This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of GravyMaster. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our same family favorite dinners can get boring after being on the menu plan rotation for a while. That’s why it’s up to you, the household chef, to add interest with new “secret” ingredients to your dishes every once in a while! Our Savory Stroganoff recipe is a twist on a basic stroganoff to give it a kick that will have your family begging for seconds!

GravyMaster is a wonderful multipurpose ingredient which can be used as your secret ingredient in all kinds of cuisines to punch up the flavor. It can be used for caramelizing, marinating, and of course, flavoring gravy!

The taste of GravyMaster is like a mix between a soy sauce and a sweet caramel sauce, but also has a little aftershock like a steak sauce. It really is such an unusual flavor that’s not exactly savory, not exactly sweet, but just right for so many uses.

Although GravyMaster sent me their ingredient to use, the Savory Stroganoff recipe is an exclusive Home Ever After recipe crafted by Danelle Ice.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground turkey or beef
• 1 13oz. can of sliced mushrooms
• 1 10 oz. container of Philadelphia cooking crème cheese (original flavor)
• 1/2 T. of minced garlic
• 2 cups of uncooked egg noodles
• 1 1/2 tsp of GravyMaster
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt

Directions for Savory Stroganoff

1. Boil egg noodles in a saucepan until tender.
2. Drain noodles and set aside.
3. Brown the ground turkey or ground beef in a skillet until fully cooked.
4. Drain ground meat.
5. Next, transfer the meat to a casserole dish.
6. Add in the cooking crème cheese, mushrooms, and garlic to the meat and mix well.
7. Gently stir in the cooked egg noodles to the casserole dish.
8. Lightly sprinkle sea salt onto the stroganoff, followed by drizzling the GravyMaster evenly over the top of the dish.
9. Stir in GravyMaster until the color is evenly distributed.
10. Put the casserole into a 425 degree oven, uncovered, for about 5 minutes to help the crème cheese melt.

Serve hot and enjoy! We dare you to try our Savory Stroganoff recipe on your family and see what they say to the difference that GravyMaster makes in a regular weeknight stroganoff.

There are so many dishes you could add GravyMaster to this month in all the holiday cooking you’ll be doing. You could use it for sealing the juices in all kinds of meats and fish before cooking, or as an extra ingredient to mix into unsuspecting holiday sides like green bean casserole. What would you use GravyMaster in for your holiday cooking? Master the meal and let us know in the comments!

If your Christmas baking lineup has gotten a little stale, it’s time to jazz up the cookie menu with Betty Crocker’s holiday cookie recipes! 

I know you can get as excited as me about a cookie of the day recipe during the month of December, right?  Take a look at the scrumptious holiday cookies you can make right now.

Wacky Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Do you ever find yourself wondering what to do with bits of broken pasta that have ended up at the bottom of the spaghetti, macaroni noodles, and other pasta containers?   I created this homemade chicken noodle soup recipe to help make use of these leftover pasta noodles that often get thrown away for lack of a good purpose: Wacky Chicken Noodle Soup!

The name “wacky chicken noodle” comes from the fact that the directions call for Wacky Mac, a brand of veggie pasta noodles that are all different colors, types, shapes and sizes.  Of course, this means your kids will love them because they look so crazy!

If you don’t have or want to use Wacky Mac in your chicken noodle soup recipe, you can use the leftover bits of pasta you have or just mix several types of pasta (some bow tie noodles, macaroni noodles, large and small pasta shells, linguine, etc.).

Right now, you can also use this e-coupon when you buy 1 WACKY MAC Veggie Pasta, save 0.40 at SavingStar!

The Wacky Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is an exclusive Home Ever After recipe crafted by Danelle Ice.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup frozen okra
• 2 cups of uncooked Wacky Mac colored pasta (or any mix of leftover uncooked pasta noodles)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 15oz. can of corn

Directions for Wacky Chicken Noodle Soup

1. Fill a stockpot with potatoes, okra, pasta, and corn.
2. Add broth and water and set heat to high.
3. Bring the contents to a boil, then reduce to medium heat.
4. Add chicken breast pieces and stir well.
5. Cook over medium heat until pasta and potatoes are tender, stirring frequently.
6. Salt to taste, then remove from stove.
7. Let the soup sit for 2-3 minutes before serving.

This Wacky Chicken Noodle soup recipe goes great with homemade biscuits cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters!

Love trying new recipes? Find more at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and 11th Heaven!

Nessa is a mother of two living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Editor’s Note:  Nessa brings us 4 fabulous recipes to use turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving.  Do you have turkey leftover recipes to share?  Leave the links in the comments below!

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful day of food, family, and fellowship. The day after is often the day of turkey leftovers. So, I decided to share some of my favorite ways to use up all those delicious bits you have left after the big meal is done.

There are so many things you can do with cooked turkey leftovers! A good rule of thumb is that if you can use chicken, you can most likely use turkey instead. I’ve done everything from turkey salad to turkey enchiladas with great results. Here are a few more turkey leftovers ideas for you. Enjoy!

King Ranch Turkey – Leftover turkey is fabulous in place of the traditional chicken in this Texas casserole favorite.

Turkey Tetrazzini – This is a great dish that my family loves when it’s cold outside. There are lots of good recipes available on the web for this. I make mine by making a simple white gravy with lots of onions, garlic, and black pepper.  This casserole is great when topped with bread crumbs and/ or cheese before baking.

1. Cook a pot of pasta while you are making the gravy.
2. Add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to the pasta right before you drain it, the heat from the pasta will help defrost the veggies.
3. Add shredded up turkey tot he gravy once it’s done, then mix it into the pasta veggie mixture.
4. Pour all into a greased casserole and bake at 350 degrees until heated through.

Next, you’ll want to read Nessa’s  Cowboy Brunch.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of our recipes!

We originally published The Day After Thanksgiving – Recipes to Use Turkey Leftovers on November 23, 2009.  Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

A few days ago I shared about the Sunkist S’alternative Quiz on facebook. Their helpful quiz allows you to see what your sodium style is, that is – how much you know about your salt consumption!

