Cheese Enchiladas

Here is part 2 of Cinco de Mayo fast and easy recipes of what we had for dinner on May 5. These Cheese enchiladas are super easy and take very few ingredients, and super fast to make. They were a hit with my youngest daughter who loves anything to do with cheese, and my favorite flavor of enchiladas.

Cheese Enchiladas

8 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
2 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 of a 3.5 oz can of green chiles
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can enchilada sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese
garnish with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or whatever you like on your Mexican food

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Mix together 2 cups cheese, sour cream, and chiles. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Spoon filling into tortillas and lay seam side down in baking dish. Top with enchilada sauce. Top with 1 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Meatball Tater Tot Casserole

It is different! I thought my husband was crazy when he told me about this dish that my best friend makes and made while he was there visiting a few months ago (Deanna, let me know if I need to add anything else, just email me or on facebook, love ya hunny!). I thought to myself "what a strange combination of ingredients." But, he raved about it and told me what was in it so I concocted what I thought it would taste like with what he told me was in it, and it was very good. So, I am going to share it here. It is just a fast and easy idea for a dinner; serve it with some bread and salad and makes a great meal. I call this meal "the I do not feel like cooking" meal. It is just that easy!

Meatball Tater Tot Casserole
(a recreation of a friend's dish based on what hubby told me was in it)

Tater Tots (enough to cover the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish)
frozen meatballs (about 20)
1 can cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 inch casserole pan with cooking spray. Pour frozen tater tots into casserole dish (enough to cover the bottom with none on top of each other). Mix together the cream of mushroom or celery soup, sour cream, pepper, and garlic; add frozen meatballs and stir to coat meatballs. Pour this into the casserole dish on top of tater tots. Top with shredded cheese. Bake 40 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Tips:
- I used cream of celery soup because I am allergic to mushroooms and it was good even though the original recipe calls for cream of mushroom.
- I think it would be nice and colorful to garnish with chopped green onions after baking (I didn't think of it until after we ate the meal)
- My husband thought that next time we try it, to add some crumbled bacon.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese!! Especially when it is baked to perfection. Nothing out of the boxes for me, I want the real stuff!! My recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese incorporates the flavors and gooeyness of 3 different kinds of cheese and it is so thick and rich, your friends and family will be begging for more! I know my family loves it. I use the large macaroni noodles since it will get more of the actual cheese and sauce within the noodles making for cheesy good bites in every bite. Try some today!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

3 cups large elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups for cheese sauce and 2 cups to mix in and on top)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni according to package directions.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and pepper and cook until you get a thick pasty roue. Add the milk all at once. Stir until thickened and bubbly whisking to remove lumps of flour. Add 2 cups shredded cheese and stir until thick and bubbly. Stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Transfer to 13x9 inch baking dish, stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and the 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Variations:

- For a little western flair, add 1/4 cup BBQ sauce to macaroni and cheese and use smoked cheddar for topping.
- One pan meal, you can add your favorite vegetables to macaroni and cheese, such as broccoli or peas and carrots.

Chicken Bacon Stuffing Casserole

This is just a quick fix for dinner when you are in a hurry and have limited ingredients on hand. The ingredients in this casserole are things everyone should have in their kitchen anyway on a regular basis. I always keep some Stove Top stuffing in the cupboard in an emergency for when I need a fast meal or when I really do not feel like cooking. It is that easy! Sort of reminds me of the Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich at Subway (which is only my most favorite sub there).



Chicken Bacon Stuffing Casserole

2 chicken breasts, diced
1 box chicken flavored stuffing mix
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup cooked bacon, diced fine (about 3-4 slices)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
Ranch dressing, warmed up (if desired)

Cook the chicken breasts and dice. Cook stuffing according to package directions. Combine the sour cream, chicken soup, garlic, black pepper, and salt; mix with stuffing. Add chicken. Mix well. Spray 13x9x2 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour stuffing/chicken mix into the pan, top with cheese, then top with bacon. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with garlic bread and salad.

Notes:
- Add broccoli to the dish for a complete meal in one pan.
- I use regular Kraft ranch dressing warmed just until the chill is off of it to drizzle on my casserole serving.

Acorn Squash Casserole

This is a new dish for us this Thanksgiving; I happened to have 2 acorn squashes in the pantry and thought about a casserole for Thanksgiving. I searched for one that would be similar to my usual Sweet Potato Casserole that I usually make for my son, but since he wasn't here this week, I chose something else. I found this recipe on Cook's.com recipe site and thought it sounded good. It is very easy to make and was very tasty. The sweetness of the brown sugar topping and the squash made a very nice combination with a little crunch of pecans in the topping as well. It was received well by the family.

