Taco Pie and Spanish Rice

Growing up, we ate tacos at least once a week. They were cheap and very easy for my hardworking mom to make. Now that I am the mom, we also eat tacos once a week. They are great when you have picky eaters because they can customize their meal to their tastes.  I came across this recipe many years ago, and it is a great change of pace from the standard tacos. One of the best parts of this recipe is how wonderful it reheats! Yummy! I am also including a new recipe that I have been working on perfecting- Spanish rice. I think that I have it just right!

Taco Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 pkg Fajita seasoning- you will only use 2 Tbsp.
1 diced green chilies
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup biscuit baking mix
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Toppings: Sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, diced tomato, salsa

Cook beef and onion, drain off the fat. Stir in the fajita seasoning. Spread into a 10 inch pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the green chilies. In a mixing bowl, combine biscuit mix, eggs and milk until smooth. Pour over beef in pie pan. Bake in 400° oven for 35 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with desired toppings.

Spanish Rice
1 cup rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
 1 - 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups water
Fry rice in butter until browned. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1-2  minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Scalloped Potatoes

Sometimes when I am really organized and really on my game, I will make a HUGE meal and then use the leftovers in other recipes during the week. Today I made a ham- a really big ham, so big that I even froze some of the meat! In our house when you have ham, you must have scalloped potatoes. I have to share this recipe because it is so yummy!  These potatoes are cheesy, flavorful and, did I mention they are cheesy? We love cheese here! Try these out the next time you have ham or pork chops or whatever, these will be memorable!

Scalloped Potatoes
4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
1 small onion, diced
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
Dash Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
Several dashes paprika for color

Spray a 2 qt. casserole dish, set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and let it cook for a minute. Pour in milk, add garlic, salt and cayenne. Stir well until well combined. Reduce heat and add 1 cup of the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated. Remove from heat. In your casserole dish, place a layer of the potatoes and then sprinkle with the onion. Spoon some of the cheese sauce over the layer. Repeat until your dish is nearly full, ending with cheese sauce. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and the paprika. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 1 hour

Roasted Asparagus

Have you ever had asparagus roasted before? Let me tell you, it is the absolute best way to have asparagus! At least I think it is. It gives those happy little spears such a wonderful nutty flavor. Mmmm! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed (basically you just cut off a chunk from the fatter woody side that has dried up a bit)

Olive Oil

Kosher salt 

Pepper

Lemon Wedges

Lay out your spears on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a fair amount of olive oil. You want them lightly coated, not swimming in the oil. Sprinkle with the Kosher salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 425° oven for ten minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. 

I have been experimenting with roasting, and it is my very favorite way to make vegetables. So yummy!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This recipe is so good. Really good. I almost didn't share it....just kidding! My sweet friend Rhonda found this one on allrecipes a few years back. I made it and loved it then, but it got lost in all of my moves that I have made since then! I came across it again on Pinterest and I made it for Easter this year. I brought back on empty pan! It really is tasty!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 cups crushed pretzels
2 1/4 tablespoons white sugar
2 1/4 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (6 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together the pretzels, sugars and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Make sure you spread to all edges.  Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely set.
I have the best results when I make this the night before. This dish will not last past two days or so due to sogginess.

Zesty Oven Baked French Fries

I love french fries. They are so yummy! They are so bad for you though! So in an effort to have moderation in the diet of my family, I make these baked not fried fries. This is such a simple recipe, as all the best ones usually are. It is easily adapted to your preferences and how large (or small) of group you are serving. I originally found this recipe here, but I modified it, of course! Enjoy your healthier fries, I know that we will!

Zesty Oven Baked French Fries
5-6 large baking potatoes, cut into slices (I usually use russets and leave the skins on for a more rustic fry)
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. black pepper
Heat oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Arrange in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and they look crispy and golden brown enough to you. I also try to give them a stir about half way through.

Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad

I found part of this recipe on the back of a Ranch salad dressing packet. The rest, I improvised with what was hanging around my kitchen and sounded like it would go well with the ranch flavors. I brought this to a BBQ recently and my neighbors loved it!

Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad
Half of package of bacon, diced and cooked
1 cup mayo
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup milk
1 box pasta- I used rotini, cooked and drained
Grape tomatoes, halved
1 can slice black olives, drained
3 green onions, sliced
Any leftover veggies that you want to use up

Mix mayo, ranch mix, and garlic powder. Stir in milk until smooth. In large serving bowl, place pasta, tomatoes, olives, onions and any other veggies. Pour dressing over top and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill well before serving to let the flavors set up.

