Category Archives: Thursday Night Menu
Thursday Recipe Exchange: Portuguese Beef and Pasta
Years ago, when I was first learning to ski, I was very frustrated by the amount of time I spent on my ass and not skiing. Someone told me that if I wasn’t spending a lot of time picking myself up, I wasn’t really skiing. I needed to push my limits to get better. In other words, it was all good. I find that information works for a lot of things in life. Cooking is no exception.
This week, I spent a lot of time on my figurative ass, playing with the new crock-pot making various recipes. There were epic failures. The first thing I tried was a slow cooker meatloaf. It called for a basic meatloaf recipe – I have a favorite – and then cook all day on low. The results were not stellar. More like steamed meatloaf. An unappetizing color and texture. Not the nice deep brown of a good baked loaf. I was able to salvage it by cutting it into thin slices and frying it up for sandwiches.
I'll stick to these scalloped potatoes from now on.
The next failure was the scalloped potatoes. This called for a slightly modified recipe, a bit more moisture than in the baked method. The flavor was fine, the texture was horrible. Kind of like if you reheated some that you baked. Rubbery and chewy. I’m not sure how you could modify the recipe to get a creamier texture. I’d love to hear any ideas in the comments.
The rest of the week was spent making traditional slow cooker foods – soups and a lovely pot roast. It wasn’t a total loss. I did learn that for a fool-proof slow cooker recipe it’s best to have a recipe that can cook, unattended, all day without risk of ruin. Both the potatoes and the meatloaf really could not have cooked any longer than they did. They would have turned out even worse.
So that was adventures in cooking this week. What foods do you use your slow cooker for successfully? Anything usual that we’ve never thought of? Hit the comments. Next week I think our theme will be Mardi Gras, and I’m hoping you’ll come prepared to share some favorite drinks as well as Cajun food recipes. Someone should bring the King’s cake recipe, too.
Here’s one of my favorite fool-proof slow cooker recipes:
Portuguese Beef & Pasta
This works best if you cook the pasta separately and either add it to the beef the last 15 minutes or serve the beef over the pasta. This is one of those slow cooker recipes that the longer it cooks, the better it gets, usually 10 hours minimum for best flavor.
- 1 lb round steak, cut into thin strips, remove excess fat
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 2-14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf (remove before serving)
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 8 oz dry macaroni**
Slow-Cooker and saucepan
Add beef, salt, pepper, onion, green pepper, garlic, paste, diced tomatoes, water, bay leaf & red pepper to Slow-Cooker. Cook according to manufacturer’s directions (usually 8-10 hours on low) until beef tears easily with a fork. In saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain well (you don’t want any water in your beef mixture) and mix beef and pasta and serve.
**Ditilani works really, or any tiny pasta, like tiny elbow macaroni or tiny bow-ties.
Thursday Night Recipe Exchange: Spinach Recipes
Recipe Exchange cross-posted at Balloon-Juice.
I thought last week went really well. Thanks for playing along. This week we delve into spinach recipes. I used to hate spinach. This is probably because I am a child of the 70′s and the only spinach I ever saw was canned or frozen, with the consistency of slime. As an adult I discovered fresh, baby spinach and I never looked back. One of my favorite spinach recipes is Spinach Lasagna.
JeffreyW's stuffed manicotti with spinach
To get us started:
Spinach Lasagna
This is one of my most requested recipes. Every time I make it, someone wants the recipe. Since the prep time is long, I usually only break it out for special occasions. It freezes well, so you can make a double batch and freeze two 8×8 pans of uncooked lasagna for two more meals. Thaw the night before (in the refrigerator) and cook until heated through, about 45 minutes to an hour. This recipe is great vegetarian, or you can add ground beef and sausage if desired.
This recipe takes about an hour to prepare and another hour to cook. It easily serves 6 – 8
Sauce:
- 3-15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2-6 oz cans tomato paste
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp oregano, crushed
- 3 tsp basil, crushed
- 3 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 medium carrot, peeled & finely grated
- pinch of sugar (reduces acidity of the tomatoes)
- Optional: ½ lb ground beef and ½ spicy Italian sausage, browned
Saucepan
Add all ingredients to saucepan on medium-high, stirring constantly until it begins to boil lightly. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Lasagna:
- 1 pkg lasagna noodles (16 oz), cooked and placed in cool water until layering*
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 8 oz fresh baby spinach, washed and dried and chopped
- 1 egg
- 12 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
13×9 baking dish (I prefer glass), lightly oiled
To prepare: Mix ricotta, spinach and egg until well blended. Ladle a layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover in a single layer of noodles. Ladle sauce over noodles. Spoon ½ of the ricotta mixture evenly (if you place large dollops evenly like putting cookie dough on a baking sheet, fairly close together, it will spread as it cooks, no need to smooth it). Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella over the ricotta. Repeat: noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles. On top of the last layer of noodles, add remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered – I like to place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills as it bubbles. Place knife through the center, if it comes out heated through, remove and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. If it needs more cooking time, you can cover with foil to keep the cheese from burning and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand uncovered before serving.
