Baby Apple Dumplins'

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I like to cook, but not so much bake. Way too much measuring for my tastes. So, whenever I do bake it has to be simple. These little dumplings were right up my alley.

Baby Apple Dumplins'

2 granny smith apples
2 cans of crescent rolls
2 sticks of butter
1.5 cups of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 can of Mountain Dew
cinnamon **I used cinnamon sugar that I got at the Amish store**

Peel apples and slice each apple into 8 wedges. Wrap each wedge in a crescent roll. Place in a greased baking dish. Mix together melted butter, sugar and vanilla and pour over dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew into dish around dumplings. Sprinkle all with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Serve warm, preferably with vanilla ice cream.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

OMG! If you like jalapeno poppers, you must give this a try. It is super good!
We ate it with Fritos scoops.

Mix together 8oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup of mayo, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, 1/2 cup of parmesan and a can of sliced jalapenos.

Place in a baking dish.

Mix together 1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of parmesan and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

I made this awhile back and it was quite good. I made it to put on top of taco salads we had for dinner one night, but it was also good with just tortilla chips which is what we did with the leftovers.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn, rinsed and drained
green onions, chopped
tomato, chopped
avocado, chopped
1 jar of pimentos
fresh cilantro
salt
lime juice
garlic powder

Mix all well and let chill before serving.

Bada Bing Potatoes

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.

Here is what I did, which was pretty close.

Boil potatoes as directed, but for only 15 minutes instead of 20. After reading reviews this seemed to eliminate the too mushy factor. Then smash each as directed. I used the bottom of a glass measuring cup.

In a large bowl, I mixed together melted butter, evoo, fresh basil, some McCormick's Italian Seasoning, fresh garlic, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, season salt and pepper.

Layout on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes until crispy.

These were so delicious! I will make them again and again!

Portobello Pizza

Homemade Pizza Sunday. My kiddo did a bagel pizza. Hubby did a FlatOut Bread Pizza. I'm eating as few carbs as possible right now, so I made a Portobello pizza.

Remove stem and gills from mushroom. Brush with olive oil and bake about 4 minutes. Top with sauce and desired toppings. Then cheese. I also sprinkled on some fresh basil from my plant. So good. :-)

Oh Snap Shrimp!

I recently concocted this and it turned out super yummy. Fresh ingredients are a must for this one. No dried basil, garlic powder or fake lemon juice will do..use the real stuff!

Toss peeled and deveined shrimp into a bowl with a drizzle of sesame oil, the juice of one lemon, 1 tbsp of garlic, 2 leaves of chopped fresh basil, 1 tsp of hot chili paste, 1 tbsp of coconut flour and a dash or two of salt and pepper. Mix well.

The longer it sits, the more the flavors will meld together.

Saute it all in coconut oil until done.

Bacon Ranch Poppers

Cut tops off of fresh jalapenos and cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes.
In a bowl mix together softened cream cheese, some shredded sharp cheddar and dry ranch mix. Stuff peppers. Wrap with bacon and broil until bacon is crisp.

Lovely Lemon!

This year for Easter I wanted something lemony. I traditionally make lemon bars but decided I wanted a pie or something, but I didn't want the gel type pie filling. This reminds me more of a lemony cheesecake.

Lovely Lemon Pie

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of lemon juice
half a container of cool whip
graham cracker crust

Mix together condensed milk and lemon juice until it starts getting thick. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Chill in fridge, preferably overnight.
Eat!
Could it be any easier??

Crab Rangoon Cups

I made this appetizer a bit back when I was craving Crab Rangoon, but wanting to be relatively healthy and not eat the fried version. Not exactly the same, but good nonetheless.

Cut egg roll wrappers into four squares. Spray mini muffin pan and place a wrapper in each hole. Brush with some sesame oil. Other will do, but I think sesame oil is always a better flavor for anything oriental.

Mix together flaked crab meat, chopped green onions, chopped water chestnuts, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Stuff wrappers and bake at 350 until lightly browned and mixture is bubbly.