Walking Tacos

I'm back!!

Well....sorta;)

We had our sweet little baby girl at the beginning of July and we've been having fun getting to know her! So hopefully I can keep the posts coming at least a couple times a week over the next month or so...

Anyway on to the easiest party food I've ever served!

Walking Tacos-something I had never heard of before My sister and I made a trip to South Dakota last fall. They are sooo easy and really good, I highly recommend them for parties-easy clean-up. People out there make them for camping-excellent idea!

Yum!!!

You'll need some small bags of Doritos in any flavor you like.

You can also use Fritos or tortilla chips.

Then all the fixings for tacos that you like.

We had ground beef, refried beans, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, cheese, avocados, salsa and sour cream.

Then you just toss in what you want and give the bag a shake and there you have it-

a walking taco!!

Looks good right;)

Two of our party guests enjoying their own creations:)

So if you need something different to serve this should do the trick!

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

A few weeks ago Kristi and i were chit-chatting and she asked if i have ever made chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding. I told her i never have and that she should put them on the blog because a lot of people probably haven't... not maybe a week later did i find this recipe on Greens and Chocolate! I had to give them a try... result? Excellent!!! They are so soft and chewy, well just plain delicious!! So it is not just another chocolate chip cookie recipe.... it is a great chocolate chip cookie recipe!!!

Do they not just look nummy? :) Sorry guys... wish i could give you all some!

In a medium flour, vanilla pudding, soda and salt.

Mix thoroughly!


In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, mix your room temperature butter and sugars....



until creamy... about 3 minutes.

Add your eggs one and a time and then add vanilla.

Gradually add your dry flour mixture to the wet mixture.

Using a wooded spoon add chocolate chips! Recipe says to use mini's but the regular size work perfect too!

Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes at 375°.

And last... enjoy!!

Printable Recipe

Vegetable Lo Mein and Orange Chicken

UPDATED: I, well okay, my husband, found the blog that i got the recipe for the Lo Mein from... More Than A Mount Full . Thanks for the great recipe!!

My husband and i both love Panda Express's Orange Chicken and Lo Mein!! But then again, who doesn't, right?? We do not have one in South Dakota and ever since we have tried it we are always trying to make it. This is the closest we have come so far! Not Panda but close!! I found the recipe for the Vegetable Lo Mein off of a blog quite a while ago but can not remember which one!!


We chose to use the Japanese noodles instead of Lo Mein. You can find them at World Market!

Wash your bok choy thoroughly... it seems to always be extremely dirty! Cut at an angle.

Add sesame oil into large wok or saute pan, add the onion and garlic. Stir fry for a few minutes until onions begin to cook. Add in your bok choy, stir to coat in oil and allow to soften up just a bit.

Once the veggies have begun to cook, add in everything else and coat with the oil. Stir fry until they are just barely cooked, you want as much crunch as you can from the veggies without them being raw. Add in your sauce and continue to get hot, mix in your cooked Lo Mein and serve immediately.

For the Orange Chicken:

Popcorn Chicken

Panda Express Orange Sauce

Add oil to a pan and get hot. Add popcorn chicken and brown slightly. Add the Panda Express orange sauce and let simmer until heated through and coated!! You may need to add a little water to the sauce.

Enjoy!!!!

Printable Recipe

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs

Need new something to do with your regular mashed potatoes? These potatoes are relatively easy and add great flavor! You can also make them ahead and throw them in the oven right before you are ready to eat! My husband looked at the potatoes and said, "Those look good but i know i am not going to like them!" Great, i though to myself... here we go again (he is a hard person to please when it comes to food!). But surprise, surprise... he loved them!!

Yummy!

Peel and and cut potatoes into about 1-inch pieces.


Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes.



Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well.

Mix in the milk and butter.



Mix in the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.



Coat a baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter. Transfer the potatoes to the dish.


If you do not have bread crumbs on hand, go ahead and make your own. Just throw a piece of bread in a mini chopper or food processor and there you have it!!

Easy as pie!!!

In a small bowl, stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Great thing is the recipe can be prepared up to this point hours ahead of time; cover and chill. Or bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Ready to eat... Potatoes were delicious and went great with a grilled steak!!!

Enjoy!!

Printable Recipe

**Recipe adapted from Giada De Lauretiis

Maple Oatmeal Scones

I ran across this recipe in the Weekend Cooking of the Food Network magazine, saw Maple and Scones, immediately bookmarked!! I love maple!! Food Network certainly got it right... a Saturday or Sunday morning is a perfect time to whip these scones up and relax with a nice cup of coffee!! (Do a little better planning than i did though so it isn't ruined with a trip to the grocery store in the middle... seems to be a trend!!) If you love scones, you will want to give these ones a try!

The perfect size...with a little extra maple glaze on the top!

Start the scones by mixing flour, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt with an electric mixer.

Cut or dice butter. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add butter to flour mixture. And i will forewarn you, you DID read the recipe right.... you do use 1 pound of butter!!


Mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces.

In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, maple syrup and eggs. Quickly add to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended... dough may be sticky.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface. Flour your hands and rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1 inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough.

Cut into 3-inch rounds.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.


Onto the glaze... combine the confectioner's sugar, maple syrup and vanilla.

When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with glaze. Garnish the tops with some uncooked oats.

Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee!

Printable Recipe

Korean Barbecued Flank Steak on Hot and Sour Slaw Salad

A lot of grillin' will be happening this weekend... put a twist on your regular steak and try Rachel Ray's Korean Flank Steak with the slaw. The Steak is so, so nummy!! It only marinades for ten minutes but makes the steak very flavorful! (Maybe i should give my hubby a little credit because he did a great job grillin' it too... i always seem to overcook it!) I think the slaw would be great too but we couldn't really eat mine... i put WAY to much red pepper flakes!!


The steak was so tender and full of flavor! I don't like any pink in mine but it still didn't get tough when we grilled it longer.

Mix together soy sauce, grill seasoning, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic sesame oil, scallions and vegetable oil. You will want to mix these ingredients in a shallow pan to allow your steak to marinade. (I forgot to get the grill seasoning but found a copycat online and it turned out great! Click here for the recipe.)

Add steak to the shallow dish and coat both sides with the marinade. Let stand about 10 minutes. Preheat indoor or outdoor grill to medium high. When hot, add meat and cook 5 minutes on each side for medium rare, 7 to 8 minutes on each side for medium well doneness. Once steak is cooked, let rest for 5 minutes to let juices redistribute.

While your steak is grilling, you will want to get started on your slaw. You can either use bok choy or napa cabbage...i went with bok choy. Wash and chop or shred.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, cabbage or bok choy and one half sliced red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add a drizzle of honey, a small amount of red pepper flakes and garlic. Toss to combine with cabbage. Add sauerkraut and mix in, heating it through; about 1 minute. Turn off heat.

Thinly slice the meat on a heavy angle against the grain. My steak was very tender and was almost falling apart... hmm i just want a little chunk! Pile the slaw up and top with sliced Korean steak and serve!! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe