Mexican Lasagna

I love traditional dishes from all over the globe but I also love to mix things up with some fusion cuisine too. Fusion food is a general term given to cuisines that combine elements from different culinary cultures. Like Chinese Fried Chicken or Mexican Lasagna. I discovered Mexican Lasagna about 5 years ago in a ground beef cookbook I bought at a checkout counter. I thought this was perfect since my husband loves Mexican flavors and I am all about some Italian pastas. This is a great combination of the two.

One lasagna few my family of 4 for 2 nights. Very filling and the 2lbs of ground beef is the most expensive part of this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2lbs ground beef
• 1 can (32oz) refried beans
• 2 cans (4.5oz) mild chopped green chilies
• 1 envelope or 3 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 jar (16oz) salsa mild-hot
• 12oz uncooked lasagna noodles
• 4 cups Mexican blend cheese
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups (16oz) sour cream 
• 1 can (2oz) sliced olives, drained
• 5 green onions 
• 1 medium tomato, optional

 

UTENSILS YOU NEED:

• Large Frying Pan
• Can Opener
• Mixing Spoon
• 9x13 Baking Dish
• Cutting Board
• Chopping Knife
• Measuring Cup
• Medium Mixing Bowl

Directions 

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook beef in large skillet until no longer pink  
3. Drain beef in a colander and return to skillet
4. Add taco seasoning, refried beans, chilies, and 2 tablespoons of salsa. I used medium chunky salsa but whatever your preferences are. I am a heat weanie and the medium salsa is very mild when cooked in this dish. 
5. Stir until evenly combined. (looks like mud but tastes delicious!)
6. Taste and add salt as desired.
7. In a 9x13 baking dish layer 5 lasagna noodles like shown, breaking the 5th noodle as needed to fit width wise in the pan (dry noodles snap incredibly easy) 
8. Layer a third of the beef mixture on top of the uncooked noodles. Don't worry about the beef mixture being perfectly even.       
9. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese and repeat layers twice.
10. Combine remaining salsa and 2 cups of water and pour on top of uncooked lasagna.
11. Cover with foil and bake on center rack of oven for 1 hour. 
12. When timer goes off, uncover lasagna and top with sour cream, green onions, olives, and tomatoes if you prefer.                       
13. Bake uncovered for 5 more minutes.      
14. Once cooked let it sit for about 10-15 minutes before digging in. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup is always a crowd pleaser. You can make this hearty soup as spicy or mild as your tastes prefer. I'm more of a mild salsa kind of gal where my husband and middle son are more hotter the salsa the better kind of people. This recipe is more on the mild-medium side but can easily be spiced up with some Cayenne Pepper, 1/4 tsp at a time until its at your desired heat. It can also be made even more mild by only adding regular diced tomatoes verses the Salsa Style ones my recipe calls for.



Another nifty tip I have for you is shredding chicken. No longer do I stand for forever shredding chicken with a fork. Thanks to the world wide web I learned I could use my handy stand mixer to shred my chicken. While it is still hot from the slow cooker or if you are boiling/poaching chicken for another recipe, simply toss it in your stand mixer and slowly start the mixer. In less than 2 minutes you will have perfectly shredded chicken. Wha-la!

   

Ingredients

• 4 split chicken breasts or 2 whole (frozen or thawed)
• 2 oz taco seasoning or 4 Tbsp
• 2 cans black beans, drained
• 2 cans corn, drained or frozen equivalent 
• 2 cans chicken broth (15oz)
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes (26oz)
• 1 can fire roasted salsa style diced tomatoes (15oz)
• Garlic salt to taste
• 2 cups Mexican cheese
• *optional* 5 corn tortillas 

  

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UTENSILS YOU NEED:

• Slow Cooker
• Can Opener
• Measuring Spoons
• Large Slotted Stirring Spoon
• Ladle
• Stand-up Mixer
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Directions 

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1. Place chicken breast on bottom of crock pot. 
2. Top with taco seasonings.                         
3. Add drained can corn, drained can black beans, all canned tomatoes, and chicken broth.                                                                    
4. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. 
5. Once cooked, remove chicken and shred by hand with forks or use the above tip and shred chicken in your stand-up mixer. 
6. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker and stir well. 
7. If you want tortilla chips then preheat oven to 375
8. Cut tortillas into 1/4 inch strips and bake on center rack for 20 minutes
9. Serve up your Chicken Tortilla Soup with baked tortilla chips or my personal favorite a handful of Mexican cheese.                                                                                   

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Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

I come from a very southern family and in the south we feed you if there has been illness, birth, death, or just because. Many people tend to bring dinners and cakes. I have found that not too many people think about the first meal of the day. Breakfast is lauded as the most important meal of the day. While a cold bowl of cereal to break our fast is more practical for hurried school mornings, on the weekends and special occasions I like to put a bit more effort into it. This is a great casserole for any occasion. It is both hearty and delicious. Best of all, the most taxing part is browning your sausage.

This breakfast casserole is one I stole from Paula Dean. I simply am giving you a more detailed step by step instructional with pictures to really show you how easy it is and what to expect as you go along. The original recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/breakfast-casserole-recipe.html

You will notice that this recipe calls for whole milk. My family drinks 1-2% milk but I often do bake with whole milk. There is a reason for that and it comes down to the science of baking. All liquids in baked goods help to bind things together, even if just water. But fat plays a more important role as a moisturizer and tenderizer. That means, cakes, muffins, and even quiches that have a higher fat content will come out with a finer crumb and not so dry. Dry muffins, yuk! Now you can use a lower fat content milk anyways but be careful not to over mix or else your product may come out a little tough.                      


This recipe yields 8-10 servings per casserole.

Ingredients

• 1 Jimmy Dean Ground Maple Pork Sausage 
• 8 Large Eggs
• 6 Slices White Bread
• 1 cup Mexican Cheese
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
• 1 tsp Prepared Mustard
• 1/2 Pepper
• Non Stick Cooking Spray
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UTENSILS YOU NEED:

• 9x13 baking dish
• Cutting board
• Bread Knife
• Frying Pan
• Large Spoon
• Large Mixing Bowl 
• Colander
• Whisk
• Measuring Spoons/Cup

Directions 

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brown sausage on the stove top on medium heat. No oil is needed as the sausage has plenty of fat content to keep from sticking to the pan.
3. While the sausage is browning, go ahead and and spray your 9x13 baking dish with the nonstick cooking spray.                                                                      
4. Next cut the crust off of your white bread. Any knife will do the job but a bread knife is typically a longer knife wit ha serrated edge. It cuts through bread much easier with less tearing of the bread. You want to make a small stack with your bread, lining up the crust edges. Gently place your hand on top of the bread without really pressing down and squishing your bread.                         
5. Sliced bread in half and layer in your baking dish.
6. Once sausage is browned, drain well in colander to remove any excess grease. 
7. Spoon cooked sausage evenly on top of bread slices (promise no one ever guess there is bread on the bottom of this casserole).                                           
8. Top sausage with your pound of cheese.                                      
9. In large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, milk, salt, mustard, and pepper together until eggs are well scrambled.                                         
10. Carefully pour egg mixture on top of the sausage mix.          
11. Place on center rack in oven and bake until starting to brown, about 40 minutes. 
12. Enjoy!                                                                 
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