Mexican Pozole

Mexican Pozole 
3 Tbsps. oil
1 lb. pork loin, cubed bite-size
1 cup onion, chopped
2 tsps. garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can mild red enchilada sauce
1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chilies
1 tsp. each ancho chile powder, chili powder, cumin
½ tsp. each Mexican oregano, paprika
1 (15.5 oz.) can white hominy, drained
1 Tbsp. lime juice
⅓ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat oil in large pot on medium heat. Add pork, onion, and garlic. Sauté 3-4 minutes searing pork on all sides.  Stir in broth, enchilada sauce, green chilies, and spices. Bring to a boil on high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 40 minutes.  Add hominy. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in lime juice and cilantro.

Spicy Slow Cooker Beef & Bell Pepper

Spicy Slow Cooker Beef & Bell Pepper
2 lbs beef chuck, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped to 1 inch squares bell pepper
½ medium onion, peeled, cut in half, sliced
1 cup broth or 1 cup water + 3 bullion cubes
2 tsp freeze dried garlic
⅓ cup chopped parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp – 1 Tbsp Siracha sauce
To thicken
½ cup water
2 Tbsp corn starch
Place the meat on the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with sliced onion. For even better flavor, sauté onion in skillet until golden brown, then add it to the slow cooker.Top with cut up bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic.  Mix the broth with Siracha, or water, bullion cubes and Siracha. Pour over the peppers and beef.  (if using bullion cubes, add only 1 tsp salt). Set on high heat for 3.5-4 hours.  Mix ½ cup water and 2 tablespoons corn starch. Add 1 cup of liquid from the meat & pepper mixture and cook on medium heat until boiling, then cook 2 minutes past boil to remove the cornstarch flavor. Add this mixture back to the meat and bell peppers. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, stir and serve.  Serve hot over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

COWBOY CASSEROLE

COWBOY CASSEROLE
½ pound ground beef
1 15.25-oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 10¾-oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1¼ cup shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided
⅓ cup 2% milk
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups frozen tator tots
¼ cup Rotel tomatoes
1 tablespoon chives
¼ cup olives, sliced *optional ingredient
Turn on your oven to 425°.  Cover the bottom of your casserole dish with tator tots and place in the oven (while it's still cold and warming up). Leave them there until you are ready to assemble the casserole. Mine were cooked about ½ way when I pulled them out to put my casserole together. I put them on a plate while I put all of my other ingredients in the casserole dish and then added them back to the top before putting everything in the oven to finish cooking.  In a medium skillet cook your hamburger over medium heat until browned. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate. Drain the grease and lightly wipe most of the remaining grease out (you want to leave a little bit to cook your onions).  Add your onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add your hamburger back to your skillet with the onions and garlic. Add ¼ cup of Rotel tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and stir well. Let cook over medium heat until most of the liquid from the Rotel tomatoes has cooked off.  Add your sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, drained corn, ½ of your cheese and milk. Stir well. Let cook until cheese is melted.  Put your cheesy hamburger mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish. Add your olives and ½ of the remaining cheese.  Add your layer of tator tots and press down a little bit to make sure they are stuck in the mixture just a little bit. Cover the top of the tator tots with your remaining cheese and chives.  Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is all the way melted and you can see the casserole bubbling up on the sides and the middle just a bit.

BBQ RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE

BBQ RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE
2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
½ lb dry pasta
1 cup sweet corn
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
⅓ cup red onion, diced
1½ cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese for topping
salt
fresh cracked peppercorns
1½ cups ranch dressing
¾ cup BBQ sauce
Cook pasta just until it is nearly done but do not overcook. Set aside.  Cook chicken with a little salt until completely done. Let cool until it can be handled, chop and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a casserole dish.  In a large mixing bowl, combine diced tomatoes, diced onion, corn, cooked pasta and chopped chicken. Add some salt and cracked peppercorn, mix well.  Whisk ranch and BBQ together and add it to the mixing bowl. Mix until evenly distributed.  Add 1½ cups of Monterrey Jack cheese and mix well.  Transfer the mixture into the casserole dish and spread it evenly. Top with remaining cheese all over and bake for 15-20 minutes.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA RICE CASSEROLE

CHICKEN ENCHILADA RICE CASSEROLE
3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cups dry rice
2 cans (10 oz each) Enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
1 can (16 oz) refried beans (I used Old El Paso)
1 cup white cheddar, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 can corn kernel
cilantro for garnish
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Cook the rice. I cooked it with 4 cups of water and ¼ cup of butter.  Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Mix the 2 cheeses together.  In a large bowl mix the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans and half of the cheese. Add rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with corn then with remainder of cheese.  Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.

Hot Ham & Cheese Party Rolls

Hot Ham & Cheese Party Rolls
1 can Pillsbury™ refrigerated Classic Pizza Crust
3/4 lb deli ham (thinly sliced, but not shaved)
12 slices Swiss cheese (thinly sliced)
Glaze
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Unroll the pizza dough onto a cutting board and press into approximately a 13×18-inch rectangle. Top with ham and cheese slices. Starting on the longer side of the rectangle, roll up the edge tightly. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. Cut into 12 slices, approximately 1-inch wide. Arrange in prepared baking dish.  Next combine the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and poppy seeds in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter is melted and the glaze is smooth and combined. Pour evenly over the rolls.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or bake, uncovered for 25 minutes until golden and browned.

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO SALAD

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO SALAD
1½ cups of chopped tomatoes - I used cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber - peeled and seeded then diced
1 avocado - diced
4 oz feta cheese - cubed
2 tbs minced red onion
1 handful parsley - minced - about 2 tbs
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
8 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
Chop tomatoes into a medium dice. If using cherry tomatoes, cut in half. Add to a bowl.  Peel and seed one cucumber and dice. Add to bowl.  Remove pit, dice avocado and using a spoon scoop out the avocado from the peel. Add to bowl.  Cube feta and add to bowl.  Add minced red onion and minced parsley to bowl.  Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar and black pepper - pour over salad.  Toss gently so the feta and avocado don't break up. Serve immediately.  If refrigerating - keep the avocado aside and add before severing.