12 ounces uncooked spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

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

1 can (10 ounces) Rotel tomatoes

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz velveeta

1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

1cup cup salsa

½ cup chopped cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Break spaghetti into thirds; cook according to package directions for al dente.
2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in beans, tomatoes, soup, 1 cup cheese and salsa. Drain spaghetti; add to beef mixture and toss to combine.
4. Transfer to a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Top with chopped cilantro. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freeze option: Cool unbaked casserole; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and freeze

Beef and veggies:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
8 ounces mushrooms (minced)

Sauce:
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt (more if desired)

Cheese:
6 ounces Provolone Cheese Slices (chopped)
1/3 cup Cheddar cheese

Buns:
6 brioche hamburger buns (or any other buns of your choice)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until beef is no longer pink, breaking it apart and stirring as it cooks. Once cooked through, remove the beef from the pan.
Keep beef fat in the skillet and add butter onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cook them until tender, stirring occasionally.
Now add beef back to the pan and reheat over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Sauce: In the small bowl whisk together beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and Dijon mustard. Add sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour sauce ingredients into the skillet with beef and veggies, and stir until evenly coated.
Keep the heat on until the sauce with beef starts bubbling up, about 2-3 minutes. Then add sliced Provolone cheese on top of the beef in the skillet. Next sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. This step needs to be done right when Sloppy Joes are ready to be served.
To serve: Serve the sloppy joe mixture on buns of your choice.

8 ounces rotini

⅓ cup sour cream

⅓ cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons pickle juice from the jar

1-3 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

½ cup thinly sliced celery

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

½ cup chopped dill pickles

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Meanwhile, whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, pickle juice, hot sauce to taste, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add celery, bell pepper, pickles, onion, dill and the cooked pasta. Toss to coat well. Let stand for at least 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, before serving.

6 oz monterey jack cheese grated

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese grated

7 oz canned mild chopped green chiles

2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup milk

8 eggs

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Mix the cheeses and then sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese (about 2/3) in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Then dollop the green chiles evenly over the cheese.

Place the flour in the bottom of a bowl and use a whisk to slowly mix in a little of the milk to make a paste, then continue to pour the milk in while whisking until it is all smoothly combined.  Then add the eggs into the milk, season with salt and pepper, and use the whisk to combine well. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish over the cheese and chiles.

Top the casserole with remaining cheese and then bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25-35 minutes or until eggs are set in the middle.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes then serve hot. Enjoy!

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).