Taco Cupcakes

 

Ingredients

For the Taco Cupcakes:

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 cup salsa

24 wonton wrappers

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cooking spray

For Toppings (optional):

Sour cream

Chopped green onions

Diced tomatoes

Sliced black olives

Fresh cilantro

Jalapeño slices

Directions

Preheat the Oven:

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly spray a standard muffin tin with cooking spray.

Cook the Meat:

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef or turkey until browned and fully cooked. Drain any excess fat. Add the taco seasoning mix and salsa, stirring to combine. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.

Assemble the Taco Cupcakes:

Place one wonton wrapper into each muffin cup, pressing it down to form a cup shape. Add a spoonful of the meat mixture into each cup, then sprinkle with a bit of both cheeses. Add another wonton wrapper on top, pressing down gently. Repeat with another layer of meat and cheese.

Bake:

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the wonton wrappers are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Garnish and Serve:

Remove the taco cupcakes from the oven and let them cool slightly in the muffin tin. Carefully remove them and place on a serving platter. Top with your favorite taco toppings like sour cream, green onions, tomatoes, olives, cilantro, and jalapeño slices.

How to Prepare

Start by preheating your oven and cooking the seasoned meat. Assemble the taco cupcakes by layering wonton wrappers, meat mixture, and cheese in a muffin tin. Bake until golden and crispy, then top with your favorite garnishes. Serve warm and enjoy!

SIX MINUTE CARAMELS

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light Karo syrup

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in heavy saucepan.

2. Cook 6 minutes oven medium heat, stirring every two minutes.

3. Stir and pour into lightly greased dish.

4. Let cool.

5. Cut, wrap in wax paper & store in an airtight container

CHOCOLATE PECAN TURTLE CLUSTERS

 Ingredients :

2 1/2 C pecans

1/2 C butter (I use salted)

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C light corn syrup

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1/2 of a 14 ounce can)

1/2 t vanilla

1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate chips

1/2 t shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)

Directions :

1. Toss 2 1/2 cups of pecans into a large skillet. Toast them over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until they have darkened just a bit and smell fragrant and wonderful. Should only take a few minutes

2. Find yourself 2 large cookie sheets. Line them with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Arrange your pecans into clusters, three to a group works well. You want to leave some space (about an inch) between each cluster.

3. Make your caramel (full tutorial with pictures found here). Place 1/2 C butter into a medium-sized sauce pan. Melt it over medium high heat. Add 1 C brown sugar, 1/2 C light corn syrup and 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk to the pan. Increase the heat just a bit and stir it continually. Cook and stir until it reaches 235-240 degrees. I generally remove it from the heat when it reaches about 234 degrees. It will continue to rise in temperature just a bit even without the direct heat, making the caramel just the right texture.

4. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

5. Carefully drizzle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel over each nut cluster. You’ll want to work quickly, as the caramel will begin to set up. Be sure there is caramel touching all of the nuts in your cluster. The caramel works like glue, sticking the nuts together.

6. In a microwave safe bowl pour 12 ounces of milk chocolate chips. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each cooking interval.

7. Add 1/2 teaspoon of shortening to the melted chocolate. Allow it to sit for a minute or two (so it can melt and make the chocolate chips more spreadable). Stir it all together.

8. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted chocolate over the top of the caramel and nuts. Swirl it around along the top making a pretty swoop with your spoon.

9. Allow the chocolate to set up. Once it has hardened and cooled you can serve them immediately, or transfer them to an air tight container.

Yummy Cream Puffs And Chocolate Eclairs – It’s A Pastry Frenzy!

 

Ingredients

PASTRY SHELLS

1 cup water

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) Kerrygold unsalted butter

3/8 teaspoon Morton salt

1 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

4 large eggs

CREAM PUFF FILLING

2 cups heavy or whipping cream

1/4 cup granulated Domino sugar, or to taste

1 teaspoon McCormick vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIR FILLING

pastry cream filling

*See easy substitute in tips, below.

ICING

1 cup Toll House chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

Instructions

Before you begin: note that the pastry recipe will make 12 cream puffs OR 20 to 24 éclairs. The filling recipes (whipped cream, and pastry cream) make enough for 12 pastries each. The icing recipe is a generous amount for icing 2 dozen éclairs. If you simply want to drizzle the éclairs with icing, cut both the chocolate and cream in half.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

Combine the water, butter, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, heat until the butter has melted, and bring to a rolling boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously.

