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Nacho Pizzas


This is Na--cho ordinary pizza.  (Sorry I couldn't resist.)  I made Nacho Pizzas twice last week because my family just loved them!  They are basically nachos, but in pizza form.

I found this recipe while I was searching for heart healthy recipes.  Nacho Pizza doesn't sound healthy, but it's full of good stuff for you like veggies and beans.  The crust is a corn tortilla that is brushed lightly with olive oil and baked until crispy in the oven. 

Easy, delicious, healthy and kids love it!  What more could you want?

Ingredients (printable recipe)
4 (6 inch) corn tortillas*
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped OR a sweet pepper seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced ( I use a garlic press)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
4 ounces or 1 cup shredded cheese---cheddar, monterey jack, mozzarella (I used a shredded Mexican blend) whatever you like
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
---You could also add some cooked, seasoned chicken or ground beef if you like.
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place tortillas on an ungreased baking sheet. Lightly brush tortillas on both sides with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Bake about 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned and crisp.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion, pepper and garlic in the remaining 3 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat until onion is tender. Stir in black beans and tomato; heat through.

3. Sprinkle tortillas with half of the cheese. Spoon bean mixture over cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake about 4 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with cilantro. 
Makes 4 servings.

*If you prefer, substitute purchased tostada shells for the corn tortillas. Reduce oil amount to 3 teaspoons and omit step 1.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 teaspoon of olive oil was just enough to lightly brush each side of the corn tortillas. They baked up nice and crispy.
We love cheese!
I divided the mixture evenly between the corn tortillas. There were plenty of veggies and beans for each one.
More cheese!
My husband and I love cilantro, but the kids don't. I didn't sprinkle any on theirs. More for us!
The Results...
You already know that we loved eating these little Nacho Pizzas.  They are fun to make, too.  My 8 yr. old daughter helped me put these together.  She brushed the tortillas with oil, sprinkled cheese and scooped on the toppings.  I like it when the kids can help me in the kitchen! 

My only problem was that I didn't make enough.  There are 6 of us, so I doubled the recipe and made 8 pizzas, but those were gobbled right up!  The second time I made these I tripled the recipe and made 12 pizzas.  That was just the right amount for us.

This is a great vegetarian meal as is, but my family suggested we try them next time with some meat.  Cooked, seasoned chicken or ground beef would taste great on top, too.  You could also garnish these little pizzas with your favorite nacho toppings like sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc...

Have fun and Enjoy!

I share recipes at these linky parties.
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Dennys Funny Quotes: Comic Jimmy Kimmels Plan To Save The U.S. Post Office




Dennys Funny Quotes: Comic Jimmy Kimmels Plan To Save The U.S. Post Office: From Denny:  These are outrageous times.  To really save the post office and pull it out of huge debt is to start sending snail mail cards, letters and packages.  Really?

Well, yeah, that obvious tactic would work and is a sensible one. After all, the post office lost over $1 billion just in the last quarter of 2012 - and that included the holiday season of which they apparently did not get much of a share of the business.

But what debt answer would be a lot more creative and fun?  Comic Jimmy Kimmel has the answer.  He advocates the President legalize marijuana and then put the U.S. Post Office to be the only guys who can deliver it.  Outrageous?  Maybe, uh, hmmm.... it's actually a monopoly idea that would work!  Yay! Capitalism at work!  :)




I Love My Psycho Kitty Large Mug


Love cats? Live with an animated kitty with an attitude? We love our pet friends.

Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  Thanks for your support.  You rock!
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Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious and Odd: Why Russians Dashboard Cams Catch So Many Funny Things


KGB Bar
KGB Bar (Photo credit: larryfishkorn)


Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious and Odd: Why Russians Dashboard Cams Catch So Many Funny Things: From Denny:  When you live in a police state country, stuffed to the gills with corrupt police and politicians, the average Russian takes measures to get the record straight.

Come on; it's common global knowledge the old Cold War intelligence community - the dreaded ruthless KGB - and the current Russian drug cartels basically run Russia, though the public is demanding serious reform. The average Russian knows...