*if you’d like to make your own noodles, here is the recipe I use:
Lasagna Noodles
When I do make the pasta, I make three, pan-sized noodles, rolled very, very thin. I place them uncooked in the dish, so they absorbed much of the sauce. I usually make a bit extra sauce to serve on the side with the lasagna.
- 3 cups unbleached flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
In a large bowl, add flour. Make a well in the center and add egg yolks, eggs and salt. Mix well with a fork. Mix in water, 1 tbsp at a time until dough forms a ball. Turn out onto a well floured board or pastry sheet. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll one ball out as thin as possible (I use a marble rolling pin, you can also use a pasta machine). Make sure to cover remaining balls with a damp towel until ready to use. Cut to fit pan. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 3 pan sized noodles. DO NOT COOK homemade noodles before putting lasagna together. Follow directions above for putting lasagna together.
Next Week: Favorite Super Bowl Food
Thursday Night Recipe Exchange
Note to W4DS readers: I’m going to be putting together a recipe each Thursday for Balloon-Juice. It will cross-post here. It’s going to be a kind of recipe sharing event. I encourage you to hit our comments and share your recipes, too. And come on over the Balloon-Juice, just be aware it’s a left-leaning political blog and things can get very rowdy (even in a cooking thread) and it’s rarely PG. They are good people and always fun to have a conversation with, no matter your political leanings. Here we go:
- Photo from JeffreyW’s mouth watering collection
Aloha Balloon-Juicers. I’m back. I wish I could say I was back from a long trip abroad, but no, life has just been very busy. That has not changed, but after quite a few requests, I think I have figured out a way to bring recipes back to Thursday nights with the limited amount of time I can devote to it. Unfortunately, for now, I won’t be doing full menus.
What I proposed to John and Anne Laurie was to have a recipe exchange. Each Thursday we’d have a theme (I’m a sucker for a theme) or an ingredient to focus those recipes (but by no means restrict them) and everyone could share their favorites. Each week I’ll give you the next week’s ingredient or theme so you have a whole week to think of something great to share. Anne Laurie would probably gladly accept photos, too.
Now I expect all those people who emailed me and touched base with me in open threads wondering when I might post recipes again, to participate in this endeavor. Don’t make me come in there!
This week we’re starting out simple with my favorite comfort food and a recipe I thought many of you would have a favorite variation they could share. Like most of my recipes, this is pretty simple and even a novice cook should be successful. Experienced cooks will tweak it beyond recognition, as all good cooks do.
Next week our secret ingredient will be spinach. So come prepared to share a favorite recipe with spinach in it, in some shape or form. Here’s some baked macaroni and cheese to start things off. Hope you enjoy – TaMara (BHF)
Baked Macaroni & Cheese
I like mine garnished with fresh chopped tomatoes and jalapeños.
- 12 oz elbow macaroni
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/8 tsp onion powder (about 2 shakes)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cups milk
- 3 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 oz shredded jack cheese
- 4 oz crushed potato chips
large sauce pan, small sauce pan, large casserole dish
Bring water to boil in large sauce pan, add macaroni and cook according to package directions. In small sauce pan, melt butter, add flour, onion powder, salt & pepper blend well and then add milk. Stir constantly over medium heat until bubbly, add cheese, stir until melted. Drain macaroni, put into casserole dish, stir in cheese sauce, top with crushed chips and bake 20 minutes at 350°, until top is light brown and cheese is bubbly.
Click here for a Green Chili Macaroni and Cheese recipe and click here for a Chipolte Macaroni and Cheese.
Blueberries, Blueberries, Everywhere….
