The library has a book called Savory Bites: Meals you can make in your cupcake pan by Hollis Wilder. When I checked it in this morning, I thought what a perfect idea for Game Day!!! Stop in and check it out! But until then, here's a recipe to peak your interest....

From page 165:
NACHO STACKS
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray, for the pan
12 (6 inch/15 cm) tortillas, plain or flavored
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground meat, such as turkey, chicken, pork, or beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can black beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or refried beans
1 (16 o z.) jar salsa
8 oz. grated cheese, such as queso fresco, sharp cheddar, or jalapeno cheddar

Optional toppings:
Black olives, sliced
Scallions, sliced
Jalapenos or other green chilies, chopped
Additional grated cheese
Sour cream
Guacamole
Fresh cilantro leaves

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Spray a 12-well classic cupcake pan with nonstick cooking spray, then press a tortilla into each well. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ground meat and taco seasoning. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until crumbled and browned, about 6 minutes. Let cool slightly, then distribute the ground meat evenly among the 12 wells. Top each well with some beans. In a medium bowl, combine the salsa and cheese and mix well. Spoon the cheese mixture on top of the beans to fill the wells. Bake until golden brown on the edges and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Use your hands to lift the stacks out of the pan, using the tortilla wrappers as handles. Serve with your choice of toppings and a pile of tortilla chips on the side.


The author talks about letting her children pick their favorites and layer them in the cupcake pan to make up their own supper and how much they love it!! She uses, puff pastry dough, tortillas, pie crust, noodles, etc. as bases and creates a multitude of different meals! Have fun and create your own Super Bowl Sunday treat or use one of hers!! Your options are limitless!

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     My children had a late start for school today, so I decided I'd make breakfast. Well, at least a more fun breakfast than I usually serve.:)
     I looked in my pantry for a beer bread mix, but it's a favorite and I was out! I grabbed my Ipad and hit Pinterest. The one I picked was titled Easy Beer Bread. Easy, now that's right up my alley. The recipe, among others, can be found on Pinterest and at the blog www.julieblanner.com/beer-bread/

Here goes....

Easy Beer Bread

3 C. sifted flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. butter, melted
1 bottle of your favorite beer

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients well. Blend in melted butter and beer on medium. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour.

This was really yummy and my kids definitely approved. But, I did notice that when I mixed it, the batter was a bit dry and when I make it again I will either add some more beer or pop or juice or something.

Something New....

     I was pinning books on the library's new Pinterest page today....(BTW...go check it out and follow us on Pinterest! Lots of great books and recipes and all around fun ideas to be had!) and ran across a new website for Teen Reads. It's a blog and it's www.epicreads.com
     There is lots of interesting information to be found...bios on authors, awards, contests, quizzes and more! If you are interested in reading young adult literature or have a teen interested, go browse this site and see what you think.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     I don't know about you, but I like meatloaf. Always have. My family on the other hand are not big fans. I couldn't figure out why. They like hamburgers. They like another recipe that I make that is so similar to meatloaf I can't figure it out. Until recently. I have always put ketchup on the top and baked it that way. I realize that my daughter does not like ketchup. So, now I want to try Mini Meatloaves and make them several different ways: with ketchup, plain, with BBQ...the sky's the limit! I looked up a couple of recipes and this is what I found...

Mini Meatloaves

Rated: Submitted By: Tonya Swope Photo By: mominml Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour Servings: 8

"A meatloaf mixture of ground beef, cheese, and quick-cooking oats is formed into individually sized loaves. They are glazed with a sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard."

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg 3/4 cup milk 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 1 teaspoon salt

1 pound ground beef 2/3 cup ketchup 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3.	In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.
4.	Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2014 Allrecipes.com Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves Print this recipe! Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 large sweet onion 1 Tablespoon butter salt 1lb lean ground beef 1 egg, whisked 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce, divided 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs pepper 2oz low-fat cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4″ cubes Directions: Cut onion in half then each half into thin slices. Melt butter in a large skillet or pot over medium heat then add onion and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Turn heat down if onions start to burn. Set aside to cool slightly. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine ground beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce, panko bread crumbs, dash of pepper, cheese cubes, and caramelized onions, then mix until just combined. Divide mixture into 4 equal-sized portions then form into loaves on a foil-lined, non-stick-sprayed baking sheet. Spread 1 Tablespoon BBQ sauce over each loaf then bake for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center.

