Taco Pasta Bake

I made this last night and everyone liked it, so I thought I'd share. It was quick and easy, so that is a definite plus! Also, on the site I got the recipe from (canadianmomscook.com) some of the people that commented said they added a cup of salsa as well. I am going to try that next time. You could also add corn or other veggies if you like.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 3/4 of a bag of large noodle pasta like ziti 
• approx. 1lb of ground beef
• 1 pkg/envelope of taco seasoning
• 1C water
• 1/2 pkg of cream cheese (about 4oz)
• 1 1/2C shredded cheese (I used colby jack)

Directions:
1. boil pasta until just cooked, drain, run cold water over it
2. brown ground beef
3. mix together taco season and 1C of water, pour over cooked beef and let simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced
4. add the 1/2 pkg of cream cheese to the beef mixture, stir until melted and combined, remove from heat
5. put pasta in your casserole dish or pot, mix in 1C of the shredded cheese
6. top pasta and cheese with beef mixture, gently mix until the pasta is coated
7. top with remaining 1/2C of shredded cheese
8. bake at 350 uncovered for approx 30 minutes 

Submitted by: Gina

Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

I found this recipe on shugarysweets.com and made it for Easter. It tasted really yummy, though it stuck to my bundt pan. Not sure if that is due to the altitude or if I didn't use enough cooking spray. She used nuts in hers, but I don't like my cakes to be crunchy, so I left them out. Here's the recipe I followed:

Ingredients

For the Cake:
• 2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cup shredded carrots
• 
  
• For the Filling:
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
For the frosting:
• 4oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 
  Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan generously with baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combined all the ingredients for the cake, mixing until well combined. Batter will be very thick! Set aside.
3. For the filling, beat cream cheese with sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
4. To assemble, fill bottom of sprayed bundt pan with about 3/4 of the batter. Spoon the cream cheese into the pan, being careful not to let it touch the sides of the pan. Spoon the remaining batter over the cream cheese layer. It's okay if it doesn't cover completely.
5. Bake cake in a preheated oven for 60-65 minutes. Cake will be browned and will pull away from the pan when done. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. (I waited 10 minutes, but it was still pretty hot. I think next time, I will wait a little longer for the cream cheese filling to cool down and then hopefully it will all come out in one piece.)
6. Cool completely before frosting.
7. For the frosting, beat cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy. Pour over cake. ENJOY!

Submitted by: Gina