Taco Soup

This is one of my mother-in-law's signature dishes and it is so satisfying.  The first time I had some, I knew I needed the recipe.  It's also one of the first recipe cards I ever made, and look how horrible it used to be:

Do not print this card--scroll down for new and improved recipe card.

The best thing about this taco soup is that you can have it in the crockpot (or in a regular large pot on your stove--I love making mine in my Amazon basics Dutch oven, one of my favorite Christmas gifts from my mom and dad!) in ten minutes.  It's fast and easy and the envelope of Ranch makes it so zesty.  Just be sure you buy a packet of Ranch DRESSING and not Ranch DIP.  I have made that mistake more than once, and believe me, they are not the same thing.

I really like to use elk burger or venison burger in taco soup, because the seasonings flavor the meat so well--no one can tell it's not beef.  I prefer frozen corn, but you can totally used canned corn. I also substitute other kinds of beans--usually Great Northern beans, sometimes black-eyed peas or garbanzo beans; Allen's mom always makes it with kidney beans.  I've added leftover rice, too--it's such a versatile, hearty soup!  I make it at least once a month, and always for hosting a large crowd.  The recipe makes a lot.  It feeds our family of six easily, and I freeze whatever is left (usually half) for a night when I don't feel like cooking.

My husband likes to crumble corn chips in his taco soup, but I prefer to DIP my chips.  Our kids each have their own style, too.  Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite brand of corn chips is!

Nutella-and-Marshmallow-Stuffed Brownies

I used The Baked Brownie recipe to make these Nutella-and-Marshmallow-stuffed brownies, because it is the last brownie recipe you'll ever need.  I just spread half the batter in the pan, drizzled Nutella over it, then drizzled Marshmallow Cream (which I purchased for the first time specifically for this recipe), then covered with the remaining half of the brownie batter.

I was expecting them to be "too much."

But, um, hello.  They were amazing.

Cream and Spice Muffins

These muffins are my favorite on a cold winter morning, because they have just a hint of sweetness . . . and a savory, warm, "holiday" kind of taste.  I have mentioned before how my Aunt Kristie sent me a surprise package in the mail when we lived in Arkansas: it was a wonderful and beautiful cookbook called 1 Mix, 100 Muffins, by Susanna Tee.  [I just found out she has a new book called Whoopies! and it is on my Christmas wishlist, Allen Santa].

Growing up in a family of eight kids, we didn't have muffins very often, but whenever we did have them, it was always with hot cereal.  It has always seemed incredibly strange to me to have a breakfast in which muffins are the main (or only) course.  I don't really eat muffins without Cream O'Wheat or oatmeal or hot cracked wheat cereal.

If you don't like Cream O' Wheat, know that I feel
sorry for you.  From the bottom of my heart.

I have great memories of my dad making hot breakfast every morning.  We had cold cereal for breakfast only on Saturday mornings--other than that, it was an after-school snack.  Thanks to this tradition, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day for me.  I wake up hungry every morning, whether I am up at 5:30 or 7:00 or 10:00.  Cold cereal satisfies my hunger for about one hour, so I still eat a hot breakfast most mornings: usually eggs and whole wheat toast, or oatmeal and toast, or Greek yogurt with nuts and berries and some 5-grain mixed in.

But muffins make my breakfast special.  And my square muffin pan pushes "special" to "amazing."

If you want to try out something new for breakfast, this is a great muffin to get you started.  I also think they're a great complimentary treat for hot cocoa.

Square Muffin Pans use regular old muffin liners--when you
fill them with muffin batter, they form into the shape.

Like so . . .

Out of the oven and ready for dusting.

Dust with the magical OXO powdered sugar wand

My kids love it when I get out the muffin rack.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.  If it's not sweet enough for you, may I suggest my all-time favorite muffin?  Cinnamon Ripples . . .

Grilled Pizza

My sister Bonnie first told me about cooking pizza on the grill.  Then my husband got interested and looked up a bunch of methods on the Internet.  His first attempts were "blackened" more than "grilled" . . . which is the nice way to say that they were burnt to the point of inedibility.  Even our chickens turned up their beaks at those carbonized scraps . . .

So, I gave it a go and mine have never looked black I have never looked back.

Nothing makes me feel more like a chef than grilling pizza outside.  The best part is that it's actually really easy and super delicious.  Your pizza will have a crispy thin crust, and your cheese and toppings get a smoky, brick-oven flavor that can't be beat.  Right now we are seeing record-breaking temperatures and I have zero desire to turn on my oven, so the grill is my best friend.

I use my regular pizza crust and homemade sauce recipes for grilled pizza.  The only difference is that because you roll the crust so thin before placing it on the grill, the dough recipe actually goes a lot farther!  I usually make 5-6 twelve-inch pizzas with one dough recipe.

The main trick to grilled pizza is to be FAST.  You want to preheat your grill on it's highest temperature with the lid closed so it will simulate an oven, then you turn the burners all the way down to low before putting your dough on the grill (so it doesn't burn).  Have your toppings ready to go right by the grill.

