Skillet Four Cheese Baked Pasta

Happy Wednesday friends!! I hope everyone is doing well today. :) I cooked this yummy dish in my oven proof skillet which made clean up really easy, just one dish. ;)  Who doesn't love that!! Super easy to throw together and it makes a lot so we were able to have leftovers for lunches during the week. What one dish meals are your favorite?

Ingredients:
1 lb rotini or penne pasta
1 lb Italian Sausage
2 sweet red peppers
1 onion
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 jar Marinara Sauce
2 cups Italian Cheese blend

Directions:

• Heat oven to 450 F. Cook pasta following package directions. Drain.
• While pasta is cooking, cut sausage into 1/2-inch slices. Seed and slice peppers and slice onion. When I cook a dish like this I always like to eyeball how many onions and peppers I put in. I don't like every bite to be full of onions and peppers. The original recipe calls for 4 cups. I diced all of mine up and tossed a hand full in, stired, and then added more to get the desired taste for our family. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, peppers and onions. Cook, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers and onions are tender and the sausage is cooked through. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the drained pasta and 1 cup of the cheese.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over the pasta and bake at 450 F for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole starts to bubble. Cool 5 minutes before serving. 

Source: Recipe.com  

World's Best Queso

My step daughter told me about some queso that she had that was the BEST! I asked her what was different about it and she was told that there was cream of mushroom soup and that was all she could remember. Well, shortly after that I ran across a pin on Pinterest that was titled The Greatest Queso That Ever Lived and sure enough I looked at the ingredients and there was the cream of mushroom soup. I made the queso the other night and I must say it is pretty good. I don't think I will ever be able to just put Rotel and ground beef in my queso again.  ;)  The added cream cheese and ground sausage (that's what I chose instead of ground beef) made this dip delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 block (32 Oz. Block) Velveeta Cheese
• 1 package (8 Oz. Package) Cream Cheese
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel
• 1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 1 pound Ground Beef OR Sausage (or A Combination Of Both)

Brown ground beef or sausage (or both) in a pan over medium heat and set aside. Cut up the Velveeta and cream cheese into cubes and place into a crock pot. Pour in the Rotel and the cream of mushroom soup and stir ingredients together. Place the crock pot on low setting for an hour, letting the ingredients meld. After about 30 minutes, add the browned meat and continue to let cook, stirring as needed. 

Source: Tasty Kitchen

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Pumpkin Crumb Cake

I love the Fall and this here is just one of the reasons. I get to eat pumpkin!! I LOVE pumpkin pie, cookies, bread, cake.... the list goes on and on. Except for soup. I just can't get into pumpkin soup. Maybe I just haven't had a good bowl yet...  Anyway, I love this pumpkin cake and couldn't wait to share it with you. I hope you love it too. :)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
• To make the topping, combine 2/3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oats. Set to one side.
• Sift the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar and 1 egg at a time
• Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the wet batter mix.
• Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the batter. Slowly add the milk. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread with the topping.
• Bake the loaf cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
• Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.

Source

It's Fall Y'all

Welcome to It's Fall Y'all - the BIGGEST & BEST Fall party! This year, we have 10 fun hosts - meaning your link-ups will show up on 10 different blogs!

Let's meet the hosts, shall we?

This party is for all of your Fall related projects, recipes, crafts, decorating tips, tablescapes, DIY, printables, costumes, Halloween stuff, Thanksgiving stuff, etc .... By the way, they don't even have to be new posts - share your stuff from previous years as well and let's get them recirculated in bloggyland!

Everything and anything Fall is welcome!


Did you know, you can help spread the word and make this an even bigger party by placing this button on your post or blog .... or even by sharing a link back to the party. It's not mandatory, but we appreciate the bloggy love! :)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/" title="It's Fall Y'all 2013" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s368/lovebakesgoodcakes/ItsFallYall2013Button2_zps13637cae.png" alt="It's Fall Y'all 2013" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

We also have a Pinterest board for this party - Everything that gets linked up will get pinned for even more exposure! 
You can follow our board here:

Let's get this party started ... we're excited to see all of the great stuff you have! Just a quick note - by linking up, you are giving us permission to promote your links on social media - If we use your picture, it will either link directly back to your site or to your corresponding number in the party which links directly back to you. Let's have fun! :)


Don't forget to share and comment ♥

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Gluten Free King Ranch Chicken

This is another recipe that I made for my mother that is gluten free. She loves King Ranch Chicken and hadn't eaten it since diagnosed with Celiac disease in May. You honestly can not tell the difference between the original and the gluten free. So So Good! The only difference is the condensed soups. I bought the gluten free version. You can see the picture of what I bought below so that you can recognize it in the stores. It's a little more expensive but 100% worth it!

