Oreo Cupcakes (to die for)

These are my semi-homemade OREO cupcakes.. super easy & delicious!

 

 I purchased 2 box of devils food cake, follow directions on the back of the box accordingly.

Once all ingredients are combined. Add one whole pack of OREOS (crumbled into large chunks).

Incorporate into the batter & pour into cupcake liners. 

Bake!

(2 boxes made 48 cupcakes, I also doubled the frosting recipe)

I found a simple buttercream frosting recipe online from tasteofhome.com

RECIPE

1/2 cup butter, softened
4-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 to 6 tablespoons 2% milk

 

In a large bowl beat the butter until smooth, light & fluffy. 

Mix in confectioner sugar, vanilla & milk.

MY EXTRA STEP: In a food processor, blend about 5-6 OREOS & add crumbs to frosting.

Mix until combined.

 

In a pastry bag, snip your tip & add desired tip. Pour in frosting & pipe onto cupcakes. 

This may take some practice... BUT it's not impossible. Good luck!

Top each cupcake with a WHOLE OREO!! 

Make sure to press each OREO into the cupcake to insure it stays put.

 

 IF YOU LOVE OREOS AS MUCH AS MY HUSBAND & I.. TRY THESE!

ENJOY!!

Tequila Shrimp Tacos

Begin by making your Mexican slaw...click the link below for recipe!
http://shesohungry.blogspot.com/2012/11/cabbage-slaw-latin-style.html 

These tacos consist of 2 ingredients I LOVE LOOVE LOVE! 

SHRIMP & TEQUILA!!

I've come across recipes for tequila shrimp tacos before, but I wanted something fast & easy.
SO.. This is what I came up with..

RECIPE

1 lb. medium shrimp (peeled & deveined)

1-2 shots of tequila

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 TB butter

Salt & Pepper

Heat up a large skillet... add some grape seed oil & garlic. Saute for about 1 min. & add shrimp!
Season with 1/2 TB of salt & pepper

Cook until shrimp have turned pink & liquids have adsorbed.

Bring your favorite tequila & take a shot yourself! Why not! (or not) haha.

Stand back & add a shot of tequila (heat should be high)

Once tequila is adsorbed, add 1 tb of butter & another shot if you enjoy a stronger tequila taste.

Once shrimp has slightly caramelized. Turn heat off & your done!

 

 Warm up a few tortillas... Add your Mexican slaw, top with shrimp & your favorite spicy salsa!

 

ENJOY!!

Cabbage Slaw (Mexican style)

My family uses this cabbage slaw recipe for numerous dishes... Great addition to all types of tacos, enchiladas or as a side salad. I can't think of a better name than calling it a

 'Mexican slaw' because of its ingredients.

So, for now that's how I'll refer to this slaw.

RECIPE

1/2 green cabbage (thinly sliced)

1/4 bunch of cilantro (chopped)

1 tomato (diced)

2 small cucumbers (diced)

1/4 onion (finely diced)

1 lemon 

1 TB salt

1/2 TB oregano

(great for 3-4 people, use whole head of cabbage for 5 or more people)

Begin by finely slicing all the cabbage, place in a large bowl fill with water & allow to sit for 10 minutes or so. This cleans it! Remember it must be very thinly sliced (as my mom would say).

 After it has sat drain out all the water, make sure its almost dry before adding other ingredients.

Diced, tomato, cucumbers, onion & chop the cilantro...

Place in a separate bowl (if cabbage is still draining)..

Add salt, oregano & lemon & incorporate.

Add in cabbage incorporate well well tomato mixture & your done!

ENJOY!!

Party Pasta (as we call it)

This 'party pasta' or Ham & cheese pasta are always present during our special gatherings...
 the obvious, it's freaking delicious! Also its a perfect make ahead meal.

Always a crowd pleaser!

I usually prep the day before, cook the pasta, cool & store in ziplock bags. Chop cheese, ham & store in a separate ziplock. Cook veggies & store!

Party day arrives & you toss everything in a large bowl add condiments & mix.

RECIPE

  2lb Spiral Pasta

1lb Yellow cheese

1lbs Ham

1/2 frozen mixed veggies

1 cup Mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 TP Mustard

Cook pasta accordingly & remember DO NOT overcook.
 Add mixed veggies during the last 2 minutes.

Cube cheese & ham.. if prepping the day before store in ziplock bags.

Once pasta cools, store in the refrigerator.

Day of: In a large bowl combine all ingredients & mix to incorporate mayo mixture.

