Burrito Pizza

Burrito Pizza--the first time we had it we were definitely a little apprehensive. The whole thing is so very different from most pizzas we enjoy. Well, it's a good thing we tried it anyway because it has turned out to be quite a delicious pizza. It took a few tries but we've finally found what we enjoy as Burrito Pizza.

Burrito Pizza
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Yields: 2 medium pizzas

Ingredients:
pizza dough
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chicken, cooked and chopped
1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes (or 1/2 can diced tomatoes), diced
olives (optional)
1-2 cups shredded cheese
1/3 cup sour cream

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 400. Roll out pizza dough to desired shape.
   2.  In a food processor combine drained beans and 3-4 T salsa. Pulse until it reaches a thick sauce consistency. Spread over pizza dough.
   3.  Top with chicken, onion, tomatoes, olives and cheese.
   4.  Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes.
   5.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Adapted from: Good Cheap Eats

Chimichangas

There is something about chimichangas that just hits the right spot for both my husband and me. We were both truly looking forward to having these and really enjoyed them, as always.
These chimichangas are quite easy to make. The variable simmering time provides flexibility and we've also found that they freeze well. (I freeze them before baking, then let them thaw for about 30 minutes before baking as normal.)

Chimichangas
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Yields: 6 chimichangas

Ingredients:
1 lb shredded pork or chicken
1 can kidney or pinto beans, drained
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp garlic powder
2 T chili powder
1 T vinegar
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
tortilla shells (not pictured)
sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, lettuce (not pictured)

Directions:
   1.  Put meat, beans, water and spices in a skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
   2.  Uncover, return to a boil until the water evaporates.
   3.  Fill tortillas with meat mixture and top with cheese. Fold as desired.
   4.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for 15-17 minutes.
   5.  Serve with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa.

This is linked to Good Cheap Eats.

Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

I stumbled across this recipe last fall. I had planned on making a different chicken dish and had thawed the chicken in the morning. Well, come dinnertime, I realized I was missing a key ingredient so I looked through my recipe binder for something else to try and landed on this. Maybe it was a good thing I was missing that ingredient because we love these Enchiladas!
This is another wonderful recipe that contains ingredients that we often have on hand so if we need a backup meal Enchiladas are a great choice! It's easy to put together and is a big success is my house.

Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas
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Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese
6 tortillas

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 350.
   2.  In a medium bowl combine soup, sour cream, salsa and chili powder.
   3.  In a large bowl combine 1 cup soup mixture, chicken and cheese.
   4.  Divide chicken mixture among tortillas. Roll and place seam side up in a baking dish. Pour remaining soup mixture over top.
   5.  Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

Source: Campbells Kitchen

Butterscotch Bran Muffins

The original recipe calls for raisins which I don't have right now. I always mean to buy some but always forget. Anyway, I knew that I wanted to substitute something for the raisins. My first thought was chocolate chips but when I looked in the cupboard I had two bags of butterscotch chips and two bags of white chocolate chips but no chocolate chips. So butterscotch chips ended up being the substitute for the substitute and with great results! My husband and I decided that they worked really well. One of these muffins makes a quick, filling, hearty breakfast.
The recipe is like a typical muffin recipe with the addition of one 5 minute rest time in the middle. My daughter and I used the time to brush our teeth. I tried lighting spraying my muffin tin bottom as recommended in the cook book. It worked great but didn't make it too greasy, a problem I've occasionally run into.

Butterscotch Bran Muffins
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Yields: 15 muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal (twig shaped bran)
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 T molasses
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
6 T butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sour cream
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
   2.  Grind half of the bran cereal in a food processor until finely ground.
   3.  In a large bowl whisk sugar, molasses, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until thick. Add melted butter, sour cream and processed and unprocessed bran cereal and stir until combined. Let rest until cereal is moistened, about 5 minutes.
   4.  Add flours, baking soda, and salt to cereal mixture. Fold gently until just combined. Fold in butterscotch chips.
   5.  Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 400 for 16-20 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in tin for 5 minutes and then remove.

Adapted from: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Good Cheap Eats and URS.

