Fiesta Salsa

This item is on our 4th of July menu tomorrow! It is a huge hit in our family. My Mother-in-law loves to add diced avocado and imitation crab to this dish. Me, I like it just the way it is. I love how refreshing it is!

Fiesta Salsa

3 (14.5 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained well

1/2 red bell pepper chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

1/3-1/2 C. Chopped cilantro 

1/3 C. Shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 purple onion chopped

1-2 cans pinto beans, drained (I use 2)

1 C. Catalina dressing

Combine all ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Serve with corn chips. (I like the big scoops ones.)

Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Veggie Pizza

To quote a popular kids movie "this'll take her breath away". Super delicious and super easy!  A dear friend of mine made this for a party one time and it was a hit! This is a must have at your next party. 

Veggie Pizza

2 cans (8 oz each) crescent dinner rolls

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 to 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables.  I used broccoli, cauliflower, red bell peppers, carrotts and onions

Heat oven to 375°F.

Unroll both cans of dough. In an ungreased cookie sheet. press dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides to make a crust. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely

 In small bowl, mix cream cheese, and ranch powder. Spread over crust. Top with

vegetables.  Cut into squares and serve.  Makes about 32 squares

7 layer Bean Dip

This recipe is always a great party dip.  My mom has made this for as long as I can remember. I usually like mine as a 6 layer dip.  Not a fan of Guacamole.  The nice thing about this dip, is that you can customize it to your liking, without messing it up.  My husband prefers no green onions.  Others like it with tons of cheese.  So don't feel like you are messing it up if you want to add a little more this or that. 

7 layer Bean Dip

1 can Refried Beans 

1 cup Guacamole

1 (16 oz) Sour Cream

1 pkg Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1-2 cups Shredded Cheese

1/2 cup Black Olives sliced

1 cup Tomatoes (diced)

In a shallow baking dish, spread the beans evenly. Top with Guacamole.  Mix sour cream and taco seasoning in a small bowl. Add on top of the guacamole.  Top with cheese, olives, tomatoes and green onions.  Serve with Tortilla Chips.

Bacon Wrapped Lit'l Smokies

Whoever said bacon makes everything better, was a geneous! The first time I tried these, I was at a friends reception.  I was hooked.  Then when I heard how simple they were to make I got really excited.  They taste like something you would have to bay big money for at a restaurant, cause slaving away all day over a hot stove is out of the question.  Its just three simple ingredients.

Bacon Wrapped Lit'l Smokies

1 lb bacon (cut strips into fourths)

1 package Lit'l Smokies (I like the beef)

1/2 cup brown sugar

Wrap a piece of bacon around the sausage link.  Secure with a tooth pick (the bacon will shrink, so the toothpicks help it to shrink around it instead of come loose) Place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bacon is to desired doneness. (I like mine crispy) I like to rotate my half way through so that both sides soak up the delicious juices!

These can be done in a crock pot at well. 

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Well its Super Bowl Week here at Mommy's Kitchen Creations! You are in for some serious fun this week.  Tonight we have Baked Jalapeno Poppers.  Much healthier than the deep fried ones, and they taste better too!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

15 Large Jalapenos

2 cups finely shredded Cheddar Cheese

2.5 oz package Cooked Chopped Bacon (1/2 cup)

2 (8 oz) bricks Cream Cheese (at room temp)

1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

Slice Jalapenos lengthwise.  Make sure to remove all stems, seeds and ribs.  Is a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, bacon and cheese.  Mix well.  Scoop mixture into jalapeno halves and roll in bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for about 30 min, or until skin starts to bubble a little bit.



Tortilla Roll-Ups

It's just about time to start planning that super bowl party.  Well I think it is anyway.  I am so NOT a football fan! At least for pro sports.  No clue when it is, or who is playing.  All I know is that its a time to eat! So if you are throwing a super bowl party... here is one to add to your list.  They will be a huge hit.

I have to apologize for the picture.  I'm having some serious camera issues.  And then when I go to edit the pictures, they seem fine in the program I edit them in, then I post them and they look terrible.  They really are so much better than they look.  I should seriously set up a pay pal account to try to raise money for a better camera!  It's amazing how much better the recipe looks when you have a fabulous picture with it.  Oh well, some day, my blog will be booming with fabulous pictures and amazing dishes.  For now, you get to read mommy on a budget posts. hehehe

Tortilla Roll-Ups



1 (8 oz.) Cream Cheese

2 (4 oz.) cans green chilies

3 C. Grated Cheese

1 C. chopped olives

1 C. Chopped green onions

1 (8 oz.) tub sour cream can be used to make it creamier and easier to spread

Mix all ingredients and spread onto 6 or 7 flour tortillas. Roll up each tortilla and slice about every ½ inch.

Egg Rolls

The other night my hubby and I decided we wanted to have a little party.  I have been craving his Lettuce Wraps lately and he had promised to make some for a few people.  So we made a party out of it. I decided to take a whack at egg rolls. I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed with how they turned out! 

Next time I would change a couple of things to make them even better....noted below.  Stay tuned tomorrow for the sweet and sour sauce that Trever made to go with these!

Egg Rolls

1 Pkg Cole slaw mix

1 chicken breast cooked and shredded

½ cup chopped green onion

1/3 cup soy sauce (next time I will try ¼ cup)

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chopped or ground ginger

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 tbsp butter (next time I'd leave this out)

½ c. diced celery

1 Tbsp Hoisen Sauce (not necessary if you don't have it, but is super yummy with it)

2 Tbsp sugar (next time I would do all brown sugar)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

14-16 egg roll wrappers

Melt butter in a large skillet, toss in all other ingredients (except for the egg roll wrappers) and sauté until crisp tender. Place egg roll wrappers with one corner towards you. Scoop desired amount of filling into a wrapper, roll and fry in a skillet or deep fryer until golden brown.

(Drain the liquids from the mixture as you scoop it onto the wrapper. You don't want it too moist.)



Pepperoncini Poppers

There is one word that describes these little guys!   Addictive! My brother brought them to a family dinner and they have been a huge hit ever since.  They are so easy to make, and add a great snack to any party. 

There are two ways to cook these.  Microwave or oven.  The microwave, is faster, but seems to make the cheese run a little more. So it can be a little more messy.   (like in the picture)  But when you are just making a couple to have for a snack, it's a perfect way to do it. 

In the oven, it melts slower and tastes even better. The cheese also seems to stay in a gooey stage for longer. So for big batches, or for parties?  This is the way to go. 

The best turkey to use, is a thick sliced turkey.  Depending on the size of the slice, you can cut it in half to wrap around the popper.  The best mozzarella cheese that I have found to use, is string cheese. I can usually do about 3 poppers per piece of string cheese.  I have used chunk mozzarella cheese and it works just fine. I just like the all around end product with string cheese a little better.  

Pepperoncini Poppers

pepperoncini (whole)

Thick sliced turkey

mozzarella cheese (like string cheese)

Take off the stems and seeds from the pepperoncini, leaving as much of the pepper in tact as possible.  Stuff the pepperoncinni with cheese and wrap with a slice of turkey.  Hold together with a toothpick. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cheese is softened and melting.  (you can also microwave for about 30 seconds if you prefer) Serve immediately.