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!

July is National Ice Cream month, and I’m so excited to show you how making your own homemade ice cream is easier than you may think!

No ice cream maker? No problem. Out of rock salt? Don’t need it! You can make this ice cream in just four easy steps.

And let me just get one thing straight. This ice cream is so incredibly smooth and creamy you would never, ever know it’s not churned. Seriously. Creamy. You must trust me on this. I would not lead you astray! :)

Homemade Ice Cream without the machine couldn’t be easier!

Basically, you start with 2 cups of heavy cream and 1 can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks…

Add your flavors, toppings, and mix-ins to the sweetened condensed milk…

Then fold in the whipped cream.

That’s it! Freeze and enjoy!!

So what can you add to the cream & milk??

How about butter, cinnamon, and vanilla for… Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream! Oh my gracious, it totally tastes *just* like cinnamon buns! You have to try this one.

Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream Recipe

What about Nutella & Peanut Butter?? Seriously yum!

Nutella Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream Recipe

Do you like Krispy Kreme Doughnuts??! Oh yes I did. I added little bits of Krispy Kreme doughnuts people!

Krispy Kreme Ice Cream Recipe

How about adding Smucker’s Magic Shell for a really cool fudge swirl effect??!

Hazelnut Mocha Fudge Swirl Ice Cream Recipe

***

The options are endless!

What Ice Cream Flavor would you create??! :)

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

These baked beans aren’t just any baked beans- they are manly baked beans. They’re meaty, mouth-watering, and topped with bacon. They’re perfect for parties, pot lucks and 4th of July. They also are an excellent accompaniment to this Perfect Pulled Pork.  Not only is this scrumptious side dish sure to please, it’s also quite convenient- you can make it up a day ahead and pop it into the oven when you get ready to make it. If your goal is to win friends and influence people at your 4th of July party- make these right away. ;)

Here’s what you’ll need. Wait. First let me say- since I made this for just me and Kevin, I halved my usual recipe. It normally makes an entire 9×13 dish of baked beans. Which, yes, of course I could eat the entire thing, all in one sitting, because they’re just that good– but anyway. Bathing suit season people. I halved it. The half recipe makes an 8×8 dish. If you want to double this recipe, double everything except the onion soup and the bacon. Still use just one package of onion soup and 1 lb of bacon, even if you double it. Got that? Alright. :) Here’s what you’ll need for the half recipe:

1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 (15 oz) can Van Camps pork & beans
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb  bacon

I start by cutting my bacon in half (to get it out of the packaging) and putting it in the bottom of a 9×13 dish. It takes two 9×13 dishes, and if it doesn’t quite fit, I just shove it in there anyway. :) There’s no way I’m using more than 2 dishes! I’m not even happy about using the two- but it’s *way* better than doing it on the stove.

Oh yeah! I’m doing my bacon in the oven these days. Turns out great! I’ve even got my *dad* doing it and he is the KING of frying bacon. I don’t mind doing bacon on the stove, it’s just that you have to stand there for 30+ mins and watch it the whole time. With the oven, you can just stick it in there and forget about it for at least 25 mins. Here’s how I do it- put the bacon in a cold oven, then turn the heat to 400 degrees. Check on it after 25 mins. If it’s not done to your liking, check on it every 3-5 mins after that. For this recipe, you don’t want it allllll the way done. It’s still going to cook for another 45 mins in the oven on top of the baked beans. So you don’t want it to be extra crispy or anything. But you do want it to be mostly done. (I did mine for 25 mins.) Got that?

While the bacon’s going, brown and drain the hamburger meat.

Then throw the hamburger meat, and all the other ingredients- the water, vinegar, onion soup, beans, ketchup, mustard (don’t skip this even if you hate mustard like I do :D), brown sugar, and garlic- into a large bowl. Now, I like to let my Kitchenaid mixer (with the paddle attachment, on low) stir this up for me. But you could certainly also just use a spoon, of course. :)

Whoops! Did you notice anything missing from the mixing bowl picture?? The BEANS! I forgot add the BEANS!! But don’t worry- I remembered and added them before I got to the dishing up point. :P

When the meat and beans mixture is combined, layer it in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish and cover it with plenty of bacon. Yes. I realize that doesn’t really look like an 8×8 dish. As it turns out, all of my 8×8 dishes were dirty. Along with the two 9×13 dishes I used to make the bacon in. I’m going to have a lot of dishes to do tonight. But anyway! Since I didn’t have an 8×8 dish, I used the next size up. Not quite as big as a 9×13 dish, but slightly bigger than 8×8. Oh, nevermind. Now at this point, I wasn’t ready to cook it, so I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. But you could definitely go ahead and make it right away if you wanted to.

