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.

Starbucks Lemon Loaf

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Here's how to make it!

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup vegetable oil

Lemon icing:

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, blend eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon juice, and oil with an electric mixer.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into a well-greased 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. When loaf is cool, remove from pan and ice with icing. Slice into 1-inch slices. Serves 8.

Nana's Banana Pudding

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Ingredients

  • 1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream
  • 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 (5 oz) box instant French vanilla pudding mix
  • 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
  • 2 bags chessmen cookies

Preparation

Line the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

 

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.

 

Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

From Paula Deen's web site

Cheesy Chicken Potato Casserole

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Here is my fave Cheesy Potato Casserole, which has become a family favorite!

1
can  (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1-1/2
cups  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1
pkg.  (32 oz.) frozen Ore-Ida hash browns, thawed
1
pkg.  (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
 
2 cups of Tyson frozen chicken (thaw out in microwave)
 
 
 
Here's How!
 

HEAT oven to 350°F.

MIX soup and sour cream in large bowl. Add potatoes and cheese; stir until well blended. Add in thawed out chicken.

SPOON mixture into 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese.

BAKE 50 min. or until heated through.

 

 

Nana's Best Ever Lasagna

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My mother in law Janet makes the best lasagna, cheesy and delicious!

Try it, you will love it! 

1 (8 ounce) package lasagna noodles 

1/2 pound ground beef 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes 

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce  

2 jars of Ragu (our favorite, but you can use the sauce you like) 

1 tablespoon dried parsley 

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream 

3 eggs, lightly beaten 

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

2 teaspoons salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

2 (12 ounce) packages of shredded mozzarella cheese 

40 mins 

COOK 

1 hr 10 mins 

READY IN 

1 hr 50 mins 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the lasagna noodles, and return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain. 
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook and stir the ground beef, and garlic until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. 
Stir together the sour cream, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese in a bowl. 
To assemble the lasagna, spread a thin layer of the meat sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover with 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce, 1/3 of the sour cream mixture. Repeat this layering 2 more times. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese evenly over the lasagna. 
Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. 

I highly recommend the Rachael Ray lasagna pan. I have several of these bakeware sets and they are durable and stylish. Perfect for from the oven to the table. 

You will also want to pick up the Rachael Ray lasagna lugger kit. This is such an easy and fun way to bring your homemade lasagna to a holiday party!

 

Krispy Kreme Copycat Recipe

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Here's how to make your own Krispy Kreme donuts at home!

This yields 10-12 regular-sized doughnuts.

Doughnut Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour, divided
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • vegetable oil for frying

Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Doughnut Directions:

  1. Heat the milk to 100 degrees.  You can do this in the microwave or on the stove top.
  2. Stir in the yeast until it is dissolved or close to dissolved.
  3. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and mix in 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the bread flour. Stir until smooth.
  4. Cover the bowl (I like to use my cloth bowl covers for this) to prevent drying out and place in a warm spot to rise.
  5. When the batter has doubled in size (about an hour, depending on the temperature of your house), add it to a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
  6. Add the egg yolks, superfine sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed until smooth.
  7. Mix in vanilla extract and butter until smooth.  
  8. With the mixer running, slowly add the rest of the flour (1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons). Keep mixing until the batter just comes together into a smooth dough. It will be quite wet and sticky, but should be able to hold together as one “lump” of dough. If not, add a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
  9. Lift the ball of dough up and brush the bottom of the bowl lightly with vegetable oil.  
  10. Cover the bowl again and place in a warm spot to rise.
  11. Once the dough has doubled in size (another hour or so), refrigerate it for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out.
  12. On a well-floured surface, gently roll out the dough to about 3/8” to 1/2” thickness.
  13. Use cookie cutters to stamp out whatever shapes you like.  I used a 3 1/2" circle for the large doughnuts with a 1 1/4" hole.  For the minis, I used a 1 1/2" circle with a 15/16" hole (all of these cutters come in the same set).  Save the holes to fry up as well, or roll the batter out again to make more doughnuts.
  14. Place the stamped dough on a parchment- or Silpat-lined cookie sheet, cover with plastic, and allow to rise again in a warm spot.
  15. Once the doughnuts are almost doubled in size (another hour or so), heat oil in a large pot or deep fryer until it reaches 360 F.  I strongly prefer to fry in a deep fryer.  It keeps everything so much cleaner and perfectly regulates the temperature.
  16. Fry the doughnuts in batches until golden brown on each side (you'll need to flip them mid-fry). The total frying time will be under 2 minutes. Use tongs to flip and retrieve them.
  17. Set hot doughnuts on paper towels to absorb extra oil.

Glaze Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. 
  2. Drizzle over piping hot doughnuts.

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

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One bite of this cheesecake and you'll swear it's from Cheesecake Factory!

 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
whipped cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted 
butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well enough to 
coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the 
mixture into paste. Keep it crumbly.
3. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up 
the sides of a springform pan. You don't want the crust to form all 
of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake. Bake the crust 
for 5 minutes, then set it aside until you are ready to fill it.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and 
vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
5. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and continue 
to beat until smooth and creamy.
6. Pour the filling into the pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. The top will
turn a bit darker at this point. Remove from the oven and allow the 
cheesecake to cool.
7. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the 
refrigerator. When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides 
and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces. Use dental floss to make a
clean cut. 
Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.
Serves 8.

McDonald's Apple Pie Copycat 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 Chicken Nugget 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.

