Nacho Stuffed Shells

This has been a favorite for years. It's a little labor intensive, but worth it. I planned it last night, when I actually felt like cooking. Unlike today. Blah. Oh, well. Hubby offered to pick up Chinese, but damn that gets expensive with four of us! So...our oldest son is going to a concert at the state fair tomorrow. Guess what the rest of us are having for dinner ;)

Speaking of my oldest, he finally, after sitting on his butt all summer and twanging my last nerve repeatedly, contacted the college he wants to attend. Went in and started the ball rolling. Yay! And my youngest is now a mere 8 pounds from enlisting. With all that's now going on, I'm not as enthusiastic as I otherwise would have been, but it's what he wants. Hey, maybe, in another 5-10 years, hubby and I will have the house to ourselves!

Anyway...

Nacho Stuffed Shells

16 oz. Box jumbo shells
1 lb ground beef
16 oz. Can refried beans
1 C. Salsa
16 oz. Can tomato sauce
2 C. Shredded cheese of your choice
1 packet taco meat seasoning
1 C. Water

Cook shells according to package directions.
While pasta cooks, brown beef in a large skillet.
Drain both meat and pasta. Cover shells with cold water. Stir water and seasoning into meat, simmer 10 minutes. Stir in beans and half of cheese. Heat to melt cheese.
Combine tomato sauce and salsa.
Heat oven to 350.
Spread 1 C. Salsa mixture over bottom of 10x14" baking dish. Fill each shell with about 2 T meat mixture and arrange in the baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over filled shells and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes.

Taco Cornbread Bake

I was hesitant about making this, even with the changes, but I'm glad I did!  Everyone loved it.  For me, anyway, it has just the right amount of zip.  I like spicy foods, but sometimes you don't want to need a gallon of water with your dinner!  And you can alter the amount of zip by the kind of salsa you use.  We always get medium, but you can go hotter or cooler.  If that's not hot enough, add a can of diced green chili peppers.

I really thought it would be bland, but the salsa does the job.  This can be halved, if you don't live with eating machines like I do.  Of course, I forgot to get a picture till it was almost gone...*sigh*  I'll get my head out of my butt one day, I swear!

Taco Cornbread Bake

2 pounds ground beef
1t. dry oregano
1 1/2 C. salsa
2 16 oz cans tomato sauce
2 cans corn, drained
2 boxes cornbread mix and the ingredients to make them
2 C. shredded cheddar

Heat oven to 375.
Brown beef with oregano.  Drain.  Add salsa, tomato sauce, corn, and 1 C. cheese.
Pour into a 9 x 13" baking pan.
Mix cornbread mix with required ingredients.  Pour over meat mixture and spread evenly.  Top with remaining cheese.
Bake 25-30 minutes.  Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Tacos

When we were at the store yesterday, they had cilantro on sale.  My husband saw it, grabbed two bunches, turned to me grinning, and said, "Pico!"  *sigh*  So, last night I made him his pico de gallo.  He would live on that stuff if I were willing to make it all the time.  I keep saying that I need to get one of those little chopper things.  You know, where you put the item to be chopped in a little container, or on the counter, and smack the plunger thingy down and blades go down and chop the item?  My mom had one years ago and it was handy.  She mostly used it t chop pecans for pecan pies, but it would save me a LOT of time in pico!  Like I said, I keep saying it but just haven't gotten around to getting one.  So I dice everything by hand.

Since hubby had to have pico, we had to have tacos for dinner tonight.  I'm not posting a recipe for tacos, however, because, really, who needs one?  Seasoned meat, veggies of your choice, salsa, sour cream, pico, and/or refried beans, all on tortillas or crunchy shells, or even in a taco salad (which here means crushed tortilla chips).  Pico isn't difficult, but I started out with someone's recipe and ended up with my own.  Which is how most of the things I make came to be.

Today would have been a better day for chili or stew than tacos, but I guess if you use enough pico or salsa, it could warm you up too!  At the present time in northeast Iowa, it's slushing.  That glopy, nasty rain/snow mix that feels like someone it dribbling a Slurpee from the sky.  And someone said something about Spring?  Seriously??  What planet are they on?  *sigh*

 

Pico de Gallo
This should be made the day before it is to be use...or at least in the morning before evening use.  That gives the flavors time to mingle.

5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (you can use the jar stuff)
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 - 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (jar stuff is ok, use 5-6 slices)
juice of 1 lime

mix all the chopped and minced ingredients in a bowl (one large enough to allow you to shake it up) with a lid.  Roll the lime on the counter until it softens up, cut it in half, and squeeze all the juice that you can out of it, onto the pico.
Mix everything up very well and chill overnight, or at least all day, shaking the bowl once in a while to make sure the flavors are well mixed.

This last picture is after it was decimated at dinner.