We shared a fantastic low-sodium recipe called Lemon Seafood Paella. Today, I’ve also provided a Home Ever After original recipe to help cut down on the high sodium dishes on your menu plan. Try our Zesty Lemon Green Beans Recipe below on next week’s meal plan!

Try Our Zesty Lemon Green Beans Recipe

Our zesty lemon green beans recipe is a nice alternative to using canned green beans as your dinner’s vegetable side. Canned green beans can be loaded with salt. Try our fresh approach for a zesty, but lower sodium, side dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Green Beans (fresh)
• 1/4 cup Italian Dressing
• Juice from 1 fresh Sunkist Lemon

Instructions:

1. Prepare fresh green beans by washing thoroughly.

2. Add green beans to a wok or sauce pan and add in dressing over medium heat.

3. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

4. Add lemon juice.

5. Put on a lid and reduce heat to medium low for 7 minutes or until green beans are tender.

Enjoy Sunkist lemons in your recipes today!

The S’Alternative

Sunkist has been working hard to develop a way to help people with their sodium consumption. Their alternative, or S’Alternative, is an all natural option that you may not have thought of. Fresh Sunkist Lemons!

The Sunkist S’alternative is to use lemons as a sodium-free alternative to salt. Fresh squeezed Sunkist lemon juice is a wonderful substitute for salt because it provides potassium but doesn’t add more sodium!

Sunkist has a Sodium Style Quiz on their facebook page that allows you to answer quick but telling questions about your eating habits to discover how much you know about salt. Some of us who have been keeping a food log or food diary for a while know how much hidden salt there is in so much of our processed food ingredients.

Take Sunkist’s sodium quiz and see how knowledgeable you are about sodium as part of your bigger nutrition and diet picture! The sodium categories you may fall into are:

• serial salt offender
• shaker & baker
• sodium smarty
• mover, not a salt shaker

My quiz my result was a “Mover, Not a Salt Shaker”. Go take the Sunkist Sodium Quiz to find out your sodium style!

Creepy Halloween Brain Cupcakes

The  Halloween Spooky Brain Cupcakes recipe is hideous and straight out of a horror film’s scene of the mad professor’s experimental laboratory! 

Make your own evil lab this Halloween that will have your kids squirming with delight.  The satisfaction from making truly creepy Halloween food is fantastic!  See our full list of eerie Halloween recipes here: 12 Scariest Creepy Halloween Food Recipes.

These Halloween cupcake brains look very hard to make, but trust me – they’re easy. 

MAKE IT: Creepy Halloween Recipes: Green Monster Eyeballs (Mini Donuts)

You’ll get the hang of it after 2 practice cupcakes (and if you don’t, scrape the frosting off with a butter knife, put it back into your piping bag, and re-frost them again for more practice).

Below, we show you how to make the Halloween Spooky Brain Cupcakes with our easy to follow step by step instructions.  Make sure you have all you materials ahead of time and start when you have the patience to learn a new skill!

MAKE IT: Creepy Halloween Recipes: Lifelike Rabid Rats (Twinkies)

Our Halloween brain cupcakes not only look professional and expensive, but they also taste scrumptious.

Yield: 2 dozen (24) cupcakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: As directed on cake mix package

Decorating Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for Halloween Spooky Brain Cupcakes

• Chocolate cupcake mix
• Vanilla or cream cheese cake frosting

Tools needed:

• Cupcake pan
• 2 dozen cupcake papers
• Piping bag
• Cake decorating tip, size 12

Directions: How to Make Halloween Spooky Brain Cupcakes

Check out our snazzy slideshow below which shows exactly how to create a brain on top of your cupcake out of white frosting.  Subscribers, click here to watch the slideshow of how to do the icing of the Halloween Spooky Brain Cupcakes.

	1.  Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.  2.  Bake chocolate cupcakes as directed on package. 3.  Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
	4.  Lightly frost each cupcake with a thin layer of frosting.  This can have cupcake showing through since it is just a quick crumb coat. 5.  Cut the tip off of a disposable piping bag and insert a size 12 tip.  Fill the bag half full of icing.
	6.  Begin to pipe slow and steady.  Start in the middle of the cupcake and draw a straight line from front to back.
	7.  When you get to the back of the cupcake, round the corner and draw the outside of the circle.
	8.  Bring your frosting line back to the starting point, but don’t stop there.  You’ll now be making small squiggly lines up and down all the way across the cupcake. 9. When you come to the end, slowly stop squeezing and lift the bag away from the cupcake to end the frosting line.
	10.  When finished with the first half, repeat the same process for the second half.
	11.  Finally, you have your finished Halloween Spooky Brain Cupcakes!

Our Halloween Spooky Brain Cupcakes are frighteningly fantastic!  Not only that, they also look difficult and expensive (everyone will think you either hired a professional cupcake decorator or purchased the brain cupcakes from a specialty bakery). 

VIDEO: How to Carve a Halloween Pumpkin into a Jack o Lantern

Now enjoy your freaky festivities and don’t forget to take plenty of pictures of your melon brain before your guests devour it! 

If you can’t wait to cook more of our disgustingly horrible Halloween munchies, read our full list of Halloween recipes here: Scariest Creepy Halloween Food Recipes.

Love printable recipes? Find more at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and 11th Heaven!

As my husband and I were looking for quick and easy healthy meals, I stumbled upon one of my greatest kitchen tips yet.  Today’s healthy meal teaches us how to make Ready-to-Go Salad Bags.  These portable salads are made to eliminate dirty dishes, save time, keep you healthy and losing weight!

For me, making salads every time I want to eat one can be a deterring factor, since it takes a lot of prep time to prepare the salad.  First you have to get out all the veggies, wash them, cut each of them up, then combine the ingredients and add dressing.  In the process you also dirty a cutting board and knife every time you make a salad.

