Chow down on Cowboy Chicken Casserole

Yee-ha!  

Here’s a casserole with great ingredients that 

any cowboy would like to chow down on.

 And so do we when it's a chilly night here.  

It’s Cowboy Chicken Casserole!

It’s a wholesome concoction of chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, salsa, tortillas and seasonings that come together to make this a tasty hearty filling dinner.

Cowboy Chicken lives up to its name with bringing to mind the good flavors of the Southwest. 

Chicken Fajitas, About the Easiest You Will Ever Make!

These could very well be the easiest

~ and maybe the tastiest fajitas ~

you'll ever make!

They are so good and super simple to make, thanks to Perdue Short Cuts, Grilled Fajita-style Chicken! 

Mexican Lasagna

I never thought of the word “lasagna” in Mexican cuisine but, the word fits this recipe perfectly!

Technically, we all know lasagna is a wide flat type of pasta used in the Italian lasagna we all like ~ the baked casserole composed of layers.  

However; in this delicious south-of-the-border dish, flour tortillas replace the traditional pasta.  Unfortunately, I don’t know what magazine I clipped and then adapted this recipe from.

The tortilla shells are stacked between layers of enchilada sauce, Spanish rice, corn and creamy pungent cheese.  

There is a plethora of ways to make this; instead of ground beef, try ground turkey or chicken; refried beans instead of the corn, and add the seasonings that you like.  That’s the beauty of this Mexican lasagna ~ whatever your taste buds crave will most likely work!

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (10-ounces each) enchilada sauce

1 (11-ounce) can shoepeg corn, drained

1 tablespoon Hot Mexican-Style Chili Powder

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 package (8.8-ounce) ready-to-serve Spanish rice

10 flour tortillas, warmed and quartered

4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Toppings, if desired:  shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, taco sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, brown beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is cooked through; drain well.

Stir in enchilada sauce.

Add corn and combine.

Blend in chili powders, oregano and cayenne pepper.

Heat rice according to package directions.

Into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish, spread about 1 cup of meat mixture, enough to sparsely cover bottom of dish.

Place into dish, enough quartered tortilla shells to cover meat mixture.

Layer a third of the rice.

Layer a third of the meat mixture.

Layer a third of the cheese.

Repeat layers.

Top with the remaining tortillas, rice and meat mixture (dish will be full).

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer, until cheese is melted.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with your choice of toppings.

8-10 servings

As you can envisage, it is a filling dish for a hungry family and friends too.

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes. 

Fabulous Fish Tacos

I tried something new for us last night for dinner ~ fish tacos.  Kathy, our daughter-in-law, was talking a while back about how great fish tacos are.  I’m always looking for ways to include more fish in our weekly menus and finally got around to making them for dinner the other night.

Most times, in restaurants and in recipes, the fish is deep fried.  It’s delicious that way, but I thought it was better left to the restaurants.  I sautéed orange roughy filets in the skillet with a little olive oil and the rest is the typical taco thing, except for using mozzarella cheese.  Yes, mozzarella!

Bill and I thought they were delicious!  The concept is so easy and they’re healthy also.  As we were eating them, Bill thought they were missing something and then when we had just finished eating, he said, “Lettuce! We forgot to get the lettuce out!”  I had both shredded cabbage and shredded lettuce in the refrigerator and they’re still in there.  So, be sure to include that in yours!

So Kathy, the next time you and Matt are here for a meal, it will be fish tacos!  Unless it’s breakfast time…

Orange Roughy Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

1½ pounds orange roughy or another flaky white fish

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cucumber, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

Shredded cabbage or lettuce

Sport peppers (for mine)

Salsa, your favorite

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 flour tortilla shells

3 hard taco shells

Method:

Add oil to skillet and heat.

Add fish filets, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

After fish is sautéed, remove to plate and keep warm.

In same skillet, sprayed with cooking spray, heat tortilla and taco shells.

Assemble tacos however you like.

ENJOY!  They’re delicious!

Visit my friend, Linda’s blog, My Kind of Cooking, for the prize winning recipe at the fair and for a chance to win her great cookbook!