Enchilada Casserole (my husband's all time favorite dish I make!)

This dish originally started out as a basic enchilada casserole but has evolved into a highly versatile dish that I change up every time I make it depending on what I have in the house. This is a favorite in my house. For me, it is super easy and a complete meal by itself. For my husband, well, he thinks it just tastes good. He requests this for special meals, which I gladly do. I have made this vegetarian before, subbing tofu and beans for meat, which was awesome. Find a good cheese substitute and you have yourself a pretty good vegan dish too. This is also a dish that lends itself well to freezing. While I was pregnant, I made this just to freeze so we could have a quick yummy dinner at hand for those crazy nights with our new bundle of joy.

Serves 10
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

About 15 corn tortilla, cut in half (varies based on the size of your pan)
1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup corn (or a can of corn, drained)
Cilantro to taste (I like to use about 1/2 a bunch, my husband likes less)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can Rotell, undrained
4 cloves of garlic
fresh spinach (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350.

In large sauce pan, brown meat. Add everything except the cheese and tortilla. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Line the bottom of a casserole dish with tortilla so the entire bottom is covered. Add 1/2 of the meat mixture to the tortilla and spread evenly. Top with 3/4 cup of cheese. Cover with another layer of tortilla. Add remaining meat mixture. Top with 3/4 cup of cheese. Top with tortilla and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. I like to use the nonstick foil here. Remove foil and allow cheese to brown for about five to ten minutes. Let the casserole stand for about ten minutes before eating.

I have to tell my husband that it has to stand longer so he will actually wait the ten minutes... However, he will attest that he is willing to burn his mouth for this one.

Faux-sagna or Noodle-less lasagna. Yes! It can be done!

My sister and I were trying to come up with something awesome for dinner one night when we came up with what we called "Moussaka Casserole." After we tasted our wares, we realized it pretty much tasted like lasagna. The next time I made it, I added some ricotta cheese and, glory glory, I had an easy gluten free dinner that could rival my favorite lasagna without having to buy gluten free noodles. My husband, a lasagna connoisseur, loves this dish. When I make it, I make a large pan of it and freeze the left overs (if there are any!) in one or two serving containers for easy dinners or lunch for my husband at work.

This dish uses eggplant instead of noodles. I have had several people who claimed to hate eggplant rave about this dish. I claim it is because I soak the eggplant in salt water for at least an hour before I cook it. Most of the people who claim to not like eggplant say that it is too bitter. By soaking it in salt water, you remove the bitterness! No matter how I am making eggplant, I soak it. Now, I have converted my husband into an eggplant eater. 

Makes 10 servings

Prep time: 20 minutes or more (depends on your red sauce)

Cook time: 2 hours total

Cost: about $0.65 per serving

1 large eggplant, sliced very thinly (1/8 an inch or smaller - hey get out that mandolin slicer you never use!)

1 large container ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese (or more if you are a fan!)

1 small onion, diced

1 green bell, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 or 6 baby carrots or 1 large carrot, diced

1 lb. ground turkey (look for the turkey in a tube - so much cheaper!)

1 jar of red sauce (or make your own to save extra money and have a fresh taste - my favorite recipe is listed below)

Salt water

Soak sliced eggplant in salt water for at least an hour. A plastic bag with ensure that each slice is soaking.

Start by making a good bolognese sauce (red sauce with meat). I do this by browning the meat with the onion, garlic, bell pepper and carrot. Add the red sauce of your choice. The carrots add a wonderful sweetness that is especially good in this dish. Allow this to simmer for at least 30 minutes. I usually do not add salt since the eggplant soaked in salt water and the cheese is often salty.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drain eggplant and place it on a towel. Pat it dry. Line the bottom of the pan with a single layer of eggplant. Think of the eggplant as the "noodles" in the dish. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta over the eggplant. I find using my fingers to be the easiest way to do this. There is no need to add egg to the ricotta here like traditional lasagna. Pour 1/2 the sauce over the top and spread it evenly around. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozz cheese on next. Make another layer of eggplant, ricotta, sauce and cheese. Top the dish with any remaining eggplant before adding the last of the cheese. 

Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting. 

My favorite homemade red sauce:

1 large can of whole tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

olive oil

Lightly saute the garlic in the oil. In a food processor, give the tomatoes a quick pulse. Add to the garlic and oil. Simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Yeah - it's that easy.

Sausage and Potato Soup

In the wintertime, when the cold is biting at my toes, all I want to eat is a good hearty soup. This is a great soup that everyone loves for a variety of reasons. It is low fat, gluten free and so easy to make. These  are ingredients I have in the house most of the time, so it is also a good dinner for those nights when I just don't know what to make. Traditionally, this would be a high fat soup, but it doesn't have to be. I use skim milk and turkey sausage to keep it healthy. Plus, the turkey sausage is usually less expensive when you buy it in the tube. I know - tube sausage? Really? Why, yes! It is a great price (about $1.50 a pound) and about 50% the fat of pork. What's not to love? To find it, look in the frozen food section, not the fresh meat section.