In true 4 Hour Work Week style, I batch as many tasks as possible in my life.  Yes, this applies to cooking as well.  Our handy Ready-to-Go Salad Bags are made all at once in large quantity, which allows you to use as many ingredients as you want and have healthy salads all week, while only having to spend time to make the salads and dirty the dishes once!

My husband takes the portable salads with him to work and doesn’t even use a bowl; instead, he pours his dressing directly into the bag, zips it closed, shakes it well, and gets flavored salad while not having to use as much salad dressing.  He also eats the salad right out of the bag so he can close it up whenever he’s full and go back to it as a snack later in the day. 

I love the bag option because it saves space in the refrigerator.  We pack all the salad bags into the crisper drawers (pictured at left) and they are ready to grab and go for a healthy meal!

How to Make Ready-to-Go Salad Bags

You’ll Need:

• Ziploc bags ( I use quart size bags, which turns out to be 2 bowls of salad)
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Salad veggies of choice and toppings (I used tomatoes, lettuce, purple cabbage, spinach, cucumber, white mushrooms, shredded cheddar cheese and sprouts)

1.  Prep all your foods first by washing each one thoroughly, then cutting up into bite-size pieces.  For lettuce and other greens, tear pieces by hand instead of cutting (to avoid brown edges).

2.  Lay all of your foods out on a long counter or table top so that you have your salad assembly line ready to go.  Remember, we’re going for quantity in this production!

For greens, I prefer to use bagged salads since they are already washed ahead of time.  This saves me the time of washing and spinning all the greens before tearing into pieces.  This method can be especially handy for spinach, which frequently is very gritty unless washed very well.

4.  Take a bag and start at the end of the counter that has your greens.  Put greens into the bag first, then move down the line filling it with veggies.  End with toppings (not dressing), then squeeze any extra air out.  Zip and put into the refrigerator.

What a great finished product! 

Our version of the spaghetti taco is called southwest spaghetti tacos.  They’re a little spicy and are made with chicken and green chiles.  The southwest spaghetti tacos recipe is an exclusive Home Ever After recipe crafted by Danelle Ice.

Ingredients for Southwest Spaghetti Tacos

• Spaghetti
• 1 can green chilis, chopped
• Philadelphia Cooking Crème, Santa Fe Blend flavor
• Foster Farms southwestern chicken breast strips
• Taco shells of your choice (hard or soft)

Directions for Southwest Spaghetti Tacos

1.  Boil spaghetti and prepare noodles as you normally would.

2.  Drain water from spaghetti.  Return to pan on medium heat.

3.  Stir in Philadelphia Cooking Crème until noodles are well coated.

4.  Dice chicken breast pieces and add to the pan.

5.  Add chilis and stir well.

6.  Heat mixture until warm.

7.  Add spaghetti mixture to taco shells.  Use either crunchy shells or soft tortillas.  For adults you can leave the mixture plated (as pictured at left) instead of as taco filling.

8.  Serve and enjoy! 

This spaghetti tacos recipes goes great with a side of Spanish rice as well.  Thanks so much to Kraft foods for providing us with samples of the Philadelphia Cooking Crème to try out.  More about my relationship with Kraft Foods is here and here.

*****

Did you make this recipe?  If so, we’d love to hear your feedback!  Did you make any adjustments to the recipe, or add your own twist?  Tell us how your turned out in the comments below.  Love printable recipes? Find more at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays!

How do you get your kids to eat their veggies?  By making them a Seymour Smiles salad!  This kid friendly salad is a great side to any meal, lunch or dinner. 

Recipe: Seymour Smiles Salad

Here’s how to make a Seymour Smiles Salad:

1. Start with a small salad of chopped greens in the middle of a plate.
2. Peel and slice a cucumber into very thin slices.
3. Peel a carrot and slice into “chips” at an angle.
4. Form the mouth and nose out of cucumbers. 
5. Place 2 cucumber slices for eyes, then on top of each one place a carrot chip.  On top of the carrot chips, place 2 small pieces of cheese rolled up inot balls.
6. Top with “hair” of bean sprouts if you have them on hand.

This fun kid food is quick to make and a great way to make healthy food fun for your little ones!

Fun Kid Foods: Seymour Smiles Salad is linked to 11th Heaven, Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

No super bowl party is complete without a stunning menu of appetizers and game foods that will keep your guests munching happily during the big game.

We just found a free super bowl party cookbook called 39 Appetizers and Party Pleasers.  This recipe is a good way to start the recipe planning early for your superbowl party.  We’ll be bringing you plenty more super bowl recipes before the big game also, so be patient!

For now, make sure you grab this free superbowl cookbook before the freebies are gone.  It has 60 pages of appetizer recipes to choose from.  These appetizers will be a great addition to your collection, even for different types of parties and entertaining. 

Click here to get your free super bowl cookbook – 39 Appetizer Recipes and Party Pleasers.

Disclaimer:  HomeEverAfter.com contains affiliate links and readers may assume that HomeEverAfter.com receives compensation when affiliate links are used.

This free Valentine cookbook is called Sweets for Your Sweet: 22 Cute Dessert Recipes for Valentine’s Day.  It’s loaded with 36 pages of dessert recipes to make your holiday as scrumptious as it is romantic!

Dress up your holiday menu this valentine’s Day with some of these desserts.

Click here to get your free Valentine’s Day dessert recipes cookbook.

Disclaimer:  HomeEverAfter.com contains affiliate links and readers may assume that HomeEverAfter.com receives compensation when affiliate links are used.

Recipe: Creamy Mushroom Soup

Perfect for lunch or as a delicious appetizer at dinner,  this Creamy Mushroom Soup recipe was whipped up for Home Ever After readers by the fantastic chefs  at Kraft Foods.  Plus, at only 90 calories per serving, you can incorporate this delicious soup into your New Year’s resolution diet to get you healthy and slimmed down.   

