Tricky Little Cupcakes!

I found this recipe the day before April Fool's Day and made a batch to "trick" my kids and a few of their friends!

For the Mashed Potato and Gravy Cupcakes you will need:
1 Box of White Cake Mix
1 Can of Vanilla Whipped Frosting
Yellow Starburts (as many as cupcakes you make)
1 Bottle of Pour on Carmel Syrup

Cook your cupcakes as directed and allow to cool. After cooling top with Frosting.  Make it lumpy and fun.  Insert and Yellow Starburt in the middle and drizzle with Carmel syrup!

For the Peas and Carrots on top of Mashed Potatoes Cupcakes you will need:
1 Box of White Cake Mix
1 Can of Vanilla Whipped Frosting
1 Box of Mike and Ike Candy's (not tropical go with the regular ones)
Orange Starburts

Cook cupcakes as directed and allow to cool.  After cooling top with frosting.  Make them lumpy and fun! Cut your mike and ikes in half using green ones only.  stick to the top of cupcake. Cut your orange starburt in to small squares.  Place on top of cupcake.  The fuller the  more realistic!

Taco Stuffed Shells

What you will need:
1 Box of Jumbo Pasta Shells (you will use as many as your family needs)
1 can of Santa Fe Philidelphia Cooking Cream
1 Bag of Morning Star Crumbles (or 1 pd of Ground Beef)

What to do:
Boil your noodles until soft and drain

If using ground beef brown your ground beef and then add in the Cooking Cream
If using Crumbles warm them on stove and add cooking cream

Fill each shell to the top with Beef or Crumble filling

Bake on 325 for 15 min

I would make double what you think your family will eat.  Mine ate more than expected! These will also freeze well.

To freeze: Place in an air tight container (the new Pyrex that goes from the freezer to the oven or the glad ones would be perfect).  Allow to thaw in the fridge.  Bake as directed above.

You could mix these up with spaghetti sauce and Beef or Crumbles too.  Although the Shells seem to never be on sale this was still a very inexpensive meal to make.  We served our with Ranch Beans and Chips and Salsa.

This mom hasn't been cooking much!

Well it's hit that time of year where our schedule is as crazy as rush hour in Dallas.  My poor family has eaten alot of Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Cheezie's Pizza.  1 more month and I hope to soon return to the kitchen to cook yummy healthy meals for my family again.

I will be posting over the next few days some recipes that are simple throw it together and chow it down quick meals that we have used on the fortunate nights that the six of us gather together at the table.  Some of these easy meals to come will be Stuffed Taco Shells (sounds fancy, but trust me it's a BREEZE and Cheap!), Bleu Cheese Burgers, and Lasagna Casserole (this one freezes beautifully).

I have also discovered a few simple products out there in the grocery store that will now become stapels in the Fredin Pantry.  I think you will enjoy finding new ways to use them as much as I have.  Old El Paso has come out with Enchillada Stuffers they are found in the Mexican Food Aisle and right now a lot of stores have a rebate you can try them for free with.  We recently bought the Garlic Chicken.  It had CHICKEN AND RICE in the package already and all you do is pop it in the microwave for a few min and stuff away.  We filled Taco Shells the other night with them.  Another new Favorite is Philidelphia Cooking Cream (again you can get this for free at a lot of stores right now with the $1.50 off coupon found last month in the paper).  We love the Santa Fe Blend. Our Stuffed Taco Shells Recipe comes from this product.  For my vegetarian friends, we have fallen in love with Morning Star Crumbles! These are a great substituition for Beef in taco's, spaghetti sauce, and even Hamburger Helper!!!!!

Until I cook again, I hope you enjoy the quick simple recipes!

Pizza Cups

The new favorite go to meal of the Fredin's!

This is an easy appetizer if you are looking to make something fun for a Dinner Party or Game Day Party.  This is also a simple go to meal.  This is not only a Fredin favorite, but My best friends husband request these all the time.

What you Need:
1 Can Grands Biscuits
1 Jar pizza Sauce or Italian Spaghetti Sauce will work too
1 pd of ground beef (we use Morning Star Vegetarian Crumbles, so if you're not a Beef eater you can still eat this!)
2 C of mozzerella or Italian Cheese

Form your biscuits in to a oil or butter sprayed muffin pan.  I would let them set in the fridge for about 10 min to hold their form

Cook ground beef (or warm up your crumbles) and add in your sauce.

Scoop enough filling in to reach about the top of each biscuit but not overflowing

Bake according to Biscuit Package.  Sprinkle Cheese on top of each one to your liking and cook for no longer than 5 min.

DELISH!!!! See how simple this was.  I bet it will be a family favorite for you too! (one day I will learn how to make my pictures of food pretty!)

Fajita Nacho Night

Who doesn't love nacho's? Try this for dinner on a night you are short on time.

I used beef round bottom steak that I had pre-cooked in the crock pot the week before and put in the freezer.  Using Worchestchire and Fajita seasoning cook in slow cooker for 6 hours on low. Freeze and save for later!!!

What you need:
1 bag of Tortilla Chips
1 package shredded mexican cheese
1/2 c salsa
1pd of beef round steak or fajita steak strips would work
1c onion diced (I pulled these pre-diced from the freezer too)
1c bell peper diced (also came from my freezer stock)

Lay chips out on baking sheet cover with cheese, top with salsa. steak and onions and peppers

Bake on 350 for 20 min.

Pizza Cups

This has become a favorite of not only our family but our friends! We take this one to friends all the time because it is simpe and delicious!

What You need:
1 Can of Grands Biscuits
1 Jar of Pizza Sauce
1 Package of Mozzerella Cheese
1/2 pd of ground turkey, beef etc.

Brown turkey/beef and drain.  Combine with sauce. 

Using a muffin pan form biscuits to each muffin set in pan.  This will become your shell

Spoon meat/sauce mixture into biscuit shells

Cover with cheese

Bake according to biscuits package.

These are a great appetizer or even after school snack.  They also freeze easily if you make ahead to take somewhere!

ENJOY THIS FAVORITE!!!

Snow Day French Toast

It's taken some time for me to get this up.  After several days in the house due to snow and ice, we ate "outside of the box"! A family Favorite was French Toast.

Here is the recipe i used.

 1 Loaf Hawiian King Bread
4 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup of Milk
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1 loaf of bread made approx. 6 pieces of french toast. 
Slice bread
Combine all ingrediants in a shallow bowl (excluding bread)
Soak bread in mixed ingrediants

I used the griddle and cooked until golden brown on both sides.

We topped ours with pie filling, whipped cream and syrup!

Enjoy!!!