Pasta should look saturated with mayo mixture because it will absorb half.

  

Enjoy! 

Always remember the rules of cold pasta, don't put out to early on or place in the sun. 

Once pasta is no longer cool, store away (if for some odd reason there's leftovers)!

Double or triple the recipe. I've made up to 4 boxes of pasta for parties :)

Bacon,egg & cheese muffins

Never leave the house hungry.. even during your morning rush!

Substitute the bacon for ham, turkey, tomato, avocado, canadian bacon.. etc.

 

RECIPE

1 english muffin (whole wheat, white, sour dough)

1 egg 

1 slice cheese (your fav)

2-3 slices of Bacon

Heat up a skillet, cook the bacon & set aside.  Clean pan & add a bit of butter, crack your 

egg & scramble. immediately form into a circle (the size of your muffin). 

Meanwhile toast your muffin. Once egg is cooked to your liking, remove and add to your toasted muffin, top with cheese & bacon. Wrap in foil for a 'TO-GO' breakfast or make more for the whole family.

  

ENJOY!!

 

FOOD for the Honeymooners..

Daily stable Patron & Corona ;)

 I GOT MARRIED LAST MONTH!

Cheers to us!! I'm very excited to share some of the wonderful food we enjoyed during our honeymoon in the 'Mexican Caribbean' as they call it! 

Our honeymoon destination was the Riviera Maya, we visited Playa del Carmen,

 Tulum, Xel-ha, & Cozumel Island (a dream of mine). 

We are truly blessed to have been gifted such a wonderful opportunity! My dear Aunt & Uncle from Vegas gifted us a week (7 DAYS)  from their time share. Their amazing wedding gift ensure us the honeymoon of our dreams. I say that because we came home absolutely delighted & mesmerized by our trip.

The Mexican Caribbean (I love saying that) is full of history & beauty.. & the food is truly authentic.

My favorite Tuna Ceviche w/ mango & jicama salad & his fav. Fried Calamari

The Cappuccinos at our Resort were a blessing!  Dessert from La Noche Mexicana.

 

ahhhh... Posole

Chocolate log cake

Breaded shrimp, beachside

Dinner is served, Playa del Carmen

OK! I made him breakfast once... :)

Hope you enjoyed a piece of our honeymoon... & you book a flight to the Riviera Maya soon!

I promise to share wedding photo asap :)

The New 'Mr. & Mrs. Correa <3

Classic Deviled Eggs

I LOVE ME SOME DEVILED EGGS...

 RECIPE

12 Eggs

1/2 cup Mayo

2 tsp. red or white vinegar (I used red)

2 tsp. Mustard

2 pinches of Salt

Fresh cracked Pepper

Parsley for garnish

Place eggs in a pot and cover with enough water!

 Bring to a boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and leave covered for 15 minutes, then rinse under cold water continuously for 1 minute.

Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks & placing in a bowl. 

Place the whites on a serving platter. 

Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. 

Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

I placed mixture in a ziplock bag, clipped the tip & evenly poured into each egg white!

 

Garnish each egg with a leaf of parsley! DONE!!

(recipe courtesy of foodnetwork)

 

ENJOY!!!

Homemade Mint Mojitos

 Minty mint Mojitos!!

Summer, summer, summmmer time!!!

Let's toast to awesome weather with this refreshing drink in hand.

How to make your simple syrup?? (yes make your own, it's cheaper than buying pre-made mojito mix & you control the sweetness)

Simple Syrup: 1 cup of sugar & 1 cup of water

                              add to a small sauce & lightly simmer

                     until sugar completely dissolves.

                             Add mint leaves & infuse for 10mins.

                                        Allow to cool complete, store away or enjoy!

DRINK measurments:

POUR 1 ounce simple syrup, add about 4-5 mint leaves over crushed ice, 

2oz. Rum, the juice of half a lime,

add a splash of club soda & garnish with a slice of lime!

Your Welcome... Enjoy!

Turkey Sausage Pasta with Feta cheese

1 pk. Turkey Sausage (about 1- 1 1/2 lb.)

2 cups Broccoli

1 Yellow squash (quartered)

2 bell peppers (your choice)

1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

1 pk. bow tie pasta (cook accordingly)

some fresh thyme

Slice all your veggies, meanwhile brown sausage in a large saute pan, cook pasta 

& add broccoli florets during the last minute.

This was my first time using Jennie-O Turkey sausage and I must say it was pretty tasty :)

Once sausage browns add red onion (cook about 2mins)... followed by the yellow squash
& bell peppers (cook until tender) .

