Ravioli Cupcakes

I'm a faithful follower of Recipe Girl, and her talented 12-year-old son has his own cooking blog, Recipe Boy, which is where I saw this recipe last week.

I'm treating this more of a method than a recipe. You wouldn't think these would hold/stay together, but they do...perfectly. I had a jar of vodka spaghetti sauce in my pantry, so I used that instead of traditional sauce. I was hoping to use some Portobello and Fontina ravioli that I had seen at my local grocery store, but they only had one package. I used Buitoni instead...and one package of that is enough (I bought two, unnecessarily). I also made mine meatless, just to cut out one extra step.

I had two of these for dinner, and, no lie, two guys at work polished off the other TEN the next day. Can't get much better proof that this is a winner.

36 uncooked refrigerated cheese ravioli
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. To each tin, add a spoonful of sauce, two ravioli, Mozzarella cheese, another spoonful of sauce, one ravioli, more Mozzarella cheese. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Enchilada Stuffed Mushrooms

I am kicking myself for waiting so long to try this recipe, courtesy of Lauren's Latest! It was easy to halve it...just as easy as it would be to double it for a party.

The mushrooms provide a "meaty" base for the rich, creamy filling (accented by taco seasoning)...and then the enchilada sauce over the top kicks it up a few notches. 

It's just a ton of flavor in a little package. I highly encourage you to try this...sooner than later!

Printable recipe
20-24 baby bella mushrooms
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup red enchilada sauce

Remove stems from mushrooms. Place into greased baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, taco seasoning, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon filling into mushrooms. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

OBG: Spinach Bake

Here's another Oldie But Goodie (OBG). When I was married, we grilled steaks every Sunday night. I always enjoyed finding a new side to accompany...but this dish made repeated appearances.

I have no idea where I originally found it, but it is a keeper. I told my cooking-challenged best friend last night: "You could do this. It's dump, stir, and bake!"

This makes a big pan and uses inexpensive ingredients...so it's great for both a potluck and cooking on a budget.

Printable recipe

1 box corn muffin mix (Jiffy)
2 eggs, beaten
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
1 can French onion soup
1 package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 stick margarine, melted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine first six ingredients and stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Crescents

I pinned this about a year ago from (don't roll your eyes) Plain Chicken. I wanted dinner to be "pick-up" food last night, and I remembered this recipe...and it fit the bill!

It's super-simple...and super-delicious. I got the crispy chicken strips, per her recommendation, and they hold up well in the sauce (not soggy). The sauce had a good amount of kick without being too spicy. I couldn't really taste the cheese, so if you want to leave that out, I don't think it would make that much of a difference.

Printable recipe

8 frozen breaded chicken strips (like Tyson)
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
1 tube crescent roll dough
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing

Whisk together buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing. Unwrap crescent rolls and separate into eight pieces. Dip each piece of chicken into buffalo-ranch mixture, and place onto crescent dough, along with sliced cheese, and roll up. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Drizzle with additional ranch dressing or serve dressing alongside for dipping.