Category Recipes

Mexican Shredded Beef in Instant Pot

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Quick Mexican shredded beef to use in tacos, burritos, nachos etc.

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp pepper

2 pounds boneless chuck roast

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

  1. Turn on Instant Pot and set to saute.
  2. In a large container combine all seasonings. Cut roast into 4 large chunks. Roll chunks into seasoning, rub in and use all of the mixture.
  3. Add vegetable oil into pot for a couple of minutes, add onion and stir.
  4. Place roast chunks into pot and sear for a couple of minutes, turn, repeat until all sides are seared.
  5. Pour in water, cover and lock lid, make sure to set valve to seal.
  6. Set pot to pressure cook and set timer for 40 minutes.
  7. When done, set valve to vent, remove lid carefully, place beef chunks into a serving dish or large bowl, shred with 2 forks. Pour lime juice into broth, stir and pour over shredded meat.

Copycat Twix Bar Recipe

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This recipe is almost as good as the candy bar at the store!

Yield: 48 bars

Prep: 20 min

Bake: 20 min

Cook: 10 min

Chill: 2 hrs

Crust Ingredients:

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Caramel Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Topping:

11.5 oz milk chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. You can also use a 7×11 or 8×8 pan, this depends on the thickness you like.
  2. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, vanilla and powdered sugar. Add in flour until well mixed. Press into the bottom of pan and flatten out, covering the entire bottom. Bake for 20 minutes, 25 for 7×11 and 8×8 pan.
  3. Begin to make the caramel when crust has about 10 minutes left to bake.
  4. In a medium saucepan, add butter, sugar, corn syrup and canned milk. Cook on medium-low heat until all ingredients are dissolved. Increase heat just a little, stirring frequently, bring to a boil, then reduce heat back to medium-low heat, stir frequently and cook for 8-10 minutes. Caramel will be thick and begin to pull from the sides, do not let this burn, stir frequently.
  5. Pour caramel over the cookie crust and spread evenly. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
  6. In a medium sauce pan, melt chocolate chips on low heat, stirring constantly, pour over caramel layer and spread evenly. Chill.
  7. Cut into desired sized squares or bars.

Easy Candy Bar Cookie Bar Recipe

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This recipe is easy and can easily changed up. I usually will make these bars with leftover Halloween candy or leftover bars from my husband’s meetings.

Yield: 36-48 bars (depending on size)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter-softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups of any filling you want or have on hand. Chocolate chips, chopped up candy bars or mini bars, Kisses, Cups, Rolos, M&M’s anything will work, this recipe is easy, just chop up your candy and mix in.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar. add in eggs and vanilla.
  3. Add salt and baking soda. slowly add flour and continue mixing. Add in chopped candy of your choice.
  4. Spread evenly onto baking pan.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Cool on wire rack before cutting into bars.

Picture on the left is with Rolos and topped with sprinkles. Picture on right is made with chopped up Hershey bars.

Have you made this recipe? What filling did you try? Let me know!

Crescent Rolls Recipe

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Yield: 24 rolls

Rest: overnight

Rise: 4hrs

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup milk

5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter in microwave, set aside.
  2. In a another small bowl whisk yeast into warm water an set aside.
  3. In a large bowl whisk eggs, sugar and salt. Add in the yeast water.
  4. Add milk and melted butter, whisk together.
  5. Add flour 1 cup at a time, stirring well. Dough will be slightly sticky, not firm. Turn onto floured counter and knead a few times. Return to bowl, cover and let rise 4 hours or overnight in fridge.
  6. Melt 1/2 cup flour and set aside. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Separate dough in half. Roll each section into a 12-14 inch circle. Brush circle with half of the melted butter. Using a pizza cutter, slice the circle into 12 sections. Beginning at wide end, roll each piece and place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Repeat with other half of dough.
  7. Cover with a dishcloth and let rise 3-4 hours.
  8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  9. Bake 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned.

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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Prep: 40min

Bake: 40min

Yield: 9×13 pan

Ingredients:

3 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 4oz can chopped green chiles

3/4 tsp cumin

1 cup sour cream

1 pack 12 count corn tortillas

2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:

  1. Boil chicken until no longer pink. Shred or chop and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
  3. In a large pan, melt butter on med to high heat. Add flour and whisk together. Let this cook for 1 minute until browned, whisking constantly. Whisk in half of the chicken broth, keep whisking for another 2 minutes. Slowly add in the remaining broth, green chiles and cumin. Let this cook and thicken for about 2-3 minutes, then add in the sour cream. Whisk until blended. Remove from heat.
  4. Cut tortillas in half. Line the bottom of pan with tortillas 4 total, cut in half. Doesn’t need to be perfect.
  5. Spread a ladle or 2 of sauce over tortillas. (you will use the sauce over 3 layers, you will have extra) Spread half the chicken over sauce and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Layer 4 more tortillas, cut in half and repeat with a ladle or two of sauce, remaining chicken and 1/3 of the cheese.
  6. Top with remaining tortillas, cover with sauce and remaining cheese.
  7. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. remove foil and bake another 20 minutes uncovered.

