Texas Loaded Nacho Potato Skins

Texas Loaded Nacho Potato Skins

INGREDIENTS ⦁ 

8 (3-inch-long) russet potatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds), scrubbed and thoroughly dried ⦁

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), melted ⦁
 
Kosher salt ⦁ 

Freshly ground black pepper ⦁ 

2/3 cup small-dice avocado (from about 1 medium) ⦁ 

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 1 medium) ⦁

1 cup ⦁ refried beans (8 ounces)

Hot sauce ⦁

2 cups shredded jack or cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces) ⦁ 

1/2 cup salsa ⦁ 

1/3 cup crema or sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

2. Pierce each potato several times with a fork or sharp knife. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until the skins are crisp and a knife easily pierces the potatoes, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Set the oven to the broil setting.

3. Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch intact; reserve the flesh for another use. Brush the insides of the potatoes with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes over, brush the skin sides with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Evenly space the potato halves skin-side up on a baking sheet and broil until the butter foams and the skins start to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes (keep a close watch so they don’t burn). Flip the potato halves over and broil until the top edges just start to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more.

4. Place the avocado and lime juice in a small, nonreactive bowl, season with salt, and stir to coat the avocado; set aside.

5. Divide the beans evenly among the potato skins and top with a dash or two of hot sauce and the cheese. Place in the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the broiler and top with the salsa, sour cream, and reserved avocado. Serve immediately.

Oven Beef Jerky

Beef Jerky in the Oven? Yes!!!

Ingredients

1/2 lb lean top round sirloin beef roast, a little frozen still. (trim off the fat)
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 C. Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Cut your roast into thin slices
2. Mix together all ingredients into a large bowl
3. Place your beef slices in the bowl and cover and let marinate OVERNIGHT in the fridge.
4. Place slices on baking sheet and roast at 175 degrees for 3 hrs.
5. Turn meat and continue to bake for 1-2 more hours until the meat is dry and flexible. (if it breaks, it baked for to long)
6. Eat. Put remaining (if any, this disappeared fast at my house.) jerky in airtight container and in the fridge.

Peanut Butter "Buckeye" Pretzel Bites

Peanut Butter "Buckeye" Pretzel Bites

A buckeye sandwiched between two pretzels and dipped in chocolate!


YIELD: 45 bites

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pretzels
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat peanut butter and butter until combined. Scrape down bowl, add sugars and beat until combined. You should be able to roll the mixture into balls without sticking to your hands. If needed, add more powdered sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll.
Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 teaspoon of mixture for each ball, and place on prepared baking sheet. Sandwich the balls between two pretzels and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat. Dip each pretzel bite halfway into the melted chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator until chocolate is set.

Crusty Parmesan Herb Zucchini Bites

Crusty Parmesan Herb Zucchini Bites

(Recipe from Nutritionella)

Ingredients

4 medium, fresh zucchini, sliced in half
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary & thyme, minced
smidge of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350F, lightly brush both sizes of the zucchini with olive oil and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Mix cheese and herbs together in a small bowl and sprinkle over the zucchini along with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes and place under the broiler for the last 3-5 minutes until cheese is crispy and browned.

Avocado, Cream Cheese, and Salsa Pockets

Avocado, Cream Cheese, and Salsa Pockets'
Source: Love Veggies and Yoga

Ingredients

1 large sheet puffed pastry, thawed
1 ripe avocado, halved and mashed
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup salsa
salt and pepper, sprinkled to taste
1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400F and spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. (I lined mine with foil then greased it)

2. Thaw puffed pastry for about 10 minutes. With a knife, slice the pastry into approximately 2-inch by 2-inch squares. (I only used one of the two pastries that came in the box, and made 9 squares, or 4 pockets. You can get 18 squares, or 9 pockets if you use the whole box)

3. On half the squares, place a dollop of avocado, then cream cheese, then salsa. Season with salt and pepper. Use the remaining squares as the tops and place over top the filling. Seal the pockets by pressing the edges with a fork. Seal well so no filling oozes out during cooking.

4. In a small bowl beat an egg with a fork and apply an eggwash to each of the pockets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until desired browning and puffing has occurred.

caramel apple Slices

 Do u love caramel apples but hate trying to eat them?
 
