Munchie Monday- I'm Back With a Great Meal!

Hi everybody. Sorry that I've been MIA for several weeks I've had a lot going on. Today I will be sharing a recipe that I absolutely LOVE! If you love lasagna or Italian food this is hands down the best I have ever had!

You will need:

1 box of lasagna noodles (oven ready or the kind you have to boil)

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1 ¼ lb ground beef

½ medium onion, diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz

1 can Italian diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz

2 cans tomato paste, 6 oz each

2/3 cup water

2-3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon parsley

2 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon slat

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

4 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausage, beef and onion over medium heat for 10 minutes or until meat is cooked, breaking up meat into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain.

2. In a large pot dump the cooked meat mixture, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes; stir occasionally. Meanwhile combine both cheeses in a bowl.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. I used a 1.5 quart and a 3 quart glass baking pan. On top of the meat mixture add one layer of noodles, then add another layer of meat, then a layer of cheese. Repeat layers till the dish is full. Top with any remaining cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Place on a cookie sheet to catch drips. Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Bake, uncovered 25 minutes longer

I hope you enjoyed this lasagna as much as my family and I do. You can also use the meat sauce as a homemade spaghetti sauce. I will be back blogging more often!  To stay up to date with me and the blog through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Munchie Monday- Better Than Restaurant Style Salsa

My boyfriend says the best way to find out if a Mexican restaurant is any good is by the taste of their salsa. If you don't like the taste of their salsa then you might as well walk out. This salsa is to me and my boyfriend is the best salsa we have tasted.

Ingredients:

1 can of whole peel tomatoes (28 oz)

½ a bundle of cilantro

4 jalapenos

1 clove of garlic

½ small onion

pinch of salt and pepper

*Optional*

1 Tomatillo 

Directions:

1. Drain the tomatoes but keep the juice. Pour the tomatoes into your blender.

2. Add cilantro, salt and pepper, garlic, onion, jalapenos (with the stems cut off) and my secret ingredient a tomatillo. The tomatillo will also make the salsa more green in color then it would if you don't add it.

Remember the tomatillo is optional.

3. This is the part that is a bit more up to you. I personally like my salsa more chunky so I use the blender setting 'chop' until its as chunky or smooth as I like it. Also you remember that I had you guys keep the tomato juice if its to spicy when you taste it add a little of the juice and a pinch of salt.

Now you guy have some yummy salsa to snack on or have it as a whole meal! :)

The little dish is from Walmart only $1! :)

I hope you guys enjoy this salsa as much as I do. Let me know what you guys think about it  either on  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  or just by commenting below! :)

Munchie Monday- Cheesecake Minis

Thursday is my amazing boyfriends 20th birthday and he LOVE cheesecake! I am making these cheesecake in cupcake tins for a special dessert for his birthday. 

For the crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Tablespoon sugar

3 Tablespoon butter

For the filling:

3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla

3 Eggs

For the topping:

1 cup whipping cream

Strawberry preserves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F (162°C)

2. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Mix graham cracker crumbs 2 Tbsp sugar and melted butter together: press in the bottoms of 18 lined cupcake tins.

3. Beat cream cheese, sugar  and vanilla until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition.

4. Spoon filling in each cup. Bake 25 minutes or until enters are almost set. Let cool and refrigerate 2 hours.

5. Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form spoon on top of cheesecake. I topped about half this way then I add a spoonful or two of the strawberry preserves and beat again till blended and topped on a few more cheesecakes.

Theses taste so good! They are nice and moist. I love them!

Excuse my horrible stove in the background :)

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Munchie Monday- S'Mores Cupcakes!

Hi everybody! I hope you guys had a terrific weekend!

I love to eat s'mores whenever we grill outside or go camping but, in Texas it's gets to hot sometimes to do that stuff so I thought I would attempt to make s'more cupcakes!

You will need:

Graham crackers

Hershey's chocolate bars

Marshmallows

One box chocolate cake mix

Directions:

1. Follow the directions on the box cake mix and bake.

2. In a food processor or blender crumble about 3-4 graham crackers.

3. When the cupcakes are about 5 minutes from being done and place a marshmallow on top of each cupcake and finish baking.

This was all that was left by the time I took the picture! OOPS! :)

4. Well the marshmallows are still gooey (a real technical term right LOL) sprinkle the graham cracker crumbles over the cupcakes.  Break the Hershey's bar up, don't worry they aren't suppose to look perfect, and stick one piece in the center of each cupcake.

I personally like them a little warm but they still taste delicious cold and room temperature!

They are messy just like real s'mores!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try these out you can tag me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Munchie Monday- Family Dish

This week I'm sharing with you guys a dish that has been passed down through my boyfriends family. His abuelita (grandma) has passed this to his mom, his mom to him and him to me. Now I'm sharing it with you guys! Enjoy! :)

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:

My boyfriend thought this looked cool LOL!

1lb Ground beef

2 Roma tomatoes

1-1 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (about half a bundle)

1-1 1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (we like to add a little extra)

1/4 teaspoon steak seasoning

1/5 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cups pinto beans

oil

corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef, while its browning add cumin, salt, steak seasoning and garlic salt.

This is when it's cooked down some.

2. Drain ground beef. Add cilantro, onion and tomatoes and cook with the ground beef for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Don't forget to stair and it will cook down so if it looks like a lot don't worry.

It may not look good but its delicious!

3. Put the beans on to boil. You know that they are ready when they aren't hard anymore. Take about 2/3-1/2 of the entire pot drained and and them to the ground beef mixture and mash them with the mixture.

