Cheese Taco Pasta Bake

Kids rating: 5 stars
me: 4 stars

This stuff is a pleaser for any age. My kids, my picky husband, and even I, devour this stuff. It's a great take-to-a-friend type of meal, too. Cause it's delicious, duh, and it's all in one dish.

• 12 oz. celllentani pasta (may sub rigatoni, penne,  bowtie, etc.)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14.75 oz. can sweet creamed corn
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 10 oz. can mild enchilada sauce (red or green. turns out it doesn't matter)
• 1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 4 oz. can mild diced green chilies
• 1 tsp EACH chili pwdr, cumin, salt
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, divided (or pepper jack if you live on the edge)

Garnish

• tortilla strips
• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• sour cream
• cilantro
• extra cheese
• hot sauce

1. Cook pasta al dente in generously salted water (don't overcook). Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook ground beef and onion in a LARGE (the largest you've got. You've going to be adding a lot of stuff to this) skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Drain off any excess grease.
3. Turn heat down to medium and stir in creamed corn, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, green chilies, and all seasonings/spices. Turn heat to low, and simmer gently uncovered for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in cream cheese until melted, then stir in 3/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup jack cheese until melted. Add pasta and stir until evenly coated. You can serve as is or proceed to bake:
5. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add pasta. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheeses and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes then broil until cheese is golden.
6. Garnish with tortilla strips and other desired toppings.

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Feather-Light Overnight Rolls

Kids rating: 5 stars
Me: 5 stars

I can't really think of anything to say about these. This is the first roll recipe I ever tried and after trying a few others, just for comparison's sake, I kept coming back. They're super light. And delicious. Make them.

1 cup water

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 t salt

1 cup cold water

1 1/2 T yeast

1/2 warm water

4 eggs, beaten

7 1/2 cups flour

softened butter for spreading on dough

In a 6-quart pan, bring the 1 cups water to a boil. Add the 1 cups butter, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat. Add the 1 cup cold water. In a small bowl (or liquid measuring cup), dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water. When the first mixtures is luke-warm (not hot), add yeast mixture and and beaten eggs. Add flour and stir together (I've never actually done it this way, although, now that I'm typing it, it seems pretty easy. I usually put the flour in my mixer and add the liquid mixture to it). Cover pan with lid and refrigerate overnight. When ready to roll out, divide dough in thirds. Lightly flour surface of bread board (or countertop). Roll each third out in a large circle about 1/2-inch thick. Spread dough lightly with butter. Cut dough into 12 wedges (using pizza cutter) and roll each up, beginning at the wide end, to form a crescent shape. Place on 3 greased baking sheets. Let rise about 4 hours. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes. 

Recipe from The Essential Mormon Cookbook

French Toast Souffle

Kids rating: 5 stars
Me: 5 stars

This baby is a crowd pleaser! You make it the night before. I like to make it when we have company because it serves a crowd and isn't great as leftovers.

Also, don't try to get fancy and use good bread. I've tried it, and learned that lesson for all of us. Cheap loaf of white bread. Trust me.

10 cups white bread cubes (about 1 loaf)

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter

1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
1 t cinnamon

1/3 cup powdered sugar

8 eggs

2/3 cups cream

1 1/2 cup milk

Powdered Sugar

6 T melted butter

Place bread cubes in a greased 9x13 inch pan. In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and syrup, till fluffy. Add eggs. Then add milk and cream. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 375° for 30-45 minutes, or until set and fork comes out clean. Drizzle butter and sprinkle powdered sugar and serve warm with additional syrup or jam.

Recipe from Angie Faust

Puffer Pancakes

Kids rating: 4 stars
Me: 4 stars

These pancakes have as many names as the day is long. Dutch babies, French or German pancakes, and a million more, but somehow we landed on "puffer pancakes."

They are easy peasy, use less sugar and more eggs (protein!) than regular pancakes, make less mess, and require less prep work.

You could also half this recipe and make it in a 8x8 square pan. Our family eats one full 9x13 pan. Soon, I will have to start doubling it.

I serve them with my go-to syrup, but they're also good with powdered sugar and lemon juice, or berries.

