Taco Crescent Bake - Delicious & Easy!

I originally found this recipe here. It is such an easy dinner to make! Enjoy!


(Sorry for the blurry pics!)

Ingredients:

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 cups crushed corn chips, divided
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

What to do:

Start cooking the ground beef over medium heat...



Unroll crescent dough into a rectangle; press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Seal seams and perforations.

Finish cooking the meat making sure to cook it until it is no longer pink. Drain.

Stir in tomato sauce and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 1 cup corn chips over the crescent rolls.

Spoon the meat sauce over the chips.

Top with sour cream...

cheese...

and remaining chips.

Bake , uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

A salad tops off this yummy dinner!

(Thanks Kaylia!)

It's Hot Outside - Ya'll Need Some Sweet Tea! BEST Southern Sweet Iced Tea Recipe!

I love sweet tea. I lived in the South for awhile and ADORE southern food (shout out to fried okra!) and the sweet tea they are known for.

Are you ready for some real southern sweet tea?! Oh yea, it's sweet alright...this recipe is straight from a southern granny's recipe!

Here is what you'll need:

6 regular tea bags
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups sugar (or 2 cups if you're really southern)
6 cups cold water

Notice the Luzianne tea - it MUST be Luzianne people!

Here's what to do:

1. In a large glass measuring cup, place the tea bags and add the baking soda.

2. Pour the boiling water...

...over the tea bags

3. cover and steep for 15 minutes (okay, I didn't cover it, still works)

4. Take out the tea bags and do not squeeze them. (sort of forgot that part, but eh, no biggie, I just took them out after I poured them in the pitcher)

5. Pour the tea mixture into a 2 quart pitcher; add the sugar and stir.

Oh sweet sugar, how I love thee!

6. Add in the cold water and serve over ice.

Sooooooooooooooo........... refreshing!

Brings out the southern gal in me everytime!

Top 10 Easy Chocolate Desserts (Who Doesn't Need A Little Chocolate In Their Day?!)

Hi, I’m Lisa from Stop and Smell the Chocolates. We all need a little break from our stressful days, so I’m taking time to enjoy God’s sweet blessings. Come on by and I'll try to brighten your day a bit. If that happens to involve chocolate, even better!

I’m excited for Sarah Mae - becoming a mommy of 3 lovely children now! Having a baby is hard work, so I am here to help out for a day!

When Sarah Mae asked me to guest post, she suggested coming up with a Top 10 list of chocolate recipes from my blog. What makes her think I like chocolate?? OK - I love chocolate and post chocolate recipes on Fridays.

Since Sarah Mae will be extremely busy taking care of a newborn baby, I know that she won’t have a lot of time or energy to whip up a fabulous chocolate dessert. Then it occurred to me that many moms are very busy and don’t have that time or energy either. Some of you are just looking for something quick and easy, but more homemade than grabbing a box of something from the store.

So, to help bring easy chocolate desserts into your lives, here are my…

Top 10 Easy Chocolate Desserts (in no particular order):

1. Toffee Cookies

2. Cookie Salad

3. Cake Mix Chocolate Cookies

4. Cookies & Cream Dessert

5. Frozen Chocolate Mousse

6. Double Delicious Cookie Bars

7. Chocolate-Coconut Cookies

8. YuMMy Bars

9. Microwave Brownies

10. And from right here at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee: No Bake Cookies

The majority of these recipes take no more effort than making a box mix of brownies, so try out a new recipe today! While you’re at it, make some extra for Sarah Mae - I’m sure she’d appreciate it! :)

Strawberry Amaretto Pastries - YUMMY!

Strawberry Amaretto Pastries (Recipe from The Pampered Chef ®)

I had a pampered chef party a while ago and we made these - soooooo.... delish!!!

Ingredients

1/2 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry sheets (1 sheet), thawed

1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided

2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1 orange

1 container (8 ounces) sour cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups thawed, frozen whipped topping

12 large strawberries, sliced

How To Prepare

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Unfold pastry dough onto Large Round Stone. Coarsely grate half of the almonds using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Combine grated almonds and half of the sugar; sprinkle evenly over surface of dough. Lightly press almond mixture into dough using Baker's Roller®.

