Taco Southwestern Mac & Cheese

There are meals that feed your family… and then there are meals that bring them back to the table twice. This one? It’s the second kind.

This Taco Southwestern Mac & Cheese is comfort food with a little sass — creamy, cheesy, just the right kick of spice, and hearty enough to satisfy even the hungriest crew. It’s the kind of dish you make once and then keep tucked in your back pocket for busy nights, potlucks, or when you just need something warm and dependable.

---

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

---

Ingredients

• 12 oz. bowtie pasta

• ½ lb. cheddar cheese

• 2 cups milk

• 1 can cheddar soup

• 1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeños

• 2 cups chicken thighs, cooked in taco seasoning (chopped)

• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

• 1 cup salsa (½ cup for topping)

• Salt & pepper, to taste

• Sour cream (pass for seconds)

• 16 tortilla scoops (more if you like on the side)

---

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. In a skillet, cook chicken thighs with taco seasoning until fully done. Chop into bite-sized pieces.

3. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, chicken, cheddar cheese, cheddar soup, milk, and diced jalapeños. Mix until everything is well coated and creamy.

4. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish and spread evenly.

5. Top with the 16 tortilla scoops.

6. Spoon salsa into each scoop.

7. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

8. Remove from oven, sprinkle with shredded pepper jack cheese, and return to oven for an additional 5–10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

9. Garnish with sour cream and serve warm.

---

Crackerberries Notes

• Want more heat? Add fresh jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce.

• Feeding picky eaters? Tone it down by swapping pepper jack for mozzarella.

• This reheats beautifully — if there’s any left.

---

Some recipes are just food.
Others become part of your rhythm, your table, your story.

This one? It’s a keeper.

– Crackerberries Kitchen © 2026

Lasagna Soup

 

I started collecting recipes for the upcoming A-Z blogging challenge  because I was going to try to overachieve and do tandem like I've done in the past.  I just don't have it in me this year.  But I do want to share the recipes I've made and saved up because some of them are just too good not to share.   This one is one of Tall Cool ☺ne's favorites.  Aunt Margie sent me a subscription to GRIT magazine and I found this in this year's Jan/Feb issue.  Love it!

 

Oh and before I forget, make sure you check out Crackerberries and click on the follow so that you don't miss any of the upcoming A-Z posts.   

 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small shallot, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 oz. tomato paste
24 oz. marinara sauce
7 cups chicken broth

Seasoning & Pasta

1 tsp. oregano
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper, to taste
8–10 lasagna noodles, broken

Cheese Blend

1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup Romano cheese

Finish

1 cup fresh spinach
Fresh basil, to taste

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned. Remove and set aside.

Add olive oil to the pot. Sauté shallot for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, marinara sauce, broth, and all seasonings.
Return sausage to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add broken lasagna noodles. Cook until tender (about 10–12 minutes). Stir in spinach and simmer another 5–8 minutes.
Cheese Topping

In a small bowl, mix: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan Romano

To Serve

Ladle soup into bowls and top with a generous scoop of the cheese mixture. Garnish with fresh basil.

Serve with warm Italian bread and don’t rush it—this is a sit-down and enjoy your company kinda meal.

 

© Crackerberries Kitchen 2026

Molasses Cookies

 

Best Molasses Cookies

It is Christmas time and time to bake cookies. There was a time when I couldn’t make a batch of cookies come out for the life of me.  Until my sister shared her secret of how to make a batch of cookies come out perfect (or almost).

This is my babysitter, Berta’s recipe (RIP), which came from her mom, Dorothy. It is over 150 years old.  I altered it by replacing the ¼ cup coffee or tea with 1/3 cup sourdough to the mix.  I never liked molasses cookies until I made these.

2½ cups AP flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1¼ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. melted butter

¼ cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup molasses

1 large egg

1/3 cup sourdough hooch

Combine molasses, sugars, melted butter, egg, and hooch in large measuring cup or bowl.  In another bowl stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Beat the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until well combined.  Chill dough for one hour.

Now the recipe says to roll out to desired thickness, cut and sprinkle with sugar.  Tried that as you can see.  Molasses cookies is Tall Cool ☺ne’s favorite and he suggested just doing a spoonful, dip it in sugar and bake like a dropped cookie.  OMG, it’s like a crusty outside and a soft inside, makes me think of the cat treats that we buy for the fur-babies.

