Mexican Lasagna

I'm always looking for different ways to make the same dish! I love lasagna, and I love mexican food, so of course, combining the two made sense. I wanted to have my own recipe though, so I looked at a bunch of different ones, took the parts that I liked best, and came up with this version.

3 lbs ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

1 sm. can tomato paste

1/3 c. taco seasoning

Additional cumin, chili powder, and garlic salt to taste

1 cup sour cream

grated cheddar cheese

1/2 box of lasagna noodles (4 noodles for each pan)

Cook the noodles until just al dente. Brown the ground beef with onions, drain; mix in tomotoes, tomato paste, seasonings, and sour cream. Spray an 8 in. baking dish with non-stick spray and partially cover with meat sauce. Add lasagna noodles, then meat sauce, then cheddar cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. I cut the noodles to fit, so each layer only needed 2 noodles. Bake at 375 for appx. 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly brown. From this recipe, I was able to put together two 8 x 8 pans of lasagna, which meant I could share with my sister, or put one in the freezer!

It was quite tasty, and I think we all enjoyed it. In the past I've used corn tortillas, but wanted to try something different this time.

Variations:

• Add cayenne pepper or hot sauce for more kick
• Add a layer of beans or corn and olives
• Use Monterey or Colby Jack cheese
• Layer in cottage cheese for a creamier layer
  
  

The "American" Piroshky

It's a turnover, it's a calzone, it's a what??? Yep, that's right, I call it an American Piroshky! Why, you ask?? Well, I'm not exactly sure. When I started out, I fully intended to make vegetable beef soup. But, as I was cooking the meat and vegetables, I had a fleeting memory of my sister Elizabeth and her love of the Piroshky. She once brought one home for me and that's how I made the connection. I looked at the mixture in the pan and thought "that looks like the filling of a piroshky." Well, it just so happened that I had refridgerator biscuits and I figured, why not? Let's give it a try!

The Finished Product

Ingredients:

about a lb of ground beef

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced

about 1/2 cup sliced or diced carrots

1 onion, diced

cheddar cheese

milk or cream

salt, pepper, garlic salt, oregano

refridgerator biscuits

Saute the vegetables for about 5-8 minutes, then add the ground beef. Cook until meat is browned. Add salt, pepper, garlic salt, and oregano to taste. Add grated cheddar cheese and milk or cream until mixture is slightly creamy and holds together. Roll out each biscuit to about 1/4 in., put about 2 tbls. of mixture in the center, fold over and seal the edges with a fork. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.
As you can see, it's not much of a recipe and the measurements are really up to you. Use as much or as little as you like, and be creative! It was actually quite tasty and not healthy or gourmet at all, but when you have little time and little people to feed, you make due!
Enjoy!!

Potato Soup

What's a Sunday afternoon without some comfort food in the Crockpot?? A week or so ago my sister-in-law made potato soup and it got me thinkin'...As I was getting ready for Disney on Ice with Megan I figured I better get something going for dinner so it's ready when we get home. I decided to go with a potato soup recipe from one of my trusty soup cook books! (Thanks Brandi...)

Here's how it went:

Cook 6 potatoes, 2 carrots, and 6 celery stalks until they are soft. Drain and reserve the water.

My touch...throw in some celery leaves and a branch of rosemary from the garden!

Sautee one onion in 6 tablespoons of butter until soft. Stir in 6 tablespoons of flour, some salt and pepper. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Throw it all together with enough reserved water to get the consistency you like!
Now it's crocked and ready to go...

Serve it with cheddar, green onions, and some turkey bacon on top!

It's as easy as that! YUM!