2. Using Pizza Cutter, cut dough lengthwise into three strips; cut strips crosswise into four squares for a total of 12 squares. Using Mini-Serving Spatula, separate squares evenly over surface of baking stone. Bake 16-18 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from baking stone; cool completely.

3. Place remaining almonds in Small Oval Baker. Microwave on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring after each 30-second interval; coarsely chop using Food Chopper and set aside. Zest entire orange using Lemon Zester/Scorer. Combine zest and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside.

4. Whisk sour cream, powdered sugar and almond extract in Classic Batter Bowl using Stainless Whisk. Fold in whipped topping using Small Mix 'N Scraper®. Slice strawberries using Egg Slicer Plus®. Split open each pastry square; arrange half of the strawberries into bottom of each shell. Top each with about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Top with remaining sliced strawberries and sprinkle with sugared orange zest. Place tops of pastry shells over filling. Serve immediately.

For more yummy dessert recipes, head on over to Stop & Smell The Chocolates!

America's Best Baked Potato Soup

Lisa over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates is having a Simmering Soup Week and it is loaded with wonderful soup recipes. Here is my contribution!

I have made this recipe a couple of times and it is absolutely DELICIOUS! The only thing I do differently is I omit the hot sauce - don't worry, it will still have some kick! I wish I had a picture, but the next time I make this soup I will take pictures and update this post.

America's Best Baked Potato Soup 1997

Recipe By : America's Best Recipes 1997

Serving Size : 12

Ingredients

5 Medium baking potatoes

8 Slices bacon

1 Cup sweet onions -- chopped

2/3 Cup all-purpose flour

6 Cups chicken broth

2 Cups half and half

1/4 Cup fresh parsley -- chopped

1 1/2 Teaspoons garlic -- minced

1 1/2 Teaspoons dried basil

1 Teaspoon salt

1 Teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1/2 Teaspoon hot sauce

1 3/4 Cups shredded cheddar cheese -- divided

1 Cup green onions, sliced -- divided

1/4 Cup fresh parsley -- chopped

Cooking Instructions

Wash potatoes; prick several times with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done; let cool. Peel potatoes, and slice crosswise.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Cook onion in drippings, stirring constantly, until tender; add flour, stirring well. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add chicken broth; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in potato, half-and-half, and next 6 ingredients. Bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes (do not boil). Stir in 1 cup cheese and 1/4 cup green onions. Cook until cheese melts, stirring often. Again freeze at this point.

Ladle soup into individual soup bowls. Top evenly with crumbled bacon. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 3/4 cup cheese, 3/4 cup green onions, and parsley.

Oreo Truffles aka Beluga Babies

Before I share the recipe to this delicious delight, know that I did not come up with it (in fact, I'd never even heard of it until yesterday!). The wonderful Robin had this recipe on her blog and I feel that I must pass it on.

So, in the spirit of Would You Like Chocolate With That, here is the Beluga Babies recipe:

1 pkg. Oreos, crushed

1 8 oz. pkg. light cream cheese, softened

1 pkg. white Almond Bark

You will need a cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer.

Mix the crushed Oreos and softened cream cheese. Shape into walnut sized balls, place on wax paper that is on a cookie sheet. Place the balls on the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. Melt almond bark according to directions on package. Dip the Oreo balls in melted almond bark and let set till hard. You can take some extra melted almond bark and put into a plastic baggie, cut a tiny bit of the corner off and drizzle a little decorative line on top of the truffles. These can be frozen. Store in refrigerator.

Yummo!

Pumpkin Bread and Fall - Mmm, Mmm, Good!

I have joined Lisa over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates for her Pumpkin Potpourri week, and today I made her delicious pumpkin bread (recipe here). Wow, this is some good stuff - and my house smells so good because of it!

