If you have any wonton wrappers leftover from the Crispy Southwestern Wontons, here’s a great way to use them up! I was browsing Pinterest the other day when I came across these adorable mini lasagna cups made with wonton wrappers in a muffin tin! How fun are these little lasagnas? And so fun to eat, no utensils needed. The outer wonton shell is thin and crispy, while the inside is soft and chewy, just like a lasagna noodle. These are so incredibly easy to whip up, great for a quick weeknight dinner.

Start with one pound of lean ground beef for the meaty lasagna sauce.

For spaghetti and lasagna I also like to add a pound of sausage. It gives the sauce a huge flavor boost and we just love it. Try it just once and you’ll be hooked!

You can even brown them in the same pan at the same time for ease.

Now this makes a ton, so here’s what I do. When it’s browned and drained, I separate the meat into 4 equal portions. I use one of them that night, and freeze the other three (labeled and dated) for quick and easy spaghetti, lasagna, or pizza on another night. You don’t even have to let it thaw, just put it in the pan with your favorite sauce and it will heat it right up.

Here’s 1/4 of the meat mixture with 1 cup of spaghetti sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.

Mix one and a half cups of ricotta cheese with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.

Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray, and arrange a wonton wrapper into each cup.

Take half the ricotta mixture and divide it among the 12 cups. This is a little much here, whoops!

Top with half of the meat sauce…

And sprinkle with shredded cheese. We had colby jack tonight, so that’s what I used. Mozzarella would be very nice as well. Next time I’d love to try it with some fresh mozzarella pearls.

Press another wonton wrapper into each cup, arranging it in the opposite direction of the first wrapper for aesthetics.

And repeat the layers one more time. Add the remaining half of the ricotta cheese..

The rest of the meat sauce…

And top with more shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Who knows why I’ve got a fork in this photo, you can just pick these up and eat ‘em!

Yum! Love these quick and easy mini lasagnas. Hope you enjoy!

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Oh my gosh, now here is a gorgeous, delicious vegetable side dish that I absolutely adore. This is one of my mom’s recipes, and I think could eat an entire plate of this buttery corn for dinner. She whipped it up for us this weekend and I knew I had to share it with you guys. What makes this corn so special is that it’s got the best of both worlds. It has that wonderful creamy quality of creamed corn, but the corn itself is still crisp and fresh like it’s straight off the cob. Perfection.

Start with six ears of corn.

Shuck the corn by peeling off the outer layers.

And snap off the husk.

Pull any remaining silks off the corn and rinse under cool running water.

In a large bowl, cut the corn from the cob with a sharp knife.

Start in the middle and work your way down.

Then flip over to get the other side.

Check out these knife skills, getting every last kernel of corn!

It was nice to be able to just stand back and photograph this recipe!

Once you’ve cut off all the corn…

Scrap up the cob with spoon to get the milk.

The creamy corn milk is completely worth it.

Here’s what the cob will look like after.

Next, combine three tablespoons of flour…

Two teaspoons of sugar…

1 teaspoon of salt…

And sprinkle in about a quarter of a teaspoon of pepper.

Dump all of this into one and a half cups of water.

And stir with a fork or a whisk to combine.

Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium-low heat.

When the butter is melted, swirl to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the corn…

Then pour in the flour and water mixture.

Cook this over medium-low heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Here’s what it looks like after 45 minutes, a lot of the liquid has been absorbed.

Gorgeous.

This beautiful, buttery, creamy yet crisp corn is such a treat.

Make some. I know you’ll love it!

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

I am a huge fan these crispy, restaurant-style wontons. They’re such a fun treat for dinner, and so easy to whip up at home. Here’s one of our favorite recipes for hot, lightly fried wontons stuffed with a cheesy southwestern ranch filling. Hope you enjoy these!

Here’s one of my secrets to make weeknight dinners quick and hassle-free. I keep frozen, diced vegetables on hand so they’re easy to grab and a cinch to throw into recipes. Here’s what I normally have on hand at all times: bell peppers, carrots, celery, zucchini, white onions, red onions, and corn. There’s also usually okra, edamame, peas, and broccoli, but I wouldn’t hyperventilate as much if I ran out of those.

Whenever I’m dicing vegetables, I use whatever I need for the recipe, then throw the rest in a Ziploc bag to keep in the freezer for the next time I need it. Makes things so much easier on me knowing I can just grab pre-diced vegetables from the freezer and whip something up!

All right, let’s put these vegetables to work. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add 1/4 cup diced onions and cook for about five minutes until they’re starting to turn golden.

Then add 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper and cook five more minutes until softened. Add 1 clove of minced garlic, and stir for about 1 minute.

Immediately add the frozen corn kernels and canned black beans, 1/4 cup each.