A side note: I also buy ground turkey in the tube for only $1 a tube, which contains a pound of ground meat. Not only is it also half the fat of ground beef, it is also easy to store in the freezer since it is contained in a tube. 

Makes 8 to 10 servings (freezes well to keep for another cold winter day)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Cost: about $4.50 or $0.45 to $0.56 a serving

1 lb ground turkey sausage

5 red potatoes, diced with the skin on

1 onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 small can of 2% evaporated milk

1/2 cup of skim milk

3 cloves of garlic

5 cups of water

1 tablespoon of butter

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, melt butter and add onion and sausage. Cook over medium heat. When the sausage is mostly cooked, add the celery and garlic. Cook until the onion and celery is caramelized. Add the water and potatoes and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add milk and evaporated milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

I sometimes add garlic salt instead of regular salt. 

Jamaican jerk pork chops and savory sweet potatoes

Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops

Growing up, I didn't eat pork very often. It was more expensive than other meats, and we didn't have extra money to spare. Therefore, I am pretty inexperienced when it comes to the world of pork. For a very long time, I didn't dig on swine, mostly because I didn't know it could taste not greasy and not over salted. However, I have been practicing with this simple and quite tasty Jamaican jerk rub. I first purchased the rub a while ago when the grocery store was handing out samples. The woman had both pork and chicken, and this rub was awesome on both! I bought it, even though it was pretty expensive. However, the rub is so super easy to make! I am actually almost ashamed I ever bought the rub rather than just making it. But, you live, you learn.

I like to serve this with savory sweet potatoes. The flavors mix wonderfully.

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 minutes (including marinading)

Cook time: 15 minutes

Cost: about $3.50 or $0.88 per serving

4 pork chops

salt to taste

olive oil

Jamaican jerk rub:

The ratio is 4:2:1, so adjust the amount as you need to. You don't need very much to spice up your dinner.

1/2 teaspoon each of sugar, garlic, allspice and pepper

1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme and onion powder

1/8 teaspoon (or less if you want a milder rub) red pepper

Notice, there is no salt in this. Adding salt to meat while it marinates with a rub can pull moisture out. I always wait until right before I cook it to add any salt to the pork chop.

Coat each side of the pork chops with the spices and rub the mixture into the pork chops well. Allow the rub to sit on the meat for about 30 minutes. Do not refrigerate. Meat cooks at its best when it is room temp. 

Over medium heat, coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil. Cook the pork chops for 6 to 7 minutes on eat side. Do not turn them until the pork chop comes up from the pan without sticking. You want the sugar in the rub to caramelize. Allow the pork chops to sit for about 5 minutes before eating.

(In this picture, there is only 1/2 a pork chop because it was just too big for just me to eat.)

Savory Sweet Potatoes

This is, by far, my favorite way to eat sweet potatoes, especially in the winter time. Around the holidays, the price of sweet potatoes drops to just about nothing. At the grocery store, I was excited to find them for only $0.22/lb! However, when I went back for more, they were back up to $0.94/lb. Oh well. You snooze you lose. I did recently get them again for a relatively low price of $0.45/lb. This time, I bought more. I am estimating the cost here at $0.60/lb.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Cost: $1.25 or about $0.21 to $0.32 per serving

4 medium sweet potatoes, diced with skin on.

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 sprigs of rosemary, removed from the stem

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large casserole dish, coat the potatoes with oil. Add garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and cook for 1 hour. 

Chicken with bell peppers and rice, or "Yummy" Chicken

In search for a quick and easy dinner, I threw this together one night after having something similar at my sister's house. Bell peppers have been my favorite food since I was child, so I knew I would like it. Chicken with bell peppers and rice became an instant hit. My husband is not much of bell pepper fan, but he loves this dish. It is very easy to modify as well. For instance, I add BBQ sauce on top before I eat it just about every time. A splash of soy sauce (La Choy Lite is GF!) gives this an Asian flare. Add a touch of salsa for some yummy Tex Mex. But, it is wonderful plain like this, too!
I made this for a dear friend of mine who dubbed it "Yummy Chicken." She has dinner with us often; yummy chicken has become a staple in our meals together.
No ever thought something so simple could become a family favorite.

Makes about 6 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cost: about $6 or $1 a serving


3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
3 bell peppers (I like to use 1 yellow, 1 orange and 1 red), roughly cut
1 medium onion, roughly cut
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Tony's or salt and pepper
Rice

Over medium heat, brown the chicken. Add peppers, onion and garlic. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until peppers are cooked through and chicken is no longer pink. Serve over rice.

Jambalaya and Spanish sheet cake with cinnamon mocha icing

In the spirit of the holiday season, my Sunday school class is getting together this evening for a night of frivolity and gluttony. Since we are Methodist, it is, of course, a pot luck. So, I am bringing the two dishes that people request the most with us this evening: good ole' Cajun jambalaya to honor our Louisiana background and Spanish sheet cake with cinnamon mocha icing. Both are the ultimate in comfort food for anyone!

Jambalaya
The jambalaya is a dish I make often in our house. It is my husband's favorite dish I make. Plus, even though it is a dish that takes some time to prepare correctly, each step is easy and allows you to do the prep work for the next time while things are simmering.
This is a modification of an amazing recipe found in The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine by John Folse. His uses more oil, bacon drippings, different sausage and less parsley. This recipe makes about 8 servings.

