Mexitot Casserole

Last week I made a casserole my family absolutely loves. I make it at least once a month, I make a lot, and there's never any left. Cheeseburger and French fry casserole. I'll post that one soon, I promise, but while I was making it, my husband had an idea. Tacofy it.

I'm sure most of you have heard of the Dorito chicken casserole...It's very good and my family loves it, too, but I like to make a lot so we have leftovers. My husband takes them to work for lunch and when our sons are home, it gives them something to eat that doesn't use up all my groceries. The thing is, once the Dorito chicken casserole is cold, it doesn't reheat well. The chips are soggy and it's just kind of gross.

So! The hubs suggested  changing the cheeseburger casserole into a taco casserole. It's very good and reheats great! If you're from the southwest, you know places like Taco Bell sell seasoned tater tots (Mexitots). I'm from the Midwest, and the closest I've found is Taco John's potatoes ole, and I didn't find a Taco John's until we moved from Utah (hub's home state) to Iowa.

I took ground beef and seasoned it with store bought taco seasoning, but you can use homemade if you prefer. I also tossed a bag of frozen tater tots with a packet of taco seasoning. I mixed the meat with refried beans, topped it with canned soup and the seasoned tots, baked it, then added cheese. Really freaking good!! Not healthy, but...
If you prefer chicken, you can use it...Cooked and chopped, shredded, or ground. Just replace the beef with your choice.

Oh! It just popped into my head! Rotel! Mixed in with the meat! Ohhh! Gotta try that next time!

Mexitot Casserole 
Serves 8-10 (may be halved)

2 pounds ground beef
2 packs taco seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 C water
1 can refried beans (15oz)
2 lbs frozen tater tots, semi-thawed (let them sit out for an hour before using them)
2 C shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
1 can nacho cheese soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 C milk

Heat oven to 350°F

Place tots in a large bowl and sprinkle with about half of a seasoning packet, gently toss to coat.

Brown beef and onions untill meat is cooked through. Drain and rinse with hot water. Put meat back into the skillet. Stir in 2 seasoning packets and water. Heat to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in refried beans.

Spread meat mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13" baking dish.

Combine soups and milk, whisk until well blended. Spread over meat mixture.

Arrange tots in a single layer over soups.

Bake 20 minutes, until tots start to brown. Top with cheese and bake another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream, chopped onions and tomatoes, and shredded lettuce.

Taco Corn Chip Casserole

It's been a while since I posted, I know. I apologize. Things just seemed to pile up and I needed time to dig my way out. I'm going to do my best to keep up with this, this time.

I need to get my act together...seems every time I cook or crochet something new, I don't have a camera near. I did get a picture of tonight's dinner, but used the camera on my tablet and it leaves a lot to be desired.

Right now, there are four adults here, our two sons are home while they go to school, so I'm still cooking for an army. This recipe is easily cut in half for normal people. Not only do my boys pack it away, they also like leftovers for lunch the next day or so, so even though I make a lot, it's very seldom that any goes to waste.

As usual, substitutions are great. Make it to suit your family. This calls for kidney beans, but I think next time, I'll use black beans. I meant to add some Rotel, but forgot until I was adding the last layer of cheese, so... maybe next time.

Taco Corn Chip Casserole

2 lbs lean ground
2 cans (15oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can (28 oz) tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can corn, drained
1 small onion, chopped
3 C. Shredded cheddar cheese
2 bags (9oz) corn chips

Heat oven to 350°

Cook beef and onion in a large skillet. Drain and return to skillet. Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, beans, and corn; mix well.

In a 10x14” baking dish, cover bottom with a layer of chips. Top with half the meat mixture, then half the cheese. Top with another layer of chips. Repeat layers, ending with chips.

Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes.


**This recipe may be halved**

Taco Bake

So, it's winter and the local grocery stores have ground beef on sale. For the last 2-3 weeks! Move on, we all have enough hamburger! *sigh*

Me being cheap, have had to get creative with the menu because you can only eat so much meatloaf, tacos, and hamburgers. I had a bag of tortilla chips left from the last time we had tacos and I made pico. I certainly had the ground beef. And I always have taco seasoning, sour cream, cheese and onions...hmmm...

I made it without the refried beans because, genius me, I didn't think about them until the casserole was in the oven. If you don't like refried beans, you can use a can of drained black beans or red beans or pinto beans. Or you can just leave the beans out altogether, but they would bulk it up a bit.

