Ready to eat! Look at that gooey cheese!

Cowboy Coffee Cake

This is the coffee cake that my mom used to make me and my little friends every time I had a sleepover growing up. Now I make it all the time! It is my go-to coffee cake recipe and we love it. It goes great with eggs and fruit salad and I make it to complement our dinner meals too! Very versatile and super yummy!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup egg beaters or 2 egg whites
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

filling and topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons tub butter, melted
walnuts (if you want)

glaze: powdered sugar
milk

1. Oven to 375. Combine the applesauce, eggs, and milk in a large bowl. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined.

2. Next, mix up your filling and topping ingredients. Just stir them all up in a bowl then pour it into a zip lock sandwich bag.

3. Ok, pour half of your batter into a greased 9x9 baking dish. Then snip off one corner of your zip lock bag and drizzle HALF of the filling on top of the batter. Then pour the rest of the batter on top and drizzle the rest of the topping onto the top of your cake. If you like walnuts....add them now! Right on top!
4. Bake or 20-25 minutes until the cake is cooked through. While it is baking make a quick glaze by mixing 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a couple of teaspoons of milk. Just find the consistency you like by adding more milk to thin it out or more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
5. When your cake comes out of the oven let it cool for a couple of minutes then drizzle your glaze on top. I poured my glaze into a zip lock bag also and drizzled it on top. Super easy and less messy! Serve this with breakfast items like eggs, sausage, omelets, fruit salad.....or dinner!

Before you dig in......

Steak Tacos with Pineapple Corn Salsa

We don't' eat a lot of red meat around here. I guess it is because growing up we NEVER had red meat. My mom was a vegetarian and so we mostly ate chicken and ground turkey with our meals, which just so happen to be my favorites now. But every once and a while I get a little wild and cook beef for my family. I know, crazy stuff. Well, this recipe was given to me by my WONDERFUL sister and it was so good! I love that it is also a slow cooker meal so little effort has to go into this. Start it in the morning and by dinner time you are set! Yum, tacos!




Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 lb. flank steak
1 fresh pineapple, chopped (bite size) and divided
1 red onion, chopped and divided
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 avocado, pitted and diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 can corn, drained
salt and pepper
flour tortillas

1. Ok. Start this baby in the morning....like 10-11 am so by dinner time it is done! Cut your massive piece of meat into four chunks. This way it will fit better into your slow cooker. Into the crock pot : cut steak, 3/4 of your chopped onion (save the last 1/4 for the salsa) 1/2 of the chopped pineapple, chili powder, and then sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Set to low and allow it to just hang out for 7-8 hours.
2. About 1/2 hour before you want to eat take two forks and shred your meat right in the crock pot. Time to make salsa. Combine your left over onion and pineapple, chopped cilantro, corn, lime juice, and jalapeno. Toss that all together and set aside. Don't add the avocado just yet. Wait and add that in right before serving so you don't have a brown avocado. Not attractive....
3.To assemble simply take a nice warm tortilla (homemade are amazing here) fill full of warm shredded steak and top with your cool salsa. Then dig in and enjoy every tasty bite!

* I added tomato too!

Chicken Stuffed Avocado

This was a great, healthy, quick meal I know we will have again! All the flavors mixed together were amazing. I love avocados. Fill them with creamy chicken salad and you have a meal!

At dinner I was eating my meal and I look up at my husband and his food was GONE. He looked and me and I smiled and then he said.... "what? They were really good." That makes me one happy cook. Empty plates and happy bellies!



Ingredients: (makes 2 adult portions)

2 cooked chickens breast, cooled and shredded
*(I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning and grilled them while I assembled the rest of the salad)
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
4 tablespoons low fat mayo
2 tablespoons white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 avocados, halved and pits removed

1. Super easy here. Cook up your chicken. I grilled mine. I love the flavor of grilled chicken. A rotisserie chicken would work great here too.
2. In a bowl combine corn, black beans, green onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and tortilla chips. Toss to combine. In another smaller bowl whisk together the mayo and vinegar. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking.
3. When your chicken is done, toss it in with the veggies and pour your dressing over the top of it all. Mix and top your avocados with a mound of chicken salad. Just dig right into your avocado with a spoon or fork, it's fun too.
4. Serve this with some fruit and some warm bread. (we had flat bread, yum!)

recipe adapted from Cheeky Kitchen

Milky Way Brownies

I have a special place in my heart from brownies. I love them. A lot. I prefer brownies to cake and cookies. The perfect dessert.... a warm brownie with vanilla frozen yogurt on the side drizzled with chocolate sauce and a dollop of cool whip right on top. Now, my husband is well aware of the obsession I have with brownies. He is so good to me. He loves apple pie, crips, cake.... but a good portion of the time we are eating dessert it is some variation of a yummy brownie. I try to branch out for him and I do (made him his OWN apple pie this past weekend) but once and a while I NEED a brownie. I justify my addiction by making them low fat. They are so very g-o-o-d too.