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen Mission corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (I use the broth from when I cooked my chicken to shred)
• 2-3 cups shredded chicken breast
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• garlic powder and salt to taste
• 1 10 3/4oz box of Pacific Organic cream of chicken soup
• 1 10 3/4oz  box of Pacific Organic cream of mushroom soup
• 1 10 oz can of Rotel

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Cook chicken and shred. I use the shredded chicken that I previously seasoned, cooked, and froze for later use. You'll find that recipe here, whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker or you can use one can of Rotel tomatoes with about 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in the slow cooker until it just falls a part. Saute peppers and onions using the cooking oil. Blend all ingredients together in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

Below is a picture of the gluten free condensed soups.

Chocolate Butter Frosting

Thank you Better Home & Gardens!! I'm never buying canned frosting again! So easy and So delicious!! We had some friends over the other night and I decide to make a last minute Devils Food cake.  I didn't have any frosting on hand and I didn't have time to go to the store. So, I went to old faithful and looked at all the different frosting recipes and decided on the Chocolate Butter Frosting. I've come to realize that there are things that you should always keep on hand in the pantry. Powdered sugar & cocoa powder are two of those items. It seems like I am always needing these last minute. Confession: We ate 1/2 the cake that night. My husband went out of town for the next three days. Who do you think ate the rest??? Never leave a chocolate cake in my presence alone again!! I have no self control!! ;)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
milk

Directions:
In a mixing bowl beat butter till fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.
Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to reach spreading consistency.
Beat 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into butter and reduce powdered sugar to a total of 4 cups.

Source: Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

The Sun & The Wind

 This is a sponsored book review and all opinions are 100% my own.

My brother in law Lee Ritz has just written his first children's book. It is an adaptation of the classic Aesop fable, The Sun & The Wind. The book was excellently written and beautifully illustrated in watercolor by his friend Randy Hale. The story captivates you from the beginning to the end and helps you to appreciate the jobs of both the sun & the wind and how they help us even today. I don't have the whole book to share with you now, but you can go HERE to see the first 9 pages.

Lee has decided to start his own self-publishing company, Lee Ritz Publications. His mission is to not only publish his stories but to help other authors fulfill their dreams by teaching and sharing with them the tools they need to truly self-publish their own works of art.  Lee needs our help to kick start his book and publishing company!  He needs to raise $6000 by Nov 2 in order to launch the project and as of today he has raised $2270 from friends and family. If you would like to make a donation you can go to his website Lee Ritz Publications or directly to the kick started page to make a donation. All donations received will be used to launch his first title and will cover the costs of copy editing, content editing and layout, cover design, submission to printing presses, and marketing of the initial book launch. Any donations over $25 get a copy of the book. And, if you give an even higher donation you get some extra treats!! Go to his kick starter page to find out what those are. ;)

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at his new book and considering helping him with his project. Hope everyone has a great week! :)

It's Fall Y'all

Welcome to It's Fall Y'all - the BIGGEST & BEST Fall party! This year, we have 10 fun hosts - meaning your link-ups will show up on 10 different blogs!

Let's meet the hosts, shall we?

This party is for all of your Fall related projects, recipes, crafts, decorating tips, tablescapes, DIY, printables, costumes, Halloween stuff, Thanksgiving stuff, etc .... By the way, they don't even have to be new posts - share your stuff from previous years as well and let's get them recirculated in bloggyland!

Everything and anything Fall is welcome!


Did you know, you can help spread the word and make this an even bigger party by placing this button on your post or blog .... or even by sharing a link back to the party. It's not mandatory, but we appreciate the bloggy love! :)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/" title="It's Fall Y'all 2013" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s368/lovebakesgoodcakes/ItsFallYall2013Button2_zps13637cae.png" alt="It's Fall Y'all 2013" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

We also have a Pinterest board for this party - Everything that gets linked up will get pinned for even more exposure! 
You can follow our board here:

Let's get this party started ... we're excited to see all of the great stuff you have! Just a quick note - by linking up, you are giving us permission to promote your links on social media - If we use your picture, it will either link directly back to your site or to your corresponding number in the party which links directly back to you. Let's have fun! :)


Don't forget to share and comment ♥

Facebook Twitter Google Plus pinterest Instagram Blog RSS My blog: Update - Beefy Jalapeno Corn Bake Recent Pins View more Get this email app! Free signature tool. CLICK HERE TO GET IT. ​

Frankenstein Pudding Cups

Another fun Halloween treat that your kids will love. 

