1-1/4 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups salsa

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

1 envelope taco seasoning

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 flour tortillas (10 inches)

3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Sliced ripe olives, guacamole, chopped tomatoes and sour cream, optional

1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the salsa, beans, enchilada sauce, chilies, taco seasoning and pepper; heat through.
2. Spread 1 cup meat mixture in a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Layer with two tortillas, a third of the remaining meat mixture and 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and meat mixture.
3. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with tortilla chips.
4. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with olives, guacamole, tomatoes and sour cream if desired.

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

1 clove large garlic pressed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 anchovies finely minced

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 pound penne pasta cooked until al dente and rinsed with cool water

6 leaves large Romaine lettuce thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 grilled chicken breasts diced

1 1/2 cups croutons

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise through the Worcestershire sauce.

Toss half of the dressing with the pasta and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mix in remaining ingredients including the remaining dressing and serve.

Servings 8 -10

1 14 oz. bag coleslaw mix

½ c. red pepper diced

½ c. black beans rinsed and drained

½ c. grilled corn

½ c. minced cilantro

1 jalapeno seeds removed and finely diced

¾ c. mayo

¼ c. sour cream

½ package taco seasoning

2 Tbsp. lime juice

In a large mixing bowl, combine coleslaw mix, red pepper, black beans, grilled corn, cilantro, and jalapeño.

In a separate small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, taco seasoning, and lime juice.

Add mayo mixture to coleslaw mixture and stir to combine.

1 package graham crackers, crushed, plus more for garnish

12 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 c. powdered sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Pinch kosher salt

1 c. whipped topping, plus more for garnish

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Divide crushed graham crackers between 4 dessert cups. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt and beat until combined. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping.

Pipe cream cheese mixture into cups and place in refrigerator until thickened, 1 hour up to overnight. When ready to serve, top with remaining whipped topping and garnish with crushed graham crackers and lemon wedges.

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 Tbsp butter

1 cup raisins

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.

Using your (clean) fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the raisins.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir.

Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead!

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough).

You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.

Score with an X:

Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet).

Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an “X” shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks.

Bake:

Transfer to oven and bake at 425°F until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45

(If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.)

Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.

Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It’s easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Be sure to put a pot holder over it.

Let cool a few minutes:

Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly.

Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.

1/2 cup fresh shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup fresh shredded Gruyère

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, (or dried Italian mixed herbs)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

8 large portobello mushrooms

Salt, to season

Cracked black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cloves garlic minced (or 2 teaspoons minced garlic)

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). In a medium bowl, toss together Mozzarella, Gruyère, Parmesan, parsley, Italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. Set aside.

Remove stems from portobello mushrooms and slice into 1/2-inch (1-cm) slices.

Arrange one-third of mushrooms in the bottom of a 2-quart (2-litre) baking dish. Sprinkle with one-third of the cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Repeat layering two more times.

Mix together cream and minced garlic and pour mixture over mushrooms.

Cover with foil and bake until mushrooms are tender, (about 30 minutes). Remove foil and carefully pour out excess liquid from the bottom of the dish into a small pot. Set pot aside.

Return mushrooms to the oven and broil/grill until golden, (about 4-5 minutes).

12 egg roll wrappers

2 bars Hershey’s Chocolate

4 graham crackers, crushed

24 marshmallows

Vegetable oil, for frying

1/4 c. cinnamon-sugar

Melted chocolate, for dipping (optional)

Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean surface in a diamond shape and place 2 pieces chocolate, about 1 tablespoon of graham crackers crumbs, and 2 marshmallows.

Fold up bottom half and tightly fold in sides. Gently roll, then seal fold with a couple drops of water. Repeat until all egg roll wrappers are used.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil (it should reach 1″ up the side of pan) until it starts to bubble. Add egg rolls and fry until golden, 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with cinnamon sugar immediately.

Serve with melted chocolate, if using.

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 10-ounce bags frozen cauliflower rice (or 1 head of cauliflower, riced and cooked)

1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli cuts

2 large eggs, whisked

3 cups, shredded mozzarella cheese

2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a large 3-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil. Set aside.

Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to make them thinner, lightly coat them in olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Liberally season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, heat the bags of frozen cauliflower rice and broccoli according to package instructions. Discard any excess water or moisture.

Remove chicken from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully chop baked chicken into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, add cooked cauliflower rice, broccoli, chicken, eggs, mozzarella cheese, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and butter. Toss together until fully combined.

Transfer casserole mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining Italian blend cheese.

Bake for 50 minutes, until the cheese on top has fully melted and started to brown slightly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

4 cups cubed or shredded chicken, cooked
1 (10- ounce) can Ro-Tel, undrained
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
2 cups grated Colby Jack cheese, divided
1 (10.75- ounce) can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup canned corn, drained
optional – 1/2 cup black beans, drained
optional garnish – sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the chicken, Ro-Tel, rice, 1 1/2 cups grated Colby Jack cheese, Cream of Chicken soup, taco seasoning, milk, corn, and black beans if using. Stir to combine.
Pour mixture into prepared pan, sprinkle with remaining cheese and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

1 (17-ounce) container of purchased plain hummus

1/2 cup reduced-fat, crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (from about 2 onions)

3/4 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of  kosher salt

cherry tomatoes, halved

1 large red pepper, optional (look for one with broad, flat sides)

1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons very finely crumbled, reduced-fat feta cheese

dippers for serving: whole-grain pita chips, wedges of whole-wheat pita bread, pretzels

or any red and green veggies

In a medium-sized bowl, combine hummus, 1/2 cup feta, and green onions.

Place a small bowl or drinking glass in the center of a large, round platter

Use a rubber scraper to spread the hummus mixture in a circle all around the bowl/glass you placed at the center

Remove the bowl/glass from the center using a gentle, upward twisting motion. If needed, you can carefully insert the tip of a toothpick under the edge of the bowl/glass to help it release.

In another small bowl, toss parsley, oil, and salt until the parsley is thoroughly coated and the oil and salt are evenly distributed.

Spoon parsley mixture in a circle on top of the hummus layer, leaving a small border of hummus showing all around.

Place halved cherry tomatoes, cut-side down, randomly throughout the parsley layer, so they look like Christmas ornaments.

If making the optional bow out of red pepper, cut one broad, flat side off the pepper (as shown in the photo in our post), and gently but firmly press a metal, bow-shaped cookie cutter (we use this one) through the pepper slice to cut out your bow. Place the bow on your wreath.

Sprinkle entire wreath lightly with a dusting of 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons very finely crumbled feta, to look like snow. You can adjust the exact amount of feta, depending on the diameter of your wreath – you want it to look like just a light dusting, without using so much feta that it hides the other ingredients.

Serve immediately with dippers of your choice, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1-2 days