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This has been kind of a late night flashback Friday post that went into early Saturday morning. I stayed up way too late tweaking this old post (which I do not recommend for anyone who has an 18 month old that wakes up around 7:00 every morning even on Saturday), but I got it done. Here is the updated recipe for Easy Enchiladas.  This is a great recipe for using leftover shredded meat or beans and rice. I wrote all about our week of using leftover pork roast from Easter in various recipes in the post, so check it out.
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I think bacon and macaroni and cheese were meant for each other and I can't believe this is the first time I have put them together. These little bacon macaroni and cheese cupcakes are amazing! They are basically little handheld mac and cheese casseroles. So much delicious flavor in such a cute little package.
Delicious and easy to eat! Talk about kid-friendly. I am thinking these will go well at kid's birthday parties. I may even try making bacon mac and cheese bites in my mini muffin pan for my 6 year old's birthday this summer which would be even smaller and easier for little hands.
These savory little mac and cheese cupcakes are perfect for backyard BBQ's, graduation parties, and even bridal showers when you want something simple yet unique.
You know what else? These yummy morsels are made with one of my favorite ingredients which I always keep on hand, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is made by pressing without heat or chemicals and is the freshest and purest olive oil available.
Did you know the greatest impact on taste is the type of olive tree (cultivar), region (which affects climate and soil) and time of harvest? Olives harvested early in the season, late August (varies by region), are under-ripe and produce oils that are greener, more bitter and pungent. Olives harvested at the end of the season, late November into December, are over-ripe and tend to be mild and buttery. Spanish oil is usually golden yellow with a fruity, nutty flavor. Italian olive oil is often dark green and has an herbal aroma and a grassy flavor. Greek olive oil is strong in flavor and aroma and usually green. French oil is typically pale in color and mild in flavor. So many delicious varieties for all of your culinary needs. 
I love using olive oil and cook with it frequently. It has a high smoke point (400° F), so it can handle anything from a light sauté to a deep fry. Have you ever deep fried anything in olive oil? I have not, but will have to try it. If you have, what are your favorite foods to fry in olive oil? You can also bake with olive oil. I love to use it in muffins and cakes.
Store your olive oil someplace dark and cool (around 57° F, if possible), not on a counter or near a stove, and never in the refrigerator. Keep it sealed tight and use your oil within 6 months of opening and within 18 months of purchasing. 
Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes
Serves 12 Cupcake liners 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil 8 strips bacon 8 oz. elbow macaroni 2 C. cheddar cheese, shredded 2 eggs 1 C. milk Fresh ground salt and pepper to taste Seasoned bread crumbs 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with liners. Brush each liner with some of the EVOO or spray with some olive oil spray. 3. Cook the bacon in a large frying pan or a microwave bacon pan. Drain cooked bacon and cool. When cool, rough chop the bacon and set aside. 4. Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta, then return it to the saucepan. Add the cheese, chopped bacon and 1 Tbsp. of the EVOO. Gently stir together until the cheese begins to melt. 5. Mix the eggs and the milk together. Pour into the macaroni mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. 6. Scoop mixture into the cupcake liners and sprinkle with bread crumbs. 7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. When done, take out of the liners, place on a platter, and drizzle with the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Some liners will pull away from the sides of the cupcakes on their own and will look pretty to serve the cupcakes in. (pictured, If You Care cupcake liners which do not stick) 
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I love a hot breakfast and since I am home with a little one, we enjoy our favorite veggie breakfast bowl several times a week. (My 17 month old likes to share with me.) I should probably start making this for the big boys, but they leave for school so early that it hasn't happened yet. Sometimes I scramble some eggs and add sauteed veggies, maybe sprinkle on some cheese, but this has been my favorite. I have decided I like more veggies and less egg so this works perfectly...lots of sauteed veggies and one fried egg on top. Plus, oooooooooh that delicious avocado toast. It is my new fave! The baby loves it too.
