Mexican

Taco Bake 

Easy meal that will soon be a household favorite!

Course Main Dish  Prep Time 20  minutes  Cook Time 10 minutes  Servings INGREDIENTS 1 lb Ground Beef 1 pkg Taco Seasoning 2/3 cup Water 1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup 1/2 cup Milk 8-12 oz Shredded Mozzarella I often use cheddar cheese & it still turns out great! 1 bag Fritos Chips I use the Chili Cheese flavor - but regular would be fine too

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Brown the ground beef and prepare taco meat according to the seasoning packet.
3. Pour enough Fritos into a 9x9 pan to cover the bottom.
4. Top with prepared taco meat. 
5. Combine soup and milk in a sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until smooth. 
6. Top the taco meat with cheese sauce.
7. Top with shredded cheese (8 to 12 oz depending on how cheesy you want).
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes- until bubbly.
9. You can serve as is, over lettuce, or with desired toppings

CREAM CHEESE BEAN DIP

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Our new favorite dip - Cream Cheese Bean Dip! Recipe includes sour cream, cream cheese, Mexican cheese, refried beans, and salsa.

Author: Lil' Luna

Recipe type: Appetizer

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 - 16 oz. can refried beans
• 4 oz. (1/2 bar) cream cheese (softened)
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 cup mexican cheese
• Salsa (a few TB - ¼ cup of your favorite kind) - optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat to 350.
2. Combine beans, sour cream, and cream cheese in a bowl until well combined. Add taco seasoning and salsa.
3. Pour into 8x8 pan. Top with cheese and bake for 25 minutes.
4. Serve hot with tortilla chips. ENJOY!

KILLER BEAN DIP

PREP TIME: COOK TIME: 10 MINSTOTAL TIME: 10 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 (1-oz) package taco seasoning
• 1-1/2 cups salsa
• 1 (16-oz) package Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 (28-oz) can refried beans

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef; drain.
2. In a large pot, combine cooked beef, taco seasoning, salsa, Velveeta and refried beans. Cook on low for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted and dip is warm.
3. *Slow Cooker directions: Place cooked beef, taco seasoning, salsa, Velveeta and refried beans in slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.*

Restaurant-Style Salsa

28 oz. can whole tomatoes undrained 2 10-oz. cans diced tomatoes and green chilies undrained 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic minced 1 whole jalapeno pepper seeded 1/4 tsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves packed juice from half of a lime

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all the ingredients in a large blender and pulse about 10-15 times, or until you achieve the desired consistency.
2. Serve with tortilla chips.

Restaurant-Style Chipotle Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes (drained)
  
• 1 small onion (roughly chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (roughly chopped)
• 1/2 cup cilantro (mostly leaves, discard thick stems, but thin stems are ok)
• 1-2 chipotle peppers (from can)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into food processor or blender and blend until desired consistancy. Taste salsa and, if necessary, adjust seasonings or ingredients. Serve as a condiment or as a dip with tortilla chips.

5 INGREDIENT CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

• 1 (19-20 oz) can enchilada sauce
  
• 8 packaged flour tortillas
• 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I just bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded it)
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 6-ounce bag shredded Mexican blend cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Pour 1/4 of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of of a 9x13" pan.
3. Divide the chicken and the red bell peppers evenly between the 8 tortillas (about 1/2 cup of chicken per tortilla). Add 1-2 tablespoons of cheese to each tortilla, pour about 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce in each tortilla, then roll up and place in the pan (making sure that the seam of each tortilla is face-down in the pan so that they don't come unrolled).
4. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the rolled tortillas and top with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble. Let sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

Recipe Type: Main Dish

NOTES

To make these enchiladas a freezer meal:
Follow instructions through step 4, then tightly wrap the entire pan with foil, crimping to seal around the edges to prevent freezer burn. Or to freeze smaller portions separately, scoop the enchiladas into individual lidded freezer-safe containers before storing.
These enchiladas will last for 3 months in the freezer.
When ready to eat, remove enchiladas from freezer 24 hours before consuming and place in the fridge to thaw. Follow cooking instructions as directed.

