Turkey Taco Whole Wheat Pizza

While browsing recipes online recently, I ran across a website with a lot of cool recipes and one of them really stuck out - Taco Pizza! Really!?! I love tacos and I love pizza but I'd never thought about combining the two. And from the pictures, it looked like it may resemble an Indian Fry Bread. MMMMM Fry Bread! (Note to self: Find Indian Fry Bread Recipe and attempt to make it SOON!)

So after oogling over the recipe and pictures, I decided I'd make this for dinner one night last week. I made it for a friend and at first, they were a skeptic, but after smelling it bake and trying the first bite - they were convined it wasn't half bad. Heck - I thought it was quite tasty and enjoyed it on more than one occasion that week - partly because it makes a large quantity and it's quite filling.

Now that I've told you all about this amazing creation, let me show you just how to make it! 

It's very simple - I promise!

The Goods:

Ground Turkey (Not Pictured because I'm an idiot...)

Taco Seasoning

Refried Beans

Shredded Cheese

Pizza Dough (I used Whole Wheat)

Lettuce, Tomato, Green Onions, Cilantro, Lime, Salsa

Spread out dough and cover evenly with beans.

Add cooked, seasoned ground turkey.

And then a bunch of shredded cheese!

Bake according to dough package directions.

Halfway through baking!

Andddddddd done!

With all the toppings!

All topped and ready for consumption!

(Confession - I almost forgot to take a picture and took a bite first!)

Cookies and Cream Covered Pretzels

Valentine's Day was a few weeks ago and I didn't make ANY treats for the holiday. Shocking, I know!!! To be honest - I was quite busy at the time and it kind of just slipped my mind. I am sorry family, friends and co-workers for not bringing or sending you any treats this year.

One of my friends and old neighbors DID make Valentine's treats and posted about them on her blog!  As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted to try them and would make them soon! They looked so simple and only required pretzels, Hershey's Hugs and plain M&M's. It doesn't get much easier than that folks! 

While enjoying a heart shaped cookies and cream chocolate candy last weekend, I realized that those little suckers would probably be a good substitute for the Hershey's Hugs. I had mini pretzel twists and plain M&M's so I just HAD to make the delicious looking treats.  

The Goods:

Mini Pretzel Twists

Heart Shaped Cookies & Cream Chocolates

Plain M&M's

Line cookie sheet with Parchment Paper.

Place one chocolate on top of each pretzel. 

Bake at 200 Degrees for about 5 minutes until chocolate is shiny and slightly soft. 

They will still be in the original shape and not completely melted. 

Place an M&M in the center of each chocolate and press down lightly.

MMMMmmmm!

They were AMAZING! I have yet to try them with a Hershey's Hug, but I'm sure they would be just as tasty. 

It doesn't have to be Valentine's day to enjoy these, so make 'em, eat 'em and possibly even share 'em! :)

Pasta Salad Like Mom's

When I was growing up, my mom made a pasta salad that was so amazing, yet so simple. I loved it then and I'm sure I'd love it now. No matter how many times I've tried to recreate it, it's never come out exactly the same. Since I'm not able to recreate her recipe exactly - I've modified it a bit and made it my own.

Every time I make MY pasta salad, it comes out a bit different. It really depends on what I have and trying to use up, or what I'm craving at the time. The one thing that is constant is the fact that I use spiral, usually Rotini, pasta. More recently, I've started using the whole wheat kinds and like it just as much as the regular not so great for you pasta. :)

Here's a look at how I made my most recent batch of pasta salad. Note: this makes a VERY large batch, so be prepared to share or eat it for days! 

The Goods:

Rotini, Asparagus, Green Pepper, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Red Onion, 

Green Olives, Black Olives, Feta, Lemon Juice, Italian Dressing, Salt and Pepper

(This can be modified very easily. Use whatever vegetables you want, 

but blanch raw ones that would be too hard like Asparagus and Broccoli)

Cut Up Veggies!

Veggies covered in cooked, cooled pasta!

With a little bit of Feta thrown on top.

Lemon squeezed on top, followed by Italian Dressing and then mixed!

Ready for consumption. Oh yum! 

Fresh Garlic Bread

I love Garlic Bread. 

I love it even though it makes me have horrible garlic breath.

I love pretty much any form of garlic bread (even the frozen kind), but the kind I like best involves homemade garlic butter and fresh bread baked that day. The only way it could really get better would be to make the bread myself. I would love to do that and will report back if I do end up doing it one day! :)

Now let me share with you how to make this amazing Garlic Bread.

The Goods:

-French Bread

-Butter

-Fresh Herbs of Your Choice 

(I used Italian Parsley)

-Garlic

-Sea Salt

In Food Processor, pulse butter, garlic, herbs and salt until well combined.

Spread butter mixture over bread.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes - until golden and crisp.

MMMMmmm Garlic Bread!