It was a hit with the fam as well!

I also tried a little pumpkin decorating, unfortunately my one picture is a little blurry!

Join in on the pumpkin fun by clicking here!

Cappuccino Without An Espresso Machine - Hello!

If you like coffee as much as I do, and you love going to lovely little coffee shops like Javateas, then you will love learning how to make your own coffee shop drinks at home! Check out my friends Crash and Addi (who happen to own Javateas) for a new coffee drink EVERY DAY! And yes, they even tell you how to make cappuccino without using an espresso machine!

Super Yummy Recipe - No Bake Cookies!

Thanks to Lisa over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates for hosting a "Would You Like Chocolate With That?" link up.

I have to give my super sweet, wonderful Aunt Vikki credit for this one! She brings me a batch of these delightful cookies almost every time she comes visiting, and let me tell you, she is one No Bake Cookie extraordinaire! So, I would like to pass along this healthy (hey, it has oats in it!) chocolate, easy, amazingly delicious cookie recipe on to you. Enjoy!

First things first - the ingredient list:

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 c. margerine
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. peanut butter (creamy)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 -4 c. oats

Okay, here we go...

1. Bring the sugar, cocoa, margarine and milk to a boil. Stir continually and boil for about four minutes (don't boil too much longer or you will end up with a bunch of crumbs when all is said and done!)
2. Remove from heat and immediately add the peanut butter.
3. While mixing, add the vanilla, then add the oats one cup at a time.
4. Put spoonfuls on long sheets of wax paper (you can dip your spoon in water between each scoop to help). Let them sit for a couple of hours until they harden (or you can put them in the fridge for faster "hardening" time.
Eat up! And remember, they're healthy, really, they are! ;)

Homemade Strawberry Jam; Easier Than You Think!

I have always been intimidated about making my own, homemade jam. The thought of it would send me running from anyone I knew who might ask me if I wanted to make it. I literally thought it was hours of labor, and I just wasn't into that. Turns out, I was wrong. It's actually pretty easy too!

Julie, my pastor's wife, wise woman, and friend told me about a place where I could go and pick fresh strawberries. I had never picked my own strawberries, and truth be told, I didn't even know you could! However, I went, I picked, and I love it! Then came the inevitable. "Have you ever made strawberry jam?" Julie asked. Oh, what the heck, I thought, I'm game!

It was EASY and FUN and now I feel like a professional JAMMER or something! Here's all you do (I promise, it's easy):

What You Need:

• 4 Cups Sliced Strawberries
• Sugar
• No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin (picture of package below)

• Find a place where you can pick your own strawberries, and gather bunches! (Okay, so maybe this part isn't as easy, but it's worth it, so find one!)

Mouth watering, aren't they?

• Wash them well
• Slicey dicey!
  

Slice 'em up so they are good for mashing (action shot below...)

This is Julie; she's a serious strawberry slicer!

• Mush, mush,mush! You can use a potato masher for this.
  

Here's the hard part, ready?

• Follow the directions on the back of the package (it involves mixing the package contents with sugar - really, that's it).
  
  
  
• Mix all together
  

• Stir for five minutes (this is actually on the back of the package as well)
  

• All done; see, I told you it was easy!
  

Ta Da! Deeeelish!

The homemade jam will last about three weeks. If you want it to last a couple weeks longer just add about 1/2 tsp. of lemon juice or one crushed vitamin C tablet (per batch). You can thank Julie for the tip!

Great uses for this homemade Jam:

• Topping on toast
• Topping on ice cream
• Topping on Pancakes or waffles
• Topping for Angel Food cake

*Microwave for about 30 seconds to get liquidy

Any other ideas for how you could use the jam?

Recipe - Bean Dip - Absolutely Delicious!

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. sour cream

1 8 oz. cream cheese

1 large can refried beans

1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 packet taco seasoning mix

What to do:

Mix all together in a 9 X 9 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Eat with tortilla chips or Frito's.

SO yummy!

Thanks Ashley!