OVEN BAKED BEEF TACOS RECIPE

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning (or 2-3 tablespoons of Homemade Taco Seasoning)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 12 hard taco shells
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil and add onion and garlic ? saute for about 5 minutes until soft.  Add beef and taco seasoning, cooking until meat is browned. Add beans and salsa.  Mix well and let cook for a couple of minutes so that the flavors can meld and the mixture can thicken.
3. In a large 9x13" baking pan, line up all the taco shells. Fill each one with a couple of scoops of the beef mixture and pack down into the shell. Repeat until all the shells are filled. Top each taco with shredded cheese.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes (or until all the cheese is melted).
5. Serve with your favorite taco toppings (tomatoes, lettuce, olives, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo , hot sauce, or whatever you like!).

Salsa (Lisa)

2 cans Diced Tomatoes

1 can Rotel (Mild)

1 small onion

1 bunch cilantro

1/2 Jalepano Pepper

3 tsp Minced Garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp sugar

3 tbl lime juice

In a blend mix Onion, Cilantro, Jalepano Pepper, Garlic, Cumin, Sugar and lime juice.  After well blended add diced tomatoes and Rotel.  Do not over blend.

Cafe Rio Sweet Shredded Pork for Burritos

This sweet shredded pork tastes even BETTER than Cafe Rio, I promise! Use this pork to make giant burritos smothered with Cilantro-Tomatillo Dressing, or an amazing pork salad. Or throw it in some enchiladas. You can't go wrong! It's so easy to make in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. 

Prep Time5minutes mins

Cook Time8hours hrs

Total Time8hours hrs 5minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

 

Servings: 10

 

Calories: 503kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

For the pork

• 3-4 pound pork butt
• salt and pepper
• 1 (8.25-oz) jar Adobo Sauce
• 1 (12-oz) can Coke (1 and 1/2 cups) (NOT diet! No coke zero!)
• 1 cup sugar*
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

For the Cilantro-Tomatillo Ranch

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 (.4-oz) package buttermilk ranch dressing (put it in dry)
• 1 serrano pepper seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 small tomatillos chopped
• juice from 1 lime
• 1/2 bunch cilantro

Serve with

• shredded lettuce
• hot rice
• black beans warmed
• sour cream
• avocados or guacamole
• Cotija cheese

Instructions

Slow Cooker instructions:

• Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, combine Adobo sauce, the can of coke, sugar, garlic, cumin, mustard powder, and chili powder. Use a whisk or a wooden spoon to try to break up the Adobo sauce. It's stubborn but you don't need to stress about it. Some lumps are okay.
• Pour the sauce over the top of the pork.
• Cover with the lid and cook on high for 3-5 hours. OR cook on low for 8-10 hours.
• Remove to a platter and shred the pork.

Instant Pot instructions:

• In the Instant Pot, whisk together the can of coke, sugar, garlic, cumin, mustard powder, and chili powder. Whisk until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
• Use a sharp serrated knife to cut your pork roast into 4 large chunks. Season each one with salt and pepper.
• Place the pork roast chunks in the Instant Pot. Turn them over to coat both sides in the sauce.
• Scrape the entire jar of Adobo sauce on top of the pork. Do NOT add it to the liquid at the bottom of the pot. The Adobo sauce needs to sit on top of the pork, otherwise the mixture will be too thick, and your instant pot won't come to pressure. 
• Seal the lid on top.
• Pressure cook on manual setting for 1 hour.**
• At this point you can either release the lid naturally or follow manual instructions to do a quick release. Be careful! You don't want to get a steam burn.
• Scrape the cooked Adobo sauce into the liquid. Remove meat to a platter and shred the pork. Whisk the adobo sauce into the liquid until smooth. If it seems oily or thin, turn the Instant pot onto the sauté setting and sauté on low for 5 minutes so that it comes together. You can add the meat back in while it is sautéing. (Or just add the meat back in if it doesn't need the sauté.) 

For the ranch:

• Add all the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. If it is too runny, add a couple extra tablespoons of mayo and blend again.
• Serve the pork with shredded lettuce, hot rice, black beans***, sour cream, avocados or guacamole, and cotija cheese or queso fresco. If you can't find that kind of cheese, shredded cheddar or jack cheese will taste good too!
• Serve with tortillas to make burritos, or serve with lots of lettuce to make salads.

Notes

 *Eric's original recipe actually calls for 1 and 1/2 cups sugar to go in the pork, but I like the sweetness level a little lower, so I used 1 cup. Feel free to add that extra 1/2 cup if you want it very sweet. 

**If you take your pork out and it is not shredding easily, put it back in for another 10 minutes. Pork roast should be cooked in the pressure cooker about 15 minutes per pound, so adjust time accordingly.

