TACO SALAD

This was AMAZING!!!!  The flavors reminded me of my sweet Momma, and I couldn't get enough!!  B man was in love too!!!  SO GREAT!!!

Ingredients:

8oz bottle thousand island dressing

1 package taco seasoning

¼ cup sugar

1lb ground beef

Shredded lettuce

2 tomatoes

Red onion

1 can dark red kidney beans

Shredded cheddar cheese

Doritos

Dressing:

Mix 8oz bottle thousand island dressing, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, and ¼ cup sugar.  Set aside.

Brown 1lb ground beef, add remainder of taco seasoning, cool

Layer in glass pan (13x9):

Lettuce

Meat

Tomatoes (2)

Red onions (diced)

1 can dark red kidney beans

Shredded cheddar cheese

Crunch chips on plate, then salad, then dressing

DVinci Cheese Soup

This was delicious and the kids LOVED it!!  Evan had this for leftovers for the week!!  Great with some bread to dunk in the soup!!

Ingredients

1 stick butter

1/3 cup onions

½ cup flour

1lb velveta

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

4 medium potatoes

1-2 carrots

1/3 cup celery

1-2 cup frozen mixed veggies

Saute 1 stick butter and 1/3 cup onions

Add ½ cup flour – stir until thickened

Add 2 cups milk, 1lb Velveeta, 2 cup chicken broth

Stir frequently over medium heat.  Heat until Cheese is solft

Cook until almost soft – 4 medium potatoes (cubed), 1-2 carrots, 1/3 cup celery, 1-2 cup frozen mixed veggies

Drain veggies and add to mixture – add salt and pepper.  Add 1-2 teaspoon mustard.  Stir frequently and simmer

If soup gets thick, add a little milk or chicken broth

Tater Tot Taco Casserole

This was super yummy!!!!  Our kiddos gobbled it right up too!!  Fun twist to your normal tater tot dish too :)

Original recipe yields 8 servings

Ingredient  

1pound ground beef

1small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

(1 ounce) packet taco seasoning mix

16 ounce) bag frozen Mexican-style corn

12 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

(12 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend

16 ounce) package frozen tater tots

1 (12 fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, taco seasoning mix, frozen Mexican-style corn, and black beans to the ground beef; cook and stir another 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Combine the ground beef mixture in a large bowl with about 3/4 of the Mexican cheese blend and the tater tots; stir to combine.

Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish; lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tot layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining Mexican cheese over the casserole and return to oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes more.

Chicken Bake Dish

This was an easy dish that was super yummy!!!  The whole crew ate it right up!!

Ingredients:

2 cups mushrooms

Bag spinach

2 cups tomatoes

6 chicken breasts

Provolone slices

Simmer 2c mushrooms in olive oil 

Add bag of spinach 

Add 2c tomatoes

 Cook until spinach wilted

Pit 6 chicken breast into baking dish - sprinkle salt and pepper- top with provolone slices - top with mixture 

Bake for 30 min at 350.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This was delicious!!  Evan didn't like it very much but the rest of us couldn't stop eating it :0

Ingredients

Salad

·      2 cups miniature farfelle pasta, uncooked

·      3 cups frozen corn

·      1 large avocado

·      3 green onions

·      1/2 bunch cilantro

·      6-8 strips hardwood smoked bacon

·      1/2 cup feta Cheese

·      1/2 canned cup black beans

·       

Dressing

·      1/2 cup full fat regular mayo no substitutes

·      3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon lime zest

·      1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

·      1/4 teaspoon paprika

·      1/2 teaspoon chili powder

·      1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce

·      Pinch of salt and ground black pepper

Greek Pressure Cooker Chicken

This was a really good but the boys weren't impressed :)  Super easy to make though!!

Ingredients

·       1–2 teaspoons olive oil

·       1 onion, diced

·       4 cloves garlic, minced

·       1.5 – 2 lbs chicken (boneless skinless breasts or thighs)

·       1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

·       1/2 teaspoon black pepper

·       1 tablespoon dry oregano

·       1/2 tablespoon basil

·       1/2 teaspoon dill

·       1 lemon

·       1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water and 1 bouillon cube)

·       12oz jar roasted red peppers

·       12 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts

·       optional: fresh minced parsley

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Instructions

Set electric pressure cooker to saute mode.  Add olive oil, onion, and garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes until softened.  Turn saute mode off.

Place chicken breasts in pressure cooker and sprinkle in all seasonings.  Add chicken broth and juice from half of the lemon.  Secure lid.  Cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes or so on natural release and then quick-release remaining pressure.  (If you’re crammed for time, you can quick release immediately after cooking, I just find the chicken turns out a little better if I let it sit for a few.)

Remove chicken and place on cutting board.  Drain juices from roasted peppers and dice, drain juice from artichokes and leave as is or rough chop as desired.  Add both to pot and stir so they can warm through.  Shred chicken and add back into juices.  Add juice from remaining half lemon.  Stir everything together and add parsley if desired.

Serve on pitas with cucumber and tzatziki, or over rice or cauliflower rice, or in wraps, or whatever you like!

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Notes

*If chicken is larger than 1″ thick, cut horizontally to make thinner before placing in pressure cooker.

Alternate Slowcooker instructions:  I prefer bone-in breasts for slow-cooking, but you can use whatever you like.  Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-ish hours until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Key Lime Pie & Tarts

Oh yeah - I made an actual pie!!!  :)  This was super easy to make and it tasted great too!!

Ingredients

10 mini graham cracker crusts OR 1 8-serving (9″) graham cracker crust

5 egg yolks

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Around 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice. If you’re going to use bottled regular lime juice, don’t.

Whipped cream

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Instructions

TART INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice. Distribute evenly among graham cracker crusts (I used my cookie scoop to make sure things were equal). Place tart pans on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Before serving, add a dollop of whipped cream

WHOLE PIE INSTRUCTIONS

 To bake this as a single large pie, just use a standard 9″ graham cracker pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Top each slice with whipped cream before serving.