Posted on

How to Make Taco Bake – Without a Recipe

You are about to find out how to make Taco Bake without a recipe. For our Sunday lunch yesterday I decided to keep it simple and make Taco Bake. What is Taco Bake? Read on!

My friend Pam shared this with me many years ago. Thank you, Pam! Am I ever excited that she is moving across the country and will be a whole lot closer to me! (and a few other people).

Taco Bake is a simple casserole that is very filling and easy to adjust to your preferences. It is made with ingredients we keep on hand almost all of the time. Rice, beans, taco seasoning, meat and/or chicken and cheese. Have leftovers? Here is a great use for them. This is how I make Taco Bake without a recipe.

You may want to lightly coat your pan with oil or spray it with cooking spray.  Any size pan will do depending on your family size. I choose my pan based on how many will be here to eat. If this is going to be a weeknight dinner I will use my 13X9 pan because James is always happy to finish the leftovers. Yesterday I used my giant heavy-duty 1/2 sheet cake pan I have used for years and years because I was expecting a family crowd.

Ingredients:

Rice, refried or cooked pinto beans, taco seasoning, meat and/or chicken, and shredded cheese.

Layer 1

First I layer cooked rice not more than an inch deep. You may use white, brown, long-grain, short-grain, whatever type you prefer.

Layer 2

Cooked taco meat or chicken. Have you noticed the price of beef? I was so shocked at the cost of the cheapest ground beef that I almost made it with chicken. In the end, I decided to combine ground turkey and beef. Cook the meat and drain and season it with taco seasoning. Spread this over the rice layer. This time I used 3 lbs. of ground beef and 3 lbs. of ground turkey.  You can use any leftover turkey, chicken, beef, etc. Or make it vegetarian.

Layer 3

Refried beans or as I usually do cook some pinto beans or use some leftover ones.

 Don’t know how to cook beans? 

Layer 4

Cover the top with shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.

Bake in the oven at 350° until it is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted. Now you are ready to enjoy it!

FREEZER MEAL – After Layer 4 you can cover it with a layer of plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil, label, and freeze. When you get ready to use thaw and uncover and follow the regular instructions.

Beans
Beans
Posted on

Instant Pot Black Bean Soup

Black Beans
Black Beans

Yesterday, I decided to try an old recipe…Instant Pot Style! Black Bean Soup has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Black beans are healthy, economical, and they taste great!

I don’t cook a lot using recipes, but I like to share them when I do:)

My first few experiences with the Instant Pot made me want to throw it out the door! I persisted because of my dear friend Lee who uses her Instant Pot constantly and is always telling me how it makes fixing dinner so easy. She is such a patient teacher! So here goes another experiment…

Ingredients:

4 cups dried black beans

2 quarts chicken broth

2 cups salsa (homemade or store-bought)

2 -3 teaspoons cumin to taste

4 garlic cloves (my favorite!) or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 teaspoons lime juice

Salt (to taste)

Optional seasoning: red pepper added for heat

Optional toppings: cilantro, sour cream, or plain yogurt

Add the dried black beans with the chicken broth and cook in the Instant Pot for 14 minutes (use the manual setting to set the time).

While beans are cooking, saute the onions in a skillet.

After the 14 minutes is up, let the Instant Pot self-release its steam. Stir to make sure the beans are well cooked, and then add the sauteed onions, salsa, lime, and all the seasonings. Turn it on saute for about 5 minutes until it is all hot and mixed well. If you want it to have more liquid you can add some more broth or water at this point, and then it’s done! This soup has a lot of wonderful flavors! You can serve it with rice, tortillas, or tortilla chips.

 

Original Black Bean Soup and Short Cuts Added

The original recipe is not as large so I always had to double and triple it when the kids were home. You know how much boys can eat!

Here is the recipe:

1 lb. dry beans cooked according to directions (shortcut: use two cans cooked black beans)

1 -2 C  chicken broth  (substitute: 1 C water and 1 bouillon cube for each cup)

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced (substitute: 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

2 cups of homemade salsa (substitute: 16 oz jar store-bought salsa)

4 teaspoons lime juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Optional toppings:

chopped fresh cilantro

sour cream or plain yogurt

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray, cook onion and garlic over med-high for 4-5 min.  Add the cooked beans with their liquid, the salsa, lime, cumin, red pepper, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 25-30 minutes.  Top with yogurt and fresh cilantro.

