Oven Baked Tacos

Brown your ground beef and drain completely - then add refried beans, taco seasoning and about half a can of tomato sauce. Mix together and scoop into taco shells, (stand them up in a casserole dish).

Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake at 375 for 10 minutes!!!!!! 

S'MORE CUPS:

• 7 whole graham crackers, finely crushed
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 4 bars milk chocolate candy
• 12 large marshmallows

You are going to be shocked at how easy these are. Click Share to save to wall, so it's easy to find.

Preheat oven to 350. Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in small bowl. Mix well with fork.

Place small scoop of crumb mixture in each cup of a mini-muffin pan. Press crumbs to form shallow cups. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling

While the crust is in the oven, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.

Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using shears dipped in cold water. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are just slightly softened. Remove from oven; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. Cool completely.

Break remaining candy bars and place in (1-cup) prep bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute-1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand 40 minutes-1 hour or until set.

Yield: 24 cups
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Yeah, right. Like they'll last that long.

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Churro Pancakes

These Churro Pancakes might be the easiest thing you can make for Cinco De Mayo tomorrow! Whip up a batch of your favorite pancakes (whether from a box or from scratch), then just butter each side of the pancake, and dip each side in a cinnamon-sugar mixture!  I love Krusteaz Whole Wheat Pancake Mix so that’s what I used…because you know me, I do things the easy way!!

The hot butter on the pancakes allows the cinnamon and sugar to seep into the pancakes a little…ooh it is so good!  These babies don’t need syrup or whip cream or any other fixins on top, they areplentysweet!  As you can see I gave my pancakes a good, thick coat of cinnamon and sugar.  

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Churro Pancakes

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup Krusteaz Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Butter, soft

Instructions

Mix sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside. 

Mix pancake mix and water until well combined but slightly lumpy.  Cook pancakes on a lightly greased hot griddle.  (or use your own pancake mix or recipe to make your favorite pancakes!)

Immediately spread butter on each side of the pancake, then dip each pancake into the cinnamon-sugar mixture coating each side well.

Enjoy while hot!!

Found recipe here: http://sweettreatsmore.com/2012/05/churro-pancakes/

Panko-Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Fries

You'll need:
2 x-large or 3 medium zucchini
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup grated parmesan/parmesan-romano cheese
1 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic salt
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted margarine/butter [I used light margarine]

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.  This will allow for easy clean-up later.  My baking rack was slightly larger than the baking pan that I used.  I took care, and made certain that it was firmly in place before moving.   Otherwise, fit the rack inside of the baking pan.

Remove the stem from either end, then cut the zucchini through the middle into two equal halves.  Then, slice each piece lengthwise in half again.  Lay on the cutting board, flat side down.  Cut into 1/4-1/3 inch slices.  No two zucchini's are the same, but, it's important that the pieces be the same width and length so, the fries will cook evenly. 

On a plate, mix together the panko, parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic salt until well blended. 

Prepare the dredging ingredients in this order, zucchini fries, egg wash, and panko-parmesan crumbs.  Liberally spray the baking rack with cooking spray to prevent sticking.  If you're using a cookie sheet, you won't need to be quite as heavy handed, a light spritz with cooking spray will work. 

Dip the zucchini in the egg wash then into the panko-parmesan breadcrumbs.  Place side by side on the baking rack leaving equal space between each piece.  Drizzle each with the melted margarine/butter.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden and crispy. 

Allow to cool on the rack/pan for a couple of minutes before removing to a serving plate.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.  Yield: 4-6 servings

Cook's note:
When I'm making a dish that requires a dredging mixture, I tend to over make the breading.  There's nothing worse, in my opinion, than getting halfway through the process and having to stop and mix more breading ingredients.  My zucchini were approximately 9-10 inches long and around 4-5 inches in circumference.  You can adapt the ingredient amounts based on the size of the zucchini you're preparing.

Found recipe here: http://melissassouthernstylekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/07/panko-parmesan-crusted-zucchini-fries.html

Broccoli Salad

A light, tangy dressing jazzes up the broccoli, and the cranberries, almonds, red onion, and bacon crumbles add incredible flavor. On top of all of these wonderful things, it is ridiculously easy to throw together and can be made ahead. Are you sold? Okay then, let’s get to it!

What you’ll need to have on hand – 2 or 3 broccoli crowns, bacon, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, red onion, light sour cream, light mayo, white wine vinegar. You’ll also need to grab a little white sugar from the pantry.

First you’ll need to cook the bacon. Are you all bakin’ your bacon yet? I find this to be the cleanest, easiest method. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty foil and place the bacon on it. Bake it in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or till nicely crisped. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. It works like a dream and the clean up is a breeze. Just throw out the greasy foil, give the pan a quick rinse and you’re done.

You will only need 5 pieces for this recipe but I like to cook the whole package at once and then refrigerate the extra it to reheat in the microwave for breakfast the next morning.

Crumble up 5 pieces of the bacon and set it aside for later.

Chop the broccoli florets into bite sized pieces and rinse them under cold water.

Place the broccoli in a large bowl and add the dried cranberries and chopped red onion.

Mix the dressing ingredients together in small bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Combine it well, until the dressing is totally incorporated and all of the broccoli is lightly coated. I always use light dairy products and make just enough dressing to lightly coat the salad. You can always up the dressing to salad ratio by using less broccoli if you prefer. For me it is all about fresh and light for this one.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or longer.  We’ll add the bacon and almonds just before serving so they won’t get soggy. There’s nothing worse than soggy almonds…bleh!

When you’re ready to serve, top the salad with the crumbled bacon and slivered almonds and mix it well.

Servings: 8

• 5 slices thick sliced bacon
  
• 2 or 3 crowns of fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces (approximately 6 cups)
• 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bacon on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18  minutes or till browned and crisp. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towels to drain. Crumble and set aside.

In a large serving bowl, combine the broccoli, onion and dried cranberries. In a small bowl, stir together the light mayonnaise, light sour cream, white wine vinegar, and sugar. Pour over broccoli mixture, and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours or up to six hours.

When ready to serve, stir in the crumbled bacon and slivered almonds.

Found recipe here:http://www.fromvalerieskitchen.com/2012/06/broccoli-salad/