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.

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Servings: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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

Whoopee Pies

 They were such a hit I had to share the recipe again.

Traditional Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Don't forget to visit the other  Crackerberries for a Christmas wish!

Merry Christmas and Cheers,

Crackerberries Kitchen 2025

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

Granny Smith Peanut Butter Bars

2 Granny Smith apples(I'm sure any kind of apple is fine), grated/shredded (2 cups) 

1¼ cups rolled oats

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup wheat germ

1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

¼ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. honey

¾ cup honey roasted peanut butter

Cooking oil spray

Preheat oven 375º

Combine all ingredients except the cooking spray in a medium and mix well.

Line an 8x11 inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil.

Spread bar mixture evenly into pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and score bars, once completely cooled, cut all the way through.

Wrap bars individually and refrigerate leftovers, or freeze.

*These could be dolled up a little by adding raisins or maybe some chocolate chips.  They were not sweet enough for my tooth.  Tall Cool 😎ne says things that are good for you don't taste all that good.  These are definitely good for you. 😏

Enjoy ♥                            

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other 214 (so far- one more day to join) bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries!

 

Chili

 

BEANS:

16 oz. dry red kidney beans

½ cup sugar

½ ketchup

¼ cup molasses

2 tsp. dry mustard

½ cup chopped onion

¼ lb. salt pork

Salt and pepper.

Soak beans overnight, drain, rinse, and put in crock pot with just enough water to cover.  Add ingredients and cook on high for 3 hours (DO NOT TAKE COVER OFF DURING THIS COOKING TIME)  Turn down to low and cook 5-6 more hours.

CHILI

1¼ lb. chopped steak, (leftovers from Tall Cool ☺ne's grilling)

1 pkg. hot sausage links, removed from casing

1 qt. stewed tomatoes (from last year's garden)

1 can tomato paste

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

4 tbsp. chili powder

1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. basil

2 tbsp. paprika

Cook sausage and drain off grease. Add all other ingredients and let simmer for about 1½-2 hours.

The thing I like about chili is no matter how many times I make it, it always seems to get better.  Even when I follow my favorite recipe, I add something or change something and it always gets better. Recipes are like that.  They can always be improved upon.  

Do you have a favorite chili recipe?  Do share with me.

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Be sure to visit other players and don't forget to check out Crackerberries.

Enjoy!

O'Harbie's Milseog

 

O'Harbie's Milseog

CRUST

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup toasted chopped walnuts

1 stick butter

Combine ingredients in small bowl and cut in butter until crumbly.  Press into a greased baking 8x11" or 9x13" baking dish.  Bake in pre-heated 350º oven 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack and prepare filling.

FILLING

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained (reserve liquid)

1 3 oz. pkg. lime gelatin

1 3 oz. pkg. island pineapple gelatin

1½ cup mini marshmallows

4 medium bananas chopped/sliced

1 cup boiling water

2 cups cold water

Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, stir in cold water.  Place in freezer to chill about 30 minutes. Once it's thickened, fold in 1 cup marshmallows, bananas and crushed pineapple.  Spoon over cooled crust.  Refrigerated until firm, about 1 hour. 

TOPPING

½ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup Cool Whip

1 cup coconut flakes

Food Coloring (if desired)

Combine reserved pineapple juice in small sauce pan with sugar and flour.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thicken and bubbly.  Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour a small amount of sauce into beaten eggs, stirring the eggs constantly. Add egg mixture to pan and bring to a gently boil, cooking for another 2 minutes.

Let cool completely and then fold in Cool Whip.  Spread over gelatin layer and let chill.  Right before serving top with toasted coconut flakes and tinted mini-marshmallows.

***I was going to save this recipe for the blogging challenge but I got thinking this would make a really cool recipe for EASTER... those little green marshmallow could be tinted pink and orange and look like little EASTER eggs.  So I decided to share it today.  It is St. Patrick's Day after all.

Cheers,

It's coming

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!  My favorite time of year is coming up. Stay tuned next week for the awesome THEME REVEAL. Can you wait? I know I can't!

The team's theme for this site for April 2024 will be hope, positivity, and living your best life blogging your best blog. Victorious Blogging.

I kind of have my theme mapped out, but I still have a little tweaking to do.

Who's with me for the challenge?   Who's with me to just follow along with my posts?  I really hope you'll play along.  You won't be disappointed.  Money back guaranteed!☺

Cheers,

 

Sourdough Pie Crust (with Turkey Pot Pie)

So I've been using this sourdough starter that my friend Kathy gave me for over a year now.  I've been able to keep it alive too. ☺ As always, I'm willing to try new things with the dough.  Kathy sent this to me and said "What do you think?"  Well, I've gotta tell ya, pie will never be the same again once you try it with sourdough pie crust.  It is so easy and easy to work with too.  

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 oz. butter, cut into cubes

4 oz. Crisco (or other lard)

1 cup sourdough starter (I was just a little bit short so added a little more water)

2 tbsp. ice water

Cut the butter and Crisco into the flour, sugar, and salt mixture until it resemble small peas.  Add sourdough and mix to combine.  Add water if necessary.  

Kathy's recipe said to wrap in plastic and refrigerate several hours until chilled.  I just used mine at the time I made it and it was fine.  It can be kept in fridge for several days or freeze for future use.  

Yield:  2 crusts (with enough leftover for amazing pinwheels).

©Crackerberries Kitchen 2023

 

Sourdough Dinner Rolls

 

1½ cup sourdough starter

½ cup warm water

2 tbsp. butter

1 egg

¼ cup sugar

3½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. yeast

Combine the sourdough starter with the warm water and mix to combine.  (If you don’t have 1½ cups of starter, just add enough water to equal 2 cups of liquid).  Place ingredients in the bread machine in the following order: butter, starter mixture, egg, sugar, flour, salt, (optional herbs or spices) and finally the yeast. 

Select dough setting.  Once the bread machine has stopped, remove dough and let rest about 5 minutes.  Cut into 12-16 equal portions and roll in balls.  Place on parchment paper line cookie sheet and press to flatten just slightly.  Cover with towel to rise for about 45-60 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375º.  If desired, brush tops of rolls with beaten egg or milk and cut little crosses in the tops.  Bake 12-15 minutes.  Remove, cool, serve.

Other options.

Herb Garlic Rolls: add ½ tsp. thyme, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. basil, and ½ tsp. oregano.

Sweet Spice Rolls: increase sugar to ½ cup and add ½ tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. allspice, ½ tsp. nutmeg. 

 © Crackerberries 2023

PS if you want to read more about Christmas and newsletters check out the post over on Crackerberries writings.

Waffles - Feeding the Flock 23

 

WAFFLE BATTER

1 cup beer sourdough starter

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tbsp. baking powder

1/3 cup melted butter

2½ cups all-purpose flour

FILLING

4 oz. Jimmy Dean sausage cooked according to package instructions

2 eggs

2 tbsp. roasted red pepper cream cheese

Prepare the waffle batter.  Cook the sausage and then scramble in the eggs and cream cheese.  Place ½ cup batter in waffle maker, top with ¼ cup of egg mixture, then cover with ¼ cup more batter.  Close waffle maker and cook 8 minutes.

Using a PowerXL Stuffed Wafflizer

Makes 4 waffles.

Don't forget to find out about WAKING UP to smell the COFFEE!

Mommie's Easy Cookies

 

Mommie’s Easy Cookies

1 box cake mix (any flavor)

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup nuts, chips, pretzels, Captain Crunch or other cereal, (anything crunchy)

 

Preheat oven 350º

 

 Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Drop on cookie sheet and bake 17 minutes or until browned.

 

© Crackerberries 2021