I seem to have expensive tastes these days. Blueberries jumped in price this month and that is all I want, breakfast, lunch and dinner – blueberries in some form or another. Mornings I either have a blueberry smoothie or blueberries on my cereal. Lunch is blueberries in my salad or yogurt. And dinner, well that calls for something special….blueberry crisp. I love crisps because they are quick and easy. You can also control the amount of fat and sugar without effecting the outcome too much, unlike with a coffee cake or pie.
When picking blueberries, if I can’t get them locally (which at this altitude, I can’t) I prefer frozen to fresh. Fresh are usually flavorless here. I’m spoiled of course because I spent a lot of time in New England and wild blueberry picking was a Sunday morning treat. Nothing beats fresh from the bush wild blueberries.
And while frozen blueberries are my choice, all frozen are not the same. It’s more expensive (like I said above, expensive tastes) but I favor the organic wild blueberries. They come the closest to my ideal. They are smaller than commercially grown, bursting with sweet-tart flavor. They stand up to thawing and using in cereals and yogurt and hold up when baking.
For smoothies and such, where blueberries are in combination with other fruits I will use the generic, commercially grown berries. It’s either that or get another job to fund my blueberry cravings.
Here’s a repeat of my favorite blueberry crisp recipe (and if you click on the link you’ll find a nice fall menu, too).
Photo credit: King Arthur Flour.com
From September Thursday Night Menu 2010:
Blueberry Crisp
- 10 oz blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
- 1 cup flour
8×8 glass baking dish and small mixing bowl
Place blueberries, lemon juice and ¼ cup granulated sugar in baking dish, mix well. In mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar, add flour and oats, mix until crumbly. Crumble over the blueberry mixture. Melting the butter creates a crisper, more even topping.
Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes until top is golden brown. Let cool.
Thursday Night Menu: Dinner Guest Edition
Chocolate Pecan Torte
A few weeks ago, LFern and Mr. Fern made dinner for me. I thought I should return the favor. The menu is filled with my favorites. Nothing new here, just some surefire good food.
On the board tonight:
- Pasta Caprese
- Caesar Salad
- Chocolate Pecan* Torte
Pasta Caprese
From August 2010:
Pasta Caprese
- 9 oz linguine or fettuccine
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 4 oz cubed mozzarella
- salt & pepper to taste
saucepan and large serving dish
Prepare pasta according to package directions. While it’s cooking, mix remaining ingredients together. Drain pasta completely (dab with paper towels, if necessary) then add to tomato mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors blend. Serve warm or you can refrigerate and serve cold. Add a nice loaf of bread for a complete dinner.
I use a fairly expensive mozzarella for this dish because it’s softer, tastier and absorbs more flavors. Any locally produced mozzarella would work. Also, my local farmers’ market has a pasta vendor, who hand-makes many flavors of pasta. This dish works very well with flavored pastas – fire roasted chili, lemon pepper, tomato basil, red bell pepper – the list goes on. You can also change-up the cheese to a Queso Blanco (again, use a fairly expensive or locally produced one), use cilantro instead of basil and use a chili flavored pasta for a whole new dish. The possibilities are endless.
Caesar Salad - would you think less of me if I told you I bought a 'salad kit' so I could focus on the rest of the meal?
This is becoming my favorite chocolate cake.
From January 2011:
Chocolate Hazelnut*Torte
- 12 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tbsp milk or cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 7 eggs
- 3 tbsp Frangelino (opt)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts*
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven at 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform baking.
In a medium saucepan, whisk the chocolate, milk and butter together over low heat until a smooth mixture forms. Set the chocolate mixture aside to cool.
In a blender, beat eggs well. Add sugar, blending until the mixture turns thick and pale yellow. Add the Frangelino and gradually add the cooled chocolate mixture, blending slowly until combined. Add baking soda vanilla and nuts; mix until just combined.
Bake for 40 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees, then cover with foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack until completely cooled. Serves 12 small portions
*I had to make do with pecans because there was not a hazelnut to be found at the grocery store today. Was there a shortage? embargo? and I missed it?
One last note: This entire meal (minus croutons) was gluten free for LFern. The pasta is Tinkyada Rice Pasta, you’d never know the difference, it’s good stuff.
Thursday Night Menu: Final Edition…for now
I have some good news and some bad news. Tonight marks our last Thursday Night Menu. That’s the bad news. The good news is I’ll still be food blogging and I’ll still occasionally post full menus. I have at least a dozen recipes in the queue that I want to try out, so there will still be cooking adventures to come. But I have a new project I must put my full attention to for a while and a lot of travel in the coming months, so something had to give and it was the full menus on Thursday.
