Tater Tot Taco Casserole

This is yummy and really quick. Everyone really liked it.

TATER TOT TACO BAKE 1 lb ground beef
*1 small onion (diced)
*1 garlic clove (minced)
*1 small can black olives (sliced)
*1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (or make your own!!)
*1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn
*1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)
*1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
*1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend 
*1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
*1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.
Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.

Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. :)

Cheeseburger Casserole

I got this yummy dinner from my good friend Alisa. I was impressed that my two light eaters asked for seconds.  Those two hardly ever do. I was also that my one son ate it since it is full of tomatoes. He ate it and wanted more. This is easy and has few ingredients that are usually on hand.  Next time I think I will add some veggies to it but it is fine the way it is.

Cheeseburger casserole  

 * 1lb ground beef  

 * 1 medium onion, chopped  

 * 1 28oz can diced tomatoes 

 * 1Tbsp Worcestershire sauce  

 * 1 tsp dried oregano   

 * 1/2 tsp garlic powder  

 * salt & pepper to taste  

 * 12 oz med-wide egg noodles  

 * 2 cups shredded cheese 

 

 Brown hamburger with onions. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.

 

Cook Noodles according to package. Combine and stir in cheese. You could even add a little cheese to the top and toss it in the oven until it gets melty. 

 

I know this may sound weird, but I added just a bit of pickle juice to my serving. Tasted just like a cheeseburger. :)

Drunken Pork Chops

I am not a huge fan of pork, but this recipe is so stinkin good! It is probably one of my new favorites.


Drunken Pork Chops

5-6 pork chops (I have used bone in and boneless, I prefer boneless)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle of beer (I have tried dark beer, and lighter beer, and the BEST was Coors!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Season pork with salt and pepper, and just brown both sides. Do NOT cook all the way thru.

Combine beer, ketchup and brown sugar and pour over chops and simmer for 45 minuets. Remove pork from skillet and thicken the sauce. Combine 1\4 c water with 1 T of cornstarch in a small cup and pour in sauce and stir until just thick. Put chops back in and flip to coat.

I serve this with mashed potatoes. So good!!

Crock-pot Pork Chops and Taters

I haven't blogged for a while..... It's summer, it's hot, and I don't feel like cooking!!  That is why I LOVE my crock-pot. This is a recipe I found in a crock-pot recipe book. I chose it because it only had a few ingredients, and it ended up being one of my favorite recipes, even tho I am not generally a pork fan.




 Crock-Pot Pork Chops and Taters

 6-8 boneless pork chops
3-4 (ish) pounds of potatoes ( I like to use either red or yellow potatoes)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
Pepper to taste

~ Just throw everything in your crock-pot and cook 6 hours on low. YUM!
~ If you really aren't a fan of pork, chicken can be substituted. Still YUM!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is a pseudo knock-off of Minsky's BBQ Chicken Pizza. My friend told me once to order it, and have them put cream cheese on it. It sounded questionable, but I did and LOVED it.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
2 c. shredded chicken
2 c. BBQ sauce (I use KC Masterpiece original)
1/2 c. cilantro ; chopped
1/4 red onion ; chopped
2 c. mozzarella cheese
cream cheese
pizza crust of your choice

I like to put chicken and bbq sauce in the crock pot and let it cook for several hours.
Spread cream cheese on pizza crust.
Top with cilantro

 Spread chicken and BBQ mixture

 Top with cheese and bake!  YUM!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Yum Yum. I made these last night for dinner and they were a HUGE hit. They are one of my favorite new recipes that I have tried lately. They will definitely be thrown in rotation.


Creamy Chicken Taquitos


1/3 cup (3 oz.) cream cheese; softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 T lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
3 Tb chopped cilantro
2 cups rotisserie chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
Flour tortillas


Mix together cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, and spices in a bowl. Pour over chicken. Add cheese and cilantro. Mix all together and spread in tortillas. Roll and spray lightly with cooking spray (I used butter flavor)
Bake 15 minuets @ 425.

Italian Beef Roast

From my Mother-In-Law. Oh so yummy!!


Italian Beef Roast
2-3 lb roast (the cheaper the better)
1 packet of ZESTY Italian dressing mix (make sure it's zesty or it won't taste right)
1 jar of pepperoncini, juice too
1 can of beef broth (I use the lower sodium because of the whole jar of peppers)

Throw all of this in the crock pot on low in the morning and it will be ready for supper time. I take out the peppers and toss them and open a new jar to have with my sandwich. NUMMY I serve it on Italian bread.

One Skillet Lasagna

I never used to like lasagna, and I couldn't figure out why. I love pasta. I love red sauce. So what's the deal with lasagna. Then I finally figured out that it's because I don't like the cheese on top. I don't like cheese when it's been baked and starts to brown and you pick it up and like the whole thing comes with it. ICK! (Although it doesn't bother me with pizza?? Man I am a strange duck!)

Then, I found a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. It is FULL of cheese, however its all under the sauce. Brilliant!! I love lasagna now! It's so cheesy and melty and good. There are a few things I do differently, but you get the basics. It. Is. So. Good!

I will admit, that I am a lasagna cheater. I almost always use oven ready noodles. Why? Because I was interested once and tried it and found that I couldn't really tell the difference, so why not save me a step. Anyhoo.... I found a recipe for One Skillet Lasagna. It is a faster version of lasagna and you only dirty one pan. Whooo hooo! The recipe specifically recommends to NOT use oven ready noodles, but I did because that is all I had. I thought it turned out just fine, and everyone wanted seconds!

One Skillet Lasagna

oil for saute
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 t. salt
1 lb. ground hamburger (or any meat of your choosing)
10 lasagna noodles broken into pieces (uncooked)
3 cans of whole tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 1/2 t basil
1 1/2 t. oregano
pepper to taste
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. Ricotta cheese

Place tomatoes in a blender and pulse for a few seconds.
Heat oil. Add onion and salt, satue until softened. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Add meat and brown. (I recommend using lean meat, so that no draining is necessary so you don't lose all that yummy goodness.)

After meat is browned, place broken noodles on top. Pour tomatoes on top. Add basil, oregano and pepper. Cover and simmer 20 minuets or so until noodles are cooked. Add mossarella and Parmesan cheese. Stir gently until melted. Add ricotta cover to let it melt. Serve and Enjoy!