🌮 Cheesy Taco Bake Casserole (Easy Freezer-Friendly Dinner!)

 This Taco Bake is hearty, cheesy, and so delicious! 🤤

It’s the perfect make-ahead meal you can pop in the oven about 45 minutes before dinner.

I also love serving this for a potluck because it feeds a crowd, travels well, and the leftovers are amazing! 🙌✨

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🧡 Taco Bake (Great Freezer Meal!)

Servings: 8 to 10

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🛒 Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

  
  
  

• 1 Tbsp butter

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 1 package taco seasoning

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste

• 16 ounce jar salsa

• 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

• 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese (divided)

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👩‍🍳 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   Spray a 9×13 or 3-quart baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

2. Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat
   (or use the Instant Pot on “Sauté,” which I love!) 😄

   
   
   

3. Add olive oil and onions and sauté until tender, about 3–4 minutes.

4. Add ground beef and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned and mostly cooked, about 4–5 minutes.

5. Beef should be fully cooked and brown at this point.
   Drain any fat and return to the skillet.

6. Stir in taco seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato paste, salsa, and beans (if using).
   Cook for 1–2 minutes.

7. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese 🧀.

8. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

9. Bake for about 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted ✨.

10. Top with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, sliced olives, and serve!

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🌟 Favorite Toppings & Serving Ideas

I love serving this with:

• Shredded lettuce 🥬

• Sour cream

• Guacamole 🥑

• Cilantro

• Chopped tomatoes 🍅

• Extra shredded cheese 🧀

• Taco sauce 🌶️

Let everyone build their own:

✅ Hard or soft tacos
✅ Nachos
✅ Taco salad over lettuce

So fun and customizable!

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❄️ Freezer Instructions (Make Ahead!)

To freeze:

1. Cook the beef mixture and place it in the baking dish.

2. Omit the final 1 cup of cheese on top.

3. Cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

4. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake from frozen:

1. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator until completely thawed.

2. Remove plastic wrap and foil.

3. Let sit on the counter for 20 minutes.

4. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

5. Bake at 350°F for 45–55 minutes, until hot, bubbly, and melted.

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✨ Perfect for weeknights, meal prep, potlucks, and cozy family dinners!

Sunday Chat: Christian Love

Matthew 22:37-40 
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
 and with all your soul and with all your mind… 
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 
On these two commandments depend 
all the Law and the Prophets.”

1 John 3:18 

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk 

but in deed and in truth.” 

1 Corinthians 13:45 

“Love is patient and kind; 

love does not envy or boast; 

it is not arrogant or rude. 

It does not insist on its own way; 

it is not irritable or resentful.” 

Philippians 2:34 

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, 

but in humility count others more significant 

than yourselves. Let each of you look 

not only to his own interests, 

but also to the interests of others.” 

Colossians 3:13 

“Bearing with one another and, 

if one has a complaint against another, 

forgiving each other; 

as the Lord has forgiven you, 

so you also must forgive.” 

Ephesians 4:15 

“Speaking the truth in love, 

we are to grow up in every way 

into Him who is the head, into Christ.” 

Galatians 5:13 

“Through love serve one another.” 

Matthew 6:4 

Give your gifts in private, and your Father, 

who sees everything, will reward you. 

Crispy Smashed Potatoes (A Mark-Approved Favorite!)

My husband Mark LOVES potatoes, and he’s tried them just about every way imaginable. These, though? He raved about them and declared them absolutely amazing. 🙌

The best part? They’re incredibly easy. The only “hard” part is allowing enough time for them to bake and get perfectly crispy—but trust me, they’re worth the wait.

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Ingredients

• Potatoes – russet or red/new potatoes

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 Tbsp butter

• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated cheese

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Instructions

I cook my potatoes in the Instant Pot, but you can also cook them on the stove or even in the microwave. If you boil them on the stove, be sure to remove as much moisture as possible and allow them to dry well. This is why the Instant Pot or microwave is quicker and easier.

