Overnight French Toast Casserole

Please visit my new blog, Make It and Bake It with Beth, for the Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe

Delicious & Easy Refried Beans in a Slow Cooker - no grease or frying!

Okay, these beans are not "refried," but they taste as good if not better than actual refried beans. I came across the recipe a couple weeks ago, and there were hundreds of great reviews, so I gave it a shot. The  beans cooked in the slow cooker all day, and they made our house smell amazing. And, the beans were as yummy as they smelled! The beans are great as a filling in tortillas, a side to quesadillas or tacos,  a dip with chips, or plain for a quick and easy lunch.

I love many things about this recipe. I love that the beans require very little (less than 5 minutes) hands-on preparation time. I love that there are no unhealthy ingredients in the recipe. And, I love that the beans taste so delicious - the texture is creamy & smooth, and the flavor is perfect.  Greg loves how inexpensive the beans were to make, and he loves how delicious they tasted. He pointed out to me that I should never buy canned beans again - because compared to dried beans, they are much more expensive. He is right on this one (don't tell him though)! I hope you are as excited about cheap, easy, healthy, and delicious un-fried refried beans as we are! Enjoy.

Recipe for Delicious & Easy Refried Beans - no grease or frying! 

INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups of dried pinto beans, rinsed (place beans in colander and set under running water for a minute)
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped small (deveined and seeded - but I kept a few seeds to kick up the heat)
3 Tbsp. of dried onion flakes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. of cumin powder
2 1/2 tsp. of salt
1 1/4 tsp. of black pepper
10 1/2 cups of water

DIRECTIONS:
Place the rinsed beans, chopped jalapeno, onion flakes, minced garlic, cumin powder, salt, and pepper into a slow cooker. Cover with the 10 1/2 cups of water. Turn the slow cooker on high and cook for 8 hours. Use a ladle or spoon to skim any excess water out of the beans. Use a potato masher to mash the beans to desired consistency. Serve & enjoy!

*Makes 12 - 16 servings of beans. Hands-on time is less than 5 minutes!*

Recipe Adapted from: All Recipes

Sweet, Spicy & Super Yummy Marinated Shrimp

I'm sure glad I found this photo of the sweet and spicy shrimp that was served at my wedding in June 2008. I took pictures of the shrimp yesterday, but my pics really didn't do it any justice. I didn't want to photograph it outside in natural light because it was SO hot yesterday. Also, my photographer/husband was at work, so it was me behind the camera....

The marinated shrimp is super yummy. This is another recipe that has been passed down to me from my mother. I have served this shrimp at wedding showers and baby showers, and it is always a hit. It was also a hit at the wedding! 

It's a great appetizer, but it also serves well as a meal if you add your favorite veggies or other sides. We had it last night and the night before with Caribbean-style corn and carrot and oat rolls. YUM. 

I love the flavor of this shrimp. Greg says it's the best shrimp dish he has ever had, because it is marinated so well that it doesn't even taste like seafood! The marinated shrimp is really easy to make and requires barely any prep time - but since it has to marinate, it needs to be made several hours ahead of time before serving. But, once it finishes marinating, you're done - all you need to do is sprinkle with some salt and pepper! Enjoy.

Recipe for Sweet, Spicy & Super Yummy Marinated Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds of easy peel & deveined raw frozen shrimp

1 large lemon, sliced and divided

Old Bay Seasoning

1 cup of red wine vinegar

1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped, seeded & deveined (leave seeds for more heat)

1 1/2 Tbsp. of dried onion flakes

1 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large  pot of water to boil. Once it boils, add in half of the lemon slices and some sprinkles of Old Bay seasoning. Add in the shrimp and cook according to package directions.

Once the shrimp is finished cooking, remove the lemon slices and drain the shrimp in a colander. Immediately rinse with very cold water. Set aside.

While shrimp is cooling, make the marinade. Add the red wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion flakes, jalapeno slices, remaining lemon slices, and sugar to a small pot. Put the pot over medium heat and stir occasionally until the mixture becomes hot and sugar fully dissolves, about 3 - 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside to cool.

While marinade is cooling, shell the shrimp. Make sure excess water is drained from the shrimp before shelling. Put the fully shelled shrimp into a large bowl.

Remove the lemon slices from the marinade. Pour the marinade over the shrimp in the large bowl. Add in the cilantro. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss everything together. Cover the bowl with a lid, shake the bowl, and put into the fridge for at least 8 hours.

When ready to serve, sprinkle the shrimp with a little bit of extra salt and pepper. Remove the jalapeno pepper pieces if desired (I of course left them in). Serve as an appetizer or as a meal with your favorite sides.

Recipe Adapted from: All Recipes

The marinated shrimp reminded me of my wedding day!
My mom made the wedding cake + several more cakes...

NOTE:

If the shrimp is served at a party where guests will be serving themselves, make sure to bring it out immediately before the food line opens. If it needs to sit out for more than 15 minutes, put it on ice.