Baked Taquitos

OK, let's be real.  We can be real with each other right? I mean, we talk about sugar, butter, and share a mutual love of bacon, so that has to make us friends. 

Well, we all know how much I love Mexican food.  But what you may not know is my secret love for those grocery store taquitos that you find in the freezer aisle.  Yes, the ones found in that section of the grocery store where those frozen 'dinners' reside and I tend to avoid like the plague.  And while I may be hanging my head in shame over this confession, now I can't get them out of my head. So. Good. AND, I know you love them too. How can you not? They are a guilty pleasure for sure!

Well, one day I came across these on the Pink Parsley blog and I practically heard angels rejoicing. YOU CAN MAKE THESE AT HOME?!?! I was a little bit excited, just a little.

Oh my, these are good. Make these, please? I don't usually like telling you what to do, but please humour me and make these. I know you'll thank me!

This makes 8 - 12 taquitos, depending on how fat you make them. We have tried using corn tortillas twice, and had epic failures each time so we tend to stick to the 6" flour tortillas.

Baked Taquitos

• 3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup salsa
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded extra shard cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese 
• 8 - 12 flour tortillas (6")
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooking spray 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray it with cooking spray)
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, green onions, and a dash of salt
3. Add the shredded chicken and the cheese and mix well
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste
5. Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of the filling to each tortilla and roll them up tight. (If your tortillas start to break, microwave them between damp paper towels for 20 to 30 seconds before filling and rolling)
6. Place the rolled taquitos seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet
7. When all are filled and rolled, lightly spray them with the cooking spray
8. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy
9. Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or all by itself
10. Enjoy!!!!

Chai Cupcakes

I recently had a request for some Chai Cupcakes from a friend of mine. Since I have never had a chai cupcake myself, or even seen any recipes during my internet wanderings, I got right to work to find the perfect recipe.


I thought that the Snickerdoodle cupcake recipe would be the perfect base because the batter lets whatever spices you add shine through.  I mixed up a quick spice mixture with the common flavours used in chai-flavoured lattes and desserts and got to work taste testing!

I found that a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom was the best received by my willing taste testers.  Since the cupcake had such a distinctive flavour, I used a Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream to complement the cupcake so that the frosting wouldn't compete with the cupcake.


I was so happy with how these turned out, and I really hope my friend enjoyed them as well :)

This recipe makes about 26 regular-sized cupcakes.  Feel free to add the spice mixture a couple of teaspoons at a time until they are as spicy as you like your chai tea.


Chai spice mixture

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cardamom

Chai Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 to 2 tbsp chai spice mixture (to taste)
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line you muffin pans with cupcake liners
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and 1 tbsp of the spice mixture
3. In a second bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy
4. Add the eggs to the butter/sugar two at a time, mixing well after each addition
5. Add the vanilla and again mix well
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well
7. Add the milk, mixing until well incorporated
8. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture and then give it a quick taste test.  Feel free to add more spice mixture if you want it to be stronger in flavour (I added about another 1/2 tbsp at this point)
9. Fill your cupcake liners, and bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a cupcake
10. Let cool completely before frosting
11. Frost with your favourite vanilla frosting, or enjoy the delicious chai flavour in a naked cupcake!
12. Enjoy!

Beef and Greens

Sometimes when you think you have nothing that can make a simple meal in your fridge, a quick search on the interwebs can quickly prove you wrong!  The other night we had absolutely no idea what to whip up for supper, but we knew that we wanted some sort of comfort food due to the fact that the dreaded snow had finally arrived.

Once again allrecipes.com came to the rescue! One of my husband's favourite dishes is Beef and Greens, so with some tweaking to this recipe based on what we had available, we were able to make a tasty supper and have some awesome lunches the next day.

This makes enough for 4 - 6 servings. We served this with some brown fried rice and it was a perfect meal on a chilly night.

Since my husband is still talking about this, it is a definite keeper! I know we'll be making this again, very soon!

Beef and Greens

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 can beef broth (10.5 oz)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb steak, cut into strips
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 generous cup chopped broccoli
• 1 generous cup bean sprouts
• 1 generous cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 generous cup sugar snap peas, sliced

1. In a small bowl add the flour, beef broth, sugar, and soy sauce and mix well
2. In a large wok or skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat
3. Add the beef strips and cook for 2 - 4 minutes, or until browned
4. Add the vegetables, garlic, and ginger and mix well
5. Pour in the sauce, and mix to coat all of the beef and veggies
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken while stirring occasionally
7. Serve alone or over rice
8. Enjoy!

Pecan Pie

Keeping with my new infatuation with pecans, I had a random craving for Pecan Pie last week. I've never actually had pecan pie before, so I had no clue what I was getting into. I just new that I needed one in my life asap.


I searched around for a bit and most recipes had a very common review: delicious but very sweet!

While I do like my sweets, I wanted a recipe that let the buttery goodness of pecans shine through.  This recipe that I found on allrecipes.com seemed to fit the bill! Still a sweet and delicious pecan pie, but not so sweet that it felt like you were eating a massive piece of candy.  


I will admit that I used a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (so handy!) because I had one on hand, but I know this would be even better with a flaky homemade pie crust.  I will get over my fear of pie crust soon, I will!

Pecan Pie

• 1 refrigerated pie crust, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F
2. Line an un-greased pie plate with the pie crust, and set aside
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy
4. Add the melted butter to the eggs and mix well
5. Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and flour and again mix well
6. Add the milk, vanilla, and pecans and mix until the pecans are well distributed
7. Pour into the waiting pie crust, and bake for 10 minutes
8. Lower the temperature to 350 F, and bake for an additional 30 - 45 minutes, or until the middle is fluffed up and the pie is a wonderful dark golden brown
9. Let cool before serving
10. Enjoy!

Simple is Beautiful!

Sometimes the simplest dessert is the most beautiful!  


These cupcakes are a vanilla bean cupcake with a vanilla buttercream. Classic and delicious.

After icing with a classic swirl, I then sprinkled on some gold sprinkle flakes and white sanding sugar and called it good! 


These cupcakes make me smile :)