Crunchy Taco Bake

Servings: 8

We were under a tornado warning all day.  It was dark and dreary so I turned to the pantry for a dinner fix, as it wasn't at all a good day to travel to the grocery store!  We really enjoy taco night and I had an Old El Paso Stand 'N Stuff Taco dinner kit that I used as the base for this recipe.  Playing in the kitchen is one of my favorite things (can you tell?)  This was fun to make, easy,  beautiful, and oh so yummy!  I served it with a tossed salad and that was supper!  This is versatile; you can omit onions and olives.  You can add bell peppers and garlic.  You can try it with different beans (I'm going to try black beans next time), and add the corn or not.  I really liked the end result.  It's going into my "Keeper" file!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Stand ‘n Stuff Taco Dinner Kit (Old El Paso)

    (kit includes 10 taco shells, seasoning mix, and taco sauce)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup water

1 can refried beans (I used no fat version)

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained

1 can corn kernels, drained

1 cup sour cream (I used low fat)

1 small can sliced black olives

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

Handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in half

Handful of shredded lettuce

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

·         Add olive oil and onion to large skillet and cook over medium heat until onion is tender.

·         Add ground beef and cook until beef is browned and crumbly. (Use potato masher to break beef into small crumbs).  Add the water and taco seasoning (from the kit) and continue to cook a few more minutes until thickened. 

·         Stir in the packet of taco sauce (from the kit), refried beans, diced tomatoes with green chilis, and corn; continue to cook until well combined and heated through.

·         Lightly spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

·         Break 5 of the taco shells into pieces and place in the dish.

·         Cover with the beef mixture.

·         Drop (or dollop) sour cream randomly over the beef mixture.

·         Crumble remaining 5 taco shells to cover.

·         Sprinkle black olives and shredded cheese on top.

·         Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

·         Remove from oven and garnish with grape tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

·         Serve and let the smiles begin.

Chicken and Noodles Two Ways

Comforting Chicken and Noodles Two Ways

It has been cold, cloudy, rainy, and even a little wintry around here for the last week or so.  With a fire in the fireplace and warm cozy socks, what could be better than a comforting bowl of chicken and noodles?  Not much!  This recipe uses convenience items and makes enough to feed a crowd!  There were just two of us, so for  "round two", I mad enough to make a large casserole dish of chicken noodle bake.  

Chicken and Noodles:

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded (about 3 cups cooked chicken)

1 quart chicken broth (I used reduced sodium broth)

1 can reduced sodium chicken broth

1 package frozen mixed vegetables

1 can cream of celery soup (low sodium)

1 can cream of chicken soup (low sodium)

2 teaspoons herbes de provence

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 24-ounce package frozen Reames egg noodles

DIRECTIONS:

In large stock pan, add olive oil, onions, and celery and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

Add chicken, broth, soups, pepper and herbes de provence and stir to combine.

Heat until almost a boil and then add the frozen noodles.

Continue to cook over medium heat until noodles are done, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve in bowls, accompanied by a tossed green salad and fresh bread

This makes quite a bit, so for round two:

Chicken Noodle Bake:

Put the leftover mixture in a greased casserole dish and top with rice krispies topping:

  Mix together 1 ½ cups rice krispies and 4 tablespoons melted butter

  You can also top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Both recipes are something to smile about!

Grits and Gumbo Tarts

(adapted from Southern Living)

Makes about  3 dozen

It's time for another grits recipe!  Grits and gumbo are two of my favorite things!  These tasty morsels are similar to the shrimp and grits tarts recipe that is on this blog; but with the addition of sausage, okra and creole seasoning, they are quite different and very yummy.  Made in the mini muffin pans, they are perfect appetizer portions.  The next time I made these, I plan to make them as an entree for Sunday supper in a regular size muffin pan.  Yep, they are that good! They garnered rave reviews from a recent President's Day dinner party, so give them a try!  

INGREDIENTS:

36 peeled, medium-size raw shrimp

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 cup uncooked regular grits

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Cajun/Creole seasoning

4 tablespoons butter, divided

½ cup finely chopped andouille sausage (or kielbasa)

½ cup finely diced green bell pepper

½ cup finely diced red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

36 pieces frozen breaded okra, cooked

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

36 (4-inch) wooden skewers (soak them in water for 30 minutes)

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

·         Bring broth and milk to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Gradually whisk in grits, black pepper, and salt and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until chickened.

·         Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; add sausage, green pepper, onion, and garlic and saute about 5 to 6 minutes. 

·         Stir sausage mixture into cooked grits.

·         Spoon 1 rounded Tablespoonful grits mixture into each of 3 lightly greased 12-cup miniature muffin pans, pressing lightly.

·         Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and make an indentation in center of each tart, using back of a spoon.   Cool completely in pans for at least 30 minutes.  Remove the tarts from the pans; place in a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan.

·         Cook okra, according to package directions (you won’t need the entire package) and place on paper towel lined plate to drain.

·         Melt remaining 1 Tablespoon butter in small skillet over medium-high heat; add shrimp and 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning.  Saute 3 to 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

·         Thread 1 okra slice and 1 shrimp onto each skewer; place 1 skewer on each tart.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes, just until warm and serve immediately.