Chile Colorado Burritos

Original Photo and Recipe

Nom nom nom nom.... easy and tasty and meaty.

Chile Colorado Burritos 

Makes 5-7 burritos, depending on how full you make them.

Approx. 700 calories per burrito (1/6 recipe)

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)
• 1 large can mild (red) enchilada sauce* (at least 19 oz.)
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1/2 can refried beans (optional)
• 5-7 burrito size flour tortillas
• 1 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce*** into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours**, or until meat is very tender. (Can also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours.)  I've also cooked it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees.  More meat, more time.  A third option is to cook it in a large heavy saucepan--bring it to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.  If you go with a method other than the crock pot, make sure the pot is covered and pretty well sealed to minimize evaporation of the liquid.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired. Heat up refried beans in the microwave (covered and in a microwave-proof dish, of course)and put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla.  Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito (hopefully you know how to roll these). Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.

Beef Enchilada Bake

Original Photo and Recipe

I took the advice of my friend, the original pinner of this recipe, and cooked the meat in taco seasoning, which is a must.

Beef Enchilada Bake
Serves: 4
Approx. 890 calories per serving

 

• 1 pound lean ground beef
  
• 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
  
• 1 1/4 cups (8 oz.) cubed VELVEETA (1/2-inch cubes), divided
  
• 6 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut in half
  
• 1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL® Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

HEAT oven to 350 degrees F.

BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in soup and 1 cup VELVEETA.

SPOON 1/3 of the meat mixture into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with 6 tortilla halves and 1/4 cup RO*TEL®. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat mixture, RO*TEL® and VELVEETA; cover.

BAKE 25 min. or until heated through.

Sausage and Pepper Rigatoni

Not an actual picture of the recipe, I didn't take one, but it basically looks like this haha.

I didn't have a recipe, I just worked with what I had.  It was tasty and easy, and definitely a good twist on just using plain ol' chuck.

Sausage and Pepper Rigatoni
Serves: 6-8
Calories: About 485 in 1/8

12 oz frozen onion and 3 pepper mix from Kroger
16 oz rigatoni
16 oz hot breakfast sausage roll
48 oz (2 jars) of pasta sauce, I used Classico's Italian Sausage flavor
8 slices of provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package.  Drain and return to the pot.

In a large skillet, break up and brown the sausage and the frozen onions and peppers (takes about as long as the pasta to cook).  Drain, add to drained pasta pot.  Add both jars of sauce, stir all together.

Pour into 9x13 casserole dish.  Cover with slices of cheese.  Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Stovetop Chili Mac

Original photo and recipe

This was pretty good, way better than say a hamburger helper type meal.  It needed to grow a pair and spice it up (apparently Martha Stewart like bland food)... so here is my modified version below.


Stovetop Chili Mac
Serves:  4
Calories:  About 600 per serving

Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz rigatoni or other tube-shaped pasta
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced small
12 oz ground beef chuck (85 percent lean)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1 small zucchini, diced medium
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon sugar
2+ ounces cheddar, grated (3/4 cup)

 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent, 3 minutes.

 

Increase heat to medium-high, add beef, and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add spices and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add corn and zucchini and cook until zucchini is crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice and sugar, bring to a simmer, and cook until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide pasta among four bowls, top with meat sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

Lazy Sunday Casserole

Original photo and recipe

I really liked this, Matt said he isn't that into meat and potato dishes.

Lazy Sunday Casserole
Serves: 4
Calories:  About 450 per serving

4 sausages (beef or pork)  (I used hot italian sausages)
1 pound potatoes  (I used redskins)
1/2 pound carrots
1/2 bell pepper
1 large onion
1 fennel bulb  (omitted, used mushrooms)
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp oil
freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut each potato in four pieces. (I left the skins on)
Peel one large or two smaller onions and cut them in wedges.
Remove the base and stalks of the fennel, and turn that one into wedges as well.  (omitted, added large mushroom slices)
Slice 1/2 to 1 bell pepper in strips. (I also added some green peppers)
Grab a couple handfuls of baby carrots, or peel and cut a couple regular carrots

Place everything in a big roasting tray.  Use a big bowl to combine the oil with the Italian herbs, grated or chopped garlic, and chicken broth.  Pour over your veggies and toss them around a bit.
Season with a generous amount of salt (kosher salt would be great) and cracked black pepper.