Ingredients:

• Clear Solo cups
• Instant Vanilla pudding
• Green food coloring
• Oreos
• a black sharpie
• 1 ziplock bag

Directions:

• Make your vanilla pudding according to the package directions.
• Drop  4-5 drops of green food coloring into your pudding. Mix, and then decide if you need to add more food coloring to get the color green that you would like your Frankensteins to be. Only add a few drops at time. Let your pudding chill in the fridge.
• Put a handful of Oreo's into zip lock bag. Crush your Oreo's until they are broken down into crumbs.
• Decorate the outside of your cups using a black sharpie. This is your chance to be super creative and make some scary or funny faces! ;)
• Once your pudding has set, fill your cups up with the pudding leaving a half inch at the top for the crushed Oreo's.
• Top with crushed Oreo's!

Have a Spooktacular day!! 

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

This dish is a staple in our home! It's quick, easy, and everyone eats it. And trust me, those meals are hard to come by in a family of six when more than half of you are very picky little eaters!! :)

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• McCormick Grill Mates Garlic, Herb & Wine Marinade
• Bertoli Alfredo Sauce
• Fettuccini pasta

Directions:

Using the McCormick marinade, marinate your chicken for 2-4 hours or over night.

Grill chicken on a medium heat for about 8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your meat, or till the juices run clear.
In a medium pot boil enough water to cook your amount of Fettuccine.  Cook pasta according to package instructions.
While the pasta is cooking pour your Aflredo sauce into a small sauce pan and warm on a low heat. You don't want for it cook. Just warm the sauce.

 

When your pasta is done cooking and your sauce is done warming combine the two.

Take your cooked chicken and either place a whole piece on top of your Fettuccine Alfredo or cube it up like in the picture above and you can mix with your pasta. Cubed up is how our family likes to eat it because once it's all on your plate you can just focus on gobbling it all up instead of cutting up your chicken. :)

I hope that you enjoy this east recipe like we do! Our family loves eating it with a Caesar salad and garlic bread.

Gluten Free Muffelatas

My sweet mom at the age of 63 was diagnosed this summer with severe Celiac disease. She is six feet tall and got down to a very scary weight of 103 before the doctors ever were able to figure out what was wrong. Our whole family was terrified that something very serious was wrong and were all scared to death for her. She suffered for six long months trying so hard to figure out what was going on.

So, after me insisting that she have every test in the books run so we could get some answers we finally got the diagnosis. She called me in disbelief to tell me that after all these years she has Celiac!  I was over joyed!! Praise the Lord!! This illness we could work with!! I knew that it would change her lifestyle and be hard but we were going to have her with us and that was all that mattered to me.

I love cooking for my family when they come to visit. Unfortunately though most of my recipes have gluten in them. :( So each time they visit I am on the search to find delicious gluten free meals to make for her that we can all eat and enjoy. So far everything that I have made that is gluten free has turned out really good. I will be sharing the recipes here with you. You can find them all using the gluten free tag over on my right side bar.

The muffelatta sandwich is so good!! I have always loved the olive mix and this recipe tastes just like the one I had in New Orleans if not better. This sandwich is practically all gluten free except for the bread. My mom LOVES Udi's gluten free bread so that is what she ate her sandwich on. When looking at this recipe I wasn't sure which meats would be gluten free, if any. But when I went to my local grocery store I learned that ALL of Boars Head meats and cheeses are gluten free. I was a amazed!! Their meats are so fresh and delicious. It's what I always buy anyway and now I can continue to serve on sandwiches when my family is in town.

Since my moms diagnosis she hasn't been sick for one day! Isn't that great!! She has put on thirty pounds and feels wonderful. She loves her new diet and how it makes her feel. I hope that you come back to see what great gluten free meals that I have found and am sharing with my mom. Hope everyone has a great week!


