Mexican Lasagna

I just tried this recipe for the first time last night and we really enjoyed it. I hope you do as well!

Mexican Lasagna

recipe source

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

3/4 c. salsa

1 pkg. taco seasoning

4 flour tortillas

1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed

1- 1 1/2 c. grated cheese (I used cheddar)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown your beef and drain. Add salsa and taco seasoning (may not need the whole pkg, season to taste) and simmer for 10 mins.

Grease an 8x8 square pan and spread 1/2 c. meat mixture across bottom of pan.

Layer 2 tortillas on top of that.

Pour half the remaining meat on top of the tortillas.

Pour half of your can of beans on top of that followed by half of your cheese.

Layer once more with tortillas, beans & cheese.

Cover and cook for 30 minutes, let sit for 5 minutes after removing from oven.

We ate this with a little sour cream on the side and a salad.

You could easily do more layers with only one tortilla and less of your meat & beans per layer. You can experiment with it.

my favorite salad

I have been making this salad for quite awhile now and absolutely love it every time. 

You will for sure have 2-3 servings or more. 

Bacon Parmesan Salad

Dressing:

2/3 c. vinegar

1 c. oil

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 t. salt

2 t. mustard

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well. Pour into any container with a lid such as a tupperware or jar. I half this recipe for my husband and I, it makes quite a bit.

Salad:

Romaine lettuce

bacon

sugared almonds

parmesan cheese (I prefer the shredded kind in the little tub for this salad)

mandarin oranges (optional)

red onion

Slice your onion (however much you prefer) and add it to the dressing, put the lid on and allow the onion to marinate for an hour or so.

Now cook your bacon. I slice it up before cooking it, just because I like to :)

Make your sugared almonds. They are kinda hard to explain...but I'll try. Put your almonds and a lot of sugar in a pan. Turn your heat up to medium high and stir the entire time. As soon as the sugar starts to melt continue stirring for a few seconds then remove from the heat before they burn. Remove from pan onto wax paper. Delicious.

Combine your lettuce, bacon, sugared almonds & mandarin oranges in a large bowl. Pour your dressing over the entire salad and toss. Add your parmesan cheese and toss again.

Now...enjoy my favorite salad!

Kristine's Menu

I haven't done a menu for awhile. The last few weeks have been slightly crazy with going out of town, spending time with family who just moved closer and adjusting to the new weather!  This menu is mostly made up of stuff that I had planned on my menu WEEKS ago, but am finally getting around to making.

Monday: Smothered Chicken. Skillet Potatoes. Green Salad. This was something I just kind of made up on the fly. I butterflyed a chicken breast, breaded it lightly in some Italian bread crumbs and then cooked it on the stove with a little olive oil. Then I smothered it with cheddar cheese and bacon.

Tuesday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  30 Minute Rolls. Both new recipes I am looking forward to trying!

Wednesday: Pot Roast. Mashed Potatoes. Green Salad.

Thursday: Shredded Beef Enchiladas. Green Salad. I make the enchiladas with leftover meat from my pot roast. I just warm it up in the crockpot with a little salsa or enchilada sauce, then put it into tortillas with more sauce and cheese and bake.  Every time I make a roast, I always use the leftovers to make burritos, tacos, quesadillas, cafe rio salads, etc. It's the easiest and best way to use up all of those leftovers.

Friday: Hamburgers.  We've got to grill one more time before the cold comes in for good!

Dresden's Menu

We just got back from a trip to California and when we got home...our cupboards were empty. So I spent some time today planning a menu and writing out a very long grocery list. So here's what I came up with...

Monday: Pizza (I was lazy and bought a Boboli-yum!)

Tuesday: Pasta w/ Creamy Tomato Sauce & Meatballs (thanks to Natalie!)

Wednesday: Cheesy breadcrumb chicken with YUMMY salad (both recipes coming soon)

Thursday: Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Friday: Date Night

 photo source

Saturday: breakfast- Sticky Buns

(I rarely make breakfast so I thought I'd surprise my husband this weekend)

dinner- Potato Corn Chowder

Have a great week!

White Chicken Chili

Seriously, my next post will have a picture! I thought about taking a picture of this recipe once we had slurped down every last bit in the crock pot! Oh well, it's still a really good recipe that you'll have to try. Plus it's really easy! 

I modified this recipe from a large recipe, this one serves 2-3 people (double or triple as needed).

White Chicken Chili

1 large (or 2 small) chicken breasts (I put mine in frozen)

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

3/4 c. salsa

1 can white beans, UN-DRAINED

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. black pepper

3/4 c. sour cream

shredded cheese (enough for garnishing...we like a lot!)