One More...

30-Minute Mini Meat Loaves

Slash the bake time of meat loaf when you make mini-loaves. Meat loaf is now doable for weeknights!

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5K Pinterest

427 Reviews

• Prep Time 10 min
 
• Total Time 30 min
• Servings 6

Ingredients

1/2

cup ketchup

2

tablespoons packed brown sugar

1

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1/2

lb ground pork

1/2

cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/4

teaspoon pepper

1

small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

1

egg

SAVE ON THIS RECIPE!

LOCATION

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Directions

• 1Heat oven to 450°F. In small bowl, stir ketchup and brown sugar until mixed; reserve 1/4 cup for topping. In large bowl, stir remaining ingredients and remaining ketchup mixture until well mixed.
• 2Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Place meat mixture in pan; pat into 12x4-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise down center and then crosswise into sixths to form 12 loaves. Separate loaves, using spatula, so no edges are touching. Brush loaves with reserved 1/4 cup ketchup mixture.
• 3Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until loaves are no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160°F.

Expert Tips

While the mixture of ground beef and pork gives these little loaves a unique flavor, you can also use 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef instead of the mixture.

Serve these loaves alongside cooked baby-cut carrots and mashed potatoes. Apple or cherry crisp is a sweet way to end the meal.

Book Trailer Monday....

     I've heard a lot about this particular title lately. I've been meaning to give it a try. What do you all think? Have you read it? Or are you interested in reading it?

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     Here's another winner from Jillian. A new take on chili and cornbread....

Chili Cheese Cornbread Waffles
(Makes about 6)
For the waffles:

1/3 cup oil
6 eggs
1 cup milk (plus a couple more tablespoons if needed)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat waffle iron to high. Mix together the oil, eggs, and milk. In a separate bowl mix the sugar, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add the the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add a tablespoon a couple more tablespoons of milk if it's too thick. Cook according to waffle iron directions.

For the chili:

A couple pounds of ground beef
About 1/2 of a white onion, chopped
A few sticks of celery, chopped
A few garlic cloves, minced
Chili Powder
Smoked paprika
Garlic powder
Oregano
A couple cans of chili beans
A couple cans of chopped tomatoes
A can of V8 juice or regular tomato juice
1/4 cup corn starch or flour
A few tablespoons brown sugar

Heat a little oil or butter in pot on high heat and add the onion, garlic, and celery. Cook until they begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the meat and season generously with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook meat until browned and drain. Add the beans and tomatoes. Whisk together the tomato juice and corn starch or flour and add that too. Add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and allow to simmer until thickened.

To assemble waffles, put some chili on top of them and a pile of grated cheddar cheese. Put under the broiler or in the microwave just until melted (if you use the microwave don't do it for very long or the waffles will get soggy). Top with sour cream if desired.

Read more at http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2012/10/chili-cheese-cornbread-waffles.html#EPAkg0xrlgwGzfx7.99

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

My newest co-worker, Jillian, says that she loves the blog Iowa Girl Eats (iowagirleats.com) so I thought I'd take a look. Here's one that I found that not only looked yummy, but looked fairly easy, too... See what you think...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Danish BraidAdapted from Lauren’s Latest

• 1 tube crescent rolls
• 1 8-oz. package Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Icing

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons agave
• splash of vanilla
• milk to thin it out

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugars, flour, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Set aside.

Pop open crescent roll dough and unroll, leaving crescents in rectangles. On an ungreased baking sheet, lay the crescent roll rectangles together, lining them up width wise. Dough should be almost the entire length of a half sheet pan.

Press edges together to even out edges and seal any holes. Cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough. Carefully spread cream cheese filling down the center of the dough.

Fold 1/2 inch dough pieces up over filling alternating sides to get a braided pattern. You may have excess dough once you reach the end of the danish, so fold them in as best as you can.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until filling is set and crescent dough is golden in color. Cool before removing from baking sheet.

Once danish has cooled, remove to serving platter. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla and agave to create icing. You may need to add milk to get the desired consistency. Drizzle icing over danish.

Cut into pieces and serve.

*If you want a plain cheese danish, just use 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and omit the brown sugar and chocolate chips