Taco Crescent Casserole

I found this idea via the internet one day, I can’t recall where now, but I had some crescent rolls to use up and was looking for a different recipe that I hadn’t tried – this worked; and was delicious – tastes just like a taco!




Ingredients:

Ground beef

Chopped green pepper and onion

1 package taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

8 ounce can of crescent rolls

1 cup shredded cheese

Chopped lettuce

Diced tomato

Shredded cheese

Sour cream




Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Brown ground beef and add green pepper and onion you could add beans or rice as well). Stir in seasoning mix and water. Simmer while preparing crust.

Place half of dough on bottom of pan, and press so that it covers an inch up the sides of the pan. Spread hot meat mixture over the dough and use the remaining dough to cover the top – pressing edges together to close.




Sprinkle the top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
Top just like you would a taco with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream!

Enjoy!

Grampy's Homemade Turkey Soup

When we were little and visiting our grandparents we loved this soup and left their home with ice cream buckets full of it; there were 4 of us and it never lasted very long, we all loved it so much! Luckily my grandfather made a lot and froze it; so there always seemed to be lots to go around. ;)




My mom then started making it; but, since she spends the wintertime in Florida, I ventured this year and made it myself. It was incredibly easy and now that I know it’s so easy – I will definitely be making it more often for sure! Plus, it freezes well, so you can always take some out at a later date when you are looking for some comfort food on a cool night. It’s a fantastic hearty soup – delish!




Ingredients:

Broth from cooking Turkey (some but not too much fat in the broth)

Chicken Bouillon

Salt and Pepper

Turkey

Carrots

Celery

Turnip

Cabbage

Potatoes

(It doesn’t take many vegetables – a little goes a long way!)




Directions:

Grind or grate your veggies; I used a small food processor and it worked perfectly; but if you don’t have one you can grate them – a longer process but works. Then add these to your stock, as well as, Bovril or Watkin’s chicken bouillon and lots and lots of salt and some pepper.




You want to add your meat close to the end, if you add it too soon, then it will disintegrate and become mushy. It takes a long time for a good sized soup to cook. Use your judgment but a couple hours or more is perfect.

Enjoy!

A delicious twist to the everday Egg

This is just a fun way to fancy up your breakfast – and add a little vegetable to your meal, which is always a good and healthy option.

You can mix the egg and cook it like you would an omelette – add some veggies to the mixture. Top the end result with your favourite shredded cheese, bacon bits, pepper, hot sauce etc.




Ingredients:

Eggs or Egg whites

Onion ring or Pepper ring

Salt and Pepper

(Omelette option: Mushroom, green pepper, onion, ham etc. chopped up.)




Directions:

Place your veggie in the pan; crack your egg and drop it in the center and cook as you normally would (if you are doing the mixture – mix separately in a bowl and pour into center of the veggie ring; flip and cook the other side after a few minutes – top with some favourites and voila!

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Buns to share

I found this recipe idea via Pioneer Woman; it's an easy recipe and a great way to share a sweet treat with friends, family or a neighbour! It makes enough for 7 tins of 5-6 buns a tin and they freeze well also. If you are making them in advance - then at the time you need an impromptu thank you or other, then you can simply pull it from the freezer and give to that special someone.
You could also find heart shaped tins and give these away at Valentine's or make a special label, add a cute ribbon etc. There are all kinds of creative ways to give this sweet treat to someone you love!
We had some family in helping us paint our home, so it was a perfect opportunity to give some of these away to them and have them at the house for snacks while they worked.




Ingredients:

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon





MAPLE FROSTING:

1 bag Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Melted Butter
1/4 cup Brewed Coffee
1/8 teaspoon Salt




Directions:

Mix together the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute.

Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When you are ready to prepare the rolls, sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape.

Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.




For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.
Enjoy!