I start with a little coconut oil or bacon grease if I have it and saute some sliced onions, mushrooms, and peppers until tender. I add some grape tomatoes about half-way through cooking the vegetables and spinach towards the end. l salt and pepper while I am cooking. I use specialty salts like Alaea salt (my husband brought some back from a work trip to Hawaii) or Himalayan pink salt. Use anything you like to add flavor. Then I move the veggies to a bowl and cook an egg in the same skillet. I usually just fry the egg in a little coconut oil, but you can cook it however you like. Then add the egg to the vegetable bowl for a delicious and healthy breakfast or lunch or even dinner if you like.
Yum! All my favorite vegetables in one bowl! Almost...asparagus would be amazing too. Add your favorites and enjoy, no savor this delicious veggie bowl!
And then the avocado toast...where do I even begin. It is amazing, delicious...green gold. I like to spread butter on my toast first followed by a healthy smear of soft avocado. I use about 1/2 avocado per slice of toast and sprinkle with a little sea salt to finish.
Ingredients:
Coconut oil or olive oil Sliced mushrooms, onions, peppers Grape tomatoes Fresh spinach leaves 1 egg Salt and pepper For toast: bread, butter, avocado, salt I start with a little coconut oil or bacon grease if I have it and saute some sliced onions, mushrooms, and peppers until tender. I add some grape tomatoes about half-way through cooking the vegetables and spinach towards the end. l salt and pepper while I am cooking. I use specialty salts like Alaea salt (my husband brought some back from a work trip to Hawaii) or Himalayan pink salt. Use anything you like to add flavor. Then I move the veggies to a bowl and cook an egg in the same skillet. I usually just fry the egg in a little coconut oil, but you can cook it however you like. Then add the egg to the vegetable bowl for a delicious and healthy breakfast or lunch or even dinner if you like. 
Linking up at Mommy Moments, Inspire Me Monday
We get really excited about holidays at our house. Not just the big ones like Easter and Christmas, but the little ones like Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, and St. Patrick's Day too. You can bet we're having corned beef and cabbage and shamrock shaped green jello next weekend. Since we love holidays so much, I wanted to do something special for the boys for Valentine's Day, so I made a strawberry waffle cake.
Talk about happy kids! They loved it and it was pretty simple to make. I actually enjoy making waffles so we eat them fairly often...well once or twice a month which is a lot in my book since I like to keep breakfast simple. Here is the recipe I always make.
I actually mashed up some strawberries and added them to the batter, but don't think I really tasted them in the waffles. I doubt I will go to the trouble to do that again since it didn't change the flavor of the waffles, but it's always fun to try new things.
I love the simplicity of this. Waffles, whipped cream, and strawberries layered to make a beautiful cake. I make homemade whipped cream which is super easy if you have a mixer. I put cream and strawberries between each layer, cutting the strawberries thinner for the inner layers so they will stack easier. You will want to serve this treat shortly after assembling to prevent the waffle layers from getting too soft, although it's still good if it has set awhile.
Ingredients:
Waffles (my favorite recipe) Whipped cream (homemade or store bought, honestly homemade is easy and so much better) Strawberries, washed and sliced Prepare all ingredients then layer as pictured for a fun sweet treat. 
Greek Skillet Supper is one of my favorite quick and easy one-skillet meals. Start to finish you can have this on the table in 30 minutes or less. Perfect for busy weeknights and feeding hungry kids fast. Between the boys' activities, my grad class work, and my husband's work schedule, life has been crazy busy around here, so I have been relying on easy meals like this. I have been using my slow cooker a lot lately too which is especially convenient on nights when we don't get home until dinner time.
Try Greek Skillet Supper and change things up a bit in your dinner rotation. We love this hearty dish with so much delicious flavor.
The combination of oregano, cinnamon, and garlic powder give a wonderful and unique flavor to this dish. I just put the spinach in without thawing and it works well since it is loose in a bag of frozen spinach and not compact in a box of frozen spinach. It thaws quickly and blends right in.
