MEXICAN PIZZA

http://butteryourbiscuit.com/mexican-pizza/

MEXICAN PIZZA
We all really liked this.  I have another one I have made in a springfoam pan (TACO BAKE).  We like that one as well, but this one was easier and faster clean up.  Put some cheese on the inside as well.  See recipe for changes.  Put sour cream and guac on top.  Yum!

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning (did 1 T)
• ¼ cup water
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 2 8 oz jar taco sauce (only used 8 oz)
• 1½ cup shredded cheddar cheese - just sprinkled
• 1½cup shredded pepper-jack cheese - just sprinkled
• 1 large diced tomatoes
• 1 can sliced olives
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• green onions sliced
• sour cream, optional
• guacamole, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet heat the oil up on medium heat.
3. Fry each tortilla in the oil just until lightly browned and crispy, remove and set aside on paper towels
4. Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning and ½ cup taco sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a small pan on medium heat warm the refried beans
6. Place a single layer of the beans on the crispy tortillas, followed by a layer of the taco meat, Top with another tortilla. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of taco sauce, sprinkle some cheddar and jack cheese and top with a few tomatoes and olives.
7. Bakes in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly
8. Remove from oven let set for 5 minutes top with green onions and slice

SEVEN LAYER DIP

SEVEN LAYER DIP
Easy to make.  I used guac dip instead of avocados.  My kids didn't really eat but I think it was because they weren't really hungry.

Layer in a 9x13:
2 can black beans refried beans
2 ripe avocados mixed with 1 tsp garlic powder
8 oz sour cream mixed with 1/4 c mayo and 1-2 T taco seasoning
shredded cheese (used mexican), tomatoes or 1/4 c Rotel, sliced olives and sliced green onions

BJ'S DIP

BJ'S DIP
We had this at Dan & Judi's.  They had had it at BJ's  as an appetizer.  It is really good.  Make sure it is heated all the way through.  Good on hard bread, meba toast or chips.

Layer in the following order in a baking dish about the size of a bread pan:
8 oz cream cheese
1-2 cups marnaria sauce
1/2-1 cups olives, diced
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
cooked crumbled bacon - optional

Bake at 350 until bubbly (about 20 minutes).

BREAKFAST PIZZA

TROY'S BREAKFAST PIZZA
This came from the Cowboy Cookbook pg 181.  We all really liked it.  The Crescent rolls didn't work right so I quickly made pie crust.  Turned out good.  Pizza dough would work too.

UPDATE: Tried making in 9x13 stoneware.  Dough was too thick.  Stick with cookie sheet or maybe try really big pyrex so eggs don't go off edge.

This is for one cookie sheet:
2 cans of Crescent dinner rolls or pie crust or pizza crust
1 # pork sausage, cooked 
slice of ham, cooked 
2-3 pieces bacon, cooked
2 cups frozen hash browns, thawed
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (any cheese will do)
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Put down crust on cookie sheet.  Put on meats.  Sprinkle on hash browns, then cheddar cheese.  Beat eggs with  milk and add salt & pepper.  Pour over top of pizza.  Top with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.

BREAKFAST PIZZA
We all really, really liked this.  Was very filling.  A meal by itself of with a veggie or fruit.  We broke off our crust and put honey on it.

Made a biscuit crust (used recipe Cowboy cookbook pg. 202) Was thick could 1/2 recipe for a thinner crust.  Could also use prepackaged biscuit dough.

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8 tsp baking powder
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt (only did 1 tsp)
6 T butter, softened
6 T Crisco
1 1/2 cups milk (had 1/2 1/2 that needed to be used)

Preheat oven to 450.  Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a bowl.  Cut in butter and Crisco until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Stir in milk with a fork to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured board and knead for 30 seconds.  Rolled out onto round stoneware.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Topped crust with the following in this order:
*Italian seasoning, sprinkled
*cooked - Scrambled eggs (did 8 with chopped spinach - could easily do more eggs)
*Shredded parmesan cheese
*cooked italian sausage (could omit this - just had some on hand)
*fresh or canned diced tomatoes (I didn't realize I grabbed a stewed tomatoes.  So I drained on a paper towel and diced.  Worked well!
*precooked bacon (did 8 slices) tear and sprinkle
*sharp cheddar cheese (any cheese would do)

Broil until cheese melts. 

