Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Jack O' Lantern Cheeseburger Pie

Good afternoon fellow bloggers and trusty followers! Today, we have a delicious treat for everyone. As most of you know if you've followed my blog for the past few years, I always celebrate upcoming holidays with specialized posts related to whichever holiday it is. This year is no different. Halloween is a few days so I figured we could treat ourselves to a delicious themed dinner that would please even the most difficult person! How can we go wrong with a smiling Jack O' Lantern?




Before we begin, why don't we take a trip down memory lane to review some of our past Halloween entries?

Candy Corn Cheesecake

Beef Stew with Ghoulish Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin and Butternut Creamed Soup

Okay ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present to you:



Jack O' Lantern Cheeseburger Pie
Yields 6 to 8 Servings



You will need:



  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crust
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  • 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 large egg 
  • Red and yellow liquid food coloring


Ready?




  1. Cook first 5 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. 
  2. Stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce; cool.
  3. Unfold 1 pie crust, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. 
  4. Spread mustard evenly over crust. 
  5. Stir together meat mixture and 2 cups cheese; spoon on to center of crust, leaving a 2-inch border.
  6. Unfold remaining piecrust, and cut out a jack-o'-lantern face, reserving pastry cutouts to use as a stem. 
  7. Place crust over meat mixture; crimp edges of crust, and fold under. 
  8. Place stem on top of jack-o'-lantern face.
  9. Whisk together 2 tablespoons water, egg, and 1 drop each of red and yellow food coloring; brush over crust.
  10. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes; remove from oven, and brush again with egg mixture. 
  11. Fill eyes, nose, and mouth with remaining 1 cup cheese. 
  12. Bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until golden brown.



Okay everyone, I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, enjoy spending some quality time prepping for Halloween with your friends and family. I'll catch y'all on the flip side!


-Mandie

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

And We're Back!


My devoted blog readers, oh how I have missed you! It has been a very long year since I last left you unexpectedly. Want to know why? Well, I'll tell you. Right after the last post, BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Quesadillas, my husband and I found out some wonderful news. The news? We were having a baby. Yes, a baby! It would be our first after almost 4+ years of trying. Believe me when I say that after those 4 long years of trying without success, we had many pitfalls and heartbreaks, so when this test came back positive, we were shell shocked to say the least.





Since our last blog entry, I went on to have a healthy 7 pound, 14 ounce baby boy named Eugene (now he's more like 15 pounds of chunkamonk, haha). He really is our world. Along with having a baby, I enrolled in school in order to obtain my Bachelor's degree in Applied Behavioral Science. Anywho, I'm back now that my schedule has evened out. I'll do my best to keep the posts coming, but some days will be tricky. So today, I bring you:



Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies




You will need:



  • 1 stick softened butter
  • 6 Tablespoons sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1.25 cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 11 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
  • 1 cup chocolate chips


Shall we begin?




  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream the butter and sugars until well combined.
  3. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.
  4. Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl, then stir to combine.
  5. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
  6. With a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop onto baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft.
  8. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes or more before transferring to cooling rack.
  9. Enjoy!




Okay guys and gals, I'll be back as soon as I can with another delicious recipe for everyone to try. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave me some love at the bottom of this post. I've dearly missed all of you and am so glad to be back! I'll see y'all on the flip side!


-Mandie