Confetti Mac & Cheese

This is one of my favorite Mac & Cheese recipes. So good and fun way to slip those veggies in for kiddos. This was my first time using Gouda cheese and I'm a huge huge fan; fancies up anything. Hope you enjoy!

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• 1/2 c. Gouda cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 c. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, freshly grated (you may want extra for topping)
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1 1/2c. Milk
• 2 c. Mini Shells Pasta
• 1/2-1 c. Milk (separate from above)
• 1 heaping c. of cooked/left over veggies (I did more than just a cup)
• 1/4 t. Garlic Powder
• 1/4 t. Dried Parsley
• 1/4 t. Salt
• Sprinkle of mustard powder (optional but very tasty)
• Black Pepper to taste

Cook or reheat your veggies and grate your cheeses. 

Over medium-low heat add your pasta and 1 1/2 c. milk in a medium sized pot and season with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir often to prevent noodles from sticking and burning.

After 5-8 minutes, begin to stir constantly. In about 10-15 minutes the noodles will be fully cooked and the milk will have thickened into a creamy sauce.The second it gets thick, 1/8 tp1/4 cup of milk and turn heat to lowest setting.

Add Gouda cheese and stir. Then add the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Adjust the sauce to your desired thickness by using the leftover milk. Add mustard powder and a pinch of garlic powder.

Stir in steamed/cooked veggies. 

EAT!

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All Fool's Cake

This is my favorite favorite cake recipe of all time. It is the only cake that I would let my mom or grandmas make me for my birthday when I was younger and is my go to chocolate cake. Just a warning though, it will ruin all other chocolate cakes for you. None can measure up to All Fool's Cake.

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Cake

• 3 c. Flour
• 2 c. Sugar
• 1/2 c. Cocoa
• 2 t. Baking Soda
• 1/2 t. Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 c. Oil
• 1 c. Sour Milk (make sour by adding 1 T. vinegar)
• 1 c. Hot Water

Put ingredients in mixing bowl, except hot water.  Beat thoroughly and then add water.  Beat again. Pour  into a baking pan (cookie sheet). Make filling.

Filling

• 1 pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 c. Sugar
• 1/8 t. Salt
• 1 c. Chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. Chopped nuts ( I use walnuts)

Beat the first 4 ingredients together well.  Then add chocolate chips and nuts. Drop spoonfuls of filling on top of cake 1-2 inches apart. With a butter knife, swirl filling into cake.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

You can also use this recipe for cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners with chocolate cake batter, place a spoonful of cream cheese filling on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes about 36 cupcakes.

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If you feel the need, you can frost this cake. I don't feel that it needs frosting (I'm not a frosting lover), its just that good.

Best Steak Marinade Of Your Life

Want a steak tastier than any you've ever had before? Follow this marinade recipe and be amazed. 

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• 1/3 c. Soy Sauce
• 1/2 c. Olive Oil
• 1/3 c. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/4 c. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/4 T. Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 T. Dried Basil
• 1 T. Dried Parsley Flakes
• 1/2 t. Ground Black Pepper

Mix ingredients in a small bowl. Poke holes on both sides of steak using a fork. Place steaks in a glass casserole dish and pour marinade over top.  Cover and place in the refrigerator and let sit for 15-24 hours. Grill to your liking.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Sorry I have been so MIA lately! I HAVE been cooking...just not blogging. This is a yummy and quick meal. We are fans.

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• 1 Medium Ripe Avocado, pitted
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced & lemon zest to garnish
• 1-2 Garlic Cloves
• 1/2 Salt, or to taste
• 1/4 c. Fresh Basil
• 2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 oz Your Choice Pasta ( I did whole wheat spaghetti)
• Pepper to taste

Boil pasta and cook until Al Dente.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor.  Process until smooth. Add the pitted avocado, basil and salt. Process again until smooth and creamy.

Pour sauce over cooked pasta and toss until evenly combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper.

Note: This is only makes about 2-4 servings.

Chili and Cornbread Waffles

This is one of those meals that is great for nights when you really don't feel like cooking but will feel guilty if you don't have a home cooked meal on the table for your family. Its a good one, and easy one, and a quick one!

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• Your favorite cornbread recipe (I was particularly lazy and used a box mix)
• Your favorite chili recipe (OR be lazy once again like me and do canned chili)

Spray waffle maker with cooking spray. Pour corn bread batter onto waffle maker and let cook for  3-5 minutes or until slightly crunchy. Pour chili on top; sprinkle with cheese.

