Super-Sized 7-Layer Casserole

This is amazing. And does it not look gorgeous?! My mind was blown after seeing this recipe. If you love seven layer dip, casseroles & macaroni, you will LOVE this dip!

Ingredients
1 package flour tortillas
 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or cooking spray
1 box elbow macaroni 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, grated, divided
4 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped, divided
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
11 bottle of beer
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes with chilies, drained
3 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese, divided
2 cans vegetarian spicy refried beans
5 to 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt
2 limes, zest of 1 and juice of 2
2 avocados
1 cup sour cream Juice of 1 lemon
Hot sauce to taste
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup chopped olives with pimientos
1 bunch scallions, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Cut tortilas into thin strips about 1/2 inch thick, and place them onto a baking sheet. Toss them with some vegetable oil or spray with cooking spray. Pop them into the oven and cook until crispy and golden, about 15 minutes. Season with salt when they are done baking & are cooling.

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil over high heat. Salt the water then add the noodles and cook to package instructions.

Place a large skillet over medium high heat with a tablespoon EVOO. Brown the meat, then add in the onion, 4 cloves grated garlic & 2 jalapenos, and cook until tender.

Season the meat and veggies with chili powder, coriander, cumin and tomato paste. Let the meat mixture cook for a minute or two with the spices, then add the beer and let that cook down for about 4-5 minutes. Reserve.

While the meat is cooking, make the cheese sauce: In a saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and give it a stir to combine with the butter. Cook for a minute or so then whisk in the milk. Cook until thickened.

Drain the can of tomatoes with chilies and add them to the thickened milk mixture. Fold in 2 1/2 cups cheese and the reseved noodles. Season with salt and pepper, and reserve.

In another saucepot, heat up the can of refried beans with a little bit of water.

To build the casserole, spread the beef mixture out in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with the refried beans and

finish it off with the mac and cheese and the remaining cheese.

Pop the casserole into the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
While the casserole is baking, make the salsa:

Mix the plum tomatoes, remaining jalapeño peppers, red onion and cilantro in a small bowl. Season with salt, lime zest and juice, shake (i.e. mix) and reserve.

For the guacamole sour cream, scoop the flesh of the avocados into the bowl of a food processor and add the sour cream, lemon juice, remaining 2 cloves grated garlic and hot sauce.

Process until creamy.

Once the casserole comes out of the oven,

top it with the crispy corn strips and shredded iceberg lettuce. (I skipped this step for my dad's sake. We added whatever toppings we wanted on our own plates.)

Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Soup

This is a recipe that my mom found in a Cooking Light Magazine. Every time she makes it, my dad says "This is the best thing you've made...ever." Of course, my mom has made the above picture Dad-appropriate. The tomatoes are pureed, and the spinach is left out. We add it to the bowls of people who want it, and ladle the soup on top. I have to warn you, we made the exact recipe and it was gone before anyone had seconds. The last time we made it, we doubled the recipe which was enough for dinner plus 2-3 leftover lunches. And this is great as leftovers. Enjoy!

My bowl of leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces hot or sweet turkey Italian sausage
• 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 1/2 cup uncooked small shell pasta
• 2 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preparation

• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain; return to pan.
• Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.

My Pioneer Woman Frenzy

It all started with her getting a show on Food Network. If you don't know who the Pioneer Woman is, shame on you. Go to her website now! No seriously. Go now. Explore every blog section that she has, print many recipes, laugh at her personality coming out in print. She is fab.u.lous.

Ok off my admiration soapbox.

It all started with her getting a show on Food Network. I immediately stalked her recipes to find any and all that I wanted to make. I think I printed around 20. Then, she made Cajun Chicken Pasta. I knew I had to try it. While shopping for the ingredients, I came to the all important heavy cream (If you try many of her recipes, you will learn that there is no acceptable substitute for heavy cream.) This recipe only needed a cup of heavy cream. I decided to buy a quart of heavy cream instead of the pint. I told Jerome, "I'm just going to have to make more Pioneer Woman recipes so that I don't waste this heavy cream by letting it go bad." ;-) Don't worry I will post all 3 recipes here. Right now! =)

Recipe #1 - Cajun Chicken Pasta. One word: Devine.

Ingredients

• 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
• 3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
• 1 pound Fettuccine
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
• 1/2 whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Cayenne Pepper To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

Recipe #2 - Italian Chicken Soup. My mom made this recipe with whatever she had for this recipe in the kitchen. This uses 2 cups of heavy cream. (Side note: I have eaten this for leftovers twice already, Jerome has had it once & we have 2 more lunches left to eat from it. So, lesson: It makes a lot but soooo worth it!) Mom didn't have any fresh jalapenos. I bet it would be that extra little seasoning/spice that we thought the soup needed.

Her photo

My photo of my leftovers!

Ingredients

• 1 box Ditalini Pasta (very Short Macaroni-type Pasta Noodles)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
• 8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 2 whole Fresh Jalapenos, Diced
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 can (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Oregano
• Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
• Parmesan Cheese Shavings, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and shred meat. Discard bones and set meat aside.

Dice canned tomatoes and return them to their juice. Set aside.

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and oregano and turn off heat, stirring over the next minute to keep oregano from burning. Set this aside.

Either pour off chicken broth into a separate container or use a new pot to saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, and all the oregano and olive oil from the small skillet. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.

Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top--the more the better! Crusty Italian bread is good, too.

Recipe #3 - Pasta alla Vodka. When I saw this on Pioneer Woman's show, she was making a recipe for her hubby to try. He is a picky eater, not as bad as my dad but almost. When he approved of it, I knew it would be acceptable at home. (However, I did not anticipate that the lack of meat would become an issue for my dad. Jerome grilled up a pork tenderloin on the side.) She called it Penne alla Vodka since that was the type of pasta she used (and it is the traditional name). I ended up buying the pasta in the recipe that I have linked you too, reginette (it looks like lasagna noodles but skinnier). Jerome ended up cooking this recipe (he couldn't wait for it to be made anymore.) and he broke the pieces in half to make them a little shorter. They twisted around the fork perfectly and I can't see us ever making this recipe with any other kind of pasta. This also used the last cup of heavy cream in the quart-sized container I had bought.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Pasta
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped Finely
• 2 cloves (to 3 Cloves) Garlic, Chopped
• 3/4 cups (to 1 Cup) Vodka
• 1 can (About 14 Oz.) Tomato Puree
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add in chopped onion and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes. Pour in vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes. Add in tomato puree and stir.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat. Stir in red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Splash in a little water if it needs it. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Pour mixture into large serving bowl. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese.

Eat it out of the serving bowl. Faint. Repeat as needed.

I really truly hope you enjoy all 3 of these Pioneer Woman recipes like my family did.