Satisfied

I'm happy

Alright I don't know if I just get too excited or if I'm a complete space cadet but EVERY time I try out a new recipe I make at least one mistake. This recipe was more like five or six mistakes, and they STILL turned out phenomenal if that tells you anything. I have stayed up late salivating over this recipe on Pinterest for months now and finally decided to make it. They were simple and the ingredients were fairly cheap, which makes this a perfect weeknight recipe for when you really aren't in the mood to cook. Now I am going to list the mistakes I made, so that you don't make them and then I will list what I am going to change for next time. First off, the recipe called for rice along with some seasonings. Anyone who knows me knows that I have zero common sense, although I'm starting to think it is delayed common sense, because I always seem to figure it out AS I'm dumping the wrong ingredients in the bowl. For some reason I bought a bag of mexican rice, which is already heavily seasoned, then proceeded to dump all my seasonings on top. Like I said, as soon as the seasonings were on the rice was when I realized I should have just cooked plain brown rice and added the seasonings to it. Classic Caroline, nothing new to see here. The next mistake I made was buying my cilantro a week before I made the recipe, so when I opened up the bag it went straight to the trash can. I feel the cilantro would have made this recipe about 53% yummier than it turned out to be, so next time I will not make that dreadful mistake. Next mistake was using black beans, which the recipe called for but my husband HATES black beans and I actually agree with him that this particular recipe would be better without them, so next time I'm ditching the frijoles negros. Mistake number four and probably the most critical one--I had no salsa to go with them. Salsa would have made these the best burritos that have ever crossed my lips. So I am going to the store tomorrow to get some to have for our leftovers. After all of this, I wasn't expecting them to be very good but I was SHOCKED at how yummy they were. My husband LOVED them, despite the beans fiasco. The burrito was crispy and light, and inside was creamy and tasty. Next time I make these I will definitely use the cilantro, add lettuce, skip the beans, make brown rice and season it and make sure my fridge is stocked with Picante sauce. Oh and I added sour cream to my burrito...DUH.

Crispy Southwestern Chicken Wraps Recipe

Shammy Says "Not a total Betty but a vast improvement"

And The Winner Is....!

Not the best picture but I was too busy shoveling this in my dome to care about getting a picture

A few weeks ago I posted a status asking for your favorite recipes and I had to pick ONE out of many delicious sounding recipes. It wasn't easy but the reason this lasagna won out over the others is because I had to make sure it would also please my picky husband. I have never made lasagna before either, so I also took that into consideration when making my decision. This recipe was posted by Katie Newman on her blog "Katie Lately," which I will post a link to below, along with a link to the recipe. I have always been afraid to attempt lasagna because I've heard it is difficult to make. This was one of the easiest recipes I have made to date and it turned out wonderfully! You use oven ready lasagna noodles which cuts your time in half--and that leaves you time to make a cocktail as you're cooking. It's always good to keep your priorities straight. Bottom line is I threw this together in under 15 minutes and then popped it in the oven and watched it cook while anxiously waiting to taste it. It isn't as rich as some other lasagna recipes that I've tried, which is good because you can eat more and finish up the leftovers, which is what my husband did. He gobbled this up like it was his last meal. Very yummy recipe and thank you to Katie for posting it! Until the next contest, enjoy this dish!

Katie's blog - Katie Lately

Lasagna Recipe

Shammy Says "My friends know good food!"

One Delicious Heart Attack On A Plate

"Creamy" would be a hideous understatement

Lemony Tuna Noodle Casserole. Those were the words that caught my eye when I was browsing Pinterest last week looking for new recipes. I love tuna noodle casserole and I love lemon even more so I figured this would be the perfect recipe. Only one thing was standing in my way, my picky husband. Pooh Bear is not a huge fan of lemon or tuna so I knew I would have to play with this recipe a bit. I subbed out the tuna for grilled chicken and used half of the amount of lemon that it called for. The chicken seemed to work out perfectly. It was a success, he loved it and so did I. The only drawback to it is that it is VERY RICH, so rich that I couldn't eat as much as I wanted to because I knew I would end up with a bellyache deluxe if I did. It was very decadent, rich and creamy but I think next time to balance out the richness I will use skim or 2% milk instead of whole milk, a lighter cheese(which may be difficult since it called for Gruyere cheese, which is a classy version of Swiss,) and perhaps olive oil to cook the leeks in instead of butter. If anyone has any other substitutions or tweaks to this recipe that would lighten it up a bit, I would love recommendations because I will definitely be making it again!

