Taco Corn Bread Squares

I found this recipe a few years back in Mom's copy of " Taste of Home's 2000 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes" when I was looking for something different to make the guys for Saturday dinner. (Side note: At our house, lunch or dinner is the noon meal, and supper is the evening meal.)

Taco Corn Bread Squares (aka Taco Bake)
Here's the recipe straight from the Taste of Home website:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Taco-Corn-Bread-Squares

When I make it, I make the cornbread first in a deep 9x9 pan and get it going in the oven. Then, I make a batch of taco meat using 1 lb. of hamburger, taco seasoning, and minced onion just like you would for tacos. The recipe calls for 2-1/2 cups Taco-Seasoned Meat. In Mom's book, the Taco-Seasoned meat is a 4 lb. batch of taco meat divided into four portions to freeze and use later. Once the taco meat is done, I stir in the refried beans. Then, spread the meat-bean mix on the cornbread. Add shredded cheese on top. Put the pan under the broiler just long enough for the cheese to melt and get a little bubbly.

My tweak on the recipe is close to a 30 minute meal. I omit the sour cream and topping veggies in the dish. Sometimes, I set them out separate on the table with salsa so people can doctor it up as they wish.

When I made a batch of this earlier in the week, Mom set aside a little bowl of the meat-bean mix to make a single-serving of nachos later in the week. For supper, Mom turned her portion into more of a taco salad with soft corn bread "croutons."

Another use for Taco-Seasoned Meat listed in the cookbook is Taco Twist Bake. I've never tried it, but it sounds good, too.

Texas Sheet Cake

Greg's mom is a wonderful cook. She has to be, since she has three boys and a husband to feed! When we were dating, I would spend a lot of weekends at his parents' house, and I was always amazed by the fact that Diane would flawlessly have meat, vegetables, fruit, and a dessert on the table for each meal, even though she had housework and farm chores to occupy her time also. Since we've gotten married, I've been no less amazed.

I usually try not to make dishes that she makes, because I'm afraid to hear those words, "This isn't how my mom makes it." God bless Greg, the few times I have made something his mo

m also fixes, he's either liked my version of the dish too or has at least bit his tongue. One of Greg's favorite goodies from his mom's kitchen is Texas Sheet Cake. For my birthday a few years ago, she bought me a Pampered Chef stone cookie pan (I love P.C.!) and gave me the recipe. It took me a little bit to muster up the courage to give it a try, but I did, and I'm fairly confident that I can make it in the same delicious way. Here's the recipe. It's super easy, it tastes like you spent tons of time doing it, and it makes the house smell delicious while it's baking!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks margarine or butter

1 cup water

4 tbs cocoa

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tbs vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

Frosting Ingredients

1 stick margarine or butter

3 tbs cocoa

1/3 cup milk

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Sift together sugar, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Bring margarine, water, and cocoa to a boil. Beat together eggs, milk, vinegar, vanilla, and baking soda. Add boiled mixture and egg mixture to the sifted ingredients. Pour into a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, for the frosting, bring margarine, cocoa, and milk to a boil. Add other ingredients and beat. Frosting will be stiff. Spread on warm cake. Top with chopped nuts if desired.

Step 1- sift dry ingredients.

Step 2- boil cocoa, butter, and water.

Step 3- Beat eggs, milk, vinegar, vanilla, and baking soda.

Step 4- Combine dry ingredients, boiled mixture, and egg mixture.

Step 5- Bake.

Step 6- Frost and enjoy!

I had leftover homemade frosting from a birthday cake last week, so I used that to ice to the sheet cake. The frosting in this recipe is really good, though! I usually pour it on when the cake comes right out of the oven, so it ends up as more of a glaze than frosting. If you don't like nuts, you can also put mini MMs or mini chocolate chips on top. Or, it's good with just frosting!

PS- I do cook "real" stuff, too, even though most of the recipes I share are for desserts. I made Jaime's cavatini last night, and it was a hit! Plus, we have plenty of leftovers in the freezer and fridge for nights when I'm not home or I don't feel like cooking!

