Mexi Stuffed Pasta Shells

I have to admit, I wasn't even going to put this recipe on my blog because it was a Pinspired recipe that has been going around for quite a while. The thing is, I see it on Pinterest, but never actually look at the recipe. I have no idea if it has the same ingredients as another recipe already posted. I try to keep it as original as possible.

Anyway, I made these on Thursday; it is now Sunday, and my husband is STILL raving about how good the shells were. I've had several people ask me for the recipe in a matter of days... so I figured I should go ahead and post it. To be extra sure, I did look at the stuffed shell recipes on Pinterest, and none of them seemed too much like mine (YAY!).

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef
1 cup yellow corn (I always keep frozen corn in the house, but you could use a small can of corn or mexi-corn)
1 15oz can seasoned black beans (Goya, Glory, or Rosarita)
1 10oz can Rotel (hot or mild)
1 package low sodium taco seasoning
2 cups shredded colby & monterrey jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 28oz can enchilada sauce
1 12oz box Barilla jumbo pasta shells
sliced jalapenos (optional)

Instructions:

In a large pot, bring water (according to package) to boil. Add pasta shells and cook for 9 minutes. Drain in colander and set aside to cool.

In a large skillet, add hamburger meat, taco seasoning, corn, Rotel, and black beans. Cook until hamburger meat is browned, drain.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a 9x13" baking dish, fill each shell with about 2 spoonfuls of meat mixture. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over shells. Sprinkle chopped green onions on top, then add cheese. Add sliced jalapenos. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly golden and sauce is bubbling.

Chile Relleno Casserole

So being from Texas, I love some good Mexican food, or Tex-Mex. LOVE IT. Well, the part of Georgia that I live in doesn't exactly have any amazing Mexican food to offer. It makes me so sad. Great for the diet, but not so great when you're craving something authentic. Well, I learned a trick or two and I can produce some pretty authentic tasting yummies.

With that being said, I have had a hankering something fierce for a good chile relleno. Well, when I was in the grocery store the other day, I decided to remedy this. Now, while I will usually go all out with my authentic dishes, I didn't so much feel like it this week. There's a lot going on, and I wanted flavor AND convenience. So my solution was a casserole. Of course it was... I'm surprised I didn't try to come up with something crock pot related (stay tuned, and I just might).

The result?

Oh my goodness. Oh. My. Goodness. OHMYGOODNESS. I felt like I was eating a chile relleno. The real thing. Straight from Texas and all. Now, this may be that I have been out of state for so long, but this may be my best casserole recipe yet.... even better than my Fiesta Casserole. Oh yes. Is it possible to have a mouthgasm? I think it happened.

So here's how to create this amazingness...

Ingredients:

1tsp chipotle chile powder
1tsp cumin
6 eggs
1/4 cup masa flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk

4 poblano peppers, roasted and seeded
8oz canned diced green chiles (2, 4oz cans)
1 yellow onion, chopped
16oz queso fresco (fresh mozzarella) sliced into 1/2 inch, or so, pieces... or shredded mozzarella
16oz CHORIZO (all caps, muy importante! I used Ole brand, see pic)

 Instructions:

Set oven to Broil, High. Roast poblano peppers on a piece of foil, about 3-4 minutes on each side until blistered. Turn broil off & set oven to 350 degrees.

Set aside.

Cut end off of chorizo casing and squeeze into medium sized skillet, repeat. Cook on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, mashing with fork to mix together until fat is cooked to a liquid. Take off heat and set aside.

Going back to your poblanos, take thumbs and rub off "blistered" pepper skin. Discard. cut the top off of each pepper and remove stem/seeds. slice each pepper into 4 pieces.

Grease 8x11" pyrex dish (or pam), and place in oven for a few minute while completing the net step:

In a medium sized bowl, add flour and masa flour (Maseca), chile pepper, and cumin. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Mix in eggs. Take pyrex out of oven and pour in half of egg mixture. Layer poblano peppers, half of cheese, half of onion, and 4oz canned diced green chiles.

Layer in sausage using a large "colander spoon" to drain the fat, sprinkle over other half of onion, 4oz canned green chiles, and remaining cheese, layered somewhat evenly. Evenly pour in the remaining egg mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Enjoy... immensely.

It's ok to drool a little :)

Easy Shredded Chicken Fajita Tacos

I have another slow cooker recipe for y'all! You'll love the zesty flavor and hint of kick with this recipe. Plus, it was super easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 10oz can Old El Paso enchilada sauce
4 packets Goya Sazon con Achiote
1tsp chile pepper powder
1tsp cayenne pepper powder

10 flour or corn tortillas
2 cups sliced fajita vegetables
2  sliced jalapenos
1 tbsp cilantro paste *optional*

2tbs margarine/butter
1/4 cup water


Directions:

Put chicken breasts in crockpot and apply 1 packet of Goya seasoning (spread evenly) over each chicken breast. Sprinkle in chile pepper and cayenne, then pour in enchilada sauce. Cook on low 6 hours.