Instant Pot method:
Cover the bottom of the Instant Pot with water, add the trivet, then add the potatoes.

• Russet potatoes: cook on High for 8 minutes, or until tender

• Red/new potatoes: cook on High for 4 minutes, or until tender

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Put the olive oil and butter in a microwave-safe dish and melt (about 20 seconds max). Stir in the pressed garlic and set aside.

3. After cooking, place the cooked potatoes on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. “Smoosh” them using the bottom of a glass.

   • Thinner potatoes = crispier

   • Thicker potatoes = moister and chewier

   You really can’t go wrong either way, and I usually end up with a mix of both—which is delicious!

4. Drizzle the olive oil/butter/garlic mixture over the potatoes.

5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until crisp, checking at the halfway mark.

6. Sprinkle liberally with cheese and return to the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt.

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These potatoes are simple, comforting, and always a hit—especially with potato lovers like Mark. 💛

🍹✨Refreshing Ginger Beer Mocktail (Low-Sugar & Wellness-Inspired)

I recently attended a mocktail mixology class, and it was such a fun experience! 🎉 It inspired me to start creating more healthy mocktail recipes, so you’ll definitely be seeing more of these here.

This ginger beer mocktail is light, refreshing, and perfect for sipping—especially if you’re cutting back on alcohol or looking for low-sugar drink options. I used diet ginger beer to avoid added sugar, but I’m currently experimenting with more natural alternatives, like using fresh ginger root 🌱. My goal is to keep ingredients simple, clean, and supportive of overall wellness.

This mocktail was a total win for me—refreshing, flavorful, and satisfying without the sugar overload 😋. If you enjoy non-alcoholic drinks, mocktails for health, or simple wellness recipes, let me know! I’d also love to hear about any favorite mocktail recipes you have 💬💛

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🍊 Ginger Beer Mocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

🧊 Ice
🥤 Diet ginger beer (I prefer a mild ginger flavor, so I fill the glass about ¼ full)
💦 Club soda or seltzer water (to top off)
🍊 One fresh orange slice, squeezed into the drink and then added

🔥 Optional: Flame the orange slice before adding—it enhances the citrus oils and deepens the flavor beautifully!

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🌿 Health Notes & Wellness Benefits

✨ Ginger is well known for its digestive-supporting and anti-inflammatory properties. Even in small amounts, it can help soothe the stomach and add warmth to a drink without added sugar.

✨ Orange provides a natural source of vitamin C and antioxidants, supporting immune health while adding a bright, fresh flavor.

✨ Choosing mocktails over alcoholic drinks can help support hydration, liver health, and overall wellness—especially if you’re focused on healing or maintaining balance.

✨ Using low-sugar or naturally flavored drinks can help reduce blood sugar spikes and inflammation, which is especially important for long-term health.

Sunday Chat: Get Closer To God

 

• But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

Galatians 5:22 

You will receive power 

when the Holy Spirit comes on you

Acts 1:8

Those who live according to the flesh 

have their minds set on what the flesh desires; 

but those who live in accordance with the Spirit 

have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

The mind governed by the flesh is death, 

but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:5-6

So if you sinful people know how to 

give good gifts to your children, 

how much more will your heavenly Father 

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him 

Luke 11:13 

 

Yet you don’t have what you want 

because you don’t ask God for it.

James 4:2

Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, 

because if I don’t, the 

Advocate/Comforter won’t come. 

If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 

And when he comes, 

he will convict the world of its sin, 

and of God’s righteousness, 

and of the coming judgment.

John 16:6-8

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, 

whom the Father will send in my name, 

will teach you all things and 

will remind you of everything I have said to you. 

john 14:26 

 

And I will ask the Father, 

and he will give you another comforter 

to help you and be with you forever 

John 14:16 

In the beginning the Word already existed. 

