Beef and Ben Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
1 small chopped onion
1/2 cup hot water
1 15-ounce can of pinto beans
1 15-ounce can of black beans
1 can diced tomatoes and chilis
1 16-ounce container of sour cream
6 large flour or 12 small corn tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:

• Brown ground beef and onions together and drain off fat.

• Add spices and water and stir for about one minute.

• Drain and rinse beans.

• Stir beans into beef mixture

• Drain tomatoes and chilis and stir into beef and bean mixture.

• Line the bottom of an 13" x 9" casserole dish with tortillas

• Spread one-third of beef mixture onto tortillas.

• Top with one-third of sour cream.

• Sprinkle with one-third of cheese.
• Pour one-third of enchilada sauce over top.
• Add two more similar layers.
• Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove cover and bake 10 minutes to melt and brown cheese.
• Serve warm.

Personal Pizza

Ingredients:
Crusts (regular or thin & crispy
Tomato sauce
browned ground beef
browned ground sausage
cooked bacon slices
green pepper, diced
onion, diced
mushrooms, sliced
black olives, sliced
Mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:

• Place crust on pizza stone.

• Spread tomato sauce on crust.

• Spread browned meats over sauce.

• Chop bacon slices into small pieces.
• Spread bacon over sauce.

• Sprinkle on peppers .

• Sprinkle on onion.

• Sprinkle on mushrooms and olives over all.

• Cover with grated cheese.

• Bake 10-18 minutes until cheese is melted, golden, and bubbling.
• Slice into quarters and serve.

I loved these!  They were quick and easy to assemble using ingredients I had on hand - most of it already prepared and in the fridge.

Old-Fashioned Hungarian Goulash

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small onion, diced (2/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1 can Italian tomatoes
2 teaspoons Hungarian spice mix (basil, paprika, oregano, cumin, tarragon, parsley)
1 teaspoon chopped Bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions:

• In a four-quart Dutch oven, brown ground beef, adding onions and garlic about half-way through.

• Add chicken broth and tomato sauce, 

• Stir in tomatoes and spices.

• Cover and simmer for 15 minutes

• Add macaroni, cover again, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

• Stir in cheddar cheese.

• Add Mozzarella just before serving.

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

This is a recipe I adapted using leftovers from one by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  I had set up a buffet to build-your-own nachos for Father's Day.  We enjoyed the Loaded Nacho recipe found HERE as a rerun the next day but I wanted something a little different after that and there was still a lot of beef and bean filling left.  So, I adapted this Baked Chimichanga recipe and it turned out to be yummy!

Leftover beef and bean mixture (See further info in the Loaded Nacho recipe link above.)
8 ounces cream cheese
Tortillas (I used Tomato-Basil flavored ones but any will work fine.)
Grated Cheese (I used a Mexican Blend.)
vegetable spray
Pico De Gallo (See further info in the Loaded Nacho recipe link above.)
cheese sauce (I bought one but you could also easily make one.)
sour cream (optional unless you are married to my husband)

• Gently warm the beef and bean mixture in a skillet.

• Add cream cheese and stir as it melts into the beef and bean mixture.

• Take one flour tortilla and add a dollop or two of the beef/bean/cream cheese mixture.

• Top with a spoon full of kernel corn.

• Sprinkle with a little bit of grated cheeses.  

• Gently fold the tortilla in at the top and bottom a little bit and gently fold the sides over the dollop of filling and roll it into a bundle.  (I didn't forget to take a picture of this step but I didn't have enough hands and Toby didn't feel confident serving as photographer!)
• Lay the tortilla bundles (chimichanga) seam-side-down onto a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed lightly with vegetable spray.

• Lightly spray the tops of the chimichangas with vegetable spray.  (See how they glisten with the light spritz of oil?)
• Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Flip chimichangas and bake an additional 5-10 minutes till the tortilla is crisp and golden.

Serve with rice, Pico De Gallo, cheese sauce, and, if you are my husband, sour cream.

Note:  I froze a couple of these and then sent it to work with Mike a day or two later and he says it tasted just as delicious.

