Taco Casserole

    It's been a while! I'll tell you, having two jobs takes a lot out of me! I actually made this taco salad two weeks ago and I'm just getting around to posting the recipe. Slacker!!! Life's been good though. Frankie and I just spent the weekend in Massachusetts for my cousin's wedding. It was amazing! I'm home now and resting for an extremely early morning tomorrow! So, this taco salad is super delish! I made it with ground turkey too. Super good and super easy!

Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of ground beef (or ground turkey)

- 1 (16 ounce) can of refried beans 

- 1 (16 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa

- 1 package of taco seasoning mix

- 3 cups of coarsely broken tortilla chips

- 1/2 of a medium green bell pepper, diced

- 1 large tomato, diced

- 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

- 1/4 cup of sliced olives

- 1 cup of shredded lettuce

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, over medium- high heat, brown the meat. Once thoroughly cooked, drain. Next, stir the refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning into the meat. Reduce the heat to medium and heat to a low simmer. In a 9x13 baking dish, spread half of the tortilla chips. Top the chips with the beef mixture, diced bell pepper, half of the diced tomato, and the cheddar cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has melted. Top with shredded lettuce, remaining tomatoes, and olives. Serve immediately. 

Fresh Tomatoes Caprese

    So, last week I started another new job! I'm officially a server at Carrabba's Italian Grill! I spent this whole week studying menus, eating food, and tasting wine. I have to say, I was very impressed and I'm looking forward to working there. I've never really been a fan of anything "Caprese". That is, until I tried the Tomatoes Caprese at Carrabba's. I decided that I had to try and make my own version of it! Caprese salad is a simple Italian Salad that is traditionally made of sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves. It's said that the colors of this antipasti are meant to represent the red, white, and green of the Italian Flag. I whipped up a quick balsamic reduction and drizzled it on top with a little salt and pepper. Fantastico!!!

Fresh Tomatoes Caprese

Ingredients:

- 1 large ripe tomato

- 1 small red onion

- 1 package of fresh mozzarella cheese

- salt and fresh ground pepper

- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar 

- 3 or 4 fresh leaves of basil, chopped 

    In a small sauce pan, warm the balsamic vinegar over medium/ high heat for about 10 minutes. You will have to watch it carefully, stirring constantly. When the vinegar starts to thicken, remove from the heat and let cool. Slice the tomato and onion into bite sized pieces, drizzle with the cooled balsamic reduction and top with sliced mozzarella, basil, salt, and pepper. 

I toasted some Italian bread and diced everything up to try a bruschetta spin on my caprese! 

Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast

    When it comes to baked french toast, this was not my first rodeo! I first dabbled with the idea for Christmas morning and although I loved it, I wanted to kick it up a notch! What better way to spiff it up than to add a streusel topping? This recipe definitely completed our church brunch for the kids last week. They definitely left for summer camp with some full bellies!

Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast

Ingredients:
- 1 large loaf of crusty bread (I used French bread)
- 8 whole eggs
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of whipping cream
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
  For the streusel topping:
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon on salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold butter, sliced into pieces
    Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying generously with non-stick spray. Break or cut the bread into bite-sized chunks and place into prepared baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and place the whole thing in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight. When you're ready to prepare the french toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the topping. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Sprinkle the topping on top of the chilled bread mixture. Bake the whole casserole for about an hour, or until golden brown. Serve warm with maple syrup.

The Spread! Yum!