I’ve always wanted to make my own queso, but thought there’s no way I could get close to restaurant recipes… until now! I altered a recipe from Sumptuous Spoonfuls using ingredients I already had on hand and it turned out AMAZING!
Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (I didn’t have a fresh onion on hand, so I used frozen diced onion and it worked out great!)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz cream cheese (I think I had lower fat cream cheese, so that’s what I used for this recipe)
6 oz quesadilla cheese, shredded
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (I didn’t happen to have any on hand, so I used colby jack instead)
1/2 – 1 cup heavy cream
2-4 Tbsp jalapeno, to taste (optional)
3 Tbsp salsa, or to taste
1/4 – 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro, optional (I planned on using the cilantro, but loved it without, so I used it for garnish)
Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender and translucent.
Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the cream cheese, quesadilla cheese and pepper jack cheese along with 1/2 cup of the whipping cream. Stir until the cheeses melt, then stir in the chopped jalapeno and salsa. Taste and add more jalapeno and/or salsa for heat and fresh cilantro (optional).
If the dip is too thick for your liking, stir in some more whipping cream (or milk) until it is the desired consistency. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
One more after-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving recipe. The general population of Thanksgiving celebrators seem to have a love/hate relationship with this one. They either love it, or they hate it. The recipe I use is basically French’s recipe, but adapted for a larger gathering. I use French style green beans (it seems to make it less… sloppy) and a larger quantity of them. I also use a lot more French fried onions because, let’s be honest… who couldn’t eat a whole can of those things in one sitting? Just me? Ok…
Ingredients
2 cans (10 1/2 oz) Cream of Mushroom condensed soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 cans Del Monte French Style green beans, drained well
1 1/2 cans French Fried Onions, divided
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix cream of mushroom soup, milk and pepper in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Stir in green beans and can Crispy Fried Onions.
Bake 30 minutes or until hot. Stir.
Top with remaining 1/2 can onions. Bake 5 minutes until onions are golden brown.
More Thanksgiving recipes… after Thanksgiving! This might just be my favorite one. I also don’t alter this recipe at all from the original-don’t mess with perfection!
Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, cubed into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, divided
cooking spray
2 cups miniature marshmallows (or large if you prefer!)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Place the sweet potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain; cool slightly.
Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add sugar and next 3 ingredients (through vanilla). Mash sweet potato mixture with a potato masher. Fold in 1/4 cup pecans. Scrape potato mixture into an even layer in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans; top with marshmallows. Bake at 375° F for 25 minutes or until golden.
For some reason I grabbed a few bags of lentils at Target the last time I went. You know… in case the world ends during this pandemic and we need lentils. Totally logical…
I remembered making slow-cooker soup from a recipe in my favorite slow-cooker recipe book (yes, I have one… I asked for it for Christmas a long time ago and yes, it’s amazing, so don’t knock it!). I looked for the recipe and it wasn’t quite what I remembered it being, so I tweaked it a bit this time. I cut a few corners, too, because… why not?! This soup really doesn’t yield very much, so if you like leftovers like I do, double the recipe!
Ingredients
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained well
1 medium onion, chopped (or use frozen chopped onion for easy prep!)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/8 – 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup diced, cooked ham (or more if you prefer!)
1 cup fresh spinach
Shredded or grated parmesan for topping (optional)
Directions
Add lentils, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, lemon zest, ground red pepper, salt, chicken broth, and water to the slow cooker. Stir well and cook 2-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low heat.
Add ham and spinach to slow cooker and cook an additional 10 minutes on high heat.
I know I keep posting recipes AFTER the holiday has occurred, but I figured maybe I could help make someone’s holiday a little easier (and tastier!) next year, so bookmark this one! I’m not a fan of baking a whole turkey because a.) I’ve never done it, so it’s intimidating, b.) Ain’t nobody got time for that, and c.) I just plain don’t want to… I need easy, people!
I searched recipes and I came up with my own based on what I liked from all of the recipes I found. If you’d like to see the main recipe I pulled ideas from, take a look here! I never have time to make my own gravy from the drippings, but I’ll add the instructions in case you’d like to try it.
I love this recipe because you can adapt it easily to make as much (I made 3 3-lb turkey breasts in one slow-cooker the last time I made it!) or as little as you’d like. I also love saving the drippings from this recipe to make a great turkey broth that can be saved to use for soups, hearty turkey and noodles, and more! Check out the instructions below for saving the drippings to create a great broth to freeze or use to create other meals.
Ingredients
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp poultry seasoning
3/4 tsp onion powder
Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 large onion, sliced
2 celery ribs, cut into thirds
2 cups chicken broth
3 lb boneless, skinless turkey breast (I used 3 in one slow-cooker to feed a large family, but you can adjust accordingly!)
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided (reserve 3 Tbsp for gravy), room temperature
3 Tbsp all purpose flour (for gravy, if you plan on making gravy from drippings)
Directions
In a small bowl, mix paprika, thyme, poultry seasoning, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
Add onion and celery to the bottom of the slow-cooker and cover with chicken broth.
Place the turkey breast(s) on top of the vegetables and broth breast side (fat side) up. If the turkey breast(s) come in a netting, leave the netting on during cooking.
Cut 4 Tbsp of room temperature butter into thin slices and evenly cover the turkey breast(s). Sprinkle the dry rub mix evenly over the turkey.
