Bacon Cheeseburger Taco's

Now, the name of the recipe is what caught my attention. Something a little different on this particular dinner night. Now, while this recipe is good, and I suggest you give it a try. I honestly think this is a better dip recipe, than a dinner recipe. But, that is just my opinion.

Servings 6-7 Taco's

1 pound lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso® 40% less-sodium taco seasoning mix
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup Old El Paso® Cheese 'n Salsa dip (from 15-oz jar)
1 box (7.4 oz) Old El Paso® hard and soft taco shells (6 hard corn shells and 6 soft flour tortillas)
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped (1 cup)
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water. Reduce heat to medium; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Stir in dip until well mixed.
Heat taco shells and tortillas as directed on box.
Fill heated taco shells and tortillas with warm beef mixture, lettuce, tomato and bacon.

Note- Can't find the Cheese 'n Salsa dip (in the chip isle)? Try 4 oz Mexican prepared cheese product, cubed, or another soft cheese that melts easily. If you prefer less spice, use regular prepared cheese product.

Pepperoncini Chicken

So, while looking for new recipes, I ran across this recipe. I thought it sounded interesting....so, why not try it. The original recipe called for beef, but i am sure you can use beef, pork or chicken. I am sure you could substitute banana pepper rings in place of pepperoncini's. I served the chicken mix on onion rolls with some tater tots & green bean fries. We also thought it need some cheese to balance out the sandwich.

Serves 4-6

1.5-2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dry Dressing Mix
16 oz jar Pepperoncini- Diced; Reserve Liquid
Sliced cheese of your choice; swiss, colby, cheddar (optional)

Directions:

Place chicken breasts, diced pepperoncinis, some of the pepperoncini juice (about half of what is in the jar) and the ranch packet in slow cooker. Turn to low; cook for 4 to 5 hours. Drain juice and reserve. Shred chicken with a fork and add reserved juice as desired. Serve as sandwiches on a nice, fresh bun or roll.

Potato Soup

Well, I'm not going to say I have the best potato soup recipe, but it does taste pretty tasty. The last time I made it, the girls were fighting & I got distracted & added a can of cream of chicken soup instead of cream of celery. Well, it was a very tasty mistake. Please note, all cream of soups are interchangeable. You can use what your family likes. I really like to have bread to mop up the "sauce" that is left over in the bowl.

Serves: 5-6

1 medium onion; diced
2 ribs of celery; diced
1 tablespoon veg. oil
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2 or milk
5-6 baking potatoes; peeled & diced
4 oz velveeta cheese, chunked

Garnish (optional)
Cheddar cheese
Green onion
Bacon (I really recommend the bacon)

Saute the onion & celery in the vegetable oil until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add cream of soup, chicken stock & 1/2 & 1/2 or milk & potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are soft or just firm to the bite. Add velveeta cheese, serve once cheese is melted. Top with cheddar cheese, onion & bacon & maybe some cheese-it's if you want.

Mini Thai Chicken Pies

This was a simple, easy & quick dinner recipe. Something a little cheesy with some Asian flare. Please note- while this recipe calls for Thai curry paste, it did NOT have any curry flavor (I don't like curry). Serve these mini Thai Chicken Pies, with a side of Pad Thai noodles. Makes for a yummy meal.

Servings: 3 (Three pies each, because 2 was not enough)

Thai Chicken Mixture

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup sliced green onions (4 medium)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted this because I don't like cilantro)
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Baking Mixture

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Garnishes (Optional, but I did like it on the pies)
1/2 cup salted cocktail peanuts
1/4 cup sliced green onions (4 medium, if desired)


Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.
In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add onion; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add green onions, cilantro, red curry paste and lime juice, stirring occasionally, until mixture is heated through. Cool 5 minutes; stir in cheese.
In medium bowl, stir baking mixture ingredients with whisk or fork until blended. Spoon 1 scant tablespoon baking mixture into each muffin cup. Top with about 1/4 cup Thai chicken mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon baking mixture onto Thai chicken mixture in each muffin cup.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and tops of pies are golden brown. Ten minutes into baking, carefully open oven and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon peanuts on top of each muffin. Close oven door and finish baking. Cool 5 minutes. With thin knife, loosen sides of pies from pan; remove from pan. Serve with sliced green onions.

Shredded Beef For Burritos

You ever find yourself asking, "what can I do with a roast"? Knowing very well, that you don't want another post roast. Well, this is something different. Next time, I will be adding 2T of taco seasoning to the sauce that the meat cooks in. While the meat did have flavor, I thought it could use more.

Sorry, for no picture, when I make this next time, I'll try & nab one.

2-3 pound roast
salt, pepper & garlic powder
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 can rotel
2 chopped Serrano peppers (optional)

Brown on each side a 2-3 lb roast that has been seasoned with garlic powder, salt & pepper in frying pan with oil. Put roast in crock pot & add one can of green enchilada sauce, one can of rotel tomatoes, 2 chopped Serrano peppers. Cook on low for about 6 hours. The meat can be shredded with a fork. Serve with flour tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, cilantro, lime, hot sauce – anything you like on your burritos.

Quesadilla Casserole

I was looking for something to make for dinner one night & a friend suggested the McCormick's Quesadilla Casserole. Well, that would be all fine & dandy if the stores I shopped at sold those pre-packaged things. However, they don't & i had all the ingredients in my spice cabinet, so I was good to go. This was a pretty good recipe. The flour shells, were soft. They were more gummy when i reheated it for lunch. I would suggest either getting those tortilla strips to go over the top, or crumble some corn chips over the top to give it a crunch factor. I did have it as a "dip" one day for a snack.


The spices you will need
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (seen below)

You will also need:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 3/4 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (4 1/2 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained
9 flour tortillas (8-inch)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown the beef and chopped onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat; drain.
Add tomato sauce, beans, corn, green chiles.
Mix well. Stir in all of the spices except the red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes. Add red pepper to taste, if desired.
Sprinkle a scant amount (not even a cup) of the beef mixture into a greased 9x13x2 glass baking dish. Sprnkle with cheese. Then layer the rest of the dish in three equal layers of this order: 3 flour tortillas (overlap them), beef mixture, cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Let stand 5 minutes before cooling.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

As always, I was in the mood for something different. Well, once again, I found it. Bacon, chicken & a creamy garlic sauce, how could you go wrong? This recipe was awesome!!! My husband & I put it up there with the beef tips & gravy recipe. I will be making this again! I only made 1/2 this recipe, but kept the garlic at a tablespoon and I used 2 slices of bacon per breast. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice.

8 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
8-16 slices of bacon
2 (11 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 T garlic, minced
1 C sour cream
1/2 C flour

Warp each chicken breast with a slice (or two) of bacon.
Place the wrapped chicken in the crock pot.
In a large mixing bowl combine the soup, garlic, sour cream and flour.
Whisk until the mixture is completely blended and smooth.
Pour over the chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.