Cake Mix Apple Cobbler

I shared this recipe with a friend of mine today and thought it would be a great one to add to my blog. If you love cobbler, or apple crisp-type desserts, this one is a must try! It's so simple and uses very few ingredients. I threw it together on Sunday morning, baked it while we were getting ready for church and took it to Sunday School fresh out of the oven. If apple isn't your thing, switch it up and use peach or cherry pie filling. That's what makes this so great - the recipe is the same and all you do to mix it up is buy a different pie filling! Serve with vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat! Enjoy!!

Cake Mix Apple Cobbler

1 Yellow Cake Mix
2 Cans Apple Pie Filling
4-6 Tbsp. Butter, Melted
2 Tbsp. Sugar plus 1 tsp. Cinnamon, Combined

Preheat oven to 375

In a 9x13 pan, pour pie filling all over bottom. Sprinkle cake mix on top of pie filling. Drizzle melted butter over cake mix and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over that. Bake 35-40 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Cheeseburger Soup

I was chatting on the phone with my mom today debating on what I was going to make for dinner tonight and she told me about this soup. She said that she and several of her friends have made it recently and that they all really enjoyed it. I jotted down the few things I needed and ran to the store. It was kind of rainy and a little cool here today, so this sounded great. Now, a couple things:
1. Not sure why it's called cheeseburger soup. Besides the fact that it has cheese and hamburger in it. But it also has potatoes, carrots, green chilies and bell peppers, which are not ingredients I think of when I think "cheeseburger". Regardless, it was awesome, so maybe I need to rethink my cheeseburger toppings.

2. I am trying to cook things that are healthy and usually milk based soups aren't high on any health food lists. But, I cut corners where I could and I think that overall, this probably wasn't too high in fat. I used 1% milk instead of whole milk so that cuts a ton of fat and calories right there and it was still nice and rich tasting.

I served it with Jiffy Corn Bread muffins and all 3 of my girls scarfed it right up. This will stay on my menu rotation for sure. Thanks, mom!

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups diced potatoes (I used canned potatoes)
1 cup diced carrots (I used sliced canned carrots)
1/2 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced green peppers
4 oz can chopped green chilies
2 beef bouillion cubes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/2 cups milk, divided
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cubed american cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omitted this)

In a large saucepan, combine browned hamburger, water, potatoes, carrots, onion, pepper, chilies, garlic powder, and bouillion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Stir in 2 cups milk. Mix 1/2 cup milk and flour; gradually stir into
soup. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat, stir
in cheese and cayenne. Let simmer until ready to serve. Yield 6-8 servings

Baked Tilapia

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a fish person. Basically the only seafood/fish I really eat is shrimp. But, in an effort to start eating healthier and get in shape, and because eating chicken day in and day out is getting old, I decided to try out this fish recipe that my sister sent me a long time ago. She promised that tilapia was a very mild, flaky fish and that this was really good. I thought I'd just get over it and give the recipe a try. Much to my surprise, I really, really liked it! It didn't taste too "fishy" and served over Rice-a-Roni Chicken Flavored rice was just a great combination. All of us enjoyed this meal (Macie and Maddie ate it, it wasn't their favorite, but they didn't complain). I'm looking forward to cooking with tilapia again. I know it's so good for us and it's a nice change from chicken all the time. Plus, it cooks SO fast! Like in 10 minutes fast. That I can handle!

Baked Tilapia

3/4 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
4 Tilapia Filets (thawed or fresh - about 4 oz. each)

Preheat oven to 425.
On a plate, blend first 4 ingredients. Dredge tilapia filets in mixture and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until fish flakes apart easily with a fork.