Greek Skillet Supper
Serves 6 1 lb. lean ground beef or lamb 1/2 sweet onion, diced 2 tsp. dried oregano 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 3/4 C. beef broth 1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained 2 Tbsp. ketchup 1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta (I use ancient grain pasta) 1 bag frozen leaf spinach (10-16 oz.) ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese, divided 1. Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. 2. Add oregano, cinnamon and garlic powder, mix well. 3. Stir in broth, tomatoes and ketchup. 4. Bring to a boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pasta is nearly tender. 5. Stir in spinach and ½ cup of the feta cheese. Cover. Cook 5 minutes longer or until pasta is tender. 6. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup feta cheese. 
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Disclosure: The links in this post are affiliate links. When you make a purchase through one of my links, I will receive an affiliate payment. However, any opinions are honest and are my own.
Have you heard of Zaycon Fresh? I have been hearing about Zaycon fresh chicken deals for a couple of years, but always assumed it was not available in my area. I decided to just check and see and was surprised that there are several delivery stops in my area. I was excited to take advantage of this $0.99 a pound fresh chicken deal and was able to put in an order for a June delivery at a church just 20 miles from here.
The Deal:
Use promo code MYFIRST40 to save $36 off your FIRST order.
Offer only valid for the following products: Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. Excluding sales tax where applicable. Offer ends 11:59 pm PST on 2/17/2018. Offer available to new orders only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion. One promo code per order. Limited to one-time usage per household.
If you have never ordered from Zaycon Fresh before, you can order a 40 pound box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for just $0.99 a pound. That's a great deal worth stocking up on!
A little about Zaycon Fresh chicken:
And if you are a blogger, you can become a premier influencer and get paid when you share Zaycon Fresh with your readers!
Here are a few of my favorite chicken recipes.
Easy Weeknight Chicken Fajitas Chicken Pot Pie Chicken and Dumplings Chicken Noodle Soup Orange Chicken Bourbon Chicken 
This is one of our all time favorite things to make and eat. I first posted this recipe in 2011 when this little corner of the internet was only 9 months old. I've come a long way since then, especially in how I style and photograph food so when I made these bread machine cinnamon rolls recently, I took new photos. This recipe has evolved some over the years too so I have updated with ingredient changes and hopefully better instructions.
It doesn't get much better than fresh warm cinnamon rolls to start your day or for a cozy sweet treat anytime. Warm sweet dough spiraled with buttery sweet cinnamon. I love the pretty spirals before the frosting goes on and the out of this world amazing flavor once frosted.
My favorite part is that this dough is made in the bread machine. Believe me as a mother of four and a graduate student these cinnamon rolls would never happen if I had to make the dough from scratch. But put ingredients in the bread machine and press the dough cycle button...that I can do. Plus, I always make ahead and refrigerate or freeze the rolls to bake later. Any real hands-on work is usually done when the kids are in bed.
1. Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. 2. After the dough is done, roll the dough into a large rectangle (on a lightly flowered surface) and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter. 
I don't have good lighting in my kitchen for photographs, but I wanted to show you how big I roll out the dough. This dough has been brushed with melted butter and is ready for cinnamon sugar.
3. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon then spread over the melted butter. Make this dough rectangle pretty large so that you can have more surface area covered with cinnamon sugar. Then when you roll it up, you will have more cinnamon sugar spiraled into the dough which makes them so yummy.
4. Roll up and cut into 10-12 rolls and place in two greased round pans or one large lasagna pan. An easy way to cut the rolls is to use dental floss as seen in the above picture.
You want to space them out a little so they have room to rise.
5. Let rise covered with a tea towel for a while (an hour or so) or cover with plastic wrap and slow rise in the fridge overnight. If freezing, put directly in the freezer without rising. Then let them rise while thawing. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. 