Grandma's Zucchini Bread

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Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.
Recipe inspired by Food Network

Cheesy Hamburger Casserole

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  • Your favorite cheese pasta sauce
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 box macaroni
  • 1 cup each grated cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
  • salt to taste
  • optional seasonings: black pepper, oregano, cumin, coriander, chopped garlic, hot smoked paprika, chilli powder

Cook the hamburger in a separate pan until done. Drain and set aside. Boil the macaroni until it’s half done. Drain it and add the sauce. Combine hamburger with the pasta mixture. When it’s cooled, transfer it to a large baking dish and top with cheddar cheese. Cover it with foil. Bake for 350 degrees for 10 minutes until bubbly and delicious.

Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks

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INGREDIENTS:

For the Dough:
¼ cup (35 grams) non-fat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2¼ teaspoons instant (rapid-rise) yeast
½ teaspoon salt
1⅓ cups (315 ml) warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups (480 grams) bread flour

For the Dipping Sauce:
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt

For the Breadstick Seasoning:
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1¾ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons dried basil
½ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, divided, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the Dough: Place the dry milk powder, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit until the mixture starts to bubble, about 2 to 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and stir again.

2. On low speed, gradually add the flour until a dough begins to form. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms and it clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in two.

3. Coat the bottoms of two 9x13-inch pans with 4 tablespoons each of the melted butter. Roll each piece of dough into a 9x13-inch rectangle and fit in the bottom of each pan. Brush the tops of the dough with 1 tablespoon melted butter each. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area until puffed and nearly doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

4. Make the Dipping Sauce: While the dough is rising, prepare the dipping sauce. In a small saucepan, stir together the tomato sauce, sugar, oregano, basil, marjoram, garlic powder and salt. Place over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

5. Bake the Breadsticks: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

6. Once the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and score each pan of dough into 10 equal breadsticks (I used a pizza cutter). Bake until golden brown and the edges begin to look crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

7. For the Breadstick Seasoning: While the breadsticks are in the oven, prepare the breadstick seasoning. In a small bowl, stir together the Parmesan cheese, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, basil and salt.

8. As soon as the breadsticks come out of the oven, brush each pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon each melted butter, then immediately sprinkle with the breadstick seasoning. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan, then use a spatula to slide the breadsticks out onto a cutting board. Slice the breadsticks with a pizza cutter or knife and serve warm or at room temperature with the dipping sauce.

Note: You can also mix and knead this dough by hand - just knead until a smooth, slightly tacky ball forms.

Basketball Cake

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My son Cam loves basketball. So making this cake with him was a no brainer! It was a little time consuming when decorating it, but overall, it turned out great.
Here's what you need:
  • 3 vanilla cake mixes
  • 2 cans of chocolate frosting
  • 3 bags of Reese's pieces

Make your cakes according to directions and let cool. I also recommend refrigerating them to make icing them a little easier. Trim off sides to make a rounded top, gently placing on the other 2 layers. Ice between layers and then do a crumb coating on the top. 

Sort your Reese's Pieces by color. You will need the black and orange ones. Gently cover the cake in a basketball pattern and let the frosting set.

Starbucks Iced Coffee

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The secret to Starbucks iced coffee is that it's brewed very strong. It's important to start with a strong ground coffee, using your favorite brand. 

Once your coffee is brewed, allow to cool and store in the refrigerator. You can sweeten it with a homemade classic syrup or another DIY flavored syrup, such as white mocha or vanilla syrup. Add half-and-half or milk, and then top off with ice. 

Starbucks Lemon Loaf

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Here's how to make it!

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup vegetable oil

Lemon icing:

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, blend eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon juice, and oil with an electric mixer.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into a well-greased 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. When loaf is cool, remove from pan and ice with icing. Slice into 1-inch slices. Serves 8.

Loaded Sweet Potato Skins

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Loaded Sweet Potato Skins

Here’s what you will need:
* 4 sweet potatoes
* 1 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1/4 cup whole milk
* Salt to taste
* Pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
* 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
* 4 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, and crumbled
* Sour cream and chopped chives for serving

Instructions:
1. Pierce each sweet potato a few times and bake at 400˚F/200˚C for 50 minutes or until soft. Let potatoes cool, then cut in half lengthwise.

2. Scoop out potato flesh, leaving a thin layer of sweet potato inside, and add flesh to a medium bowl. Place skins back on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 400˚F/200˚C for 10 minutes.

3. Mash sweet potato flesh with milk, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. Remove sweet potato skins from oven; fill each with an equal amount of potato mixture and top with cheese. Bake at 400˚F/200˚C for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.

4. Remove skins from oven and top with crumbled bacon. Serve with sour cream and chives.

Watch the entire recipe video here.

Pizza Pretzel

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Pizza Pretzel

Yields: 3 pretzels

Here’s what you will need:
* 1 (13.8-ounce) tube store-bought pizza dough
* 4 cups shredded mozzarella (from two 8-ounce bags)
* nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 15 presliced pepperoni
* Store-bought marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Unroll the dough (it should form a 15×9-inch rectangle), then cut the rectangle horizontally into three equal strips. (These will be your three pretzels.) Carefully stretch each of the strips by width and length — stretch each to about a 3-inch width and about a 34-inch length. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese down the center of each dough strip. (Reserve the last 1 cup of cheese for later.) Fold the dough over the cheese, pressing to seal and rolling slightly to create three dough logs filled with cheese. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. To form the pretzels, take one dough log, move it to the foil-covered baking sheet, then form a circle with the ends of the log at the top of the circle. Twist the log ends around each other once and bring them down to meet the bottom of the circle. That’s your pretzel shape! Repeat with the other two dough logs on the baking sheet. (Watch the video if you need help with this step.) Wrap pepperonis on the pretzels — 5-ish per pretzel — then sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese among the three pretzels. Bake 14-18 minutes until deep golden brown. Serve immediately with pizza sauce for dipping.

Watch the entire recipe video here.