Now, as usual, I made enough for an army, but food doesn't last long here. I used a huge 10x14" baking dish. We have leftovers, but not as many as you might think! And they'll be gone by the weekend. If you don't have a houseful of big eaters like I do, you can easily halve the recipe. I don't recommend freezing this because of the tortilla chips, but if you used torn corn tortillas instead, in the one you freeze, it should work...it just won't have the crunch 

If you like it hotter, add some peppers, milder, use canned diced tomatoes rather than the Rotel.

Taco Bake

2 lbs ground beef (80-85% lean)

1 chopped onion

2 cans Rotel, undrained

1 C. sour cream

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

1 packet taco seasoning

1 15 oz can refried beans

3 C. shredded cheddar cheese

1 large bag tortilla chips

Heat oven to 350°.

Cook meat and onions till onions are soft and meat is no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet.

Stir in Rotel, sour cream, taco seasoning, olives, and beans. Simmer over medium heat 10 minutes.

Coarsely crush half the chips into the bottom of a 10x14" baking dish. Spoon half the meat mixture over the chips. Sprinkle half the cheese over the meat. Repeat layers, making sure the cheese is the last layer added.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Granny Square Poncho Pattern

I just finished another granny square poncho and have had several requests for the pattern, so I thought I'd finally get it written up and in my Etsy shop. It's easy but a bit time consuming.

You can buy the pattern here: Granny Square Poncho Pattern.

Alternatively, if you would rather buy the poncho than make it, it's available, custom made, here: Afghansoffthehook, Granny Square Poncho

Hot...Fingers?

So I was wanting hot wings. Really, really wanting them! Of course it was like 11pm, I never do things the easy way. So o go to the grocery store. I believe I have already told you that I'm cheap, right? So when I see my choices, I got inventive.
See, they had small boxes of like 6 winglets (you know, not the whole wing, just half) for like $4. Seriously? So I move on. They have  4 pound bag of frozen winglets, plain, just cut and frozen, for $8. Better, but all I want is a snack, not a meal for the family! OK, let's look at the fresh wings. Now I remember when wings were all but free because nobody wanted them. Now they're as much as chicken breast! I. Don't. Think. So!

What to do? Hmmmm. Well, I *do* have a package of chicken breast thawing in the fridge. There's more than I'll need for dinner...yeah! That'll work!
Now these were bone in breast halves, so they included the tenders. They're not heavily breaded, either, but quick and pretty good!  Oh, and I don't do the butter in the hot sauce thing, but if you prefer it that way, feel free.

Hot Fingers

1 large chicken breast half, cut into strips
1/2 cup flour
1 T Cajun seasoning
Hot sauce
Oil

Combine flour And Cajun seasoning in a medium bowl. Add chicken strips and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large skillet, then add chicken a little at a time so it doesn't clump together. Fry about 10 minutes or till cooked through.  Remove to paper towels to drain. In a bowl, add as much hot sauce as you like, add chicken, and toss to coat.
Enjoy! 
* there's really enough for 2 people for a snack or one for a meal, but...they really were good!

Chicken Parmesan

This is such an easy meal and sooooo good! It's nice when the store has chicken breast on sale and I can stock up. I actually prefer the bone in breasts. It's not hard to de-bone it and as a bonus, you get the tenders, too. Not to mention, the bone in is usually cheaper than the boneless even when the boneless is n sale.

So, they had the bone n breasts for 99¢ a pound, so I bought like 15 pounds. When your freezer is full of the all the same meat, you have to get creative! And I have, but this is a favorite.

Now, my husband is NOT a fan of chicken breast. In fact, if I cook them as is, he won't touch them. They have to be cut up or shredded in some kind of dish or pounded thin. So, I pound them down to about 1/2" thick before I use them. The also cook faster this way, so if you want to skip this step, you'll have to adjust the cooking time. Also, he doesn't like the meat smothered in the pasta sauce and baked, so that's another option.  We also like a lot of sauce, so if you don't, one jar will do.

Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 C. Breadcrumbs
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan
1/2 C. Shredded mozzarella
16 oz. Pasta, whatever shape you like
2 jars pasta sauce

Heat oven to 250.

Place each chicken breast half between layers of plastic wrap and pound to 1/2" thick.
In a plate, combine Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Coat each breast in this mixture.
Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken until juices run clear and it is no longer pink.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to boiling and cook pasta according to package directions.

When chicken is done, place it in a baking dish, sprinkle with mozzarella, then with extra breadcrumbs and cover with foil. Place in oven.

In the same skillet, heat pasta sauce until heated through. You can pour some or all of this over the chicken if you like, cover, and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Serve chicken with pasta and sauce.