Cover the tray with aluminum foil and pop it in a preheated oven. Bake at 450F (225C) for 45 minutes.
That gives you plenty time to brown the sausages. No need to cook them all the way through, just lightly brown them.
Slice each sausage in half.  You can use Italian sausage or any type of flavored sausage.

After 45 minutes the potatoes and vegetables should be fork tender. If they’re not, cover the tray with the foil and pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes. If they are fork tender, place the sausages in there and pour the balsamic vinegar all over. Place the tray back in the oven, uncovered.

Take it out after 15 minutes, flip over those sausages and ladle some of the juices lurking at the bottom all over the vegetables and sausages. Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so, until everything is nice and brown.

Potato Kielbasa Skillet

Original Recipe and Photo

This was easy and pretty tasty.  We'll make this again.  The recipe says 4 servings, but the piggies that we are, that's not entirely accurate haha.

Potato Kielbasa Skillet
Serves:  4
Calories: About 475

1 pound red potatoes, cubed  (About 3 medium sized potatoes)
3 Tbs. water
3/4 lb. smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs. olive oil (or the leftover bacon grease)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups fresh baby spinach 

 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions:  Place cubed potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover bowl with plastic wrap (no need to poke any holes) and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until fork tender; drain.  (Mine took closer to 6 minutes before they were fork-tender).

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, saute kielbasa and onion in oil until onion is tender; about 3-5 minutes.  Add potatoes; saute 3-5 minutes longer or until kielbasa and potatoes are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme, and pepper; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add spinach and bacon; cook and stir until spinach is wilted. 

Mexican Baked Penne

You should definitely make this.  I am also "borrowing" her photo because I am too lazy to take my own photos.  Click the link for the original recipe, my modifications are below (like cutting the recipe in half because I am not cooking for an army).



Mexican Baked Penne
Serves:  6
Approx 410 calories per serving

1/4 pound Garden Delight Radiatore Pasta from Ronzoni
12 oz ground beef
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz frozen veggies (onion and 3 pepper blend from Kroger)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 jars salsa - 16 oz of Chi Chis Thick and Chunky Hot Salsa
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
1.5 cups shredded cheese, I used 'casserole' blend and pepper jack

Preheat oven to 350*.  Boil pasta according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, saute garlic, onions, and peppers in the olive oil over medium~high heat in a large non~stick skillet.  Season ground beef with salt and pepper and add to pan.  Add spices and additional salt and pepper to taste.  Cook ground beef until browned.  Drain and add to a large bowl.  Add the beans, salsa and pasta. Stir to combine.

Spray a 9×13″ (I think mine is a little smaller than this) baking dish with non~stick cooking spray.  Pour half the pasta mixture into the pan.  Top with 1/2 of the cheese cheese.  Cover with remaining pasta.  Then top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is golden.

I topped with some green onions and sour cream... I think it definitely made the dish.

Steak and Potato Salad

Matt insisted I blog this so we remember to make it in the future........Adapted from the Family Circle cookbook.

1 lb red-skin potatoes (3-4 large), cut into 8 pieces each
4 strips bacon
1 small red onion, chopped
1 lb steak, cut into strips
salt
steak seasoning
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 tsp cold water
baby spinach
Crumbled gorgonzola cheese

In a very large pan (I think it is a deep 12" pan), boil some water and throw in potatoes with salt.  Boil for about 15 minutes and drain, set aside.

In the same pan, cook the bacon until crisp, set aside to drain on paper towel.  In the bacon grease, throw in the onion for a minute over medium then add steak strips, season with steak seasoning, for about 2 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

Dump in the honey and vinegar, cook over medium for 2 minutes then add the corn starch solution for a minute.  Add the potatoes, steak, onion, crumbled bacon and stir to coat/warm up everything.

Spoon over a bed of fresh spinach.  Add cheese crumbles to taste.

Serves 4.  Per serving (approx): 450 calories; 15 g fat.

Awesome Jambalaya

Ok so this isn't a true jambalaya, but I don't have a better name. If you want to make yourself feel better, add some chicken, shrimp, okra whatever. It doesn't matter anyway because this turned out awesome. Now, I really hate it when bloggers say "you must try this" because I always get suckered into trying it and usually it doesn't live up the to the expectations the blogger has built up in me. BUT.... you should probably try this =)


Awesome Jambalaya
Serves: 3


1/2-3/4 rope of Italian Style Smoked Sausage sliced (I thought it really made the dish)
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup onion diced
1/2 cup green pepper diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on taste and freshness of flakes)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Franks hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 3/4 cups instant white rice
1 can chicken broth


1. Heat a little oil in a large fry pan and saute the sausage, onion, and pepper until tender. Add the garlic for a couple mintes at the end.