Next you’ll need about a cup of shredded chicken. Here I used leftover rotisserie-style chicken from this Brown Butter Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts and Crispy Sage, perfect for this execution!

Add the chicken to the vegetables and beans, stir to heat everything up, then move everything to a bowl, like the one above.

Season with a little pepper…

Add some cheese, about 1/2 cup.

And cover with about two tablespoons (1/2 package) of dry ranch dressing. Love this cool, tangy flavor boost.

Stir everything to combine.

At this point we can start heating the oil for the wontons. Rinse out the skillet used for the vegetables, (I could’ve done a better job of that here!) dry it completely, and fill with about a 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil. Begin heating over medium heat.

While that’s heating up, it’s time to break out the wonton wrappers. I found this brand at Publix and I’m really partial to it. Unlike some other brands I’ve tried, these are nice and thick, so they don’t stick together when you’re trying to pull them apart, and they don’t rip when you’re stuffing and sealing the wrappers.

Scoop about a teaspoon of the chicken and vegetables into each wrapper.

Rub some water onto two sides of the wonton and fold over to seal, making sure to press out any extra air pockets in the wrapper.

Repeat for the remaining wonton filling. Here’s my assembly line!

By the time you have all your wontons stuffed and sealed, your oil should be good and hot. Set up a plate lined with a paper towel for draining, then go ahead and add about 6 wontons to the oil.

Or less, if you have a smaller skillet. You don’t want to crowd the wontons.

When they’re lightly golden (about 1 minute) flip to the other side. When both sides are perfectly golden and crisp, remove to the paper towel to drain and repeat with the remaining wontons. By the way, save that oil when you’re done, you can use it again next time. You’ll definitely want to make these again. :)

Lovely! I just want to take a big crunch out of these.

We also love stuffing these wontons with our favorite taco fillings or pizza toppings. They’re great for using up leftovers, because pretty much anything is delicious when stuffed in a wonton and fried.

You know what’s also cool about this recipe? After the wontons are sealed and stuffed, instead of frying you can place on a baking sheet and freeze overnight, then move to a Ziploc bag for long term freezing. Then when you’ve got guests you can whip these out for a quick and easy appetizer, no need to even thaw!

This recipe makes about 24 wontons, and if you’ve got a few extra wrappers leftover, hang on to them because I’ve got another recipe coming at you next week for a fun way to use them up.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Here’s an incredibly scrumptious ravioli dish that I just love. Love. This is definitely one of my favorites here, I could eat that crispy sage all day long! The flavor combinations in this dish blow me away every single time. I know you’ll love this one!

I normally use leftover rotisserie chicken in this dish, but just in case you don’t have any on hand, let me show you this quick and easy chicken technique I picked up from the fabulous Picky Palate blog.

Start with 1 lb split chicken breast with rib meat, skin on.

You’ll also need kosher salt, pepper, and this menagerie of spices — dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Smoked is very nice.

Combine 1 tsp of all your spices…

And sprinkle over both sides of the chicken.

Heat one tablespoon of canola oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven or a large, oven-safe pot. We’ll be moving it to the oven later. And if you happen to have leftover bacon grease, like I did, I highly recommend that you use that instead. Like I did.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Like this.. check out that beautiful crispy skin! Any longer and the spices will start to burn, in which case the dish would become Brown Butter Ravioli with Blackened Chicken, Toasted Walnuts & Crispy Sage.

Flip the chicken over and cook on the other side for 2 more minutes, then move to a 350 degree oven to finish cooking for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, you’ll need about 1/3 cup of these gorgeous, soft, fragrant sage leaves.

Then go ahead and boil and drain your ravioli. I like this mini three cheese ravioli.

When the chicken is done, allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Grab about 1/2 cup walnuts…

And place them in a large skillet over medium heat and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, especially during the last couple of minutes so they don’t burn.

Here they are all nice and toasted.

Remove from the skillet and chop.

Next, wipe the skillet of any remaining walnut crumbs, place it back over medium heat and melt 4 tablespoons of butter.

When it just starts to turn brown, add your sage leaves.

And stir constantly for one minute. It burns easily, so after one minute,  immediately add the drained ravioli and stir to combine, then turn the heat to low and add the chicken and most of the chopped walnuts.

Plate the ravioli and top with the remaining chopped walnuts for garnish. For a truly nirvana-like experience, get one of everything in a single bite — cheesy, brown buttery ravioli, crispy sage, a few toasted walnuts, and a bite of your rotisserie chicken. I die.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

I cannot tell you how much I love these cheeseburger flatbread melts. I love them. I think I could eat just about anything that was enveloped in this delicious buttery flatbread. It knocks my socks off. These little melts are so easy to throw together for a quick, simple dinner. Bubbly, chewy flatbread is topped with hamburger beef smothered in a delicious savory sauce and loaded with plenty of shredded cheddar cheese.

