Cheesy Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole from Pillsbury

Look at the cheesy goodness. This dish is so good and a great way to stretch out a family meal. We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day plus it was rather inexpensive to make.

Ingredients
1 package refridgerated biscuits
olives sliced
cheddar and mozzerella cheese grated
1 lb hamburger meat
whatever veggies you want - mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own)
1 cup hot sauce or salsa

*Preheat oven to 350
*Cut biscuits into smaller pieces to fit into dish and coat with hot sauce or salsa
* Sprinkle half the cheeses over top with the olives
*Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes
* While baking - saute the onions and veggies in a pan until cooked
* Add the hamburger and brown until done
* Add the seasoning
* Pour over the top of the cheesy biscuits
* Add another layer of cheese
*Bake another 8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Serve immediately



Yum

Slow Cooker Frijoles a la Charra

I made these for Aaron's birthday to go with some chicken enchiladas I was making. These were really easy and the flavor was really complex. There was a lot going on. It was kind of smoky and spicy. They were good. A lot of prep work, but really not a lot to do once it was all in the pot.

Ingredients
1 pound dry pinto beans
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 (3.5 ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers
1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Place pinto beans in a slow cooker, and completely cover with water.

Mix in garlic and salt. Cover, and cook 1 hour on High.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown, but still tender.

Drain about half the fat. Place onion in the skillet, and cook until tender.

Mix in tomatoes and jalapenos, and cook until heated through.

Transfer to the slow cooker, stirring into the beans.

Cover slow cooker, and continue cooking 4 hours on Low.

Mix in the beer and cilantro about 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.

Corn Quesadillas

If you read my blog you know that we love mexican food. So when I saw this on a menu at a restaurant I knew it was something I wanted to try to duplicate at home.

It really couldn't be simplier and its really tasty. Its nice to have a veggie option that my husband will eat. I think the sweetness of the corn and the creaminess of the cheese really made this something I would make again.

I love new twists on old favorites.

Ingredients
1 large flour tortilla

kernel corn off the cob
1 handful of cilantro

diced tomatoes

black beans

diced red peppers

diced jalepenos

diced onions

monterey jack cheese

butter

1. butter one side of a tortilla and place in a non stick pan over medium heat

2. add cheese and allow to melt a bit
3. Add corn, cilantro, red peppers, jalepenos, and onions.

4. fold over and serve with black bean salsa

Spicy Carne Asada Tacos

Aaron's Spicy Carne Asada Tacos

My husband loves tacos from the taco trucks.. so much that he actually made this recipe up for quick at home taco truck tacos...

Ingredients

1 lb carne asada cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup tarasco
2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs red chili flakes
1 red chili - diced
1 cup cilantro - chopped
1/2 cup onions -chopped
1 cup pico de gallo
1/2 lb monterey jack

directions
1. Saute carne asada in a pan season with the spices and the tarasco and let cook until done
2. throw peppers in at the last minute and saute a bit
3. Garnish with pico de gallo, monterey jack, onions and cilantro and serve.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

I've been seeing a BBQ quesadillas all over the place. I thought since I was making quesadillas, I'd try it with half the chicken. It turned out really good. However, my husband said it wasn't very Mexican but it was still good. Whatever, I thought it was good. lol.



Ingredients
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup bbq sauce
2 cups monterey jack or cheddar cheese
4 tortillas
1 pat of butter

1. Season the chicken breast with half the bbq sauce
2. Grill chicken until cooked
3. Cut into pieces and add the rest of the bbq sauce
4. In a skillet over medium heat, add a little bit of butter until melted.
5. Add tortilla and sprinkle with cheese
6. Layer the chicken on top
7. When the chicken melts fold over and remove from heat.
8. Repeat until ingredients are gone
9. Cut into triangles and serve.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

I love quesadillas. They are so easy to make at home. They are really quick and easy very painless to make.


Ingredients
1 chicken breast (per 2 people)
1 sprinkle mexican oregano
1 sprinkle chili pepper
1 light sprinkle cayenne pepper
1 sprinkle garlic powder"
1 sprinkle black pepper
2 cups monterey jack or queso quesadilla
4 soft taco sized flour tortillas
1 pat of butter


1. Season the chicken breast with all the seasoning.
2. Grill chicken until cooked.

3. In a skillet over medium heat, add a little bit of butter until melted.
4. Add tortilla and sprinkle with cheese
5. Layer the chicken on top
6. When the chicken melts fold over and remove from heat.
7. Repeat until ingredients are gone
8. Cut into triangles and serve.