Cooking is all about experimenting.

Roll or drop and sprinkle with sugar and bake in a 350º oven for 11 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy ♥

 

© Crackerberries 2024

Honey Garlic

 

The recipe is pretty straight forward. 

*Eat garlic at onset of cold or sore throat or when you have been around someone sick. This will boost your immune system.  

The infamous "they" say it keeps blood-feeding mythical creatures away too.

My friend Nen shared it from her friend Kim.  I'm very excited to try it.

I used three large heads of garlic and put them in a 6 oz. jar.  Fill the jar with the garlic first (my mother tried to tell me to put the honey in first---no, no, no, Mom!) and then pour the honey over the top.  

Cover and flip the jar a few times a day for a couple weeks.  

I put my in a ceramic compost crock instead of the cabinet. (Just easier to remind me to flip when I'm in the kitchen.  We'll check back on December 3rd (Jeff & Nen's anniversary) to see how it turns out.

Let me know if you have any home remedy ideas.  I'm wondering if honey and ginger would work the same way?  

Cheers♥

Crackerberries 2024

Cottage Pie from Cowboy Kent Rollins

 

Cottage Pie (aka) Shepherd’s Pie

 

Growing up we always had “Shepherd’s Pie” that was made with ground beef, corn and sometimes if we were lucky, a can of peas would find their way mixed in with the corn, and then it was topped with mashed potatoes with dollops of butter melted over the top.  It was an old time favorite comfort food. 

As an adult, it was still always one of my favorites, but Tall Cool ☺ne didn’t care for it, needless to say it has not been on the menu over the years. This weekend we watched a video on one of my favorite YouTube channels and two things came out of it. 

1. I learned something new (I think you should learn something new every day if you can): Shepherd’s Pie is actually made with ground lamb, (which makes perfect sense seeing how shepherds tend the sheep). 2. I’ve now found a pie that can and will be added back to my favorite meals menu.  I kind of wonder why they don’t call it “Cattle Pie”, “Heifer’s Pie”, “Moo Pie”, or “Bull Pie”.

 

I took the ingredients from the video and used my own quantities (not from his list) so if mine don’t match Kent’s, don’t hate me.

 

1¼ lb. ground beef

2 stalks celery, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

1 orange pepper, shredded

1 lg. onion, shredded

2 tbsp. tomato paste

¼ cup beef broth

½ cup red wine (¼ for the pie and ¼ for the chef)

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 can white hominy, drained

1 can chili peppers, drained

4 cloves garlic, minced (I used the whole head)

2 egg yolks

3 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cooked, drained, and mashed

½ cup cream (I used half & half)

1½ cups white cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded

¾ cup fresh parmesan, shredded

Seasonings: oregano, basil, salt, pepper, thyme (I don't have his original seasoning spice yet, but I ordered some for next time).

 

In cast iron Dutch oven, cook the ground beef and drain off grease.  Add celery, carrots and onion and cook the moisture out of the veggies, but don’t let the veggies get brown (5-6 minutes).  Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, wine, and stir to combine and let it get a little bubbly.  Carefully stir in garlic and hominy. Remove from heat and set aside.

 

Prepare potatoes.  Once they are cooked and drained and all the liquid is steamed out of them, mash, mash, mash.  Add some cream (I used half & half) and the egg yolks.  Mash, mash, mash.  Add the cheddar and jack cheese, then stir in the chili peppers.

 

Preheat oven to 400º

 

Transfer the beef mixture to a casserole dish.  (I almost missed this tidbit of information. Tall Cool ☺ne pointed it out to me). Can’t cook this in the cast iron in a 400º oven or it would burn to a crisp.

 

Trowel the potatoes over the beef mixture.  Make little plops with a spoon for aesthetics, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Let cool 10-15 before serving.

 

So freaking good.  Thank you, Cowboy Kent Rollins.

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Succotash Boats

 

Tall Cool ☺ne brought home a half dozen or more summer squash.  It wasn't enough to make squickles so I had to come up with something else.  I borrowed this recipe that I found in the Southern Living Magazine last month.  OMG, usually when I’m making recipes I find in magazines I have to tweak them to please me or Tall Cool ☺ne (there was no tweaking on this one that he would like….so forget about that).  I really liked this recipe and enjoyed it better cold. In fact two days after I made it I filled Romaine lettuce with and called it Succotash Boats. 

