Wet Burritos

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (15 ounce) can chili without beans
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
6 (12 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions


Directions

1.Crumble ground beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Add onion, and cook until translucent. Drain grease, and season with garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir in the green chilies and refried beans until well blended. Turn off heat, but keep warm.

2. In a saucepan, combine the chili without beans, tomato soup and enchilada sauce. Mix well, and cook over medium heat until heated through. Turn off heat and keep warm.

3. Place a warmed tortilla on a plate, and spoon a generous 1/2 cup of the ground beef mixture onto the center. Top with lettuce and tomato to your liking. Roll up tortilla over the filling. Spoon a generous amount of the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Enjoy!

*We all loved this. I am not a fan of red sauce though. I am all about the green so I just added a can of green enchilada sauce to the chili no beans. I also did not put the lettuce and tomato on the inside. I have a thing about microwaving lettuce. I also made 4 of them put them in a oven safe dish topped with sauce and cheese and stuck them in the oven for about 20 min. I then placed them on lettuce and topped with tomato and green onion.

Homemade Pizza

Ingredients




Pretty much whatever you want. I did chicken, onion, spinach, garlic, red pepper, red chile, mushrooms, feta cheese and a German red pesto sauce.

I made sure to put the spinach down first (well above pesto sauce) so that my daughter who doesn't eat leaves wouldn't see it. Then I did the chicken and went from there. My daughter not only ate it but never saw the spinach or didn't realize what it was since it looked different coming out of the oven. She went back for seconds and then had left overs today and she tells me she hates veggies. If only she knew. I loved it and will be make it again. I wasn't sure since this was the first pizza I have ever made but we will see what I can come up with next time!!

Salsa

2 cup(s) cherry tomato(es), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup(s) scallion(s), chopped, green and white parts
1 small jalapeno pepper(s), cored, seeded & minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, scallions, jalapeno, red pepper flakes, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside to allow flavors to blend.

OK so this is OK. I miss my salsa that I make but without a 220v blinder I can't make that so I am looking for things to replace it until I a)break down & buy a blender that will be pointless to me when I move or b) live without fresh salsa which won't happen. Not bad just lacking something.

'Calabacitas Guisada' (Stewed Mexican Zucchini)

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small white onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
salt to taste
1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook the onion and garlic in the hot oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini slices and stewed tomatoes and stir gently. Cover and cook until the zucchini is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt, and add the Cheddar cheese; allow to sit until the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

These were ok. Not what I expected. I doubt I will be making them again. They were missing something but I am not sure what.

To Bake or Not To

OK so the question is...Now that I have started a healthier lifestyle how am I going to bake? My daughter wanted to try all these recipes and I really don't want them around the house. My husband isn't into sweets and I am only once a month. My daughter sure doesn't need to eat whole cakes or anything.

Any suggestions would help. I was never really into cooking so when this is going to be an interesting ride.

Beef & Bean Chimichangas

1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn
2 cups taco sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
8 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
shredded lettuce
1 tomato, diced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease,& add the onion, bell pepper, & corn. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the taco sauce,& season with chili powder, garlic salt & cumin, stirring until blended. Cook until heated through, then remove from heat, & set aside.

Open the can of beans,& spread a thin layer of beans onto each of the tortillas. Spoon the beef mixture down the center,& then top with as much shredded cheese as you like. Roll up the tortillas,& place them seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the tortillas with melted butter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve with lettuce and tomato.

Enjoy!

I decided to try these since they get baked and not fried. I am up to trying anything healthier. On that note I did not use the corn. I used a red pepper instead of green and also used black beans instead of refried beans. I did not have 2 cups of taco sauce so I used taco seasoning instead. It was yummy!!

Shrimp Avocado Pasta Salad

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked penne pasta
1/4 pound bacon
1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cups shredded lettuce

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente,& drain. Rinse under cold running water to cool.

Place bacon in a skillet over medium high heat,& cook until evenly brown. Drain & crumble.

In a large bowl, gently toss together the pasta, bacon, shrimp, avocados, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, tomatoes, & red pepper. Serve over lettuce

Enjoy!!!