Ultimate Game Day Nachos

Ingredients
1 bag of tortilla chips
1 lb of monterey jack cheese - shredded
1 cup of salsa
3 cups of pico de gallo
shredded meat of your choice - I used spicy shredded beef

1. Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Layer tortilla chips and sprinkle a lot of cheese over the top of the chips.
3. Make sure that the meat is drained of the juices so that the chips don't become soggy. Layer the meat on top of the cheese.
4. Make another layer of chips and cheese on top.
5. Add the rest of meat, sprinkle the cup of salsa around.
6. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted - about 8 - 10 minutes.
7. Add the pico de gallo on top and serve.

Spicy Chipotle Shredded Beef

Ingredients

1.5 lb pot roast

1 onion peeled and quartered

1 small can of green chiles

1 - 7oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 cup fresh cilantro - roughly chopped
5-6 garlic cloves - minced

3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp chili pepper

1 cup water

2 tsp salt

3 tsp ground pepper

1. Liberally salt and pepper the roast and place in crock pot

2. sprinkle the roast with chili pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano and cumin.

3. chop all the veggies and crush the chipotles

4. Put all the veggies into the crock pot

5. Pour in a cup of water

6. Turn crockpot on low for 6-8 hours

Salsa and Cream Cheese Dip

This is probably so old and overdone, but it is so good. There was a point that I had never heard of this.. so maybe there are others like me.

Ingredients

1 - 8oz block of cream cheese - softened
1 - 16 oz container of salsa - any kind the thicker the juice the better

* Cut softened cream cheese in half - lengthwise.
* Place in container
* Pour salsa over cream cheese
* Eat with tortilla chips

Yummy!!

Easy Pico de Gallo

Ingredients
3 tomatoes
1/2 white onion
1 1/2 cups cilantro
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalepeno (optional)

* Chop the tomato, onion, cilantro and garlic
* If using the jalepeno - seed it and finely chop it
* Put into a bowl and stir together
* Add salt and juice of the lemon
* Stir together and enjoy

Black Bean Salsa

I made this for the super bowl. It was really good!

2 - 16 oz cans of black beans
2 - small tomatoes
1 - jalepeno seeded and finely chopped (or more depending on how hot you want it)
1.5 cups fresh cilantro - chopped
juice from 1 lemon or lime
1 teaspoon of salt

*Put black beans into a colander and rinse well under cold water
* Chop tomatoes, jalepeno and cilantro.
* Combine the chopped items with the black beans and stir
* Sprinkle with salt and citrus juice
* Stir well.
* Let salsa sit for about an hour for the flavors to marry.

Chicken Enchiladas

I make chicken enchiladas all the time. My husband loves them. They are pretty easy to do.

I try to make them on sunday nights because my husband likes to take the leftovers with him to work. They are also really good for when you invite company over.

This is a good dish to make if you don't mind getting your hands dirty.

Ingredients
1 can of enchilada sauce
2 chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and in sauce
1 lb of monterey jack - shredded
8 flour tortillas
optional additions: sliced black olives, sour cream

1. Set up an enchilada making station - 1 bowl of enchilada sauce (big enough to completely cover the flour tortillas when dipped), shredded cheese, shredded chicken and a greased 9x13 baking pan
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
3. Completely immerse the tortillas into the sauce and place them in the pan.
4. Fill the tortillas with shredded chicken and cheese, and roll them up
5. Line the rolled enchiladas in the pan until you can't fit anymore in.

6. Cover the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce
7. Dump the rest of the cheese on top
8. If you are using olives, sprinkle them on top
9. Place the pan in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted (about 20-25 minutes)

Crockpot Enchilada Chicken

Normally what I do when I cook enchilada is - put some chicken in a pot with some chicken broth and simmer until cooked. Then when its done, I just shred it with a fork, pour enchilada sauce over the top.