On the more good news side of things, I have a full year of menus (about 500+ recipes) formatted in a searchable database, if you’d like a copy, send me an email and I’ll send you a copy. So to summarize, the What’s 4 Dinner Solutions blog goes on, but Thursday Night Menus will morph into an occasional full menu here and there. Thanks to John Cole at Balloon-Juice for suggesting the Thursday Night Menu and hosting it and to Anne Laurie for posting it each Thursday. And to all of you for popping in for a look and for those who let me know how the menus turned out at your house. It’s been so much fun.
And in some final good news, tomorrow is Opening Day! Rockies have a home opener while the Red Sox will be on the road. Tomorrow I’ll post the ultimate opening day menu. See you then…
On the final board tonight:
- Skillet Lasagna
- Vegetable Sauté
- Italian Bread
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Pecans
When I decided to make this recipe, I didn’t think it would be as good as regular lasagna, but a nice, quick dinner recipe. But it turns out that the flavor is really good and a great weekday lasagna.
Skillet Lasagna
- 6 oz mafalda (mini-lasagna noodles) or bowtie pasta
Mafalda pasta
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 1 tsp basil, crushed
Bowtie pasta
- 1 tsp oregano, crushed
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 carrot, diced or shredded
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 4 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 oz grated parmesan
deep skillet and saucepan
In saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions, cooking to al dente (slightly chewy), and drain well. Meanwhile, in the skillet brown beef, onion & pepper. Add spices, garlic, carrot and sauté for 1 minute. Add sauce and paste, stirring well into meat mixture, let simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta, stirring gently to mix. Mix together ricotta and spinach, drop rounded spoons full evenly into mixture (do not stir in, you want to create little cheese balls), top with mozzarella, cover and let simmer on low until mozzarella is completely melted. Serve with parmesan.
This is so pretty when you put it together, lots of great colors which equals lots of great fresh flavor.
Vegetable Sauté
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 yellow summer squash, sliced
- 2 small zucchini, sliced
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded & cut into strips
- salt & pepper
skillet
Heat oil and butter in skillet until butter melts, add vegetables and sauté until squash is tender. Salt & pepper to taste.
For some reason, I’ve been craving a good coffee cake recently….and pecans. Go figure. But this recipe does the trick.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Pecans
Cake:
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsps vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups sour cream
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Streusel:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup unbleached flour
- 1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsps cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1 ½ cup whole pecans
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsps orange juice
4 mixing bowls
Bundt pan, greased and floured
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Using a spatula, scrape the sides and bottom to make sure the mixture if fully combined.
For the streusel, crumble the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl (I use a fork or pastry cutter). Gently mix in pecans.
Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and place on a serving plate. Whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice together, adding a more OJ if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.
Shopping List:
- Loaf of Italian Bread
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, small
- 1 green pepper
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 4 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 oz grated parmesan
- 2 yellow summer squash
- 2 small zucchini
- 4 green onions
- 3 carrots
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 12 oz sour cream
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 4 cups unbleached flour
- 12 oz whole pecans
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 oz orange juice
Also: cinnamon, vanilla, salt, baking soda, baking powder, olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic
Thursday Night Menu: Asparagus, Peppers and Berries, Oh, My
As the weather warms up I find myself wandering the grocery aisles looking for fresh foods to cook with, not wanting any more root vegetables or winter squash. It can be challenging because I want fresh – not shipped from a thousand miles fresh. But I settle for what I can find, which are peppers and asparagus. The linguine calls for red and green peppers, but red, green, yellow and orange were all on sale, so I’m going with that in mine. It will make for a nice spring presentation. Add to that a bunch of tulips for the table and I’m in full Spring mode at my house. What are you doing to chase away the remnants of winter this weekend?
On the board tonight:
- Linguine w/Garlic & Peppers
- Italian Asparagus
- Mixed berries & whipped cream
Linguine w/Garlic & Peppers
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- ¼ to ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 oz fresh basil leaves
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes*
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 oz shredded Romano-Parmesan cheese
- 9 oz pkg. fresh linguine
saucepan and skillet
In skillet heat oil, add garlic, red pepper flakes, green & red peppers and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add fresh basil, tomatoes, salt & pepper let simmer while pasta cooks. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well. Toss with pepper mixture & cheese.
* you can use fresh tomatoes, probably 2 large, but I couldn’t find any decent ones this time of year.
Italian Asparagus
- 1 bunch (approx. 16 oz) fresh asparagus spears
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp oregano, crushed
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 oz shredded Romano/Parmesan
saucepan & steamer
Gently scrub asparagus, cut in half and place in steamer. Add enough water to saucepan to come in the bottom of the steamer. Steam for 5 to 8 minutes, until the stalks are tender. Remove and toss with oil, oregano, salt, pepper & cheese.
Shopping List:
- 1 green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 oz fresh basil leaves
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes*
- 4 oz shredded Romano-parmesan cheese**
- 9 oz pkg. fresh linguine
- 1 bunch (approx. 16 oz) fresh asparagus spears
- 2 oz shredded Romano/Parmesan
- 16 oz mixed berries
- Whipped Cream
Also: oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, crushed red pepper flakes
Thursday Night Menu: Countdown to Spring Edition
Star Trek Enterprise from 2010 - Can't wait to see what Irises my friend has in her garden this year.
It’s that time of year when we are getting our gardens ready for the spring planting. The garden shops beckon, the seed catalogs tantalize and black dirt looks inviting. JeffW is taking stock of his root cellar to see what he needs to plant this year, I’m hoping for a better crop of tomatoes and my garden buddy is readying her beds for a dazzling floral display again this year. I saw my first crocus yesterday. Spring is less than 72 hours away, what plans do you have for your garden this year and are you as excited as I am to get back into the garden?
It looks like the weather will be warm and sunny all weekend for many of us. I can’t imagine anyone will want to spend too much time in the kitchen, so I pulled out a kid friendly menu that is quick and easy. The Enchilada Pie recipe is from one of my brothers, it’s very tasty and the kids love it, which is always a plus. All the flavor of enchiladas without all the work. I love black beans and the Black Bean Confetti adds a bit of color and a variety of flavors to make it a tasty side – and I have no idea why I insist on calling it confetti, except it looks festive when it’s all together. A raw vegetable tray with some favorite dressings rounds things out. And we end the meal with Banana Sundaes. These are based on great sundaes I used to get as a kid at a restaurant near our house on Cape Cod. I’m pretty sure they made their own ice cream. I figured if I was going to do a kid’s menu, might as well go all out and relive a little of my childhood, too.
On the board tonight:
- Enchilada Pie
- Vegetable Tray
- Black Bean Confetti
- Banana Sundaes
Enchilada Pie
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ large onion, chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 20 oz. enchilada sauce
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 10 corn tortillas
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
skillet & 8×8 glass baking dish, lightly oiled
Add beef and onion to skillet and cook until beef is browned and onions are translucent. Add spices and sauces; let simmer while you prep tortillas. Tear tortillas into strips and use some to cover the bottom of a well-oiled casserole dish. Layer a portion of the beef mixture and cheese on top, then repeat (tortillas, beef, cheese) to fill up casserole; finish with layer of cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350°
Black Bean Confetti
- 14 oz can black beans
- ½ green pepper, chopped
- ½ red pepper, chopped
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt & pepper to taste
- Dash of limejuice
saucepans & large serving bowl or platter
In saucepan, add ingredients (except limejuice) and heat on medium. Toss with limejuice and serve.
Banana Sundaes
- Half gallon vanilla ice cream
- 2 bananas
- Favorite chocolate sauce (I prefer Hershey’s but some prefer the thicker hot fudge sauce)
- Walnuts, chopped into large pieces
- Whipped cream (opt, and if you’re going to do it, it’s most fun using the spray can cream)
4 dessert bowls
Scoop ice cream into bowls. Peel and cut bananas in half, then quarter each half, lengthwise. Place four slices around the sides of the bowl, tucking down into the ice cream to help them stand. Pour a generous amount of chocolate on the ice cream and top with walnuts and whip cream.
Shopping List:
- Vegetable tray fixins
- Vegetable dips & dressings
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ large onion
- 20 oz. enchilada sauce
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 10 corn tortillas
- 8 oz grated cheddar cheese
- 14 oz can black beans
- ½ green pepper
- ½ red pepper
- 1 tomato
- 1 stalk celery
- Fresh cilantro
- Half gallon vanilla ice cream
- 2 bananas
- Favorite chocolate sauce (I prefer Hershey’s but some prefer the thicker hot fudge sauce)
- 8 oz Walnuts, chopped into large pieces
- Whipped cream
Also: salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, limejuice
TaMara
jeffreyww
LFern7
indylib