I Love My Psycho Kitty Mug
Love cats? Live with an animated kitty with an attitude? We love our pet friends.
Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  


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Comfort Food From Louisiana: New Orleans Chef Recipe: Jambalaya For A Crowd


Comfort Food From Louisiana: New Orleans Chef Recipe: Jambalaya For A Crowd: From Denny:  Need an easy recipe for a crowd during Mardi Gras season?  Chef John Besh of New Orleans paired with Zatarain's to create this faster version of jambalaya using Zatarain's Dirty Rice mix.  In fact, the famous chef has a lot of great recipes on their site.

What makes jambalaya so tasty is the browning of the chicken and andouille sausage, mixing in the veggies like celery and onion, some liquid (some people like to use chicken stock in place of water) and then the rice to cook in all those tasty seasonings and juices.

It's a fabulous one-pot meal that is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.


Funny Friday Weekend iPhone 5 Case


Tell the world how you really feel about coming back to work

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Comfort Food From Louisiana: Mardi Gras: New Orleans West Bank Chicken Wings



Comfort Food From Louisiana: Mardi Gras: New Orleans West Bank Chicken Wings: From Denny:  When I think of Mardi Gras the first images that come to mind are all the wonderful parties and delicious food.  Of course, I do - it's Louisiana!

One thing is for sure we are all often short on time to prepare our favorites dishes so I've decided to post onto this blog my favorite recipes from the Zatarain site.

They are a New Orleans based company that provides products to short cut the Cajun cooking process from slow food to a more efficient use of our time.  I prefer to cook "from scratch" most of the time but there are those times when we all turn to a faster way to prepare our favorite dishes...


Louisiana Seafood Reusable Shopping Bag


Check out awesome Louisiana eating: oysters, shrimp, crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya


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Cherry Swirled Cheesecake

Valentine's Day just isn't complete without a decadent treat.  Last year I made Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes for Valentine's Day.  Those little cakes are so good, especially with a scoop of ice cream!

This year I'm making Cherry Swirled Cheesecake.  My husband loves cherries and chocolate together.  I can't see why he wouldn't love a piece of this rich cheesecake swirled with a cherry sauce and baked on top of a chocolate cookie crust.  This is a perfect Valentine's Day dessert! 

This recipe is part of the Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge.  In this challenge there are two ingredients that must be used together in a dessert each month.  This month those two ingredients were chocolate and cherries, a great combination for Valentine's Day!

Ingredients (printable recipe)
Crust
1 1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used Oreos without the cream)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
Cheesecake
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cherry Sauce
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling or topping
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter; press firmly on bottom of 9 inch springform pan.
2. In blender, puree cherry pie filling until smooth. Then, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well.
3. Pour half of the batter into pan; top with 1/2 cup of cherry puree. Repeat one more layer batter and puree. With a toothpick or knife, swirl puree into cheesecake mixture.
4. Bake 50-55 minutes or until center is set.* Cool, chill completely.** Overnight in the refrigerator is best. Serve with remaining puree. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.
Serves 12

*Every oven is different, but it took an extra 15-20 minutes in my oven for the center to set.
**Here are some great tips from ehow on how to remove your cheesecake from the springform pan.   Cool and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before removing!

Adapted from Allrecipes/Eagle Brand Recipes

Here's my sweet little helper crushing the Oreos. This was a great job for these little hands.
The chocolate cookie crust pressed firmly on the bottom of the springform pan.
Cherry Pie filling pureed in the blender.
Here's my sweet little helper again! I already had a bag of Meyer lemons. We used about 5 or 6 to get 1/3 cup of lemon juice.
First, a layer of cheesecake on top of the cookie crust.
Next, 1/2 cup of cherry puree
Another cheesecake layer and cherry puree. I used a toothpick to swirl the cherry puree into the cheesecake batter. Isn't it pretty!
 See the yummy layers of cheesecake and cherry puree!
The Results...
Beautiful.  Sweet.  Rich.   
What's not to love!  

