Mexicali Casserole

If you like Mexican food, you are sure to like this casserole dish. It is an easy dish to make, combining all the flavors that you enjoy eating.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 or 2 jalapeños (Optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 (16 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (16 oz. can kidney beans
1 c. water
2/3 c. uncooked rice
1/3 c. sliced ripe olives
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. 

Over medium heat, cook ground beef, onions, pepper and garlic in a cast iron skillet.  Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Drain.

Stir in chili powder, tomatoes, corn, kidney beans, water, rice, and olives. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, or you can leave it in the oven safe skillet you fried the meat and vegetables in.  Cover and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. 

Remove the lid or cover and sprinkle cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

Spicy Beef and Potato Dish

Our family was practically raised on meat and potatoes for every meal.  This recipe is one of those meal ideas and it is so easy and simple to do. It combines ground beef or sausage, potatoes, onions and peppers for a one dish meal. You can make it as spicy as you like by adding hot peppers and or using hot sausage.

Ingredients

 2 Tbs. oil
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 lb. ground beef or spicy sausage
1 onion, diced
1 sweet pepper, diced
1 to 2 hot peppers, chopped (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese

 Directions

In a cast iron skillet, heat oil until hot.  Add cubed potatoes. Cook the potatoes over medium high heat, stirring often, until they are starting to turn brown.  The potatoes do not have to be done, just starting to brown nicely. 

Add the ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, hot pepper, and garlic cloves.  Cook and stir until the meat is cooked and the potatoes and onions are tender.

Stir in paprika, oregano, Worcestershire sauce and prepared mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded cheese with desired. Cover with a lid until the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream if desired.

 Yeast Coffee Cake

 Warm inviting yeast coffee cake to enjoy with your morning coffee. We prefer the breads made with yeast as a rising agent. It has a better flavor than baking powder, and you don't have to worry about yeast having aluminum in it.

Ingredients

1 pkg. yeast
1/3 c. warm water (110° to 115°
1/2  c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg, separated
4 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. milk, scalded, cooled to lukewarm

Brown Sugar Topping

Ingredients

1/8 c. melted butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
raisins (Optional)

Directions

Grease two 9-inch round pans. 

Soften yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water for 5 to  10 minutes. This allows the yeast to bloom and show that it is alive.

Cream butter until softened. Gradually add the sugar, cream the mixture until light and fluffy.

Add egg yolk and beat well. 

Stir in 1 cup flour and mix well.

Pour in the yeast mixture and combine thoroughly.

Alternately, add the rest of the flour and the milk to the butter mixture.  Beat well after each addition. 

In a clean, grease free bowl, beat egg white until rounded peaks are formed. Fold into the flour and yeast mixture until well blended.  

Cover and let rise in a warm location about 2 hours.  

Punch down and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll or pat each portion into a round. Put each round into the prepared pans.  Cover and place in a warm location.  Let rise about 90 minutes. 

Prepare the brown sugar topping. 

Brush melted butter over the tops of the coffee cakes.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and raisins if desired. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Pizza Hamburger Casserole 

All the fantastic flavors of pizza in one dish.  This recipe is quick and easy.  Although the directions call for cooking the pasta and then add it to the dish, you can also add the dry pasta in the dish.  Add either 1 cup of water, beef bouillon or beef stock to help cook the macaroni.  Just check the pasta occasionally to see if more liquid is needed and add accordingly.  

If you have pizza sauce on hand, you can use that instead of the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Ingredients

3 c. macaroni, uncooked
2 lbs. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 sweet peppers, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4 oz.) can of mushrooms
1 1 (32 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 or 2 (2 1/4-ounce) cans sliced ripe olives
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
4 to 8 oz. sliced pepperoni
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and about 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Cook according to package directions. Drain

In a cast iron skillet, brown the hamburger, onion, pepper and garlic. Drain off any excess grease. 

Add the macaroni, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, crushed tomatoes, basil, red pepper, oregano, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Place in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Top with pepperoni.

Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 Egg Rolls

These egg rolls are really delicious, but they do take a bit of time to assemble. If you want to save some time, you can use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix instead. Just make sure the carrots are finely shredded, or they will poke through the egg roll wrappers. 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground pork or chicken (we use spicy pork)
3 to 4 cups cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
water or 1 egg, beaten
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
vegetable oil for frying

Directions 

In a large cast iron skillet, cook the ground pork, onions until lightly browned. Drain off the grease.

Add cabbage, and carrots and cook down until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in ginger, salt, garlic powder and soy sauce.

Pour some water in a small bowl. Or beat an egg until frothy.  This is the glue to hold the egg roll wrapper together.

Lay out one egg roll skin. Have a corner of the egg roll pointed toward you. Dip your finger or a pastry brush in the water or beaten egg. Rub the liquid around the inside edge of the egg rolls. This will act as a glue to hold the egg rolls together.

Place about 2 tablespoonfuls to 1/4 cup of  the pork vegetable mixture on egg roll paper. Fold the left and right corners toward the center. Fold up the bottom corner and continue to roll.  

You can either preheat the oven to 350° and bake the egg rolls 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Or you can heat up some oil in a deep fryer to 350° and fry 2 to 4 egg rolls at a time. Turn them occasionally for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. 

Serve with egg roll sauce or soy sauce, or your favorite sauce. 

Rice and Raisins

When I was growing up, my mother made this delicious dessert treat, Rice and Raisins, quite often. It was simple to make, easy on the budget, and it was so darn good!!! It was comfort food at its best.

Our family called it Rice and Raisins, while others often call it Rice Pudding.

My kids grew up loving this dessert, and they ask for it often. I am hoping to instill traditions and memories in their lives as I have in mine.

Ingredients

2 c. water
1 c. short-grain rice
1/4 c. granulated sugar (More or less depending on how sweet you want it to be)
2 cans Evaporated milk
1/3 c. or more raisins 
1 tsp. or more cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. butter

Directions

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the rice. Bring the water back to a boil.  Lower heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. If the rice becomes dry, add more water.

Lower the heat to keep the water at a simmer.  Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cook slowly for approximately 25 minutes, or until rice is tender. Do not lift the lid of the pot until to check on the rice. Add some hot water during cooking time if the rice becomes dry.

When the rice is tender, shake the cans of evaporated milk, so it is thoroughly mixed. Pour in one can of milk with the rice.

Stir in the raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring in the other can of milk. Cook until the rice is soft and raisins and plumped. You want it to be more of a pudding, and not really liquidy.

Stir in the vanilla and butter.

Serve while warm and enjoy!

 Honey Garlic Chicken

Garlic is one of our favorite ways to enhance the flavor of meats or breads.  Garlic Honey Chicken is a quick and easy meal that take any time at all to prepare. We usually double the sauce when we make this because we like to add it to the rice.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1/2-inch cubes or split the chicken breast in half so you have 2 thin pieces of chicken from each breast
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 onion, sliced in half and thinly sliced
2 c. frozen broccoli
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c.  soy sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbs. cold water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
prepared cooked rice

Directions

Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2-inch cubes. Or, you can cut each chicken breast in half, so you have 2 thin pieces of chicken breast from each piece.

Salt each side of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and cook for another minute.

Add the onion, broccoli and sliced carrots. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender.

In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic cloves and red pepper flakes.  Pour over the chicken.  Toss to coat the chicken cubes, or turn the chicken pieces over if using the halved chicken breasts. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then simmer for about 1 minute. 

Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture.  Cook and stir until the sauce is slightly thickened, and the chicken is cooked through. 

Serve over prepared cooked rice and enjoy.