BREAKFAST PIZZA
This came from The Friend.  We really liked it.  I liked you made it in a 9x13.  Was easy!

6 slices bread
8 eggs
2 T water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 cup chopped olives
24 slices pepperoni
3 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan with the bread slices.  If necessary, trim the bread to fit.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs,  water and seasoning together.  Pour evenly over the bread.

Arrange the pepperoni on the casserole.  Then cover with the chopped olives and shredded cheese.

Bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are fully cooked.

TACO SALAD

TACO SALAD
Probably kinda silly to post a recipe for this, but made it tonight and my family loved it!  Decided to add to blog so I remember to make it more.  Would be a great summer meal.  The recipe calls for fritos.  Instead of adding chips to salad I had a bag of Fritos and Doritos and let each person decide.  I also didn't add the dressing because some wanted Ranch instead.  I added black beans.  I think corn would be good too.  I had turkey on hand so that is what I used.  Didn't use a whole packet of taco.  Tasted great!

http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2014/01/moms-taco-salad/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+30handmadedays+%2830days%29

Mom's Taco Salad

Ingredients

• approx 8 c. of romaine or iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned
• package of taco seasoning or less
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 c shredded cheese (more if you want it extra cheesy)
• 2 cups of Fritos, Dritos, tortilla chips
• 1 small can sliced olives (optional)
• 1 small bottle Catalina Dressing
• can of beans, optional

Instructions

• In a skillet, brown beef or turkey and drain. Set aside and cool while preparing the other ingredients.
• In a large bowl, combine lettuce, grated cheese, and olives.
• Prior to serving, add cooked ground beef /turkey and corn chips.
• Combine with other ingredients.
• Drizzle salad dressing over salad mix and toss salad until the desired amount of dressing is used.

Notes

Optional add ins - avocado, sour cream, corn, black beans

TACO BAKE

TACO BAKE

We loved!  Great with spanish rice and green salad.  Used 8" springfoam pan.  Instead of salsa con queso I used: mixed 1# velveeta and 1 can mild rotel and microwaved 5 minute stirring every 1-2 minutes.

UPDATE: We also like with corn, chips and guac.  This is one of Scott's favorite dishes.

http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/05/taco-bake.html

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

* water as called for on back of seasoning packet

3 large flour tortillas (8-inch size) (can crisp in oil first - we liked)

1/2 cup salsa con queso

1 1/2-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (any kind of cheese is good or a mixture)

sour cream, optional

olives, optional

fresh tomatoes, optional

Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet).

Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add in 1/2 cup salsa con quest. I like a mild salsa con queso. This is a spicy dish so a hot salsa con queso would just be too spicy for us. If you have anyone in your family that is very sensitive to spicy dishes, you could always use a regular, spreadable cheese dip.

Give it a good stir, until thoroughly combined. It don’t look all that pretty, but don’t worry, we’re gonna dress her up a bit.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the pan with a flour tortilla.

I like to use a springform pan just to make it a bit easier to get out after it is finished baking. But this taco bake is pretty easy to slice up and serve even without the springform pan. Now add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the the first layer.

Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Continue until you are done with all the layers: another tortilla, more taco mixture, more cheese.  Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Add toppings (sour cream, tomatoes, olives).  Then slice and serve.  

BEEF TACO BAKE
http://foodisablessing.blogspot.com/2011/10/beef-taco-bake.html 
Goes good with tortillas or chips.  I agree with what Emily McCleve said about this recipe when she posted it on her blog:
One of my neighbors gave me this recipe a few weeks ago.  It sounded simple and tasty, so I was excited to try this week.  I tweaked it just a bit to my personal preference, and it tasted great.  Each night, it gets better and better somehow.  And the best part is that it's lasted us three dinners so far, and we still have some left--which is surprising.  Usually a dish like this will last two nights max, but this one is really filling, so you don't have to eat much to be satisfied.  I'm definitely keeping this one. 


