Taco Seasoning

I was happily making tacos for my family.  I had just browned my hamburger, opened up the pantry to grab the trusty packet of taco seasoning...and...I didn't have one.

Ugh!

I had just gotten home from work and really didn't feel like getting back into the car and driving down the street to the store just for a taco packet.  So I made my own, I had found this while browsing the internet.  

It makes about the equivalent of two packets.  It is quite spicy but I like it.

So for all of you who run out of seasoning packets this is for you! 

Enjoy!

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Oregeno

1/4 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Paprika

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Made By Me: DIY Cleaning

Are you excited?

I know I am.

So you know how you can make your own laundry soap here.

My next thought was - what do I do about those annoying dryer sheets and fabric softener.

Well...I found it and I am going to share.  YAY!!!

Here is what you do.  Buy some Fabric Softener (your choice of brand and scent) 

and you need a hand towel.  SOAK the hand towel in the fabric softener and then SQUEEZE out all remaining drops.  Hang it over a chair or on a clothesline until COMPLETELY dry.  It takes about three days (yes...three days!)  Once you know it is completely dry, you will then be able to throw it in the dryer and use it just like a dryer sheet.  Use it for about 40-50 loads or a month.  

Then soak it again and do it over again.  And the best thing is that it works!!!

I have another one for you today too!  Make your own bathroom cleaner.  

This was amazing!  I just used it in my bathtub and it works!

What you need: White Distilled Vinegar and blue Dawn (it has to be the blue kind and I used Great Value) and a spray bottle.  You use equal amounts of vinegar and soap.  For my bathtub I used half a cup of each.  You heat up the vinegar in the microwave for about two minutes, place it and the soap in the spray bottle and mix gently.  You then spray the mixture all over, let it sit for a half hour or an hour and then wipe down.  AMAZING!  My faucets haven't shined like this for a very long time.  

I really do love do it yourself projects...and I hope you do too!

Frozen S'Mores

It is me, Kelli, back with another great Pinterest find.  Bet you couldn't see that one coming. :)

I had a work party and needed to make a dessert and found this great recipe to try.  I made two batches of these using my Pampered Chef Mini Muffin Pan, so it made 48 of these little devils.  

They lasted about ten minutes at my work party.  They are that GOOD!  Enjoy! :)

Mix the graham crackers with the butter and press into your pan with tart shaper.

Melt your chocolate chips with heavy whipping cream and pour into cups.

Divide marshmallows on top of the chocolate.

Pipe the pudding over top and freeze!

Frozen S'Mores
9 Sheets Graham Crackers
1/3 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Cup Mini Marshmallows
1 1/2 Cup Milk
1 box (3.9 oz) Instant Chocolate Pudding
1 (8 oz) Cool Whip (thawed in fridge)
Mini Chocolate Chips

Crush or blend graham crackers into fine crumbs. Melt butter and add to graham crackers, mixing until well combined to make crust. Prepare mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Evenly divide crust mixture into all cups, I used a Mini Tart Shaper to press crumbs firmly into the bottom of each cup. Place milk chocolate chips and whipping cream into a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Spoon chocolate into center of each cup, on top of the crust.
Divide Marshmallows among cups. Mix the milk with pudding on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in 1/2 of the Cool Whip container (the rest will be used as topping). Spoon filling into each cup evenly. You can try to pipe it with in a ziploc bag so that the whole cup is filled. I didn't level off the tops because there wouldn't have been that much pudding, but you can use a knife to smooth the tops level with the top of the pan. Freeze for at least a couple of hours. Allow the pan to warm just a bit before popping each dessert cup out.  For topping pipe a little bit of the left over Cool Whip on each dessert then sprinkled the remaining crust and mini chocolate chips on top. Serve cold right away– or put them in a sealed container and freeze until you are ready to serve.

Ham N' Cheese Garden Loaf

(I was too busy eating this recipe to catch a picture, so this one from the Internet will have to do for now. It is similar but not exact.)

Need something fast, satisfying and fairly healthy for dinner?

How about a quick ham and cheese loaf that involves fresh vegetables?

I have spinach coming on in my garden so that was added as a whim and made a huge improvement on taste!

Ingredients:

2 boxes Jiffy pizza crust mix

2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash seasoning

3-4 tbs ranch dressing

8 big ol' slices of ham

2 cups shredded cheese

25-30 fresh spinach leaves

2 thinly sliced Roma tomatoes

First; combine the Mrs.Dash with the dry pizza crust mix. Then add one cup hot tap water, (as on the box directions) and mix until moist.

Put the dough in a warm place (about 85 degrees) ((like a warmed oven turned off)) for about 5 minutes until risen slightly.

Flour your counter and knead a few times.

Roll the dough into an oblong oval about 1/2 inch thick and transfer to a cookie sheet.

Spread ranch dressing over entire surface.

Place four ham slices down the center.

Place spinach leaves on ham followed by tomato slices.

Spread cheese over the vegetables then top with remaining four slices of ham.

Fold the ends of the dough over and pinch the ends so nothing leaks during cooking.

The fold the sides up over the innards (love that word) and pinch a seal across the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until dough is firm and innards (ha!) are hot.

Slice and serve.

YUM!

A kid-friendly food with benefits!

-A.S.

Italiano Bruschetta

Mmmm...

Have you ever had some french bread sitting on your counter just calling on you to use it.

What do you do?  You can just rip open the bag and start eating those lovely carbs...or...try something else!

This happened to me the other night and I realized how much I was craving Bruschetta.

This lovely tomato, onion, basil concoction from Italiano is just tasty!

It is so simple to make and makes that french bread disappear fast.

The other night I just cut up one Roma tomato, a slice of onion, basil, a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Mixed it together and dabbed a little bit more of balsamic vinegar until just right.  I cut thin slices of bread and stuck them in the toaster and topped with the bruschetta.
So yummy, but if you want to go full out here is a recipe from Our Best Bites (click here)!