Families With Grace

Helping Christian moms create homes filled with grace, love & faith

Tag: Appetizer

Skillet queso recipe

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

Restaurant-style skillet queso made easy!

Skillet queso recipe

I can’t resist a good queso. The mix of tortilla chips dipped into creamy cheese is just divine! I’ve tried making a few queso recipes through the years and this skillet queso recipe is one of my all-time favorites. It tastes almost exactly like the skillet queso we order at a chain restaurant named for a pepper.

Basically, you put all the ingredients into a skillet or pot, let them melt and combine together and then serve it with chips. I’ve made this as a side. (In fact, I made it for Thanksgiving last year as a side for my particular eaters.) Or you can also use the skillet queso as a topping for nachos rather than a dip. My son prefers them nacho style. I like it both ways — nacho style or dip. No matter how you eat it, it’s yummy!

Getting started

The most work you’ll do for this skillet queso recipe is prepping the cheese by cutting it into cubes. Not too shabby at all. It uses cheese loaf that is known for melting. The name-brand is Velveeta, but I use the store brand without an issue.

(If you’re not a fan of this processed cheese, don’t let that stop you from this recipe. This is the only thing I cook using it and does not have a strong flavor of the cheese, I promise! )

You need 16 ounces of the cheese. The last time I made this skillet queso, I was only able to get a 32-ounce block. So, I cut it in half by looking at it, wrapped one half in foil and placed it in a zip-top bag in my freezer. (You’ll notice I used the brand-name label just for easy identification!)

Put the cheese loaf on a cutting board and slice it into cubes for better melting. I first slice it in about 1-inch increments.

Then using two or three squares at a time, I cut those into nines.

And now you’re finished with the hardest part of this entire recipe. I told you it was easy!

Putting it together

Pull out a deep skillet or medium-sized pot and put it the cubed cheese into it. Place it on the stove over medium heat.

Add 1 cup of milk. I make this using 1% milk because that’s what my family drinks, and it works just fine.

Add in all the seasonings: 2 teaspoons paprika, 4 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 tablespoon lime juice. (You can use fresh-squeezed lime juice, but I usually just buy a bottle of lime juice and keep in my fridge.)

Finally, add in one 15-ounce can of chili with NO beans.

Give it a good stir and let it hang out over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Stir it every few minutes to keep the cheese from sticking to the bottom.

Serve the queso with your favorite tortilla chips. You can use it as a dip or as a nacho topping, whichever you prefer!

You can also make this skillet queso in a slow cooker if you prefer. Put everything into your slow cooker on low and let it set for about an hour until melted. Alternatively, you can make it on the stove and keep it warm until serving from your slow cooker. It’s incredibly versatile and scrumptious!

Skillet queso

This skillet queso recipe tastes like something you'd get at a restaurant, but comes together in 15 minutes. Super easy and delicious!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz. processed cheese loaf (like Velveeta)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 15-oz. can chili with no beans
  • 4 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions
 

  • Cut the cheese into approximately 1-inch cubes.
  • Place the cheese into a deep skillet or medium-sized pot over medium heat.
  • Add the milk.
  • Add the paprika, chili powder, lime juice and ground cumin,
  • Add the can of chili, and stir well.
  • Continue cooking over medium heat, occasionally stirring, for about 15 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and smooth.
Keyword cheese dip, nachos, queso, tortilla chips

30 Recipes you need this holiday season

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

Whether you’re looking for appetizers, sides, easy dinners or desserts, we’ve got the holiday recipes you need!

Just like everything else in 2020, the upcoming holiday season promises to be a different one. Whether you’re suddenly taking on preparing all the holiday meals or joining with a few others to celebrate, chances are you’re going to be cooking over these next couple of months.

So, I’ve pulled together 30 recipes for appetizers, sides, easy dinners for busy nights and desserts to help make your holiday season easier.

You’ll find some delicious food and recipes that may have you drooling on your keyboard or phone! You’re going to want to Pin this post so you can come back to it time and again.

I knew I couldn’t come up with everything on my own, so I turned to some of my blogger friends to help me share mouth-watering recipes you and your family are going to love!

Appetizer recipes

These recipes can legitimately be appetizers, but they can also be left out as snacks for people to nosh on while they wait for dinner to start or in between meals. And, honestly, they can often make easy weeknight dinners when you are busy during the holiday season!

Anything with pizza in the name is sure to be a crowd pleaser. This veggie pizza recipe from Cassie at Get Your Holiday On has a buttery crust and is stuffed full of fresh veggies and a special sauce.

Similar to the veggie pizza, this delicious BLT pizza recipe would be great as an appetizer, snack or even dinner. You can customize it based on what your family likes. It tastes good served warm, room temperature or cold.

