Beef Enchiladas

My husband and I LOVE this chicken enchilada recipe so much! We use it at least once a month. This time, I thought I would try something new by making a similar recipe with beef roast instead. I also had a recipe for red enchilada sauce that I have been meaning to try out for quite a while. This was the perfect opportunity. And they turned out great - we liked them just as much as we like the chicken ones, and definitely plan on making them again.

2 lb chuck roast

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup red onions, chopped

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Chili powder, to taste

Cumin, to taste

Oregano, to taste

Coriander, to taste

Garlic powder, to taste

Onion powder, to taste

1/2 cup beef broth

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine roast and seasonings in a slow cooker and allow to cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Adjust cooking time if the roast is frozen. When roast has finished cooking, remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 green pepper, chopped

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Uncooked tortillas

1 recipe red enchilada sauce, or 1 can enchilada sauce

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Black olives

Preheat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions, green pepper and garlic for 3-4 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add diced tomatoes, cilantro, salt and pepper and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in shredded beef. Spoon into tortillas and roll. Place in a 9x13" pan and top with enchilada sauce, cheese and olives. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes.

Classic Meat Lasagna

I wanted to post something amazing for my first recipe of 2012. I actually have a number of other dishes that I have made over the past several days, but I am glad that I procrastinated updating the blog because this one was truly incredible. My husband actually gave it a 10 without me even asking what he thought.

We are really big fans of Stouffer's lasagna. In fact, we were pretty sure that no homemade lasagna could even compare. Besides, why spend hours in the kitchen when you can get one that tasted that good from the frozen foods section at the grocery store? Well, I thought I would go out on a limb and try making my own and I think it actually tops Stouffer's. The best part is that it wasn't nearly as time consuming as I had feared - especially because I prepared it in advanced and stored it in the refrigerator until baking time. It was HUGE so we froze half of it right off the bat and we still had a couple of meals of leftovers. If you are baking for 2 or 4, you may want to cut this recipe in half and make it in a square pan rather than a 9x13.

Sauce:

1/2 - 1 lb ground sausage

1 lb ground beef

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 - 2 24 oz jars pasta sauce (I used Prego)

Ricotta Mixture:

16 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz cottage cheese

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp oregano

16 lasagna noodles, prepared according to directions on package

1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large pan, cook meat, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is browned and onion is soft. Add Italian seasoning, basil, and pasta sauce and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer while lasagna noodles are boiling and while you are stirring the cheese mixture together in a medium bowl.

To assemble, spread about 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a deep 9x13" pan. Top with 4 lasagna noodles (3 will fit, but I used 4 and overlapped them a bit). Spread ricotta mixture over top of noodles, top with mozzarella cheese and another layer of meat sauce, then 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat layers and top with remaining mozarella and Parmesan cheese. This should be enough for 4 layers, although the pan might only fit 3.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes. 

Chicken and Rice

This is another super simple dinner that my mom often made when I was growing up. She didn't usually fry the chicken first, from what I can remember, but I thought it was a nice touch. The chicken is always good - tender and moist - but my favorite part by far is the rice. It has such a great flavor. I love the texture too. So I guess this is kind of a comfort food for me. One thing to remember is that this dinner needs to be prepared in advance - it only takes a few minutes to put it together but it bakes for nearly two hours! Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups rice (not instant)

9 pieces chicken

3 cans cream soups (usually cream of chicken and cream of mushroom)

1 cup milk

Mix soups, milk and rice together and spread in a 9x13" pan. Top with chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

*Optional: coat the chicken with a thin layer of flour and fry in olive oil so that the surface is crispy and golden. It doesn't need to be cooked all the way through. 

Tater Tot Casserole

Okay, so this isn't the best picture ever. In all honesty, I think it would be difficult to take a picture that made this dish look good. Nevertheless, it actually is. This is a dinner that I really liked when I was little, so I guess it is kind of like comfort food for me. It is very simple to make and doesn't take very long. Maybe it isn't the type of dinner that I would make for guests, but I love it for a chill evening at home with the family.