Southwestern Pasta with Chicken

My sister picked this recipe out for us by going through my binder of recipes torn out from magazines. It was from an issue of Woman's World from September 2006. Yikes! I'm glad she picked it because in 4+ years I hadn't gotten around to it so who knows how long it would have taken.
I personally found this dish to be a little spicy, but ironically only the first time. When we had it as leftovers it had somehow mellowed out quite a bit. So if you like a kick to your food you might want to add more hot sauce if you have leftovers.

Southwestern Pasta with Chicken
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Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:
12-16 oz pasta
26 oz pasta sauce
1 can Rotel
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika (not pictured)
1/4 tsp pepper
2 dashes hot sauce
1 cup cooked, diced chicken
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
sour cream (not pictured)
shredded cheese

Directions:
   1.  In a large pot, cook pasta according to directions.
   2.  In a large skillet, mix pasta sauce, Rotel, and seasonings. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
   3.  Combine sauce and pasta; stir in chicken and black beans. Cook until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Source: Woman's World Magazine

Cream Cheese Pasta

This recipe is a favorite of the entire family. It has pasta, cheeses, sour cream and sauce--what's not to love?
This is an easy meal to put together. The hamburger can be cooked well ahead of time or the entire dish can be assembled and then refrigerated or frozen until ready to use. Meals like that can be lifesavers sometimes!

Cream Cheese Pasta
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Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 can pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 lb pasta, cooked (I typically use rotini.)

Directions:
   1.  Brown hamburger until no longer pink.
   2.  Using a mixer with a wire whisk, mix cream cheese, sour cream and Italian seasoning. Add pasta sauce and stir by hand. Add hamburger and 1 cup shredded cheese; stir until combined. Add pasta; mix.
   3.  Pour mixture in a glass 9x13 pan; sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top.
   4.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until warmed through.

Source: For the Mommas

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie holds a "special place" in my husband's heart. That's probably because this recipe is from his mom! When we got married he wanted to make sure that I had this recipe because he loves it so much.
The first time I made this it took me forever. I realize now that had a lot to do with me not reading the recipe through the whole way before starting (a bad habit of mine). Now it goes much quicker. I put a note at the bottom of the recipe about what I've learned to help speed up the process.
To sum up this recipe it's all the elements of spaghetti in a pie. But you could probably guess that from the name.

Spaghetti Pie
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Yields: 3 pies, 6 servings each

Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
2 cups sour cream
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb bulk pork sausage
2 cups water
1 can (12 oz) tomato paste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
   1.  Cook spaghetti; drain and place in large bowl. Add eggs and Parmesan cheese and mix. Transfer to three 9 inch pie plates, pressing onto bottom and up sides to create a crust.
   2.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter and saute onion until tender. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and Italian seasoning. Spoon into crusts.
   3.  In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. Stir in water and tomato paste; simmer, uncovered, 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Spoon over sour cream mixture.
   4.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.
   5.  Cover and freeze two pies. Cover and bake third pie at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.
   To use frozen pies: Completely thaw in refrigerator (overnight). Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed.
Notes:
   I've found the easiest way to make this is to start steps 1, 2, and 3 at the same time. That way each layer is ready at about the same time, making it easy to assemble the pie.

Source: My mother-in-law, Joan

Twice Baked Potatoes

This "side dish" could practically stand on its own! The original recipe calls for bacon pieces to be added as well but I typically leave them out. However, simply by adding a generous amount of bacon I could see this dish serving as a main dish.
I like to make a double batch and stick one in the freezer because it takes a little bit of preparation and time. In the end though, it is well worth it! The potatoes are creamy and smooth but with a little rustic texture still there. It is a delightfully pleasing combination.

Twice Baked Potatoes
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Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:
4-6 potatoes (2lbs), diced
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
   1.  Fill a medium size pot 2/3 full of water, bring to a boil. Add potatoes; bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Drain, return to pot and slightly mash potatoes.
   2.  Add cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup cheese and seasonings. Stir until combined.
   3.  Transfer to a small casserole dish. Cover with remaining cup of cheese.
   4.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
   *This recipe can be frozen before baking. Increase baking time as necessary.

Source: Stolen Moments Cooking