Escalloped Cabbage

I took a little bloggy break.

Well, while that was the truth...there is a little more to it.
My computer decided to die. Yup, awesome.
Luckily I have a great friend who was able to recover everything but my bookmarked faves (oh the kajillions of lost recipes! Years of tagging and saving. Sigh)

Then once I got my computer back, I just didn't jump right back in.
I don't know if it was laziness, or if the world just felt overwhelming for a bit...or a good mixture of both.

I have a working computer.
I missed you all terribly.
I am happy to be back!

Ingredients:

1 Large head cabbage

1 (15 oz) Jar Cheez Whiz

1 (10 oz) Can cream of chicken soup

1 Jalapeno (seeded and finely diced)

¼ Cup milk

Paprika to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Slice cabbage into 6-8 wedges, remove hard inner core

3. Parboil until nearly done

4. Drain, arrange in a greased 9 x 13 dish

5. Mix Cheez Whiz, soup, jalapenos, and milk

6. Pour cheese mixture over top of the cabbage

7. Sprinkle with paprika

8. Bake for 30 minutes

Print

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Come party with me HERE!

Chocolate Frosting

I have a love/hate relationship with dishes.
I love, love, love when they are clean.
I hate, hate, hate to clean them.

Seriously hate to do dishes. I would rather scrub toilets.

In an effort to minimize my dishes after making this, I had the grand idea of just mixing my sugar and cocoa and not sifting it.

Don't be like me.

I got it all in a bowl and started stirring. There were little balls-o-ingredient in the mixture. Not the fine mixture I should be using.
So, I cave, I grab the sifter.

In trying to get everything from the bowl to the sifter I made a mess like you only read about. My counter, my nearby appliances, my shirt....covered.

I repeat, don't be like me.
Just do it right to begin with. I tried to outsmart the system and made a bigger mess for myself.

Ingredients:

3 Cups confectioners’ sugar

¾ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 stick butter (softened)

3-4 Tbsp heavy cream

1 Tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Sift sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl

2. In another bowl, combine 1 cup sugar mix, butter, and 1 tbsp cream

3. Beat until smooth

4. Add another cup of sugar and tbsp cream

5. Beat until smooth

6. Repeat until all ingredients are used

7. Add vanilla and beat until fluffy

Print

Recipe adapted from Food Network

This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Pioneer Momma, Flour me with Love, Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, Mom Favorites, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, All Things Fee, A Mama's Story, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Mom's Test Kitchen
Tuesday: Pint Sized Baker, Inside Bru Crew Life, Cornerstone Confessions, Memories by the Mile, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lou Lou Girls, Timewarp Wife, The New Mrs Adventures, Hope Studios, Mandy's Recipe Blog, Kathe with an E, Stone Gable Blog, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Hope in Every Season
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Someday Crafts, Milk and Cuddles, My Girlish Whims, Buns in my Oven, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Crafty Allie , A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Ivy and Elephants      
Thursday: Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Katherine's Corner, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change
Friday:  Happy and Blessed Home, The Grits Blog, Play Party Pin, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Country Cook, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Coffee with us 3
Saturday: Melanie Makes, Petite Allergy Treats, Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sister's Stuff, Beauty Through Imperfection, Raising Memories
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, Denise Designed, 3 Little Greenwoods, Three Mango Seeds   

16 Minute Beef and Bean Burritos

The girl who sat next to me at work has moved on to a different job, in a totally different field. I wish her well!!
I had a new (temporary, while they played musical desks) neighbor, she happened to say something and my response was "oh, that happened when we had our flood".

She looked at me like I had 10 heads (one would think I would be used to such a thing by now).

So the story goes...
I sit in the middle right cube in a section of 6.
We had contractors everywhere building a new section of our office.
My neighbor to my right yelled over one day and said "do you hear dripping?"
Next thing we knew it was Niagra Falls

Gah!

A pipe burst over our heads! 

People came running like ants...it was chaos! We were trying to get all of our computers unplugged and out of the line of fire. Then someone remembered the printers. It was madness I tell you!

My neighbor got the worst of it. My desk got some, but the majority landed in a small lake under my desk.

Oh it was something to behold.

We then became other people's temporary neighbors while our desks and ceilings were repaired.

Nights like that, I am more than happy to make a quick, easy meal. 

