Chili Mac n Cheese combines two classic comfort foods into one warm and cozy meal that will become a favorite in your house! The chili, ground beef, and beans mixed with the macaroni and melty cheese is so good especially when topped with some extra cheese, sour cream and cilantro and Fritos.

I love it when I’m making dinner and my family members wander into the kitchen and ask what I’m making and when it’s something new, they’ll be very curious and rather reluctant to like it. It’s ridiculous! They love our classics and don’t like to stray from them too much. But the first time I made this chili mac n cheese and they asked me what was for dinner, they said “hmm, ok, it does smell really good.” And then, guess what? They absolutely loved it and it’s become one of our favorites. Winner, winner, it’s what’s for dinner! I hope your family loves it too. 

Ingredients Needed to Make Chili Mac n Cheese:

(scroll down for complete recipe with measurements)

• ground beef
• onion
• salt
• black pepper
• minced garlic 
• chicken broth (beef will work too)
• canned diced tomatoes – I always prefer petite diced tomatoes 
• tomato sauce
• kidney beans – light or dark work 
• cumin
• chili powder
• dried oregano
• elbow macaroni 
• Shredded Monterrey jack cheese
• Desired Toppings: frito chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro

How to Make This Recipe:

• In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef and onion. Season with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. 
• Add the recent of the ingredients except the cheese. Stir occasionally and simmer till the macaroni is al dente.
• Remove from heat, stir in the cheese, and serve! 
  We love it with frito chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro.

I hope you try and enjoy this recipe!

~Rachel Ballinger ☕️💕

“A lot of living happens in the kitchen.”    ~Rachel

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Chili Mac n Cheese

Chili Mac n Cheese combines two classic comfort foods to make one warm and cozy meal that will become a favorite in your house! The chili ground beef and beans mixed with melty cheese and topped with zesty cilantro and sour cream is a delicious meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword beans, beef, Chili, dinner, Main Course

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 4 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1 can 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
• 1 can 15 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 3 cups

  shredded Monterrey Jack cheese


• Desired Toppings: frito chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro

Instructions

• In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic once it’s almost done cooking so it doesn’t burn.
• Once the meat is browned add the broth, diced tomato, tomato sauce, beans, macaroni, cumin, chili powder, and oregano.
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick and the macaroni is al dente, about 12 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning on the bottom.
• Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
• Serve, topping with frito chips, sour cream, cilantro, and more shredded cheese if desired.

The post Chili Mac n Cheese appeared first on My Everyday Ordinary Life.

This hearty beef stew is full of thick chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions and tied together with some diced tomatoes and herbs in a savory gravy. I like serving it with a crusty loaf of no knead artisan bread or a pan of steaming hot skillet cornbread. 
It’s your classic meat and potato dish that is warm and comforting and cozy. It fills you up and feels like home. 

Ingredients Needed to Make Hearty Beef Stew:

(scroll down for complete recipe and measurements)

• stew meat, I’ve used beef, lamb, and pork and they’re all good 
• olive oil
• all purpose flour
• beef broth
• water
• onion
• celery
• carrots
• russet potatoes
•  canned diced tomatoes 
• salt
• black pepper
• garlic powder 
• oregano 

How To Make Beef Stew:

• In a large pot on medium high heat, sauté the beef chunks in the olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
• Sprinkle the flour on the meat and sauté for a couple minutes. 
• Add the broth, potatoes, veggies, and seasonings. Simmer till potatoes are soft. 
• Add tomatoes and heat through.
• Serve with cornbread or crusty bread. Enjoy! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe! 

~Rachel Ballinger ☕️💕

”A lot of living happens in the kitchen.”     ~Rachel 

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Hearty Beef Stew

This hearty beef stew combines chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes in a flavorful broth to make a delicious and comforting stew. Serve it with cornbread or some crusty artisan bread for a cozy dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword beef, Main Course, Potato, soup, Stew

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef stew meat
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 4 cups beef broth
• 6-8 cups water
• 1 large onion chopped
• 4 stalks celery sliced
• 4 large carrots sliced
• 4 russet potatoes peeled and diced
• 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp oregano

Instructions

• In a large pot, brown stew meat in olive oil.
• Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once mostly cooked, about 10 minutes or so, add the flour and stir well as it browns a little. A nonstick pot works best for this stew to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
• Add the beef broth, water, onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano.
• Bring to a simmer and cook till veggies are soft, about 30 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and simmer for a couple more minutes to let the flavors blend.
• Serve with skillet cornbread or a rustic loaf of crusty bread.