My Aunt Joy's Easy Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

You have to try this recipe sometime. It is very flavorful and easy to make! It is nice because you do not have to boil the macaroni first, so you can just put all the ingredients into a baking dish and then put it in the oven and go about the other 15 million activities calling your name.

We've enjoyed this recipe many, many times at family gatherings. It is especially nice in the summer when we go boating. Joy can start the recipe and we can go out on the lake while it is cooking. I have used it many times in my short cooking career.

Easy Do Macaroni and Cheese

½ stick margarine
2 c. milk
1 ¼ c raw macaroni
¼ lb. velveeta cheese, cubed
Salt & pepper to taste

Melt margarine; add raw macaroni and mix. Add milk, cheese, salt and pepper. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Serves 4. Recipe can easily be doubled in 9X13 baking dish for more servings. Joy says she always double the recipe. Also, cheese comes out most evenly spread around if dish can be stirred one time once cheese is melted a bit, but this is not necessary.

En-JOY!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I made this dip a few weeks ago for Super Bowl Sunday. Greg can be kind of picky, but he actually liked this. It was really easy, and I made only about an hour in advance, though you could make it a lot sooner and let it simmer in the crockpot. Someone also suggested serving it on buns as a spicy shredded chicken sandwich.

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup Ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup hot sauce (I used Kroger brand buffalo wing sauce)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers. (I served it with Ritz chips, and they were great!)

Skillet Cavatini with Cheesy Garlic Bread

Kurt came over for supper on Valentine's Day. I made the cavatini, and he helped make the garlic bread. I sprinkled the garlic on the bread just to be safe.

The cheesy garlic bread is my favorite reason to make cavatini or spaghetti. Some evenings when I'm the only one home for supper, I think about making just the cheesy garlic bread, but I never actually done it.

Skillet Cavatini
2 c. macaroni
1 lb. hamburger
minced onion (fresh or dried)
pepperoni
diced green peppers (optional)
1 pint or more of spaghetti and/or pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions. While boiling macaroni, brown hamburger and minced onion. Add quartered pepperoni and diced green peppers (optional) until it looks like enough. Stir in 1 pint of sauce and the macaroni. If it looks a little dry for your liking, add more sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and serve with cheesy garlic bread.

Cheesy Garlic Bread
Butter sliced bread. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400° for 8 min. or just a little longer. The cheese should be bubbly and starting to brown a little.

I usually make at least two pieces of garlic bread per person. A few years back, Seth said he liked this cheesy garlic bread better than Pizza Hut's!

It takes me roughly 30 minutes to make this meal give or take a little.

Corn Dip

I as actually introduced to this recipe at New Year's Eve two years ago. Jenny W. brought it, and there were a few of us that couldn't get enough of it. I am fairly certian that she got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman, but I could be wrong. I do make it alot though. I will warn you, that this makes ALOT. So if you have a week or weekend with several things to take food to, this is a good one because you can split in half and still have plenty.

Here it is:
4 cans corn (15oz) drained
1 can chopped chilles (4oz) drained
1 can chopped jalpenos (4oz) drained
1 can black beans (15 oz) drained and rinsed
1 whole red bell pepper chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped (and scallions are the tops of green onions- just incase you were confused:)
1 cup sour cream
1 bag finely grated Mexican Cheese (8oz)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro- coarsely chopped

Make sure that you some what dry the chilles and jalpenos before you add them. Stir all together and enjoy
Other notes- not that I am the pioneer woman- but Jenny told me to make sure you drain everything really good- so I dump everything in my strainer and let it drain while I chop all of the veggies.

Enjoy!

Lettuce Wraps

I'll admit it. Sometimes when I go to Columbus for meetings, I think about what I am going to pick up for lunch that day a couple days ahead of time. I like to get food that I can't get here in Mercer county. There has even been a time or two that I've called P.F. Changs on my way down to order Lettuce Wraps from the curbside pick up.