Lemony Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

Shammy Says "RICH but very delicious"

Homemade, Easy, and Delicious!

Amazing

Who knew homemade pop tarts were this easy to make? All you need is pie crust, jam or preserves(flavor of your choice,) powdered sugar, sparkling sugar and an egg if you want to put an egg wash on them before baking. They taste wonderful, very different from a Pop Tart you buy at the store though, since these don't have all the preservatives. These are still not considered healthy but they are a much better choice than the boxed Pop Tarts. Enjoy!

Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe

Shammy Says "Pop Tarts are the greatest invention ever"

I Need An Apple Tree

Cute AND delicious

These mini apple pies were hands down one of the best things I've ever made. I was nervous considering I had never even baked a pie before but these were super easy, the hardest part was slicing the apples. I LOVE apple pie but I like more crust than filling so I just added more dough on the tops of each one before baking. They were phenomenal, that is all.

Mini Apple Pie Recipe

Shammy Says "12 was NOT enough"

My World Has Just Been Turned Upside-Down, Pun Intended

I stared at this picture for 5 minutes trying to think of an appropriate caption and came up with nothing.

I have ALWAYS wanted to try a Pineapple Upside-Down cake. I knew it would be something I would like, before ever tasting it. I love pineapples, I love maraschino cherries and I love cake. I found this recipe for Pineapple Upside-Down cupcakes and figured I would go for it. I couldn't wait for them to cool so, consequently I burnt my mouth as I was tasting them, but I am pleased to report that the burn was worth it. They turned out even better than I was expecting, if that is even possible. They were fairly easy to make and I will definitely be making them again!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcake Recipe

Shammy Says "An out of body experience"

The clouds parted, and it rained PANCAKES

What a lovely way to start your day

WOW. I just thought I had found the best pancake mix when I blogged about the Kodiak Cakes last year, which are good but they don't hold a candle to Krusteaz. I stumbled upon this brand when I was picking up the ingredients for my Corn Dog recipe from the Pioneer Woman. The recipe stated that you COULD use any pancake mix, but it highly recommended the Krusteaz brand because that is what Corn Dog 7 uses. I don't question Corn Dog 7 so I was hoping to find this at Reasors, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it sitting right next to my Kodiak Cakes. This morning I woke up and was about to make pancakes when I saw this box staring at me from the top shelf of my pantry. As I was mixing up the batter I noticed it was very white, unlike any other pancake batter I had ever seen. I was growing very anxious to try them as they were fluffing up in my pan. As I sunk my teeth into the first bite I got very lightheaded. The feeling took over me like a calm breeze on a cool summer night. Heavenly. I thought to myself "these are the best pancakes I've ever had in my life." The feeling was bittersweet, I was so happy to have found this pancake mix yet so sad that it had taken me this long to find it. Oh well, the point is that I have found it and now I can share it with my shamsters. Go to Reasors and buy it today, and enjoy the best pancakes of your life tomorrow!

Shammy Says "Did I mention you just add water?"

Oh Thank Heavens for Indian Tacos!

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

So I was craving Indian Tacos the other day and decided I couldn't wait another nine months for the State Fair to roll around. I went to my tried and true website where no recipe fails to satisfy me: : Pioneer Woman. This woman deserves a Nobel prize for cooking food. I have tried over thirty recipes of hers and every single one has been pure fireworks. I love mexican food and I love fry bread, so whoever came up with the Indian Taco is a genius in my book. The dough was surprisingly easy to prepare and easy to fry, although the frying was a tad time consuming but totally worth it when I took my first bite. This is going to be a staple meal in my house from now on. Although next time I may go all out and make homemade nacho cheese to drizzle over it :)

Indian Taco Recipe

Shammy Says "Homemade Indian Tacos: 1. State Fair Indian Tacos: 0"

Crack-pot Beef Stroganoff

Mesmerizing

Beef Stroganoff has long been one of my favorite meals to eat ever since I was a kid. My mom makes a killer Beef Stroganoff, so when I decided to jump in feet first and try my own version I was hesitant. I had big expectations going in and this recipe fulfilled every last one of them. On top of being one of the tastiest meals I've had, it is also the EASIEST meal I have ever prepared, ever. It is a tad rich but the mashed potatoes help balance that out. This meal is in my top 5 favorite meals now of all time, and that is a coveted list to be on.


Crock-pot Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Shammy Says "Cheap, easy, delicious, and fool proof, need I say more?"