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What did I tell you?! Easy, cheesy....literally.

Chicken And Rice Soup

• 1 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 med. Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 2 med. Carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 in. thick slices
• 2 Celery Ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2 in thick slices
• 4 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 qts. Chicken Stock or Broth
• 1 c. of Water
• 1/2 c. White Rice
• 1 1/2 c. Shredded Cooked Chicken Breasts
• Salt and Pepper

Place a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken broth and water- bring liquid to a boil. Add in the rice and chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low heat until the rice is tender (about 30 minutes). Serve hot.

Skinny Turkey Ranch Club Wraps

I found this recipe on Pinterest but I revamped it and made it even "skinnier" and in my opinion, even tastier. Try it and let me know. My kids loved eating the "green tortilla."

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• Garden Spinach and Herb Wrap
• Deli Smoked Turkey Breast
• Ranch Yogurt Dressing ( I looked all over the grocery store for this stuff without success so I mixed together a little plain Greek yogurt and a little bit of ranch dressing. So yummy!)
• Turkey Bacon (baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes)
• Baby Spinach leaves
• Colby Jack Cheese
• Tomato

Spread Ranch Yogurt dressing on the center of your wrap. Add turkey, bacon, tomato, cheese, and spinach. Roll up and cut in half. Enjoy!

Nutella Cheescake (Guest Post)

Today is a guest post by my little sister Aimee. She's going to school to be a Home Ec Teacher. This is good; the girl can COOK! She has always been one to create miracles in the kitchen with random ingredients if she doesn't have what the recipe asks for. Take it away Aimee!

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Hey everyone! Thanks Abbey for asking me to be a guest on your blog!

The other night I was home alone watching The Food Network Channel (one of my faves) when I had the urge to make something chocolatey. Now I don’t usually have this type of craving because I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate, so I figured I should act quickly.  And it was fantastic! I found a Nutella cheesecake recipe on Pinterest that was easy so I decided to make it with my own twist on it. My kitchen doesn’t always have the necessary ingredients to make yummy food, so I really had to improvise with a lot of things. 

Filling

• 8 oz. Softened Cream Cheese 
• 2/3 c. Nutella
• 8 oz. Whipped Cream

Mix the cream cheese and Nutella together with a mixer. Once they are combined, fold in the whipped cream until there are no streaks. Then pour onto crust and top with more whipped cream if desired.

Crust

12 Oreo Cookies, crushed

3 T Butter

(mixed and pressed into a cheesecake pan)

Or

Graham Crackers

Or

I used an oatmeal crust that I threw together. It was a combination of oatmeal, brown sugar and butter that I baked in the oven. 

 Spread filling onto pie crust and top with more whipped cream!

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Its me again. She's good huh?! I vote that it would be a great dessert for your Valentine. 

 If you have a recipe that I or the rest of the world needs to know about, share the wealth and be a guest poster! Email me at morethanjustacasserole@gmail.com to let me know!

Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcake Brownies

Warning: these are very rich and very yummy. I saw a picture of cupcakes similar to these so I decided to try to recreate them for our little Super Bowl party last night. My experiment worked and they are glorious.

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• Package of Oreos
• Creamy Peanut Butter
• Brownie Mix
•  Cupcake liners

 In a cupcake tin with liners in it, place an Oreo in the bottom of each paper liner. Spread a layer of peanut butter on top of the Oreo. Sandwich the peanut butter with another Oreo.

In a medium sized bowl, prepare brownie mix according to the directions.

Pour brownie mix over Oreos in liners careful to cover the entire Oreo stack.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Grilled Mozzarella Sandwiches

I'm a hard core grilled cheese fan. The love of them started when I was pregnant with my first baby. Grilled cheese was the only food that sounded good and the only thing my stomach tolerated the first 4 months of my pregnancy. Since then I've become a grilled cheese connoisseur. This recipe is basically a fancied up version of my favorite sammy. It reminds me a little of another one of my faves; the Monte Cristo. It got 2 thumbs up from everyone at our table, baby included. Enjoy!

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• 1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 8 Slices Texas Toast Bread
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1/2 c. Heavy cream
• 1 t. Fresh Thyme, leaves
• 1 t. Coarse Salt
• A grating of Nutmeg
• 1/4 c. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 T. Unsalted Butter

Place the sliced mozzarella on 4 slices of the bread. Cover with the remaining slices of bread to form the sandwiches. Trim the crusts off to make perfect squares.

In a wide shallow bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the cream, thyme, salt, and numeg. Whisk until well blended.