Baked Chimichangas

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
8 oz. Pepperjack cheese, shredded
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning
1 lb. cooked meat (shredded chicken or loose, browned ground beef is what I have used)
6-8 flour tortillas
vegetable spray
shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese
green onions
sour cream or guacamole
salsa

• Stir together cream cheese, Pepperjack cheese, and seasoning.
• Fold in meat.
• Divide among flour tortillas.
• tuck in sides of tortillas and roll up each one.
• Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray generously with vegetable cooking spray.
• Lay, seam side down, onto the foil-lined baking sheet.
• Spray tops of tortillas with vegetable cooking spray.
• Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
• Turn chimichangas over and bake an additional 15 minutes.
• Serve topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, green onions, sour cream, and salsa.

Beef Stew

Left-over roast beef - I had enough to almost fill a quart container or about two pounds.
1 small onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups beef stock
1 can or bottle of beer
2 Tablespoons tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Paula Deen's House Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water (more, if needed)
3 large carrots
3 small potatoes

• Prepare roast beef.  I had a left-over roast that Mike had smoked and we froze 'the remains' as he calls left-overs after a couple of meals.  So, I simply thawed it and diced it up into bite sized pieces with my kitchen shears.
• Melt butter in the bottom of a 4-quart pot.
• Dice the onion into large pieces and cook and stir it in the butter over medium heat till it is a bit brown around the edges.
• Add beer, tomato sauce, seasoning,Worcestershire sauce, and beef stirring to scrape all the crusty bits in the bottom of the pan and bring to a slow boil over medium to medium-high heat. 
• Scrub carrots and potatoes and dice into bite-sized pieces.
• Add carrots and potatoes to boiling mixture and cook about a half-hour more.  (Add more water if stew begins to dry or thicken too much.)
• Serve with cornbread or a crusty French bread.

This recipe was inspired by The Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika.  It was easy to prepare and delicious. 

Meat Marinade

1/2 cup Johnny's Sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon McCormick's Smokehouse Maple seasoning
1 tablespoon mustard

• Mix all ingredients together in a gallon zipper bag.
• Add meat - good for pork, beef, or chicken!
• Marinate for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.

The picture shown features chicken breasts which had been injected with this marinade, rubbed with McCormick's Maple seasoning, and basted with some reserved marinade.  Recently we cooked a pork loin that we had rubbed with McCormick's Smokehouse Maple seasoning and marinated with this concoction.  This is also good when used to inject into a meat or to reserve some for basting while grilling.

Country Fried Swiss Steak

6 (4-oz) minute/Swiss steaks (1 1/2 pounds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 sleeve wheat saltine crackers
vegetable oil

• Crush saltine crackers.  (I use the Pampered Chef food chopper to do this.)
• Sprinkle steaks with seasoning of choice (I use a Cajun seasoning and Paula Deen's House Seasoning).
• Pour enough vegetable oil in bottom of skillet to just cover the bottom (about 1/4 inch deep) and set heat to medium-high.
• Dredge steaks in flour, dip in egg, dredge in crushed crackers.
• Cook steaks in skillet 3-4 minutes on each side until breading is golden - turning twice.
• Transfer steaks to a wire in a jelly-roll pan and keep warm in oven while making your gravy.
• Serve by topping with a cream gravy.

Company Club Braid

This is one of those recipes that is quick, easy, and looks fabulous.  Pictured here I have laid it out as a rectangle but I have also separated the crescent rolls into triangles and laid them around the bread stone in a circular shape and it comes out looking like a wreath.  Either way, it looks elegant and it is super easy!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup mayo
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, snipped
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
4 slices crisply cooked and chopped bacon
1 cup (4-oz) Swiss cheese
2 pkg. crescent rolls
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized sliced red bell pepper
2 cups shredded lettuce

Preparation Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Brown ground beef, onions, and peppers.

• Combine mayo and mustard and add parsley.
• Fold in ground beef.
• Arrange crescent rolls on cookie sheet in a rectangle, mashing edges together.

• Snip outside edges of dough into 1" strips.
• Scoop beef mixture onto center of dough.

• Top with tomatoes and cheese.  (Usually I use grated cheese but this time I had a variety of mild, sharp, and white cheddars in slices on hand.)

• Braid strips over the top.

• Bake 20-25 minutes.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese and serve on a leaf of lettuce.

* This is also wonderful using chicken or sausage instead of ground beef.  I have been known to forget to include tomatoes inside and simply placed them decoratively on top and it turned out fine as well.