When I came across this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it. I've tweaked it a little bit and it definitely gives me my "fix" when I can't get to a Changs. We love it and serve it with white or brown rice.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped (found near the onions in a small package)
2 tablespoons minced ginger (can use fresh-I just bought a container of ground in spice section for future use)
2 cloves garlic (I use two teaspoons or minced dry garlic- that way I do not have to have fresh garlic on hand)
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and fine chopped
3 tablespoons of water chestnuts, finely chopped (sold in a can near the Oriental stuff)
1 pound chicken breast, cut into small (1 cm or less) cubes
1 head of lettuce



Directions:
1. Cut up chicken breasts. I think you can buy chicken breasts already diced into small pieces. To make it easier, rather than buying full breast buy the tenderloins. Then, use kitchen scissors to cut the chicken into small pieces. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine soy sauce and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.

3. Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot. Add oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add shallot, garlic, water chestnuts, and jalapeno pepper and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is almost cooked through. Add half the sauce to the skillet until the meat is cooked though, about two minutes.

4. Serve in lettuce leaves with the remaining sauce.

Note: Please do not hesitate to make this if you do not have one of the ingredients. It will taste good without certain ingredients.

Corn Casserole

My sister-in-law makes "cornbread corn," which is always yummy. I tried her recipe without much luck, but I found this delicious Paula Dean recipe today and fixed it for a family dinner. Be careful not to overbake it, and everyone will enjoy its deliciousness. One word of advice, try baking it in a smaller dish than the recipe says. I used a 7x9 dish, and it was perfect; the 9x13 dish doesn't bake right, because there's not enough in the pan. Also, I use two quart freezer bags of sweet corn that we froze over the summer instead of the two cans of corn as the recipe says.

Ingredients

• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Dutch Apple Pie

I baked this Dutch Apple Pie for Kurt since Valentine's Day is nearly here. Shhhh... don't tell him!

Dutch Apple Pie

Filling:

6 tart apples (approx 6 c. heaping)

1 t. lemon juice

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. butter

Topping:

1/3 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. flour

Put apples in shell. Sprinkle with juice, sugar, cinnamon. Dot with butter. Crumble topping on top. Bake at 450° for 15 min, then at 350° for 30 min. or more. Check the crust part way through. You may need to cover the edges with foil or a crust saver ring.

Kurt recommends eating this pie with a big dollop of Cool Whip.

Turkey Casserole and Beer Bread

I made the Turkey Casserole and Beer Bread when Mom and I were stuck at home on Wednesday because of the snow/sleet/freezing rain mix. Along with Dad, the three of us put a pretty good dent in it, but we still have some good leftovers to eat.

Turkey Casserole
Layer 1 - Mix: 1 pt. turkey, 1 can cream chicken soup, and minced onion
Layer 2 - small can mushrooms
Layer 3 - can mixed vegetables, drained
Layer 4 - cooked noodles (2 c. uncooked)
Layer 5 - 1 1/2 c. hash browns
Layer 6 - grated cheddar cheese
Layer 7 - can cream mushroom soup

Place layers in a greased 13x9 pan. Cover with foil and bake at 325° for 75 min.

Mom's been making this recipe for years. It's been made frequently enough that the recipe card is tattered and splattered. I think it may have come from Coopers originally hence the use of turkey. Feel free to substitute a can of chicken for the turkey. When I make it, I frequently omit Layer 2, the mushrooms, or only put them on half to two-thirds of the casserole.

I suggest serving this with applesauce and bread preferably homemade applesauce and fresh from the oven bread. Typically, we made Pillsbury breadsticks when I was a kid. A few years ago, Mom bought a hand-thrown ceramic bread baker that came with a recipe for beer bread. Now, we make that.

Beer Bread (Quick Version)
1 box Jiffy biscuit mix
6 oz. beer

Mix together and pour in a greased pie pan. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes. If making with the turkey casserole, bake at 325° for 20 minutes. You can toothpick test for doneness and the top should have a little brown color to it.

You can serve it with butter and jam or just plain.

Potato Chowder

I am excited to share and get some new recipes... thanks for inviting me.