Ingredients

• 6 thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion (from 1 medium onion)
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 10 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 1 medium-size yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (2 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn kernels (from 4 ears)
• 1 (3/4-oz.) habanero chile, pricked all over with a fork
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

Directions       

1. Place bacon in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Save remaining drippings for another use.
2. Add onion to reserved drippings in skillet; cook over medium, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Increase heat to high; stir in green beans, squash, corn, habanero chile, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring mixture occasionally, until vegetables are slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high, and stir in 1/4 cup water; cover and cook, undisturbed, until vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and discard habanero. Stir in halved cherry tomatoes, fresh thyme, and cooked bacon. Garnish with additional thyme and black pepper.

 

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Grilling Sourdough Bread

 

1 cup sourdough starter unfed          

3½ cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 bottle Moosehead Lager beer                                   

2 tbsp. melted butter 

Light your charcoal on grill

Grease or spray inside edges if cast iron bread pan.

In large bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  In large measuring cup, combine sourdough starter and beer, then pour into flour mixture.  Stir until moistened.  Spoon or scrape into cast iron bread pan.  Pour melted butter over the top. 

Cook uncovered on back rack of grill for about an hour (depending on how many time your husband opens the grill to check the meat he’s cooking) this will determine how long it takes for the bread to cook. 

He likes to have a pan of water on the grill to keep things moist.  I love this bread.  It’s crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.  I’ve been eating it for breakfast with fig preserves.  I even tried making bruschetta with it and it was outstanding.  A definite keeper.

This weekend Tall Cool ☺ne is smoking some baby back ribs, so I’m planning to do a smoked version of the sourdough.  Stay tuned for more recipes.

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

PS. be very very careful removing that cast iron from the grill.  I boo boo'd big time and I will have a scar for life.

Blackberry Donno-Muffins

 

 

 

So I have this really cool donut tin but I never use it because I every time I try to make baked donuts they disappoint me.  But the tin is so cool I wanted to use it for something.  So I decided to make Donno-muffins. We found some blackberry vines in the back yard (never saw them in the almost 9 years we’ve lived in this house.  I had about a cup of them and figured what the heck, let’s have some Donno-muffins.

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar                                                                             

2 tsps. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ cup sour dough starter “hooch” (not fed, aka: the throw away stuff)

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup almond milk or non-fat milk

1 cup blackberries

 

 

Preheat oven 400º.  Spray muffin or donut tin with cooking spray. (6 large or 12 small) 

 

In medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in center of flour.

 

In another bowl, combine, egg, milk, hooch, and vegetable oil. Stir to combine and then pour into the well in the flour mixture.  Stir just to combine, it will be lumpy.  Fold in berries.

 

Spoon into muffin/donut tins.  Bake 18-20 for 12 tins, 23-25 for 6 tins.

 

 

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Chipotle Chicken & Spinach Pizza

 

Preheat oven 425º

 

1 pizza dough **

1½ cups pre-cooked chicken

1 cup fresh baby spinach

¼ cup diced red onion

2-3 bacon strips, cooked and chopped

1 cup favorite BBQ sauce

2-3 tbsp. fresh herbs

1½ cups shredded pizza blend cheese (we use Colby jack and cheddar)

2 tbsp. Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Chipotle sauce

 

Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness.  Spread with BBQ sauce. Sprinkle with cheese blend.  Layer with chicken, spinach and fresh herbs.  Toss on the bacon and red onion.  Shake some parmesan cheese on and drizzle the chipotle sauce over the top.

 

Bake at 425º for 21-23 minutes.

 

** I thought I had a recipe for the BEST PIZZA CRUST EVER but apparently I was keeping it a secret.  I will share here now.  It is made in the bread machine, so it is super easy!

Ingredients:

1 12 bottle beer

½ cup sourdough starter (hooch)

1 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1½ tsp. salt

4¼ cups bread flour

2 tsp. bread machine yeast

Select dough setting, wait 1½ hours, remove from pan and proceed.  This makes two normal size pizza crusts.  This recipe works wonderfully for freezing.  The above pizza was made from a frozen dough.