Either way, when you get ready to make it, preheat your oven to 350, cover the beans with aluminum foil, and bake covered for 30 mins, and then uncovered for 15 mins, for a total of 45 mins cooking time. And when it comes out it’ll look crispy and delicious. :D

When it’s ready, dig in! And be sure and get plenty of that bacon. :D We had this tonight with Perfect Pulled Pork sandwiches. I’m happy to report that I tried the pulled pork in the crock pot for the first time today and it turned out great! For a 5lb roast, it needed at least 10 hours on low. I put it in at 8 this morning, and by 6 pm, my meat thermometer was reading 198. Usually I cook it to an internal temperature of 200, and then turn off the oven and let it cool for another couple of hours until it cools down to 170, but tonight I just couldn’t wait so I went ahead and pulled it at 198. It was perfect and literally falling apart in my hands. Just right. :)

Have some baked beans leftover? They make a *great* lunch- it’s got your beans and your meat all in one dish! :) I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit I’ve eaten this straight from the fridge- cold. It’s GOOD! :)

Whether you’re looking for something to make for a crowd or just a weeknight side dish- give these Ultimate Baked Beans a try! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2009. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Homemade tortilla chips = Yum. Yum yum yum yum yum. Homemade tortilla chips that are this delicious need a dipping sauce that is equally extraordinary – something that can step up to the plate and match the taste “WOW factor” – bite for bite. That’s where Mighty Meaty Nachos come in…

The ingredients: 1 lb breakfast sausage (can use regular or hot), 1 lb hamburger meat, 1 small jar of salsa, 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles (can use mild or regular… if you can handle the heat ;)), 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 32 oz velveeta cheese.

For the tortilla chips: small, “fajita sized” tortillas (about 6″ in diameter), 3-4 cups vegetable oil & kosher salt

About 2 hours before serving time, slice the Velveeta cheese and place in a crock pot that has been sprayed with Pam. (Keeps it from sticking to the side. Um, yeah. I forgot to do that.) Melt cheese over “High” heat. About 2 hours later, it should be melty and bubbly- like this. :)

Turn the crock pot to Low and put the lid back on. Now it’s time for the Might- I mean the meat – of this recipe. In a large skillet (this one’s 12″), brown, then drain the hamburger and sausage.

Now it’s time to get serious. Go back to all that melty, cheesy, Velveeta-y goodness in the crock pot. Stir in the meat, Rotel, cream of mushroom soup and the small jar of salsa. Now I never know what a small jar of salsa is, so normally I just buy whatever size I can find, then fill my empty (10 oz) Rotel can with salsa and use that amount.

Note to all the mushroom haters out there: Yes, you can leave the cream of mushroom soup out. I do it sometimes too. I wouldn’t touch mushrooms with a 10 foot pole- I can’t even stand the smell of them. The cream of mushroom soup just makes the dip… Creamier. Not mushroomier. :D

Ok YAY! My favorite part! The tortilla chips! :) These are so fun and your friends will be so impressed. :) Fill a small (10″) skillet with about 1″ of vegetable oil (about 3 cups, but I don’t measure).  Begin heating over medium to medium high heat for about 10 mins.

Meanwhile, lets make chips. :) Grab a stack of tortillas- for the 2 of us, 10 tortillas is just about right. Cut into 1/4′s to make perfect little chips.

After about 10 mins the oil should be hot enough. We’re going to make the chips in 4 batches, so take one stack of chips and place them in the oil, one at a time.

Flip one over and check on it after about a minute or so. My first batch usually takes a little longer because the oil isn’t as hot yet. But as soon as one side starts to get golden, flip them over.

When both sides are brown and golden, immediately remove from oil (with tongs! :)) and place in a bowl lined with a paper towel. Immediately sprinkle with a healthy pinch of kosher salt.

Repeat the process for the rest of your chips.

They are usually golden, bubbly and perfect after cooking about 1 min on each side.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt after each batch

Now, the really cool thing about flour tortillas is that that are golden and crispy on the outside, but when you bite into them it’s like a wonderful surprise- they’re kinda soft and flakey!! Definitely different from your average tortilla chip, but OMG. So good. Now if you prefer a more traditonal tortilla chip you can use corn tortillas. They have the traditional taste and crunchiness that you’re probably used to. Kevin prefers the corn tortilla chips, but I’m a flour tortilla kinda girl. I just cannot get enough of these chips. :D

Dip them into the Mighty Meaty Dip and it’s Nacho Perfection. These will be the hit of any party- the dip makes a *lot*, but I never bring home leftovers. :D

© kevinandamanda.com, 2009. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!