Running around trying not to get shocked by office equipment is hard work!

Ingredients:

2 Lbs ground beef

½ Medium onion

1 (7 oz) can Mexican tomato sauce or Enchilada sauce

Salt and Pepper

Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder

1 (28 oz) can refried beans

¾ Cups grated cheddar cheese

Sour Cream and Salsa to top

12 Burrito sized flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef with onion and season to taste

2. Pour in sauce and simmer (reserve a little sauce to top the burritos)

3. Heat refried beans in a sauce pan

4. Heat tortillas in the microwave for one minute

5. Spread small amount of beans on each tortilla

6. Add seasoned meat

7. Fold over ends and then roll up

8. Place two burritos on microwave safe plate

9. Drizzle read sauce over burritos and sprinkle with grated cheddar

10. Microwave for one minute until cheese is melted

Print

Adapted from here

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Uncommon Designs, Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Feeding Big, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Mom's Test Kitchen
Tuesday: Cornerstone Confessions , Inside Bru Crew Life, Kathe with an E, Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile, The New Mrs Adventures, Hope in Every Season, My Joy Filled Life, Timewarp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Stone Gable Blog, My Journey Back
Wednesday: Recipes for our Daily Bread , Dizzy Busy and Hungry , Buns in my Oven, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Crafty Allie, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mostly Homemade Mom, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Ivy and Elephants
Thursday: Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, Katherine's Corner, A Delightsome Life, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Stacey Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: The Grits Blog, O Taste and See, Play Party Pin, Lady Behind the Curtain, Daily Dish, The New Mrs Adventures, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Coffee with us 3, Love Bakes Good Cakes\, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Pin Junkie, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Pure Grace Farms, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom
Saturday: Belle of the Kitchen, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sister's Stuff, Simply Gloria, Beauty Through Imperfections, Raising Memories
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, 3 Little Greenwoods

Herb Potato Salad

I am a potato salad snob.
I admit it.

Maybe it's because I am biased, but I tend to eat only my baked potato salad. (Not that it's a bad thing)
We were having some friends over, and I was making some chicken wings. Potato salad goes with wings like bubble-gum and shoe.

BUT...I was making my regular to bring to a family function the night prior, so I wanted to shake things up a bit.
Enter Ina Garten.

(I admit, I find this picture funnier than I should)

This recipe is hers, and I wasn't sure. Well. I loved it. I like it better room temperature, but that is all personal preference.

Ingredients:

3 Lbs small white boiling potatoes

Kosher Salt

2 Tbsp dry white wine

2 Tbs Chicken stock

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Garlic cloves (minced)

½ Tsp dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

⅔ Cup olive oil

¼ Red onion (finely diced)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Place potatoes and 2 tbsp salt in large pot of water

2. Bring water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife

3. Drain in a colander. Place colander with potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel

4. Leave potatoes to steam for 15-20 minutes

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, 2 tsp salt, and ¾ tsp pepper.

6. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Set aside.

7. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves (size depending)

8. Place cut potatoes in a bowl and pour enough dressing over them to moisten

9. Add onion, tarragon, and parsley.

10. Salt and pepper to taste.

11. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend

Print

This recipe was shared on:
Monday: Pioneer Momma, New Mama Diaries, Kitchen Table Art, Call me PMC, The Chicken Chick, Flour me with Love, Jam Hands, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, Feeding Big, Jambellish, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Memories by the Mile, Pint Sized Baker, A Peek into my Paradise, My Joy Filled Life,Our Table for Seven, Mandy's Recipe Box, Kathe with an E, Sweet Silly Sara, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
Wednesday: The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Buns in my Oven, Crafty Allie, Lady Behind the Curtain, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Wine and Glue, White Lights on Wednesday, Ginger Snap Crafts, Sew Crafty Angel, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch
Thursday: Sweet Haute, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: The Best Blog Recipes, Craft Dictator, Endlessly Inspired, The Grits Blog, O Taste and See, Hungry Harps, A Little Clarification, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, Angel's Homestead, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, What's Coking Ruthie, Northeast Bloggers, Craft O Maniac
Saturday: Coffee with us 3, Cheerios and Lattes, Simply Gloria, Six Sisters Stuff, Sewlicious Home Decor, Weary Chef
Sunday: Denise Designed