1/3 C butter

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup milk

dash salt

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Add butter and place in oven, while it preheats, to 400°. Keep an eye on it, so it doesn't burn, and take it out when the butter is melted. Blend remaining ingredients in blender and pour over melted butter. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.  

Creamed Corn

• Kids rating: 3.5 stars
• Me: 4 stars
• 
  
• Not Rudy's creamed corn. But pretty darn close!
• 
  
• 20 ounces (about 5 cups) frozen or fresh white or yellow corn kernels
• 1 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 
  
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the corn, cream, salt, sugar, pepper and butter.
2. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter is melted.
3. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and flour until smooth (can also blend to avoid any lumps).
4. Add the milk mixture to the corn, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat until the creamed corn is thick and bubbly.
5. Remove from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
6. Serve. The creamed corn will thicken as it cools. It can be kept warm on low in a slow cooker (or in the oven at 200 degrees) for up to an hour before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kids rating: 5 stars
Me: 4.5 stars

Here's my company-is-coming-over chocolate chip cookie.

1 cup of room-temperature unsalted butter (not too hard, not too soft!)
1 cup DARK brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 TB vanilla
2 1/2 cups plus 2 TB of flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
2-3 cups chocolate chips (Guittard milk chocolate chips are the bees knees)

(If cooking immediately, preheat oven to 350. I highly recommend chilling your dough though!)  Cream together butter and the sugars.  Mix until everything is well-whipped. Add the egg and egg yolk to the wet ingredients in the mixer, mixing well in between.  Scrape down.  Add vanilla. Add your dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined, then chocolate chips.  Chill your dough (1 hour - 24 hours) OR freeze your dough into 1 1/2 - 2 TB balls on a cookie sheet.  When ready to cook, make sure your oven is properly pre-heated to 350°.  Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes if dough is at room temperature.  Bake cookies for 8-10minutes, if frozen.Don't over bake!

Turkey Pot Pie

Kids rating: 4 stars
Me: 4 stars

Obviously, this could be made with chicken. And that's the usual. But I got this recipe as a turkey-leftovers-user-upper, so that's what it's called.

I usually will make a double batch of it, and just use half. The second half goes in a gallon-sized ziploc bag in the freezer. Then, next go around, all you need is a pie crust, and you've got dinner! This recipe is for the doubled amount. If you really want to be inefficient, and just make one, you're going to have to bust out your math skills and half it.

1/2 onion, chopped

6 T butter

2/3 cup flour

2 cups cream

4 cups chicken broth

1 small potato, cubed

carrots, diced

corn

peas

3 cups cooked turkey

salt and pepper

1/2 t thyme

1/2 t garlic salt

ready made pie crust (Trader Joe’s is my fave)

Saute the onion, celery, and butter together until translucent. Throw in the carrots and potatoes for the last minute or two. Add flour, cream and broth. Heat until thickened. Add in veggies and turkey. Pour in pie crust and cover. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and serve hot.

Recipe from Alissa

Toll House Pie

Kids rating: 5 stars

Me: 5 stars

First, you must have a handsome assistant. I've tried without, and it just doesn't work out quite as well. 

The bigger he smiles while making it, the better it will taste.

Ingredients

1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell*

2 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

sweetened whipped cream or ice cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If you have a convection oven, I'd go ahead and use that here. 

Beat eggs in mixer on high speed until foamy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in sugars and flour. Beat in butter. Make sure your butter is soft, almost to the point of melted, or it will be clumpy. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into the pie shell.

Bake for 55-60 minutes. This is the important part. You DO NOT WANT TO UNDERBAKE. Trust me on this. I've cooked mine for over 75 minutes before. Give the pie a little shake, and if it feels soupy, it's not done. When done, there will be a little jiggle, but it will not have that soupy feel. The top will be very brown, not a golden brown like you would think.

Let cool at least 30 minutes, so it has time to set. Otherwise, it will all goo out when you cut into it. In my humble opinion, it's best with fresh whipped cream on top. Some people like ice cream, and those people are wrong. 

Also, served as breakfast the next morning, after the kids have gone to school, is a close second to the warm goodness of the fresh version.

*If you use a frozen pie crust, make sure it's completely defrosted before you start, or you'll be baking this thing till the cows come home.

Enjoy!