My Crock Pot Carne Guisada

i put this recipe together after none of the carne guisada recipes i tried were exactly what i wanted. it's really easy and delicious- and it lasts us two meals, which is even more of a bonus. click here for the complete recipe.

here are the ingredients. pretty simple. i forgot to take a pic of everything i had before i put it all in the crock pot, so i put this baby together. how clever am i?!
the recipe calls for 3 jalapenos, seeds removed. we like things pretty spicy around our house so i actually leave the seeds in one or two of the jalapenos.

we always have our carne guisada on fresh flour tortillas. i usually have mine with avocado or guacamole, but was out. and i usually don't put cheese on it (there is so much flavor in the meat that it seems more like additional calories that i would be just as happy without), but for some reason i did today.

i can't really rate this, since it's my own recipe (obviously it would get 5 out of possible 5 stars!). it really is dang tasty, though- i promise! you should try it :)

Betty Crocker Hot Fudge Cake Dessert Kit

This isn't technically a recipe, but i'm posting about it anyway... as i was walking through the store a week or so ago, this caught my eye: how could this NOT be delicious? it was really easy to make (only required 1 cup of water. i'm not kidding!) and the picture made me want to eat the box, right there in the aisle.

then, it came out of the oven. doesn't it look good?
WE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED! this delicious-looking trick was quite the bummer for my tastebuds.
Has anyone had the Betty Crocker Warm Delights? ...the little bowl things that you stick in the microwave? this cake is like a huge version of that. the texture is not a normal cake consistency and the flavor falls way short of the way i would've expected it to taste. this being said, i'm not even a huge cake snob. i enjoy a box cake mix (although i do add my own twist to them, usually) but this hot fudge cake was not worth my money or calories.

please, save your money and use your calories for something more delicious.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Pie

i have been wanting to try this recipe ever since i found it on recipezaar a couple of weeks ago.
so here, it is:

oh, pie. i cannot wait to put your ingredients together and eat you!
one difference in the recipe and the pie i made: i used milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet because it's what i had.

fresh whipped cream! cool whip lovers, be aware- i despise the stuff!

putting the pie together was not at all difficult. it's made in layers, so there is a lot of time put into making one layer, letting it chill in the fridge, making another layer, etc. after baking the first three layers, the pie had to chill for, according to the recipe, a minimum of 8 hours. waiting that long was hard! i went ahead and added the extra chocolate, the whipped cream, and cherries to the top about 5 hours into the 8 hour refrigeration time so i wouldn't have to wait on that after the 8 hours was up. there was an optional step of covering maraschino cherries with chocolate for the top of the pie. i chose to do that and it looked beautiful!

it was a long 8 hours but i managed to make it! i was trying to get a picture of all the layers but all you can see is cherry smeared on the inside, but it still looks delicious!

it was pretty dang delicious! i gave it 4 out of 5 stars. the main reason it didn't get 5 stars was because of the time it took to make and chill. i'm more of an instant gratification type of girl when it comes to cooking and baking. it's also not the best pie i've ever had, but i don't think that's the fault of the recipe itself. i think my tastebuds just prefer other pies more. i haven't decided if i'll make it again but...

i sure didn't have any trouble eating it!

oh i love to cook.

i love to cook and bake. i make up recipes and find them online too. i always catch myself taking pictures of what i've made, so i've decided to document the recipes i'm creating, discovering, liking, loving, hating, and making over and over and over (or possibly never making again). i've got a few entries prepared already, but it doesn't look like i will get around to posting one today. my first entry will be about a chocolate covered cherry pie that i've been dying to try... don't worry, i'll include the recipe.
it will probably be up tomorrow or thursday (depending on when i have time to actually make the pie!), so come back and see how it turns out!