This is a fantastic copycat Mexican salad fully loaded with our favorite salad ingredients and then drizzled with an awesome Creamy Tomatillo Dressing . Within a few months of moving to Ohio last year, my family was lamenting the fact that we no longer lived near a Cafe Rio Mexican Grill . Cafe Rio serves fresh options for salads, burritos, tacos, and more. Yes, I just realized this sounds like an ad for the restaurant....

If you’re like me, you probably enjoyed a classic taco salad more than once in your childhood. It’s a staple for many family and potluck events and has been for years. And if you ate taco salad in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, it was likely made with Catalina salad dressing. Ranch dressing may have taken over in popularity for many salad lovers (and pizza lovers, vegetable lovers, chip lovers, you get my point), but Catalina still has a place in the fridge for many of us....

Crunchy Baked Chicken Ingredients 2-3 pounds chicken drumsticks or thighs, or 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless breasts or thighs 1/3 cup olive oil 1/4 cup Cholula hot sauce or your favorite hot sauce * 3 tablespoons white vinegar 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups corn flakes cereal crushed 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons Mexican spice mix or taco seasoning mix Instructions Place the chicken is a large gallon size Ziploc bag....

Dark chocolate ice cream delivers just the right amount of sweetness, it’s the perfect treat for chocolate lovers who enjoy a bittersweet twist. Dark Chocolate Ice Cream While my sweet tooth has mellowed quite a bit over the past few years, I still enjoy a piece or two of dark chocolate most days – just a bite or two goes a long way to satisfy a chocolate craving. Dark chocolate can be a bit of an acquired taste, depending on just how dark the chocolate happens to be....

I thought I was done with the holiday treats for this year and then I ran across my friend Sue’s recipe for Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle . I’d printed it to try a while back and I’d even picked up the peanuts at the store. With a few free minutes this afternoon, it was the perfect chance to make it. In less than 10 minutes time, this candy was cooling on the counter!...

A cheese board is a welcome addition to any party, gathering, or snack table. These tips I’m sharing today are going to make it easy for you to pull together an easy cheese board with little more than what you might find in your refrigerator or freezer. It’s easier than you might think to pull together a crowd-pleasing beautiful cheese board in just a few minutes relying on kitchen staples and familiar ingredients....

Ground beef, black beans, and corn are cooked with Mexican spices and then tucked inside fresh bell peppers to create a cheesy, flavorful filling for these Mexican stuffed peppers. Mexican Stuffed Peppers It is a well-established fact that my husband and my oldest son love stuffed bell peppers. They would happily eat Spicy Italian Stuffed Peppers every week if I made them that often. This time I decided to play with some Mexican flavors and the meal was a hit....

Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal is lightly sweetened with bananas and honey. Your morning oatmeal meets up with banana bread in this fun twist on a classic breakfast. Served warm, topped with sliced bananas and a drizzle of peanut butter, it’s a favorite with kids and adults alike. Oatmeal has been a favorite breakfast in our house for years. Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal , Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal , Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Strawberries and Bananas , Peaches and Cream Oatmeal , and Berry Baked Oatmeal are just a few of the oatmeals that make repeat appearances in our home....

This Penne Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Olives is a light and tangy penne pasta salad that is potluck, party, and summer barbecue friendly, with no mayo or other ingredients to spoil in the heat. A light dressing keeps everything tangy and moist, while the pasta won’t dry out, even if it’s left on a table for a couple of hours. This Italian Pasta Salad is one of the simplest pasta salads you can make....

Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge is rich and creamy chocolate fudge, flavored with peppermint, and loaded with bites of marshmallow. A sprinkling of crushed candy canes on top makes this an altogether perfect holiday treat. Candy Cane Fudge My plan was to make a few batches of this candy cane fudge early and then hide them in the freezer for gifting later, but I wound up sending this off to work with my husband because I couldn’t stay out of it....