The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

Easy Lobster Tails at Home 🦞 (Restaurant Quality Without the Price)

 

Lobster tails may sound like something you only order at a restaurant, but they’re surprisingly easy to make at home 🦞✨ When you can find them on sale for around $5 a tail, they become the perfect centerpiece for a special dinner without the high price tag. Paired with steak 🥩 and a twice-baked potato 🥔🧀, this meal feels indulgent, comforting, and impressive—without being complicated. If you’re looking for a simple way to make an ordinary evening feel a little more special, these lobster tails are a great place to start 🍽️💛

Ingredients

8 oz lobster tail, 2 tails

3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika

Steps

Using a clean pair of scissors or kitchen shears, cut along the middle of the top of the shell towards the fins of the tail, making sure to cut in a straight line. Do not cut through the end of the tail.
Using a spoon, separate the meat from the two sides of the shell, then lift the meat up and out from inside the shell.
Press the two sides of the shell together, then lay the meat over the seam where the two shells meet.
If you are having difficulty opening the shell up to lift out the meat, flip the tail over and make cuts along the carapace where the legs meet the bottom part tail. This will help break the rigid structure of the shell and allow it to be more flexible.
While cutting through the shell, you may have also cut into the meat, which is perfectly okay. Make a shallow cut through the middle of the lobster meat so that you can peel down the thin layer of meat over the sides. This gives the lobster tail its signature look.
Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
In a small bowl, combine the butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, lemon juice, and parsley, then brush the mixture evenly over the lobster meat.
Place the tails onto a baking sheet, then bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, until the lobster is fully cooked but not rubbery. Cook a minute or two longer than you think so it is THOROUGHLY cooked
Serve with a side of melted butter for dipping -- divine!

Unlock the Sweet Magic of Roasted Garlic—In Minutes! 🧄✨

 

If you’ve ever loved the rich, caramelized flavor of roasted garlic but dreaded the hour-long wait in the oven ⏳, I’ve got exciting news. There’s a faster way to get that golden, buttery goodness—and it only takes a few minutes in the Instant Pot ⏱️ and then finish it off to carmelize in the air fryer 🍳!

Why Roasted Garlic Is a Kitchen Superhero 🦸‍♀️

Roasted garlic isn’t just delicious—it’s packed with benefits:

• Immune Support 🛡️: Garlic contains allicin, a compound known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.

• Heart Health ❤️: Regular consumption can help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels.

• Digestive Aid 🥗: Gentle roasting makes garlic easier on your stomach than raw garlic.

• Antioxidants Galore ✨: Roasting boosts its antioxidant activity, helping fight free radicals.

• Culinary Versatility 🍝: Spread it on toast, mix into mashed potatoes, fold into pasta sauces, or add to soups for a sweet, mellow garlic flavor.

My Quick Roasted Garlic Method 👩‍🍳

Forget the long bake—here’s how I get perfectly caramelized garlic in minutes:

Instant Pot:

1. Use as many heads of garlic as you want. Slice the top off exposing the garlics, leaving any skins that are intact as well as the bottom of the cloves 🧄.

2. In Instant Pot with bottom covered with water, place a trivet or steamer basket and then the garlic cloves Cook on high-pressure for 7 minutes ⏱️.

3. Let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then remove.

Air Fryer:

1. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) 🔥.

2. Take the garlic heads, drizzle with olive oil 🫒, and place on top a small piece of foil (I don't wrap it up as I want it to carmelize and brown).

3. Cook for 10 minutes until soft and golden ✨.

Once done, the cloves are soft, sweet, and spreadable—perfect for a quick flavor boost 😋.

Ways to Enjoy Roasted Garlic 😋

• On Steaks 🥩: Mash a few cloves and spread on top of a hot steak for an instant flavor boost.

• In Sauces 🍲: Blend into pan sauces like spaghetti or bolegnese (serve over sautéed cabbage for a low-carb meal).