Pizza flavors are always a hit with my family, and I’d guess that’s true for most families. These pepperoni pinwheels are easy to come together and make a great appetizer, snack or dinner. Using canned pizza crust makes them even easier!

If you’re combining bacon, ranch and cheese, you know you’ve got a hit on your hands. This bacon ranch cheese bread starts with frozen bread dough to make it easier. It’s a terrific for snacking!

You can’t get an easier appetizer or snack that tortilla chips and salsa. To kick it up a notch, try making your own salsa using this pantry salsa recipe. It’s super easy and will impress people to know you made salsa from scratch in the middle of cold weather!

An easy, flavorful mild salsa recipe that can be made with ingredients from your pantry. It's a perfect addition to taco or nacho nights! #salsa #salsarecipe #easyrecipe #pantrysalsa

Side dish recipes

If you’re looking for an alternative to canned, jiggly cranberry sauce, Heather from The Supermom Life has you covered with this recipe for fresh cranberry orange relish. Served cold, this simple recipe features fresh cranberries and oranges. Check out the adorable way she garnished it as well!

Stuffing is essential to holiday meals. It can be tricky, though, for those who are gluten free, have allergies or are vegan. Rebecca from Strength and Sunshine, which specializes in delicious gluten-free and allergy friendly recipes, has a Gluten-Free Vegan Stuffing recipe that will have all your dinner guests asking for seconds!

If a recipe includes bacon and even onion, then I’m pretty much on board! Heather from The Super Mom Life has a recipe for collard greens that will make you want to try them if you never have. She serves them up regularly at holiday dinners for her family.

Another delicious stuffing or dressing recipe comes from Heather of the Super Mom Life. This dill stuffing recipe can be used to stuff a turkey or be made as a separate dish.

Potato gratin goes by a variety of names from scalloped potatoes to party potatoes. I don’t really care what they’re called. Anything with potatoes and cheese has my tastebuds excited! Emma from Emma Eats & Explores has a slight twist on this dish by using sweet potatoes instead! Easier to digest, fewer carbs and more vitamins, sweet potatoes offer a healthy and delicious alternative. This cheesy sweet potato gratin recipe is creamy, crispy and cheesy. It’s sure to be a hit!

Getting kids to eat veggies can be a challenge. But Cassie from Foster to Adopt has a way to make veggies fun. These baked broccoli chips are great as a side dish or for snacking at the holidays. They are low carb and a yummy, easy way to eat veggies. It’s a win all around!

Easy dinner recipes

One-pot dinners are always a great for easy dinners during busy times — like the holiday season. Even better are ones that don’t need a lot of ingredients! Mindy from Mindy Jones Blog has an easy 3-ingredient chili recipe to keep you warm and full on cold, busy nights.

I could (and do!) eat breakfast food any time of day: breakfast, lunch or dinner. So this next recipe could be an easy dinner or a nice warm breakfast to get your day started off. It’s perfect if you find yourself with extra guests for breakfast as well. This hearty and sweet apple sausage hash casserole from Jenny at Wholesome Family Living can be made ahead and is freezer friendly.

If you’re looking for twist on tacos for an easy dinner, check out this taco cornbread bake. It has all the flavors of tacos in a warm bake that is easy to serve up to your family on a busy night. You can easily double the recipe and feed a crowd.

One pot dinners are super easy. Having fewer dishes to clean is always a good thing! And this one pan autumn chicken dinner from Tabatha at A Joy Fueled Journey is perfect for busy weeknights in the midst of the holiday season. The chicken and veggies cook all together for a yummy and filling dinner.

If you’re craving comfort food for an easy dinner but want to make sure it’s healthy and satisfying to both your vegan and meat-eating crowd, this Vegan Cauliflower Lentil Loaf from Rebecca at Strength and Sunshine will hit the spot. It mimics classic meatloaf but is gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free.

Recipes for the slow cooker that you can put together and then forget about are great for busy seasons. This slow cooker potato soup is one such recipe. By using frozen hash browns, it literally takes about five minutes to put together and results in a warm, hearty dinner. You can double the recipe and fed a huge crowd with it.

Dessert recipes

Is monkey bread a breakfast or a dessert? I don’t know and don’t even care. I just know it’s delicious! Kate from My Joy in Chaos has this ultimate homemade monkey bread recipe you and your family will love. This make-ahead monkey bread is a full platter of fluffy dough bursting with cinnamon sugar and coated in a homemade caramel sauce.