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 16!

I know it's not technically Sunday and I meant to post this last night, but I got busy doing laundry and the night slipped away from me so I'm posting it now.  I did eat this on Sunday so it WAS Sunday Night Dinner...I just got around to posting about it a little late.  Sorry!

Now that I got that out of the way, I can tell you about this amazing tilapia dinner I made. Yes, another fish recipe and the one I told you about last week.  

The original recipe called for regular breadcrumbs, but I used Panko instead. I also used a lot more grated parmesan than was originally required. I think that both substitutions made the recipe just a little bit better!

The Fish

Panko, Parmesan, Salt and Pepper

The Fish Chilling in Olive Oil

Covered in the Panko mixture and ready to bake!

In addition to the fish, I made a package of long grain wild rice and I whipped up some of my Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts. I love Brussels Sprouts. The little cabbages are ever so tasty and garlic and parmesan make them just a tad tastier! Hahaha. 

Brussels Sprouts Cooking

Brussels Sprouts ready to be devoured! 

Tilapia, Rice, Brussels Sprouts and Garlic Bread.

YUM!

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 15!

Right before the holidays I went in for a well check with my Primary Care Doctor. I hadn't had one in a few years and just wanted to make sure everything was okay! They did a few blood tests and determined I have a Vitamin D deficiency. I'm really not surprised and was instructed to take Vitamin D3 supplements daily. I'm doing as told, but I've also made it a point to incorporate more fish into my diet. I've actually only had salmon (multiple times), but I intend to venture out and start making other fish too! Next up to try is Parmesan Crusted Tilapia!

So since I'm trying to eat more fish, tonight's dinner - and many other Sunday Night Dinners recently - has Salmon as the main course. I almost always broil it, but I'd grill it if I had my own barbeque. And I season the fish with lemon and a butter mixture that has a little garlic, parsley, and dill.

Oh and tonight I added Fresh Shaved Parmesan too...

The fish is usually accompanied by rice, but tonight I decided I'd whip up some homemade garlic mashed potatoes and finish the meal off with some fresh steamed broccoli!

Oh man...just thinking about it makes me want more!

Plant Surprise AND Disappointment!

You read that right...I'm both surprised at something I'm attempting to grow AND disappointed in something I'm growing that didn't do as well as I'd hoped!

Let's start off with the disappointing - my Paper Whites that I received as a gift THIS year. I grew some last year and they did AMAZING, so I was hoping for the same, if not better.  Nope, so NOT the same and so NOT better. Only two of the sprouts from five bulbs produced flowers and they weren't as fragrant as I remember from last year. So so so sad. The only difference this year was that I grew them inside. I guess next I just need to test two batches, one grown inside and the other grown outside to determine if that's really what caused the differences.  

Less than a week after planting. 

Right after the two flowers bloomed.

Last Friday - realizing no more flowers will bloom...

A close up of the ones that DID bloom!

Now that I got the bad out of the way, let me tell you allllll about the good! :)

First off - LAST year's Paper Whites are doing GREAT, but I still have yet to find out if they'll actually flower this year.  I kept them in a paper bag since last year, but I'm not sure if these are the type of flowers that go dormant every other year ... or something like that. I'm not a gardener, I just pretend I am and get excited when things work out! Ha.

They sprouted - YAY!

Still growing, but will they bloom???

And lastly, my lime tree is going crazy right now! There are SO many blossoms and a bunch of little tiny lime. I loved the few I got from the last crop so I'm hoping these ones are just as good AND that I get a lot more. Gimmie limes!!!!

 Look at all the blossoms!!!

And the baby limeeeeeees. :)

Coco Loco Three Chip Cookies

In my recent Scotcharoos Post, I mentioned creating a new cookie with my friend Alison, and now it's time to share the delicious cookie with all my wonderful blog readers!

We started with the recipe for Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies, but we modified the 2 cups (or 12 ounces) of Chocolate Chips that it originally called for.  Since I had both Chocolate Chips and Butterscotch Chips leftover from the Scotcharoos, I decided to use those,  but I also threw in some Peanut Butter Chips AND Shaved Coconut! So that folks, is how we came up with the amazing, and ever so tasty, Coco Loco Three Chip Cookie!

Now that you've heard all about this wonderful treat, take a look at how it was created.

The Goods!

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg
• 2 Cups Combination of Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch Chips, 
• Peanut Butter Chips and Shaved Coconut
• 
  

Mix Butter and Sugars.

Add Vanilla and Mix to Combine.

Add eggs - one at a time.

Mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients. 

And mix until everything is fully incorporated. 

Add 2 Cup of Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch Chips, 

Peanut Butter Chips and Shaved Coconut

Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes. 

I take them out when they're still a little gooey.

And they end up looking like this...

YUM!!!!

Now go make the Coco Loco Three Chip Cookie and enjoy!