1 cup rice, uncooked (white or brown works just as well here)
3/4 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning (or just under 1/4 cup taco seasoning and about 1/2 cup water)
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can tomato soup
1 cup salsatortillas (optional)
sour cream (optional)
cheese (optional) 

1. Cook rice according to package directions and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and drain the fat.  Stir in taco seasoning (and however much water the taco seasoning tells you to add). 
3. Combine rice, ground beef, black beans, corn, tomato soup, and salsa in a 9x13 baking dish.  Cover and bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly.
4. This dish can be served alone or rolled up in a tortilla with a dollop of sour cream.  Enjoy it again and again until it's gone.  

SALADS

CONFETTI CORN SALAD

Scott was looking at this salad very suspiciously, but he was surprisingly liked it. I really liked it. I liked it more than I like Cowboy Corn Salad. I doubled the recipe just because of the can sizes.

1 can (7 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (2 1/4 oz) slice ripe olives (can add whole olives too)

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

2 radishes, sliced

1/4 cup prepared Italian salad dressing*

*I made my own: 1/4 c. basalmic vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tsp honey, 2 garlic cloves (or 1 big one) smashed. Add all together and shake.

Add all the ingredients and toss to coat.

GREEN TREASURE SALAD

This tasted really good and it was fun to have the kids help make.

1 cup green apple

1 cup green grapes

1/2 cup marshmallows

1/2 cup lemon yogurt

2 T slivered almonds

Mix everything together.

for more 5 a day recipes go to: www.5aday.gov

COOKIE SALAD

This recipe comes from Melody. It is very yummy! The kids loved helping me make it. A definite crowd pleaser. It is also good without the cookies.

1 pint strawberries
2 cups seedless grapes
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained
2 bananas, sliced
1 12 oz carton Cool Whip
1 3 oz package instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding (sugar free works too)
1 cup buttermilk
1 pkg fudge striped cookies, broken

Combine fruit. Mix Cool Whip, buttermilk, & dry pudding mix in a separate bowl. Fold into fruit. Just before serving, fold in broken cookies. Serves 20. (I doubled it for the blessing.)

You can vary the fruit. If you want it just like I made it, use 2 lbs. strawberries, 5 bananas, 1 can pineapple chunks (drained), and 1 can mandarin oranges (drained). (That's just for the single recipe, not doubled.) Oh, and I found that I much prefer the store brand fudge-striped cookies (I used Kroger brand) to the Keebler variety. Cheaper and not as waxy.

ASIAN SALAD

Scott didn't like this salad, but I did. It reminded me of the one from Costco that I really like.

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1 (10 oz) bag shredded cabbage with carrots (if it doesn't have shred 2 carrots)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 T chopped cilantro (I didn't add)

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1/2 cup non-fat Asian or Oriental salad dressing (next time I would use an expensive good kind instead of Kraft)

black pepper

---

1 tangerine (I used canned mandarian oranges)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Mix everything together except green onions and tangerines. Put them on the top at the end.

PEPPERONI PASTA

We all really liked this.

14 oz bag pasta

26 oz jar pasta sauce

4 oz pepperoni (cut into halves)

1 tsp Italian seasonings

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta. Drain and then add all the other ingredients.

PEPPY PARMESAN PASTA
We really like this - it is very easy! This is the Taste of Home Family Collection Cookbook pg. 173

Ingredients

• 8 ounces angel hair pasta

• 1 large tomato, chopped

• 1 package (3 ounces) sliced pepperoni

• 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt or salt-free seasoning blend, optional

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a serving bowl, combine the tomato, pepperoni, olives, cheese, oil, salt if desired and garlic powder. Drain pasta; add to the tomato mixture and toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.