The post Hearty Beef Stew appeared first on My Everyday Ordinary Life.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas are a zesty and flavorful recipe that can be prepared quickly enough to make it a wonderful weeknight dinner. It’s roasted chicken with bell peppers and onions wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with your favorite toppings. 

Serve them in warm flour tortillas and it’s easy to take the whole meal up a notch by making your own homemade tortillas. Check out my flour tortilla recipe! 

Ingredients Needed:

• chicken breasts or thighs 
• onion
• bell peppers
• olive oil
• dried oregano 
• smoked paprika
• cumin
• honey
• lemon juice
• garlic 
• salt
• black pepper
• flour tortillas 
• your favorite toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, lime juice 

How To Make the Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas: 

• Place chicken, bell peppers, and onions in the marinade in a bowl and let rest in the fridge for half an hour or longer. 
• Place marinated chicken and veggies on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until tender with an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 
• Remove from oven and let chicken rest for ten minutes. Slice the chicken thinly.
• Serve the chicken and veggies in a flour tortilla with your favorite toppings.
• Refrigerate the leftovers. 

I hope y’all enjoy this delicious meal!

~Rachel Ballinger ☕️💕

”A lot of living happens in the kitchen.”    ~Rachel

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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Sheet pan chicken fajitas are a zesty and flavorful recipe that can be prepared quickly enough to make it a great weeknight dinner. It’s roasted chicken with onions and bell peppers wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with your favorite toppings.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken, dinner, Fajitas, Main Course

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts or thighs, about 2 to 2.5 pounds
• 1 large onion cut into rings
• 2 bell peppers red, yellow, or orange, cut into rings
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 8 flour tortillas
• Toppings: Sour cream shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, lime juice

Instructions

• On a cutting board, place the chicken, two pieces at a time in a gallon size plastic bag and pound with a meat mallet until about 1 inch thick.
• Place the chicken, onion, and bell pepper in a bowl.
• Add everything else except the flour tortillas and toppings. Mix, cover, and refrigerate for half an hour or more.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place marinated chicken mixture on a parchment paper lined sheet.
• Bake for about 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes and then slice it with a sharp knife.
• Serve the chicken and veggies in a flour tortilla with your favorite toppings.

The post Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas appeared first on My Everyday Ordinary Life.

Baked penne pasta has all the classic flavors of spaghetti, soft pasta in a tomato sauce with olives and topped with melted cheese. An easy family dinner that is sure to please all ages.

I absolutely fell in love with this recipe because it is so simple and fast to throw together. Literally takes about five minutes to stir it up and put it in the oven. Then I can go do something else for an hour while it bakes and then come back and add the cheese and melt for 10 minutes while you set the table and then dinner is served! 
I also really like this recipe because my whole family likes it! That’s always a winner when you can make a dish that you know will be heartily enjoyed with no complaints.

Ingredients Needed To Make Baked Penne Pasta: 

• dry penne pasta, uncooked
• spaghetti sauce
• chicken broth
• cooked ground beef 
• sliced black olives, these are totally optional but we love olives 
• salt
• black pepper
• garlic powder 
•  basil
• italian seasoning 
• shredded mozzarella cheese 

How to Make Baked Penne Pasta:

• Mix all ingredients, except the cheese, in an ungreased 9”x13” baking pan.
• Give a good stir and cover with aluminum foil. 
• Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 1 hour.
• Remove from oven, give it a good stir, and top it with the shredded cheese. 
• Place it back in the oven uncovered and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
• Serve and enjoy! 

I like serving the baked penne pasta with broccoli that has been cooked till nice and soft (or the kids won’t eat it!) and generously buttered and salted or a nice salad and garlic bread. 
~Rachel Ballinger ☕️💕

“A lot of living happens in the kitchen.”    ~Rachel 

 

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Baked Penne Pasta

Baked penne pasta has all the classic flavors of spaghetti, soft pasta in a tomato sauce with olives and topped with melted cheese. An easy family dinner that is sure to please all ages.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword dinner, Ground Beef, Main Course, Pasta,

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 16 oz dry penne pasta
• 1 can spaghetti sauce
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb ground beef cooked
• 1 can sliced black olives
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients, except the cheese, in an ungreased 9”x13” baking pan.
• Cover pan with foil and bake for 1 hour in a 375 degree oven.
• Remove from oven, stir, and top with cheese.
• Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

The post Baked Penne Pasta appeared first on My Everyday Ordinary Life.