2. Stir in crushed tomatoes, cajun seasoning, red pepper, black pepper, salt, Franks, Worcestershire sauce and broth. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and then bring to a boil.


3. Stir in the rice and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes until rice is done.

**Depending on how much the liquid reduces, the rice/liquid ratio may be off a little. I originally used 2 cups rice and thought it might be a little too much.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Yet again we were faced with nothing in the fridge and no good ideas for dinner. What we really wanted to eat was Buffalo Chicken Dip, but that is not really a meal. So I made it into one. It was freaking good. Please note, I found this recipe for the pizza dough and it is a no-wait, no-raise recipe, which is awesome when you are in a hurry. It makes the dough pretty dense so don't you dare complain about it or say that I missed a step because I didn't let it raise... that's the point!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients
* 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
* 6 oz Frank's buffalo sauce
* 4 oz Ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley)
* 1/2-3/4 pound ground chicken
* 1 cup shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese

*3 cups all-purpose flour
*1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 tablespoon white sugar
*1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly spray a pizza pan with non stick spray.

2. In a skillet, cook the ground chicken until no longer pink and add the cream cheese, buffalo sauce, and ranch and heat over low until combined.

3. Meanwhile, combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Squish into a ball and then roll out onto the pizza pan. The crust is decently thick if you use a regular sized circular pizza pan. Squish up the edges to make an edge crust. Bake for about 10 minutes.

4. Remove the crust and dump on the chicken mixture and spread out. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is done.

Taco Rice Skillet

I needed to use up some ground turkey and we needed a quick meal. So I looked up some recipes as inspiration and started throwing whatever into a pan. Worked out great and the leftovers made a great midnight snack... the guys at it as dip! I think it would make a better dip if you switched out the shredded cheese for a big hunk of Velveeta... might try that in the future for a yummy party dip.

Tace Rice Skillet
Serves: 3-4

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 cup shredded cheese


In a skillet, cook turkey and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.

Stir in taco seasoning, water, salsa and corn; bring to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand until the cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

Best Lasagna Ever

Whether or not you agree that any food can be "the best ever"... who cares. This is really freaking good. You should definitely take the time, effort, and money to make this. I made a little extra of all the ingredients and froze a small lasagna and cooked a big one. Seriously awesome.

This came from one of the best food blogs The Pioneer Woman. Here is the link to her recipe... http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/ It is very detailed and there is a downloadable PDF so I am not going to even bother copying the recipe to here.

I think this recipe is fantastic because it uses all readily available ingredients. They may not be the premium ingredients that some little old Italian lady uses, but who cares. Delicious is delicious. ENJOY!!!

Pulled BBQ roast beef

Ok so that is not my picture. I didn't take a picture of this one... sorry!! I threw this in the crockpot for Matt because I wasn't going to be around for dinner. He actually liked this pretty well and ate it leftover. I just wanted to use up the frozen chuck roast in my freezer.

Pulled BBQ roast beef
Serves: 3

1. In a lightly greased crock pot, place a 3 pound beef roast. In a small bowl, mix together the following and pour over the roast:
+3/4 cup Open Pit original flavor BBQ sauce (or just a spicy classic sauce)
+3/4 cup sweet Carolina type BBQ sauce
+1 tablespoon vinegar
+1/4 cup water
+2-4 tablespoons Frank's red hot sauce (to taste)

2. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Pull apart and eat with a fork or slap some on a bun.

Matt's No-Bean Spicy Venison Chili

Most of the time I make dinner at home. But one day Matt was sweet enough to say the HE wanted to buy the ingredients and make an awesome dinner... and boy did he ever! I am actually quite impressed with his skills. We both were! I told him if he is going to show me up in the kitchen like this he might have to take over cooking full time... apparently he didn't think that was funny. Warning: This is spicy. If you can't handle it, don't whine that I didn't warn you.


Matt's No-Bean Spicy Venison Chili
Serves: 4-6

1. In a large skillet, brown 1 pound of ground venison (or ground beef), 1 medium onion diced, 1 red bell pepper diced, and 1 green bell pepper diced. Drain the fat.

2. In a large pot, throw in the following:
+Meat mixture
+1 diced jalapeno pepper, seeds and all
+1 can (14.5oz) of diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
+2 cans (15oz) tomato sauce
+1 tablespoon ground cumin
+2 tablespoons chili powder
+1/4-1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (depending on how potent they are)
+salt & pepper to taste

3. Mixture will appear thick... don't think you are smart and add water or more sauce. Just wait. You can add this in about 10 minutes if you still think it is too thick. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.

