Layered Burrito Casserole

Ingredients:

2 TBSP oil

4 flour tortillas ( I usually get the 8" because they fit in my pie pan the best.)

1/2 lb ground beef

1 onion chopped

1 clove of garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

1/2 cup of salsa

4 oz can of chopped green chilis

1 can refried beans

1 cup of shredded cheese

Toppings:

You can use anything you like to dress your burritos or tacos. We recommend: lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, and olives

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in skillet. Fry tortilla one at a time for about 20 seconds on each side. You do this to keep the tortilla from becoming soggy while you bake the casserole. You want them to just start to turn brown and to feel a little stiff.

2. Brown ground beef until crumbly, add onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Drain.

3. Add salsa, chilis, and beans. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

4. Assemble: Place 1 tortilla in pie plate. Layer with 1/4 of bean mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (you will end up with cheese on top.)

5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until headed all the through and cheese is bubbly.

*** DOUBLE DUTY TIP **** I often double the bean mixture and take the rest of the tortillas and make homemade frozen burritos with them. Just double wrap them in saran wrap and stick them in the freezer. Pull out and microwave for an easy lunch or dinner!

Variation: I have also seen this where you make the ground beef with taco seasoning. Mix the bean mixture omitting the ground beef and layer: tortilla, beans, meat, cheese.

Review:

Pros: Great mexican casserole. We love this and love the leftovers. You can adjust the heat of the burrito by how mild or hot of chilis and salsa you use. This way we can have them very mild (while I'm breastfeeding) or really hot.

Cons: It does take a little work and it seems to be pretty messy to make. Maybe it's just me. Also, I think that the pie pan or dish you use makes a difference. If you use a shallow metal pie pan, the top tends to dry out. You may want to cover it loosely with foil. I usually use a flat-bottom round casserole dish.

Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1 TBSP butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup green pepper chopped
1-2 cups of stir fry vegetables
1 cup of diced ham
2 -4 TBSP soy sauce
4 cups of cooked rice (2 cups uncooked, don't over cook)
1-2 eggs beaten

Instructions:
1. In a large skillet (and it means large) melt butter. Saute onions and green pepper until soft. Add stir fy veggies and fry until soft.
2. Add remaining ingredients except egg. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until everything is mixed up.
3. Stir in eggs and cook 2-3 minutes longer until egg is done and mixture sticks together.

Review:
Pros: This is a really easy, see what's in the fridge recipe. You can mix in vegetables that you like or have in the fridge. Plus, it's a great way to sneak in more vegetables (This is a regular thing I am always trying to do at our house.) I usually serve this by itself or with a salad and bread.

Cons: Sometimes it's hard to get the egg just right so it stick together. I usually end up adding 2 eggs, sometimes 3, if I have medium eggs. We like ours pretty sticky. Also, it doesn't reheat up quite the same, so sprinkle a little water on it before you zap it.

Meatloaf Dinner

Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
3/4 cup warm water
3 TBSP brown sugar
1-2 TBSP worschestershire sauce
1 package of onion soup mix
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
4 potatoes
6 carrots
1 medium onion
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Beat eggs in bowl. Mix in ketchup, warm water, brown sugar, worchestershire sauce, onion soup mix and bread crumbs. Let sit until liquid is absorbed.
2. Add ground beef and mix until well blended. If you are like me, I hate using my hands. Use a potatoe smasher.
3. Form into a loaf and place into a 9 x 13 pan lined with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
4. Scrub potatoes and quarter. (like for smashed potatoes, but with skins) Cut carrots in half and slice onion. Arrange potatoes, carrots, onions around meat loaf, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Review:

Pros: Easy. Great one dish meal. I made the meatloaf, then cleaned up and chopped up the potatoes, carrots and onion and then pulled it out. It might not have been a full 30 minutes, but the top was done. It reminds me of a tin foil dinner.

Cons: I thought there was alot of ground beef for one loaf, so I actually ended up freezing half of the ground beef mixture. Which is fine, because it's pre-made for next time.

Approximate cost: $6-8 (depending on price of meat) I'm working on making an cost sheet for ingredients to make determining the cost better.

Easy Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:
8 oz of uncooked fettuccine or linguine (This would be good with a penne pasta too)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup of broccoli flowerets (frozen will work too, just thaw before, don't cook them)
1 cup of caulifowerets
2 medium carrots thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 cup of frozen green peas, rinsed
1 small onion chopped (about 1/4 cup)
Alfredo sauce
1 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Cook noodles as directed on package.

2. In 12 inch skillets, heat oil over medium-high heat cook broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas and onion for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are crisp-tender ( or however you like them)

3. In a medium bowl or serving dish, put fettuccine, vegetables and alfredo sauce.
Gently toss until even coated. Top with parmesan.

BONUS!F or those of you looking for an easy alfredo sauce: heat 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of whipping cream, and 1 clove of crushed garlic until butter is melted and mixture starts to bubble (stirring frequently) reduce to low heat and simmer for about 6 minutes or until it thickens. Stir in 3/4 cup of grated parmesan and 1/2 tsp of salt

Review:

Pros: Michael and I loved this dish and it probably serves 4-5 and we only had one serving left. We then fought over the leftovers. It was great with just some french bread with it. It has lots of vegetables, so it doesn't feel as heavy with the alfredo sauce. It was really easy and quick to make and made a complete meal.

Cons: Alfredo sauce always has lots of calories.

Approximate cost: $3.50 (without alfredo sauce, but you can buy a jar for about $2)

Green Bean Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion (I used a small one)

1/2 cup chopped celery (about 1 to 1 1/2 staulks)

1 clove of garlic grated (you could subsitute 1/4 tsp of garlic powder)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups of frozen green beans, thawed

4 cups of tater tots.

Instructions:

1. Brown ground beef, onion, celery and garlic.  I did mine until the beef was barely browned and the celery and onion had just started to get soft.  Since you bake this for an hour, you don't want it too done or it will fall apart in the casserole. 

2. Mix ground beef mixture, soups and green beans in 2 quart casserole dish. (I used a 9 x 13 pan)  Top with tater-tots.  I actually didn't measure the tater-tot, I just poured them on until it was covered and then pushed them in a little bit.

3. Bake at 375 for 40 to 50 minutes or until the tater-tots are done and everything is warm. 

Review:

As far as green bean tater-tot casseroles, this one was really good.

Pros: Vegetables, meat and your grain all in one dish.  Very Easy to whip up and I had everything but the tater-tots on hand.  It also only dirtied a fry pan and casserole dish, which was great for clean up.

Cons:  It was a little bland and could use something, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I might subsitute the tater-tots with southern hashbrowns for some flavor. (I don't like tater tots though.)  

Overall cost to make was about:  $6.50