Mexican Dip: A Simple Recipe for Gatherings

Monday we’d planned to meet with some homeschooling friends so the kids could play board games and the adults could converse.  Since we were meeting over lunch, it was recommended that we all bring a dish to share and we’d have a potluck dinner. Since Monday was also our first day of school, I knew I’d be preoccupied in the morning and planned to make a Mexican Dip that was inexpensive, simple and delicious.  

While I was throwing it together it dawned on me that some of you may enjoy this recipe as much as my family does so here are the directions.

You’ll need:

2 large (19.5 oz) cans of pinto beans

1 16 oz. tub of Sour Cream

1 24 oz. jar of salsa

1 12 oz. pkg. of Cheddar Cheese or Mexican blend cheese

a 9 x 13 baking pan

You simply layer the ingredients, beginning with the beans.

You could also use refried beans, but my kids don’t like them so I lightly mashed the Pinto Beans.

  Add the sour cream and smooth over the beans.

Pour the salsa onto the sour cream and spread evenly.

Top with the cheese of your choice. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

(Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the finished product! Oops!)

Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Spicy Chili: an experiment

If you’ve read any of my recipe posts before, you know I’m not one to use proper measurements. It may surprise you to know that I didn’t even pack a measuring cup or measuring spoon in our camper. I know some of you just cringed reading this and are at this moment writing me off as a lunatic. Let me assure you that there is a method to my madness. I have adapted my own type of measuring things. I’ll save that explanation for another day but in my defense, if you’ve ever been invited to our home for a meal, or if you’ve been a recipient of a meal prepared by yours truly, you’ll know that I am a good cook, at least that’s what I’ve been told on several occasions. Notice I did not say a good baker, there is something to be said for using measurements when baking. Okay, moving on…

We may not have the snow that excited much of the Mid-Atlantic but we have had another drop in temperatures which means, it’s a perfect day for a big pot of chili!

I made this same recipe last week when I discovered I’d forgotten to purchase tomato juice and didn’t have any other option for dinner. So I experimented a bit to find out what would happen if I used a few other ingredients in my cupboard instead, like the salsa. It was certainly yummy so if you care to give my directions a chance, follow along:

I use a large crock pot and let it simmer all day, but you could use a pot on the stove and adjust the ingredients accordingly.

4 cans of light red kidney beans
2 cans of dark red kidney beans
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of tomato sauce
A good sprinkling of Chili powder (probably 2-4 tbsp, I use a lot!)
Jar of mild salsa
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

Dump first six ingredients into the crock pot. Cook chicken thoroughly on the stove, drain if needed and add taco seasoning. Mix. Add chicken to crock pot. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Instead of serving our chili with crackers, we added Corn Chips and shredded cheese. Yummy!

What do you add to your chili to spice it up?

Easy Meals for this Week

I love the days when I can throw some ingredients in the crock pot and a couple hours later sit down to a yummy meal or side dish. This is one of my favorite recipes for that occasion.

Cheesy Potatoes

1 bag of frozen hash browns
1 med. onion, diced
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup

Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Season with salt & pepper if desired. That's it. So easy, even a camper can do it. With a crockpot of course.

To keep it easy, we served this with Turkey hotdogs, and green beans. Just heat and serve. Can't beat it. Total meal cost $8.05 plus tax- yes, some places do pay tax on food...

Wanna try another easy meal?

Beef & Bean Burritos

This is a super easy recipe that we enjoyed last night. Sorry, I didn't think to snap a picture before they were all devoured, I'll try harder next time. Promise. Anyway, here's the recipe and believe me this is so easy, I prepared it all in the microwave in under a half hour. I'm not going to tell you how many pounds of hamburger or cans of beans to get but I'm sure you'll be able to adapt it easy enough for your family.

This is what you need:
A lb. or two of Hamburger
A can or two of Pinto Beans
A pkg or two of taco seasoning
Tortillas of your choice (I used 10" flour tortillas)
Mexican blend cheese
Salsa

What you do:
Brown the hamburger and drain. Add taco seasoning to hamburger according to directions (personally, I don't use as much water as they typically call for, just enough to enable me to mix it all up). Open the beans, drain, heat through. Warm tortillas and layer each tortilla with hamburger, beans, cheese and salsa if desired. Serve and eat. Yummy!

Total meal cost: $10.75 (we ate the burritos with corn chips)and don't forget the tax, of course.

How about you? Why not share your favorite easy and cheap meal idea?

Flatbread Pizza

Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing in the world...especially when I have no idea of what to buy. I try to have an idea of what I'm going to buy, but sometimes I just don't manage to think that far ahead. So this particular day my daughter and I were roaming the aisles of Publix hoping for a revelation. That never happened, but we did run across these yummy flatbreads...which gave my daughter a great idea...Flatbread Pizza...after all, who doesn't love pizza?

We chose the Italian Flatouts that are made with Italian herbs and seasonings and are only 90 calories per serving...added our favorite pizza sauce, toppings and cheese...served with a delicious Romaine lettuce salad with tomatoes, red onions and croutons...and a dessert that consisted of juicy orange slices. This quick and easy meal certainly hit the spot! So...have you tried Flatout Flatbreads yet?

Souper Saturday

With winter around the corner and the cold weather gearing up in full swing I couldn’t think of anything better to prepare for dinner than a pot of steaming hot soup to warm these cold fingers and toes. Boy,was this potato soup yummy! Wanna make a pot of your own and warm your tummy?

Potato Soup
6-8 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ package of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 10 ¾ oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 10 ¾ oz. can of Cream of Celery Soup
1 10 ¾ oz. can of Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 med. onion, diced

Boil potatoes in just enough water to cover them. Cook until potatoes are firm, but tender. Add soups, bacon and onions. Simmer until warmed thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve. Mmmmmm....good...

I know this is just one of the awesome potato soup recipes out there, why not share your favorite too?

An Easy & Delicious Dinner Idea

I know my camera stinks and this is a lousy picture, but I took a chance and decided to post it anyway. I hope the poor picture quality doesn't make you loose your appetite because I was hoping you'd try this deliciously simple recipe for yourself. Easy enough to prepare in my teeny-tiny motor home kitchen. Not that I can't cook just about anything in my kitchen, but who doesn't appreciate a super easy meal every now and then?

So, exactly what is this meal I speak of? Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Tacos served with a simple colorful Bean & Corn Salad and Seasoned French Fries, ready to serve and eat in about 30 minutes. On a scale of 1 to 10, this meal earned an 8.5 from my family. Definite thumbs up!

This meal will grace our table again, and maybe I'll have my new camera and can actually take a picture that will do the meal justice.

Want the recipe? Here ya go!

Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Tacos
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts diced and cooked (to save time, I heated up a package of Tyson's Fully Cooked Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast)
1/2 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled (I use Turkey Bacon)
1 cup Ranch dressing
Shredded Lettuce
Mexican blend shredded cheese
Chopped tomatoes, if desired
Your choice of hard or soft taco shells

Mix chicken, bacon and Ranch dressing together. Prepare tacos by adding chicken mixture to the shell and top with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. Yummy!

Bean & Corn Salad
1 can Black Beans
1 can Sweet Corn
1/2 cup mild salsa

Drain beans and corn. Mix in a bowl with salsa. Serve.
(You could add 2 Tbsp. of Italian dressing, but I like this dish just as well without).

Seasoned French Fries, well that was the really easy part. I just bought a bag of Ore Ida's at Walmart and popped 'em in the oven.

There you have it. A quick and easy meal. Think you'll try it? Why not let me know what you think?