 

Lastly add cooked pasta with broccoli to the sausage & veggie mixture!

Combine the thyme & feta cheese.. I know what your thinking FETA CHEESE?? Yes feta cheese in a warm pasta dish! It added a nice tangy flavor and brightened up the whole dish. We all had seconds & ate the leftovers the following day... even my picky fiance ate his veggies & added more cheese ;)

Easy & light..

ENJOY!!

"Greek Style" Kale Salad

 

Dear Fellow Readers, I'm back!! 

Yay! Ok so I've been gone for over 2 months.. yes I got engaged & I have NO EXCUSE other then I've been in "LA-La land" fantasizing about my future.. still no excuse!!!

 Anyhow, Let's talk Kale... which is known for its rich content in vitamins & nutrients.

I've never tried kale before & was curious about its texture, taste, etc... I'm familiar with all the varieties in ways you can cook kale. For example in salads, soups, sauteed or juiced. I decided on a salad, why? Because you get the most nutrients out of raw vegetables. 

It went from there & it slowly became a Greek style salad with the tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese & the balsamic vinaigrette. I must add... I'm now a KALE fan & you should be too!!

RECIPE:

1/2 to 1 head of Kale

1/2 container of Baby tomatoes

couple slices of red onion

3-4 small cucumbers

Crumbed feta cheese

for the Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 Tb of oregano, salt & pepper... Mixed together! Store leftovers in the refrigerator!

 Begin by striping the stem off the kale leaves & shred the leafs (to your desired size)... wash & dry! Add all the veggies.. Make vinaigrette, serve top with feta cheese & drizzle with Balsamic vinaigrette.

 Its so simple, filling & very taste.

ENJOY!!

Spinach & Mushroom stuffed Chicken Breast

I keep looking at my final product & it looks amazing!!! I took a total of 23 pictures for this dish, I narrowed it down to the most detailed.

As I walk you through this recipe, you'll probably say "I can do this".. which you can!!

As I googled stuffed chicken breast recipes (containing spinach & mushrooms) I found many asked for breadcrumbs, cheese & other ingredients... So I decided to try it my way, omit the other ingredients & simply stuff these with spinach, mushrooms, a small amount of cheese & (onion/ garlic for flavor).

RECIPE:

3 Chicken Breast

about half a small container of mushrooms (chopped)

1 1/2 cup of spinach (tightly packed)

1/4 onion (chopped)

1 garlic clove (minced)

some cheese (mozzarella)

Begin by heating up a large skillet, add some olive oil, saute onion & garlic (3 minutes), add mushrooms (3mins), lastly add your spinach & stir to combine... season mixture with salt & pepper. Taste & adjust seasonings if needed. Turn off, set mixture aside.

Butterfly your chicken breast (open up) I'm not sure I knew what I was doing here... but I opened them up & placed them in a ziplock (1 at a time) & banged them with a wine bottle to flatten out.

Next.. divided your spinach mixture into 3 parts or how ever many your making... spoon in equal portions onto middle section of the breast, sprinkle with a small amount of cheese.

Roll on one side & then over lap with the other side.. secure with at least 1 toothpick.. (Do your best)

Season with Salt & Pepper.. & heat up another large skillet. & PreHeat oven at 350!

Saute no more then 2 breast at one time.. or the won't brown (they will steam) about 4 mins per side, remove & place in your buttered or oil sprayed baking dish.. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 mins.

Meanwhile lets make a quick pan sauce!!

 Ingredients: 2 TB of butter, 2 TB of flour, 1/2 cup of chicken stock & 1/2 of white wine, salt & pepper (Halved cherry tomatoes *optional, I added these for fun)

In the same pan you sauteed your chicken breast, add the butter & flour... stir to combine, when butter melts & begins to evenly bubble.. add white wine & chicken stock.. reduce by half.. so pretty much keep stirring on a low simmer until the sauce reduces & thickens (enough to coat a spoon). Season w/ Salt & pepper.. taste! When I removed my chicken breasts from the oven I added the cherry tomatoes to the sauce & only cooked for 2 mins.

When you remove the chicken from the oven, let it rest for about 10 minutes...

So wait, don't cut into it just yet!

OK, now slice it.... keep it pretty...

Transfer each breast to your serving plate & spoon on the sauce, as much as you desire!! Seriously, the cherry tomatoes gave it such a fresh bite.. I really enjoyed them!!! This meal took us about 1 hr. tops.

Yes you dirty a couple dishes.. but the outcome is well worth the effort.

ENJOY!!