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

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

BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Quesadillas

Hello friends and foodies! I'm sorry for my absence this week. I've been sick with some sort of bug. Last week (or was it the week before?), my family was sick, and I guess it was my turn. It was destined to happen. That's what I get for playing Suzy Homemaker and caretaker or the sick...

Well, I'm back (thank goodness), but still feeling mildly under the weather. I'm not sure what this bug is, but I want it gone. For now, I think I'll occupy myself with a bit of food love. Tonight we will be making a very simple, very quick dinner of quesadillas. I enjoy quick dinners, and I really enjoy quesadillas, so it's a win-win situation for me. I invite you into the kitchen with me, and I hope to see you all there!

BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Quesadillas

Yields 4 Servings

You will need:

• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (no skin)
• 1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
• 1 (4-oz.) can diced green chili peppers, drained
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese 
• 1 cup bottled salsa
• 1/4 cup dairy sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped onion

Ready?

1. In a medium saucepan, cook shredded chicken, barbecue sauce, and diced green chiles over medium heat until heated through.
2. Coat one side of each tortilla with cooking spray. 
3. Place tortillas, sprayed sides down, on cutting board or waxed paper. 
4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over half of each tortilla. 
5. Top evenly with shredded chicken mixture. 
6. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently.
7. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. 
8. Cook quesadillas, two at a time, in hot skillet over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until light brown, turning once. 
9. Remove quesadillas from skillet; place on a baking sheet. 
10. Keep warm in a 300 degree oven. 
11. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. 
12. To serve, cut each quesadilla into three wedges. 
13. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and green onion.

I'll do my best to be back soon. If I get to feeling normal, there will be updates daily. Until then, it's really up in the air. I hope to get back to posting regularly, and I thank you all for sticking with me. You all are great! Well, I'm off for now. Have a great morning, afternoon, and evening! Happy blogging to you all.

Chicken Tamale Pie

Hey foodies and friends. I've been a bit under the weather lately, hence my absence. I'm not sure if it's just a common cold or something else, but I've been down in the dumps. I need a pick me up, and right now, I'm really feeling tamales. They are my go-to food when I can afford them.

Tonight's dinner is a cheaper, easier alternative to cooking for hours on end. This recipe takes approximately 45 minutes and feeds roughly 8 people. I'm going to wrap this up because I'm just about ready to lay back down (which is all I've been doing for the past few days). I invite you into the kitchen with me. I hope to see you there.

Chicken Tamale Pie

Serves 8

You will need:

• ⅓ cup fat free milk
• ¼ cup egg substitute
• 1½ tablespoon taco seasoning, divided
• ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14¾ ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• ¾ cup shredded white cheese
• cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese for topping

Ready?

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the first 7 ingredients (milk through green chiles), using just ½ tablespoon of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. 
3. Pour mixture into a round pie plate coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes. 
5. While corn is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. 
6. When corn is done – it will be just barely set and golden brown – pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. 
7. Pour enchilada sauce over top. 
8. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese. 
9. Bake for 15 minutes more or until cheese melts. 
10. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. 
11. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with cilantro and Cotija cheese.

Okay guys and gals. I'll be back as soon as I'm feeling a bit better. I'm really sorry for the lack of updates lately. Have a great day, and happy blogging to all!

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

Hey foodies and friends! Welcome to The Tasteful Texan! Before we begin today's post, I want to babble on about delicious candy apples. My big sister came home today from the grocery store. She brought me home a nice treat: caramel apples. Well, they weren't all mine, but I did get one. They were the sweetest, tart, caramel chocolate apples ever.

I've had great caramel apples before, but hot diggity darn, this was delicious. It made me want to make caramel apples with you all, which is exactly what we are going to do today. These caramel apples taste just like apple pie, and honestly, when you think about Fall, it doesn't get much better than warm apple pie. We'll just substitute the pie for today though... Okay families and friends, I invite you into the kitchen. Bring the kiddos and we will whip up a delicious snack that everyone can enjoy!

