Taco Joe aka Taco Chili

Taco Joe aka Taco Chili
Source: GroceryBudget101.com

1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can Fire Roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 cup diced onion (I left this out)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
*For chili add 1 (29 oz) can diced tomatoes

Combine all ingredients and cook over low heat until flavors combine. Can also be cooked on low in a slow cooker.

Serve over brown rice, in whole wheat tortillas, with tortilla chips or corn bread.

*****

Everyone declared this recipe a keeper. I honestly expected my oldest daughter to take one bite and turn up her nose, but she did the opposite. She took one bite and declared that she loved it. She and I ate ours like a dip with tortilla chips. My husband ate his on whole wheat tortillas, and my three year old son at his with a spoon (with cornbread and tortilla chips as a side).

The only thing I might do differently next time is just to use a can of petite diced tomatoes instead of the fire roasted tomatoes. No real reason for the possible swap other than to see how it turns out.


Please excuse the almost empty looking pot. I forgot to take a picture until after we ate dinner. The picture is also deceiving because there was a lot more leftover than it looks like.

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole
Source: Taste of Home

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed golden mushroom soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 pkg. (20 oz) frozen crinkle-cut french fries

1. Brown the ground beef; drain off fat.
2. Stir in soups (undiluted) with ground beef. Pour mixture into two greased 8x8-inch pans (or one 9x13-inch).
3. Arrange french fries on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 50-55 minutes or until the fries are golden brown.

Makes 4-8 servings. (Each 8x8 pan = 4 servings; 9x13 pan = 8 servings.)

To freeze: cover tightly with foil. Label and freeze.

To cook after freezing: Preheat oven to 350*. Bake approximately 60-90 minutes, uncovered, until the fries are golden brown.


For bulk cooking:

4 lbs. ground beef
2 cans (10-3/4 oz) condensed golden mushroom soup
2 cans (10-3/4 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 pkg. (5 lb) frozen crinkle-cut french fries

Cook as above and divide into four 8x8-inch pans or two 9x13-inch pans.



10 lbs. ground beef
5 cans (10-3/4 oz) condensed golden mushroom soup
5 cans (10-3/4 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup
2 pkg. (5 lb) frozen crinkle-cut french fries

Cook as above and divide into ten 8x8-inch pans or six 9x13-inch pans.

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna
Source: Taste of Home

2 lbs. ground beef
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 tbsp. hot salsa
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided
9 lasagna noodles
1 jar (16 ounces) mild salsa
2 cups water

1. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, chilies, taco seasoning and hot salsa.
2. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer a third of the noodles and meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice.
3. Combine mild salsa and water; pour over top. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until heated through.
4. Top remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 12 servings.

*****

I served this with a little bit of sour cream and some diced tomatoes. This was pretty good. We'll definitely be having it again, but will be splitting this in half and baking in an 8x8-inch pan instead. It's just way too much for our family right now.

Basic Chili

This is a recipe that I copied out of my mom's personal recipes. I can't remember where she got it from (since I just marked that it was my mom's recipe), but I do remember that it was on a recipe card taped in her cookbook and that she had had the recipe forever (or close to it). It's a very basic recipe that can be tweaked in so many different ways. I pretty much make it as-is but I do add more chili powder to it normally. I also let mine simmer in the crock pot instead of on the stove top as the recipe originally called for. I think it turns out great either way as long as you let it simmer long enough. I just prefer the hands off (no stirring) crock pot method instead. Oh, and I don't wait to add in the kidney beans, I always add them in with everything else, and I haven't had them turn to mush on me yet.


Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
2 cups diced onion (or two onions, diced)
2 cups diced green pepper (or two green peppers, diced)
2 cans (28 oz. each) tomatoes
2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
4 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne red pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 cans (15-1/2 oz. each) kidney beans, drained

1. In large skillet, cook and stir meat, onion and green pepper until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid) and remaining ingredients except kidney beans.
2. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in kidney beans; heat through.

Makes 8 or 10 servings.


Smaller version (less meaty):

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup onion, diced (or one onion, diced)
1 cup green pepper, diced (or one green pepper, diced)
2 cans (28 oz. each) tomatoes, petite diced
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne red pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika
2 cans (15-1/2 oz each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Pizza Bake

Pizza Bake
Source: Six Sisters' Stuff

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (6 oz.) pkg. sliced turkey pepperoni, cut into quarter pieces
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese***
12 oz. mini penne noodles, cooked
15 oz. pizza sauce
26 oz. spaghetti sauce

Brown meat, onion and pepper in frying pan. Drain grease and add pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce. *Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot (spray with non-stick spray first). Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes and then LOW for 2 or 3 hours until the cheese melts.

*This can also be baked in the oven. I divided mine into two 8x8 pans (this was pushing it because they were both filled to the MAX), covered and baked for about 30-45 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

**This recipe makes a HUGE batch and is easily two meals. We baked one pan, and the other pan went into the freezer for later. There is still over half of a pan left after eating dinner.