Chocolate and mint are delicious. And the holidays are a great time for making cookies. Combine all of that together and get a mouth-watering peppermint chocolate chip cookie that Lorie from lemons + zest has perfected. It’s a soft, chewy cookie packed with candy canes and chocolate chips that Santa will love — and so will your family!

Speaking of cookies (which are totally my thing during the holiday season), these peanut butter cookies are easy and delicious. They are soft on the inside with just the right amount of crisp to the outside.

I would be remiss if I didn’t share this toffee cookie recipe. The perfect mix of chewy and crunchy, these cookies are the most requested item I make. Just beware that they are kinda addicting!

For a classic fall flavor, these apple pie bars from Jenny at Wholesome Family Living are a nice alternative to a traditional apple pie. They are sugar-, dairy- and gluten-free apple pie bars that can also be made vegan. They’re ideal for folks who don’t like a lot of crust because they have a more filling-to-crust ratio!

One of the best kind of recipes for the busy holiday season is one that is quick, easy and doesn’t require many ingredients. That describes this whipped pudding pie recipe perfectly! With only four ingredients, you can pick any flavor of instant pudding mix to use. Butterscotch, chocolate or mint chocolate work incredibly well for cooler weather. And, you don’t even have to use your oven for this one. So easy and so delicious!

With only 4-ingredients and no baking required, this whipped pudding pie is super easy and can be made with so many different flavor combinations! #Recipe #EasyRecipe #Pie #PuddingPie #WhippedPuddingPie #Dessert

Mmmmmmm. Chocolate! I love chocolate, you guys! And this recipe for chocolate chestnut pots from Emma at Emma Eats and Explores is a deliciously rich and decadent treat. It would be a scrumptious ending to any meal.

Whether you love everything pumpkin spice flavored or not, pumpkin pie is surely a staple throughout the holiday season. Katie from The Curated Mom has a recipe for mini pumpkin pies. Seriously anything in mini form is so fun to eat — and it feels like it’s less calories by doing so!

Speaking of pumpkin, my favorite way to enjoy pumpkin and its flavors is through pumpkin bread. It makes me happy. While I’m listing it under desserts, because it surely can be a dessert, our family has it for breakfast, snacks and dessert!

Another great pumpkin option that goes beyond pie is pumpkin pie truffles. This recipe from Jenny at Wholesome Family Living combines yummy pumpkin with decadent chocolate for a flavor explosion your family and friends will love.

Sometimes the best recipes are less recipe and more hack. If you can start with a box mix that’s easy and then kick it up a notch, why not?! This one hack can make a brownie mix so fudgy good that everyone will ask you for the recipe. It’s up to you if you tell them how easy it is!

Another “hack” sort of recipe uses a boxed cake mix. If you’re making a cake or cupcakes, check out these four easy tweaks to make a cake mix taste better than a bakery cake.

And then, of course, you’re going to need to top your cake or cupcakes. This quick and easy buttercream will make you swoon. Even my non-icing liking family members (who I completely don’t understand) love this icing!

8 Pizza recipes your family will love

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

A round-up of the best pizza recipes

If I want to guarantee my family, including my two particular eaters, will gobble up dinner, I know making something pizza will do the trick! (Things taco/nacho-related are also a hit.)

But I don’t want to make, serve or eat the same thing all the time. So shaking it up a bit works really well. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of pizza-related recipes that your family is sure to love.

These easy pizza subs I shared back in August are not only easy to make, but they are easy to customize based on what your family members like and they taste delicious!

Heather from The Super Mom Life has another take on pizza with these party pizzas made from English muffins. They are also easily customizable to your family members’ preferences and delicious!

If you want to get a bit more adventurous in the kitchen, this mock napoleon pizza recipe from Shayla at Singing a New Song is a great one to try. The thin crust pizza is best made in a wood-burning, stone oven, but since you probably don’t have one (and neither does she!), she’s found a way to make it taste nearly as good as you’d get at a swanky Italian restaurant.

Famlee of Four has a list of five easy and fun pizza recipes that your family will love for pizza night. With options like barbeque chicken pizza, cheeseburger pizza and meatball pizza, there are some great ideas for how to use leftovers and switch up flavors that even your kiddos will like!

If you’re in the mood for traditional pizza flavors, but are low on time or wanting something just different, check out these pepperoni pizza pinwheels that I shared in January. I just made them again last week. My daughter made them with just a bit of help from me with cutting and my family gobbled them up. Win-win!

While pizza flavors are awesome, there are also some delicious pizza options that aren’t in traditional flavors. This easy veggie pizza from Cassie at Get Your Holiday On uses crescent rolls for a crust and you can use whatever veggies your family likes most. It’s great for an appetizer or carry-in dinner as well!

