Month: December 2025

Posted in #Recipes

TACO CRESCENT RING

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Give taco night a clever twist with this taco crescent ring. Made with just 5 ingredients, you get the same delicious beefy and cheesy taco flavors, but in a soft, flaky crescent crust. It’s as beautiful to look at as it is to eat. It’s like tacos took a right turn onto comfort lane.

This genius 5-star recipe is one of the most popular recipes on Pillsbury.com because it’s fun and easy to make. All you need is ground beef seasoned with Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mixed with yummy cheese. Then just tuck it all inside a ring of flaky, tender, crescent rolls. Surprise your family by serving it for a weeknight dinner. It might just become one of those dishes on your regular rotation. Or impress your guests by serving this taco crescent ring recipe for the big game. Offer a several toppings with it, and you have yourself a simple top-your-own taco bar, they will rave about. 

Pillsbury

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69 Dinner Ideas for Two That Won’t Leave You with Leftovers

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

If you want to cook dinner for two, it can be tough to find the perfect date night dinner ideas that won’t leave you with a fridge full of leftovers. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best dishes for two: everything from savory pasta dishes to chicken dinners.

You won’t want to miss out on drool-worthy pork chops for two. And if that isn’t your thing, we have plenty of healthy options like protein-packed salads and stir fry dishes.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

MEATBALL STROGANOFF BUBBLE-UP BAKE

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A big plate of rich, creamy beef stroganoff is tempting, but the prep and cleanup can be overwhelming on a busy weeknight. This recipe delivers the same satisfying flavors with less effort! Our bubble-up bake features a tangy mushroom cream base, juicy beef meatballs, and the convenience of Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Biscuits instead of noodles to soak up the sauce. Let your oven do the heavy lifting; you deserve the extra time and one of our best casserole recipes in your dinner rotation.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS 

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this bubble-up bake.

Mushrooms: They’re an important component of stroganoff. We used fresh cremini, but button or baby bellas also work well. We sliced them, but pre-sliced ones are a handy shortcut.

Frozen, Cooked Beef Meatballs: Meatballs add the beef to the stroganoff! Use fully cooked, frozen meatballs; no thawing needed! We tested dinner-sized and bite-sized with great results, so pick the one that works best for you.

Progresso™ Creamy Mushroom Soup: Soup adds creaminess and mushroom flavor to the casserole.

Sour Cream: Sour cream helps give stroganoff its creamy texture and signature tang. Use full fat sour cream.

Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Southern Homestyle Original Biscuits: We found this variety worked best, but use Flaky Layers if that’s what you have on hand.

Monterey Jack Cheese: What’s a bubble-up bake without cheese? Melty Jack adds loads of flavor and gooey decadence. We use pre-shredded, but shred it if you prefer for the ultimate cheese pulls!

Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Salt, garlic powder, thyme, olive oil, onion, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, parsley.

Pillsbury

Posted in #Recipes

45 Diabetic-Friendly Recipes for Two

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Cooking for two? These diabetic-friendly recipes make it easy to whip up main dishes, sides, salads and more—without a ton of leftovers.

Taste of Home

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42 Recipes for the Feast of the Seven Fishes

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

The Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition, means lots and lots of seafood dishes. Celebrate with friends and family with these all-seafood apps and mains. And don’t forget the wine. Salute!

Taste of Home

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Slow-Cooker Breakfast Casserole

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Overnight breakfast recipes are a must for busy cooks. They help when you’re looking for breakfast ideas for overnight guests or figuring out a way to make morning mealtime effortless. You can assemble a slow-cooker breakfast casserole in the evening and pop it in the oven in the a.m. Anything to catch a few more winks of sleep before the house wakes up, right?

Featuring layers of hash browns, sausages, onions, green chiles, cheese and eggs, this recipe is one of the best hearty breakfast casserole recipes around. It takes less than half an hour to throw together, and the results are gloriously cheesy and filling. You’ll want to have the recipe in your back pocket for busy weekends or as an overnight breakfast recipe for the holidays.

Ingredients for Slow-Cooker Breakfast Casserole

Top view of ingredients on a wooden table, including shredded potatoes, eggs, grated cheese, a cup of milk, chopped onions, ground meat, diced jalapeños, and a small bowl of salt.
Dan Roberts for Taste of Home
  • Hash browns: Frozen hash browns are ideal for this recipe. If you’re worried about your casserole turning out soggy, thaw the hash browns before you get started.
  • Sausages: Breakfast sausages are the natural choice, but feel free to use your favorite sausages. To avoid greasiness, fry and drain them before putting the casserole together.
  • Onion: Onions bring texture and flavor to this easy slow-cooker breakfast casserole. When it comes to types of onions, opt for yellow, which is the most standard variety.
  • Green chiles: Of all the types of peppers, there are two popular canned green chiles: Anaheims have a mild heat, while Hatch chiles are hotter still. Jalapenos are the next step up, falling somewhere in the middle, and serranos are quite hot.
  • Cheese: Versatile cheddar is the cheese of choice here. Sharp and extra sharp cheddar are a must for that extra bite, but we love the creamy, subtle flavor of mild cheddar too.
  • Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients together while giving the slow-cooker breakfast casserole a serious protein boost to kick off your day.
  • Milk: Adding milk enhances the fluffiness of the eggs. Full-fat milk yields richer eggs, but skim is excellent if you’re not keen on whole milk.
  • Seasonings: A simple sprinkling of salt and pepper is all you need to season the eggs. You can always add a few extra shakes tableside.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

Easy Lasagna

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Traditional lasagna is a once-a-year project for me. I love it deeply, but it’s rare that I can carve out time for it. When it does happen, it’s in the dead of winter when I have absolutely nothing else to do but spend the entire day in the kitchen.