Mexican Bakery cracked Pink Sugar Cookies (Polvorones) Pan Dulce

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The closest to those pink sugar cookies from the bakery.

Growing up in Guadalupe, Az. we had Flores Bakery within walking distance. When I went to the Mexican bakery and couldn’t decide what to get, the pink fluffy crackly looking cookie was my favorite. These cookies are the closest to what I remember from the panaderia.

Yield: 3 dozen (3 1/2 inch cookies)

Rest: 1 hr

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

few drops red food color

decorating sugar crystals

Directions:

  1. In a mixing bowl whisk together salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour, set aside.
  2. In another large bowl cream together shortening and sugar. Add vanilla, eggs and food color. When mixture is creamy, add the flour mixture slowly, mixing well. Dough will be thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hr.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  4. Place decorating sugar in a small bowl. Roll 1/4 cup of dough (about 2oz) into a ball, roll top in sugar and place on baking sheet sugar side up. Place about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with palm of hand. I bake about 8 on each sheet.
  5. Bake 12-14 minutes. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with rest of dough.

Do you remember this cookie from the Flores Bakery? Do you have a recipe that’s closer to the original? I would love the recipe. Keep me in mind.

Candied Pecans Recipe

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Our favorite recipe for candied pecans. These candied pecans have become a Holiday treat to give out to family and neighbors.

Yield: 8 cups

Bake: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

4 egg whites

4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp water

2 tsp vanilla

8 cups pecans (shelled, halved)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and egg whites. Add cinnamon, salt, water and vanilla.
  3. Add pecans slowly, stir to coat all pecans. Spread pecans onto the 2 baking sheets, as close to single layer as possible.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes. Rinse mixing bowl, will reuse bowl after baking.
  5. Remove from oven, place pecans back into mixing bowl and stir. Spread pecans back onto the 2 baking sheets. (I line my baking sheets with new parchment paper in between). Bake an additional 20 minutes. Rinse mixing bowl.
  6. Remove from oven, stir pecans again in mixing bowl and spread onto baking sheets. Bake for a last 20 minutes. 60 minutes total baking time. Allow pecans to cool and store in airtight container.

Nutella Stuffed Pretzel Donuts

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Love Nutella? I’m always looking for a way to incorporate Nutella into everything. If you have extra pretzel dough, try these with the left over dough, or make some new dough. This will yield 12 donut sized or 24 smaller bites.

Yield: 12, 3 inch mounds or 24 smaller bites

Ingredients:

Pre made soft fluffy pretzel dough (from my recipes)

1/3 cup baking soda

2 cups warm water

1-1 1/2 cups Nutella

powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop a mound of Nutella by the tablespoon (12) onto sheet, place in freezer for 10 minutes. If making 24 bites, reduce Nutella to 1 teaspoon.
  2. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Stir together baking soda and water, set aside.
  4. Working with half the dough, divide into 6 portions. (12 total) Flatten each into a disc, add a mound of frozen Nutella to center of disc. Wrap and pinch ends together, dip in baking soda water and place on sheet, pinched end down. Repeat until all dough is used.
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Soft Fluffy Pretzel Recipe From Scratch

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Who doesn’t love pretzels! This recipe is the closest to that buttery Mall pretzel. Use the dough to make pretzels or to make little bites to dunk in cheese. I usually will make this batch and it’s enough for 4 hotdogs, 15 little bites and 6 stuffed nutella rolls. Yumm.

Yield: 8 large or 4 dozen bites

Rise: 1 hr

Bake: 10-12min

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups bread flour

1/3 cup baking soda

2 cups warm water

4 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

  1. In microwave, warm milk to about 110 degress F. Stir in yeast and let sit for 2 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and 1 cup flour. Stir to start forming a dough, slowly add in milk-yeast mixture and rest of flour. Continue mixing until a soft dough forms. Turn onto floured counter and knead until smooth and just slightly tacky, about 5-8 minutes. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1hr.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lined 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  4. In a small bowl add warm water and baking soda.
  5. Divide dough in half. Working with half the dough, divide into 4 sections. Roll each section into a long rope, twist to form a pretzel, dip into baking soda water and place on sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
  6. Bake 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter.

If making pretzel bites, roll dough into ropes and cut with a pizza cutter, dip in baking soda water and place on sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Brush with butter. Can also place warm baked bites in a bag and toss with cinnamon sugar.

This pretzel dough is versatile and can be used to make different appetizers. Use to make mini pigs in a blanket or use whole hot dogs, just wrap dough around dogs. You can also make stuffed Nutella pretzel bites.

Won Ton Dough

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Ingredients:

1 egg

1/3 cup water

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, beat egg and water.
  2. In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Make a well in center of mixture and slowly pour in egg/water mixture. Mixing with a fork until a dough has formed. Slowly adding water as needed.
  3. Move dough to a lightly floured counter and knead a few times. Place dough back into bowl and cover with a damp towel for 10 minutes.

This dough is versatile and can be used in most recipes that call for won ton dough. Simply divide dough in half and roll each half to desired thickness and cut into 3 x 3 squares. This dough can also be used for a variety of appetizers. Roll, cut, fill and fry to crispiness.