Cook on low 4-6 hours. For a larger amount of turkey, I usually estimate an hour per pound (for example, 9 hours for 9 lbs of turkey breast). Once turkey is thoroughly cooked (internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F), remove the turkey from the slow-cooker and let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Gravy Directions
Strain slow-cooker drippings in a fine-mesh sieve and discard any solids.
Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in pan drippings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve turkey immediately with gravy.
Turkey Broth Directions
Remove all vegetables and turkey pieces and fat from slow cooker and allow all drippings to fully cool in slow cooker.
Strain the broth into a fully sealed container and refrigerate overnight.
Once the drippings have fully cooled in the refrigerator, skim the fat off the top of the drippings with a spoon and discard.
I never buy cookie dough… not because I’m Betty Crocker and I have to make everything from scratch, but because I just never think about buying any. I guess I figure if it’s not there, I won’t bake cookies, so I won’t eat them. Well, this pandemic has taught me to be resourceful and unfortunately I found a recipe that I had all of the ingredients for and of course it was delicious. Except for the time I accidentally only put half of the butter the recipe called for… oops. Yes, I accidentally created cookie biscuits. Don’t try it.
This recipe comes straight from Allrecipes.com, but I don’t add nuts-just chocolate chips!
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.
Well guys… I’ve been in severe depression ever since the Enchirito left Taco Bell’s menu. Yeah, yeah… I know they had a smothered burrito for a while, but it just wasn’t the same. I managed to make something similar kind of by accident. I was really hungry for some enchiladas with a red sauce. I realized what I really wanted was an enchirito, so I got to work. What I came up with was somewhat similar, so I guess it will do for now. I’ll keep you updated as I perfect it!
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
2 (14.5 oz) cans red enchilada sauce (I used mild, but hot could work too if you enjoy your food a little spicier)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 4oz can mild green Chile peppers
6 burrito size flour tortillas
Shredded cheddar, cheddar jack, or monterey jack cheese (whatever you have on hand will work great!)
Black olives (optional, for topping)
Sour cream (optional, for topping)
Diced green onion (optional, for topping)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brown the ground beef and onion until cooked through thoroughly and onion is translucent. Drain/remove the excess fat.
Mix 1 can of red enchilada sauce and 1 can of green chiles with the browned ground beef until well combined.
Pour 1/2 can of red enchilada sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ glass baking pan.
Spread aluminum foil on your work surface to assemble the enchiladas for easy clean up.
Lay out 6 tortillas and fill each tortilla with shredded cheese and the beef and sauce mixture. Roll each tortilla up and place in the sauce lined baking dish.
Top enchiladas with shredded cheese and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake covered 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Top with sour cream, black olives, or diced green onion if desired. Serve and enjoy!
I know, I know… Halloween is over and most people have already thrown their seeds out by now, but in case you haven’t, here is a great “recipe”. I’m using quotes because it’s really just seeds and seasoning. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Well, no lemon, but… you get it. I adapted this recipe from one I found over at Food.com.
Ingredients
Pumpkin seeds
Olive oil
Salt
Seasoning Salt
Garlic Powder
Directions
After removing seeds from the pumpkin, make sure all pumpkin slime and chunks are removed.
Rinse the seeds in a strainer thoroughly and allow to dry overnight on wax paper. Change the wax paper after 24 hours and allow to dry on a new sheet of wax paper for an additional 24 hours or until completely dry.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the seeds in a bowl with olive oil. Use enough oil to very lightly coat the seeds. The seasoning will stick well with very little oil.
Add salt, seasoning salt, and garlic powder to taste. Other seasonings may be used to create different flavors.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add seasoned pumpkin seeds to baking sheet.
Bake seeds for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown.
It’s fall… time for chili! I’ve made a few different versions of white chicken chili, but this version that I adapted from The Chunky Chef is by far my favorite. Step on some crunchy leaves, grab a cozy sweater, and enjoy some chili!
Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts – I usually use more than a pound for a more hearty chili. You can also use frozen and it still turns out great!
1 yellow onion – diced (I usually use frozen for a quicker recipe!)
2 cloves garlic – minced
32 oz. chicken broth
3 15oz cans great Northern beans – drained and rinsed
2 4oz cans diced green chiles – I usually use mild because kids will be eating it, but hot works great, too
1 15oz can whole kernel corn – drained
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
small handful fresh cilantro – chopped (dried works great if you don’t happen to have fresh on hand!)
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese – softened
1/3 cup half and half
Monterey Jack cheese (optional, for topping)
Tortilla strips (optional, for topping)
avocado (optional, for topping)
Sour cream (optional, for topping)
Directions
Add chicken breasts to bottom of top slow cooker with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
Top with diced onion, minced garlic, great Northern beans, green chiles, corn, chicken broth and cilantro. Stir.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Remove chicken to large mixing bowl, shred, then return to slow cooker.
Add cream cheese and half and half, stir, then cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, or until chili is creamy and slightly thickened.
I always buy pork chops or pork loin and never know what to do with them. I love breaded, pan fried pork chops, but it’s hard to pan fry them lately with a 2 year-old running into the kitchen every 5 minutes while I’m cooking hurling Hot Wheels cars across the floor. I mainly use this recipe as a dry rub for any kind of pork I prepare. Although this recipe is meant for baked pork chops, it’s also great on a pork loin in the Crock Pot for 8 hours on low. If you decide to use the slow cooker version, add around a cup of chicken broth to the Crock Pot.
The Engineered Mama 