Posted on

Once a Month Cooking

Once a Month Cooking, Freezer Cooking
Once a Month Cooking, Freezer Cooking.

Many years ago, in fact, it was October 1991, I remember the time very well. I decided to try Once a Month Cooking, some call it Freezer Cooking. I assume that most people have heard of this but just in case let me explain. You plan your menu, shop, and cook your dinners and freeze them for the month. For me, this turned out to be a huge money and time saver. You may need more hours in the day or you may need more money at the end of your pay period. This worked well for me. All of my experience with Once a Month Cooking was for a large family. I recently had the opportunity to help a family member put meals in the freezer for her parents who were experiencing some health problems. I had considered recreating my original recipes from the 1990’s and compare prices with today’s prices. I haven’t had the opportunity to do that yet but I may soon. I did have the opportunity to do this for two people. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out just how much food two people would need. Even though most of my family are grown now I still cook for  5 people most of the time and we have leftovers. So this was an experiment.

This is what I cooked.

3 Chicken Pot Pie

3 Chicken Broccoli Casserole

3 Italian Pasta Bake

3 Black Bean Soup

3 Chicken Fajitas and Rice

3 Taco Bake

3 Cheesy Stuffed Shells

3 Cabbage Casserole with beef

3 Beef Veggie Soup

 

Total Cost Including freezer containers:   $118.20

Pretty good! Have you tried freezer cooking? If so share your experiences with me.

 

Posted on

New Lentil Tamale Pie

Have you ever eaten lentils? If not, this is your opportunity!  I do not remember eating lentils until I was an adult. I have made Lentil Tamale Pie (original recipe below) for years and I have really been wanting lentils. I decided to create a new Lentil Tamale Pie and this is what I came up with.

 

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup gluten-free flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cups water

2 cups frozen corn

2 cups lentils, cooked

2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar, or jack) DIVIDED 1 cup for topping

1 cup chopped turkey or chicken (great use of leftovers)

2 eggs

10 oz. red enchilada sauce

1 cup chopped onions

Mix the first 5 ingredients and then add all but 1 cup of cheese.  Pour into an oiled pan. I thought this would fill a 13X9 pan but it was too much. I ended up with a 13X9 pan and a 9-inch loaf pan.  Bake 350 oven for 1 hour. Enjoy! You may want to top with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, green onions, sour cream, black olives, etc.

Original Lentil Tamale Pie (from Pam Liebelt)

1 Onion, chopped

1 cup lentils, cooked

2 ½  cups water

2 cups canned tomatoes or tomato sauce

1 can corn (do not drain)

2 eggs beaten

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup cornmeal

Chili powder, cumin, salt to taste

Optional: 1 can olives, chopped; 1 can jalapeno peppers, 1 can green chilies, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake 350 for one hour. Serve with sour cream or yogurt, chopped green onions, salsa. Or you may choose to pour into a gallon freezer bag and freeze for later.  If freezing remove the bag from the freezer and thaw and then follow the regular instructions for baking.

Let me know if you have another favorite lentil recipe!

Posted on

Chicken Enchiladas

 

My First Chicken Enchilada Recipe from the 90’s

1 whole chicken, cooked and cubed (or to save time and maybe money buy a rotisserie chicken already cooked)
4 ounce can of chopped green chilies                                                                                         1 teaspoon salt
20 ounces green enchilada sauce
6 ounces of evaporated milk
1 can cream chicken soup
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar, grated
12-24 flour tortillas or gluten-free tortillas(SEE NOTE)
Rotel tomatoes, chopped

Mix chicken, chilies, salt, enchilada sauce, evaporated milk, soup and 1 cup of cheese. Warm tortillas. Fill with 1/4 c. chicken mixture. Roll up, seam down and place in baking dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Pour Rotel tomatoes into the remaining mixture (if there is any); pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 2 cups of cheese. Bake in preheated oven 425° for 20 minutes, until bubbly. It is best to put them in the oven immediately to avoid the bottoms becoming soggy.