When my mom was alive, EVERY weekend we would have dessert and watch a movie. Living a couple blocks from each other was such a blessing! Again, my dad and rex are very sweet to put up with us. I would make the brownies, they would bring the frozen yogurt (nonfat of course) and the dessert feast would begin. So many good memories. Around here we save dessert for the weekend. Probably because we go all out and i have to set some boundaries for myself :) So it is a special occasion. I made these and oh baby they were good! A fudge brownie on the bottom, smothered in caramel and peanuts, topped with a chocolate ganache. Yeah, I will be making these again. Sorry honey :)



Ingredients:

1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg white or 1/2 cup egg beaters (i have been using egg beaters because it saves my eggs)
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
fat free caramel sauce
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts (more if you like:)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 cup fat free half and half

1. Make up your brownies. Whisk together applesauce, sugar, vanilla, and egg whites. Add in your flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix until smooth and combined. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish. You could always line your pan with foil and spray that if you want to pop them out and cut them. It is a bit prettier, especially if you are serving them to company....But if you aren't trying to take a picture or serving them to a crowd you can just pour all the yummy goodness right into the sprayed pan.
2. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until center is cooked in a 350 oven. When they are done let them cool for a about 20 minutes. Now what I did was after they had cooled for a bit I poked the brownies all over with a skewer and then drizzled the caramel topping all over until the brownies are covered. Yum. Next sprinkle your peanuts over the caramel. Ok, lets make ganache.
3.Very easy. Put your chocolate chips in a sauce pan and turn the heat to med-low. As the chocolate starts to melt add in 1/2 cup of the half and half. When everything is combined and smooth you can add a bit more half and half to thin out the chocolate. You are going to carefully drizzle the chocolate over the top of the brownies and WAIT for them to cool. Good luck it is really hard because they look soooo good! Cut and eat!

* With desserts that need time to cool or set I try to make in the afternoon or even in the morning. So after the kids are in bed.... those brownies are mine!

Big Soft Pretzels

I have been wanting to make homemade pretzels for a long time. I finally did it and I can't believe it took me sooo long. They were easy and so delicious! Seriously, we loved them and ate them for dinner one night with a big veggie platter and dips! It was a fun dinner and the pretzels were warm, chewy and had a nice salty bite to them. Amazing. Try them! This recipe is from Alton Brown and it got like a million 5star reviews...and now I know why!



Ingredietns:

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
kosher salt

Directions

1.Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

You could also brush with a bit of butter and sprinke cinnamon and sugar on them and dip them in a glaze. Yum! We dipped in mustard and had them plain, they were amazing!

Cheese Burger Sloppy Joes

My husband loves sloppy joes. Loves them. So, I decided to create a new version of the classic for him. Well, as I thought.... he loved it! Well here you have it....tangy sauce, cheeseburger toppings, all on a toasted bun, oh delish!



Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup ketchup
2-3 tablespoons spicy mustard
salt
pepper
chopped tomatoes
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese
sliced pickles
hamburger buns

1. This is so easy and great because it comes together really quick! First toss your onions in a non-stick skillet drizzled with just a teaspoon olive oil and cook over medium heat until they are a soft and translucent.
2. Next, add your ground turkey and crumble it into the onions. Cook all the way through. Add some salt and pepper. I like pepper, a lot.... so I added a little bit more. Time to add your condiments.
3.Add your ketchup and mustard and stir to combine. Add a splash of water to thin it out if it is a bit too thick. You want it to be nice and saucy. Now taste. Is it good? Add more mustard, ketchup, salt or pepper so it is just how you like it. Or don't touch it.... it is going to be delicious will all the toppings.
4. Toast your buns and top with your sloppy cheeseburger mixture. Right on topp add cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles and dig in!

*this is great with homemade french fries and fruit salad. Or in the summer, a nice juicy watermelon!