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

Yields 4

You will need:

• Lollipop sticks (or popsicle sticks)
• 4-5 green apples (ex: Granny Smith)
• 1 (11 oz.) bag Kraft Caramel Bits (or caramels)
• 8 oz. Vanilla Candiquik coating
• Cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling

Ready?

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Spear each apple with a lollipop stick.
3. Melt caramel bits in a saucepan over low heat as directed on package.
4. Dip each apple in melted caramel and place on prepared wax paper.
5. Place apples in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Melt Vanilla Candiquik in tray according to package directions.
7. Dip each caramel apple in melted coating and return to wax paper.
8. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
9. Cut into slices for easy serving!
10. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

I really hope you all get as much enjoyment out of eating caramel apples as I did. This is one of those great family recipes that will have your children and friends begging for more. I'll be back soon with another recipe. Have a great morning, afternoon, and night. I'll catch you on the flip side!

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Hey foodies and friends! I'm back, and today I wanted to make a scrumptious side salad that would be a great addition for any parties, gatherings, barbeques, and what not. We are nixing a full dinner for one of my favorite foods, chickpeas. I admit that I am a chickpea/hummus obsessor.

I never discriminate against a well made hummus. It could be sun dried tomato, or spicy jalapeno hummus, or just plain ol' original hummus. Yep, no haters here. Well, unfortunately we are not making hummus, but hummus is made from chickpeas, hence my forever long rant about hummus. Anyway, this is a great Summer salad. I could eat this all year round, as I hope you would enjoy it so much as to do the same. Okay folks, I'm headed to the kitchen. This is a quick side dish, so no worries about time. I invite you all to join me. I hope to see you there!

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Serves 8

You will need:

• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ready?

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. 
2. Toss to mix. 
3. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes for flavors to blend.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Enjoy!

I know, I know. That was way too simple, right? That's the point. This is supposed to be a simple, delicious, easy to make side dish. Enjoy it and I'll be back again tomorrow. Have a great morning, afternoon, and evening. Happy blogging to all!

Soft Pretzels and Buffalo Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Hey guys and gals! I'm back! It's been a long, long, uuber long week. My family is almost back to full health, and this pleases me. I've missed you all and the recipes so much. Tonight, in celebration, I want to make some soft pretzels. This was brought on by the fact that I was eating some pretzel hot pockets for dinner (lame, I know, but I was really hungry and my patience was low).

I love pretzels. When I go to a fair, or an amusement park, they are usually the first thing I search for. Turkey legs come shortly after that. Anyway... I'm rambling. Let's meet in the kitchen and we can whip us up some delicious snackage! I hope to see you there!

Soft Pretzels and Buffalo cheddar Cheese Sauce

Makes 8 Pretzels

For the Pretzels, you will need:

• 1.5 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1.5 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
• 4.5 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• Canola oil, to grease bowl
• 3 quarts water
• 2/3 cups baking soda
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• Coarse sea salt

For the Buffalo Cheddar Cheese Sauce, you will need:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 2/3 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup franks red hot sauce

Ready?

1. To make the pretzels: combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the salt and 4 1/2 cups flour to the mixture and mix on low speed until combined. 
3. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
4. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. 
5. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
6. Coat a large bowl with canola oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. 
7. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size. 
8. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
9. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot.
10. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. 
11. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. 
12. Roll each piece into a long rope. 
13. To shape into pretzels, take the right side and cross over to the left. 
14. Cross right to left again and flip up. 
15. Slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. 
16. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. 
17. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. 
18. Place 4 pretzels on each baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with sea salt. 
19. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown.
20. Remove pretzels from oven and let cool on a wire baking rack.
21. To make the Buffalo Cheddar Cheese sauce: While pretzels are baking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. 
22. Add the butter, and once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. 
23. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. 
24. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. 
25. Continue stirring until milk thickens. 
26. Add in cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. 
27. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. 
28. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
29. Pour into one medium size dip bowl or a few bowls to scatter for dipping.
30. Serve hot with the pretzels.

Okay friends, families, and foodies. I'll be back tomorrow (now that everything has calmed down). Have a great day, enjoy your pretzels, and happy blogging to all! See you soon!