We gave this recipe 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)---almost perfection.  There was just one little thing that I would change next time.  I would slightly reduce the amount of butter in the crust to 1/4 cup instead of 1/3 cup.  As it baked, the butter oozed out from the bottom of the pan and when I pulled it out of the oven, butter dripped onto the floor. (I made this a second time and 1/4 cup butter worked much better. I've adjusted the recipe.) 

It still tasted wonderful.  I haven't made a lot of cheesecakes, but this is the best tasting cheesecake that I've made!  Cherry Swirled Cheesecake is a love-ly way to end a sweet day.  
 Happy Valentine's Day! 

Take a look at all the delicious chocolate and cherry dessert recipes from the Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge!

Lady Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge


This recipe is featured at:
The Weekend Potluck 
Foodie Friends Friday Host favorites 
I also share recipes at these linky parties.
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Italian Sausage and Brown Rice Soup

If you haven't noticed, I cook A LOT.  I have a family of 6 to feed.  Luckily, I enjoy being in the kitchen (at least most of the time) and I like knowing that my family is eating nutritious, homemade food. 

When I started this recipe blog almost 3 years ago (I can't believe it's been that long!) my main goal was (and still is) to be more adventurous, but still use ingredients that aren't difficult to find at my local grocery stores.  It seemed like we were making the same meals over and over: pizza, tacos, spaghetti, chicken.  I was worried that trying new recipes would mean the kids wouldn't eat their dinner.  But, dinner was getting boring and I decided trying one new recipe each week shouldn't be too bad and we'd eventually find more dishes that everyone liked.  Expanding our dinner options, I hoped.  We have found quite a few family favorite recipes, almost 100!

As I look for new recipes, sometimes I come across recipes that I'm not sure about.  This was one of those recipes.  It's different from our usual soup recipes and I wasn't sure if we'd like the cooked chopped cabbage in it.  I decided to make it anyway because sometimes you just have to give a recipe a chance and be more adventurous!

Ingredients (printable recipe)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Hot Italian sausage links
1 onion (large, chopped)
1 cup celery ( 3 celery ribs, chopped)
4 cups cabbage (chopped green cabbage)
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
3 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1-2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
About 3 cups cooked Brown rice
Directions
1. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Remove sausage from it's casings; add to pot and cook through. Remove cooked sausage to a plate or large bowl. Drain any drippings from the pot.
2. Put a little more olive oil in the same pot. Over medium heat, stir in chopped onion, celery and cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil and immediately lower the heat. Stir in Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in sausage and black pepper; simmer for about 5 minutes to heat through.
5. Put a scoop (about 1/2 cup) of brown rice in your bowl and ladle hot soup over it.
Serves 6

Inspired by The Kitchen is My Playground
I changed the original recipe because I didn't have white beans. I substituted brown rice and I used Hot Italian sausage, not sweet. 

The Results...
Surprisingly very good!  My husband and I really liked this soup.  He asked me to put the recipe here on our blog, so I wouldn't lose it. :)  He wants me to make it again.  It turned out much more flavorful than I expected and the sausage gave it a nice little kick.  The spice in this soup comes from the sausage.  We used Hot Italian sausage, but it wasn't really that hot.

I didn't get the same reaction from the kids.  They didn't really like this soup.  My two oldest finished their bowls of soup, but not the two little ones.  My 5 year old had just woken up from a nap and was very cranky---didn't want to eat a thing.  Our little toddler threw her bowl of soup.  Yeah, that's just how dinnertime goes sometimes.

My husband told the kids that they didn't like this soup because they have to be mature---like him---to appreciate this soup.  If you know my husband, you're probably smiling, too. :)

This recipe is shared at:

I share recipes at these linky parties.
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Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious and Odd: Outrageous: What Everyone Needs: A Hot Tub Boat


The Hot Tub Boat


Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious and Odd: Outrageous: What Everyone Needs: A Hot Tub Boat: From Denny:  Looking to pamper yourself because you have more money than you know what to do with? Getting ready for the very popular Rich Man's Spring Accoutremount and Wardrobe season?

