This convenient, creamy Crockpot Chicken And Pesto Soup features fresh veggies, chunks of juicy chicken, chewy barley, pesto, and Parmesan in a dish that leaves you savoring each and every bite.
Recipes
‘Velveeta’ Style American Cheese
Do you ever balk at the prices of those processed loaves of cheese?
Do you buy them anyway, because sometimes a recipe (or a grilled cheese) demands their melty goodness and no substitute will do?
This happens to me every time I purchase that cheese.
Even worse, every time in the back of my mind is a nagging reminder of all the preservatives and other things in them that I should try to avoid feeding my family.
So, finally I decided that somebody, somewhere, in an effort to be more frugal or in an effort to avoid all the chemicals, must have found a way to replicate this ooey, gooey cheese and would have shared their victorious recipe.
After perusing Pinterest and the web for what seemed like forever, I finally found what appeared to be a winner.
My boys had asked to have BLT Mac N Cheese this week and were afraid with my new REAL cheese that it wouldn’t live up to their high standards. They couldn’t have been more shocked themselves to discover this cheese made it even better.
This velveeta style American cheese recipe knocked the ball out of the park! It was spot on everything I was looking for and then some.
It’s real food you can make at home quickly, with ingredients you can easily find (and pronounce), without sacrificing any of that heavenly meltiness.
National Grilled Cheese Day (April 12th) just passed, but I will definitely be celebrating next year with the help of my own homemade cheese.
Velveeta Style American Cheese
This homemade cheese loaf is creamy and tastes even better than the infamous meltable store-bought brand. Whip up a batch and use it in any recipe in place of the commercialized alternative.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 12 oz Colby Jack cheese very finely shredded (think TINY grater holes)
- 1 tbsp nonfat milk powder
- generous 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp 2% milk
Instructions
- Line a small 4×5 loaf pan (I only had a full size pan handy) with plastic wrap, letting the excess hang over the sides.
- In a small bowl, combine the water and gelatin. Stir. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Combine cheese, milk powder, salt, and tartar in the bowl of a food processor, pulsing a few times to combine.
- Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- When milk begins to simmer, remove from heat, transfer hot milk to a measuring cup (to make pouring easier) and slowly add milk into the food processor feed tube.
- As you slowly add the milk, pulse the food processor.
- Add prepared gelatin.
- Turn the food processor on, and continue to stir until the mixture becomes perfectly smooth. Scrap the sides if needed and whir again.
- Working quickly, transfer the mixture into the prepared mold, pressing the mixture down into the pan with a spatula to help eliminate any air bubbles.
- Smooth surface of cheese, and cover with the overlapping plastic.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight. (If pressed for time, a little over an hour and a half in the freezer will work too!)
- Slice, cube, or melt as needed and use as you would Velveeta or individually wrapped processed American cheese.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
The classic flavor of chicken cordon bleu has been transformed into a thick savory potato soup. It’s the best of both worlds. This delicious rendition makes a perfect dinner on dreary days, or a delicious soup to share at potlucks. A potato soup recipe has never tasted so good!
Loaded Baked Potato And Chicken Casserole
A quick, easy dinner in a baking dish, this Loaded Baked Potato And Chicken Casserole features chunks of juicy chicken & tender roasted potatoes marinated with a little kick. This delicious dinner’s dressed like the classic baked potato.
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
This delicious dessert berry recipe is perfect for almost any occasion. Cheesecake stuffed strawberries are your favorite dessert in petite, finger food form. Get a little bit of dessert on the dessert table without much extra effort. It’s just the thing to serve when you don’t want to hire a planner- but want the same catered quality.
Cheeseburger & Tater Tot Casserole
I don’t know why, but I’ve been on a ‘cheeseburger’ kick lately. Soup, macaroni, meatloaf, and now a casserole. You name it- I’ve been making it.
I just crave that meaty, cheesy combo, and for whatever reason recently I’ve been going to new, experimental lengths to get my fix.
This cheeseburger & tater tot casserole is what evolved from a lunch for the boys on a day they were home from school that was incredibly cold, when I had pulled hamburger meat out for, you guessed it, hamburgers for lunch and then realized I had no buns or sandwich bread.
In theory I could’ve introduced them all to the square hamburger bun from the pack of Wonder bread. The kind my Mom always served us kids growing up.
Looking back, maybe I should’ve welcomed back my old friend- but it didn’t occur to me at the time! Thankfully, because this casserole is definitely a new family favorite.
It was the perfect comfort food to warm us all up and put a smile on everyone’s face. There were no leftovers.
If you’ve tried this CHEESEBURGER & TATER TOT CASSEROLE, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Cheeseburger & Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls or 1 batch of homemade crescent rolls
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese divided
- 1 2 lb pkg tater tots frozen
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 3-4 tbsp mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown ground beef until cooked through. Drain.
- Return to skillet, add in onions and saute 2-3 minutes.
- Add in ketchup, mustard, and 1 cup of cheese. Stirring until heated through. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish, or coat with non stick spray.
- Lay crescent rolls out flat to cover the bottom of the dish like a crust. Press seams together so there aren’t any gaps.
- Spread hamburger mixture evenly over the crescent rolls.
- Top evenly with tater tots.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until tater tots are done.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese over the top of the casserole.
- Return to oven cooking 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Crockpot Pumpkin Bread
Thought bread was hard to bake or make? This crockpot pumpkin bread recipe is officially going to change your mind. An easy pumpkin infused quick bread, this slow cooker pumpkin bread is dense, but moist and features little notes of chocolate courtesy of a smattering of chocolate chips thrown into the batter. Make it in the bowl of your crockpot, or bake it in the oven- either way it will pair perfectly with your cup of coffee or milk for brunch and dessert.
Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Cakes are great, but they’re often only associated with dessert. This buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake is here to change cakes place on the menu, one slice at a time. With a little zing from lemon zest combined with the natural sweetness of blueberries- this moist, fluffy cake is shaking things up at the breakfast table. One bite and you’ll agree- let’s have cake for breakfast!
Cheeseburger Macaroni Pasta
This cozy idea for cheeseburger macaroni pasta is an easy recipe for from scratch hamburger helper. It’s an ideal way to get dinner on the table on a time frame, but using your favorite pasta, meat, and homemade cheese sauce.
Spicy Sausage and Pasta Casserole
In less than 30 minutes you can have this Spicy Sausage and Pasta Casserole whipped up. A little bit spicy, a little bit creamy, and a whole lot of cheesy– this one dish dinner has it all.