I think that you could easily make this into a main dish with some grilled chicken thrown in. I liked that it doesn't heat up the kitchen much, and you could always make it in the morning and have it in the fridge ready for dinner time!

Fiesta Corn Salad

This is a wonderful summer dish that is very easy to make and is very healthy as well. I tried this at my sister's home and loved it. Son #4 could not get enough- he was grabbing the edamame off others plates! Enjoy!

Fiesta Corn Salad

4 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno, finely diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp finely shredded lime peel
2 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
Fresh cilantro

In a large sauce pan, cook corn and edamame in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, drain again. Stir together salt, corn, edamame, onion, chopped cilantro and jalapeno. In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, lime peel, lime juice, cumin, garlic, and chili powder. Cover and shake well. Pour over corn mixture. Toss gently. Stir in tomatoes and garnish with cilantro if desired.

Greek Orzo Salad

A couple of weeks ago, we went to a potluck lunch and a wonderful salad was brought.This was the kind of salad that I thought looked pretty good, so I tried a little and moved on down the line. After my first bite, I knew that I was going for seconds and hopefully the recipe! Unfortunately, the salad was purchased at a deli. A girlfriend and I put our heads together and figured the recipe out. I give her total credit for the dressing, she nailed it!

Greek Orzo Salad

Spinach leaves torn

Black olives, chopped

Grape tomatoes, halved

Red Onion, sliced

Cucumber, sliced

Feta Cheese

Orzo Pasta, cooked and cooled

Olive oil

Fresh Lemon juice

Salt and Pepper

I often cook this way based upon the number of servings that I need. You really just eyeball it and adjust according to your tastes.

Combine all ingredients and stir.

Frozen Creamed Corn

The past 8 months have really flown by. This little fella has changed so much! We are so blessed to have this sweet boy in our family.
When we brought home Baby boy#4 home from the hospital, our amazing church family showered their love on us with meals and visits. A very dear lady brought us this recipe, and I have been waiting for the super sweet summer corn to be on sale to stock my freezer. This was so delicious. My tummy is growling as I sit here and think about it!

Frozen Creamed Corn

22 cups of corn

2 cups 1/2+1/2

1 1/2 cups butter

Bake for one hour, covered at 350°. Stir frequently (every 15 minutes).

These were the notes that she wrote on the back of the recipe card: I get about four batches from 150 ears of corn. We use an electric knife. I put 2 1/2 cups in bag to serve our family of 5. Once bagged, lay flat on cookie sheets and stack in freezer. After frozen flat, they will take up less room and stack well in a shoe box in freezer. We like to husk corn first (keep covered in bags), then cut off the cob and start baking. I use big roasters to cook. It keeps frozen for well over a year.

For more recipes check out the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Red Potatoes and Green Bean Foil Packets

My latest thing is cooking with foil. It really has some great advantages. The best advantage is the clean up. You just throw the used foil away! This is a recipe that I threw together to go with my Lemon Pepper Tilapia foil packet.

Red Potatoes and Green Bean Foil Packet

Slice red potatoes and green beans into small bite sized pieces. Toss with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and chopped fresh rosemary. Dot with butter. Place on the center of two large pieces of foil. Wrap up into a packet. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Go check out more wonderful recipes at Grocery Cart Challenge here.

Corn, Avacado and Tomato Salad

There is something so refreshing about summer. One thing that I love during the summer is serving fresh produce from the farmers market- somehow it just tastes better. Now if I could ever figure out how to actually grow my own veggies- it would be even better! This is a recipe that I discovered on the Food Network from Paula Deen. I love it. It is very simple and tasty!

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

2 cups cooked corn (fresh or frozen)

1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Dressing:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp grated lime zest

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion . Mix together the dressing ingredients in another bowl, pour over the salad and, gently toss to mix.

To find more great recipes check out Blessed With Grace who hosts Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Cabbage Salad

Growing up, my mom used to make the simplest of things special. This was a salad that she would make to take to church potlucks, parties and for everyday fare.It is a great summer salad because you don't even have to turn on the oven!

Cabbage Salad

1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/2 cup walnuts

3 Tbsp. sunflower seeds

1 package chicken flavored Ramen noodles, broken up

Five minutes before serving add the following dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 Tbsp. vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

The package of Ramen noodle seasoning

I am linking this post to A Listmakers Life who is hosting Saturday salads. Please visit her for her delicious salad recipe.