Put everything except the sour cream and cheese in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours, or til chicken is cooked and easy to shred. Once it's cooked, shred the chicken well, add in sour cream and cook for another 15 mins or so. Add cheese to each bowl and more sour cream is desired.

Enjoy!

My husband and I are home visiting my parents for a few days, I collected a ton of acorns today to spruce up our fall decor. Can't wait to use these!

Natalie's Menu

Monday: Roasted shrimp pizza, spinach salad
Tuesday: Pasta fagioli (one of our favorite soups), french bread + raw veggies
Wednesday: Honey chicken (trying it for the first time) over rice, roasted broccoli
Thursday: BBQ chicken sandwiches + roasted potatoes, carrots and radishes
Friday: Garlic butter shrimp with french bread for dipping, green salad

Something I'd like to note- when recipes I use call for wine, I've always replaced it with chicken stock or broth, so feel free to do so if you don't feel comfortable buying it. I'm too lazy to pick it up + spend the extra money on it for now.

                                                                      Photo of the honey chicken via blogchef.net

For dessert this week I'm making homemade orange rolls. It's the same recipe I use for bread or cinnamon rolls, so I will post it soon! It's my mom's recipe and its the BEST!

Swedish Meatballs over Mashed Potatoes

I love pretty much anything served over mashed potatoes (one of my absolute favorite things). I saw a recipe for Swedish meatballs last week and thought that it might be fun to try them out. I've never made them before but I have had them at Ikea :) The photo I saw of the pretty little meatballs sitting in a creamy, brown gravy really got my attention. I added it to my weekly menu and made them tonight. I cut the recipe in half and it made about 15 meatballs which is more than enough for the two of us. The meatballs were tender and flavorful and the gravy was sooo yummy. I mixed up my own version of my favorite potatoes to serve under the meatballs. 


Here's the recipe (below it's cut in half), and my variations are in parentheses.

1 slice fresh white bread (I used sourdough)
1/8 cup milk
4 tablespoons clarified butter, divided ( I just used regular butter and still used all 4 T)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt in the meat + 1 teaspoon koser salt in the gravy
3/4 pound ground beef (I only used beef, not pork)
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice (left this out)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth (i used chicken)
1/4 cup heavy cream


You can read the directions on the actual post, but I'll break down what I did since I changed it up a bit.


Soak the bread in the milk in a little dish.
While it soaks, saute the onion (which I grated, not chopped) in one tablespoon of butter for about 3 minutes. Then turn the heat off of the onions and let them sit.
Now take the beef and put it in your kitchen aid bowl (if you don't have a kitchen aid, just mix it by hand. This tip was amazing tho, and from Stephanie Meyer's recipe). Add the egg yolk, salt, nutmeg, pepper to the meat. Add the cooled onions and milky bread. Now mix it for like 2 minutes in medium with the paddle attachment.


In the same pan you cooked the onions, add another tablespoon of butter, heat on medium-low and start forming meatballs. As you form them, put them in the pan. Brown them all over, but don't worry about cooking them through. As they are done browning, place them in the crock pot. 


Once all of the meatballs are browned, put in the last 2 tablespoons of butter, melt it, and whisk in the 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook it for about 30 seconds. Then add the broth and cream plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir it until it's decently think, then pour over the meatballs in the crock pot. I simmered mine for about 3 hours on low. That's it!


As for the mashed potatoes- let me tell you two things that will change your life. 1) YUKON GOLD. For mashed, NOTHING is better. They're creamy, golden and perfect. 2) A POTATO RICER. I thought they were a bulky piece of whatever that didn't make a difference. Well, I was wrong. 


Golden Mashed Potatoes:


4 Large Yukon Golds
2 Tablespoons of butter
2/3 cup sour cream or cream cheese or both
1/2 cup milk OR cream OR buttermilk
1 or 2 or 3 teaspoons of salt (add it slowly and taste as you go)
1 teaspoon of pepper (I like a lot of pepper)


Cut your potatoes the same size (like 1 inch). Place in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, simmer for about 10 minutes or until you can pierce the potato piece and it falls apart. Rice the potatoes a scoop at a time into a bowl. I like to put the other ingredients in first so as the hot potatoes fall on the cream cheese and butter, it melts it. Then add in the liquid and stir. DON'T stir your potatoes for ten minutes. They'll get gummy and cold. Stir until everything is incorporated and thank me later.