4. Serve plain with some kind of starch (elbow macaroni, bread, biscuits etc). I like mine with some sour cream and shredded cheese. Delicious!

Dill Pot Roast and Potatoes

This was pretty tasty and very easy! Mad props to my crockpot for doing all the work.


Dill Pot Roast and Potatoes
Serves: 3

+3 pound beef pot roast (I found a chuck roast on sale)
+1 tsp. salt
+1/4 tsp. black pepper
+1 tsp. dried dillweed
+1 tsp. dried dillweed (yes a second tsp)
+1/4 cup water
+1 Tablespoon vinegar
+3 Tablespoons flour
+1/2 cup water
+1 cup sour cream
+3 large redskin potatoes

1. Place potatoes (scrubbed clean but not dried) in bottom of a lightly greased crock pot.

2. Sprinkle both sides of the meat wth the salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of the dill and rub in. Place in the crock pot, try to nestle the meat down in with the potatoes. Add 1/4 cup water and vinegar.

3. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or until tender. Make sure the meat isn't drying out on top, turn it over if it is.

4. Remove the meat and potatoes to rest and cover with foil to keep warm. Turn on the crockpot to high. Dissolve the flour into the 1/2 cup water and stir into the meat drippings. Add the remainder of the dill and cook for about 5 minutes then stir in the sour cream and cook until hot (about 5 minutes).

5. Slice the meat and serve the sauce with the meat and potatoes.

Mac-n-cheese-n-weiners

Another grown up version!! In an effort to save money, I decided to skip grocery shopping this past week and just use up what we had. It has been difficult and I just stopped once at Kroger for some protein... but everything else we had. *pats self on the back* This one turned out pretty darn good actually.

Mac-n-cheese-n-weiners
Serves: 3-4

-8 oz smoked turkey sausage, sliced
-1 14.75oz can diced tomatoes WITH liquid
-8 oz package of Green Giant seasoned carrots and broccoli steam fresh
-2 cups elbow macaroni
-1 cup chicken broth
-3/4 cup water
-1 literal cube Velveeta (cut it as long as it is wide & tall), cut into pieces
-salt and pepper and oil

1. In a large deep pan, add a little oil over medium high heat and brown the sausage.

2. Add tomatoes with liquid, broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni (mix well) and reduce to medium low. Cover and simmer for about 5-6 minutes, stirring once.

3. Pop the veggie package into the microwave for about 50 seconds to defrost. Add the veggies to the pan, recover, and simmer for 6-7 more minutes, stirring a couple times.

4. When the macaroni is fully cooked, add the Velveeta cubes and stir. Recover for a minute or two to help the cheese melt. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir until the cheese is fully melted.

Pancetta Pasta

Here is a Rachel Ray inspired pasta. Sorry about the noodles... they were what I had. We thought this was pretty good.

Pancetta Pasta
Serves: 2

-1/2 pound pasta (penne, gemelli etc)
-3 oz pancetta slices, diced
-1 small onion, diced
-1 large and 1 small dried bay leaf
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
-3/4 cup chicken broth
-salt and pepper
-olive oil
-Parmesan

1. Cook the pasta according to the package.

2. In a large pan, add some olive oil over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and bay leaves. Cook for about 7-8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crush them the best you can with a wooden spoon. Add the broth and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer to reduce.

3. Remove the bay leaves and toss the pasta in with the sauce. Serve with parm over top.

Laziest Roast Ever

This was yummy and beyond easy. There was a sale on boneless shoulder chuck roast, so I picked up a 1.67 pound hunk-o-meat. The recipe is based on that and may need some adjusting if you have a bigger crockpot and a bigger chunk of meat.

Lazy Sunday Roast
Serves: 3

1. Lightly spray your crock pot with Pam.
2. Dump in a 16 oz bag of frozen stew veggies, a cup of frozen diced onion, and a cup of frozen corn kernels. Put the chunk of meat on top of the veggies.
3. Sprinkle on a packet of Lipton soup mix "savory herb with garlic" and top with a can of cream of mushroom soup.
4. Cook for 6 hours on high or all day on low.
5. Serve with bisquits and some fruit.

**Now this is simply the laziest way to do this. If you wanna be all fancy, you can cut up your own fresh veggies like carrots and potatoes. Today just wasn't one of those fancy kinda days.