Prep Time: 15 min. | Cook Time: 30 min. | Total Time: 45 min. | Makes: 10 1-cup servings

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1-1/2 lb.  sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks  celery, chopped
• 1/2 lb. baking potatoes (about 2), peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 1 qt.  (4 cups) water
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp.  pepper
• 4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
• 1/4 cup  chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat.
2. Add mushrooms, onions and celery; cook 6 to 8 min. or until onions and celery are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Reserve 1 cup vegetable mixture.
4. Add next 5 ingredients to vegetable mixture remaining in skillet; stir.
5. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 15 min. or until potatoes are tender.
6. Add 1/3 of the potato mixture to blender; blend until smooth.
7. Pour into large saucepan.
8. Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
9. Whisk in Neufchatel; cook and stir 2 min. or until melted.
10. Stir in reserved vegetable mixture and parsley.

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 90, Total fat 5 g, Saturated fat 3 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Sodium 210 mg, Carbohydrate 8 g,  Dietary fiber 1 g, Sugars 2 g, Protein 4 g, Vitamin A 6 % DV, Vitamin C 10 % DV, Calcium 2 % DV, Iron 4 % DV, Diet Exchange 1/2 Starch + 1 Fat

Read more of our easy recipes before you go.  Recipe: Creamy Mushroom Soup is linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, and 11th Heaven.  Disclosure about my relationship with Kraft Foods is here. 

Recipe: Bacon Pancakes with Warm Orange-Maple Syrup

An interesting twist on breakfast comfort food,  the Bacon Pancakes with Warm Orange-Maple Syrup recipe was formulated for Home Ever After readers by the talented chefs at Kraft Foods.  Drizzle the warm syrup over these pancakes and serve with fruit on the side or a yummy fruit salad.

Prep Time: 20 min. | Total Time: 30 min. | Makes: 8 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 1 cup Breakstone’s or Knudsen sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 cups flour
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 slices Oscar Mayer bacon, cooked, finely chopped
• 1 cup maple-flavored or pancake syrup
• 2 tsp. orange zest

Directions

1. Heat large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat.
2. Whisk eggs, milk, sour cream and oil in large bowl until well blended.
3. Mix next 4 ingredients. Add to egg mixture; whisk until well blended.
4. Ladle batter into hot skillet, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
5. Sprinkle each with about 1 Tbsp. bacon.
6. Cook 3 min. or until bubbles form on top, then turn to brown other sides.
7. Mix syrup and zest in microwaveable bowl.
8. Microwave on HIGH 1 min. Stir.
9. Strain into pitcher. Serve with pancakes.

Variations

Prepare using 1 cup each all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 410 calories, 15g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 90mg cholesterol, 590mg sodium, 58g carbohydrate, less than 1g dietary fiber, 34g sugars, 10g protein, 6%DV vitamin A, 0%DV vitamin C, 20%DV calcium, 10%DV iron.

Read more of our easy recipes before you go.  Recipe: Bacon Pancakes with Warm Orange-Maple Syrup is linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, and 11th Heaven.

Recipe: Enchilada Egg Bake with Fresh Salsa Verde Sour Cream

Melty, cheesy and hard to resist, this egg bake gets its pop of heat from a jalapeño pepper.  The perfect main course for your holiday brunch this year,  the Enchilada Egg Bake with Fresh Salsa Verde Sour Cream recipe was created for Home Ever After readers by the talented chefs at Kraft Foods.

Prep Time: 30 min. | Bake Time: 20 min. | Total Time: 50 min. | Makes: 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 8 small tomatillos (about 3/4 lb.), husks removed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup water, divided
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, cut into quarters
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, divided
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup finely chopped onions, divided
• 1/4 lb. chorizo
• 1 doz. eggs, beaten
• 6 oz. Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, divided
• 12 corn tortillas (6 inch), warmed
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Cook and stir tomatillos and garlic in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 4 min. or until tomatillos are evenly browned.
3. Add 1/2 cup water; cover.
4. Cook 5 min. or until tomatillos are softened and water is evaporated; transfer to blender.
5. Add remaining water, peppers, half the cilantro and salt; blend until smooth.
6. Stir in 1/3 cup onions.
7. Cook chorizo in same skillet on medium heat 4 to 5 min. or until done; drain.
8. Stir in eggs; cook 2 min. or just until eggs begin to set, stirring occasionally.
9. Gently stir in half the Velveeta.
10. Spread 3/4 cup tomatillo sauce onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
11. Spoon about 1/3 cup egg mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up.
12. Place, seam-sides down, in dish.
13. Top with remaining Velveeta and tomatillo sauce.
14. Bake 20 min. or until enchiladas are heated through and Velveeta is melted.
15. Finely chop remaining cilantro.
16. Serve enchiladas topped with sour cream, remaining onions and cilantro.

Variations

1. Prepare using flour tortillas. 
2. Save 30 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving by preparing with Velveeta Light and Breakstones Reduced Fat or Knudsen Light Sour Cream.

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Information Per Serving (Velveeta and regular sour cream): 450 calories, 25g total fat, 11g saturated fat, 465mg cholesterol, 910mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate, 5g dietary fiber, 6g sugars, 24g protein, 30% DV vitamin A, 10% DV vitamin C, 35% DV calcium, 20% DV iron.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (Velveeta light and reduced fat sour cream): 420 calories, 21g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 455mg cholesterol, 930mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate, 5g dietary fiber, 7g sugars, 25g protein, 30% DV vitamin A, 10% DV vitamin C, 30% DV calcium, 20% DV iron.

Read more of our easy recipes before you go.  Recipe: Enchilada Egg Bake with Fresh Salsa Verde Sour Cream is linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, and 11th Heaven.

Recipe: Chocolate Raspberry Napoleons

Part breakfast pastry, part decadent dessert,  this Chocolate Raspberry Napoleons recipe was designed for Home Ever After readers by the creative culinary team at Kraft Foods.  Melt-in-your-mouth puff pastry layered with chocolate and raspberries makes this recipe an impressive addition to your brunch dessert tray.

