Cheesy Taco Casserole

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We were recently given the chance to try out one of McCormick's amazing homemade recipes. We chose Taco Casserole from McCormick.com. My son Cam is sometimes a picky eater, so I was hoping he was going to love this recipe. And he did! Tacos are a family staple in our home, but my son always just wants cheese and meat. Sometimes he'll be ok with lettuce too, but not always. This recipe was perfect for sneaking in some extra healthy ingredients with the beans, which are a great source of protein.

 

1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef

Nutritional information

(amount per servings)

Total Calories: 417

Sodium: 1248mg

Fat: 21g

Carbohydrates: 27g

Cholesterol: 83mg

Protein: 30g

Fiber: 5g

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat.
  2. Stir in Seasoning Mix, beans, tomato sauce and corn. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Spoon into 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.
  3. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

 

Chocolate Trifle

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I made this dessert for Christmas dessert, everyone loved it!
1
pkg.  (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1
qt.  (4 cups) cold milk
2
pkg.  (4-serving size each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
1
tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
4
pkg.  (1.4 oz. each) chocolate-covered toffee bars, crushed

make it 

PREPARE cake batter and bake in 13x9-inch baking pan as directed on package. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

ADD milk to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended.

LAYER half each of the cake cubes, pudding, whipped topping and crushed chocolate bars in large glass trifle bowl. Repeat all layers. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

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This is one of those recipes I make every year for Christmas breakfast. It is so easy to make and such a hit in our home. 

You will need:

 

  • Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. 

Pour mixture over crescent rolls. 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

 

 

6 Ways To Make Hot Chocolate Awesome

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Here is how to make hot chocolate awesome!

1. Toasted marshmallow cream: Marshmallows that aren’t toasted are sooo [insert any year previous to this one]! Fire those suckers up and make it creamy before you add’em atop your hot cocoa and you’ll be good, with this recipe.

2. Mini gingerbread house: In case you’re the kind of person who scoffs at unadorned mugs, go past those everyday sugar cubes and perch a tiny house on your next hot cocoa. You know, if you’ve got time for such twee craftiness. Click here for instructions you will definitely need, unless you’re some kind of baking/architecture genius.

3. Nutella: Well OF COURSE. Why didn’t we think of adding more chocolate to chocolate that is warm? Here’s how to do it.

4. Candy canes: Got a dollar or two for a box of candy canes? Then you’ve got ingredients for some pepperminty hot whoa!-coa. Well those and also you’ll need peppermint extract per this recipe, but the canes are essential for decoration and eating purposes.

5. Cookies ‘n cream: Okay now we’re just tossing tasty things into the mug, right? Yes, and here’s exactly how to do it. 

6. S’mores: This is like taking all the coziness of a fireside snack and combining it with another cozy fireside snack. The recipe is basically the ultimate in wintry snuggly snackiness and it’s only right that it exists in this world.

Image credit: Gimmiesomeoven.com

Halloween Healthy Treats: Pizza and More!

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My little Cameron ready for Halloween, 2004

I recently was asked by Valpak to come up with some healthy Halloween recipes. As a family, we have been working on "unjunking" our diets and this was a good start!

First, Cam and I made these cute orange pumpkins. Cam loves to carve pumpkins, so carving oranges was a lot of fun:

Look how cute this turned out??

Second, we made this ghost pizza for supper one night. Using a whole wheat crust and low fat mozzerella cheese, this was a great way to celebrate fall without a high-fat pizza dinners:

And finally, we made this cute carrot pumpkin, which besides snacktime, it would also be fun for a party. All you'll need is cucumbers, baby carrots, broccoli and ranch dressing. I used cauliflower for the eyes and nose, instead of containers of dressing.

 

Nutella Hot Chocolate

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Perfect for Nutella fans!

 


Ingredients:

  • 1-2 tablespoon Nutella
  • 1 cup water

Place the Nutella and water in a sauce pan.  Heat on medium stirring until the Nutella is dissolved.  Bring to a boil. Pour into your favorite mug and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or marshmallows.

Variations:

Microwave method:
Pour water/milk into microwavable cup and heat for 2 min.  Add Nutella and microwave for another minute. (Ezara mentioned below that if you have a higher power microwave these times are a bit high; try heating the water for 1 minute, add the Nutella and heat for another 40s). Stir and serve.

Make it creamier:
Replace all or part of the water with milk/cream.  Stir/whisk constantly while heating. Froth up the milk if you have a frother.

Make it more chocolaty:
Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Make it spicier:
Add a pinch (or more) of cayenne pepper and/or a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Make it more caffeinated:
Add a 1/2-1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or replace some of the water with brewed espresso.

 

Source: Instructables.com

McDonald's Apple Pie Recipe

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Here is how to make McDonald's Apple Pies:

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

  • 1 package pastry dough, preferably Pillsbury
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

For the filling:

  • 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon flour

DIRECTIONS

For the dough:

Divide the pastry dough in 2 pieces. Roll one piece out to ¼ an inch thick and roll the other piece to 1/8 an inch thick. Cut both pieces into two so you have four pieces total.

For the filling:

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir well and add the apples. Cook until the apples are just mushy, about 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Once the apples have cooled, add the mixture to the 1/4 inch pieces of pie crust. Top each pie with the 1/8 inch pieces and crimp the edges using your fingers, making sure not to use a fork. Make three to four slits across the tops of the pies. Spray (or sprinkle) the pies with water to moisten the dough a little more before they cook.

Place in over for 20-30 minutes until they are golden brown and fragrant.

McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich Recipe

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Here is how to make the McDonald's Southern Style Chicken sandwich!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 4 hamburger buns
  • 8 slices pickles
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Pinch of sugar

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a paper bag, except for the sugar, and mix thoroughly. Combine the egg, water, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Place each breast in the paper bag and coat with dry mixture. Dip each breast in the egg mixture, and then place back in the back to coat with the dry mixture once more.

Place the egg batter in an airtight container, and the breasts on a plate or tray, to refrigerate for about 1 hour. When the breasts come out of the refrigerator, coat once more in egg mixture, then the dry mixture.

Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees. Fry the chicken until light brown and crispy, about 15 minutes. Let the chicken drain on paper towels to remove excess grease. Place the breast on the bottom bun, top with two slices of pickles, and enjoy.

McDonald's Chicken McNuggets Copycat Recipe

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Here is a great copycat McDonald's McNugget recipe!

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a meat mallet, tenderize the chicken breast and then cut it into 2-inch pieces.

In a bowl, combine the egg, water, and sugar. Put all of the dry ingredients into a paper bag and set aside. Coat the pieces of chicken generously in the egg mixture and then add them to the bag with flour and shake until well coated. Remove the chicken from the bag and repeat the process once more.

Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees. Fry the nuggets until they're golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the nuggets from the pan and set aside on a piece of paper towel to drain. Place the nuggets on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for an additional 7 minutes.

 

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