Prep time: about 30 minutes total, spread out
Cook time: 2 hours
Cost: approximately $1 a serving

3 chicken breasts with bones
olive oil
1 package turkey sausage
1 bell pepper
3 stalks celery
1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic
1/2 package of button mushrooms
2/3 a bunch of parsley
4 bunches of green onion
4 cups of water (or broth if you don't want to make your own)
2 1/2 cups of rice
Tony's (or salt, pepper and cayenne if you don't have it)

Start by taking as much meat off the bone as possible and cutting the chicken into bite sized bits. In a smaller pan, place chicken bones and water on to boil. Cover and allow to simmer until you need the broth. In a large pan, such as a dutch oven or extra large saute', lightly coat the bottom with olive oil. Brown chicken in the pan until it is reddish brown. This takes about 30 minutes and is what gives it the color and taste that is jambalaya, so don't skip it. In that time, slice the sausage and set aside. The veggies need to be divided into two groups after they are chopped: the onion, celery, garlic and bell peppers in one group and the mushroom, green onion and parsley in another.

When the chicken is browned, add the sausage and saute for about three minutes. Add the first group of veggies, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to caramelize for about five to ten minutes. Make sure all that brown goodness has lifted from the bottom on the pan. While the veggies are cooking, drain the broth into a measuring cup. Make sure you have four full cups, so you will most likely have to add a little water to it. Add the broth. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Season to taste. I usually over season it since I am adding rice. Add the second group of veggies and rice. Reduce to low and stir every fifteen minutes until rice is cooked (usually takes 45 minutes).

Spanish sheet cake with cinnamon mocha icing 
This is a recipe that I adapted from one my mother has made my entire life. However, I am a little bit of a cheat because I am not making the icing from scratch like she always did. Everyone thinks this a "from scratch" cake because it really tastes like it. Really, it is just a cake mix that I modify.
This is one of the very few items that I buy that is specifically gluten free. I have been able to find the cake mix in every grocery store, though. Also, the mix is much cheaper than any of the others I have seen AND is the best tasting one. Makes ten servings.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 43 minutes
Cost: about $4.50 or $0.45 a serving

1 box Betty Crocker Gluten free chocolate cake mix
1 cup of left over coffee
1 tablespoon instant coffee (optional)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 stick butter, softened
3 eggs
1 container chocolate frosting
cinnamon, 3 teaspoons, divided

Preheat the oven to 350.
Mix cake mix, coffee, butter, eggs, 1/2 the bag of chocolate chips, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon together. Blend well. In a 8x13 sheet cake pan, bake for 43 minutes.
Melt the remaining chocolate chips (microwave for 30 seconds, stir, repeat until blended smooth). Remove all the foil from the frosting container and microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Fold the warm icing and melted chocolate together with the remaining cinnamon and instant coffee.
Pour the icing over the cake while it is still hot from the oven. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Southern Style Chicken and Rice

Oh man! Who doesn't love a good homemade chicken and rice dish? This is a wonderful basic chicken stock recipe with rice added in to make it a meal. It is thick, hearty and dirt cheap to make. And let me just add, it is so good!
I made this last night for dinner because it was cold and cloudy outside - the perfect weather for this dish. When my husband came home from work, his eyes lit up as he inhaled the aromas. Not only is the dish awesome and easy, it also makes the entire house smell good for the night. Even though there are only three of us in the house, one of which is still too young for solid food, I make 8 to 10 servings at a time. It is less expensive, we can have it two nights in a row, and it freezes well.

Prep time: 15 minutes to start, 20 minutes in the middle.
Cook time: 2 hours, but you can walk away from it for most of the cooking time.
Cost: $0.70 to $0.90 per serving

1 whole frying chicken (I use the fryer because it is a little smaller and usually less per pound)
3 to 4 carrots, chopped
1 turnip, chopped (yeah, I know. But, it is a great flavor to add to most southern style chicken dishes. It is still pretty darn good without it in there.)
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups of water
salt and pepper
2 cups of rice
parsley (optional)

In a large stock pot, place the whole chicken (don't forget to remove the innards) with the carrots, turnip, celery, onion and garlic around it. Add enough water to cover the chicken, which is usually about 5 cups. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender enough to fall from the bones. Remove from the heat.
Remove the chicken and allow it cool until you can handle it. If it is cold outside, I put in a big bowl, cover it with a splatter screen so the heat can still get out but nothing can get in, and leave it outside on a table.  While the chicken is cooling, I start skimming some of the fat off the top of the broth. Then, debone the chicken. By the time the chicken is off the bone, you can get most of the fat from the broth. I do leave some, but not too much. Break the chicken up with you hands to bit sized bits and drop it back in the pot. Some people strain the broth and chop the veggies up smaller, but I am admittedly lazy and don't do that. Add salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that you are adding rice to it. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Reduce to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. It should be only slightly soupy when it is finished.
Oh man... this is making me hungry again. Good thing I still have this in my fridge.

Happy Eating!