Savory Taco Casserole

Turn an ordinary week day into a taco party and spice up your week on the cheap. With ground beef and beans, a little seasoning and cheese, Mexican dishes are often affordable ways to enjoy big flavor. This Savory Taco Casserole with a salsa kick is the perfect example.

Ingredients:

·         1lb lean  ground beef

·         1can (15 to 16 oz) spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained

·         1cup  Thick 'n Chunky salsa

·         2cups coarsely broken tortilla chips

·         4medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

·         1medium tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)

·         1cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

·         Tortilla chips, if desired

·         Shredded lettuce, if desired

·         Additional  Thick 'n Chunky salsa, if desired

Preparation:

1.       Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in beans and 1 cup salsa. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2.       In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place broken tortilla chips. Top with beef mixture. Sprinkle with onions, tomato and cheese.

3.       Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Arrange tortilla chips around edge of casserole. Serve with lettuce and additional salsa.

Happy Cooking ☺

Mexi Tater Tot Bake

This tasty meal combines tater tots into a Mexican style casserole that makes a delicious meal for any night of the week. 

As the weather gets cooler, casserole dishes are among my favorite things to make for dinner. This casserole consists of ingredients such as taco meat, green chilies, corn, black beans, and Mexican cheese. The casserole also gets a lot of its flavor from enchilada sauce. 

If you like, you can add additional toppings to this recipe; some good options might be salsa and sour cream. This mexi tater tot bake is extremely easy to prepare if you are short on time. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

·         1lb ground beef

·         1 small onion (diced)

·         1 garlic clove (minced)

·         1 small can black olives (sliced)

·         1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

·         1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn

·         1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)

·         1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)

·         1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend

·         1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots

·         1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preparation:

1.       Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.

2.       In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.

3.       Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.

4.       Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Happy Cooking ☺

Pats Patty Melt

Patty melts are one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

I love patty melts. In case you don’t know the definition, a patty melt is a beautiful, delicious luscious, cross between a hamburger and a grilled cheese. Cooked, golden brown onions are a signature ingredient and while any bread can be used, rye is the classic choice.

Absolutely, positively to die for.

Ingredients:

·         1 stick Butter

·         1 whole Large Onion, Halved and Sliced

·         1-1/2 pound Ground Beef

·         Salt And Pepper, to taste

·         6 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

·         8 slices Swiss cheese

·         8 slices Rye Bread

Preparation:

1.       In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Throw in the sliced onions and cook slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown and soft.

2.       In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt & pepper, and Worcestershire. Form into 4 patties.

3.       Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties on both sides until totally done in the middle.

4.       Assemble patty melts this way: Slice of bread, slice of cheese, hamburger patty, 1/4 of the cooked onions, another slice of cheese, and another slice of bread. On a clean griddle or in a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and grill the sandwiches over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the sandwiches and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Turn the sandwiches to the skillet, flipping them to the other side. Cook until golden brown and crisp, and until cheese is melted.

Slice in half and serve immediately!

Happy Cooking ☺

Flavorful Hamburger Gravy

15 minutes and two steps are all you need to prepare this flavorful beef gravy that adds instant zing to almost anything!

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. lean ground beef

·         ½ cup chopped onion

·         3 tablespoons all-purpose or unbleached flour

·         1 tablespoon beef-flavor instant bouillon

·         2 tablespoons steak sauce

·         2 cups milk

Preparation:

1.       In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently.

2.       Stir in flour, bouillon and steak sauce. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir 4 to 6 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens, stirring frequently. If desired, serve over mashed potatoes or cooked rice.

Happy Cooking ☺

D’s Breakfast Burgers

Burgers for breakfast???

These are so darn good. It’s really only a plain burger – but topped with tons of Havarti cheese, crunchy bacon, a fried egg and a maple Dijon aioli.

Ingredients:

·         1 pound lean ground beef

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon pepper

·         4 ounces Havarti cheese, sliced

·         6 slices of bacon, cooked

·         4 eggs, cooked to your liking

·         4 English muffins, toasted

Maple aioli

·         1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

·         1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

·         1 large egg yolk

·         1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

·         1/2 cup olive oil

·         2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

·         a pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation:

1.       Add the ground beef to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 equal patties, then cook as desired: either grill the burgers or cook on a skillet until they reach the desired doneness.  A minute before the burgers are done, add a slice of Havarti cheese on top.

2.       To assemble the burgers, place the burger on the English muffin. Add the egg, some of the maple aioli and the bacon, then the top of the English muffin. Serve!

Maple aioli

Whisk together the syrup, Dijon mustard, egg yolk and lemon juice in a large bowl until combined. Slowly stream in olive oil while continuously whisking until the mixture emulsifies and comes together completely. Whisk in whole grain mustard. then taste and season with a little salt and pepper as desired. Set aside.

Happy Cooking ☺