Stew meat Cowboy Casserole

So I have a bunch of stew meat and I have a busy week ahead so I decided to pull out the crock pot and let it do most of the work. In turn I am able to make two meals out of this stew meat. The other meal is posted in the previous blog post.

I put all my stew meat in the crock pot (2.5 lbs). In case you are curious what stew meat is here is an example:

I then added a can of rotel, a can of red enchilada sauce, 1 diced bell pepper, 1 diced onion, 1 can of green chilis and a package of taco seasoning. I let it cook on high for 6 hours.


Then I got a package of tostadas and layered 6 on the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole. I layered them with the stew mixture and shredded cheese. I repeated each step until I was out of stew meat and also the casserole was about to overflow.

Last I sprinkled with cilantro and baked on 350 for 15 minutes.

I would serve these with salsa, guacamole or sour cream. Whichever you prefer.
Ingredients:
1 lb of stew meat
Bag of Tostadas or tortilla chips if you prefer
1 can of rotel
1 can of red enchilada sauce
1 bell pepper
1 onion
1 can of green chilis
cilantro
shredded cheese

Stew meat Cowboy Beef Burritos

So I have a bunch of stew meat and I have a busy week ahead so I decided to pull out the crock pot and let it do most of the work. In turn I am able to make two meals out of this stew meat. I will post the other meal in a separate blog post. First lets start with the burritos.

I put all my stew meat in the crock pot (2.5 lbs). In case you are curious what stew meat is here is an example:

I then added a can of rotel, a can of red enchilada sauce, 1 diced bell pepper, 1 diced onion, 1 can of green chilis and a package of taco seasoning. I let it cook on high for 6 hours.

Then I got 8 large flour tortillas and spread the bottom with cream cheese. I used a spoon that had wholes to drain most of the juice and put the beef mixture on top and folded them up. To fold them you want to fold it in half long ways then half short ways. Face the seam down that way it stays put.

I added shredded cheese to each one. Once they were all stuffed and folded I added more shredded cheese on top and a little cilantro. I understand cilantro is an acquired taste so if you don't like it its optional. The cream cheese is also optional. Then I baked them for 15 minutes on 350.

I would serve these with salsa, guacamole or sour cream. Whichever you prefer.

Ingredients:
1 lb of stew meat
8 large flour tortillas
4 oz of cream cheese
1 can of rotel
1 can of red enchilada sauce
1 bell pepper
1 onion
1 can of green chilis
cilantro
shredded cheese

Easy Cheesy Sausage Tortellini

This literally took me 15 minutes to cook the entire thing and the whole family enjoyed it. Here is all you need:

Dice the sausage up in small chunks and cook in a skillet until its browned slightly.

While you are doing this you will boil the tortellini which takes approximately 5 minutes.

Once the sausage and tortellini is cooked you will want to drain the water out and add the tortellini back to the pot. Then combine the sausage, 4 oz of cream cheese, 1 cup shredded cheese, a jar of marinara and a can of petite diced tomatoes. Stir together well and its done.

Ingredients:
2 bags of tortellini
1 cup of shredded cheese
1 jar of pasta sauce
1 can petite diced tomatoes
4 oz of cream cheese

Cedar Plank Salmon

This is my first time trying this. It isn't very difficult, but it is important to be follow the instructions. You will want to soak your planks in water for 4 hours. For some extra flavor add some salt to the water. Once they are done soaking you will want to place them on a hot grill. I prefer propane. Make sure to keep your propane set to low. You will want to let the planks cook on the grill 3-5 minutes before you put the salmon on there so it can start cooking its flavors.
I put blacken seasoning on my salmon and then laid the salmon on the plank. Cook it on the grill for 18-20 minutes until the center is cooked through. If the filet is thicker you may need to cook longer.
I chose to top my cedar plank salmon off with avocado salsa, but it would still taste great without it.

Ingredients:
Salmon Filet
blacken seasoning
cedar plank

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Crock Pot Casserole

I had a big bag of potatoes that needed to get used so I thought it would be fun to try to make them into a breakfast casserole. I diced approximately 6 potaotes into small chunks.

I then laid them in the bottom of  my crock pot. I added a 1/2 cup of cheese on top of them. Then layered that with some fresh spinach, diced tomato, and diced bell pepper.

Next I topped it with fresh bacon bits. I bake my bacon in the oven because it cooks so much easier then sitting in front of a skillet for half an hour. I then whisked a dozen eggs with 1 cup of milk and poured that on top of everything.

I then topped with more shredded cheese.Cook overnight for 10 hours on low.

Ingredients:
Red Potatoes (6)
Fresh spinach
1 tomato
1 bell pepper
12 eggs
1 cup of shredded cheese
1 cup of milk

Avocado Salsa

I am obsessed with avocados. I decided to try this avocado salsa instead of my normal guacamole. It turned out amazing. First you will deseed and peel the avocados. I used 3. You will want to make sure they aren't overly firm  too soft or else it won't turn out correctly. Then dice up the avocados into small chunks. Place in a bowl. Next, dice up a tomato and then some cilantro. I then deseeded and diced up 1 fresh jalapeno. Leave the seeds if you like extra spice. Now if I wasn't sharing this with my husband I would of diced up a red onion too, but he doesn't like onion so I skipped it.