What’s not to love?

To make this no-frills delight start with 1/2 pound of lean hamburger meat, browned and drained.

We’ll be adding these fine ingredients to make a beefy sauce that’s absolutely loaded with flavor.

One package of dry onion soup mix.

Ketchup.

Garlic and mustard.

And water and apple cider vinegar.

Give this a stir and set it aside to simmer over low heat. It smells fabulous right now.

Meanwhile, grab your canola oil and a large, heavy bottomed skillet.

Heat two tablespoons over medium heat.

While that’s heating up up, we’re going to work on our flatbread. Break out the thin crust pizza dough for this flatbread!

Divide it into six equal sections.

And roll them out…

Until they are uh, mostly round in shape. I did the best I could here.

By the time they are all rolled out, the oil should be hot and shimmering.

Add the dough — it should sizzle, baby!

Let these cook about 1 minute per side until golden brown and bubbly. I cannot tell you how much I love this flatbread.

Take a piece of your thin, chewy flatbread — I let mine get a little brown here, but if that happens, just put the brown side up. We’re about to load it up with toppings and no one will ever be the wiser.

Top with the hot and bubbly beef mixture.

And plenty of shredded cheddar cheese.

Repeat!

When you get ready to eat, simply fold and enjoy! No utensils necessary.

I see a lot more of this flatbread in my future.

Hamburger + taco seasoning + cheddar = Taco Flatbread Melt.
Hamburger + spaghetti sauce + mozzarella = Lasagna Flatbread Melt.
Flatbread + fresh rosemary + sea salt = *faint*

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

This crispy shrimp pasta is such a treat. It’s rich, buttery, creamy, and a cinch to whip up. The golden crust on the shrimp is just glorious. I can’t say enough good things about this perfectly indulgent delight!

Boil noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, grab three-fourths of a pound of raw shrimp that’s been peeled, deveined, and tails removed. This is just the right amount for two servings.

Season generously with salt..

And freshly ground pepper. Give this a stir to evenly distribute the seasoning.

Sprinkle on one tablespoon of flour…

And stir to coat.

Add one more tablespoon of flour for good measure.

And stir to evenly coat the shrimp. Perfect.

Melt one tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

When melted and hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook one one side for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Flip the shrimp and cook until golden brown on the other side, another 2-3 minutes.

When done, remove the shrimp to the plate. This golden, crispy crust, inspired by How Sweet Eats’ Crispy Shrimp Pasta with Arugula Pesto Cream Sauce is pure heaven!

Pour in the chicken broth and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the bottom of the pan to deglaze.

Reduce heat to medium and pour in cream, whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium heat until bubbly and the cream starts to thicken the mixture, about 5-10 minutes.

You’ll want to add some seasoning at this point. Just some salt and pepper would be nice, but I usually add 1/2 teaspoon of my favorite cajun seasoning. It’s perfect for rich, creamy sauces like this.

Season your sauce as desired, then add the drained pasta and shrimp to the sauce and stir to combine. This combination has such a rich, wonderful flavor. It’s one of our favorites!

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

This delicious, incredibly cheesy dish is another one of our favorite weeknight dinners. It’s beefy, hearty and whips up in less than 20 minutes. Hope you love this one as much as we do!

Start with one pound of lean hamburger meat, browned and drained.

Add a package of taco seasoning.

And one can of this. The good stuff.

You don’t even have to bother to drain it!

Gosh, I really like Rotel.

Add two cups of beef broth.

(You can also just use water if you want.)

And one cup of elbow macaroni. You’ll be glad you did.

By the way, I’ve tried other shapes of pasta in this recipe, and none of them seem to work as well as good old macaroni. Gotta love it.

Stir to combine, and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 12-14 minutes until the macaroni is tender.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of flour.

Whisk to combine, and continue to cook, whisking until the roux is fragrant and light brown in color, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in 3/4 cup of milk.

And bring the sauce to a boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Whisk until melted. Heaven help me.

Now one last step for the sauce, this stuff needs some seasoning! Add 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. I love this seasoned salt and pepper.

Here’s what your hamburger and noodles should look like after 12-14 minutes. Don’t worry if there’s still some beef broth in there. You may want to taste test a noodle for doneness at this point.

If you like it, go ahead and pour in the cheese sauce and stir gently to combine.

Glorious! Beef. Cheese. Rotel. Taco seasoning. Does it get any better than this? Enjoy!

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Oh, good heavens, how I love shrimp and grits. They’re a revelation. They’re packed with an unbelievably delicious combination of completely fantastic flavors. Spicy. Cheesy. Bacon. Wow. To put it simply, shrimp and grits are just plain awesome. It’s one of our favorites!