***The black beans don't need to be super fancy. I opened the can and heated them with a little garlic (from a jar) and tossed in some of the extra chopped cilantro.

Homemade Churros with Scott from San Diablo Churro

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1 cup cake or bread flour (10-12% protein)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1

In medium saucepan, combine water and butter and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Then remove from heat. 

2

When butter has melted, add flour and salt. Stir until there are no clumps of flour and dough resembles a ball. 

3

Transfer dough to a stand mixer or large bowl and mix on low speed to allow steam to escape and cool the dough. 

4

While dough lets off steam, in a separate bowl combine egg and vanilla. 

5

Add egg and vanilla mixture to dough and mix, slowly increasing the speed. Continue until dough is smooth and has a playdough-like consistency. 

6

Place dough in the fridge to cool for about 10 minutes. 

7

Preheat 2-3” canola oil in a frypan to 375*F. Use churro dispenser to gently shape and place dough into hot oil. Fry until golden. Remove from oil to cool and toss with cinnamon sugar.

Meat

The BEST Italian Meatballs

These are the BEST Italian Meatballs!  My Italian grandmother's recipe, the word perfect doesn't even begin to cover it.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 24 meatballs

Calories 111 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chuck 85/15
• 1/2 lb ground pork if you can only get a pound, save half in the freezer
• 2 eggs whisked
• 4 slices of Italian bread 5 ounces
• 1 cup bread crumbs I used Italian seasoned
• 4 TBSP grated parmesan
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 2 TBSPs chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Soak the bread in cold water for about five minutes, ringing out the excess water and pulling the bread apart with your fingers.
3. Combine the meat, eggs, and parsley in a large bowl. Add the bread. Then add the dry bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic salt, and salt.
4. Using a cookie scoop scoop out the meatballs onto wax paper and then roll them into into consistent balls. Place them on a cookie cooling rack. Place that rack on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can cut into a meatball in the middle of the rack and not see pink.

Waikiki Meat Balls
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2/3 c oatmeal or bread crumbs
1/3 c onion, chopped
1 large egg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 c milk
1 tbl. shortening
2 tbl. cornstarch
1- can of pineapple chunks 13.5 oz (save juice)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c vinegar
1 tbl. soy sauce
1/3 c green pepper, sliced

Mix together beef, oatmeal, onions egg, ginger and milk.  Make into meatballs and cook in shortening.  Drain off extra grease.

while they are cooking- In another pan put in cornstarch, pineapple juice from chunky pineapple, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce.  Bring to boil

It should be thickened.  Put in pineapple and green pepper.  Pour over the meat balls and heat through.  Serve over rice.


Crunchy Honey Garlic Pork Chops

added by Patsy Fowler

Cook time: 20 Min  Prep time: 45 Min  Serves: 9

Ingredients

6 to 9 pork chops, not too thick

2 eggs

4 Tbsp water

2 c flour

1 tsp salt and pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

canola oil or vegetable for frying

FOR THE GLAZE

1 1/2 c honey

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp ginger

1 dash(es) cayenne pepper, or to your taste

1/2 c soy sauce

1 Tbsp garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs and 4 tablespoons water in a shallow dish.

2. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in another shallow dish.

3. Dip the chops in the flour, then over into the egg, then back over into the flour mixture again.

4. This is what puts the extra crispy coating on the chops.

5. Be sure to get plenty of flour on this last coating, then shake them a little and place in a pan with about a half inch of oil.

6. Be sure the oil is hot, but not too hot or the chops will cook too fast. You need to get it good and hot and then turn to about medium.

7. Cook for about 6 minutes on each side. Try not to turn more than twice or your breading will come off.

8. Remove from the pan to a 9x13 baking dish.

9. Saute the garlic a little in the butter. Add the honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne and garlic.

10. Bring to a boil then reduce to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Watch this carefully because it will foam and might boil over.

11. Pour 1/2 of the glaze over the pork chops. Flip them over and pour the other 1/2 over the other side.

12. Place uncovered in a preheated 350 oven for about 20-25 minutes. This sets the glaze and finishes them to be sure they are cooked through.

• Pork Chops
• Hidden Valley Ranch Mix Packet
• 1 can Cream of Chicken plus 1 can water as needed {or 2 cans cream of chicken}

Combine all three ingredients in the crockpot and mix well.   Cook on low for 4-6 hours.