If you're like me and love spicy food, maybe you add hot sauce to every thing you eat, then you will love celebrating International Hot and Spicy Food Day January 16th. And also if you're like me, the problem arises that not everyone in your family can handle hot and spicy food. For instance my 3 year old doesn't handle it well, nor do my parents. This means I have to get my spicy food some other way.

That's where chili garlic oil comes into play. It's the perfect condiment. You can make a bland meal spicy while allowing others to eat their food unadulterated with heat.

Are you the lone spicy food lover in your home? Will you be trying chili garlic oil? Let us know!

​Taco Bell is one of my husband’s favorite places to eat. Yes, we know it’s not real Mexican food, and it is not the healthiest option, but that doesn’t change that’s it’s tasty! 

One of our favorite things to get there is the Crunchwrap. So we thought we’d try to make it at home. It seemed simple enough and it was! The result turned out delicious, simple, and had the potential to be healthier (that’s not the route we went with but it could be).

The Crunchwrap is like a burrito but it’s layered and inside is a tostada shell, the wrap ends up having a disc shape.  It then gets grilled to hold it shut. This actually makes it easy to eat and less messy. Making it at home is so easy, we’ll probably add it to our menu more often. Our kids love it too. ​

I don’t know that I will put together a recipe in the same way I usually do but, I’ll tell you about each layer and different possibilities I’ve imagined for them. ​I also made a video that shows the process. Check it out below and on Youtube. (Did you know we have a YouTube channel?)

1. Large flour tortilla- you really want a large tortilla for the base because it needs to be able to fold up
    around the top of the Crunchwrap to secure everything in place. 

2. Main protein- we used cooked ground beef, but I imagine beans (refried or otherwise) would be
    delicious too! I can also see a breakfast version with egg or potato. You’ll want to spread it into a
    circular shape that will fit underneath the tostada shell. 

3. Nacho Cheese- I love the Fritos Jalepeño Cheddar dip. My tip is to spread this on the bottom of the
    tostada, rather than try to put it on the meat directly. This cheese is too spicy for our kids so we just
    used regular shredded cheese for them on this layer.  I can also see guacamole being delicious right
    here. 

4. Tostada Shell- this is where the crunch comes from for the Crunchwrap. 

5. Sour cream- again spread this onto the top of the tostada shelf. This is another layer that would be
    delicious as guacamole. This is also a great place to add hot sauce!

6. Vegetables and herbs- Lettuce, diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro, diced peppers. Take or leave
    whatever veggies you wish.

7. Shredded Cheese- a final layer of shredded cheese is added. 

8. A small circle of flour tortilla- this may not be needed if your base tortilla is large enough to
    completely close over the top. Mine weren’t, so this circle helped to keep things secure in my
​   Crunchwrap as I “grilled” it. 

​To fold the wrap take the bottom tortilla and fold it over the top. Pleat it around the edge until the whole tortilla is up around the edge. 

Carefully place it plated side down on a hot pan or griddle over medium to medium high heat. Let it cook about 3-5 minutes until it’s browned. Flip and repeat. 

Now your Crunchwrap is ready to enjoy.  

I’d love to know if you make it and what variations you try! Let us know in the comments below.

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      It is very much summer here in Phoenix and I have 2 grandchildren staying with me for most of it.  We went shopping for foods that they will eat when they got here and one of the things my granddaughter went crazy about was when she saw the Magical Mermaid ice cream, which we of course purchased.  Later, at home, we realized that we had Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows and Rice Krispys and we decided that we had to make Magical Mermaid Rice Krispy Treats to go with the ice cream.  Let me tell you, the Magical Mermaid treats tasted much better than the ice cream, in my opinion.  My granddaughter was in mermaid heaven!  Not only that, she loved making them with me.  Bonus points for Grandma! 
     I think the mixture of the 2 cereals give these treats a more magical look because the color looks more scattered, plus there were the little bits of cereal marshmallows that were a surprise treasure every so often. Plus, I feel like the fruit flavor from the Pebbles doesn't overpower as much as a recipe with only Fruity Pebbles would.  If you want to take the mermaid theme over the top, you can sprinkle on little pearl sprinkles before the treats cool. 
     If you aren't able to see your grandchildren yet, like I am able to at this point, these Magical Marshmallow Treats are the perfect surprise to drop off at their door.  They might soften in the heat, but will last pretty well and not spoil. 
      If you have a mermaid lover in your family, make them Magical Mermaid Treats.  They will love you for it. 

Magical Mermaid Rice Krispy Treats

Are you intimidated by pie, specifically the crust? I think the crust is the scariest part of the pie for many people. But it doesn’t have to be. 

We have a few resources to help you with your pie making skills such as numerous blog posts and , of course, our pie recipe book “For the Love of Pie.”

Today I present you with a recipe that will help you get you comfortable with the crust; Vanilla Apple Galette. To make this you will want our pie crust recipe!

A galette is a rustic, free-form pie. It is also delicious. It’s also a great last minute dessert (for instance if you find out an hour or two before you have to leave for dinner that you’re bringing dessert). I had everything I needed for this recipe in my pantry already. The prep from start to finish was probably 15-20 minutes and that includes making the crust, coring, and slicing the apples. Even arranging them in an appealing way didn’t take too long. ​

​This is a deceptively simple recipe that makes you look like a master baker and will help you get the hang of pie crust. Because the pie is free-form it’s ok to have raggedy edges and cracks around the edge of your crust. There more you make galettes the more you will get the feel of how pie crust works and likes to be handled.

Let us know how your galette turns out!  ​