Mexican Casserole

My grandma makes something very similar to this and my husband LOVES it.  So, when I saw this in one of my cookbooks I knew I would have to give it a try to see if he loved it as much.  The verdict – he thought it was as good and me and scooter bill liked it too!  This will be a keeper and be made again.

I didn’t make any changes except for the cheese.  I mixed it into the mixture instead of putting it on top.  Not on purpose mind you.  Did you ever have those assignments in school were you got a paper to do and you started it all and answered all the questions and then at the bottom it said just sign and turn in!  Yeah, it was teaching you to read it all before starting and I never got it right.  So, that’s why I mixed the cheese in because I didn’t read the instructions entirely before starting.  But it didn’t matter and I think I’d probably do that next time too.  When I served it up I thought I probably shouldn’t have put the water because it was a bit runny but after it sat there while we ate it firmed up so probably just let it sit about 10 minutes before serving.  I also used a 13x9 dish and sprayed it with PAM .

Recipe taken from – Texas State Foster Parent’s Incorporated Cookbook (1989)

1 ½ lb. ground chuck

1 large onion

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can enchilada sauce, mild

1 can green chilies, small

1 c. grated Cheddar cheese

1 pkg. corn tortillas

Brown meat and onion in large skillet.  Pour off any fat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Tear tortillas into bite size pieces.  Put layer of tortillas on bottom of large casserole dish.  Pour ½ cup water over tortillas.  Add ½ meat mixture.  Put another layer of tortillas on top of meat mixture and add remaining meat.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top.  Bake at 400 for 10 minutes and reduce to 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.  Cover with foil for last 20 to 25 minutes.  Delicious.  This makes large oblong, Pyrex dish.

Give this yummy and easy casserole a try and make your hubby smile!

Easy Swiss Steak

Another Crock Pot meal…yay!  This one was simple and easy.  I just threw it all in the pot together and then gave it a good stir and let it cook away.  It turned out really good.  We actually served it as tacos with all the fixins .  But I can see that it would be very yummy over potatoes…we’ll probably give that a try next time.

I used diced tomatoes and my steak was thin.  I don’t know if you can even by an inch thick cube steak!?..

Recipe taken from – Thalian Society’s Cookbook

2 lbs. beef round steak, 1 inch thick

1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes

1 tsp. pepper

1 sm. Onion, chopped

1 tsp. salt

Pound steak with meat mallet if not tenderized.  Trim off excess fat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cut into serving pieces.  Place in crock pot.  Add tomatoes and onions.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Try this tender steak and make your own dinner combo.

Green Enchiladas

I was taking a risk that these enchiladas would be good when I made them and they were!  Call me crazy but I made them for the first time taking them to friends for dinner.  Luckily they were good or I would have been embarrassed.  I chose these because they looked super easy and they were easier than any enchilada recipe I have.

I followed the recipe except for I seasoned my meat with salt, pepper, garlic, Tony’s, and cumin.  Everything else was the same.  I got 9 enchiladas using flour tortillas.  The topping seemed to make a lot but I guess it wasn’t too much because no one complained.

My mom made a note by this recipe to substitute chicken for beef.  Maybe next time I’ll try that out!

Recipe taken from – Heart of the Home (1982)

1 lb Monterey Jack cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can green chilies, drained

8 oz. sour cream

1 lb ground meat

1 onion, chopped

10 flour or corn tortillas

Dash of oregano

Cumin and garlic powder

Grate cheese, chop chilies and mix with soup and sour cream.  Mix well and set aside.  Brown ground meat with onions; add spices.  Put portion of meat mixture in each tortilla and roll up.  Pout in 9x13 in baking dish.  Pour sauce over top.  Bake 20-30 minutes at 350.  Makes 10.

Looking for an easy enchilada recipe then this one is for you!

Baby Meatloaf

You have to make these today!  These were a childhood favorite of mine.  They were probably the second favorite dish my mom made.  Second, only to yummy chicken fried steak!  We would eat with baked potatoes and glazed carrots.  Oh so so good.  I still make them to this day and my hubby loves them as much as I do and our son enjoys them too!  Anyone any of my family members have made these for has also loved them.  They are so quick and easy that you’ll have plenty of time to spare.

Recipe taken from – My Mom

1 lb hamburger meat (some of my family use turkey meat)

1 small onion, chopped

1 small can evaporated milk

1 egg

¾ c oatmeal

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine above ingredients.  Mix well.  Make into balls the size of your fist.  (usually makes 4-5)  Put into greased 9x13 dish.  Combine sauce ingredients.  Put equal amounts on baby meat loaves before placing into oven.  Cook approximately 45 minutes.

Sauce: *

*Bear with me because I guesstimate when making this so I do not know the accurate measurements. One time I cooked them I tried to measure it out and this is what I came up with me….sorry if it’s more than needed!

4 Tbsp Catsup

2 tsp Mustard

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar

If you make no other recipe on this blog PLEASE at least give these a try.  I promise they won’t disappoint!

Texas Hash

This recipe was better than it looked!  While combining everything I thought ‘what have I done?’ but in the end it turned out pretty good.  We served it with mashed potatoes, green beans, and French bread.  I used only 1 onion and 1 bell pepper.  I can’t imagine two of each.  Hubby and I were talking about some of the measurements/times on these recipes and we figure people made them from memory so much that when they wrote them down they weren’t entirely accurate?!  I also used olive oil not shortening and one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes.

