Monday, February 25, 2013

Monkey Bread Muffins

I have been dying to make monkey bread ever since I first heard about it. It seems so easy, there's no mixing even required, and it's only 5 simple ingredients. When I saw the mini version of monkey bread, in muffin form, I was pretty pumped. Here is the original recipe. 


Serves: 10
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
-1 package of refrigerated biscuit dough
-1 stick of butter
-cinnamon
-sugar
-1 can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place 1/2 teaspoon of butter into each cup in a muffin pan.


3. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the butter in each cup.


4. Sprinkle sugar on top of the butter in each cup.


 5. Cut each biscuit into thirds.


6. Roll each third into a ball, and place all 3 parts into each cup.



7. Place 1/2 teaspoon of butter into each cup in a muffin pan.


8. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the butter in each cup. 


9. Sprinkle sugar on top of the butter in each cup.


10. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.


11. Spoon sweetened condensed milk over each muffin.







12. Allow the milk to soak in for at least 10 minutes, and serve.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Rattlesnake Bites

I saw this one a while back on Pinterest and have been waiting for a good time to try it. I finally made it last night while hanging with the boys. It was a hit! It's called "rattlesnake bites" because it has a little bit of a bite to it. I actually divided this recipe in half, and once the meat was browned, added all ingredients but the jalapeños to my own separate batch because I am not a huge fan of spicy food. Here is the original recipe. I put my own special twist on it, too.

Serves: 8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:
-1 8oz package of cream cheese
-1 lb ground beef
-1 package of taco seasoning
-2 packages of crescent roll dough
-1/4 tsp chili powder
-1 can or jar of jalapeños

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Brown hamburger meat in a pan. Pour out excess fat.


2. Stir in taco mix (per package directions, I needed to add 3/4 cup water also).


3. Cube the cream cheese.


4. Add cream cheese, chili powder, and jalapeños to the meat and stir well.


5. Lay out the crescent rolls on a baking pan. Spoon about 1 and a half spoonfuls of the meat mixture onto each roll.


6. Roll each crescent roll up and pinch the edges shut.



7. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until golden brown.





Friday, February 22, 2013

Map Coasters

This idea is amazing. Now, I have seen many different ways of doing map coasters using Mod Podge, etc. This is probably the easiest way I have seen, and unfortunately, I was unable to find the original post for it to give that person credit. The idea actually comes from my creative friend, Rich, who made these as a wedding gift. Map coasters can be for places you have traveled to, places you lived, places you love, or places you have a special connection with.


Materials:
-Maps of the places you want to use (AAA has them for free if you are a member or know someone who can get them for you!)
-photo coasters
-scissors
-pencil with eraser
-laminating machine (If you don't have one, you can go to Staples, Kinko's, OfficeMax, or an office supplies place to have it done. It only cost me about $3.00)

1. Locate the area on the map you would like to use for the coaster.


 2. Use the back of the coaster (or the insert if there is one in the pocket) to trace the exact size of it onto the map.


3. Cut the piece of map out.

4. Repeat for all of the other places you would like to use.


5. Take the map pieces to get laminated (you can do these all on one sheet, because you will be cutting them out again anyways).

6.  Cut out the laminated map pieces (if you didn't already have them cut them at the laminate place).


7. Slide into the coaster, facing up. You may need to trim the edges a bit to get them to fit exactly.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Upcycled Candle Jar

If you are ridiculously addicted to the candles you buy from Yankee Candle or Bath & Body Works like I am, long after the candles are about done, you can save the candle jars and upcycle them for bathroom storage for cotton balls, makeup, etc! Here are the original directions. Genius! I may even use these for my craft supplies.

Materials:
-candle
-butter knife
-olive oil or baby oil
-liquid soap
-rag
-paper towel

1. Place your candle in the freezer for an hour or longer. This will actually cause the wax to shrink slightly so that it will easily come out of the container.

2. Remove candle from the freezer. Use a butter knife to remove the remaining wax. You can save the wax for use in a candle burner later.


3. If any wax remains, pour a little baby oil or olive oil onto a rag, and gently rub it until it comes off. Remove any labels or stickers. This candle had a design on it that was not a label, but some have a sticker that can be peeled off.




4. Rinse the jar out with warm, soapy water.


5. Dry the jar with a paper towel. Fill with cotton balls, nail polish bottles, or whatever you like!




Saturday, February 9, 2013

Breaded Mushrooms

I saw this recipe on Pinterest (where else?) and gave it a whirl. It was really good!

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
-1 pack of mushrooms
-4 tablespoons of bread crumbs
-3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
-1 pinch of garlic salt
-1 pinch of black pepper
-1 egg
-ranch dressing (optional, to serve on the side)

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Rinse mushrooms in cold water and remove stems.


3. Beat egg in a bowl. Dip each mushroom into the egg.


4. Pour bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and pepper into a bowl, and roll each mushroom into the mixture.


5. Place mushrooms onto a baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until outside is golden brown.


6. Serve with ranch dressing on the side.



Sunday, February 3, 2013

Baked Cheddar Broccoli Rice Cups

I am a huge fan of my mom's broccoli cheese casserole, so when I saw this recipe, I was pretty excited to try it. It turned out well, and makes a great side dish to any dinner. Here is the original recipe. 


Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
-1 cup instant rice
-1 cup chicken stock
-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
-2 eggs
-1 bag frozen broccoli florets (thawed)
-1/2 tsp salt and pepper, to taste
-ranch dressing (optional, to be served on the side)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pour chicken stock into a pot and heat on stove top until boiling.


3. Pour in rice, stir, turn off heat, and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes.



4. Beat eggs in a bowl. Set aside. 


5. Mix broccoli, rice, eggs, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Add in half of the shredded cheese and mix.



6. Coat a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop mixture into the cups.



7. Top cups with remaining cheese.


8. Put muffin pan into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (until mixture begins to brown around the edges).

9. Serve with ranch dressing on the side. Sorry I did not get an "after" photo--hunger set in and we ate all of the cups!