I then used an entire lime and squeezed all the juices into the bowl. I added 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and 1 teaspoon of olive oil and mixed it thoroughly. There you have it. Fresh avocado salsa.
I am serving mine on my salmon, but you can also use it as a dip or whatever your preference is.

Ingredients:
3 avocados
1 tomato
1 jalapeno
cilantro
garlic salt
1 lime
olive oil

Roasted Red Potatoes

I love making these as a side dish. I find it pairs very well with fish. I am making salmon tonight and wanted to cook up some of these bad boys. Roasted red potatoes are very easy to make. The prep time is slight and the oven does the rest of the work.
First start with approximately 8 red potatoes. Dice or slice them up fairly small or thin.

Once you dice them all up put them in a gallon size freezer bag. The reason I do this is because it makes it much easier to mix up all the seasonings.

Then add 2 tablespoons of blacken seasoning or your favorite seasoning. Add 1 tablespoon of crushed red peppers, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then make sure the bag is sealed tight and shake everything up really well.

Once that is done spray a baking pan with some pam and dump the bag out evenly. You will bake on 375 for approximately 45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Ingredients:
Red Potatoes (8)
crushed red pepper
garlic powder
blacken seasoning
olive oil

Crock pot chicken teriyaki

This was my first time using my crock pot for this. Usually I bake it, but thought it may be fun to try something new. I put 2 cups of fresh rice on the bottom of my crock pot. Then I put 1 lb of diced chicken next. Then I added 1 thing of teriyake glaze, 1/2 jar of sweet chili and 2 tablespoons of siracha.

Then I added 1 chopped bell pepper, 1 chopped onion, 1 bundle of broccoli, 15 fresh carrots that I diced myself on top of the rest. I let the crock pot cook for a couple hours before I stirred.

After a few hours I got to stirring. It smells fabulous. I ended up cooking it on high for 10 hours to get the rice cooked. If you want to cut down on rice cook time use the 10 minute bag rice. Otherwise its all perfect!

Ingredients:
10 minute bagged rice (2 cups)
bag of carrots
broccoli bunch
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 jar of teriyake glaze
2 tablespoons siracha
1/2 jar sweet chili 

Buffalo Baked Potato Chicken Casserole

First let me say that not everyone likes buffalo wing sauce. If you don't that is fine you can make this recipe and leave out the buffalo sauce and cream cheese. Just follow the instructions the same and remove those two ingredients. It will still cook the same. Then you can add traditional toppings to it such as sour cream.
I use a bag of red potatoes. I dice them up in small chunks and add to a gallon sized bag. I typically use about 8-10 potatoes worth. Once that is done I added 1/2 cup of buffalo wing sauce and 4 oz of melted cream cheese. I am a cream cheese fanatic so if I can ever use some I will. However, I have made this recipe with no cream cheese and it was still amazing. I then diced up half a bell pepper and half an onion. If you look back on my first blog I talked about my chopper. I still highly recommend getting one. Then close the bag tightly and mix well by shaking the bag and turning it in different directions. Be careful so the bag doesn't pop open.

Once it is mixed well then grease the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Dump the potatoes in. Next you will dice up 1 lb of raw chicken. I prefer small chunks. Lay these on top of the potatoes. Next add some shredded cheese.

Last cover with foil and bake on 400 for 1 hour. When you pull it out check to make sure the potatoes are soft. If they aren't remove the foil and continue baking in 10 minute increments. I normally don't have to do that, but ever oven is different. I like to serve with some ketchup and ranch on the side for dipping. Totally whatever you enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 lb of chicken
1 cup of shredded cheese
1/2 cup buffalo chicken
8-10 red potatoes
4 oz of cream cheese
1/2 bell pepper
1/2 onion
bake with foil for 1 hour on 400

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Mac 'N Cheese

Holy yum! If you are a fan of mac 'n cheese you will love this. Okay so I started by grilling the chicken on the grill. I grilled 1 lb of chicken. If you don't have a grill, no problem. You can boil it and shred it or bake it and cube it. Whatever is easier for you. Then I got a box of elbow macaroni and added it to a boiling pot of water. In a separate pan I got some spinach cooking.

Once the macaroni was done I drained out the water. When the spinach was sauteed I added 8 oz of cream cheese and a can of artichoke hearts to it. I realized that it wasn't liquidy enough so I added 1/2 can of evaporated milk. I think that probably 1/4 cup of skim milk would probably work just fine as well. Mix well.

I added this mixture plus the chicken to the elbow macaroni and added 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and mixed together well. Then there you have it. It is so yummy. Definitely not healthy, but it made a ton and we will have a lot of leftovers. Or if you want you can freeze it and save your leftovers for another day.