Recipe taken from – Heritage Cookbook (1976)

2 large onion, sliced or finely chopped

2 green peppers, finely cut

3 Tbsp shortening

1 lb hamburger meat

1 tsp salt

2 c canned tomatoes

½ c uncooked rice

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp pepper

Cook onions and peppers in shortening until onions are yellow.  Add hamburger and salt; cook until mixture falls apart.  Add tomatoes, rice and other seasoning.  Arrange in large casserole.  Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until done.  Yield: 8 servings.

Note:  In any recipe that calls for cooked hamburger meat I always season it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some Tony’s.  This adds some seasoning in case the recipe is under seasoned as most are when dealing with hamburger meat I think.  And with this recipe I decreased the salt to ¾ tsp since I added some to the beef.

Don’t be intimidated by different – give it a try!!

Smothered Steak

This was a recipe by mistake!  I had this page marked for another recipe but for some reason when I was making the grocery list I thought I wanted to do this one so I bought the stuff to make it.  After I made it I went to highlight it on my master list and to my surprise it wasn’t on there.  Oops!  I was very leery when making it wondering why I put it on the list!!  (you’ll see why when you read the recipe!)  I can’t say it was a happy mistake but it wasn’t a bad one.  My hubby said he’d eat it again.  He said it was poor man’s pot roast.  If I did it again I think I would leave out the flour which made it kinda slimy and I would season it more.

Recipe taken from - Thalian’s Society Cookbook

Sm. Round steak

1 med onion, sliced thin

1 c. flour

Water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Salt and pepper steak to taste.  Sprinkle flour on both side of steak.  Brwon steak in small amount of oil.  Place sliced onions on top of steak.  Drain grease.  Add water to cover steak.  Simmer for 2 hours, covered.

If you’re feeling adventurous give this recipe a try!!

Spaghetti with Italian Sauce

There was a recipe similar to this in almost every cookbook so I decided it must be good and I guess this one caught my eye the most.

I followed the recipe as stated for the most part.  The few things I did differently is that I roughly chopped my onions and used probably 1 cup and I used a 4 oz can of mushrooms...I don’t even know if they make 3 oz anymore.  I also used one large can of whole tomatoes and one 14 oz can of diced tomatoes instead of 2 1lb cans.  This was actually really easy to throw together.  I had it done and simmering in 30 minutes which is always a hit in my book.  It was similar to spaghetti but with a bit more flair!

We all loved it and especially our son but he likes anything Italian.  I think this was probably my favorite so far!!

Recipe taken from - W.M.U Centennial Cookbook (1988)

½ c onion slices

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (1 lb) cans tomatoes

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (3 oz) can sliced mushrooms

¼ c chopped parsley

1 ½ tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp thyme

Dash of pepper

1 bay leaf

1 c water

Cooked Spaghetti

In large skillet, cook onion in olive oil until almost tender.  Add ground beef and garlic, brown lightly.  Add remaining ingredients, except spaghetti.  Simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until thick.  Remove bay leaf.  Serve on hot cooked spaghetti.  Pass bowl of grated Parmesan cheese.  Serves 6.

Give this quick Italian meal a try soon.  It’s quick and oh so good!

Crock Pot Enchilada Stack-Up

I love all crock pot meals because they are easy to fix and clean up.  So, when I saw this recipe in one of the cookbooks I was excited to try a new crock pot recipe.  It was easy and my husband LOVED it.  He was very disappointed that he didn’t get to take leftovers to work because he was going to lunch with his boss.  I thought it was good but a little salty so I’ll decrease the salt to ¼ tsp next time. 

I cooked up the beef and onion mixture the night before to make it easier the next day.  I mixed it all together the following day.  We used flour tortillas and served with rice and beans.  I also used nearly the whole can of the green chilies (4 oz) and I only used 4 oz can of black sliced olives.  I also used a little more onion than suggested.  I used cheddar and monterrey jack cheese.  Our grocery store sells single cans of tomato juice so I just bought a 12 oz can of Campbell’s tomato juice and measured it out.  I might try red enchilada sauce next time.

Recipe taken from – W.M.U Centennial Cookbook (1988)

1 lb ground beef

½ c chopped onion

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp chopped green chiles

1 ½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Few drops of hot sauce

½ c slced black olives

4 corn or flour tortillas

1 c shredded cheese

¾ c tomato juice

In skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender.  Drain off fat.  Add tomato sauce, chiles, chili powder, salt, and hot sauce.  Stir in olives.  Trim tortillas slightly smaller than diameter of crock pot.  Add trimmings to meat mixture.  Place ¼ of meat mixture in bottom of cooker.  Top with 1 tortilla; sprinkle with ¼ coup cheese.  Repeat layers with meat, tortillas, and cheese.  Pour tomato juice around edge of stack-up.  Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours of high for 2 to 2 ½ hours.  Cut into wedges and carefully lift out of cooker.

*I’m really not sure what is meant by “Add trimmings to meat mixture.” Since the recipe already mixed things together.  If you understand please fill me in!!

All in all this was a yummy quick and easy week night dinner.  So, when you’re pressed for time give this recipe a go!