We did not use the lemon juice because I added the avocados in at the end to each dish instead of mixing it in. I think the mayo was alittle over powering and we decided that we might do cut it down alittle then cut that in half with maybe ranch dressing.My husband also wonders what mustard would do to it. I also added green onion & mushrooms & skipped the lettuce because well my husband would not go for a salad for dinner. I paired this with salmon that I cooked in the stove.I added Old Bay Seasoning to both the pasta and salmon.

Baked Applesauce

2 large tart apples, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

Place apples in a greased 1-qt. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and vanilla; mix well. Sprinkle over apples. Cover & bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender. Uncover & mash with a fork. Serve warm.

Enjoy!!

Who doesn't like a recipe this easy. It was yummy and even better the next day. We did add alittle more cinnamon after it was done. This recipe is for a serving size of 2! Also made the house smell like fall.

*Added note. I warmed some & add a little ice cream with it. It was like apple pie without the crust only better because A)less calories without crust & B)I have never been a fan of pie crust!

Dirt Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling
Gummy worms


Directions

1.Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear.
2. Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl.
3. In a large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together.
4. Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.
5. Layer in flower pot, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.
6. Chill until ready to serve.
7. Add artificial flower, gummy worms and trowel.

Enjoy!

This was the second cake chelle wanted to make. First off this thing is sweet. I mean sweet. She had to put some back in the fridge because it was to sweet for her. I don't have a food processor and I am not going to buy on to fit a 220V then have to see it when I move back. Instead we put some cookies in bags and hammered away! I would not use the full amount of sugar it calls for next time and I think alittle less butter. Like I said way to sweet for me but yummy!No flower pot either but you get the drift. Here in Germany we are cooking with what we have. You can also use chocolate pudding but I am not a fan of chocolate so I wasn't putting more then needed. Funny thing they have no gummy worms on base anywhere so we used ARMY men gummys. I am wondering if i cute out the butter and sugar and did 2 things off cool whip do you think it would be good still? I used cool whip free.

Philly Steak Sandwich

1 pound beef sirloin, cut into thin 2 inch strips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, julienned
3 ounces Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise


DIRECTIONS

1. Place beef in a large bowl.In a small bowl,mix together salt,pepper,paprika,chili powder,onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, marjoram & basil. Sprinkle over beef.

2. Heat half of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute beef to desired doneness,& remove from pan. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet,& saute the onion & green pepper.

3. Preheat oven on broiler setting.

4. Divide the meat between the bottoms of 4 rolls, layer with onion and green pepper, then top with sliced cheese. Place on cookie sheet, and broil until cheese is melted. Cover with tops of rolls, and serve.

Enjoy!!


First off I did not use marjoram,or basil. I refuse to buy anymore spices at the moment and I used Chris's seasoning in place! I did not do the bell pepper because I have never had a Philly with bell pepper but I did add a green and red chili pepper. Also added mushrooms. Well I would of loved to broil it I have no clue what setting that is on the stove so I just stuck the cheese on the meat and let the heat melt it alittle! It was good. I think I want to try different meat next time though.

Easy Mexican Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups salsa
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained
3 cups tortilla chips, crushed
2 cups sour cream
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat,cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat,& simmer 20 minutes,or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, & heat through.

3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, & tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!!

OK where to begin. I added 1 red pepper, 1 red & green chile. Well I was cooking the meat I added garlic powder and Chris's favorite seasoning! I also did not use chili beans. I used a can of black and pinto beans. I skipped the tortilla chips and took 2 tortilla's ripped them in half and placed them along the bottom. I was trying to make this healthier and having something along the bottom was nice. I also the sour cream on the side. It was so so. We have decided we are more chicken people them shredded beef so next time I make this I will do chicken and add white onion also. I am thinking about seasoning the chicken with taco meat. The hot one!! I am so into flavors lately that I have to spice it up alot!

It was easy and chelle ate seconds! I bet if she knew all the stuff I had in there she would of never touched it. It has great potental of being really healthy and sneaking veggies in!

I would like to thank Mud Pie For Mommys for this great award I recived from her. I just started following her and love the stories!!! I am supposed to pass this one but I think I will allow anyone who wants it to take it. I love so many blogs on here!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!