I could write an ode to smoked salmon dip at this point. My whole family has fallen in love with this snack. We dip vegetables into it, crackers, and even chips. I’ve smeared it on a bagel and eaten it off a spoon straight from the fridge. You can not go wrong with this one, my friends. Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe We love the smoked trout dip at Hudson29 so much, it inspired me to figure out how to make smoked salmon dip at home for unlimited access....

You know the feeling. You’ve got maybe 10 minutes before everyone starts asking for dinner, and you need something fast, hearty, and actually satisfying. That’s exactly when I reach for this Southwest Chicken Soup. Loaded with our favorite Mexican flavors, this soup is slightly spicy with chunks of tomatoes, corn, black beans, and tender chicken. I like to top each bowl with shredded cheese and tortilla strips. This is one of my go-to recipes for quick and easy dinners....

Moist, sweet, and lightly spiced, this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is the food of which sweet tooth dreams are made. Pioneer Woman Carrot Cake For the longest time, years actually, I was on a hunt for the best carrot cake recipe. Carrot cake is one of Sean’s favorite cakes and I tried several cakes that were good, but they just didn’t measure up to our expectations. We both have a hard time resisting carrot cake anytime it is served, so the idea of making the perfect carrot cake at home was irresistible....

Sweet and slightly tart fresh blueberries are lightly covered in dark chocolate to create an irresistible sweet snack that doubles as a quick and easy dessert too. Chocolate Covered Blueberries Have you ever had that crazy “aha” moment where you wonder why you never thought of something before now? My sister, Jenny, called me a few days ago and told me that she had been craving a dessert and there was nothing sweet in her house, so she melted a few chocolate chips and poured them over blueberries....

Cranberry Apple Walnut Oatmeal is a tart and sweet body-warming dish perfect for filling those bellies before a busy day. Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Fall brings about such cozy feelings for me. Not only cozy sweatshirts and fires but cozy, warming things in my belly. The full-body warming feeling that comes from oatmeal is such morning comfort. Being surrounded by local apple orchards, apple picking season brings about a bowl of fresh apples on the counter for weeks on end....

Tart apples and sweet grapes, bananas, and blueberries are tossed with crunchy pecans in a light and creamy vanilla dressing to make this Creamy Fruit Salad. I first made this fruit salad for a barbecue with friends a few weeks ago and there was not a single bite leftover. My youngest was so sad when it was gone, I made another batch to photograph a couple of days later. Served with burgers , Ranch Potato Salad , and Tangy Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Peppers; this fruit salad makes the perfect dessert....

Fresh pineapple is sliced thin and then baked in a caramelized brown sugar and butter sauce that soaks into a rich, buttery cake. This cake is like no other pineapple upside down cake you’ve ever tasted. Pineapple has been in abundance all month and we’ve been eating it every chance we get. When my husband suggested a pineapple cake, I jumped at the chance to make something new. My boys went a little crazy over this cake....

Hot Buttered Rum Cookies are the happy result of what can I do with the extra buttered rum batter I don’t want to freeze? Butter and brown sugar are the base of pretty much all of my favorite cookies. So with some leftover buttered rum batter hiding in my refrigerator I couldn’t let it go to waste. Mixing in some egg, a little flour, and baking soda I had a rich delicious, soft, gingersnap-like cookie on my hands that disappeared almost before they could cool on the pan....

This delightfully crisp edged, custardy French toast only needs three ingredients; melted ice cream, Brioche bread, and butter. It is utterly perfect and so easy to make! Ice Cream French Toast I first saw this done in a Jacques Pepin video and was intrigued immediately. Who wouldn’t be? I’ve tweaked his method just a teeny bit for our tastes, as we prefer our French toast a bit crisper and not as well-soaked....

With spicy sausage, tender noodles, and a melty cheese topping, this Lasagna Soup recipe has all your favorite Italian ingredients simmered together in one pot. A steaming hot bowl of Lasagna Soup makes everybody happy at dinnertime. I already have a feeling we’ll be eating many more bowls of this tasty soup on cold nights all winter long! Easy Lasagna Soup Lasagna soup is everything you love about a classic Italian lasagna simmered in soup form....