In a 10-12 inch nonstick saute pan, heat 2 T. of olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add 1 T of the butter and cook until the sizzling subsides. Dip 2 of the sandwiches into the egg mixture, turning to coat, place in the pan and cook until golden brown on the first side (about 2 minutes). Flip over and brown the other side. Transfer the sandwiches to individual plates and repeat the process with the remaining 2 T of olive oil, 1 T. butter and 2 sandwiches. Cut in half and serve immediately.

Zuppa Toscana

This is hands down the best soup I've ever had. So so good. My husband made the comment that it was so warming. Perfect for a cold night evidently.  Although it takes a minute to make (mostly prep work), it really isn't very difficult. Give it a try; thank me later. P.S. this is amazing roll dipping soup.

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• 4 Slices Bacon, diced
• 1 lb. Ground Hot Italian Sausage (we used regular Italian sausage due to little mouths having to eat this. I highly recommend regular.)
• 1/2 large Yellow Onion, diced
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 4 c. (32 oz) Chicken stock
• 3 c. Russet Potatoes, cubed
• 3/4 t. Sea Salt
• 1/4 t. Pepper
• 2 c. Kale, in bite sized pieces
• 1 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
• Parmesan Cheese, grated

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the grease. Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled, drain off grease leaving a tablespoon to saute the onion.

Push the sausage and bacon to the edge of the pot and add the onion to the center; saute until translucent; add garlic; saute until fragrant.

Stir in the stock and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Bring to ta simmer. Top with Parmesan cheese when serving.

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pizza

Every Friday is pizza  night and this was a little creation I came up with last week. Good stuff right there!

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• 1 (16 oz.) tube Refrigerated Pizza Dough (we used Artisan multigrain pizza dough)
• 1/2 Jar Alfredo Sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Garlic powder
• Onion Powder
• 2 T. Chopped Green Onion
• 1 1/2 c. cooked and cubed Chicken
• 4 slices Bacon, cooked and chopped

Lightly grease a baking sheet and press dough to desired size. Spread Alfredo sauce over dough staying within 1 inch of the edge. Sprinkle a little onion and garlic powder over the sauce. Sprinkle desired amount of cheese (we like things cheesey). Top with chicken, bacon and green onion. Bake in the oven according to crust directions

Baked Tacos

We are taco lovers in this house. Instead of our typical soft tacos that we eat so often we switched things up a little and had baked tacos. This recipe got approval all around the table.

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•  2 lbs. Ground Beef
• 4 t. Dried Minced Onion
• 3 t. Chili Powder
• 1 t. Cornstarch
• 1 t. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 t. Ground Cumin
• 1/2 t. Dried Oregano
• 1/8 t. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 (8 oz.) can Tomato Sauce
• 1 (16 oz) can Refried Beans
• 2 c. Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese
• 18-20 Hard Taco Shells

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine dried minced onion, chili powder, cornstarch, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, and prepared taco seasoning. Mix well.

Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, standing up.  Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments (lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole, etc.)

Black Bean Taco Soup- Freezer Meal

Yes, another taco soup recipe. But this one is a freezer meal! It's a goodie too!

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• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 1 pkg. Mild Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 (16 oz) bag frozen Corn
• 1 (16oz) can Black beans drained and rinsed
• 2 (14 oz) cans Stewed Tomatoes
• 1 (4 oz) can diced Green Chilis

Brown meat and onion, drain. Let meat cool for a minute, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.

Dump the remaining ingredients into the bag, mix together, and zip bag close and freeze.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Cook on high for 1-2 hours or low for 2-3 1/2 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and guacamole.

Homemade Baked Glazed Donuts

Mix together :

• 6 T. Butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 t. Vanilla

 Sift together:

• 1 1/2 c. Flour
• 1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
• 1/2 t. Salt
• 1/4 t. Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter donut shaped baking pans generously and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess. 

Add flour mixture to butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time alternating with 1/2 cup milk.

Fill prepared baking pans 2/3 full.

Bake for about 30 mintues or until donuts are done.

Remove immediately from pans to cool.

Glaze:

• 1/4 c. Butter, melted
• 1 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar
• 1 1/8 t. Vanilla
• 3-6 T. Evaporated Milk

Stir together melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in evaporated milk until desire consistency is achieved. 

Quickly dip both sides of the donut in the glaze and set on wax paper to harden/dry.

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These were such yummy donuts to make! Baked donuts are slightly healthier and seem easier to make {never made fried donuts before}. I'm definitely thanking Santa for this donut pan he got me...