Taco Salad Casserole

Love these type of taco recipes, 

not only because they are quick 

and easy, but so delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
• 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Toppings: chopped lettuce and tomatoes, sliced ripe olives, sour cream and picante sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cook beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.  Drain. 

Stir in taco seasoning and water . . . cook and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Set aside.

Place chips in a greased 8-in. square baking dish. 

Stir refried beans in a small bowl and spread over chips. 

Top with beef mixture and cheese.

Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until heated throughly. 

Top with lettuce, tomatoes and olives.  Serve with sour cream and picante sauce. 



Yield: 4 servings




Nutritional Facts

1 cup: 405 calories, 12g fat (0g saturated fat), 47mg cholesterol, 1181mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate (0g sugars, 6g fiber), 37g protein 

© 2016 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC


Recipe and Photo Source

Quiche Pastry Cups Recipe

We love experimenting with puff pastry and love this clever idea of filled puff pastry cups!

Use the concept of the recipe and make it your own by using ingredients you and your family love.  A simple pastry cup filled with eggs and cheese would be awesome.

This recipe and photo comes from the website Taste of Home, link follows recipe.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 15 min.

YIELD:18 servings

Ingredients

1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 large eggs, divided use
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half cream, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
1-1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. 

Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.  

Roll each sheet into a 12-in. square and cut each into nine squares. 

Gently press onto ungreased muffin cups on bottoms and up sides, allowing corners to point up.

In a small bowl, whisk 3 eggs, 1 cup cream, thyme and seasonings. 

In another bowl, combine cheese, spinach, red pepper and bacon and divide among pastry cups. 

Pour egg mixture over cheese mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg with remaining cream and brush over pastry edges. 

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the pastry cups to wire racks. 

Serve warm.

Freeze option: 

Cover and freeze baked pastries on greased baking sheets until firm. Transfer to resealable plastic freezer bags and return to freezer. 

To use, reheat frozen pastries on ungreased baking sheets in a preheated 375° oven 17-20 minutes or until heated through. 

Recipe and Photo Source:  Taste of Home

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Topping

Oatmeal Cake is something I have not tried, but it looks delicious!

This recipe and photo comes from the Pillsbury website.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/4cups boiling water 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half or milk 
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Steps 

In small bowl, mix oats and boiling water; let stand 20 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Grease 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray; lightly flour.

In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Scrape bowl occasionally. 

Beat in vanilla and eggs. 

Beat in oat mixture and remaining cake ingredients until well blended.  Scrape bowl occasionally. 

Spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Set oven control to broil. 

In small bowl, beat 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and the half-and-half with electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Stir in coconut and nuts. 

Spoon over warm cake; spread to cover.

Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbly and light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Photo and recipe source

Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits Casserole

Being a southern girl, grits is one of my favorite foods.  When I'm not hungry for a big meal, I'll make a bowl of grits and be totally satisfied.  You must try them if you have never had them!  They are delicious with fried eggs.

Love the concept of this recipe, but I would make some changes.  Velveeta is not a favorite cheese of mine and I would just use yellow cheddar cheese along with the white cheddar cheese.  I use yellow cheddar cheese (mild or sharp both work for me) in my grits often and they work very well together.  My meat preference would be breakfast sausage instead of bacon.

This recipe and photo comes from Taste of Home.

Ingredients

6 thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped
3 cups water
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups quick-cooking grits
12 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed (about 2-1/3 cups)
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup 2% milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded white cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat.

Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.

Add water, stock, garlic powder and pepper to bacon drippings and bring to a boil. 

Slowly stir in grits. 

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered, 5-7 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Add cheese and butter; stir until melted. 

Stir in milk. 

Slowly stir in eggs until blended. 

Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish and sprinkle with bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. 

Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted. 

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Freeze option: Cool unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove casserole from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake grits as directed, increasing time to 50-60 minutes or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.

Yield: 12 servings.

Photo and recipe source

Originally published as Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits in Freezer Meals Bookazine 2013, p17

Quick and Easy Apple Tart

I guess you could follow The Pioneer Woman's recipe . . . but make it easy for yourself and use this recipe as inspiration and use the frozen puff pastry with canned apple pie filling (Comstock is excellent).  Talk about some awesome convenience foods!

Ingredients

1 whole Sheet Puffed Pastry, Thawed And Cut In Half
4 whole Apples, Cored, Halved And Sliced Very Thin
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 dash Salt
Powdered Sugar, For Serving
Caramel Sauce, For Serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Add sugar and salt to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, and/or a sprinkling of powdered sugar. 

Photo and Recipe Source