Recipe: Enchilada Casserole

According to the website where I found this recipe, this meal is technically called Mexican Lasagna. However, in my house, we call it Enchilada Casserole because that's actually what it tastes like. And besides, Mexican Lasagna sounds gross.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Adapted from this recipe on myrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb mild pork sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
15 oz can black beans, drained
2/3 cup canned diced tomato with green chiles
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
15 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

OPTIONAL
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
4 chives, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Avocado, chopped
Sour cream

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook sausage and ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until meat is crumbly and no longer pink.

2. Stir in beans, canned tomatoes, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook until thoroughly heated.

3. In a separate saucepan, combine soups and enchilada sauce. Cook until thoroughly heated.

4. Spoon a small amount of the sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish; top with six tortillas so that the bottom of the dish is evenly covered. Spoon half of the beef mixture, then half of the sauce onto the tortillas; sprinkle with half of the Cheddar cheese. Top with six tortillas and repeat the same layering process; meat, sauce, cheese. Final layer should be the three remaining tortillas, placed right down the middle. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.

5. Bake at 350F (176 C) for 30 minutes. Let dish sit for 5 minutes before serving.

6. Serve and top with desired toppings; fresh tomato, chives, cilantro, sour cream, and avocado.

I know the thought of those creamy canned soups in Mexican food seems unappetizing and wrong, but trust me when I say that this dish blew our minds. Eric, my mom, and I were all pleasantly shocked as we scraped up every last bite from our plates. It's an all-in-one and easy to throw together. It does require several oddball ingredients that I wouldn't normally have on-hand, but it was totally worth it and honestly tasted like an awesome entree you'd get at a legitimate Mexican restaurant. I'd recommend this recipe for your next get-together because it seems like a crowd-pleaser (as long as your crowd likes Mexican food) and it makes a lot, probably about 8-10 servings.

Also, MAKE SURE TO TOP WITH SOUR CREAM AND AVOCADO (if you're into that sort of thing). The meal itself has a little spice to it, so the creaminess of the sour cream and avocado are a perfect balance.


UPDATE: We just ate the leftovers from this meal (which was originally made several weeks ago and had been stored in the freezer) and it held up like it was freshly made. Just reheat in the oven at 400F (204C) for about 20 minutes, or until hot throughout.

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Recipe: Bierocks.

The other day, Eric came home from work saying he wanted bierocks for dinner. Since we'd never made them before, I looked around online and pieced together what seemed like a good recipe. While I didn't really know what would constitute a "good" recipe, I was sold when I came across one that mentioned topping the bierocks with butter. High five!

According to Wikipedia (which is notoriously unreliable), bierocks are pastry pockets filled with ground beef, cabbage, and onions. They're kind of like empanadas, except these are from Germany or Russia or somewhere else over there.

BIEROCKS

INGREDIENTS
Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
1 lb. ground beef
3 cloves garlic
2/3 white onion, diced
1/4 head cabbage
1 tsp sugar
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Prepare Hot Roll Mix according to directions.

Set dough aside to rest.

It should double in size.

Brown ground beef with onions, garlic, and salt/ pepper to taste.

Drain grease. Add cabbage, sugar, and more salt to taste, if needed. Cook over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the dough has rested, roll out onto a floured surface.

Use a medium-sized, circular object to cut circles into the dough. (We used plastic bowls.) Use leftover dough to roll out again and cut more circles. Repeat until dough is all used.

Fill dough circles with meat/ cabbage filling.

Fold sides up, overlapping one bit at a time, until the opening is all sealed. This doesn't have to look perfect, just make sure it's all sealed.

Flip bierocks over so the seam is on the bottom.

Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden.

Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

These bierocks reheat in the microwave just fine, making them the perfect leftover for lunch.

Have you had bierocks before? How does this recipe compare?

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Recipe: Taco Cups

I came across this recipe for Taco Cups on one of those "blog hops." You know the ones-  blog hosts a massive link up, which means you spend the next five hours hopping from blog to blog, pinning recipes/ crafts that you think you might do some day.

Tacos are a highly sought after staple in this house. The three of us love homemade tacos and we could easily have them several times a week. The downside: The greasy aftermath known as "the kitchen." So when I saw I could have crispy tacos without the oily mess, I was all over it.

TACO CUPS

INGREDIENTS
Ground Beef
Taco seasoning (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cumin)
Grated cheese
Corn
Salsa
Black beans
Tortillas
Non-stick spray
Note: These ingredients are just suggestions- add / omit to your liking.


DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350 F (176 C). Coat a muffin tin with non-stick spray.

2. Saute ground beef, with spices, until browned. Drain grease.

3. Add cheese, corn, salsa, and beans to the ground beef until it's reached a consistency you like.

4. Cut tortillas into squares. I winged it on the size, then used a good-sized one as a template for the rest.

5. Stuff one tortilla square into each muffin cup. If your tortillas aren't very pliable, stick them in the microwave for a few seconds, then squeeze into muffin tins while warm.

6. Fill each tortilla cup with ground beef mixture. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.

7. Top with whatever toppings you like- avocado, lettuce, tomato, hot sauce, sour cream, cheese, etc.

8. Eat!

Try these out the next time you feeling like eating Mexican and being healthy. Ha.

Boner'ppetite!

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Recipe: Semi-Homemade Fish Tacos.

Yesterday was another scorcher.

After being fried to a crisp at the beach, I didn't feel like putting forth much effort in the dinner department. I found myself wandering up and down the grocery store aisles, glazed-over eyes and arms covered in sand that had stuck to my suntan oil like white on rice, with no real plan of attack. 

I stopped in the bread section and regrouped. What did I feel like eating that was easy to make and good on a hot day...?

I decided on fish tacos.

I Googled a recipe for fish taco sauce- Rubio's to be exact- and made my way through the store, gathering a few ingredients.


RUBIO'S SAUCE
According to Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp cayenne
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Whisk all ingredients together. Can be made up to two days in advance.

For the actual tacos, I used Gorton's Premium Tilapia. I always buy Gorton's, but this was the first time I'd tried the premium tilapia version. 

When I took them out of the oven, I could tell they had more breading on them, which was a two-thumbs up in my book. And as soon as I took my first bite, I was sold. Each stick was thick, crunchy, and flavorful. 

When assembling your taco, feel free to use either corn or flour tortillas. I prefer corn. Boyfriend likes flour. We always keep both on hand. And don't forget to heat your tortillas first. I think it gives them a better flavor and makes them easier to work with. I've heard you can warm them up in the microwave, but I always do mine on the stovetop burners.

Top with cabbage, diced tomato, and a generous serving of sauce.

Boyfriend and I were in Heaven with this meal. The crunchy fish sticks, crisp cabbage, and tangy sauce all worked together perfectly. The sauce not only turned out better than we expected, but it was exactly what I was hoping for. Just like Rubio's. And everything was super easy to make.

This meal gets 5 chins!

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