October 2021 - Kisses + Caffeine

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Cooler weather has hit the North Carolina mountains, and that means it’s officially soup season! This cozy slow cooker taco soup is so easy, it only takes a couple of minutes to throw together, and you are all set for a delicious meal. I like to make it using my Ninja Foodi because I can brown the beef on the sautée setting and then simply add everything else and switch it to slow cook! Less dishes and way faster prep time.

Check out my Instagram Reel to see it in action:

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Yes, it literally is that easy! I typically will make a double batch which is enough to feed our family of 4 and then freeze 3-4 EXTRA meals worth! This is a great dish to prep when you are taking meals to friends, as well.

Simple and savory, this slow cooker taco soup is one of my all-time favorite meals. My kids love it and it always is a huge hit! If you want to make it more of a chili consistency, double everything except for the V8!

Having company over? This soup pairs really well with my Charred Corn Fiesta Dip! Football game watching perfection!

Cozy Slow Cooker Taco Soup

This recipe is so stinkin’ easy that it takes minutes to throw together!

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: crock pot, mexican dip, slow cooker, soup, taco, taco night, taco soup, taco tuesday

Equipment

Slow cooker

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Beef browned and crumbled
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can corn drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 64oz jug V8 Original vegetable juice
Optional toppings: Fiesta Blend cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole

Instructions

Brown and crumble your ground beef. ( I like to use my Ninja Foodi here so that I can do all steps in one spot!)
Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve with whatever toppings you like! We love cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream in ours!

Video

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Notes

This recipe is so easy, it only takes a couple of minutes to throw into the slow cooker and you are all set for a delicious meal. I like to make it using my Ninja Foodi because I can brown the beef on the sautée setting and then simply add everything else and switch it to slow cook! Less dishes and way faster prep time.

This recipe doubles beautifully, too! I typically will make a double batch which is enough to feed our family of 4 and then freeze 3-4 EXTRA meals worth!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Wow your friends and family this Thanksgiving with a scratch-made Apple Pie!

Let’s be friends! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

We started home preschool with my 3 year old and 1 year old a few weeks ago. This past week, their lesson was “A is for Apple,” so of course, mama wanted to do all the fall things! Including making up a recipe for this dang delicious apple pie from scratch!

If you want to see more of our Homeschool journey, get ideas for your own, and more, make sure to check out my Instagram Story Highlights! I’ve added tons of ideas for inspiration!

Note: Cold butter is SO important! Make sure you chill it first. I like to stick mine in the freezer for a bit while I am prepping.

First, you will stir together the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands or a pastry blender (we think hands are fun!), smash the butter and the flour mixture until most of the butter is incorporated. You’ll have some chunks of butter coated in flour. It will look lumpy and dry, which is what you want.

My sweet girl had so much fun squeezing the butter chunks in her little hands, and it was a great sensory activity. Those big chunks of butter give your crust that flaky texture that makes it so divine.

Drizzle the ice water and vinegar into the flour/butter mixture. Use your hands or a pastry blender to mix this together until everything pulls together into a dough. Knead the mixture a few more times until you’ve got a nice, smooth ball. Cut the dough into 2 equal parts, roll each into a ball and wrap individually in plastic wrap or a ziplock.

Now, here is the deal. You can do this step a couple of days out and store in the fridge, or the day of. It needs to chill for at least an hour to firm up, two is optimal. While your dough is chilling, we will make the pie filling!

You will need to core your apples and then slice into thin slices (peeling is optional). I personally LOVE using my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer to do this. It makes the process so much faster! Total game changer (you can grab one HERE).

In another large mixing bowl, toss your apple slices, half of the sugar, brown sugar, flour, vinegar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Set this mixture in the fridge until your dough is ready.

A note on the cinnamon:

“Korintje cinnamon is the most popular type of cinnamon used by professional bakers. It’s what makes their cinnamon rolls and apple pies taste extra special! Trust this high-grade pure cinnamon to provide the classic, sweet flavor your remember from your childhood.

We know how much time and love you put into making cookies, cakes, and pies for family gatherings and to give as gifts. That’s why we want you to use the best.”

Look at that gooey goodness…

Once your dough has chilled, go ahead and beat the egg and water in a small bowl, just enough to blend. (This is your egg wash. It gives the crust that delicious golden sheen!). Preheat your oven to 375º.

Remove one of your dough balls and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. You want a circle about 12 or 13 inches in diameter, to allow room to overlap. Carefully wrap the dough around your floured rolling pin to make transport easier. Gently lay the rolled-out round of dough to a 9″ pie dish, allowing the dough to slump down into the bottom and up over the sides.

Scrape your apple filling into the pie crust (make sure you get all of those yum juices!). Brush egg wash around the outer edges of the crust.

Roll out the remaining disk of dough and place it on top of the filled bottom crust. You could get fancy here and cut your top crust into strips for a basket-weave, etc. Most of the time, I prefer to just keep it simple!

Press the edges of the top crust to the edges of the bottom crust to crimp and seal. I like to roll them upward and tuck/crimp to make sure the pie stays together. It’s okay if this isn’t perfect! It gives your pie that rustic, cozy, handmade look.

Using a pastry brush, coat the pie all over with egg wash mixture. Sprinkle it with the remaining sugar (I like to add a dash more cinnamon here, but you don’t have to!). Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the top of your pie to allow it to vent while baking.

It’s super important, unless you love scraping the bottom of your oven, to place your pie on a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet! Because this pie is packed with goodness, sometimes that goodness spills over the sides. If you don’t follow this step, that goodness will drip to the bottom of your oven and burn there for all of eternity. I doubt you want that. Do the cookie sheet!

Place the pie into the oven, and put a pie crust shield on if you have one (you can make one out of foil if you don’t! Or order one here. This will keep your edges from burning).

Bake the pie for about an hour and 15 minutes, until it is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. It’s really important to make sure you don’t underbake it! I remove the crust shield at this point and bake about 10 more minutes.

Allow the pie to rest on the counter for a half hour or so before serving. This gives the juices time to settle. We like to drop a big fat scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

When making this pie, you can chill it, unbaked, overnight and bake it the next day to make things go more smoothly. Just don’t forget to add the egg wash before baking (do not do that step the day before!). You can also fully bake it the day before and serve it at room temperature or warm it back up in a 350° oven for 30 minutes.

There you have it! Dang delicious apple pie from scratch, and it wasn’t even as hard as you think! Wow your friends and family this Thanksgiving by dropping in with one of these!

Side note: if you do much of anything with apples, this guy will be your new best friend! You can grab one from my PC site HERE!

Check out my viral Blackstone Griddle Recipe Roundup!

Want more pie?? Try my Easy Icebox Coconut Cream Pie!

Dang Delicious & Easy Apple Pie from Scratch

This pie will make you look like the rustic little Pioneer Woman you have always dreamed of, but it really is not that hard! Wow your family and friends (and yourself) with how amazing this is!

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Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple pie, apple pie from scratch, apple pie recipe, apple recipe,, dessert, fall recipe, pie

Servings: