Creamy Taco Mac

Last minute, we invited my sister-in-law over for dinner tonight. She just returned home from college today (can't believe she is already done with her freshman year!), so we were looking forward to seeing her. However, the last-minute nature of the plans required coming up with an alternative meal plan, as what we were originally planning doesn't really make enough food for three.

I turned to my starred recipes to see if there was anything new to try. I wanted something pretty easy for a weeknight, and something that required minimal ingredients to pick up at the store. When I saw Annie's recent post about Creamy Taco Mac, I knew it was the one. And hey, it was timely, too--perfect for Cinco de Mayo! :) (I know it is completely unauthentic, but at least the flavors are Mexican inspired!)

I suppose Annie is correct in describing this as a homemade version of Hamburger Helper, but I don't remember any Hamburger Helper tasting this good! Annie used ground turkey in her version, but we stuck with ground beef. We also adjusted ingredients to use a whole box of pasta instead of half, since we had to feed a guest and also like to have leftovers. I've included these adjustments in the recipe below.

If you're short on time, and looking for a meal that requires very little effort but doesn't come from a box, this is your recipe. And if you have kids, they're sure to love it, too.

Creamy Taco Mac
(Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 box dry pasta shapes (approx. 13-16 oz.)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, drained (If you're not big on tomatoes, use 1 can. Use 2 if you want more!)
- 5-6 tbsp. homemade taco seasoning
- 4 oz. cream cheese (light)
- 3/4 cup sour cream (light)
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and serve. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

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Chile-Beef Stuffed Zucchini

We actually made this meal last weekend, but I just haven't had time to post! This was our dinner on Saturday night. Since we had planned ahead, we had made extra beef when we made this recipe earlier in the week, so that we had less work to do on Saturday.

This is a really simple recipe. It's different than anything we've ever made before, and the flavors were good together. Plus, it's filling and (relatively) healthy! Not to mention a great way to use up any extra zucchini you have lying around.

Other than using the beef from the Mexican Pizza recipe, we didn't make many changes to this recipe. We did use a fresh jalapeno rather than pickled ones, however. I'll include the recipe exactly the way we made it, but if you want the original, you can click through to Melissa's blog.

Melissa said that she thought hers came out dry, but we didn't have that problem. It may have been due to the different recipe for the beef? Not sure. If yours is dry, you can top with salsa and sour cream.
Chile-Beef Stuffed Zucchini
(Source: Adapted from Delicious Meliscious)

Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- homemade taco seasoning
- 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 tomato, seeded & chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- Mexican style shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Arrange the zucchini cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water to the dish, cover with foil and bake until the zucchini begins to soften, about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the ground beef until brown; drain. Return to the heat and add the onion, taco seasoning and water. Continue to cook for several minutes, until cooked through, stirring often. Stir in the tomatoes and jalapenos.

4. Uncover the baking dish, and pour off the water. Season the zucchini with salt. Fill with the beef mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

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Potstickers & Fried Rice

Before this last weekend, we seriously hadn't enjoyed a home cooked meal in more than two weeks! It was crazy. So when we had the weekend and approaching and virtually nothing going on, we decided we were going to make up for it with some delicious meals.

Friday, we had our homemade basil pesto. Yum.

Yesterday, we made chicken and summer vegetable tostadas. That was actually a big milestone, as it was the first time I had worked up the courage to make them since almost burning our house down.

Sandwiched in between those oldies but goodies, we decided to try something new. Last week, I was watching an episode of Good Eats on the Food Network. I watch often, but have never actually seen something on that show that I had to make. But for whatever reason, on this night, Alton Brown was making potstickers, and I thought to myself, I want to try those. And so the next day, I looked up the recipe and picked up the ingredients.

The rest is history.

These potstickers are completely and totally (and I mean 100%) unauthentic, but they are SO GOOD that it doesn't matter. They are full of awesome flavor. Although time consuming, the recipe made more than enough for the two of us, so we had enough leftover to freeze for another meal.

Perfect Potstickers
(Source: Alton Brown of Good Eats, Food Network)

Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound ground pork (You can use pretty much any protein you want. We used ground beef, but I saw in the recipe reviews that people also had success with ground turkey and ground chicken)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 35 to 40 small wonton wrappers (Can't find them? Look in the produce section!)
- Water, for sealing wontons
- 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Directions:
1. Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.

2. To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

4. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.


We paired our potstickers with a simple vegetable fried rice. We used a recipe for shrimp fried rice from Cooking Light, but omitted the shrimp (I've omitted it from the recipe below. Click through to Cooking Light's web site if you want the original, unaltered recipe). This was really good as well. The sesame oil and rice vinegar give it some nice flavor, and it went well with the potstickers.

Fried Rice
(Source: Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
- 6 cups rice, cooked
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas
- 1 cup sliced/chopped carrots
- Cooking spray
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Dash of crushed red pepper

Directions:
Remember to start by cooking your rice according to package directions!

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add eggs to pan; cook 1 minute or until set. Remove eggs from pan; coarsely chop.

2. Return pan to heat; add canola oil to pan. Add onions and ginger to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add carrots and peas to pan. Cook until vegetables are tender.

3. Add cooked rice into the pan; stir well.

4. Combine vinegar and the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Drizzle vinegar mixture over rice mixture; stir well.

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Cheater Chili

Remember back in November when I set out on a search for the perfect chili? Well, um... I haven't exactly been diligent in my searching. We haven't made chili since. Whoops.

A couple of years ago, we went to our friends' house for a Super Bowl party. They made chili for us, and it was really good. After our "meh" experience with the chili we tried in November, I remembered our friends' chili. So, the next time we saw them, I asked for the recipe. They had just had a baby, she was going back to work, etc., so weeks went by before we actually got the recipe. And once we had it in our hands, I had to laugh--it was cheater chili!

What do I mean by cheater chili? It's from a kit!

But you know... sometimes, there's really no reason to make things more difficult than they should be. Do I still want to find a good, more complex, truly "homemade" chili? Yes. With that said, there are times when "cheater chili" is more than appropriate.

We bought the ingredients for this chili several weeks ago, but something came up and we bumped it off of the menu for the week. We wanted to make it before it gets too warm out, so we decided to give it a go this weekend. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and so NOT chili weather, but Sunday, although warm, was rainy and gloomy, and chili was a good fit.

Off of our friend's recommendation, we used the Carroll Shelby's Chili Kit. We only used about half that salt packet... it seemed like a lot of salt! And we certainly didn't miss the other half of it. For the record, I had a really hard time locating this kit in my grocery store. I ended up asking a stock person, and as it turned out, it was located with all of the gravy mixes. Go figure!

We "made it our own" by adding two cans of kidney beans, a green pepper, and an onion (in addition to the ingredients listed on the back of the box--ground beef, a small can of tomato sauce, and water). We also served it over brown rice.

Cheater Chili

(Source: Carroll Shelby)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce (we used "No Salt Added")
- 2 (8 oz.) cans filled with water
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green pepper, diced
- 2 cans red kidney beans
- 6 cups brown rice, prepared
- shredded cheddar for topping

Directions:
1. In large skillet, combine ground beef, green peppers and onions. Cook over high heat until meat is browned and vegetables are soft.

2. Pour meat/veggie mixture into stock pot. Add tomato sauce, water, and beans. From the kit, add seasoning packet, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined. Simmer for 15 minutes.

3. For thicker chili, combine masa flour packet (included in kit) with 1/3 cup water. Pour into chili. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Serve chili over rice. Top with shredded cheddar.

Could it be any easier?

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Enchilada Casserole

I made this for the first time a year or two ago. We enjoyed it, but it was one of those recipes that got shoved into the recipe pile and hasn't been revisited since. I'm not even sure where the recipe came from. It's something I jotted down on a couple of post-it notes!

Earlier this week, when I was trying to come up with a meal that could be prepared ahead and would travel well, this popped into my mind. We wanted to bring dinner and dessert to Michael's sister and her family when we drove down to meet our newest baby nephew. This enchilada casserole was the perfect solution.

I didn't get any good pictures of it after it was baked, so the ones I snapped last night after we assembled it will have to suffice. It's super easy and didn't take long at all to prepare. We stored it overnight in the fridge, then baked it at my sister-in-law's today. The result was a tasty meal with just the slightest amount of kick to it. It is a bit "soupy," however. It doesn't hold together well like other casseroles and lasagnas. We like to serve it topped with lettuce, and just eat it as is. Maybe it could also even be served over rice? Give it a try and see what you think.

