Spring Mantel

I feel like donkey doo doo.  The Dad brought home a nasty cold and was nice enough to share it with me.  And what is it with babies and their uncanny ability to know when you're sick?  She chose today of all days to sleep a total of seven minutes.  That's after waking up in the night and then deciding not to go back to sleep.  Thanks, Baby.

Also, I had to ship my new camera to Canon to have it serviced.  It had been acting up for quite awhile and for the last week or more, I've only been able to shoot in Manual Focus mode.  So after troubleshooting over the phone with a rep, he thought it sounded like a manufacturing defect.  So I'm back to my point and shoot.  Which was really weird to get used to again.

So in an attempt to make myself better, I cleaned my living room, went outside and picked some flowers, then rearranged the mantel a bit so I could put them where I can see them from the couch.  Which is where I plan on parking my behind promptly when The Dad gets home from work.

The Dog has spent the entire day doing what I've been trying to do.

Now if these children would just. stop. fighting.

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Crunchy Oven Tacos

Oh man, these were tasty little suckers.  This is another one I came across on Pinterest.  It was mentioned in the original post that some people were having an issue with them coming out soggy.  Ours weren't at all and I even stuffed 'em ahead of time.

I didn't use her exact recipe, and instead just made taco filling like I normally would.  Then I followed her method for the baking.  Here's a link to the recipe:  Oven Tacos

So stinkin' good.  They'd definitely be fun to do up a bunch for a taco bar party.

Here's what I used:

Crunchy Oven Tacos
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can refried beans
2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
1/4 C water
3 Tbsp tomato paste (I used the concentrated stuff in the tube) 
Shredded cheese (I used cheddar and pepper jack,)
18 hard taco shells (I used the flat on the bottom kind)
Taco toppin's:  shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, lime wedges

Directions:

Brown your meat until no longer pink in the middle.  Drain.  

Stir in beans, taco seasoning, water, and tomato paste; stir to combine.  

Let simmer until it has thickened up a bit, about five minutes.

Place your shells in a baking dish big enough to hold them all.  

If you use the flat-bottomed shells, you may need two.

Fill with a couple tablespoons of the meat and bean mixture.  

Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Serve with all the yummy toppings.

Here's dinner on my plate:

So flippin' good.

I ate four.

Then we reheated the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were just as good.

Not soggy at all.

Now go eat some tacos!

To see all the Pinterest recipes I've tried, click here: 
Pinterest Recipes I've Tried

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Mint Oreo Brownies

Soooo, you're probably gonna wanna go ahead and make these right away.  Liiike, immediately after getting to the end of this post.

I bought a package of Mint Oreo cookies on a whim.  Never had 'em before.  The package sat in the pantry, unopened.  The Girl got a fun new baking gadget from her aunt last weekend and wanted to bake some mini muffins in it.  I had a package of brownie mix, so we whipped it up and baked some mini muffin-shaped brownies.  Then I had this bowl of batter staring at me.  Then I thought about those cookies.  Then I thought, those cookies are the exact right size to fit in a muffin tin.  Holy lord, it's the best idea I've had all week.

Okay, it's probably been done before, but it's never been done in MY kitchen.  After the first bite, I realized brownies would never be the same.  This is the way they were meant to be all along.

Follow along kids, this is the easiest treat ever.

First, mix up some brownie batter.  Box, scratch, whatever.

Put a tablespoon or so of it in the bottom of a lined muffin tin.

Next, press an Oreo into it.

The mint was amazing, (think Girl Scout Thin Mints), but I'm pretty sure a regular one wouldn't suck.

Next, cover 'em up with the rest of your batter.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  

That's it.

Now all you have to do is wait for them to cool off enough to take a bite.

Here they are at my house:

Chocolatey, chewy, fudgy, crunchy, minty.

All kinds of good.

And they're green, so I'm pretty sure I need to bust out another batch - ya know, to get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit.

"Health food may be good for the conscience, but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better." - Robert Redford