1 32 oz. package frozen tater tots

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

1 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. Preheat a skillet on medium-high. Cook beef and onion together until beef is brown and onions are tender. Add soups, sour cream, and seasonings to taste. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Pour tater tots into a 9x13" casserole dish. Top with beef mixture and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until tater tots are warm all the way through.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

  

These are the Chicken Enchiladas that my mom made for us growing up. They were one of my favorite foods; it wasn't until I got older that it started to bother me that people considered them to be "Mexican food" even though I'm pretty sure they don't even sell Cream of Chicken soup in Mexico. So, even though they aren't Mexican at all, I still really like them and make them sometimes for my family.

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

1 4 oz can chopped green chilis (optional)

3-4 green onions, chopped

1 can sliced black olives

1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese
4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into small pieces
10-12 flour tortillas

Combine ingredients except for tortillas and chicken in a mixing bowl. Remove 2 cups of mixture and add to chicken. Fill tortillas with a few heaping spoonfuls of chicken mixture. Roll and place in a 9x13" casserole pan.

Spoon the remaining mixture over tortillas and sprinkle shredded cheese over top. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

 

This is another one of my favorites from my childhood. I have always loved broccoli and hated mayonnaise. Surprisingly, even though this casserole has mayo, I still really like it - as long as I don't think about the fact that it is in there. When we eat it, we like to mix in the rice, not just leave it as a side dish. 

Recipe yield: at least 8 servings - for a smaller family, cut this recipe in half (or freeze the leftovers)

20 oz pkg. frozen broccoli cuts

4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Curry powder (the American kind - not the Indian kind)

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup milk

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Paprika

Cook broccoli; drain and place in 9x13" pan. Top with cubed chicken and sprinkle with a generous amount of curry powder. In a separate bowl mix the soup, mayonnaise, milk, and cheese and pour over chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Baked Chicken Bacon Alfredo

I saw a dish similar to this on the menu of one of our local restaurants and it looked great (although I didn't actually taste it) and I decided that I could try making my own version of it at home. We tried the whole experiment and invited some friends over to eat it. It was a big hit with everyone and it is definitely something I can see becoming a family favorite. This recipe makes enough to serve 6-8 people and filled two of the casserole dishes pictured above.

Ingredients:
12 oz pasta (penne, rotini, rotelle, etc)
4 cups Alfredo sauce (see recipe in sauce section of blog)
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 lb bacon, cut into small pieces
12 oz grilled chicken, cut into small pieces
6-8 oz Canadian bacon, small triangle shaped slices
3-5 oz sun-dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces (optional)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Add pasta to boiling water; while pasta is boiling cook Alfredo sauce (double recipe in sauces section of this blog). Drain pasta and split into two casserole dishes (this would also fit well into a 9x13" pan) mix in Alfredo sauce, mushrooms, onion, bacon, chicken, Canadian bacon, and sun-dried tomatoes. Top with shredded mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until top begins to turn golden. I put the oven on broil for the last few minutes.

Pastitsio

This past week I found a big sale on ground beef so I stocked up and decided to do a little research to find some new recipes. This is a traditional Greek dish and is usually made with ziti pasta but I just used what we had in the house - rotini (I love the shape). I have only had Greek food a few times in my life and was a little skeptical at first about the cinnamon and nutmeg but I was pleasantly surprised.

8 oz ziti pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 cups milk
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
3 eggs

Cook pasta, drain, and return to pan. In a skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat loses its pinkness and onion is soft; drain excess fat. Stir in green pepper, tomatoes, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes and set aside.

In a saucepan melt butter then mix in flour a little at a time. Add milk until desired thickness. Add parmesan cheese and stir to melt. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Remove from heat. In another bowl mix eggs with a whisk. Then add egg mixture to white sauce.

In a 13x9" casserole dish layer half of the pasta. Spoon meat mixture over pasta and cover with the second half of pasta. Pour cream sauce over top and sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese over everything. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.