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Gilligan's Island Bagel Rafts

 

I found this recipe in an AllRecipes magazine.  They took it from a TikTok hack.  I don’t do TikTok, but I do read magazines.  I have made this breakfast a few times and we really love it.  It’s versatile because you can put whatever you want in it.  I changed the name to Gilligan’s Island Bagel Rafts, because maybe if they had a raft they would  have got off the island.  (I used to love that show!)

 

2 Bagels

2 Eggs

2 tbsps. garden vegetable cream cheese

2 tbsps. shredded Colby Jack cheese (whatever kind you like)

2 tbsps. crumbled bacon (any kind of cooked meat)

½ tsp. fresh ground pepper

1-2 tbsps. fresh herbs, diced onions, diced green or red pepper (options are endless)

 

Preheat toaster oven to 350º

 

Split bagel and hollow out each half with a spoon. Save for another use, or toast them with the rafts and enjoy a crispy snack.

 

Whisk together the eggs, cream cheese and shredded cheese and pepper.

 

Divide the egg mixture into the hollowed-out bagels and then top with meats, veggies and herbs. 

 

Place on foil-lined pan; toast in preheated toaster oven for 10-12 minutes or until eggs are set.   Serve with your favorite hot sauce!

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Zucchini Bread

 This is Grammie Averill's old fashion zucchini bread

2 cups zucchini, shredded

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

3 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

3 tsp cinnamon

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup raisins

½ cup walnuts

Preheat oven 350°

Grease two 9x5 inch bread pans.

In medium bowl combine zucchini, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla; set aside.  In large bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.  Mix well and create a well in the center of the mixture.  Pour zucchini mixture into well all at once.  Stir just to combine all ingredients.  Fold in raisins and nuts.  Pour into prepared bread pans. 

Bake 350° for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Enjoy♥

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries!

Hot X Buns

I am sorry for the delay and I appreciate you checking back.  We had company so I was a little behind today.

¾ cup fat free milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

4 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

2¾ cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white rice flour

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cloves

2½ tsp. bread machine yeast

 

2/3 cups dried cranberries

 

¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp. lemon extract

2 tbsp. half & half

 

Place first 10 ingredients in bread machine hopper, in order shown.  Program for the dough cycle.  Pres start and let cycle through.

 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  When the machine beeps at end of cycle, power off the machine and immediately turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Pat dough into large rectangle.  Sprinkle with dried cranberries and press in.  Fold the dough into thirds and knead a few times to incorporate the fruit.

 

Divide the dough in half and roll each portion into a 10” log.  Cut six equal portions and form each portion into a ball.  Place buns two inches apart on baking sheet.  Cover with dish cloth and let rise until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).

 

Preheat oven to 375º

 

Using a sharp paring knife, gently cut a cross into each bun.  Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

 

While buns are baking, prepare the icing.  Whisk the confectioner’s sugar, lemon extract and half & half together in a small bowl.  Beat until the icing is smooth and firm.

 

Remove rolls from oven and place on cooling rack.  Place the icing in a pastry bag, or I use a zip-lock bag (throw away and less clean up) and pipe a cross over the top of each indentation where the cut is on the bun.  Let stand for about 20-25 minutes to set before serving.

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries!

Watergate Salad

 

Okay I'm cheating. (This is actually my grandmother's version.) To be honest, I think hers is way better than the original Watergate Salad.  I've also included a copy of her original recipe

2 eggs, beaten 

½ cup sugar 

Dash salt 

1 cup whipped cream 

1 large can fruit salad, drained, reserve liquid 

7 cherries, halved 

1 can orange mandarin, drained, reserve liquid 1

 small can pineapple chunks, drained, reserve liquid 

1-2 bananas, sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice 

10-15 grapes, halved 

1 pkg. small colored marshmallows 

1 cup chopped walnuts 

½ cup coconut flakes 

Heat juices, eggs, sugar and salt in sauce pan; cook until thickened and bubbly. Stir often. Cool and fold in cream. Set aside. Combine remaining ingredient and gently mix well. Pour dressing over top and fold the fruit in to blend. If desired, sprinkle with tinted coconut, and scoop a dollop of mayonnaise tinted with cherry juice and flavored with honey on top of the salad before serving.

Enjoy♥

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries!