Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

A couple nights ago I decided to make my own taco seasoning.  In the past whenever I have needed "taco seasoning" for a recipe I have run out to buy a little packet at the store.  We have a pretty extensive spice cabinet at home so I decided to whip up my own.  Plus everyone knows a little mason jar of taco seasoning is way cuter than an envelope.

The cast of characters...

2 T chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika 

3 tsp cumin 

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air right container.  I just dumped them all into a 4 oz. mason jar and shook it up.

Now for the first recipe I am going to try it out on, my Southwestern Stuffed Peppers.

And next up will be my crockpot chicken chili 

Pita Pizzas

This isn't so much a recipe as an idea.  We used to eat pita pizzas growing up all the time and last night I decided to make them for dinner.

Ingredients 

Pita bread (I used whole wheat)

Pizza sauce 

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Turkey pepperoni 

Optional toppings: onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, spices - oregano, crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay pita bread on baking sheet.

Spoon pizza sauce on to your liking. Maybe 1/8 C on each.

Top with shredded mozzarella.

Apply toppings of your choice. 

Bake for 10 minutes or so, until cheese is melty and pita is getting a little crunchier.

Betty's Cheese Ball

I have had this recipe for quite some time and have never actually gotten around to making it.  I'm not sure why, it wasn't hard and it got lots of compliments.  Betty is my uncle Bryan's mom and she made this cheese ball a few years ago at Christmas, I have been meaning to make it ever since.  I did adapt it a bit mainly because I didn't have all the ingredients.  We served this at our house prior to going out with friends for dinner on NYE.    

Ingredients 1 pkg cream cheese 1 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 4 tsp chives (the recipe called for onions) 3 tsp green pepper, finely diced 4 tsp pimiento a few shakes of Salt 1/4 C mayo 2 T of milk several generous shakes of tabasco crushed pecans     Mix all ingredients except pecans together with mixer.     Shape into a ball with your hands.   Roll in crushed pecans   Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.  

Dutch Oven Cherry Cobbler

We celebrated Father's Day last night and I made cherry cobbler for dessert. This recipe is so very easy and good!

Ingredients

4 cans cherry pie filling

1 box white or yellow cake mix

1/2 C brown sugar

Cinnamon 

1 stick butter

Dump cherry pie filling into a Dutch oven 

Top with dry cake mix.

Sprinkle brown sugar over cake mix.

Sprinkle cinnamon over top.

Cut stick of butter into 1 T slices and lay over the top.

Cook covered at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes.  It is finished when the cake mix is a nice golden brown color.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

This can also be cooked over a camp fire.

DIY Plant Markers

I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back to make your own plant markers from wine corks.  All you need is a sharpie, wine corks & wooden skewers.  Lucky for me we already had all this stuff on hand so this project was free and took about 5 minutes.   I may have delved into my wine cork stash for our wedding on this one, so all my wine drinkers now have an excuse to drink a few more bottles.  Norah, I'm talking to you :)  

Just write the vegetable or herb name on the cork.  I used the synthetic corks for this project because they were easier to write on and I wanted to save more of the real ones for the wedding.   Then press the sharp side of the skewer up into the cork and that's it.  Easy peasy!

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

This isn't much of a recipe, just something we made this week that was good and simple.   I made buffalo chicken a few days before and this was just a simple sandwich to use some of the leftovers. But honestly, sometimes the simple things are the best things.  

Ingredients: Buffalo Chicken (My recipe here) Pepperjack cheese Panini Bread Butter   Spread bread with butter as if you are going to make a grilled cheese.  Top with slice of pepperjack cheese and some shredded buffalo chicken.  Grill in frying pan just like you would make a regular grilled cheese sandwich.   Tip:  it helps if the chicken is warm when you start so that the sandwich is evenly cooked throughout.    

Most Popular Recipes of 2013

I thought I would recap some of the most popular recipes on the blog for 2013.   These are the top recipes by page views and pins on pinterest.   Far & away this was the most popular post...   Beef & Broccoli  

  Followed by my Crockpot Buffalo Chicken  

  Pesto  

  Pizza Rolls  

  Pumpkin Dip  

  Baked Ziti  

Pasta Primavera   

      NOW FOR SOME OF OUR FAVORITE DISCOVERIES OF THE YEAR... Strawberry Rhubarb Pie  

   Grilled Pizzas  

Shrimp & Grits

 Oven Roasted Butternut Squash  

Macaroni & Cheese

My mom used to make this macaroni when I was a kid and it is so good.  Of course when I was little I preferred the fake cheesy stuff from the box.  Now I know that this is much better.  My mom never makes it anymore so I made it for Thanksgiving.  My dad and brother were pretty excited, especially when there were plenty of leftovers.  I will tell you that this makes a HUGE portion.  Half of the recipe definitely makes more than enough for a family of 4.  I think the portion must be so large because growing up my mom's family had 6 kids and 2 adults to feed.  The whole portion makes a 9x13 pan (a deep one at that - I use a Le Creuset stoneware dish), half portion can fit in an 8x8 square pan.    

  Ingredients 6 cups uncooked macaroni noodles 1 stick butter 1/2 C flour 4 C milk 1 T onion flakes 1  T worschestire  1/8 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp pepper 16 oz American cheese or mild cheddar
Cook noodles according to package instructions. Melt butter. Add flour and stir together until mixed.


Add milk, onion flakes, Worcestershire,  garlic powder & pepper.  I never measure these ingredients and I definitely think I use more garlic powder and pepper than called for. Heat mixture over medium high heat until boiling and thickened, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 of cheese to mixture and stir until melted. Strain macaroni and stir together with sauce.  Spread in casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.   Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.


 

Pecan Pie

Some day I'll meal plan again, maybe next week, maybe 2014.  Ha!  In the meantime I am going to share recipes for the things I contributed to our Thanksgiving meal.  This is a family recipe that came from my gramma although I am not sure if it is actually her recipe.  I myself do not like pecan pie but I wanted to try out the recipe and I thought when better to do so than Thanksgiving.  It was a really easy recipe and my mom said it was good.  Ha!

    Ingredients 1 9in pastry pie crust, homemade or otherwise 3 eggs 1/2  C brown sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 C light corn syrup 1/2 tsp vanilla  1 C pecans, broken in pieces   Mix all ingredients in bowl. Pour in pie crust. Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Then bake additional 30 minutes at 350 degrees.   ENJOY!    

Pumpkin Dip

My Gramma was in town for one day yesterday so my mom had the family over for a big potluck style meal.  I had to work so I made a few things up for my mom to pick up the day before and have on hand.   I've seen all kinds of recipes for different pumpkin dips floating around Pinterest & various blogs and thought I'd give it a try.  I used this recipe from Christina at Carolina Charm.  But my friend Sarah at Sweet Happenings also happened to post a variation here.    

Ingredients
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 large (4.5 oz) pkg vanilla pudding mix
16 oz Cool Whip
1/2 T pumpkin pie spice
1/2 T cinnamon.

Thaw Cool Whip.  Stir all ingredients together.  Sprinkle with cinnamon on top.  Serve with graham crackers, gingersnaps, animal cookies or apple slices.   **If I was being super Pinteresty I would have carved a small pumpkin and used it as a serving dish for the dip but I worried about letting it sit in the pumpkin for 24 hours and I didn't want my mom to have to deal with assembling it since I wouldn't be there, so a bowl it is**