Prep Time: 25 min. | Total Time: 40 min. | Makes: 12 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed
• 7 squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 6 oz. (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 pkg. (6 oz.) fresh raspberries (about 1-1-/2 cups)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on lightly floured surface; cut along fold lines into 3 rectangles.
3. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 4 smaller rectangles; place on baking sheet.
4. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
6. Melt 6 chocolate squares as directed on package; set aside.
7. Beat whipping cream in medium bowl with mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
8. Beat melted chocolate, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in large bowl with mixer on medium speed until well blended.
9. Whisk in whipped cream.
10. Split each pastry rectangle in half. 
11. Spread each bottom half with 3 Tbsp. chocolate mixture. 
12. Cover with raspberries and pastry tops.
13. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over pastries.

Nutritional Information

Sweets can be part of a balanced diet but remember to keep tabs on portions. To make this recipe in the version with alcohol, add 2 Tbsp. raspberry-flavored liqueur to the mixture.  Nutritional information counts the liqueur as part of the recipe.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 350 calories, 25g total fat, 13g saturated fat, 45mg cholesterol, 110mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 15g sugars, 4g protein, 10% DV vitamin A, 6% DV vitamin C, 4% DV calcium, 6% DV iron.

Read more of our easy recipes before you go.  Recipe: Chocolate Raspberry Napoleons is linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, and 11th Heaven.

Recipe: Cheddar & Sour Cream Scones

Perfect for your holiday Sunday brunch menu is our Cheddar & Sour Cream Scones recipe designed for Home Ever After readers by the fantastic chefs at Kraft Foods.  Serve the cheddar & sour cream scones warm and tender straight from the oven at brunch. Leftovers are the perfect vehicle for ham and cheese the next day.

Prep Time: 15 min. | Total Time: 27 min. | Makes: 10 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut up
• 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 cup BREAKSTONE’S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 450ºF.

2.  Mix the first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3.  Stir in cheddar.

4.  Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Mix sour cream and milk. Add to flour mixture; stir with fork just until moistened.

5.  Spoon onto parchment-covered baking sheet; pat to 10-inch circle.

6.  Cut into 10 wedges. Gently separate wedges; brush with egg.

7.  Sprinkle with combined Parmesan and chives.

8.  BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Creative Leftovers

Brown bag lunch leftover:  Store leftover scones in airtight container at room temperature. Split in half. Fill with Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Smoked Ham and Kraft Deli Fresh Cheddar Cheese Slices and serve as part of your lunch the next day.

Nutritional Information

Enjoy your favorite foods while keeping portion size in mind!  Nutrition Information Per Serving: 220 calories, 12g total fat, 7g saturated fat, 55mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate, less than 1g dietary fiber, 1g sugars, 7g protein, 8% DV vitamin A, 0% DV vitamin C, 15% DV calcium, 8% DV iron.

If you ever thought it was impossible to get your kids to eat their veggies or eat strange combinations of food paired together, think again.  You just have to make the foods look fun to get your kids to gobble them up!

This week’s fun kid food is a pretty normal lunch: peanut butter and banana.

Fun Kid Food: Smiley Face Peanut Butter Sandwich and Banana

This recipe is a quick and easy lunch that takes literally 10 seconds to make “fun” for your son or daughter.  A regular peanut butter sandwich turns into eyes, and banana chunks become a smile to create a lightning fast edible smiley face on a plate. 

1. Make a peanut butter sandwich and cut into 4 squares.
2. Cut a half of a banana into 1 1/2” – 2” chunks.
3. Stack 2 squares of sandwich on top of each other to form an eye.  Repeat with remaining 2 squares.
4. Arrange banana chunks into a smile. 

There you have it!  Tell your kids to eat their PB & B smile and watch them devour your fast and fun kid food creation (and get voted the coolest mom or dad of the day)!

Fun Kid Foods: Smiley Face Peanut Butter Sandwich and Banana is linked to 11th Heaven, Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

Just in time for Easter, we’ve prepared a complete selection of 41 printable Easter recipes to choose from to create your full Easter menu.  Our Easter recipes include appetizers, main courses, drinks, salads, quiches, and desserts perfect for Easter brunch.  This collection includes favorite Easter recipes from Martha Stewart, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker.

Enjoy putting together your Easter brunch from this fabulous collection, and feel free to leave links to your favorite Easter brunch recipes in the comments. Happy Easter from the team at Home Ever After!

Appetizers

• Easy Crescent Danish Rolls recipe  
• Sunny Morning Star Biscuit Soufflés recipe 
• Bacon-Cheese Pull-Aparts recipe
• Creamy Apple Puffs recipe
• Upside-Down Caramel-Apple Biscuits recipe
• Mascarpone-Filled Cranberry-Walnut Rolls recipe
• Cinnamon-Pecan Pull Apart recipe
• Cranberry Orange-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls recipe
• Ham, Spinach and Cheese Strata recipe
• Raspberry French Toast Bake recipe
• Tropical Prosciutto Bites recipe
• Streusel-Topped Pretzel Twists recipe
• Deviled Eggs recipe
• Parmesan-Black Pepper Breadsticks recipe 

Main Courses by Martha Stewart

• Marmalade-Glazed Ham recipe  
• Layered Spring Omelet recipe
• Glazed Ham with Apricot-Mustard Sauce recipe
• Baked Easter Ham recipe
• Easter Pizza Piena recipe
• Roast Rack of Lamb with Mint recipe
• Lucinda’s Spinach-and-Ham Pie recipe

Drinks

• Sunrise Mimosas recipe (alcoholic)
• Mimosas recipe (alcoholic)
• Raspberry Punch recipe -crowd size (non-alcoholic)
• Banana-Orange Sunrise recipe (non-alcoholic)
• Lemon Tea Slush recipe (alcoholic)
• Cranberry Limeade recipe (non-alcoholic) 

Salads

• Smoked Turkey Salad with Strawberries recipe
• Easter Salad recipe
• Apricot Salsa Grilled Chicken Salad recipe
• Frisee and Baby-Spinach Salad recipe

Quiches

• Bacon Quiche Biscuit Cups recipe 
• Spinach and Gruyere Quiches recipe from Martha Stewart
• Breakfast Quiches to Go recipe
• Broccoli, Potato and Bacon Quiche recipe

Desserts

• Gooey Chocolate-Cinnamon Pull-Aparts recipe
• Ricotta Cake recipe
• White Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries recipe
• Spring Cupcakes with Sugared Flowers recipe
• Ultimate Chocolate-Cappuccino Cookie Cups recipe
• Lemon Dream Tassies recipe

If you liked this list of printable Easter brunch recipes, please link to it on your blog or tweet about it at twitter.  Thank you! 

