Ham and Cheese Casserole

According to my calendar, the first day of Spring was back in March. However, this is Ohio; and in Ohio, Mother Nature does as she pleases. One day it feels like Winter, one day it feels like Spring--and sometimes it feels like both in the same day! 

Since it's felt less than Spring-like for several days, I decided that some comfort food was in order. Something warm to warm my bones, as they say. Awhile back I came up with a recipe that did just that, so I thought it was the perfect dish to make this rather cold-ish week. Behold: I give you...Ham and Cheese Casserole!

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Time for another Tasty Tuesday here at Tinalicious. And it may give you a sense of dejavu in the process. Because...way back in 2013, I shared a recipe with you for The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup Ever. And the recipe I'm sharing with you today is also for Broccoli Cheese Soup. But this time it's easier and it really is my new all time favorite! So, it may in fact be THE Best Broccoli Cheese Soup. Like EVER! You'll have to judge for yourself.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

It's been quite a spell since I've posted a recipe or anything else here on the blog. Life has been crazy hectic since I started teaching again, so I've focused as much of my energy on teaching as possible. But I'm on the first day of my Christmas Break, so I have a little time on my hands. And one of my goals for the next year is to try to post more. So I'm taking a Tinalicious-sized step toward that goal by posting a new recipe. 

Crockpot Chicken and Noodles

It's been ages and ages since I've done a Tasty Tuesday recipe. Far too long, in fact. So Sherlock and I are going to remedy that.

Yes, really.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well, folks, I've not done a Tasty Tuesday recipe in quite awhile, so I thought it was high time (as opposed to, you know, low time) that I did one again.

Oh yes indeedy it does. Since it's Fall and I'm in the baking mood, I thought I'd re-share one of my favorite cookie recipes. Like ever. It's the one for my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that I shared way back in 2010. Because, you know, that was six long years ago! And it's still my fave cookie recipe!

So, get your taste buds warmed up and get ready to make some cookies, y'all. And I do mean the best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies you'll ever eat!

Ingredients
1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Egg
2 Cups Flour
2 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Salt
1 TSP Baking Soda
1 TSP Milk
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 TSP Vanilla

Directions
Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside.
In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir.
Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla.

Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until done.

And when they're done, please partake in their soft, pumpkin-y, yummy deliciousness.

Enjoy!

White Chicken Enchiladas

I saw a recipe in my Facebook feed the other day that I knew I had to try. It was for White Chicken Enchiladas and it looked so yummy. Funnily enough, turns out I have made this before, from a recipe sent to me by a dear friend last year. But I didn't know that until today, when I double-checked my recipe binder (oh yes, I have a recipe binder!). Anyhoots, I was anxious to make these enchiladas. And lets face it: I love me a recipe that is packed with cheesy goodness. I've got the hips to prove it.

I made this recipe over the weekend, and it was delicious! So of course I'm going to share it with all of you, too. I'm sure not gonna keep all these calories to myself, ladies. If I'm eating them, you need to eat them too. But trust me, you'll be glad you did.

So let's get to it.

Ingredients
2 Cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (even pepper jack would be yummy)
1 Cup shredded Colby Jack Cheese
8-10 Flour Tortillas (I used 10)
3 TBSP Butter
3 TBSP Flour
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 4oz can of Diced Green Chiles (Mild or Hot, your preference)
2 Cups Shredded Chicken (you could use frozen chicken, or rotisserie too; I used an entire bag of Tyson frozen diced chicken.)
2 Cups of Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Salsa (optional)




Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cook/shred your chicken breast and mix it with the 2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
3. Lay 8-10 tortillas out and fill each one with the chicken mixture. Roll them up tightly and put them in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter and then add in the 3 TBSP of flour. Mix and cook for about one minute. Don't overcook--you don't want it to turn brown.
5. Add in the 2 cups of chicken broth, whisking until it’s a smooth consistency. Whisk over medium heat until the sauce becomes thick and creamy (this will take about five minutes or so).
6. Mix in the sour cream, salt & pepper, and the can of green chiles.
7. Pour the sauce evenly over the rolled up tortillas.
8. Add the 1 cup of the Colby Jack cheese on top.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly, or until the cheese is golden brown.
10. Add salsa, if desired.

