Taco Pie

I don't know how I've lived 41 years and haven't heard of this deliciousness. My kids devoured it. My husband and I couldn't stop eating it, along with the horchata I made. Yum. I use refrigerated pie crusts because of lazy. I look forward to experimenting with this one! My family of 6 ate 1 1/2 pies. Thank you, website I got this from but can't remember which one. Thank you. Serves 4.

Taco Pie

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
1 lb ground beef
3 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning, or 1 packet commercial seasoning
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c salsa

1 can black or pinto beans, drained
2 c lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, diced
1 c shredded cheese
sour cream dollop, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pat crust into pie pan and sprinkle a pinch of taco seasoning in bottom. Bake 7-10 minutes, or until crust starts to brown.
3. I a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain.
4. Add salsa and remaining taco seasoning. Add drained beans and cook 3-4 minutes more.
5. Pour into crust and top with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream dollop, if using.

Funeral Potatoes aka Cheesy Potato Casserole

This has always been one of my favorite dishes growing up. We usually had it with steak or ham, steamed veggies and salad. mmmm....Funny it's taken me this long to figure out how to replicate Mom's recipe. It's a comfort meal side dish, often served at funerals (hence its name) but you don't have to wait for someone to die before you make it. You can put the casserole together early, cover and refrigerate, and add 10 to 15 min to bake time. You could add diced ham or chopped chicken to make it a full, heartier meal. Makes 10 servings.

Funeral Potatoes aka Cheesy Potato Casserole

1 2-lb bag frozen shredded potatoes
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
2 c shredded cheese
2 c Corn Flakes cereal, crushed
2 Tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13" baking dish; set aside.
2. In medium bowl, mix melted butter, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, salt, onion powder and shredded cheese until well combined. Stir in frozen potatoes until well mixed. Spread mixture on bottom of prepared 9x13 pan.
3. Mix crushed Corn Flakes and melted butter. Spread evenly over top of casserole. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 50 minutes, or until potatoes in center of casserole are cooked through.

SLOW COOKER

Follow recipe, except replace 9x13" dish with slow cooker pot. Place large paper towel under the lid of the slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH heat for 4 hours.

Quiche

I love quiche every so often and this recipe is so tasty! My six your old called it "epic" and my husband had thirds. Can be made for breakfast, lunch or dinner and can be frozen for later (just bake it longer, until center is warm). The cream does make it heavy so it makes you fuller than you think. Tweaked a recipe from allrecipes.com. Makes  1-9" quiche.

Quiche

1-9" frozen pie crust
12 oz chub breakfast sausage of your choice
1 Tbsp bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 oz mushrooms, diced
3 eggs
3/4 c heavy cream, or whole milk
1/4 tsp vinegar
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp tarragon
1/8 tsp garlic powder
pinch nutmeg
1 c shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake frozen crust 10 minutes; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in large skillet cook sausage over medium heat, crumbling as it cooks, until no longer pink. Drain most of the fat from pan. Add bell pepper, onion and mushrooms to skillet; cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In medium bowl, mix eggs and cream. Add vinegar, parsley, tarragon, garlic powder, nutmeg and cheese. Stir in sausage and vegetables.
4. Pour into pie crust and bake in preheated oven 50 to 60 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown.

Almond-Topped Chicken Casserole

I was a little hesitant to try this casserole from The Food Nanny cookbook. I'm not a huge casserole-lover, but it's good! :) It's like a hot chicken salad or Hawaiian Haystacks. Be creative, add anything else you might like. Serve with green salad and bread. And enjoy!

Almond-Topped Chicken Casserole

3 c cooked chicken breast, shredded or cubed (about 1 lb or 2 large breasts)
1 c diced celery (2 to 3 ribs)
1/4 c diced yellow onion
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 c cooked rice (regular or instant)
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c chicken broth
1 c crushed saltine crackers (about 25 crackers)
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350, lightly grease a square baking dish.
2. Combine the chicken, celery, onion, lemon juice, rice, soup, mayo, and broth in a bowl. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish.
3. Mix the cracker crumbs, almonds and butter. Sprinkle over casserole.
4. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

You can put this together ahead of time, adding cracker/almond/butter topping just before cooking.

Gourmet Chicken and Stove Top

This is good and goes a long way because it can be pretty rich. It really is gourmet! Serve with potatoes and a vegetable. Serves 6 to 8 people. Let me know what you think. :)

Gourmet Chicken and Stove Top

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese, cut in half
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 c milk
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 box Stove Top stuffing
1/2 to 1 c butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place chicken breasts in 9"x13" baking dish. Top each breast with 1/2 cheese slice.
3. In bowl, mix together soup, milk, and mayonnaise; pour over chicken.
4. In another bowl, mix together dry stuffing and seasoning packet. Sprinkle over chicken and soup mixture. Drizzle with melted butter.
5. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

LOWER FAT VERSION: Swiss cheese can substitute cheddar and use 1/4 slice per chicken. Applesauce can substitute milk. Use less butter and omit mayonnaise.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is so easy, so scrumptious, so filling. Four ingredients. It's rare for my boys to clean the plate, but they always do when I serve this. Serve with fruit or garden salad or green beans. Serves 6-8.

Tater Tot Casserole

2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey*
garlic salt
onion powder
1 10-oz can cream of mushroom soup
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 2-lb bag of tater tots

Preheat oven to 350.
1. Spray the bottom of 9x13" baking dish and smash raw ground beef on bottom. Sprinkle garlic salt and onion powder evenly on top. Spread soup evenly on top of meat. Sprinkle cheese on top of soup. Spread tater tops evenly on top of cheese.
2. Cover dish with foil. Bake 45 minutes covered, 15 minutes uncovered, or until tater tots in center are hot.

Variation: You could add 1 can (well-drained) green beans on top of soup, then add cheese and tater tots. It ends up slightly more watery, but still a tasty way to include the veggies!

* Or try 1 lb hamburger and 1 lb ground turkey to mix it up!

Pork Chop and Potato Casserole

I have a hard time knowing what to do with pork chops. This recipe is good, especially as far as casseroles go (which aren't always my favorite, though they are filling). Serves 6.

Pork Chop and Potato Casserole

1 Tbsp olive oil
6 boneless pork chops
1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 c milk
5 - 6 potatoes of your choice, thinly sliced (1/4")
1/2 c chopped onion
1 1/2 - 2 c shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pork chops in oil and sear both sides of each chop. Lightly season with garlic salt.
3. In a medium bowl, combine mushroom soup and milk. Arrange potatoes and onions in 9x13 baking dish. Season with garlic salt.
4. Place browned chops over the potatoes and onions, then pour the soup mixture over all.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, top with the cheese, and bake for 30 minutes more.