After chicken is cooked, put crockpot on warm. Drain half of juice/enchilada sauce into skillet & add vegetables and jalapenos (and cilantro paste). Cook on medium-high heat until onions are translucent and juice has boiled out.

Roughly shred chicken in crockpot with 2 forks. Keep on warm until done serving meat as it will continue to soak up the juices and spices left in the crockpot.

**Optional but recommended**
Preheat oven to 350. In a regular microwaveable bowl, heat butter and water for 30 seconds. Slightly mix. Dip each tortilla in butter/water mixture and place on a piece of foil roughly the size of the tortilla. Roll tortilla foil side out so that it isn't sticking to itself. Do this for as many tortillas as you like, up to 10 as there will be plenty of filling. Bake tortillas for about 7 minutes. This warms the tortilla and gives it an almost homemade taste without making it crispy.

Crockpot Cheesy Taco Chicken

I've been making huge meals lately so there will be plenty of leftovers because Josh's shift has changed and he isn't able to grab anything for lunch. Of course that means a lot of casseroles and crockpot dishes, which is fine because those are my favorite type of recipes to post here. I know I haven't posted a lot lately, but trust me, I'm still cooking up a storm.

Anyhoo, we all know I love a versatile recipe, and this sure is it!

Ingredients

7oz canned sliced jalapenos, drained

1 medium onion, sliced (I know, another recipe with onions... I love them, what can I say?)

2lbs chicken breasts

1, 16oz jar taco sauce

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 packet low sodium taco seasoning

1 tsp cumin

1 pkg. four cheese Mexican shredded cheese

Tepatio (Mexican hot sauce) to taste

**the pepper on the left side is a bahut jolokia (ghost) pepper... we like stuff hot, as always**

Instructions

Trim fat off chicken and place whole breasts in bottom of crockpot, layer on top: sliced onions, jalapenos, taco seasoning, cumin, taco sauce, Tepatio, and cream cheese cut into chunks. Cook on high for 4 hours (low for 8). Stir once or twice to make sure the cream cheese doesn't get burnt on the sides.

Switch over to warm setting, shred each chicken breast with two forks (hold with one fork, shred with the other) while in the crockpot. If it is easier for you to take the chicken out to shred it, that would work as well, just return the chicken to the crockpot after shredding. Stir in shredded cheese until mixed/melted. 

Serve over rice or with tortillas.

(Incredible) Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Well folks, this is easily the best soup I have ever eaten. Ever. One taste and I was pretty sure I done died and went to heaven. It is even, dare I say it, BETTER than Chili's... Okay, I can't officially claim that, but it is in my opinion, so that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

While making this, I asked Josh if I should put habaneros in it... Let's just say his answer was a definite yes & I doubt anyone wants to know what he actually said, but yes, I added habaneros. 3 in fact. I love them, Josh loves them... But not everyone loves them or the heat, so I will leave that out of the ingredients, but for those that want to know: 3 whole habaneros, minced in food processor, then added to other soup ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 cups maseca, or similar brand, instant corn masa flour (see pic below)
2 quart prepared chicken stock (made with 2oz,or two packets, concentrated stock; see pic below)

*you can also use 4 bullion cubes, or 2tbsp chicken base*

1tbsp chili powder
1.5 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
16oz enchilada sauce (you can use up to 20oz. The store I went to was out of the biggest cans)
8oz tomato sauce
4.5oz green chiles
2 medium yellow onions
16oz Mexican velveeta
About 2lbs shredded chicken

*I buy a whole rotisserie chicken take the skin off, and shred it. It's much easier (and cheaper) than buying raw chicken, boiling it & shredding it, but do as you wish*

In a 5qt crockpot:

Dump your two cups of masa flour in the crockpot. Add chicken stock one cup at a time while stirring into corn flour with a fork. This is very important because you don't want your corn flour to be lumpy. If you see lumps, not a big deal... Scoop them put with a fork and mush them on the side to get rid of them.

Add in your spices, then stir in enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Finely chop onions and add to soup, along with green chiles. Cut velveeta in small cubes and add to soup. Cook on high for about 3 hours (stirring occasionally), add your shredded chicken and cook for another hour... 4 total, stirring (occasionally).

You can serve without toppings, or add a dollop of sour cream, avocado, pico, cheese, olives, jalapeños.... Anything really.