When it's finished, it should look a little something like this...

I don't mean to brag much, but the Hubs told me this was one of the best meals I've ever made. He is not one to throw compliments around willy nilly, mind you. And I have made a lot of meals in my almost 32 married years. So that's really saying something. Never mind the fact that I have made this recipe before and he didn't rave about it then. I think it was the cheese variation I made--I added more cheese to the inside of the enchiladas, so they'd be even more cheese-a-licious. And clearly it worked.

But you know, don't worry about those extra calories. You can easily get rid of an extras that may land on your hips with just a little dancing.

And Tom Hiddleston's hips never lie.

Tasty Tuesday Creamy Chicken Soup

I found a great recipe recently from the Cookie Rookie blog for some Creamy Chicken Soup. I love creamy, thick soups and that recipe looked too good not to try. So I gave it a culinary whirl the other day and, as I imagined, it was quite yumtastic. 

And because I loved the soup to such a degree that I started spouting non-words in blog posts, I decided I should share the recipe with my favorite people too. Hint: I mean YOU.

 

Image Source: ReservationsatDorsia

Now I did modify the recipe just a wee bit. Their recipe called for wine, which I omitted. I also left out the turmeric, and I swapped dehydrated onion for the yellow onion--and I used granulated garlic instead of garlic powder, and frozen diced chicken instead of rotisserie. But this soup was so good in the end, so those omissions didn't hurt it at all. You could always add them in if you wanted, of course.

So anyhoots. How about that recipe?

Ingredients

For the Roux (to thicken your soup--make this first)

• 4 TBSP Flour
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 2 TBSP Butter - unsalted

Make the roux by heating the oil and butter in a small pot, then sprinkle the flour on top. Whisk it together until the flour is fully absorbed and the roux turns almost golden. Then take it off the heat and set aside while starting with your other ingredients in a dutch oven or large pot.

• 2 TBSP butter - unsalted
• 2 TBSP Olive OIl
• 4 stalks Carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks Celery, chopped
• 1 sweet Yellow Onion - diced (or whatever onion you prefer, or even shallots)
• 4 Cups Chicken Stock or broth
• 3½ Cups Milk or cream or half & half (I used milk)
• 2 TBSP Chicken Bouillon granules
• 1 TSP fresh cracked Pepper
• 1 TBSP Dried Parsley or 2 TBSP fresh parsley
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 1½ TSP Herbs of Provence
• ¼ TSP Granulated Garlic (or minced--add more if you like)
• 3 Cups cubed Chicken - frozen, rotisserie, or leftover
• Shredded Gruyere Cheese

Instructions

1. Start by making the roux.
2. Chop the vegetables and set them aside until ready to saute.
3. In a Dutch oven, saute the vegetables in the olive oil and butter until softened. Cook the carrots and celery first, then add the onions when the veggies are almost tender.
4. Add all of the other ingredients including the roux, stir well.
5. Bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the soup thickens to the desired consistency--stirring frequently so that the soup can't burn.
6. If you need to thicken the soup, mix together some cornstarch with milk or cold water  and then stir it into the soup.
7. Remove the bay leaves.
8. Pour soup into bowls and then sprinkle with shredded Gruyere cheese. 

It may look something like this...

And after you've eaten it, you may look something like this...

Bon appetit!

Perfect Pork Roast 30 Years in the Making

Pork Roast.

I have tried for years to make a good Pork Roast.

Literally, three decades, people.

Yes, really.

And somehow, after years of struggle, torment, and failure after pork roasted failure, I finally managed to achieve a perfect Pork Roast. You just don't even know how I felt in that moment. I was like...

