How to Make Mini Tacos

So a month ago I made these mini lasagnas and they turned out to be a big hit! Apparently miniaturized food is great for wedding receptions, dinner parties... so what's better than mini lasagnas? Mini tacos, of course! I took this recipe from Delish and decided to see if they were just as good as the mini lasagnas.


To make 24 mini tacos, you'll need:

1. 24 won ton wrappers (mine were in the same aisle as the cheese, tofu, yogurt, etc.)
2. 1 lb. of ground beef
3. 1 package of taco seasoning mix
4. 2 Tablespoons of Pace Picante Sauce

And for the toppings, you can add anything like:
1. Shredded Mexican cheese blend (maybe 2 oz.)
2. Sour cream
3. Salsa


Start by preheating your oven to 425 and cook your beef until it's brown.

While the beef is cooking, add 24 wonton wrappers to the inside of cupcake pans.

Once the beef is no longer pink, drain the fat and add your taco seasoning mix, as well as 2 Tablespoons of sauce (which helps if it's a bit dry).

Now I found 1 Tablespoon of beef was perfect for each won ton wrapper and filled 24 no problem (anymore than a Tablespoon and it starts to spill over). Top with salsa and cheese and place in the oven for 5 minutes.

Once the wrappers are turning golden brown and the cheese starts to melt, it's time to take them out.

Give them a few minutes to cool adding your toppings and devouring. Now... are they as good as the mini lasagnas? I give this a resounding yes! While they were a bit messier, they were still delicious and I may or may not have eaten a third of the batch... by myself... in one sitting. Whoops. However, do they make good leftovers? Well, I refrigerated mine over night and popped them in the microwave the next and the wrapper went from crispy to floppy (like hard shell tacos to soft shell). Oh well, at least they still tasted good!

TOTAL COSTS: About $14 to make 24 mini tacos
$3.19 for won ton wrappers
$3.89 for 1 lb. of ground beef
$.99 for a package of taco seasoning mix
$2.68 for Pace Picante Sauce
$3.29 for shredded Mexican cheese blend

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 30 minutes
What took the most time was the beef cooking, since it was still pretty frozen!

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
Seriously, if you don't know how to cook, you can easily impress your friends by making these delicious and simple appetizers! And even if there is no special occasion, make these for dinner and see just how many you eat without realizing it!

DIY Wax Paper Luminarias

Want a fun decoration this Memorial Day weekend? Or maybe you're having a rustic wedding this summer and want to make an easy centerpiece? These wax paper lanterns are so ridiculously easy to make, you could whip together a few before any of your guests arrive! I took these instructions from APracticalWedding and added a few pointers! All you need to make these are:

* Wax paper

* Scotch tape or washi tape

* An x-acto knife or scissors

* Pressed flowers (sorry for my pathetic selection!)

* A ruler

* An iron

* A tea light candle

* (optional) Skewers to help support the lantern

Start by measuring out four 4 1/2" x 9" rectangular pieces of wax paper. Once they're all cut out, fold them in half so you have four squares.

On top of an ironing board or towel, lay out your rectangle with the pressed flowers on one side.

Fold over the wax paper so the flowers are now inside the square.

And using an iron on medium heat, gently go over the wax paper until it has melted together into one panel.

Once all four panels have been ironed, tape them together. Whatever you want to be on the front of the lanterns, have that side face you and not the table. I recommend taping the entire length of the panels, but you could use more if you want.

Once the four sides have been taped together, crease over the tape to form a nice cube shape. Stick your candle in the middle, and voila! Your wax paper luminaria is complete!

You really don't need the skewers, unless you want extra support and weight. If you don't use the skewers and plan to place these outside, be prepared for them to fly away because there's nothing holding them down! One tip? Keep the flowers away from the edges of the paper, otherwise the tape may cover them up!

TOTAL COST: Free!

Flowers from the overgrown abandoned bush down the street

Wax paper, tape, iron, ruler, scissors, and tea light candle from IKEA all on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 20 minutes

I'm sure the more you do it, the faster it'll be, especially if you could get an assembly line going (one person making the rectangles, one person ironing, and one person taping). Most of the time was spent cutting out the wax paper rectangles.

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5

This is very easy - I thought I was going to burn the paper or have it melt and make a mess. If you have a garden and want to display your flowers in a unique way, or just want some simple decoration for a dinner party, I highly recommend giving these a try!

Apple Swans

Having a hard time getting your kid to eat their fruits? Or maybe you really want to wow your dinner party guests? This is a perfect solution to both those situations - an apple cut to look like a swan (or duck, depending on how long you choose to make the neck). I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was but this video helped break down the steps, which I've also provided below. The first time took me 20 minutes to knock out, the second time took me 10 minutes. So the more practice you have, the easier and faster it'll go!

Very simply, all you need is:

1. An apple
2. 1 sharp knife
3. 2 butter knives
4. A cutting board
5. (optional) Lemon juice to help from browning

First, let me say be very careful when working with sharp knives. As the apple juices start to flow, you may lose your grip and accidentally cut or stab your hand, fingers, etc. So please be very careful and go slow, even if you're frustrated!

Ok, now that you've been properly warned, take your apple and with the stem (top) facing away from you, cut at a diagonal so the bottom will be on one half and the stem will be on another half.

Pick out any two seeds you think would make for great eyes!

Put the stem piece aside and work with the bottom piece first. Place it face-down on the cutting board and using two butter knives as guides, cut to the right of the calyx (that star-shaped mark on the bottom of apples) until you hit the butter knives.

Then cutting from right to left on the side of the apple, saw your way in until you hit the first cut, at which point, you'll be able to take the entire piece out.

Do the same thing on the other side of the calyx. Cut from the top until you hit the knives, then cut from the side until you can pop the piece of apple out.

Next, take one of the pieces you popped out and using the butter knives as guides again, cut 1/4" from the top until you hit the knives.

Now instead of trying to cut from the side, just turn the apple on its left side and cut from the top so you can take another chunk out. Do the same thing for the piece you just cut out. And the same thing to that piece!

Stack all the pieces on top of the original apple and you form a wing!

Do the same thing for the other piece you originally cut out and stack so there's wings on both sides of the base apple.

Now here's what I found to be the hardest part. Cut out a rectangle in the middle, so you'll have a place to put the neck/head. This is easier than it looks, so be patient.

Remember the top half of the apple you set aside? The one with the stem on it? Bring it back to the cutting board and using the butter knives and guides again, cut all the way through the apple.

If you cut all the way through each piece, you'll end up with something like this.

Find a piece that most resembles a heart and make a diagonal cut to the center of the apple.

Then make a horizontal cut to that point, so you can remove that section.

Make a diagonal cut across the bottom and you've got your head and neck!

Put in your seeds for eyes, stick it in the rectangular slot you created on the body, and you're set!

I do recommend making adjustments as you see fit, like rounding out corners, adjusting the thickness of the neck, etc. Trust me, the more you do it, the easier it'll be!

TOTAL COSTS: Depends on the apples you choose. At Vons the prices are:
$1.49/lb for Fuji
$1.49 for Golden Delicious
$1.99/lb for Granny Smith

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 10-20 minutes
As I said, the first time took me 20 minutes, the second time took me 10.

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5
It can be hard the first time around, especially making the center hole for the neck to go in, but the more practice, the faster and easier it'll be!