This Easter menu was originally published on Home Ever After on April 11, 2009.  Quiche photo by yoppy .  Ham photo by Allerina & Glen MacLarty.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

When I was growing up, my Nanny made certain foods every year. The ones that stand out most in my mind are her mouth watering desserts. Unfortunately, Nanny passed away before I ever got copies of these traditional family recipes. I’ve spent countless hours searching, cooking, and trying to come close to recreating the wonderful dishes from my childhood.

Today, I finally found the last recipe I was searching for and I know it is exactly the recipe Nanny used. So, I wanted to share with you the goodies that my Nanny cooked up every December. These goodies will be served when I entertain this holiday season.

German Chocolate Pound Cake – This is my favorite cake ever. It is moist, packed with chocolate flavor, and has a great texture. My eyes lit up when Nanny started baking this cake.

Date and Nut Roll – I remember making this as a child, delighted to be able to squish the ingredients together with my hands. It is decadently rich and oh so delicious. This candy is an excellent addition to holiday candy platters and makes an excellent gift.

Orange Slice Cake Recipe

This was one of my Papaw’s favorites. It is so good, having to let it sit overnight is torture!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pound chopped dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 pound chopped orange slice candy, you can chop them or not, whichever you prefer
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 1/4 cups flaked coconut, optional
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Cream softened butter and sugar together until well blended and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well before adding another.
3. Place buttermilk in small bowl, add baking soda, and mix with a fork until soda dissolves.
4. Add buttermilk mixture to creamed mixture and mix well.
5. In a large bowl, stir flour, orange slice candy, dates, and nuts until the flour coats all the fruit and nut pieces.
6. Add fruit and nut mixture to the creamed mixture.
7. If using coconut, add it at this time.
8. Mix well. The batter will be quite stiff and thick, don’t worry, that’s how it is supposed to be. I advise mixing with a sturdy wooden spoon.
9. Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan at 250 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. I would test the cake with a toothpick or butter knife every 15 minutes after the 2 hour mark.
10. While the cake is cooking, combine orange juice and powdered sugar and mix well.
11. As soon as the cake is done, remove from oven, then pour orange juice mixture all over the top of the cake.
12. Cover with a towel or wax paper, then let sit in pan overnight.
13. Grab a cool glass of milk and enjoy!

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa to read Dinner Party Menu.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

The only time my family gets to sit down and have breakfast together is during the weekend. Week day mornings are just too hectic. So, on Saturday morning, we all look forward to a large breakfast or brunch, depending on when everyone wakes up.

The following menu is one of our favorites. The main dish is a filling entree that everyone loves. Pair it with the creamy orange beverage and you have a breakfast winner!

Cowboy Brunch Recipe

This is excellent topped with salsa and served with sliced avocado. A fruit salad is a great accompaniment as well.

Ingredients:

• 6 strips bacon or 1/2 lb. breakfast sausage
• 4 large potatoes, diced
• 3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 6 medium eggs
• 1/2 cup of your favorite shredded cheese

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. If using sausage, cook until well done.
2. Remove bacon, crumble, and set aside.
3. Drain skillet, reserving about 2 Tablespoons of drippings.
4. Add potatoes, green pepper, onion, salt, and pepper to the drippings in the skillet.
5. Cook and stir for two minutes, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender and beginning to brown. This should take 15 minutes or so.
6. Make six wells in the potato mixture.
7. Break one egg into each of the wells, then cover and reduce heat to low, cooking for 10 minutes or until the eggs are completely set.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon or sausage before serving.

A variation on serving this dish is to stir it really well once the eggs are set, then serve on warm tortillas as breakfast burritos.

Toast or Biscuits 

Orange Delight Recipe

A favorite breakfast beverage around here. This recipe makes between 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 6oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 10 to 12 ice cubes
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:  Add all ingredients to blender and blend until creamy and smooth.

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa to read Family Holiday Recipes.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

How to Cook a Turkey

Everyone should know how to cook a turkey.  The teaching of this basic skill, however, is often neglected in our upbringing! This step-by-step tutorial on how to cook a turkey is designed for cooks of all levels.  Even if you’ve never attempted any major cooking projects before, this will allow you to produce a beautiful bird for your family’s holiday meal.

We have also included a video tutorial for the visual learners: How to Cook a Turkey. The video even includes some helpful hints about cooking times, temperatures, stuffing, and more. (Subscribers will have to click through to HomeEverAfter.com to view the video.)

How to Cook a Turkey: Step by Step

1.  Start with a defrosted turkey.  Thaw a frozen turkey in your refrigerator for 3-4 days before cooking.

2.  Take the plastic off the turkey. 

3.  Take the neck out of the body cavity.  You can save the turkey neck if you like to eat it or throw it away.

4.  Remove the giblets from the neck cavity.  If you want to make gravy out of the giblets, set them aside for later.  Otherwise, throw them away.

5.  Rinse the outside of the turkey with water.  The goal is to remove any plastic pieces left on the turkey from the packaging or debris that may have picked up at the packaging plant.

6.  Rinse the inside of the turkey with water.  Make sure the inside of the turkey is clean by running water from the faucet into the empty body cavity, then dumping the water back out.