While it’s impossible to beat the classic version — with a homemade bolognese sauce and, when I can manage it, homemade pasta — I’m all about an easier version that makes lasagna a much more frequent occurrence. This recipe is exactly that. This lasagna is about as low-lift as you can get while still achieving cheesy, crowd-pleasing results. Here’s how to make it.

Why You’ll Love It

  • This recipe uses store-bought sauce (make sure you get one you love). There are just three components that make a lasagna great: the pasta, the cheese, and the sauce.
  • The lasagna noodles cook right in the sauce. Since the noodles aren’t pre-boiled, they’ll cook from the heat and steam in the oven. It’s important that they’re completely covered in the sauce so they cook evenly.
A serving of lasagna being lifted from a white baking dish, featuring layers of pasta, meat, and melted cheese.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter

Key Ingredients in Easy Lasagna

  • Ground beef: You’ll need 1 pound of lean ground beef.
  • Marinara sauce: Since this recipe starts with a jar of marinara for ease, make sure it’s one that tastes great. My favorite brand is Rao’s, but choose your personal favorite.
  • Cheese: Use two types of cheese – shredded low-moisture mozzarella and whole-milk ricotta.
  • Regular lasagna noodles: While classic dry lasagna noodles are typically boiled before they’re layered, there’s no real reason why you have to cook them ahead of time — they can actually be layered in with the sauce and cheese as is. And yes, this is just regular lasagna noodles!

The Kitchn

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37 Kid-Friendly Slow-Cooker Meals

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Slow-cooker recipes are built for real-life family dinners when the days are busy and appetites are finicky. These kid-friendly slow-cooker meals cook while you tackle your day and rely on hearty ingredients like ground beef, pasta, shredded chicken and melted cheese to create dinners the whole family will enjoy. Just like easy one-pot meals, these recipes require little prep and create few dishes.

But a slow cooker has the added convenience of cooking while unattended, taking the pressure off dinner without sacrificing comfort or satisfaction.

We chose these recipes for their kid-approved flavors and reliable results. You’ll find slow-cooker spins on classics like spaghetti and meatballs, meat loaf and cheesy Tater Tot casserole. There are cozy slow-cooker soup recipes like chicken noodle and creamy potato that also make a fantastic lunch. For the times when you have a few extra minutes, some recipes require cooking or browning a few ingredients before adding them to the slow cooker. Others are simple slow-cooker dump dinners: Just stir, cover and cook.

Many of these recipes are great make-ahead options that can be stored in the refrigerator for the week or frozen for the future, so all you have to do is reheat and eat. From comforting fall stews to year-round favorites, like taco pasta, these slow-cooked dinners will be ones children ask for and parents rely on.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

Pizza Tots

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Who said pizza needs a traditional doughy crust? We’ve seen pizza crusts made with cauliflower, zucchini, portobello mushrooms and pita bread. These pizza tots top them all. I’ve always been a sucker for combo dishes, and this nontraditional pizza idea is pure mashup magic.

Crispy, golden Tater Tots form a pizza base piled high with mozzarella, tangy sauce and pepperoni. Make pizza tots once and they’ll be your new go-to for game days, late nights and any evening you don’t feel like wrestling with pizza dough. If you have time, elevate the dish using scratch-made sauce and tots. But this recipe is just as satisfying when you let the freezer aisle do the heavy lifting.

Ingredients for Pizza Tots

Ingredients for making Pizza Tots recipe.
ALLISON CEBULLA FOR TASTE OF HOME
  • Frozen miniature Tater Tots: Mini Tater Tots get super crispy in the oven and cook faster than regular-sized tots, making a perfect pizza base. If you use regular-sized tots, you may need to bake them a bit longer before adding the toppings. If you love the process, homemade tots are delightful.
  • Pizza sauce: A tangy, tomato-rich layer pushes the tots into classic pizza territory. A jarred version works great, but making homemade pizza sauce is quicker than you think!
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese: One of the best melting cheeses, mozzarella provides that essential cheese-pull moment we all secretly crave.
  • Pepperoni: For that classic pizza vibe, pepperoni adds salty, savory and slightly spicy notes. Arrange the slices artfully or scatter them haphazardly—you can’t go wrong.
  • Italian seasoning: A famous blend of oregano, garlic, basil and black pepper, Italian seasoning brightens the flavors and makes the whole tray smell like your favorite pizzeria.
  • Crushed red pepper flakes: These are optional, but they are an excellent way to add a little heat to balance all the melty richness of these pizza Tater Tots.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

37 No-Bake Christmas Cookies and Treats

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Baking isn’t everyone’s forte—we get it! But just because you’re oven-averse doesn’t mean you can’t make great desserts at home, especially during the holiday season when every hour is sweets-o’clock. Here’s proof: This list has our best no-bake Christmas cookies and treats that are still indulgent and super festive.

There’s a range of Christmas desserts in this list, so there’s a little something for everyone. Of course, Christmas no-bake cookie recipes dominate the list, with cute reindeer, thumbprints, Christmas wreath cookies and even a no-bake version of the iconic peanut butter blossoms. But there are lots of other treats in store, too, like peppermint pies, fudge and frozen desserts, all sorts of chocolate-covered bites and balls, no-bake bars and even a glorious Christmas trifle that feeds a crowd.

While these are easy no-bake holiday cookies, some require a stovetop or microwave and a few require baking tools like a food processor or mixer. Others are truly no-heat with zero baking tools involved, so read through the recipes that catch your eye before claiming them for Christmas dinner.

Taste of Home