My first post is potato chowder- a recipe I got from my mom, who I think got it from a cooking light or tastefully simple magazine. At any rate- this one is super easy, it is really tasty, and a lowfat-but-doesn't-taste-lowfat option. And, I am planning to make this for supper tonight!

What you need:
8 cups of potatoes- peeled and chopped
1 medium sized onion- chopped
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
3 cans of chicken broth (15 oz)
1 brick of cream cheese
dash of black pepper
bacon bits, scallions, shredded cheese- all for serving if you desire.

wisk the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup together in your pan. Add the potatoes, onion, and dash of pepper. Cook until the potatoes are soft. I do this on the stove at a medium heat- or I have put this in my crock pot at low for the entire day- both work great.
Once the potatoes are soft, cube the cream cheese and add it to the soup. Once the cream cheese has "melted" you are ready to eat. Serve it with bacon bits, scallions, and cheddar cheese. It will be sure to warm you up on a cold day like today... ENJOY!

"Amber Goo"

I love new recipes! Thanks for sharing the Blog with me!

This is some kind of chocolate brownie trifle. One my friend’s mom made this for all of our Jr. High and High School Christmas parties with the girls. When I requested the recipe from her to make for this year, she said she always called it “Amber Goo” because Amber requested it for every gathering.

Bake 13x9 pan of regular brownies. Cool.

Mix:
- 2 packages white chocolate pudding
- 1 ¾ cup milk
- Almost ¼ cup coffee

Fold in 1 tub of cool whip (regular size)

Layer:
Brownies
Pudding mixture
Crushed Heath Bars (You can buy pre-crushed Heath Bars in the chocolate chip section)
(Repeat 2-3 times)

Chocolate Brownie Pie

Thanks for the invite to post, Amanda. This is an awesome idea, ladies! I'll do my best to not disgrace the Mercer County name.

My first contribution is a yummy dessert with chocolate, so you know it can't be bad. One of my former students made this for me, and I was quickly hooked. It's super easy to make, and everybody that loves chocolate loves it. I'll be honest, I kind of like to show off my culinary skills, so I made it for the first time for Greg's family Christmas this year to prove my domestic worth. It looks really pretty, and it's yummy too. It was a hit, and my self-esteem was salvaged. Here goes.

Chocolate Brownie Pie

• 1 package fudge brownie mix
• 1 cup cold milk
• I large package chocolate pudding
• 1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip

Prepare brownies according to package directions and bake in a 9 inch pie pan until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (You'll end up scooping out the middle of the brownies, so if the middle is a little gooey, it's ok. Keep an eye on the outside edge, so it doesn't burn.) Cool completely and then scoop out the middle of the brownies, leaving a crust around the pie pan. Then, mix the pudding and milk, beating with a whisk. Stir in half of the Cool Whip and 1/4 cup of the removed brownie crumbles. Spoon into the brownie crust. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Sprinkle with brownie crumbs and powdered sugar if desired.

Game Day or Any Day Chili Soup!

As the wind blows and the snow/sleet/rain flows, I am reminded of an old favorite recipe. You may have enjoyed this chili soup on game day in Columbus! The recipe comes from my good friend, Mitch Bambauer.

Please note: The following list of ingredients are round about figures. You can add or take away as much as you like to taste. I honestly do not have a firm recipe to go by. Still, do not let this detour you. It will turn out no matter what you put in it!

3/4-1 pound of hamburger- browned
One medium to large chopped onion (you can put some of the onion in while frying the hamburger)
One large green bell pepper chopped
One large yellow or red bell pepper chopped
One 16 ounce can chili beans
One 16 ounce can light red or dark red kidney beans
One 16 ounce can of diced tomatoes
One 16 ounce of tomato sauce. Feel free to add more as needed. May also use tomato juice if you desire. Sauce will equate to a thicker soup than juice.
2 table spoons of garlic powder (more to taste)
2 table spoons of onion powder (more to taste)
2 table spoons of chili powder (more to taste)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2-3 Jalapeno Peppers-slice open down the side and allow to float in the chili while cooking. You may want to take them out before serving. Some people see the peppers and get scared that the soup is super spicy. These peppers mostly add flavor, not heat.