7.  Pull the wings over the breasts. As if the turkey is doing a yoga pose, bend the wings up and over the breasts to keep them from burning during cooking.

8.  Put the turkey in a roasting pan. If cooking the turkey neck, add it to the pan as well.  Follow the directions below, depending on if your roasting pan has a lid or not.

When Using a Roasting Pan with a Lid

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Bake the turkey covered for approximately 1 hour per 5 pounds of turkey.
• When the time is up, check the temperature with the meat thermometer.  The goal is to reach 170°.
• When 170° is reached, raise the oven temperature to 450°.
• Put back into the oven uncovered for 15 minutes.
• Remove the turkey from the oven when it is golden brown.  Check the temperature again to make sure it has reached 185°. 
• Let sit, covered, for 15 minutes to seal in the juices.

When Using a Disposable Pan (or Pan with No Lid)

• Preheat the oven to 325°.
• Mold aluminum foil over the front half of the turkey, covering the breasts.
• Make a handle on the foil over the turkey’s neck area.
• Take the foil shield off the turkey.
• Cook the turkey uncovered for approximately 1 hour per 5 pounds of turkey.
• When the time is up, check the temperature with the meat thermometer.  The goal is to reach 185°.
• If the turkey is as golden brown as you want, then put the breast shield on over the breasts to keep them from getting too dark.
• Continue cooking the turkey with the foil shield in place until it is the desired color.  Make sure the internal temperature is 185°.
• Remove from oven.
• Cover loosely with tin foil for 15 minutes to seal in the juices.

The final step is to serve a wonderful, golden brown turkey on your holiday table.  Wasn’t that easy? Great work!

Turkey photo courtesy of stock.xchng. Video courtesy of IS World Media.

Quick Comfort Food Recipes

The cooler months seem to make me crave comfort foods. Casseroles and soups are my comfort foods of choice. Unfortunately, there are times when I crave slow cooked comfort but only have minutes to spend in the kitchen.

That’s when I turn to these quick, tasty meals. They satisfy my craving for comfort food, without me spending all day in the kitchen.

Farmhouse Chicken Dinner – This tastes like something grandma would make. Kids and adults alike love it and it is requested often in my home. You can have it on the table in just under an hour, which I love. This is a great fall/winter dish.

Classic Macaroni and Cheese – We all love macaroni and cheese around here. I adore the baked variety, like my Nanny made. Dan loves the Velveeta variety like his mama makes. The kids pretty much don’t care as long as it’s cheesy. This recipe has become our family favorite, as it’s creamy, cheesy, and baked. We all love it and it is ready in a snap.

Italian Sirloin Stew – We love stew and this recipe is a delightfully different beef stew. Full of Italian flavor and topped with yummy cheese, it’s sure to be a hit at your house as well.

Enchilada Soup – A wonderful Tex Mex soup for chilly days. Make it as mild or as spicy as you like.

One of our favorite comfort meals is breakfast for dinner. French toast, waffles, pancakes, muffins, and more can be whipped up quickly. Pair them with fluffy scrambled eggs, juice, and maybe some bacon and you have a yummy, quick meal. Maybe try a breakfast casserole instead of your traditional breakfast for a nice change of pace.

These are just a few of my quick, comforting favorites. I love that they can be put on the table quite quickly. The family loves that they taste amazing. So, it’s a winning situation all the way around.

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa to find creative ways to use your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

5 Guilt-Free Holiday Treat Recipes

The approach of the holiday season has many of us returning to our kitchens. Now that the heat of summer is a thing of the past, we look toward preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.

Usually the holidays are filled with good food, but food that is not necessarily good for you. I set out to find some seasonal dishes to satisfy my family’s sweet tooth without packing on the fat and excess calories. I was pleased with the recipes I found and hope you will be too.

1.  Pumpkin-Bourbon Pudding – Pumpkin is one of my very favorite things and this recipe is a delicious way to prepare it. You get all the rich taste of your favorite pumpkin dessert for only 169 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving.

2.  Heavenly Baked Apples – These warm, spicy apples are a treat that is easy enough to whip up for a week night after-dinner treat. The addition of dried fruit makes this recipe a nice change from your everyday baked apple recipe. These have just 142 calories per serving and are fat free.

3.  Orange Angel Food Cake with Fruit Compote – I love angel food cake and I adore orange anything, but to me it is the fruit compote that makes this recipe a star. It is such a luscious blend of apricots and cranberries and a wonderful compliment to the citrus flavor of the cake. This is a dessert that will wow your holiday guests.

4.  Cinnamon Sugar Snickerdoodles – This is a wonderful cookie to have on hand for after school snacks, bake sales, or even your holiday cookie platters. The cinnamon flavor is just the thing for fall. This recipe makes 24 cookies that are only 63 calories each.

5.  Irish Coffee Meringues – Meringues are one of my favorite treats and since they are very low in fat you can have a few without feeling guilty. These Irish Coffee meringues taste like a decadent indulgence, when truly they are not full of fat and calories. Topped with chocolate covered coffee beans, these are great on a cookie platter or as a gift.

These recipes can help you to make sweet treats for your family during the holidays without all the excess calories, sugar, and fats. They are great for all those watching their weight or just trying to make healthier choices when it come to eating. I hope you enjoy them!

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa to read Quick Comfort Foods.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.  Snickerdoodle photo by jimw.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Sometimes the tastiest meals are invented by just perusing your pantry shelves. Some of my best creations have been the result of what I call pantry raids.

Although I do love trying new recipes, it is usually much more budget friendly, and often just as luscious, to cook out of your own kitchen rather than rushing out to buy all the ingredients for that extravagant new recipe you just found. That was exactly the case with the dish I threw together tonight.

My family loves a tasty crock pot recipe using chicken breast, cream cheese, and a few Tex Mex ingredients. I wanted to do something along those lines, but we had no chicken breast. So, I thawed out two pounds of beef stew meat and created a scrumptious dish.
 