You’ll need grits.

And a chicken bouillon cube, to flavor the grits. Or these chicken bouillon granules, which I prefer, because I don’t have to unwrap a cube.

Some cajun seasoning for the shrimp. Don’t be shy with the seasoning here. The spiciness of the shrimp goes wonderfully with the coolness of the cheesy grits.

Bacon. We are loving this thick-sliced bacon from Wright. Pick some up if you see it at the store next time, let me know how you like it! Here’s the quick and easy way I cook my bacon (in the oven, about 15 minutes each side).

You’ll need some scallions.

And garlic. And some lemon juice, too.

And after you cook the bacon, be sure to reserve a few tablespoons of the bacon grease to fry the shrimp in. You’ll be glad you did.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

What is it about bacon & avocado that I absolutely love?? And these quesadillas… with their buttery, crispy, heavenly tortilla shells… are seriously yum. Don’t let the green scare ya, avocados have a really delicious taste. I promise they’re not just thrown in to “healthify” this recipe! ;) Quesadillas are one of our favorite quick and easy weeknight meals. Come on, let’s make these, you’ll love ‘em!

Let’s start with the bacon. Here’s how I do it. Arrange bacon on a cooling rack (like for cookies) and set it on top of sheet pan. If you don’t have a cooling rack, you can just put the bacon straight on the sheet pan. Or in a 9×13 baking dish. Either way will work. Place bacon in a cold oven,  turn heat to 400, and cook 15 mins per side. Crispy strips of bacon, the easy way!

Now take about a tbsp of the bacon drippings and add to a skillet over medium heat. Add diced scallions & saute about 2-3 mins until softened.

Add bite-sized pieces of chicken in a single layer, season with salt & pepper, and cook for about 5 mins or until chicken is golden and cooked through, flipping just once during cooking.

Remove the chicken & scallions to a plate and rinse out the skillet.

Then add a little butter over medium heat…

And when foamy, add a tortilla and swirl it around to get it nice and buttery.

Now we can start layering with the good stuff. Chicken.

Bacon.

Avocado.

Do you know how to pick out a good avocado? We’ve all been there… trying to scoop out a rock hard avocado! First check the bottom and make sure it has a green stem. Then give it a little squeeze. It should have a little give to it. Not too squishy, but not rock hard. Touch the tip of your nose. About like that. You’ll get a good one every time. If all they have at the store are rock hard, let it sit on the counter overnight. If you have a paper bag you can put it in with an apple, even better.

A little cheese..

Now use some tongs to flip the other side of the tortilla over.

And pat down in place.

Oh my stars. When it’s golden, brown and delicious like this, flip it over to brown the other side. It’ll just take a minute or two on each side.

Super easy. Super quick. Super delicious.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

I cannot wait to share the incredible steak recipe with you guys! Goodness gracious, this was delicious. It starts with a simple, tried-and-true ribeye steak but it completely transforms into something purely magical with a simple coffee crust. It will totally send your tastebuds into overdrive!

You will love this steak if:

1. You don’t like coffee.
2. You don’t like black coffee.
3. You prefer your coffee with unmentionable amounts of cream and sugar.
4. You like the smell of coffee.
5. You do like coffee.
6. You seriously, really like coffee.

Now come on, let’s get started!

The ingredients are really simple. All you need is a little butter & olive oil, salt & pepper, your steaks and coffee. That’s it!

Pick out some well marbled, ribeye steaks and season both sides with salt, just as you normally would. I prefer kosher because of it’s flaky shape, it seems to stick to the meat better! :)

Fresh ground pepper too.

Now the coffee. I just grabbed some ground coffee off the shelf at the grocery store. Decaf for me, because I’m already high strung enough as it is. And hazelnut flavored because it’s absolutely delicious- with just a hint of sweetness.

Do try it with your favorite flavor and please report back!

Give the steaks a good sprinkling with the coffee. Don’t be afraid!

Next, find yourself a nice, heavy-bottomed skillet (one that would make Sir Mix-A-Lot proud) and begin heating over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil, and heat until the butter is just browned.

Then add one of the steaks. Oh my heavens, this smells incredible right now!

Cook for 3 mins on the first side, then flip and check after another 3 mins. The steaks were pretty small (1/2 lb each) so they were definitely done after 3 mins on each side.

Let the first steak rest on a plate covered with foil while you cook the second steak. You’ll want to let them rest for a few mins before digging in anyway! :)

Perfection.

This delicious steak could not be easier. Just check out the simple recipe below. You’ll love it! And it’s so interesting and fun to make for guests. Just imagine the reaction you’ll get from Coffee Crusted Steak! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!