A Quick Tip = A Delicious Sandwich

Hey everybody! Guess who's back from the dead? This girl. Between work, a wedding, and school, life has been super busy so it's been hard to post anything. Anyway, enough about me. I have a brilliant tip for you.

I don't know how many of my darling readers have a Cafe Rio in their area, but if you do, this is for you!
If you're like me, I love love love their pork salads. My only problem is that I have left over dressing at the end because they give so much. I don't like throwing it away because it's so delicious and having Cafe Rio is a treat (married and broke right here folks!), so I saved it. It lasts quite a long time, which was a relief because when this idea sparked, I just had to try it.

Your ingredients are simple: bread, Cafe Rio dressing, and whatever you want on your sandwich! I personally stick with the simple turkey tomato and lettuce combo, but not everyone's the same.

What's the tip? Use your dressing instead of mayonnaise! It brings to much flavor to the sandwich, and you don't have to load layers of it onto your bread to make it noticeable. Less fat, more flavor. I understand this isn't ground-breaking news in the culinary world, but try it! You'll thank me later.

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Santa Fe Quesadillas

I don't know about you, but I'm the person that pulls out cheese and tortillas and calls it good. However, today I was feeling a little bit adventurous and wanted to add something more solid to my sad daily diet of cheese and flour. I didn't have time to add shredded, slow cooker chicken since I had to run to class, so I went with a veggie quesadilla. The original recipe that I used called for chopped red bell pepper, but since I didn't have one I added cilantro instead.

Ingredients

2 flour tortillas

sliced or shredded cheddar (or pepper jack) cheese

1/4 cup whole kernel corn

1/4 cup black beans

fresh chopped cilantro

Step One: prep your corn, beans, and cilantro

On medium heat, place one tortilla in a sprayed pan. Layer your

cheese, beans, corn, and cilantro. Cover with your other

tortilla. Cook until tortilla is a golden brown, then flip. Cook

for about three more minutes then take off the heat.

Slice into quarters and serve with salsa or sour cream. Enjoy!

To view the original recipe, to go:

Allrecipes: Santa Fe Tortillas

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Shrimp and Fruit Salad

This is a typical Kara dish. I love shrimp. Like....love love shrimp. I could eat it all day every day. But it can be a little pricy so I have to stop myself from eating it as much as I would like. This "recipe" (or "Kara's-hungry-but-has-no-food-to-her-name" dish) is very cheap and beyond easy.

Ingredients

4 or 5 shrimp

fruit (I got a 1 lb. bag of frozen fruit at the dollar store)

iceberg lettuce

raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing

whatever seasonings you want on your shrimp

Saute your shrimp and set them aside. Tear apart a bowl of lettuce and place shrimp on top. Toss on your fruit, and drizzle on your dressing. Told  you it was simple.

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Apple Enchiladas

I made these forever ago and realized I forgot to post them! These are fabulous not just for dessert but for breakfast as well (just don't tell my mom I said that, she thinks they're "too sweet" for breakfast). These are great for the days you want something delicious today, tomorrow, or yes, next week (if you refrigerate it of course). These do take time, but half of it is the "enchiladas" sitting in the sauce before they bake

Ingredients

1 can apple pie filling

6 large tortillas

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

preheat oven to 350.

Step one: Place a sauce pan over medium heat, combining butter, both sugars, and water.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3 minutes.

Take it off the heat and set aside.

Step Two: scoop 1/4 cup (or less) of apple pie filling down the middle of each tortilla.

Sprinkle cinnamon on top, roll the tortilla up, tucking in the edges. Lay in a greased pan

"seam side" down.

Step Three: Pour the sauce on top of the enchiladas. Make sure to cover the sides as well.

Set on the counter for 45 minutes so the tortillas can soak in as much of the sauce as it can.

Step Four: Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

I made this as Sunday dessert for my never ending family, who couldn't get over how much

they loved these. Definitely a winner!

To view the original recipe, visit: Cornfed Mama

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Mini Tortilla Pizzas

Meet my new favorite snack: mini tortilla pizzas. When I first found this recipe, I was more of, "Eh....I guess I could try this..." but when I started eating them, I knew it just had to be shared. It doesn't matter how hungry you are, these will help. If you want a snack, you can eat one or two. If you're starved you could be like me and eat 10!
One of the perks of this recipe is that there's no measurements. No teaspoons, cups, or a million other numbers to memorize. It's so simple.

Ingredients

Soft tortilla shells

Pizza (spaghetti) sauce

Shredded cheese

Whatever topping you want!

Preheat your oven to 350.

Use a cup or tin can to cut up the tortillas

Softly press the pieces into a muffin tin

Add the pizza sauce

Add the cheese and whatever toppings you decide

Throw in the oven 7-10 minutes (I left them in until the edges were golden brown)

Let them cool for 2 minutes, then use a fork to lift them out. Enjoy!

To view the original recipe, go to: fabulousfoodblog.com

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Homemade Butterfingers

Now for a little dessert. This was so easy and really delicious, and a fantastic excuse to get away from the studying.

Ingredients

1/4 cup honey

*1 Tbs molasses

3 1/2 Tbs sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cups cornflakes

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips

*Ok, let's be honest, what student has molasses kicking around in their cupboards? I easily substituted it out for, yes, maple syrup. Instead of using a tablespoon of molasses, just use 2 tablespoons of syrup. It works just as well, and tastes the same (if not better).

Directions
Mix first 3 ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil on medium heat for about one minute. Take off the heat and add the peanut butter and salt. Gently mix in the cornflakes (unless you want them crushed, that works too). Spread flat in an 8x8 pan on wax paper, or just grease it really well. Melt the chocolate chips and spread on top. Throw it in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes so it can harden. Cut into bars and enjoy!

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