This would be fabulous over noodles or rice or served with Spanish rice. We had broccoli and cheese pasta and some crescent rolls with ours, and it made a lovely meal. It’s rich, creamy, and very satisfying. Using the peach salsa gave ours a sweet flavor that was lovely, but I imagine it would be wonderful with a spicy salsa. Experimenting with the salsa you use could make this a very different dish each time you make it. I think it is a perfect, no fuss meal for the cool days of fall.

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa to read Five Holiday Treats.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles or recipes!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Eggs are one of my very favorite foods. I love them poached, fried, boiled, in omelets, quiches, pretty much anyway you make them. I can eat them for pretty much any meal. They are such a versatile ingredient and quite frugal too. Eggs are one of my very favorite ingredients to cook with. 

But, I was a little thrown off the first time I ate with my husband’s family and they served up a big plate of chili and eggs. One bite though and I was hooked. I know this sounds weird, but it is one of those meals that you will love once you try it. It can be whipped up super quickly, is very filling, and is especially good on cool autumn or winter nights.

The best accompaniment to this dish is garlic toast. It is also good on tortillas as chili and egg burritos. 

This is one of our favorite week night dinners. It is also great for brunch. It is very hearty and will fill up even the largest appetites. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Chili and Eggs Recipe

The chili and eggs recipe below will feed 6 to 8 people, but this is an easy recipe to increase or decrease.

Ingredients:

• 2 – 15oz. cans chili without beans, we prefer Wolf Brand (I highly suggest not substituting chili with beans, as it completely changes the flavor of the dish)
• 10 to 12 eggs

 

Directions:

1.  Simply whisk the eggs or prefer like you normally would when making scrambled eggs. Do not season them, it is unnecessary.

2.  Scramble the eggs over medium low heat, stirring often.

3.  When the eggs are almost completely done, yet still a bit damp, add the two cans of chili.

4.  Cook until the chili is heated through.

5.  Serve hot with garlic toast. Salsa and/or sour cream can be used as toppings if desired.

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa to read her Creamy Salsa Beef Recipe.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Quick Weekday Morning Breakfast Recipes

We all know that breakfast is an  important meal. Some say the most important meal of the day. Kids and adults alike are much more irritable, tired, and tend to gain more weight when breakfast is skipped.  I know in our house that the beginning of the school year brings on some crazy mornings, which often means the kids eat cereal for breakfast.

I much prefer to feed them meals with a touch more nutritional value, yet cannot spend hours every morning in the kitchen. So, here are some solutions I have found. With a little preplanning, we now have several quick yet delicious breakfast options around the house. Everyone leaves the house with a full tummy, ready to start the day! I hope these recipes help make mornings a little less rushed at your house.

Yogurt Fruit Bars – These have been a hit with the kids. You can use whatever fruit your family prefers and even use different flavored yogurts. It’s one of those recipes that you can really adapt to your own tastes. I really like them because they can be eaten on the go, for those really hectic mornings. Plus, you can freeze them, then set them out the night before to thaw. Freezer recipes are some of my favorites because I love to have a stockpile of easy options on hand. This recipe is really a great one to try.

Easy Morning Smoothies – My whole family loves the combination of flavors in this quick smoothie. It’s easy to put together and makes enough to serve two hungry kids.

Breakfast Banana Splits – While this isn’t a grab and go breakfast, it is super quick and easy to put together. Kids love it because it seems to be a treat rather than a breakfast!

MockDonald Breakfast Sandwich – These can be made ahead of time and kept in the freezer, then microwaved in the mornings. They taste just as good as the real thing, but are so much more budget friendly when made at home.

Pumpkin Cranberry Breakfast Cookies – I love pumpkin anything, so I originally made these thinking I was the only one who would eat them. Boy was I wrong! The kids love them with a tall glass of milk. I think they are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee. Not just for breakfast, they are lovely packed away in a lunch box, or as an afternoon snack. I’ve found that these freeze wonderfully as well.

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Halloween Treats.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Jack Be Nimble Salad Recipe

Jack Be Nimble Salad is a variation of a classic salad that kids love to build! It looks like a candle stick when put together. Pack all the components separately, include a Popsicle stick to spread the peanut butter, and let the kids create at the lunch table.

That’s all there is to it. A meal in one that kids get to build. Kids seem to enjoy the hands on prep with this meal.

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Out of the Box Lunch Ideas. Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

This is one of my husband’s favorite recipes. His Granny made this for years and his entire family loves it.

I posted the recipe on Recipezaar, so I would never lose it, because it took me quite a few tries to get it it right. We serve this with crackers and a green salad. I hope your family enjoys it as much as my bunch does.

View the complete recipe here: Taco Casserole Recipe aka Tex Mex Mess. The recipe is pretty straight forward.

1. You brown ground beef and garlic until done.
2. Next run the can of Ranch Style beans through the food processor until they reach a paste like consistency. Then mix into ground beef.
3. The recipe says to soften the corn tortillas in the reserved meat grease, but I usually soften them in a bit of vegetable oil in a small frying pan.
4. Once your grease is hot, it takes no more than five seconds per side to get the tortillas soft. Be sure you blot each tortilla well with paper towels to remove excess grease.
5. Also, be sure to grease the pan thoroughly or spray with nonstick cooking spray. This will stick and be a pain to clean otherwise.
6. Then you fill the tortilla shells with the meat and bean mixture.
7. Next cover with soup & water mixture. My advice is to reserve a bit of the soup mixture to layer on top of the Velveeta. It helps keep the Velveeta from getting too brown.
8. The layer of lettuce comes next.
9. Top this with the thinly sliced Velveeta. Top this with remaining soup mixture.
10. Then into the oven it goes.
11. Check it after 20 minutes, as the Velveeta will brown quite quickly and you do not want it to burn. All you really need to do is heat it through and melt the cheese.

That’s it! I hope you enjoy it!

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Out of the Box Lunch Ideas.

Find more cooking articles at Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.