Another non-traditional pizza that also uses a crescent roll crust is the BLT pizza that I shared back in September. It’s super easy and super delicious!

And if we’re talking pizza, we can’t neglect a dessert pizza! This fruit pizza from Mehgan at Planning for Keeps is a great option with a sugar cookie crust topped with cream cheese icing and fruit.

And if you’re like Sarah from Mom with a Map who told me that pizza is her love language, you’re probably going to want to check out her post about the top five places in America to get pizza named from by the foodies at the Food Network! The best part is you don’t have to clean the kitchen after you eat!

Quick & easy pepperoni pizza pinwheels recipe

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

These pepperoni pizza pinwheels are short on time but not on flavor!

Affiliate links are used in this post. If you make a qualifying purchase via my link, I receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I use and love. It helps support my blog, so thank you for your support! Read my full disclosure here.

I can pretty much guarantee that any recipe that has to do with pizza is going to be something that my family will love and devour. A few years ago, I stumbled across this recipe for pepperoni pizza pinwheels. I don’t even remember where I saw it, but I changed it slightly and it’s now a recurring recipe for our family.

It’s the kind of recipe that works well for an appetizer, carry-in or dinner. Pepperoni pizza pinwheels are ideal party food if you are hosting a get-together as well!

Though I use only pepperoni for our family, you could easily use other pizza toppings your family likes as well as long as you chop them well. (If you are using another meat like hamburger or sausage, be sure to cook it first before adding it into this recipe, just like you would for a pizza.)

Preheat your oven according to the directions on your canned pizza crust. (Mine said 425-degrees.) Spread your pizza crust out onto a large cutting board to form a large rectangle.

Next, you can add Italian seasoning to the crust for a little extra flavor. You can use Italian seasoning blend, oregano, crushed red pepper or whatever you have on hand. You can also skip this step. I have made the pepperoni pizza pinwheels both with and without the seasoning, and it’s good both ways!

Then you spread shredded cheese over the top of the seasoning. I use either mozzarella or Italian blend. Cover the crust with a layer of cheese. This is how much cheese I put on and my husband and kids don’t like much melted cheese! (My husband prefers pizza ordered with 1/4 the usual amount of cheese from restaurants.)

Next, chop your pepperoni (and other pizza toppings if desired) and spread it evenly over the top of the cheese layer. You could buy the pepperoni sticks or diced if you can find it. I usually just have round pepperoni slices on hand, so I use a sharp ceramic knife and cut them into small pieces.

Your pepperoni pizza pinwheel crust is now all ready. Starting from one of the longer ends of the rectangle, roll the dough tightly. If you’ve made cinnamon rolls before, it’s the same sort of roll. It will turn into one long log like this:

Using a very sharp knife (I love ceramic knives for their sharpness and ease to care for), slice the roll into about 1-1/2 inch thick slices. Place the cut slices onto a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or covered with parchment paper. (I recommend parchment paper for easy clean up.)

Chances are, you’ll have cheese and some pepperoni left on your cutting board when you are finished. I take this and spread it over the pepperoni pizza pinwheels on the baking sheet — no sense in having ingredients go to waste!

Now you’re ready for the oven. Your pepperoni pizza pinwheels should look something like this:

Bake them in your preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until they are lightly browned.

You can serve the pepperoni pizza pinwheels with pizza sauce, but my family loves them best served with Ranch dressing to dip them in. (And then that lets me easily add some baby carrots on the side for them to dip as well!)

These pepperoni pizza pinwheels are best served warm.

Quick & easy pepperoni pizza pinwheels

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 13.8 oz. refrigerated pizza crust
  • Italian seasoning if desired
  • 1-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese more or less to taste
  • 10 slices of pepperoni diced
  • Other diced pizza toppings if desired (all other meat should be cooked ahead of time)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven according to the temperature on the pizza crust (mine said 425-degrees).
  • Open the pizza crust and stretch it out into a flat rectangle on a large cutting board.
  • Sprinkle Italian seasoning, oregano or crushed red pepper over the crust, if desired.
  • Top with shredded cheese. The cheese gets crispy and not gooey on these, so I usually use more cheese than normal for my family, but I also have a family who doesn't like much melted cheese (pray for them!).
  • Top with the diced pepperoni. (You can also use other diced pizza toppings if desired. If you are using another meat, like hamburger or sausage, be sure to cook it first.)
  • Roll the crust into a tight log starting on one of the short ends of the dough.
  • With a sharp knife, slice the roll into about 1-1/2 inch thick rolls and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or covered in parchment paper. (I recommend the parchment paper route for easier clean up!)
  • Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Serve with pizza sauce or Ranch dressing for dipping.

Content © Written Creations, LLC 2023