Get Your Bite On

 Christmas is only a few days away and that means it's time to start baking and preparing for family get-togethers. Appetizers and desserts are at the top of the list for my favorite holiday treats. I wanted to make something easy and delicious, and that's when I came across this recipe for Hash Brown Bites.

They are fairly simple, yet packed with flavor. Red and green peppers add that holiday flair. These little things are really good and they're sure to be loved by many. My husband tends to be a picky eater and I couldn't keep him away from these. 

100 Days of Pinterest: Days 15 & 16 - Sour Cream Noodle Bake and Oven Vent Cleaning

I noticed I've been doing a lot of recipes I have found on Pinterest. It makes for an interesting menu in our home. We went from having tacos way too many times every month, to having lots of different meals to add to our menu book. I guess that's a plus!

100 Days of Pinterest: Days 11-14 - Taco Lasagna

Okay, I know I've slacked on posting lately. The weather has been so nice I've been keeping busy outside and in the garage. I'm a clean freak, so I had to get my clean on.

Since I have to play catch-up with my Pinterest challenge posts, I'm going to give a basic rundown of everything I've done. If you want to see the challenges I've completed, stop by my 100 Days of Pinterest board and check them out.

Saturday, I worked on cleaning up an old window frame my friend gave me. I'm going to use it in my flower garden. I'll post pics of that one once it's flower time. I'm also working on making some crates that an awesome woman named Michelle from Stillwater Technologies Inc. gave me after I posted a request on Craigslist.

On Sunday, I made some Queso Blanco Dip. In the process of making this dip I sliced a chunk of my hand. Funny part about this was I had told my oldest son that he can't touch my new knife, because it's incredibly sharp and could cut his finger off. Fifteen minutes later, I'm cutting an onion in the completely incorrect manner and it slides right into the base of my thumb. Pinterest Challenge 1 - Me 0

My husband made a few shelves from skids. We are going to use one for a wine rack and one for pictures. They turned out really neat and once those are hung I'll be sure to post a pic of them.

Monday, I made what I consider our favorite Pinterest attempt yet. It's a Taco Lasagna and it's a definite must try! It was easy, affordable, and a nice twist on lasagna. The recipe called for beef, but I like to switch out beef for turkey whenever I make tacos. I think it's because when taco seasoning is used, you really can't tell the difference and it's a healthier option. Also, I found organic black beans and I used organic onions and green peppers. Might as well make it as healthy as possible. I love this one so much, I'm including the recipe in this post. However, you can find it on my Pinterest page too. Visit the Woman in the Man Cave Pinterest page and follow along. You can suggest pins to try as well. 

9 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min.  Recipe originally posted on: tasteofhome.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup water (add more as needed)
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
• 6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
• 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

     DIRECTIONS:

• In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add water and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for minutes. Stir in black beans and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.      

•   Place two tortillas in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spread with half of the refried beans and beef mixture; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese.

• Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 9 servings. 

 When it came to spreading the refried beans on the tortillas, I went ahead and spread it onto them before I put them into the dish. I think it was easier than sticking them into the 13x9 first. I also did not put half the can of refried beans on each layer. I put just enough to have a nice coating. Also, once the dish was done cooking, I removed the aluminum foil and then put it back in for five minutes to crisp the top level tortillas a bit. As for the Mexican diced tomatoes, I used the Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Lime Juice and Cilantro for a little added flavor, but you can flavor it up the way you want. This is one of those dishes you can make and not worry about messing up.

As for today's challenge I made some of the 15 Minute Donuts from scratch for dessert. I did not end up with perfect little donut circles like the Pinterest challenge shows, but they did taste pretty good and were an easy recipe to throw together. Certainly worth a try!

Okay, I think that's enough for now. I hope you give the Taco Lasagna a try, because it's amazing. If you do try it stop back by and let me know how you liked it.


Take care!

NB