***I forgot to add this in, and it wasn't missed. I'll probably add it in the next time I make it though to see how we like it when it's more cheesy.

Beef & Black Bean Tostizzas

For the second night in a row, Semi Homemade Mom was the source of our dinner tonight.

Beef & Black Bean Tostizzas

1.5 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
15oz can black beans
1 cup salsa
2 cans Pillsbury Grands rolls (Southern Style)
Shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef and drain off fat. Return to pan and add taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Cool slightly. Add salsa and drained black beans, mix well.

On ungreased cookie sheets (I used parchment paper for easier clean up) press out each Grands roll to an approx. 4.5 inch circle. I fit four on each cookie sheet, and cooked them in two batches (two cookie sheets at a time).

Top each flattened roll with two heaping tablespoonfuls of the beef filling leaving 1/4 in. edge around. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until rolls are brown on the edges and cheese is melted.

Place on wire racks to cool completely while you assemble 2nd batch of tostizzas and bake. Once cool, wrap each individually in foil and place 4 at a time in a freezer bag.

My thoughts:
My family really liked this recipe. I loved the ease of making it, and it tasted great. My daughter, who is the "Don't mess with my tacos!" type, loved it and requested it to be added to her recipe book. The toddler didn't eat his, but he wasn't hungry at all. Even the husband, who is sick with a cold, really enjoyed it. We all ate ours differently. I topped mine with chopped tomatoes, diced jalapenos and a small amount of sour cream. The husband topped his with guacamole, and the daughter ate hers as-is.

The recipe made eight (oops, I can't count) sixteen tostizzas and three large burritos. Yum, yum, yum!

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

What sold me on trying this recipe, was the picture that I saw on Semi Homemade Mom.

(Image borrowed from Semi Homemade Mom because her picture was the key to making my mouth water!)

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

1 lb ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I used a little more to taste)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
pepper and salt to taste
5 flour tortillas (the larger ones)
shredded cheddar cheese
sliced tomatoes
yellow mustard

Brown ground beef in large skillet and drain. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dried onion, and salt and pepper to the beef and simmer for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle shredded cheese down center of each tortilla. Add a few heaping tablespoons of the beef mixture on top of the cheese. Spread some mustard on top of the beef along with some slices of tomato. Roll up tortilla burrito-style and place wraps on preheated indoor grill (I used my George Foreman).

Grill wraps for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Cut on a diagonal and serve immediately.

My verdict:
I ended up making only four wraps with ours since I went a little heavy on the meat in the two that I made for my husband. His verdict on this recipe was that he liked it. My two year old son ate half of one pretty quickly. My daughter (who doesn't eat burgers) took a couple of bites to try it out and then declared that she didn't like it. No big surprise there since she won't eat a burger, ever. I thought it was pretty good, but I think I'll use ground turkey next time, since I rarely eat a burger that's not a turkey burger. Another option is to cook your normal burgers, and then cut it in half and proceed with the rest of the recipe (layering in the tortilla). I do think I'll try using sliced American cheese next time too. This recipe was really easy to make, and was pretty yummy.

We topped ours depending upon our personal tastes. I didn't use any lettuce on any wraps since I never eat lettuce on sandwiches, and lettuce hasn't been agreeing with me lately either. I put ketchup and mustard on the one for the kids, and the same for mine, but I also added tomato and pickles on my wrap and served it with a little mayonnaise on my plate. For the hubs, I made one like mine and one with his choice of "sauce" along with tomato. All were quite yummy.

*The meat for this recipe can be cooked in bulk and frozen for quick prep in the future.

Cheesy Ziti

I ended up with this recipe off of a cooking board I belong to, but somehow no one on there seems to know who/where the orginal source of the recipe is. This recipe is extremely simple and absolutely delishious! Warning though, it does make a very large batch. The next time I make this dish, I will be dividing it into two containers - one to eat and one to freeze for later.

Cheesy Ziti

2-1/2 jars spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu Chucky Garden)
1 lb. ziti (or any small) noodles (I used mini penne)
1 lb. ground beef
15 oz. ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (I used ricotta)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 packet Italian seasoning (This is the dry dressing packet. You can also use a lasagna seasoning packet instead, but the Italian gives it a certain zest.)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a small bowl mix ricotta, egg, Italian seasoning and parmesan; set aside. Brown ground beef and drain off fat. Add sauce and noodles to ground beef; mix well. Spoon half of noodle mixture into greased (I always forget to grease the pans and it doesn't seem to matter)13x9-inch** dish. Spread ricotta mixture over noodles. Top with remaining pasta mixture. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until warmed throughout and cheese is melted.

*Next time I make this, I'm going to use another recipe as a guide and add in 2-1/2 cups of fresh spinach when I do the ricotta cheese layer before topping with the rest of the pasta.

**I now make this and bake it in 8x8 pans instead of the 9x13-inch pans. For our family of four, the 9x13 pan left us with way too many leftovers. So I bake one pan and freeze the second pan for a later meal. To cook from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed above. You may have to bake for slightly longer to be sure it warmed throughout.