• With Eggs 🍳: Mix roasted garlic into scrambled eggs or omelets for a sweet, savory touch.

• On Toast 🥖: Spread on warm bread with a drizzle of olive oil—simple and irresistible.

• In Soups & Mashed Veggies 🥔: Stir into soups, mashed cauliflower, or potatoes for depth and sweetness.

Storage Tip 💡: Roasted garlic keeps beautifully! Store in a small jar with olive oil in the fridge 🥶 for up to two weeks, so it’s always ready to elevate your meals.

Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice

We’ve long loved my Stick of Butter Rice recipe, but I wanted to turn it into a heartier dish one that includes protein all in one pan. Adding chicken was the perfect solution. This version is moist, rich, and full of flavor, and it couldn’t be easier to make. Simple, comforting, and truly a one-dish wonder. 

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice NOT instant

10 oz can of condensed French Onion Soup
10 oz can of condensed Beef Broth
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) sliced thinly
2 to 4 chicken breasts (if you want more or less rice per portion)

salt
pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
Steps
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In an 8x8 inch baking dish combine rice, soup and broth.
Cut butter into slices and place on top of the mixture.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Season chicken breasts
Remove foil
Add chicken breasts
Bake 30 minutes more

Sunday Chat - Stop Dreading & Start Trusting: God Has Good Planned for You

 

Psalm 34:4 

I sought the LORD, and He answered me 

and delivered me from all my fears.

Philippians 4:67  

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in every situation, by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends 

all understanding, will guard your hearts 

and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Psalm 27:1 

The Lord is my light and my salvation

so why should I be afraid? 

The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, 

so why should I tremble? 

 

Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

Isaiah 41:10  

So do not fear, for I am with you; 

do not be dismayed, for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you and help you; 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

 Proverbs 10:24 

“What the wicked dread will overtake them;  

what the righteous desire will be granted.” 

Matthew 6:26-27  

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow 

or reap or store away in barns, 

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not much more valuable than they? 

Can any one of you by worrying add 

a single hour to your life? 

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you... 

plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future.

Elle's Elegant Everyday Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes shouldn’t be complicated — they should be creamy, dreamy, and effortless. This gives you beautifully tender potatoes in minutes, with that smooth, rich - never gluey - texture that we all crave. 

When you want silky, no-fuss mashed potatoes without babysitting the stove, the Instant Pot is your best friend. This recipe gives you consistently fluffy, perfectly seasoned potatoes in a fraction of the time — and once you try them the “Elle way,” you’ll never go back.

Elle's Elegant Everyday Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes washed, peeled, and cut into 1 inch cubes (Yukon, Russet or Red Potatoes all work)
1 cup water or chicken broth, to cover bottom of instant pot
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), mic to melt
1 cup milk or half and half, mic 15 seconds to warm (you may not need all of this)
salt and pepper to taste
good dollop of sour cream
parsley

Steps

I start this 25 to 30 minutes before I need to mash the potatoes to allow for pressurizing. Allow more time than you think as you can always put it on 'keep warm' and let it release naturally.
In Instant Pot, put in water or broth to cover the bottom
Place a trivet or steamer basket and add prepared potatoes
Lock and seal the lid then cook on manual high pressure for 8 minutes (Add additional time for larger potato cubes, about 2-5 minutes)
Let naturally release or perform a quick release to release all the steam and pressure.
Open the lid and check the potatoes with a knife. If there is any resistance, the potatoes are not cooked all the way. Add 1 more cup of water, replace the lid, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Drain the water out of the Instant Pot.
Mash potatoes to your desired consistency. Add melted butter, warmed milk (add as much or little as you need), salt and pepper, sour cream and mix in. Sprinkle parsley on top and you can also add more melted butter (makes it look pretty and is so decadent)
The mashed potatoes may be kept on "keep warm" in the Instant Pot until ready to serve.