Are you so ultra conservative Republican you resent your local Food Bank begging for help because it has empty shelves?  Figure said Food Bank doesn't need donations for half of the formerly wealthy struggling middle class now living in poverty?

Then this outrageous rich man's toy is for you!  For wealthy green folks know that this is an electric boat.

It's called...


Paint Dots Brights Kindle Sleeve

Paint Dots Brights lets out your inner artist!

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Cool Whip Frosting

Since it's very cold outside, I've been turning the oven on and baking more than usual.  My little 5 yr. old loves to help!  She received a princess cupcake kit for Christmas and she's been asking to make cupcakes.  I want to try this Cool Whip Frosting, too.  So, we are making cupcakes today!

Ingredients (printable recipe)
1 cup milk
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant pudding mix, any flavor
1/4 cup powdered sugar (granulated sugar will work, too)
8 ounces Cool Whip
Directions
1. Pour milk into bowl add pudding mix and sugar.
2. Beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes.
3. Gently fold in Cool Whip.
4. Frost cake or cupcakes and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Adapted from Food.com and Kraft

The Results...
Fluffy, light, sweet and lemon-y (I used lemon pudding).  What I really like about this recipe is that you can change the flavor to match the kind of cake you make.  Use cheesecake pudding for a carrot cake or chocolate pudding with a chocolate cake or butterscotch pudding with a yellow cake.  You get the idea.

I also like that Cool Whip Frosting is lighter than traditional frosting and it only takes five minutes to make!  I have nothing against traditional Buttercream frosting.  It's just nice to have a quicker and lighter option.

Update Oct. 11, 2013
We still love this frosting! I've added it to our Tried and True recipes.  I still love how quick, easy and light this frosting is and my family still loves to eat it. :)  Here's a picture of some Halloween cupcakes I made recently with vanilla and chocolate flavored Cool Whip Frosting. 

 
Other recipes you might like:
Buttercream and Chocolate Buttercream Icing
Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
Animal Cupcakes

This recipe is shared at:

I share recipes at these linky parties.
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Poems From A Spiritual Heart: Snowing The Perfect Balance




Poems From A Spiritual Heart: Snowing The Perfect Balance: From Denny: The morning was so very perfect, enjoying the falling snow, cuddling into the silence snow brings, that it brought out a snow poem that I combined with the idea of how our perceptions affect our sense of Time.


Love X 7 Business Card Case

LOVE X 7 puts you in a good mood instantly

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Dennys Funny Quotes: Cookie Monster Hunted By German Police: Alleged Golden Cookie Theft

This photo from German newspaper 'Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung' shows  a big blue 'Cookie Monster' with a giant golden biscuit which has been stolen from the Bahlsen biscuit company - it was part of the company's trademark sign. It came with a letter (right) claiming responsibility for the theft and demanding the company deliver free cookies to children's hospitals to get it back.
source:  Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung

Dennys Funny Quotes: Cookie Monster Hunted By German Police: Alleged Golden Cookie Theft: From Denny:  Cookie Monster is in trouble - again!  His alleged cookie addiction could cost him some time behind bars if he doesn't get a lenient judge who can sympathize with his plight. Of course, an extortion letter to a German newspaper may not prove to be helpful.  German police are investigating.

You see, Cookie Monster has now made Bahlsen, a popular German cookie maker in Hanover, Germany, world famous with his alleged theft of their trademark iconic giant golden cookie sign, a gilded bronze sculpture.  It's been reported in America and across The Pond in the UK and Europe.

Cookie Monster allegedly claimed responsibility for the sneaky theft.  His demand letter?  CM allegedly wants Bahlsen to...


Cut Wall Street Not Free TV Organic Kids Tee dark


"Tell the Republicans not to cut PBS - Not my Big Bird, Cut Wall Street not Sesame Street, Support PBS" (PBS is free public TV in America, funded partially by the federal government, and, for decades targeted for extinction by grumpy conservatives who don't want poor children to get a good education courtesy of their tax dollars.)
* * *  Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  Thanks for your support.  You rock!


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