Spread the icing on soon after they come out of the oven. The icing will be thick, but spreads easily on warm rolls.
These travel well and are perfect for bake sales and breakfast potlucks. I recently made a double batch for my son's academic quiz team fundraiser.
I like to have my directions in one place, so here you go
Dough Ingredients: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons yeast Cinnamon Sugar Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon Icing Ingredients: 1 to 2 T. milk 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 3 T. butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions: 1. Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. 2. After the dough is done, roll the dough into a large rectangle (on a lightly flowered surface) and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter. 3. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon then spread over the melted butter. Make this dough rectangle pretty large so that you can have more surface area covered with cinnamon sugar. Then when you roll it up, you will have more cinnamon sugar spiraled into the dough which makes them so yummy. 4. Roll up and cut into 10-12 rolls and place in two greased round pans or one large lasagna pan. An easy way to cut the rolls is to use dental floss as seen in the above picture. 5. Let rise covered with a tea towel for a while (an hour or so) or cover with plastic wrap and slow rise in the fridge overnight. If freezing, put directly in the freezer without rising. Then let them rise while thawing. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Spread the icing on soon after they come out of the oven. Makes about one dozen rolls. I cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning. This makes two pans full. If you can’t eat them all, freeze one pan then thaw in fridge and bake later. If you don’t have a bread machine, you can do this instead: Let the yeast dissolve in the milk, add all but the flour and stir. Then add flour until you have a good consistency to knead. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a good 5-10 min- adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking to you. Cover and let rise till doubled. Punch down. roll out and finish as directed above. I bought my bread machine at a thrift store for about $7 and have been using it for years. 
This is what my old photography looked like before reading Tasty Food Photography by Lindsay from Pinch of Yum, a highly successful food blogger. See my affiliate link below if you need to up your food photography game.
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With the start of the new year, I have been more mindful in thinking about the foods that we eat. Although I do make homemade meals frequently which are mostly healthy, I know that I should be incorporating more vegetables into our diet.
One of my favorite ways to get a lot of veggies into our diet during the colder winter months is in delicious homemade soups. Luckily the boys love soup!
We also love this veggie filled red pepper and tomato soup and this creamy cauliflower soup which inspired this broccoli soup.
I love this hearty veggie filled soup made with onion, celery, garlic, and of course fresh broccoli. And for my fellow Catholics, this is perfect for the lenten season since it is meat free. Although, lenten fish fries are pretty awesome! I know we'll be heading to ours soon.
Bake up some fresh beer bread and serve with extra cheese for a delightful winter meal!
Creamy Broccoli Soup
1 sweet onion, diced 1 rib celery, sliced 2 cloves garlic minced 10 T. butter, divided Splash cooking Sherry or white wine, (optional) 3 medium heads broccoli, cut into florets (I don't use much of the stems) 6 Cups vegetable broth 1 T. dried parsley 1 tsp.salt 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper (It's ok not to measure here...just grind some fresh pepper into the pot.) ½ tsp. dried basil ¼ tsp. Creole seasoning, (optional) 6 T. flour 1 Cup milk ½ Cup whipping cream Your favorite shredded cheese for serving. I add a couple big handfuls to the pot and stir in, then serve with extra cheese on the side. We like cheddar or cheddar-jack and parmesan. 1. Melt 4 T. butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and garlic until tender. 2. If you like, add a splash of cooking Sherry to deglaze the pan. Add broccoli, vegetable broth, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, and Creole seasoning. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes. 3. While soup is simmering, melt 6 T. butter in a 2 qt. saucepan. Stir in 6 T. flour, then milk and whipping cream and cook and stir to make a thick white sauce. 4. Use a potato masher (amazon link below) to mash up the soup or blend with an immersion blender, breaking the broccoli into smaller pieces. Then stir in the white sauce and continue to cook and stir until thickened. Serves 6 
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I've mentioned this before...that we have a pig in our freezer, as in a whole pig. Actually, we bought a pig each year for the past two years. When you buy a whole pig, you get a lot of sausage. We had a different processor each year and it varies, but I would estimate we received 55-70 pounds of sausage with each pig. We don't eat a lot of breakfast sausage, although we love sausage gravy so I have been finding other ways to use all of this sausage.