Ingredients:
1 lb of chicken
1 box of elbow macaroni
handful of spinach
1 jar of artichoke hearts
1 can of evaporated milk
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
8 oz of cream cheese

Baked Chicken and Beef Fajitas

I make this recipe often and I have shared it with many who tell me they now make it often. It is great for when you have company because you can double up on it and the prep time is very short. I don't always do a combination of meats. Sometimes I'll do just chicken or just beef. If you want to be extra fancy you can even do shrimp! No matter which meat you use you will still do the same process and cook for the same length of time.
I always do the vegetables first that way I don't dirty up more than one cutting board. First slice up an entire onion. Next, slice a red pepper or green pepper or both. You can even use a yellow or orange pepper. Then add a can of diced tomatoes (drained). If you want to use fresh tomatoes that is fine too. I'd probably use two large tomatoes. Then slice your chicken and beef in small chunks. Add all of this to your 9x13 casserole dish. I like cilantro so if I have any I will add cilantro too. If you like spicy you can dice up a fresh jalapeno or add pickled. Then add either a packet of fajita seasoning or taco seasoning. I buy a large thing of taco seasoning that way it lasts longer. A packet is anywhere around $1 and you can only use it once whereas you can get a large thing of taco seasoning for about $2.50 and it lasts for quite some time. Add your seasoning and mix everything together.

Then you will want to add foil on top and bake it for 45 minutes on 375. Make sure to check that the chicken is cooked through. If it isn't then cook a little longer.
I like to make homemade guacamole with mine. I dice up three avocados. I blend them together and add a diced tomato a handful of chopped cilantro, garlic seasoning and chili powder. Mix together well. If you are trying to be healthy you can serve your fajitas on a salad. You can make fajita nachos or just regular fajitas with tortillas. Serve with guac, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa. Whatever you fancy.
This one is definitely a winner! Hope you enjoy it.

 Ingredients:
1 lb of chicken or 1 lb of beef
1 onion
1 bell pepper or red pepper
handful of cilantro
1 package of taco seasoning
1 can of petite diced tomato

Stuffed Shells

I kind of put this one together based off what was in my cabinets and what my tastes buds were calling for. I used the Barilla large shells for the pasta. You will boil them until they are done. I never need all the shells, but usually boil the whole box and use the leftovers for the kids to put pasta sauce on.
I grilled my chicken outside on the grill although you can boil it or bake it. You will want about 1 lb of chicken. In a skillet I put a handful of fresh spinach, 1 block of cream cheese, 1/2 jar sun dried tomatoes, 1 can petite diced tomatoes (drained) and 1/4 jar marinara. I cooked that until the cream cheese was melted and all blended together.

Once this was cooked I poured 1/2 of the jar of marinara on the bottom of a 9x13 and spread evenly. I then stuffed each shell individually and lined them row by row in the casserole dish. Once the casserole dish was full I used the remaining of the marinara and drizzle on the top and added sprinkled cheese. I baked for 15 minutes on 375 uncovered.
This recipe may not be as beneficial because I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture of the final product. Either way it was absolutely fantastic and we barely had any leftover.

Homemade Iced Coffee

Now this one I didn't create myself however wanted to share it. I love iced coffee thanks to a friend that introduced it to me a few months back. Once you have an obsession its hard to kick and starbucks is just too expensive for my taste. My friend came over and made herself and me and iced coffee and now I am hooked. Its rather simple. Here is all you need.

Start with an empty cup and fill it with freshly brewed coffee about 1/4 of the way up and add creamer until it looks milky.

Fill the cup up with ice and top off with some more coffee. Now you are done! If you use a creamer that is flavored you won't need any added sugar. If you use a plain creamer you will probably want to add sugar first before starting the whole process. Enjoy!

Dessert Bananas

Easy as pie! Dice up a couple of bananas. Add to a pan with sizzling olive oil, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top and cook until both sides are golden brown. Makes for a fun, somewhat healthy snack. Super easy and delicious. The kids loved it!

Sausage Goulash

This one is unique and the ingredients mixed together may not sound that great, but goodness it was yummy. I boiled a pot of elbow pasta. While that was boiling I cooked some breakfast sausage with some sauteed onions, green peppers and a can of rotel. Once it was cooked I added a can of cheddar cheese. Once the pasta was done I drained it and mixed the sausage mixture with the pasta and added a jar of marinara. I added a little red pepper and stirred it all together. May taste great with some french bread to soak up the sauce. Yum!

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

I am making breakfast a little late for the week, but nevertheless it has to get done. This weeks breakfast is a tater tot casserole. I layered the bottom of a greased 9x13 with tator tots. I cooked breakfast sausage and sauteed some onion, green peppers, green chilies and tomatoes with it. I then poured the sausage mixture on top of the tater tots. Next, I whisked together 8 eggs and added 1 cup of milk to it. I poured this on top and added some shredded cheese. I am going to let it sit overnight and bake it in the morning on 375 covered with foil for about 45 minutes.