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!

Beef and Bean Burritos

Once again by Pioneer Woman.

Found here.

The only thing I changed was, instead of canned refried beans, I used leftover Spicy Beans.

I made her Mexican Rice found here.

Once again...Amen.

P.S. My picky dad & brother loved it!

P.P.S. I am really considering buying her cookbooks even though her recipes are mostly available on her website for free download. Love her & her food so much!

Mexican Mac & Cheese

So, mine totally didn't look this awesome when it was done. However, it tasted better than this looks! Trust me. The only problem was the original directions.

Try this on for size:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2.Meanwhile, in large skillet cook sausage and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain fat, Return sausage and onion to skillet. Stir in green salsa.

3.Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Top with tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro. If desired, serve with additional salsa. Makes 12 servings.

Did that ever tell you what size pan or when to add the cheese, pasta, or how? Me either. So here's what Mom & I decided to do added into the original directions...and it was FAB-U-LOUS! =)
(p.s. I used my roasting pan to bake this and it was a little big. I'm pretty sure a 9x13 pan is perfect. Who tells you to get a 3-qt pan?!)

ingredients

• 12
  oz. dried mostaccioli or rigatoni pasta (3 cups)
• 1
  lb. bulk pork sausage (we ended up using ground beef & seasoning it with cumin & taco seasoning)
• 1
  cup chopped onion
• 1
  16-oz. jar green medium-hot salsa
• 2
  8-oz. pkg. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 cups)
• Tomato wedges, sliced jalapeño peppers, and chopped fresh cilantro
• Salsa (optional)

• directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2.Meanwhile, in large skillet cook sausage (seasoned beef) and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain fat, Return sausage and onion to skillet. Stir in green salsa.

Add half of cheese and the pasta into the meat, onion & salsa mixture. Pour into the pan and top with the remaining half of the cheese.

**UPDATE** I just read all the comments and found out that you layer half the pasta, then half the meat mixture, then half the cheese and repeat. Maybe I'll try that next time.

3.Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Top with tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro. If desired, serve with additional salsa. Makes 12 servings.

nutrition facts

• Calories378
 
• Total Fat (g)22
 
• Saturated Fat (g)11, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)8, 
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)2, 
• Cholesterol (mg)61, 
• Sodium (mg)474, 
• Carbohydrate (g)25, 
• Total Sugar (g)4, 
• Fiber (g)1, 
• Protein (g)19, 
• Vitamin C (DV%)6, 
• Calcium (DV%)30, 
• Iron (DV%)11, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Tex-Mex Egg Rolls

When we made this recipe, we only made half of what it called for. Trust me, half is still a pound of meat plus other ingredients. Oh! A great thing to dip these egg rolls into is SALSA!!! Trust me. It's fabulous!

Ingredients:
2 lb lean ground chuck
2 medium chopped onions
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies
4 cups shredded longhorn cheese (we used cheddar)
1 package egg roll wrappers
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons water
oil for deep frying (we just use our deep fryer =) )

Directions:
1. In a medium skillet, brown beef over medium heat. Drain off the fat and return to heat.
2. Add onions, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and black pepper to browned beef. Continue cooking over medium heat until onion is transparent. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in green chilies and shredded cheese, stirring until thoroughly combined and until cheese is completely melted. Set aside.
4. Mix together flour and water to make a paste for sealing the egg rolls. Set aside.
5. Wrap the egg rolls with 1/4 cup of filling mixture per egg roll. (see picture)
6. Use the flour paste to seal the egg roll's last flap.