After you make your dough, shape it into 5-6 balls and let them
rise for a half hour, then roll out each ball on cornmeal into a thin crust

Turn your preheated grill all the way down to low, then place
your thin crust DIRECTLY on the grating of your grill.  You do
not need to spray with nonstick or otherwise oil your grill---it will
not stick.  Close the lid and let one side of your dough cook for 2-3
minutes The first crusts sometimes puff up because the grill is so hot.  

Turn over crusts with tongs or pizza peel.  Now comes the most
essential part of grilled pizza: you need to quickly spread your
sauce, cheese, and toppings on the cooked side of the crust, then close
the lid so that the cheese will melt and the toppings will cook before
the bottom of the crust burns.

Sausage needs to be pre-cooked, I also saute my mushrooms or
onions so they will be pre-cooked, too.  Ham and pepperoni are
already pre-cooked and can be placed directly on the pizza.
ALWAYS use fresh mozzarella (it comes in a one-pound, shrink-
wrapped ball), it melts better and tastes a thousand times better.
I also never make any pizza without chopped, fresh, basil, and
I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

Hawaiian and pepperoni before the lid is closed . . . 

Let your cheese and toppings slowly grill for 5-7 minutes, until
cheese is melted all the way.  Use a pizza peel to slide the cooked
pizzas onto a platter or stone, then cut and serve.

Sausage and basil grilled pizza

Hawaiian is my favorite kind of pizza . . . and if you serve it with a
yummy summer salad from your own garden, you have officially
reached a state of Summer Zen.

Presumption Bars

Get ready for the world to beat a path to your door.  This is, of all the recipes on this blog, the one that gets asked for the most.  Unequivocally.

Presumption Bars?  You won't find that name anywhere else, because my husband came up with it.  They were originally called "Passion Bars" by my dear friend Melanie A, but Allen kept changing the name every time he asked me to make them.

"Will you make those persnickety bars?"

"I think we should have precocious bars tonight."

"How about presumption bars for dessert?"  

And it stuck.  But these bars don't presume to be decadent and addicting---they actually are.  This recipe has what my husband refers to as "the five Mormon ingredients": butter, peanut butter, quick oats, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate chips.  How can you go wrong if these five make up most of the dessert?  My friend Melanie made these for us when we visited her family near Memphis in 2007.  I did not leave without the recipe, and no one I make them for wants to leave without it, either.

Cut butter into oats, flour, sugar, salt, and soda until crumbly.
We've been over this, people: if a recipe calls for cutting butter
into crumblies, then it is a WINNER.

Press crumblies (reserving 1 1/2 cups) into bottom of 9x13 pan
You do not need to grease the pan.

Spread the peanut butter/sweetened condensed milk mixture over
crumbly crust, then scatter chocolate chips over top with reckless
abandon . . . er, as reckless as you can be and still have all the
chocolate chips in the pan.

I have learned to just "pour" the peanut butter layer.  It's so thick that when you try to spread it, you end up spreading the bottom layer, too.  Silicone spatulas are a must.  And they are the best all-purpose tool, anyway.  You can get this amazing five-pack for only $15--it's easily the kitchen gadget I use the most.

Top with reserved butter crumblies.

Bake at 350 till golden brown.  Let cool completely.
It's hard.
But you must.

Ooey and gooey and peanut buttery deliciousness.
Oats = healthy.  Right?

Presumption.  BOOM.

Let them cool a bit before cutting and serving.  They are good warm, but I am the only one in my family who likes them cold--like, almost frozen.  No matter the temperature, it's hard to only eat one.

Enjoy.

Vanilla Bean Cake with Pecan Praline Glaze

I've been baking this amazing and delicious Bundt cake since 2017, when I tore it out of the September issue of Better Homes and Gardens, one of my favorite sources for new recipes.

Buuuuuuut, people.  You can't put "1 3/4 cups butter" on the ingredients list, only to have the instructions tell you to use 1 cup of that butter in the cake and 3/4 cup of that butter in the glaze.  I'm going to mistakenly use ALL one-and-three-fourths cups of butter in the cake, every time.  

So, you're welcome, the Internet, I made this recipe easier to read.

It's delicious and moist, and if you mix up some cake release paint (equal parts melted butter and powdered sugar) and generously brush the inside of your Bundt pan, it comes out like a dream, every time.

Buddha Bowls

My friend Cori raved about this healthy and LICK-THE-BOWL-GOOD recipe.  I knew Allen and I would like it, but wasn't sure about my kids. 

This is an exact quote from my teenage son, Brigham, after he took one bite: "Can I eat Mollie and Calvin's and they can just have cold cereal for dinner?"

Mollie and Calvin were out sledding, which is why I had pre-dished up everyone's bowls--so I could set theirs aside (also, I should have realized that chopsticks would NOT work for quinoa--we all switched them out for forks.  But aren't they pretty?  Allen's little brother, Kevin, brought these home for us after his two-year mission to Japan).

Brigham on his second bowl . . .

EVERYONE loved it.  And Allen, Brigham, and I all had seconds--Mollie and Calvin were none the wiser.

The peanut sauce reminds me of a line from the musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown: "With this sauce, you could eat erasers!"

Oh, it's so good.  I especially love the roasted sweet potatoes and the chicken (I used boneless, skinless thighs) cooked with the garlic and ginger.  It was so satisfying--something I'm adding to my regular repertoire of meals.