So after achieving this level of personal culinary greatness, I felt it only appropriate that I share the recipe with you, so that you, too, can grab the spice-rubbed and pork roasted gold, should you feel so inclined. And I know you want to see it, right? So here it is. Prepare yourself to bask in the shadow of greatness.

The best part is, it was super easy to make. I like easy. Easy is good. I know you can relate. So lets get to the ingredients you'll need.

Ingredients

1 Three pound Pork Shoulder Roast

2 TBSP Kosher Salt

2 TBSP Granulated Garlic

1 TBSP Pepper

1 TBSP Onion Powder

1 TBSP Dried Oregano

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Combine all your spices in a bowl.
• Rub the spices all over every piggy inch of your pork roast.
• Place roast on a rack in your desired baking dish. I used a square ceramic dish. 
• Bake uncovered for 3 hours or until done.
• Let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Now all oven temps seem to vary, so your roast might take a little more or less time. But three hours worked for me.

And how do I know just how amazingly good this pork roast was? 

Because the Hubs. 

He usually wants ketchup on my pork roast--because it's never been the greatest. And you know how men are about ketchup, right?

But not this time. No-sir-eeeee. This time it was so tender and juicy and flavorful, he had no need for the red stuff that disguises all other flavors, aka ketchup. And that, my friends, is called a win.

So I hope you'll try this recipe and I hope you'll love it as much as the Hubs and I did. 

Go ahead. Get your pig on.

Mulligan Stew

Let's talk Mulligan Stew for a moment, shall we?

But first, let me clarify. When I say Mulligan Stew, I do not mean the 1977 TV show of the same name.

Although I do have a faint memory of watching that TV show on occasion as a child [yes, I am THAT old], it's not really what I want to talk about.

Nor do I mean Mulligan Stew, the Irish-Celtic band.

Not that there's anything wrong at all with that band or their music. In fact, if you're fond of traditional Irish music, I highly recommend them! They're on the o'Facebook and such, so go check them out, lads and lassies.

What I want to talk about, since it is Tasty Tuesday after all, is Mulligan Stew...the recipe. 

Yes, friends, Mulligan Stew. And if you go and Google that right this very minute, you will likely find many different recipes for Mulligan Stew. But there's no need for Google today at all, because I'm going to share with you MY own personal family recipe. And not only is it yummy, it's super easy to make, and only requires 4...count them...4 ingredients!

This recipe is a slightly altered version of my Mom's recipe. I add corn to mine, which she didn't do. But I like it with corn, so that's just how I roll. And this is the obligatory food photo.

 

So let me break it all down into the details and such.

Ingredients

1 Large Can Pork and Beaqns (I believe it was 53oz)

2 Cans Diced Tomatoes (any brand you like, approx 15oz each)

1 16oz Bag of Frozen Corn (I use generic, because I'm just cheap frugal like that)

1 Pound of Ground Beef OR Ground Turkey (I use turkey--trust me, you can't tell the difference)

1 Pair of Pants. Er, oops. My bad.

 

Directions

1.  In a Dutch oven or other large pot, brown your ground meat.
2. After the meat is browned, add your pork and beans, diced tomatoes, and corn. Stir to combine.
3. Cook on medium for 5 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Blow on it. Wait a bit for it to cool. Don't rush it, people. Then eat and enjoy!

This recipe is brought to you by my huge fangirl crush on Tom Hiddleston. Why?

Italian Summer Salad

It's Tuesday, so you know what that means. It means I tried a new recipe and loved it enough to share it with you. Or it means I'm bored and all I can think about is food. I'll let you decide which is true as I get this Tasty Tuesday party started.

1) I was trying to come up with a simple and tasty summer salad full of veggies. And 2) I wanted to be able to use some of the Olive Garden salad dressing I had in the pantry. So really at that point it just became about the math, and my Italian Summer Salad was born.

I know you want the deets, so I won't prolong your anticipation. But first, here's a photo to get your mouth watering for ya.