Olive Mix Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pimento-stuffed olives
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables)
• 2 lg. pepperoncini
• 1 md. clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• A couple of grinds of blackpepper
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions to make olive mix:

1. Drain all ingredients.
2. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Refrigerate overnight.

To make a Gluten Free Muffelatta Sandwich you will need:

• 1 loaf Udi's Gluten Free Bread
• 1 cup olive mix
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced ham
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced pepperoni
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced salami
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced provolone
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced mozzarella
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced turkey

 To assemble the sandwich:

1. Using two slices of the Udi Gluten Free bread spread a spoonful or two of the olive mix on one half of the bread
2. Then layer however many pieces of the ham, pepperoni, salami, provolone, mozzarella, & turkey that you wish for your sandwich.
3. Place your other half of bread on the layers and enjoy your homemade Italian sandwich! :)

Below is a picture of a NON Gluten free Muffelata sandwich. The only difference though between the two sandwiches is the bread. On the this sandwich I used Focaccia bread which was NOT Gluten Free.

Hot Dog Mummies

 

Oooo...so spooky!! What a fun after school snack during this spooktacular month of October or at your families Halloween party this year. Your kids will love them! Mine did last year. :)

Hope everyone is having a nice start to their month. It is finally cooling off here in central TX. Thank goodness!! :)

Supplies:

8 hot dogs
1 crescent roll tube
ketchup or mustard for eyes

Directions:

1.  Unroll your crescent rolls into one large rectangle. Don't cut them into triangles along the perforated edges.
2. Cutting on the long side of your rectangle cut long 1/2 inch strips. 
3. Starting at the bottom of your hot dog, wrap to look like a mummy. 
4. Cook your mummies according to the crescent roll cooking instructions.
5. Lastly, add eyes using two drops of ketchup or mustard. (The eyes did not make my picture) 

It's Fall Y'all

Welcome to It's Fall Y'all - the BIGGEST & BEST Fall party! This year, we have 10 fun hosts - meaning your link-ups will show up on 10 different blogs!

Let's meet the hosts, shall we?

This party is for all of your Fall related projects, recipes, crafts, decorating tips, tablescapes, DIY, printables, costumes, Halloween stuff, Thanksgiving stuff, etc .... By the way, they don't even have to be new posts - share your stuff from previous years as well and let's get them recirculated in bloggyland!

Everything and anything Fall is welcome!


Did you know, you can help spread the word and make this an even bigger party by placing this button on your post or blog .... or even by sharing a link back to the party. It's not mandatory, but we appreciate the bloggy love! :)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/" title="It's Fall Y'all 2013" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s368/lovebakesgoodcakes/ItsFallYall2013Button2_zps13637cae.png" alt="It's Fall Y'all 2013" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

We also have a Pinterest board for this party - Everything that gets linked up will get pinned for even more exposure! 
You can follow our board here:

Let's get this party started ... we're excited to see all of the great stuff you have! Just a quick note - by linking up, you are giving us permission to promote your links on social media - If we use your picture, it will either link directly back to your site or to your corresponding number in the party which links directly back to you. Let's have fun! :)


Don't forget to share and comment ♥

Facebook Twitter Google Plus pinterest Instagram Blog RSS My blog: Update - Beefy Jalapeno Corn Bake Recent Pins View more Get this email app! Free signature tool. CLICK HERE TO GET IT. ​

Huevos Rancheros

 

Happy Thursday everyone!! It's almost the weekend! :)

On the first Thursday of every month I am going to be a recipe contributor over at Memories by the Mile. I simply will post a picture of my recipe on my blog that day with a link that will take you to Memories by the Mile to get the recipe.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and have fun going to check out Memories by the Mile!

Click HERE to get the Huevos Rancheros recipe. 

Seven Layer Dip

 Do Not leave me alone with this dish!! I swear I will eat the whole thing!! I love every layer by itself so when you put it all together I go crazy. ;)

Ingredients by layer:
Layer 1: Refried beans (I use Old Elpaso)
Layer 2: Guacamole
Layer 3: Sour Cream
Layer 4: Rotel tomatoes
Layer 5: Mexican Cheese
Layer 6: Black Olives
Layer 7: Cilantro or Green Onions

Directions:
In a 8x8 or 9x13 dish spoon each layer on top of each other. We love to eat our dip with Tostitos tortilla chips.