Enjoy!

GLUTEN-FREE:

Since several family members have become gluten intolerant I tried a batch with Mission’s gluten-free tortillas they were a bit too soft on the bottom. Two ideas for making this better.  One would be to lightly char them or two to make the filling in a casserole dish or slow cooker and let each one fill their own tortilla shell.

Posted on

Skillet Pizza Crusts

Skillet Pizza Crusts

In the early 1990’s I started making skillet pizza crusts. They became a favorite and a part of my “once a month cooking” recipes. This is a nice thing to do with a group or your family because you can talk and visit as you work together to chop the veggies or just make your own pizza. When I am ready to assemble I preheat the oven, chop some veggies, set out a jar of pizza or pasta sauce, and set out the pepperoni and cheese. You CAN make them all yourself if you wish but it is more fun to let each person make their own. Call the group in a few at a time to assemble their pizza just the way they like it.  If you have a large group you may want to use parchment paper on your baking sheet and write each person’s name on it so that their pizzas do not get mixed up. My baking sheets hold 4 on each one. I can usually bake on both racks. They each take 10-15 minutes to bake. I bake them until the cheese is melted.

Here is my recipe for Skillet Pizza Crusts. I usually get 10 individual crusts from each recipe.

3 packages or Tablespoons of yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

3/4 cup of water (105°-115°)

3 cups all-purpose flour ( I like to use a mixture of wheat and white)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of additional water

2 Tablespoons oil

cooking spray

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a 2 cup measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine the yeast mixture, flour, and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn your dough to grease the top. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and knead lightly. Divide your dough into small pieces. I usually just pinch off a small blob of dough (my grandma used to “pinch” biscuits as she called it). I roll these out one at a time and use a small saucer as a pattern to cut around. This will make the crusts a bit more uniform. They will still change shape a bit but no problem they taste great. I cook them on the stove in my iron skillet medium heat, 1-2 minutes on each side. When they slightly start to brown I flip them and cook the other side.  Cool on wire racks and then either freeze them or use them.

To assemble pizzas:

Preheat oven 350 °. Put the crusts on a baking sheet. Spread each crust with sauce. Put on toppings and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, usually 10-15 minutes.

Some of our favorite toppings:

Artichokes – canned, chopped

Green onions chopped

Mushrooms fresh or canned

Spinach fresh is best

Bell peppers – we especially like the colored ones

Pepperoni

Mozzarella cheese

You may wish to make your pizza a Hawaiian, veggie, or sausage or whatever your favorite may be.

If you have leftover crusts freeze them. They are great to use for tostadas, or just with melted cheese. Either way, they are economical to make and a lot of fun and they disappear rather quickly!

Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Cooking!

Posted on

My Chicken Curry Recipe

I used to make Chicken Curry in huge batches and freeze them. Lately, I haven’t been making it very much. When I did my menu plan this month I included this recipe. I no longer need the big batches. Yes, it is sad and happy. I miss having all my kids around the table. I am happy for them that they have their own adventures, though. Today my table only included 4 of us. We enjoyed a time of sharing what we are each working on and talking about complex math problems.

So here is my take on Chicken Curry! A big batch of 8-10 servings. Some to freeze for later or some to have for tomorrow’s lunch.

Chicken Curry

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green peppers

6 cups cooked chicken, chopped

2 Tablespoons of curry powder

salt to taste (1-1/2 teaspoons – 1 Tablespoon at my house)

1 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cups  tomato sauce

4 cloves (not bulbs!) of garlic crushed or chopped finely

6-8 cups of cooked rice

Cook onion and green pepper in the oil until tender. Add the chicken. Sauté briefly. In a small bowl mix the salt and curry powder. Add tomato sauce and pour mixture over the chicken mixture. Mix. Heat a bit until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice.

Chicken Curry
Curry Chicken Skillet
Chicken Curry
Chicken Curry

Let me know what you think of this recipe. Please share your favorite curry recipe below or send me an email. I love to hear from you and I love to try new recipes.