Ingredients

1 Pint Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, cut in halves

1 Can of Black Olives, cut in halves

1 Cucumber, peeled and diced

1 Red Bell Pepper (or whatever color you like), diced

4 Celery Stalks, diced

1 Cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Cup of Olive Garden salad dressing

1 TBSP McCormick's Salad Supreme seasoning (more or less to taste--I didn't actually measure mine)

Directions

Combine all the vegetables and the cheese, and then pour in the salad dressing and add the seasoning. Stir well to combine. Chill for an hour or two before serving. 

Seriously, that's it. Could it BE any easier?

Now come on, let's eat!

Mexican Lasagne - Pitch Perfect Style

You know, you really can't eat too much lasagne in your lifetime. It's just not possible. And when you try a new lasagne recipe--especially one that is Mexican-style, you know you just want to share it too. Am I right?

So let's get this Tasty Tuesday started so you can start your own little lasagne party in your own little cocina, er kitchen. K?

Ingredients 

• 4 Cups of cooked Chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 Cup of Sour Cream
• 2 Cups Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Salsa (I used mild, but I'm a wuss--feel free to be brave and spicy!)
• 1 (4 ounce) Can Chopped Green Chilies (yep, I used mild again)
• 1 TSP Chili Powder
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 8 Flour Tortillas, Cut in Half

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Coat a 9x12 baking pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, sour cream, 1 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese, 1 cup of the Cheddar, Salsa, Chiles, Chili Powder, and Salt & Pepper. Mix well and set aside.
4. Arrange half of the tortilla pieces in the bottom of prepared pan, overlapping pieces slightly to cover the surface. Top with half of the chicken mixture and spread evenly over the tortillas.
5. Layer the remaining tortillas over the top, and spoon on the remaining chicken mixture. Top with remaining 1 cup each of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses.
6. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another thirty minutes, until the top is golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. You could even add a bit of sour cream on top before serving. You know, just for that extra special presentation. ;)

This is what mine looked like...

It was seriously easy to make and, like, amazing. Super duper yummy. Delish!

But be careful. You don't want to eat too much of the stuff. You know, you're not gonna be 22 forever.

Unbaked Ziti

I found a recipe on Pinterest recently for a one-pot "baked" ziti that I pinned to one of my boards. But as so often happens, Pinterest blocked the pin because it said it may lead to Spam. Hmmm.

Yeah, something tells me that's probably not what they mean. But whatever they mean, it's just a good thing that I had already printed off the recipe I'd seen, so that I could modify it and make it more my own, as I frequently do with recipes that I find. Don'tcha just feel lucky?

Let's get this Tasty Tuesday rolling then so you can try this recipe on for size!

Unbaked Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Italian Sausage
• 1 TBSP Dried Minced Onion
• 2 TSP Minced Garlic (or 1 TSP, if you're feeling sissy-fied)
• 1-28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes (I used Dei Fratelli brand with Basil & Herbs)
• 1/2 - 1 TSP Kosher Salt (it just tastes better, trust me), to taste
• 2 TSP Italian Seasoning
• 2 Cups Water
• 12 Oz Uncooked Ziti (I actually used a mini penne)
• 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
• 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

1.  Brown the Italian Sausage in a 2.5qt skillet until browned; drain the fat.

2.  Add the Onion and Garlic, and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Then stir in Tomatoes, Salt, and Italian Seasoning.

3.  Add Water and Ziti and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender.

4.  Turn off the heat and stir in the Ricotta and Heavy Cream, and 1 Cup of the Mozzarella. Cook on low for just a few minutes to heat through. 

5.  Serve in bowls and add some extra Mozzarella on top. 

If you're feeling really lucky, it may look something like this:

What are you still sitting here reading this for? Aren't you going to try to make it? Aren't ya? Come on already. I dare ya.

