Eggnog Muffins

I made these muffins on Dec. 22nd.  My #1 mistake was not using real eggnog, but soy eggnog that had been given to us from the food bank.  The eggnog wasn't that great to begin with, but I thought it would be okay in the muffins.  Not so.  The muffins had very little flavor and tasted more like a sugar cookie in muffin form.  They had a streusel topping, but for some reason it melted into the muffins and was not a crumble topping at all - weird!  I don't know if I'll make these again.  I am curious as to how they would taste with real eggnog, so maybe in January?  I'll post them again if I do.  Mel and I gave these a 7 1/2 out of 10.  Not horrible, but very disappointing!

Spicy Beef Tostadas

I made these for Mel on Dec. 8th.  I don't think I changed much except that I used ground turkey instead of beef (Mel's preference).  Also, I didn't have smoked paprika, so I had to use regular.  -- Note: one of my friends gave me a bottle of smoked paprika yesterday, & I can't wait to use it! --  Instead of serving the lime/cilantro rice and cheesy/smoky beans separate, I added them all to the meat.  Which is why Mel gave it a 9 instead of a 10 - he loved it except that he would have preferred the rice separate.  So next time, the rice will be on the side, but I will still mix in the beans.  

Orange Gingerbread

I just noticed this recipe sitting in my "drafts" - I didn't realize I hadn't published it.  Oops!  I made this sometime in November - I think it was the weekend before Thanksgiving. I can't remember all I changed, but I thought it wasn't going to turn out at all because I ran out of molasses and had to use half molasses and half syrup.  I think this actually made it better, & I will use syrup next time as well.  Oh, and I also ran out of orange juice and had to use a little less than half orange and the rest apple juice.  This was super yummy, though, quite easily a 10!  I brought some of it to work, and all who tried it went crazy over it.  I will definitely make this again!

Tamale Verde Skillet

I made this for Mel on Dec. 6th.  I made the mistake of using BBQ shredded chicken instead of plain, and Mel said the BBQ flavor didn't really go with the enchilada sauce.  (He prefers the red enchilada sauce to the green, so technically this isn't "verde.")  However, Mel said this was still pretty good.  He gave it an 8 out of 10.  If I make it again, next time I'll use regular chicken!

Sausage Alfredo

Sorry, I'm a little behind in posting!  I made this dish on Dec. 5th.  I saw this recipe in 2 different cooking magazines as an advertisement from Hillshire Farms, so I had to try it.  I added 1/2 an onion and a green bell pepper.  I made a meat version for Mel with bratwurst (which he loves more than plain sausage) and a meatless version for myself with vegetarian "sausage."  This is so amazingly good, and yet not many ingredients and easy to make.  Mel and I both give it a 12 out of 10!  We love this so much, I'm making it again this week!  I am even giving y'all a link to this exact recipe: http://www.hillshirefarm.com/recipes/hillshire-farm-sausage-alfredo.aspx