Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This was a dish that someone brought to a church potluck. I sensed that my husband would like it, so I called her for the recipe.

flour tortillas (10)
2 cups shredded chicken (great recipe for using leftover chicken)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk
Mexican Cheese blend (the kind with taco seasoning on the cheese)

*mix soup and milk
*in 9 X 13 pan, layer tortillas, chicken, soup, cheese, tortillas, chicken, soup, cheese
*bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Tonight's menu included this casserole, taco lasagna (previous post), fiesta rice (future post), watermelon, corn casserole (previous post) and Heath Blonde Brownies (previous post). It fed 5 adults and 3 children with some leftovers.

Taco Lasagna

When Derek was finishing up Vet school, my nephew was also living in the area so we often had him over for dinner. My sister (his mom) sent me a bunch of recipes for his favorites. This was one of them. One thing I like about it is that I can make it earlier in the day, and bake it just before it is time to eat.

1 pound ground beef
16 oz of tomato sauce
1 packet of taco seasoning
flour tortillas (10)
cheddar cheese

*brown meat & drain
*add taco seasoning and tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes
*in 9 X 13 pan, layer tortillas, meat, cheese, tortillas, meat, cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

So, this morning when Ellie was figuring out what she wanted for breakfast, she insisted on banana bread. I assured her we didn't have any and she assured me that we did (we didn't). When she finally realized that I was right, she had another idea..."Let's just make some". Well, knowing how long bread takes to bake, I made these instead.

SOOOOO quick and easy. I have been making these since we first were married. Today, I made a few variations. Hope you like them.

2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1 tbls baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c milk (I used skim)
1 egg
1/3 c oil (I use Canola)
2 very ripe mashed bananas
chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate)

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Make a well in the center.

Pour milk, egg, oil, and banana into well. Mix batter until moistened. Do not overmix.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups (greased or lined with paper liners). Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on the top of each (we used it as a counting lesson and put like 5 or 6 on each).

Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

We enjoyed them warm with a little bit of "Move Over Butter" spread on them. So quick! From batter to tummy in less than 30 minutes.

Individual Banana Cream Pies

Keebler makes these little mini graham cracker pie crusts. You get 6 in a pack. My mother in law made banana parfaits for dessert once and I adapted it to make mini pies instead.

Individual graham cracker crusts
1 small instant banana cream pudding
1 small instant vanilla pudding
milk
bananas
chocolate syrup
"real" whipped cream, cool-whip, or whipped cream in a can

1) bake crust slightly if you want a crispier crust
2) prepare both puddings in the same bowl according to directions
3) divide pudding among tarts
4) top with sliced bananas
5) drizzle with chocolate syrup
6) finish off with whipped topping of your choice

So simple...but my little girls think "mini desserts" are "so fancy".

(*Note: I'm thinking chocolate pudding topped with raspberries would be delicious, or perhaps vanilla with strawberries...any other suggestions?)

Monkey Bread

My mother in law makes this for all Holidays. The first time I had it, I was hooked. I've heard of people making it with refrigerator biscuits, but my mother in law uses frozen bread dough.

1 loaf frozen bread dough (like Rhodes), thawed (I usually put loaf in fridge the night before)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c butter or margarine, melted
(I've heard of people adding coconut and/or chopped nuts)

cut dough into approximately 24 pieces (smaller = better)
combine sugars & cinnamon
coat dough pieces with butter and roll in sugar mixture
place in well-greased bundt pan
cover and let rise in warm place until light or doubled in size (1.5 to 2 hours)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes
Cool 1 to 2 minutes, loosen edges and carefully invert onto serving plate

(*Note: Bread may be baked in 2 bread loaf pans or tube pan with solid bottom Also, plan ahead for this one b/c of rising time)

Easy Chicken Legs

We try to do a lot of chicken in our house. This is really simple. Except for the chicken, you'd probably always have all the ingredients on hand.

Wash chicken legs really good. Don't dry them.

Make a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, parsley, chicken bouillon granules, seasoning salt, or whatever other spices you might like.

Roll legs in flour mixture. Place on foiled pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top each leg with a pat of butter or margarine.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees.

Tonight, I used a whole chicken that was split into 8 pieces. I put the breasts in for about an hour and a half and the rest in for about an hour.

Mashed Potatoes with Ham

This recipe came from "Taste of Home's Quick Cooking Annual Recipes 2001". The gal that submitted the recipe uses it as the main dish, not as a side dish. When it is just the four of us, I use it as the main dish. When we've had oodles of company, I've used it as a side dish. This is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. It is a nice alternative to ham and scalloped potatoes.

1/2 c finely chopped onion
2 tbls. butter or margarine (divided)
3 1/2 to 4 c hot mashed potatoes (prepared with milk & butter)
1 1/2 c cubed fully cooked ham (you can buy ham already cubed to "Keep it Simple". Today, I am just cutting up a ham steak)
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c crushed cornflakes (I've left these out in the past. Still delicious even without)

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine onion and 1 tbls of butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Add potatoes, ham, onion salt, and pepper. Mix well. Transfer to a greased 1 1/2 qt baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and cornflakes; dot with remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through.