Enchilada Casserole
(Source: Unknown)

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 cans enchilada sauce
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans refried beans
6-8 tortillas (8-10" ones are best)
10-12 oz. cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef and drain if necessary. Add enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup into the beef.

2. In a 9" x 13" pan, begin by tearing tortillas to fit on the bottom of the pan. On top of the tortillas, spread one of the cans of refried beans. Top that with half of the beef/sauce mixture. Sprinkle liberally with cheese. Add another layer of tortillas, the other can of refried beans, the rest of the sauce mixture, then more cheese. Top the casserole with one more layer of tortillas and a bit more cheese.

3. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.

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Easy Beef Stroganoff

It's quite possible that this is the easiest meal ever. Seriously.

Absolutely perfect for a weeknight, this beef stroganoff is creamy, tasty, and most importantly--stress free. With only five ingredients, you can't go wrong.

I've been eating this for as long as I can remember. This is a recipe my mom used to make for us as kids. Last night, we served it with Green Giant Health Blend steamed vegetables and a piece of toast. Homecooked, filling, and fabulous.

Beef Stroganoff
(Source: Unknown--It was passed down from my mom!)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 (12-16 oz.) package egg noodles (we use Light 'N' Fluffy brand)
- 1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup water
- 1 (16 oz.) container of sour cream (we use light sour cream)

Directions:
1. Start water to boil for noodles. In medium skillet, brown beef over medium-high heat.

2. Once beef is brown, add soup packet with enough water to moisten it. Mix well until soup mix is combined with beef.

3. When water is boiling, add egg noodles and cook according to package instructions. Once done, drain. Return noodles to pot and put back on stove over low heat.

4. Add beef/soup mixture to noodles. Add sour cream until creamy (we usually end up using the whole container). Stir until well combined and heated through. Serve immediately.

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Slim Sloppy Joes

We have been using this recipe for sloppy joes for a few years now. It is a "light" version (thanks to a Cooking Light cookbook), but if you're expecting it to be like Manwich, it's not. It's definitely tasty, though.

Slim Sloppy Joes
(Source: Cooking Light 15-Minute Cookbook)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground round (we use 90% lean ground beef)
- 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp. unprocessed oat bran
- 1 tbsp. low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 (8 oz.) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 6 reduced-calorie hamburger buns, split and toasted

Directions:
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground round and onion; cook until meat is browned, stirring until meat crumbles. Drain and return to pan.

2. Stir ketchup and next five ingredients into meat mixture; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring often.

3. Spoon mixture evenly over bottom halves of buns; cover with bun tops. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Per Serving: Calories 250; Fat 5.9g (sat 1.9g); Protein 22.0g; Carbohydrate 29.6g; Fiber 4.4g; Cholesterol 43mg; Iron 3.4mg; Sodium 391mg; Calcium 44mg

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Simple Beef Chili

I am on the hunt. For what?

The perfect beef chili. We have a recipe that we've been making for years, but I've decided recently that I'm not all that impressed with it. And so the search begins.

Last week, we decided to start this search with "Simple Beef Chili" from Cook's Illustrated. After trying it, we quickly came to the conclusion that we are still looking. So why am I sharing this recipe?

Well, because, quite frankly... it's good. It's just not the chili we're looking for.

But for you, it very well may be the "perfect" chili. There are so many varieties of chili, so many versions, and tastes in chili are so different. Maybe this is the recipe you've been looking for. Who knows unless you try it?

Maybe, like us, you're up for the journey. Follow us as we experiment a little bit this winter. Stay tuned... we'll be trying another chili recipe soon. Until then, give this one a shot and let me know what you think.

Simple Beef Chili
(Modified slightly from Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or corn oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 lbs. 90 percent lean ground beef
- 2 (15-ounce) cans red beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
- table salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, breaking up pieces with spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink, and just beginning to brown.

2. Transfer beef to crockpot. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and spices. Stir well to combine. Cook on low setting for 5-6 hours. Adjust seasoning with additional salt if desired.

Serve over rice or noodles. Topping options: cheese, green onions, avocado, sour cream, etc.

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