And P. to the S. I'm linking up this blog post to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. :)

Chicken and Rice Bake-a-Roni

Well it's not quite Tuesday, but I thought I'd share a new recipe so you can make it a Tasty Tuesday, if the mood strikes you. I found the original recipe on Pinterest, and I wanted to link to it here, but of course now I cannot find my pin! Figures. But anyway, I tweaked the recipe a bit, and made it for the first time this evening. So naturally I feel the need to share. So cheers to sharing, right?

I'm calling this recipe Chicken and Rice Bake-a-Roni. Catchy, no? Here's your list of ingredients.

• 1 Family size box of Rice-a-Roni, Chicken-flavored
• 1-22 oz bag of Frozen Grilled Chicken Strips (thawed and diced)
• 1-10 oz can of Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1-1/2 Cups of Sour Cream
• 1 Can of French Fried Onions

And the deets:

1. Prepare the Rice-a-Roni, per its package directions.
2. When the rice is finished, add in the can of soup and the sour cream. Stir well.
3. Add in the chicken and stir to combine.
4. Spray a 9x13 pan w/cooking spray, and then spread in your rice and chicken mixture.
5. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30-40 minutes, until heated through.
6. Pour the can of French Fried Onions on top, bake another 5 minutes.

You should end up with something that looks a little bit like this:

 Yeah, not my best photo, but it's definitely a bowl full of yummy in your tummy. Really. I promise.

And in a semi-random side note, I'll just add that I know what Ian Somerhalder's character, Damon, is about to say in the first gif in this post. In that scene Damon says, "here's to duplicity."

I think that proves once and for all--lest there was any lingering doubt amongst you--that I do watch entirely too much of The Vampire Diaries.

Beef Enchilada Mac n Cheese

Dude! (Sometimes I just like saying, Dude!) It's Tuesday. And it's come to my attention that it's been quite a long while since I've done a Tasty Tuesday post. How dreadful of me! Really, quite shameful. But there, there now, don't cry about it.

I do have a new recipe. A pasta recipe, in fact. And I could give you the recipe. I mean, if you really want it. But you have to really want it. So do you? Want it?

Well, OK. Since you're so...um...excited about it. I'll tell you. But first let me say that the original recipe came from Shugary Sweets blog, which I found on Pinterest. I tweaked the recipe just a wee bit, as I am wont to do. And this recipe is called Beef Enchilada Mac N Cheese. So here are the deets. 

Ingredients

• 1 Lb box of your favorite cooked Pasta (I used bowtie pasta. I'm just cool like that.)
• 1 Lb of Ground Turkey (I seldom use ground beef anymore.)
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream (The heavier, the better, I always say. It's only calories.)
• 2 Cups Cheddar Jack Cheese (You can use Colby Jack. Or Cheddar. Or whatevs.)
• 1-10oz Can Enchilada Sauce (the red stuff)
• 2 TSP Minced Garlic (kissing is optional after you eat this)
• 1 Small Diced Onion (see above)
• 1 TSP Ground Cumin (I have nothing witty to parenthesize here)
• Kosher Salt & Pepper, to taste (Kosher Salt is the bomb!)

Directions

1. In a very large pan, like, really large--large enough to hold all the ingredients when it's all done, brown your ground turkey.
2. As the meat is browning, add in your onion and garlic.
3. Once the meat, onions, and garlic are done, add in your heavy cream, enchilada sauce, cumin, salt & pepper. Heat just until it starts to bubble.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add in the cheese, stirring until it's melted and smooth.
5. Toss in your cooked pasta (OK, maybe "toss" is the wrong word, as that may get messy--just use your best judgment) and stir to combine.
6. Then serve it up in a bowl so that it looks a little bit like this:

Please trust me when I say that this is good. Really good. Like, DELICIOUS! And trust me again: it's a real man-pleaser. Just in case you were wondering.

You might want to make this as a side dish. You definitely could. But I'm a pasta girl, and when I make pasta, I want it to be the whole meal! And this is soooo worth the whole meal.

Dude! (Sometimes I just like repeating words I've used before in a post!) What are you waiting for? Go and make this.