Last week's cooking escapades...

I wish I had photos of all the food I made because there were a lot of good things created! For potluck today I made Deviled Egg Pasta Salad. We thought it was very tasty. Kind of a fusion of pasta salad and potato salad. I didn't go well at the potluck and I brought most of it home. Guess what will be in lunches this week....

The bowl that came home empty from said potluck was the trifle bowl...again. This time I  made the Orange Cream Dreamsicle Trifle that has been popping up on Pintrest. I had my doubts as it was going together but the results were very nice, and the empty bowl speaks for itself.

Going back to last night, we made Asian Beef Skewers. They were fantastic and the three of us ate nearly three lbs of round steak in a single sitting. I started marinating it on Friday and it was nice and flavorful after being grilled. Note to self: grill in daylight. It was a little touch-and-go trying to determine if the skewers were done by flashlight. To go with that I made stir fried rice from these instructions: 5 Secrets to making fabulous fried rice. It really was fabulous! I think the thing that made it really special was the Oyster Sauce. And if this wasn't good enough, we made Ajvar (pronounced "I-Var") sauce.

 Above, you see the 10 red peppers ready to roast

 Here are the peppers that have been roasted. I am peeling them now.

Finally, the peppers are blended in the food processor as is the roasted eggplant.

Well, I would discuss what was going into the Bento box these days, but I am falling asleep at the keyboard.  Until we have rested....goodnight!

Avocado + Tomatillo = Amazing!

This is "Bubble Up Enchiladas" with Avocado Salsa. Absolutely delicious!!

Bubble Up Enchiladas

1 lb lean ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

8 oz tomato sauce

10 oz can enchilada sauce

2 cans refrigerated biscuits

2 cups Mexican Cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown lean ground beef in a large skillet and drain off fat. Add the taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Stir to combine.

Cut the refrigerated biscuits into fourths and stir them in the meat mixture.

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and add the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

 This is how it looked before I baked it. I had green enchilada sauce so that is what I used. I also added a can of sliced olives and a can (large) of diced green chilies. It could have baked longer and I goofed and added the cheese at the start. Next time I will add the cheese later. It might help the biscuits firm up.

Guacamole Salsa

1 lb. tomatillos (or more if you want it thinner)

1 jalapeno pepper (or more if you like it spicy)

1/3 bunch cilantro

1 thick slice of onion (I used at least half an avocado)

1 garlic clove

2 avocados

1 tsp. salt

 Put everything in the blender and blend away. The tomatillos would probably blend better if they were in eighths. Those went in the blender first, followed by the onion and pepper. The avocado went on top with the cilantro. The first time I made it I used just one avocado but it was a little too perky for us, so I added another one and it was just right.

When I have a night off....I COOK

The menu tonight:

White Chicken Enchiladas

Spanish Rice

Guacamole and chips

It turned out fantastic and it was an easy dinner to make. Links to the recipes: 

Spanish Rice 

Video that helped with technique

White Chicken Enchiladas

Sunday Pot Roast

Our pot roast turned out very good today. I put it in the crock pot last night around midnight (too much soda too late at night led to being wide awake at this hour). It cooked on low for 10 hours and then switched to warm and was ready to eat when we got home from church. I took it out and sliced it and then returned it to the crockpot. To reproduce this meal:

Take a boneless arm roast, 4lbs or so

sprinkle on and rub in 1 pkg Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing mix

slice 6 or so onions and throw them in the crockpot

Put the roast in the CP and pour a can of diced tomatoeson top.

That's it. Just turn it on the night before (late in the night if possible) and it will be ready when church is done. We served it with noodles. It could have benefited from a splash of Braggs when we got home.

El Dorado Casserole

I think this would make a good potluck recipe. I could even make the tortilla chip and the hamburger layer ahead of time and freeze it. I used my three quart rectangular casserole dish and it was none too large. I did not make more than one layer of anything, just a layer of crushed tortilla chips, the hamburger layer and the white stuff layer. I put all of the jack cheese on top.

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup catsup
• 1 (3 ounce) can ripe olives , sliced
• 1 pint sour cream
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies , chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) package tortilla chips, crushed
• 1 (16 ounce) package Monterey jack cheese, grated

Directions:

1

Brown ground beef in large skillet, stirring until crumbly.

2

Add onion, salt, pepper, garlic salt and powder, tomato sauce, catsup and olives, mixing well.

3

Simmer until onions are tender, stirring frequently.

4

Combine sour cream, cottage cheese and chili pepper in small bowl.

5

Layer tortilla chips, ground beef mixture, sour cream mixture and Monterey Jack cheese alternately in large greased casserole, ending with grated Monterey Jack cheese.

6

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

7

Serve with picante sauce.

In Review: We really liked this casserole. The original recipe says it serves 6 but, in reality, it serves 12. At least. We forgot to put salsa on it and didn't miss it, but it would be a good addition. Next time I might try:

1. Substituting Rotel tomatoes for half of the tomato sauce
2. Putting taco seasoning in the meat mixture
3. Using sliced ripe olives (I used chopped as suggested in another version of the recipe)