HAPPY TASTY TUESDAY EVERYONE!!! What. A. Weekend! Frankie and I were busy pretty much all of the time, but we did make some time to revisit our favorite movie theatre (Captain Marvel – quite good I think!) and go for a very long night walk in the warming Chicago weather! And it was the first weekend in a good long while that I wasn’t baking cookies. It felt a little weird to not be baking or icing, BUT I’m not upset about it, considering I’ll be back to baking next weekend with a few projects, including my first Birthday cookie order! I’m really excited about it, and can’t wait to showcase it once I’m all done! I’m also starting to collect some Mother’s Day ideas, so I’m definitely well on my way!

Now, another quick moment to let my geek flag fly at full mast: I just started to play Breath of the Wild last night – HOLY. SMOKES. I was going to wait until after the remastered release of Link’s Awakening on the switch (can I just say how freaking adorable the graphics are?! And I love the fact that it’s a seamless screen move instead of left 20 bajillion screen to get to the lake part of the map…my gameboy fans, I’m looking at you),  but I couldn’t help it – I basically finished the World of Light (Super Smash Ultimate) and thought, now is the time to start something new, especially if it has the same kind of feel as Skyrim/Fallout 4 (my first and favorite open world map games) because I can basically pick up and go from where I left off whenever, rather than dealing with that check point nonsense (Frankie’s BIGGEST complaint of the new Red Dead Redemption). And I LOVE it. It’s hard, but in the very best way. I know I’m a decent gamer, but this game is really pushing my mental capabilities to remember button combinations and hand tactics. Playing Skyrim & Fallout, I definitely struggled for the first few weeks of playing and died ALL. THE. TIME. BUT! Breath of the Wild (BotW) has a similar style in that, sure you died, but it’s no big deal. It’s hard enough that it’s entertaining and delightfully frustrating, but not so hard that it’s defeating. And I’ve made up my own obsessive spreadsheet (with sheets on sheets on sheets) to keep track of what I’ve found, what I still need to do, what shrines I’ve been to…you get the gist…I made one for Skyrim too on my own, and it’s been PARAMOUNT in helping me get through everything because I don’t like forgetting anything major. Basically, my mini little rant was just to say, if you’ve been toying with the idea of getting a Switch or BotW, do it. One of the best gaming decisions we’ve made (and I’ve only been playing for maybe three hours…ZELDA!)! And you better believe I’m going to be making some serious Zelda cookies in the coming weekends…I’ve got a free weekend some time in April, so that’s what I’ll be doing!

And on the topic of remastering, I know I’ve shared my Queso Blanco dip recipe (WHICH I remastered for printing and adjusted slightly), but Frankie & I made these spontaneous nachos and they were AWESOME! It was Monday night, I was in the midst of icing some cookies for Bingo on Tuesday, and all I wanted to do was make something quick and easy, so on Sunday, I made One-Pot Chicken and Rice and Mexican Sloppy Joes (see recipe below). Since we were trying to stay away from bread, we turned to our other alternative: tortillas! Or more specifically, tortilla chips! Not the healthiest substitute, BUT still really, really tasty and it makes enough for actual sloppy joes the next night! DE-LICIOUS!

For Nachos: Lay chips on a baking sheet and sprinkle with some cheese, bake at 350°F till cheese is melted. Top with Mexican Sloppy Joes, Guacamole, diced tomato, diced onion, sliced jalapeno (pickled, roasted, raw), black olives, cilantro…you know, your preferred nacho toppings. Then! Pour Queso Blanco over everything and top with sour cream!  — Cooking Maggie

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Mexican Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 cup of amber/session beer
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 3 chipotle chili peppers in adobo, chopped
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 4 buns
• Optional Toppings: Guacamole, Chihuahua Cheese or Shredded Cheddar cheese, sliced jalapeno

Instructions

1. Cook the beef in a large pan over medium heat and set aside.
2. Leaving some of the fat and juice in the pan, add the onions, bell pepper, and jalapeno peppers. Cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the beer and bring to a boil. Add beef, tomato sauce, chipotle chili peppers in adobo, oregano, paprika, cayenne, Worcestershire, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix in the lime juice and cilantro.
6. Serve in buns (or chips for Nachos!!!) with guacamole and cheese. For nachos, throw on some sour cream, Queso Blanco, and diced tomatoes!