Feel free to add more brown sugar. When we make a whole roaster, Seth likes to put in the whole bag of brown sugar.

Again, you can add more of any of these ingredients should you desire. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled and roaster-ed!

You can serve this chili with crackers, cheese, sour cream, and/or green onions.

Now, I'd like to tell you a story about a recent time I made this soup!

This fall we went to my Uncle Dean's for an Oliver Gang party. I made a roaster full of this chili that day. It takes a little bit of time to cut up all of the ingredients, fry the hamburger, and so on, especially when you are making a roaster full. When it came time to leave, Seth carried it out to the truck for me and put it on the floor behind the driver seat. We started driving to Willshire and when we got to Mercer he said, "That light's red!" I slammed on the brakes and half the chili sloshed out of the roaster and up under my seat. The windows even fogged up from the "hot mess" the chili created. Needless to say, we turned around, went home, cleaned it up, and left again. We had to take a knife and dig chili out of the cracks of the heat vents to the back seats. Luckily, winter came soon, so the heat of the fall/summer didn't bake the smell! We did take the remaining half to the party. No, it was not contaminated.

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese

This is another of my favorites from Cooking Light magazine...same issues as the Buffalo Chicken recipe I just posted...that issue had a lot of great, healthy, ideas! Ranch dressing isn't actually an ingredient here, but it certainly tastes like it once you put it all together, the fresh dill makes this mac and cheese!

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni

1 slice applewood-smoked bacon (or whatever you have in the house)

8 oz skinless, boneless, chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup fat free milk

1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced sodium 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup undiluted (I've also used cream of chicken soup for this)

3/4 c shredded six cheese Italian blend

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill (I know it stinks to buy this for such a small amount...but it really does make a difference in the dish)

1/2 tsp salt 

Cooking spray

1/2 c shredded co-jack cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat, drain. 

2. Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserve drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon and set aside. Add chicken to drippings in pan, saute for 6 minutes or until done.

3. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan, Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan stirring whisk. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat, let stand for 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155 degrees (like I really check that....haha). Add italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken. 

4. Preheat broiler/ oven

5. Spoon mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with reserved bacon (so you could make more in the beginning if you really like bacon) and co-jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts...sometimes I bake it for 10 minutes or so.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Buffalo Sauce

This is one of my favorites from Cooking Light. The blue cheese isn't too overwhelming...and its not too bad for you! If you want the nutrition facts...haha, let me know!

Ingredients:
1/2 c crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon reduced fat sour cream
1 tsp fesh lemon juice
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4- 6 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 c all purpose flour
2 tbsp 2% milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 1/2 tbsp butter, divided
6 tbsp finely chopped drained bottled roasted red bell peppers (I didn't use these...b/c I'm not a big fan of peppers)
2 tsp water
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp hot sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; cut horizontal slit through the thickest portion of the chicken breast and stuff the blue cheese mixture inside
3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine milk and egg in a shallow dish, stirring well with a whisk. Place panko bread crumbs in a separate shallow dish. One piece of chicken at a time, coat with flour, then dip in egg mixture, and then in panko crumbs. Repeat flour, egg, panko for each piece of chicken.
4. Heat large ovenproof skillet over medium to high heat. (I use my cast iron skillet... and it works great). Add 1 tbsp butter to pan, swirl until butter is melted. Arranged chicken in pan and cook 4 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over and place in oven (350 degrees)  for 20 minutes or until done.
5. While chicken is baking ....combine remaining 1 1/2 tsp of butter, bell peppers, water, Worcestershire, and garlic in a small saucepan over  medium heat. Bring to simmer, cook until butter melts. Remove from heat, and stir in hot sauce. Serve with chicken. Let me know how the sauce turns out...maybe mine doesn't work as well without the peppers. I usually end up adding my own buffalo sauce to the garlic, butter, and Worcestershire.

Hope you all enjoy this! Sorry its taken me so long to post! I'm going to add one more of my favorites today!