Two of my family's favorite meals I make with ground sausage are this Sausage and Mushroom Rice and Asian Pork Sausage Lettuce Wraps. While I love making lettuce wraps, I really love the simplicity of this Sausage and Mushroom Rice. You really don't even need a recipe. Simply cook the sausage, onions, and mushrooms, then stir in cooked rice and a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach. Heat through and wallah...dinner is served.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground sausage (I use mild) 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced 1 sweet onion, diced 2 cups rice (uncooked) 2-3 big handfuls of fresh spinach Fresh ground salt and pepper (optional) to taste 1. Cook rice according to package directions. 2. In a large skillet or wok, brown sausage with mushrooms and onion. 3. When sausage is browned and mushrooms and onion and tender, add rice and spinach and heat through. Spinach will wilt. 4. Salt and pepper to taste if you like. The sausage seasonings and onion will flavor this dish, but you may find you like the addition of a little fresh ground salt and pepper. Serves 4-6 as a main dish. 
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I originally posted this recipe on here on a cold 9 degree night in January 2012. It's fun to look back and remember where we were and what we were doing 6 years ago. We only had 3 kids then, but they were all 4 and under so life was really busy. My husband was in grad school and a graduate teaching assistant so he was on campus much of the time. We didn't have much money, but we were happy. We were and still are frugal. We ate most of our meals at home because it's much easier with little ones and to save money. We always had a warm meal on the table. One of my favorite things to make was chicken noodle soup which I still make today.
This is my easy version of chicken noodle soup because sometimes you just don't feel like cooking a chicken carcass and messing with it. I do freeze them after I roast a chicken and usually have one in the freezer for bone broth or bone broth chicken soup, but sometimes...I just want easy.
My 15 month old and I were both under the weather earlier this month so I made a big pot of chicken noodle soup. I didn't feel like making a bone broth, but I found bone broth at the grocery store (32 oz. carton) with the regular chicken broth so I bought some and tried it in this soup. It was more expensive than conventional chicken broth, but delicious and comforting and we did get over our colds within a couple of days. I always feel like chicken soup from bone broth helps to shorten colds around our house.
I recently discovered that our kids really like this small ditalini pasta in their chicken noodle soup. It is easier for them to manage on a spoon so mealtime is easier. We like it too!
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients: 1 onion diced 3 cloves garlic minced 1 stalk celery diced 2 T. butter 6 C. water 8 C. chicken broth or bone broth 1 lb. boneless chicken 1 t. salt 1 t. Cajun seasoning 1 C. sliced carrots 1 C. frozen peas 12 oz. ditalini pasta or egg noodles (I often use the whole 16 oz. box of pasta which makes it thicker) 1. In a large pot, sauté onion, garlic and celery in butter until tender and caramelized. 2. Add water, chicken broth, chicken, salt, Cajun seasoning. Cook on low to medium for about an hour or until chicken is cooked. 3. Remove chicken from the pot and shred/chop it with a knife and a fork. Return the chicken to the pot. Add sliced carrots and peas and bring pot to a boil. 4. Add noodles and continue to boil uncovered (for the time suggested on the noodle package) until noodles are cooked. 5. Once noodles are tender, remove from heat and let soup rest for a few minutes to cool before serving. 
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Welcome to Home Ec @ HomeHi, I'm Faith, a former Family and Consumer Science (Home Economics) Teacher turned work at home Mom, bringing you family friendly, homemade recipes and homemaking tips to simplify your life. Join me on my homemaking and mothering journey. Most Popular Posts
Easy Weeknight Chicken Fajitas
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