I thought I would try this to see if it was easier. It was a lot easier. The chicken just fell apart when I touched it, so I didnt really have to do anything to it. It tasted the same too.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts - frozen
1 large can enchilada sauce
1 can diced tomatoes

1. Put chicken in crockpot pour enchilada sauce and tomatoes over the top
2. Set on low for 4 hours

Product Rave: Tortilla Land Uncooked Tortillas

We bought these at Costco. They were in the refridgerated section by the pastas.

We weren't sure how they would freeze, but we hoped they would. It says on the packet that once the packet is opened, to use all the tortillas in 20 days. I wasn't sure if we could eat 44 tortillas in 20 days. So when we got home, I split them into packets of 6 and 8 tortillas, put them in gallon freezer bags and put them in the freezer.

I left a bag in the refridgerator. The next morning I cooked some up with some eggs and bacon and made breakfast burritos.

The packet says to cook on medium heat. So I put them in a skillet and browned them up. It took about a minute or two per tortilla, so it was pretty time consuming, but the end product was worth it. Soft, moist, warm and really yummy.

Taco Stuffed Shells

I have to admit that I am always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to cook my husband's favorite cuisine: tacos and really all mexican food in general. The only thing that he knows how to make other than things on the grill is tacos. He loves tacos so much that he figured out how to make them. That says a lot - it really does.

When I first proposed this recipe while walking around the grocery store, my husband did not seem impressed? Pasta and tacos? baked salsa? cream cheese? I could practically see him mapping his escape once dinner was done and declared completely disgusting - believe me its happened once or twice. There was the disasterous cornflake chicken incident.. which he likes to bring up every now and then when I suggest new recipes.

This was really good... surprisingly my husband had not only seconds.. but thirds. So much for the planned escape... in fact we have no leftovers. Surprisingly. I had figured that I would at least have lunch for tomorrow.

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
4 oz cream cheese (half a small container)
15 jumbo pasta shells (we made about half a box of jumbo shells)
1 jar of salsa
1 cup taco sauce
2 cups cheese (any kind you want - we used monterey jack)
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• In a pot of salted water, cook jumbo shells plus a couple of extra incase they fall apart.
• When cooked, drain them and set them out apart on a piece of foil so that they don't stick together to cool (make sure the foil is large enough to fit and cover the 9x13 pan - you will be reusing it)







• In a pan, brown ground beef, and add taco seasoning according to the directions on the packet. When finished set aside to cool
• Add cream cheese over low heat and stir until melted and blended in with the ground beef
  



• Pour the jar of salsa on the bottom of a 9x13 pan





• Stuff the shells with the meat mix and place them in the pan face up.





• Drizzle the taco sauce over the shells.
• Cover with the now empty foil piece and bake for 30 minutes
• After 30 minutes, uncover and cover with cheese.





• Bake for another 10 - 15 minutes
• Sprinkle tops of shells with italian seasoning

Serve immediately and enjoy. I know we did!

Spicy Shredded Pork

I found this recipe for spicy shredded pork somewhere online. It sounded good. My husband and I love Mexican. Usually when we make tacos, we cut up carne asada or use hamburger. Carnitas is something we eat when we are out. It looks easy enough.

I need some more Mexican recipes. My husband love Mexican food. I'm sure if he had to choose one cuisine to live off of, Mexican would be it.

Ingredients
4-7 pound Pork Shoulder Roast
1 medium sized onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 to 4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vinegar
Lime wedges (for garnish)

• Peel and quarter a medium sized onion and three to four garlic cloves
  
  
  
  
• Put the garlic cloves, onion, all of the spices and the vinegar into a food processor





• Turn the food processor on to create a chunky paste





• Wash the pork shoulder
• Rub the paste all over the shoulder.
• Pour 1 to 2 cups of water into the bottom of a crock pot.
• Place the pork roast into the crock pot and pour the rest of the paste over the top





• Turn the crock pot onto low and cook for 6 to 8 hours occasionally basting the roast with the juice at the bottom. Also check periodically towards the end to make sure that the water has not evaporated.


• When there is about an hour to go, break the pork roast up so that it will simmer in the juices.



• Scoop the meat out and place on a platter, garnish with avocado slices and lime wedges. If you want you can drizzle lime juice over the top.

Optional: If you want the roast to come out spicier - add some red chili flakes or some hot sauce to the food processor.