Enjoy :)

Party Dip

Habaneros are back in stores and I couldn't be more excited. There's a few things that I want all year long, habanero peppers fall in that list. I keep saying I'll grow my own one day, but let's face it, my green thumb is non-existent. So naturally, I buy a whole bunch of them and proceed to make anything and everything I can think of with my most favorite of peppers. That brings me to the party dip. Why is it party dip? Well for one it makes enough dip to feed an army, but two, it's like a party in your mouth! The kick of habaneros just does something. With that being said, I like things spicy. SPICY. The hotter the better. I din't make this dip too spicy, but I definitely felt that burn that tends to build up. I used 3 habaneros & probably would have been fine adding another one or two, but if you can't handle the heat stick to two, one... or even none.

Ingredients:
1 can fiesta corn
1 can black bean fiesta grillin beans
1 package taco seasoning
1lb ground beef
habaneros (1,2,3,4... whatever tickles your fancy)
1 block velveeta white queso

Directions:
Grind habaneros in food processor, or mince. In a pan, slightly brown beef, drain. Add in taco seasoning and habaneros, continue cooking until beef is completely cooked. Cube velveeta. Add all ingredients to crockpot on medium for an hour, stirring occasionally. Put crockpot on warm setting to keep dip warm and melty during the day/party/game, etc...

Salsa

I love chips and salsa & that's all I have to say about that.

Ingredients:

1 14.5oz Mexican style stewed tomatoes

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 tsp chipotle chile powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1 heaping tbsp minced garlic

2oz red habanero hot sauce

1 medium onion

1 large bell pepper (I had leftover halves of a bell pepper trinity so I used those), chopped

8 tomatillos

10 jalapenos

1 medium onion

1/4 cup cilantro

2 tbsp lime juice

Instructions:

In a medium pot, combine stewed tomatoes, tomatillos (whole, outer skin removed), bell pepper, garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until tomatillos turn slightly golden. Pour in blender and set on grate, low speed. Blend until there are no large chunks of tomatillo or stewed tomato. 

Mince jalapenos (stems removed) and cilantro (roughly 1/2 the bunch) in a food processor, finely chop onion, and add all remaining ingredients to tomato mixture. Best if refrigerated for a few hours.

Fiesta Cornbread & Chicken Casserole

This casserole was an inspired dish from a chicken tamale casserole. To me, you just can't substitute the wonderful flavor of a tamale; so I decided to make it into something different all together & I am SO glad because it became something that Josh requested to be added to the list of "regular" meals. That list is growing longer, but when he went back for seconds... then thirds, I knew we had a keeper!

Fiesta Cornbread & Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
1.5lbs of chicken breast
1/2 pkg taco seasoning
tsp cumin
1 can mexi-corn
1 can cream corn
1 7.5oz box Martha White corn muffin mix
1/4 cup bisquick (or larger box corn muffin mix)
1 bag mexi-cheese
1 can green chiles
1 10oz can enchilada sauce
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/3 cup egg substitute
sour cream (optional)



Instructions:
Boil chicken for about 15 minutes. I seasoned my water with paprika, chili powder, cumin, & oregano. While chicken is cooling, mix mexi-corn, cream corn, corn muffin mix, bisquick, 1/4 of mexi-cheese, cumin, egg & milk in a large bowl. Pour in a 9x13" casserole dish/pyrex & bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken. I use two forks to pull it apart, but use whichever shredding method works for you, repeat with each breast. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken and toss to make sure it's all coated. Combine chicken with onions and green chiles & spread on top of cooked cornbread. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over chicken then top with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, until cheese is golden brown. Top with sour cream when served (optional).

The yum factor here is outrageous! It got the "This s#!+ right here is gooder n f***" approval & he said he was sad when it was gone, lol... oh cooking just brings such joy!! :)

Spicy Guacamole

Even people that don't like guacamole like my guacamole... true story.

Spicy Guacamole

You Will Need:
Gallon sized ziplock bag (large ziplock will do)
food processor (or chopper)

Ingredients:
6 small avocados (ripe, soft)
4 jalapenos
4 roma tomatoes
1/2 small bunch of cilantro
4tbs lime juice (or more to taste)
1 small white onion
1 small green bell pepper
1 pkg guacamole seasoning

Instructions:

Slice avocados lengthwise & remove pit & skin. Place in ziplock bag with guacamole seasoning and knead until desired consistency. I like my guacamole a little bit chunky, so I just make sure the big pieces are smashed.

Cut corner off of bag and squeeze into medium sized bowl.

In your food processor or chopper, mince jalapenos with cilantro, add to avocados. finely chop onion & bell pepper. Roughly chop tomatoes & add all to avocados, mix. Mix in lime juice.

serve cold!