Enchilada Casserole

Here is an easy and flexible recipe that you can customize to fit your family's tastes.  It is numerous layers of precooked ingredients.

Start with a layer of tortillas in a 9x13 pan.  We use corn tortillas as they tend to hold up better, but flour would be fine. The next layer was refried beans spread over the tortillas.  More tortillas, browned seasoned ground beef and shredded cheddar cheese.  More tortillas, refried beans and green chile peppers.  Another layer of tortillas, browned ground beef, enchilada sauce and topped with shredded cheddar.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted, about 25-30 minutes.  Serve with sour cream on top and enjoy!

Grilled Seasoned Chicken Wings

I was able to light the grill for the first time this spring.  Easy to make seasoned Chicken Wings are always a hit at our house.  These were seasoned with equal amounts of salt, black pepper, paprika and cumin.

Toss the wings in the seasonings to coat thoroughly.   Place onto a medium high heat grill and cook for about 25 minutes.  Time will vary with the size of the wings.

Saturday Morning Wake Up!

Here's a simple way to brighten up your breakfast.  A simple fried egg sandwich on toast, a slice of cheese and topped with habanero salsa.

French Toast with Apple Butter

Simple and delicious, skip the syrup and add some Apple Butter the next time you make French Toast.

Roasted Carrots

Looking for a new way to serve carrots?  Try this recipe to change your dinner.

This recipe was used to make 2 pounds of carrots:

2 lbs Carrots - sliced and quartered
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
1/4 cup Orange Juice
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Mix the ingredients in a large baking pan.  Toss with the carrots to coat thoroughly.  Place the pan into a 400 degree oven.  Let the carrots roast for 20 minutes, toss and roast again for another 20 minutes or until the carrots begin to achieve the appropriate texture and soften.

Enjoy!

Penne Pasta with Vegetables and Ground Chicken

This is a very easy recipe and has a lot of room for modifications to fit your tastes.  That is what truly makes this recipe fun.

Ingredients:
1 lb Penne Pasta
1 lb Ground Chicken
1/2 bag Baby Spinach
1 lb Sweet Peppers (your choice of pepper)
5 Roma Tomatoes - diced
1 pint Mushrooms
1 can Tomato Paste
2 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tbsp Dried Oregano
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Brown the ground chicken in a skillet over a medium high heat along with the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.  Remove the chicken, but do not remove the drippings.  Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the sliced sweet peppers and stir occasionally until the peppers begin to soften.  Add the coarsely sliced mushrooms and diced tomatoes along with the oregano.  Stir frequently until the tomatoes begin to break down.

Lightly chop the spinach and place it into the sauce and let it begin to sweat down.  Stir it in and add more as you continue.  The sauce will appear soupy at this time.  Add some or all of the tomato sauce into the sauce along with the ground chicken.  Continue this process until you achieve the consistency that you desire is achieved. 

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir.  Serve the pasta topped with some Parmesan Cheese.  Enjoy!

Turkey Habanero Quesadillas

Looking for  a quick, simple and inexpensive lunch?  Try these.

Ingredients:

Flour Tortillas
Olive Oil
Shredded  Cheddar Cheese
Diced Turkey

Heat a skillet and add a small amount of olive oil.  This helps to crisp the outside of the tortilla.  Place a tortilla in the pan and add a tablespoon each of diced turkey, habanero salsa, and cheddar cheese onto one half of the tortilla.  Fold the tortilla over and let it warm until the bottom of the tortilla begins to crisp, approximately 2-3 minutes.  Turn tortilla over and repeat for the second side.

Serve with additional salsa, sour cream or guacamole. 

A great dish to let the kids help with!