If you love burritos and lots of Mexican flavor this easy, family friendly casserole is one that you will definitely want to add to your recipe box. You can make it to the point of baking ahead of time, refrigerate, and then bake it just before serving or cover it tightly (unbaked) and freeze for a handy freezer meal.
It is just as good with less meat, so if you want to cut the (all ready low) cost of this dish just use less beef and more beans.
Filed under Casseroles, Main Dish
You may have noticed that normally my recipes have 57 ingredients and 82 steps. I do this because I think it makes me look authoritative and professional… And because usually I have a lot of odds and ends to use up.
This is not one of those recipes. Nope. It is easy, straightforward, and so simple that your 8 year old can put it together for ya. This is one of those dishes to make when the grandkids are staying overnight and all you have in the fridge is seven Weight Watchers frozen meals and half a jar of capers. Kid friendly, husband friendly, and great for potlucks, this casserole is slightly spicy, slightly gooey, and all the way good. Continue reading
Filed under Casseroles, Main Dish, Real Food Real Quick
You know that you do not want to be stuck in the kitchen New Years Eve OR New Years Day. I don’t. I want to spend time bonding with fifty of my closest friends and a bottle of expensive champagne. O.k. ten of my closest friends and a Dr. Pepper – but let’s not get picky, o.k.?
Probably the hardest thing about hosting a New Year’s Eve Party is deciding on the appetizers you want to serve. You want something that says you have taste but will not stain your carpet when someone has imbibed just a bit too much.
Love bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches? Yep so do I. And this dip has definitely got the flavor. A big plus is that it is quick and easy, you can make it a day ahead of time, and it won’t cost you an entire month’s pay to create. Most of us will have the ingredients on hand – or most of them. Continue reading
Filed under Appetizers and Snacks
A while ago I was invited to be part of the Saucy Mama recipe contest. The rules said they would send me a box of their sauces, and I was to choose one and create an easy five ingredient recipe.
I got the box. Do you get to open your own boxes? I don’t….my kids think that it is Christmas and tear into them… Just sayin’
Anyway, it contained the following: Continue reading
Filed under Main Dish, Slow Cooker Meals
One of the New Years traditions in our family is black-eyed pea soup. It is supposed to ensure prosperity for the coming year when eaten with greens (I used them in my spinach artichoke dip) and pork. One time I question my dad about the tradition saying (as only a smart alecky teenager can) that things didn’t seem so different. He quipped back, “Yeah…Imagine if we hadn’t had them!”
I am not a big fan of black-eyed peas as a general rule. In fact, I am not a big fan of dried beans of any sort. They usually just taste bland and starchy to me. I do love me some black eyed pea soup, however, and how. Spicy and tomato-y broth combines with bacon to give the black eyed peas a smoky, hot broth to hang out in. I prefer to use fresh black-eyed peas because they seem to me to have less starch but you can used canned if you rinse them really well. You can also use the dried kind. Just let them soak overnight.
There aren’t a lot of ingredients that go into this soup but what comes out of the ladle a few hours later is magic. I promise. The sesame seed oil is my touch… it adds another depth of smoky flavor to the soup that I really enjoy. Adjust the broth up or down to get the thickness of the soup that you prefer. Two cans of Ro*Tel will be too spicy for some of you so don’t be afraid to add one can of plain tomatoes instead of one of the cans of Ro*tel. The longer it simmers the more flavorful it gets.
Don’t wait for New Years to have this. It makes a great, inexpensive meal anytime of the year. Do try it at least once when you can get fresh blackeyed peas though. The difference is amazing.
Smokey black eyed pea soup with bacon is a New Years tradition in the South. This recipe is super easy because you make it in a microwave! Ingredients Instructions
http://www.restlesschipotle.com/2011/01/smoky-black-eyed-pea-soup/ © 2012 Marye Audet Please do not copy images or recipe except for personal use
images:marye audet (c) 2011
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