 Try it this way!
 
(found this and could not keep it to myself!! I can't wait to

 try it!)
 
Hollow out your apples, (u can balance the apple halves in a

muffin pan) fill will melted caramel, let the caramel harden

and cut into slices! yummy!

High Heel Cupcakes Recipe!

High Heel Cupcakes Recipe! 

Ingredients:

12 graham crackers
12 vanilla or chocolate cookie sticks (Pirouettes, Oreo Fun Stix)
1 and one-half cups white or cocoa candy melting wafers (Wilton)
1 cup decorating sugar, color coordinated to match shoe style (see Sources)
2 cans (16 oz each) vanilla frosting, color-coordinated to match shoe style
Food coloring, color-coordinated to match shoe style
24 cupcakes baked in liner style of your choice, 2 cupcakes per style



Directions: For the soles, place a graham cracker on a work surface. Using a small serrated knife, cut the graham cracker in half crosswise. Remove a corner, angled to 3/4 inch, on both sides of each cracker half to make the tapered sole . Repeat with the remaining graham crackers. Cut the cookie sticks in half crosswise into two 2 three-quarters-inch lengths. Cut one end at an angle.



Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place the candy melting wafers in a glass bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, stir, and repeat until the candies are melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Dip one side of the cut crackers into the melted candy, one at a time, to cover, allowing the excess candy to drip back into the bowl and smooth with an offset spatula. Transfer the coated cracker, candy side up, to the cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining crackers and candy. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes. Save the excess candy melts to attach the heels.



Place the decorating sugar (use the color to match the shoe style) in a shallow bowl. Spoon 1/2 cup of the vanilla frosting into a ziplock bag. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting with the food coloring (use the color to match the shoe style). Spoon 1/2 cup of the tinted frosting into a ziplock bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bags. Spread the tinted frosting on top of the cupcakes, mounding it slightly. Roll the tops of the cupcakes in the decorating sugar to cover completely. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, mark a 1-inch-deep semicircle from the edge of a sugared cupcake (see photo). Remove the semicircle of cake and frosting with a small knife. For open-toed shoes, make a 1/2-inch semicircle cut on the opposite side of the cupcake from the first cut. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Snip a small (1 /8-inch) corner from the bags with the vanilla and tinted frostings. Pipe vanilla frosting over the exposed cake in the cut areas.



Carefully peel the candy-coated crackers from the waxed paper. Trim any uneven edges with a small knife. Pipe a line of tinted frosting around the 2 long and 1 short sides of cookie. Dip the frosted edges into the decorating sugar to coat.



Line two cookie sheets with waxed paper. Reheat the reserved candy melts in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds to soften. Stir the candy, return to the microwave, and repeat the process until the candy is smooth, about 30 seconds. Dip one angled end of a cookie stick into the melted candy. Working on one shoe at a time, press the large end of the cracker sole into the cut area of the cupcake. For the heel, place the cookie stick, dipped end up to secure, under the small end of the sole. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, crackers, and cookies. Allow the candy to set for at least 20 minutes before moving the cupcakes.



To accessorize the shoes: To make the shoes even more fashionable, you will need frosting and a selection of candies and gums of your choice. Candy decors (Cake Mate, Wilton, Red Hots), candy-coated chocolates (M&M's Minis, Sixlets), gum balls, small hard candies, and pearlized candies (SweetWorks), and gum for bows can all be used for shoe accents. Use frosting to attach decorations and pipe outlines along the cut edges.



To make bows Cut 1 three-quarter-inch length from a stick of gum. Cut the smaller piece in half lengthwise. Pinch the center of the longer piece of gum. Wrap one of the smaller pieces around the pinched area to finish the bow.



To make swirl patterns Spoon vanilla frosting into a ziplock bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Cut a small (1 /8-inch) corner from the bag and pipe swirled lines of vanilla frosting on top of the sugared cupcakes.



To make zebra print Spoon dark chocolate frosting into a ziplock bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Snip a small (1 /8-inch) corner from the bag. Following the basic method above, pipe wavy lines of dark chocolate frosting on top of the vanilla-frosted cupcake before rolling it in white sugar.