Return the pan to the burner and cook over medium heat, stirring all the while, until the mixture smooths out and follows the spoon around the pan; this should take less than a minute.

Remove the pan from the heat, and let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes. It’ll still feel hot, but you should be able to hold a finger in it for a few seconds. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the temperature should be below 125°F.

Transfer the mixture to a mixer, and beat in the eggs one at a time; it’ll look curdled at first, but when you add the last egg it should become smooth. Beat for at least 2 minutes after adding the last egg.

Using a generously filled tablespoon cookie scoop, or a level muffin scoop, drop the thick batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 3- to 4-tablespoon mounds. Space the mounds about 3″ apart, to allow for expansion. For éclairs, pipe the batter into 5″ logs about 1/2″ to 3/4″ in diameter.

Bake the pastries for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until pastries are a medium golden brown. Don’t open the oven door while the pastries are baking.

Remove the pastries from the oven. Make a small slit in the top of each, and return them to the oven for 5 minutes, to allow the steam to escape. Place them on a rack to cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, split each in half to make top and bottom pieces; splitting and exposing the centers to air will help keep them from becoming soggy.

To make the cream puff filling: Pour the cream into a mixing bowl, and begin to whip it on high speed (using your mixer’s whisk attachment, if you have one). Sprinkle in the sugar gradually as the cream whips. Whip until stiff, but be careful not to over-whip; cream should still look smooth.

Fill the bottom halves of the puffs with whipped cream, then replace their tops. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.

To make the éclair filling: Prepare your favorite pastry cream filling; see tips below for our favorite. You’ll need about 3 cups of filling.

Spoon the filling into the éclair shells.

To make the icing, place the chocolate chips or chunks and cream in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup.

Heat over low heat (or in the microwave) until the cream is very hot.

Remove from the heat, and stir until the chocolate melts and the icing is smooth. Spoon over the éclairs, spreading to the edges. Serve immediately.

Tater Tot Casserole

 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 1-pound package tater tots

2 10-ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (or 3 cans if you want it extra creamy)

1 or 2 14-ounce cans vegetables (whole-kernel corn, green beans, etc.)

Onion and garlic powder (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, brown the ground beef (seasoning to taste as you cook) and drain off the grease.

Spread the beef in the bottom of a 2- to 2½-quart baking dish.

Drain the liquid off the vegetables and spread them over the meat.

Using a rubber spatula, spread the cans of soup over the top of the vegetables and meat. Use the soup as is, straight from the can. Do not mix it with anything.

Arrange a layer of tater tots over the top of that.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Crack Sticks Recipe

 Ingredients:

1 loaf (16 ounces) thinly sliced white bread, crusts removed

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, melted

Instructions

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Spread about 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Roll up, jelly-roll style. Dip in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 16 roll-ups. Good warm or cold.

No-Bake Eclair Cake

 

Ingredients

2 packages of instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz each)

3 cups cold milk

1 container of Cool Whip (8 oz), thawed

1 box graham crackers (approximately 14.4 oz)

1 tub of chocolate frosting (16 oz)

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and cold milk until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Fold in the thawed Cool Whip until fully incorporated.

In a 9×13-inch baking dish, arrange a layer of graham crackers to cover the bottom.

Spread half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers.

Add another layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding mixture.

Spread the remaining pudding mixture evenly over the graham crackers.

Top with a final layer of graham crackers.

Microwave the tub of chocolate frosting for about 15 seconds to make it easier to spread.

Spread the softened frosting over the top layer of graham crackers.

Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.

How to Prepare

Start by mixing the instant pudding mix with cold milk until it reaches a thick consistency. This typically takes about 2 minutes of vigorous whisking. Once thickened, gently fold in the thawed Cool Whip, ensuring it’s evenly mixed. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by laying down a base layer of graham crackers. Spread half of your pudding and Cool Whip mixture over this layer. Continue by adding another layer of graham crackers and the rest of the pudding mixture. Finish with a final layer of graham crackers. To make the frosting easier to spread, microwave it briefly. Once softened, spread it over the top graham cracker layer. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate to allow the layers to meld together beautifully.

Preparation Time

Mixing time: 10 minutes

Layering time: 10 minutes

Refrigeration time: At least 4 hours (overnight preferred)

Total preparation time: 20 minutes (plus refrigeration)

Servings

This recipe serves approximately 12-15 people, making it perfect for family gatherings or parties.