We like using cast-iron skillets!

4. Pour oil in a small skillet about half full. Heat oil up on medium-high heat. Fry 1 tortilla at a time for 10-20 seconds on each side. Shake off extra oil with a non-fried tortilla.

I had the flash on the aren't as greasy as the picture shows.

5. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the ground beef mixture in a tortilla, roll and set on a serving platter and form a pyramid with each enchiladas to keep them warm.

Our snack! Just the ground mixture on a slice of bread.

6. Serve with shredded cheese and or the green sauce on top with rice and the remaining beans on the side. These will make quite a few the most we made was like 24+. They taste good as leftovers!

Green Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 bundle (1-1 1/2 cup)Cilantro

2 Large Tomatillos

1/2 Onion

2 Roma tomatoes
3 large Jalapenos
Garlic
Salt

Directions:

1.  Place all items in a medium sauce pan and boil till tender.

2. Take each item out and place in a blender. Try not to get any of  the water, a little is okay but you don't want little to no water!

3. Add one clove of garlic and a pinch or two of salt. Liquefy it in the blender. This sauce is NOT suppose to be chunky at all its suppose to be smooth.

I hope you enjoy this traditional Mexican meal! Let me know how yours come out by tweeting me, tagging  on Instagram or posting on my Facebook page.

Munchie Monday- Patriotic Cupcakes

Don't these look yummy?? :)

This past Friday was Independence Day here in the states and I decide the day to make festive red, white and blue cupcakes.

You will need:

1 box of white cake mix

2 14oz vanilla frosting

3 egg whites

1 1/4 cup of water

1/3 cup of oil

Red and blue food coloring

Cupcake tin and cupcake paper cups

Mixer and bowl

3 Pastry bags and 1 tip

Directions:

1. Empty the box cake mix in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg whites, water and oil to the cake mix. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally, until well blended

2. Divide mix into three bowl. Using  the food coloring tint one bowl red, one blue and leave the third bowl white.

3. Next spoon one spoonful of red cake mix in each cup, followed by white and blue mix. 

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool them for about 10 minutes in the pan and 30 minutes out on a cooling rake. 

5. While your waiting for to cupcakes to cool you can prepare your frosting. I divided the frosting among three bowls and dyed two red and blue. I didn't use the red because in came out pink LOL. Put the blue and white frosting in their own pastry bags. 

6. With your spare bag cut the tip and place your decorating tip in the bag. Cut the tip off the other two bag and place the bags in the third bag. 

7. Now you can decorate your cupcakes! I just swirled the frosting around the cupcake. Nothing to fancy but a perfect dessert option to a Fourth of July barbecue 

First time swirling frosting!

I hope you guys had a great weekend and for my fellow Americans I hope your Fourth of July was great. I hope you like these. If you do try them out let me know by tweeting me a picture or tagging me on Instagram! What would you like to see a recipe of? Tweet me of comment below. Also don't forget to show some love by liking my new Facebook page.

Munchie Monday- Red Velvet Cupcakes

It's Munchie Monday again  folks. The last time I went to Walmart here in Lockhart I purchased this cupcake mix for I think $2.50, great deal for a dozen!

I followed the instruction on the box for the cupcake mix and the frosting. It was pretty simple to make.

My bowl of "Blood" lol!

The mix you add egg, water and oil. Mix it till its all wet. Pour it in each of the prepared cupcake holder about 1/2-2/3 way full. Pop them into the oven and wait.

Let them cool on a cooling rake. I made the frosting while they were in the oven. 

My hair tie as a rubber band lol.

I think I made it to early and that's why he icing looks bad lol. Icing that you make at home doesn't like me :(.This can with a pastry bag to put the icing in and you can make the icing go into the cupcake as well as on top.

The cupcakes are so moist and tasty and for about $2 for a dozen cupcakes you can't go wrong.

That's it for Munchie Monday this week. Come back tomarrow for Garden Tuesday. Tag/follow me on Instagram.

Munchie Monday- It's a dogs life for me.

This week's Munchie Monday is not for people but for the four legged people of this world. As you guys can probably tell from the title I'm talking about your dogs. I am so excited about this one because this is a special treat for one of my dogs, Sarah, who on Wednesday will be two years old. More about it in this weeks Throwback Thursday!

I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com I did half the recipe because it makes 4 dozen when you use a cookie cutter like they used. The cookie cutter I used made about 40+/-. I'm kinda glad I didn't use the full recipe. 

Here is the half recipe:

Ingredients:

Into the oven the bunnies go!

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons AND 2 teaspoons of margarine

1/2 cup of boiling water

1/4 cup AND 2 tablespoons of cornmeal

1 teaspoon of white sugar

1 teaspoon of beef or chicken bouillon granules

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour

I burned a few :(

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325*F (165*C). In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, margarine, and boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes, while you grease cookie sheets.

2. Thoroughly stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk, Cheddar cheese, and egg. Mix in flour, a little at a time, until a stiff dough has formed.

3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, mixing flour as needed until dough is smooth and not sticky. Roll dough out to a 1/2" thickness and cut with a cookie cutter and place 1 inch apart on the greased cookie sheets.

4. Bake 35-45 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Cool before serving.

Sarah say they are yummy!

My doggies LOVED them!! They would've eaten all of them if I let them.

Can we have some more?

That's it for Munchie Monday. I hope your doggie friends enjoy these amazing treats! Let me know how they come out, tag me on Instagram.

xoxo

Rita!