Taco Pockets

 My husband grew up on cabbage pockets and didn't really like them. Some of you know them as Runza's.  He said that the school made them a lot for lunch.  Them seem to be a popular item where I live and every one is a little different from the other.  I wanted to make something today that would be easy to transport if my daughters wanted to bring some food with them to the fair today. (they didn't)  But these little discoveries of mine are really good - so I may start to make them more often. 

 

I started with my favorite bread dough.

And I divided it into 20 equal pieces.

I cooked 1 lb. ground beef with 1 chopped onion and 1 T. Garlic. 

I drained the grease and added some taco seasoning

and about 1 C. Salsa.

I grated 8 oz. of cheese.

And the assembly begins....

I rolled out the dough into circles and put the taco meat on top.

I added some cheese.

I folded them up and put them on a cookie sheet.

 

I didn't grease the cookie sheet - but you could if you wanted to . 

The pockets didn't stick too bad but they would come off

 a little easier if you sprayed the cookie sheet with

some non stick spray.

 

I baked these taco pockets at 350* for about 20 minutes.

I have to admit that I didn't really time the baking. 

 I usually use my nose and my eyes as a timer -

but I think it was about 20 minutes.

I was able to get 20 taco pockets and they were a big hit!

Even my husband liked them...WIN!

 

 



Karo Corn

 

 

I was introduced to this sweet treat from my college roommate Jennifer Parker (well now her name is Jennifer Taylor).  I have no idea where she got the recipe from but it has become a quick go to snack when I need to provide something for a crowd!

 

Karo Corn

1 C. Butter (you can use margarine but butter is better!)

1 1/2 C. Sugar

1/2 C Karo Syrup

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

 

Mix butter, sugar and Karo in a heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla.  Pour over 3 batches of plain popped popcorn.

 

 

I have a trusty air popper.  I honestly cannot believe it is still working (It's about 25 years old).  I clean my kitchen sink real good

 and pop my popcorn into it.

Then I make the syrup

And pour it over the popcorn

I stir it up real good - do this kind of quickly if you can

Then I pile it into a bowl and enjoy!

This is so fast and easy it's no wonder I enjoy making this!

(and eating it also)



Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

 

 

I am sure there are 100 versions to this recipe but I will admit that this seems to be my go to salad when I need to feed a crowd.  It is easy to make ahead and you can adjust the size of the salad based on how many people you need to feed.  I made this one big since it was coming with us to an FBLA Banquet.  I first had this years ago at a church activity.  I have added a little bit of my  own taste adjustment and have been using it ever since!

 

Chop 2 heads of Broccoli

 

Chop 2 heads of Cauliflower

Broccoli and Cauliflower should be about equal amounts.

Take the seeds out of 4 Roma tomatoes

 



 

Dice the tomatoes

 

Chop 6 boiled eggs

I boiled them the day before so they were ready to go.

 

Chop 1 bunch of green onion

 

Chop 1 pkg pre cooked Bacon

You can cook it up fresh if you want

 

Add one can sliced water chestnuts

I quarter my chestnut slices before adding them

 

Stir it up and put a lid on it.  You don't want to add

the dressing until you are ready to serve the salad.

 

 

Dressing is:

1 C. Mayo

(DO NOT use Miracle Whip)

1/3 C. Sugar

2T. White Vinegar

 

Mix in a small bowl or container and pour over

salad right before serving.

 

This is so delicious!

I hope you give it a try!

Pizza Rolls

Last Sunday I knew we would have a long day and the family would be hungry after church.  I made up these pizza rolls thinking they would be easy to eat without re-heating or plates.  Not everyone in the family was crazy about them...they are a lot of bread...but my youngest daughter really liked them and said she would take them to track meets.  She has 3 track meets this week so I made them again to send along with her.  These are so easy and you can fill them with anything.  Let your imagination go wild and

fill them with whatever you want!

 

Use your favorite bread recipe.  I will give you the ingredients for the one I use.  It is not my recipe and I would credit the source if I could remember where it came from. 

 Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set it aside to raise.

 

2 T. Yeast

1/2 C. Warm Eater

1/2 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

7 C. Flour

1 tsp. Salt

2 C. Scalded Milk

3 T. melted Butter

 

After it has raised punch it down and work some flour into it. 

The dough will look like this

Divide into 20 pieces

Roll out a piece of dough

Add 4 or 5 pepperoni pieces

Add about 1 T. Pizza Sauce - (or more)

Add a chunk of Mozzarella Cheese.

I used an 8 oz. block and cut it into 20 pieces.

Roll it up - egg roll style

Place on a greased cookie sheet

Bake @ 350* for 30 minutes.

They will expand and touch each other but that is not a problem

Just pull them apart and enjoy!  These are great Hot or Cold!

 

 

 



Oreo Truffle Brownie Bites

What do you do when your daughter needs a kind of fancy dessert for the Dessert Bar at Prom?  You make some delicious chocolaty Oreo Truffle Brownie Bites.  Did I mention that I like super easy foods that look and taste like you spent forever on them?

  This is a perfect example. 

 

I took a box Brownie mix and mixed it up according to package directions.  Then I put it into mini muffin pans.

I baked it at 350* for 15 minutes

Then I took this great mini tart shaper

And shaped the brownies to have an open center

And removed them from the pans

I took a whole package of Oreo cookies and ran them through my food processor to turn them into crumbs.  I mixed the Oreo crumbs with an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese to make my Oreo truffle filling.  I actually did all of this before I mixed the brownies and I put it in the fridge to firm up a little bit.  I took the truffle filling and a 1 tsp. sized cookie scoop and I filled the brownie bites with the Oreo Truffle Filling.

 



Then I took a package of Bakers White Chocolate

and melted 3 squares in a 2 C. measuring cup in

 the microwave for 1 minute.

Using a fork I stirred the chocolate until it was smooth and

drizzled it all over the Oreo Truffle Brownie Bites

If you are in a hurry you can put them in the fridge for the chocolate

 to harden or if you have time you can just let them

sit out until the chocolate is firm. Delicious!