Acorn Squash Casserole

3 c. mashed acorn squash or 2 pkgs of frozen squash, thawed
1/2 c. sugar
2/3 stick butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla, divided
2 eggs, well beaten

Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice acorn squash in half, remove seeds, and bake 1 hour or until fork tender. Take out squash from skins. Combine baked squash, sugar, butter, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix with electric mixer until well mixed. Add remaining vanilla and beaten eggs. Mix well. Place squash mixture into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix together topping ingredients until texture is that of small peas and mealy. Spread on top of squash. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

Notes:
- This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake and baked while turkey is resting after being roasted.

Easy Cheesy Potatoes

Here is a very simple and filling potato casserole recipe. I got it from Kraft Foods and I didn't realize that 5 little ingredients would make such a huge tasty dish. We had these with my roasted chicken and baked squash last Saturday night for dinner, needless to say, there were no leftovers. So here is the recipe.



Easy Cheesy Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2" chunks (about 4 cups)
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup mayonnaise or miracle whip dressing
4 slices of bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled (about 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients except bacon and put into greased 8 inch square baking dish (can be sprayed with cooking spray). Sprinkle with bacon. Bake 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Notes:
- For lower fat use Velveeta light cheese instead of regular Velveeta
- For extra color, sprinkle 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley on top just before serving.

Italian Spinach Lasagna

Here is a recipe that I made up myself based on what types of things I like in my lasagna and this is what I came up with. (most of the made up part is the sauce, the filling is similar to basic lasagna filling that you find in most lasagnas, but it is the sauce that makes this dish unique) I fixed it last night and it was a hit with everyone, they loved it. Just mop up any sauce with some nice crusty french bread or sourdough bread, put a salad on the side (we eat alot of salad, couldn't you tell, we have it most every night which is why the scarce vegetable dish recipes on this blog, but I have some coming soon) and you have yourself a great meal that the whole family will love. So, here you go, enjoy the recipe and if you like it, let me know by leaving me a comment!




Italian Spinach Lasagna

Sauce:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage (either hot or spicy whichever you prefer, I use mild since I have a 3 yr old that doesn't like spicy)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 - 28 oz can of tomato sauce (or whatever is close to it, I think that large can is 28 oz)
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 - 2.25 oz can sliced olives
4 Roma tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Filling:
1 - 15 oz tub ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Other Ingredients:
8 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
2 cups washed baby spinach leaves
2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

1. Put olive oil in a skillet; cook sausage and onion until sausage is done.
2. Put sausage and onion in crock pot; add other sauce ingredients and turn crock pot on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours to cook sauce and incorporate flavors.
3. While sauce is cooking, mix together ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, egg, and parsley in a bowl. Chill until ready to use.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Wash spinach leaves and set aside.
6. Cook noodles until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.
7. Spray 8x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Start with 4 noodles for bottom layer, then add the sauce, then spinach, then 1/4 cup parmesan sprinkled over spinach, then ricotta mixture, then 1 cup mozzarella cheese; repeat until ingredients are gone. You can get 2 layers of each item in the pan.
9. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
11. Enjoy with garlic bread and some salad if desired.

Mexican Mac and Cheese

Everyone loves macaroni and cheese. Especially when it is homemade. But, when you make homemade macaroni and cheese there is so much left over since most recipes make tons for an army. So I have made up a new meal out of that left over mac and cheese and my family loves it. I have created Mexican Mac and Cheese. To do this, I just take my left over mac and cheese and add some things to it. Here is the recipe:

Mexican Macaroni and Cheese

Leftover macaroni and cheese
1 lb of hamburger (made into taco meat with any taco seasoning packet)
1 can of Rotel mild tomatoes with green chiles or 1/2 cup any flavor salsa
1/4 cup diced olives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips (broken into small pieces)
sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa for toppings (optional)

First, cook the hamburger and drain the fat; make into taco meat according to package directions on taco seasonings. Shred your cheese. Crush your tortilla chips (any favorite chip will work). In a mixing bowl, take the macaroni and cheese and mix it with the taco meat, olives, rotel tomatoes or salsa and mix it good. Spray large baking dish with cooking spray and then place crushed tortilla chips on the bottom, then spoon in the macaroni mixture, top with cheese and a few of the olives and tomatoes if desired. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa if desired.

I usually serve this with a salad on the side and/or extra chips and salsa on the side. Now you have a brand new meal with what you had last night and its not like having the same old thing... again... Its something new!!