Mexican Pizzas/ Fiesta Nachos

Here is a really yummy homemade Mexican dish! Growing up, my mom would call them Fiesta Nachos, but I never knew what she was referring to, so I called them Mexican Pizzas. Easier to identify that way I think :)  What's nice about these is you can add just about anything you want to them. Olives, tomatoes, hot chili peppers, anything you want! You are also limitless with what you want to top it with at the end: Lettuce, more tomatoes, salsa, sour cream , ranch even (this is actually pretty darn good). So have fun and be creative with it!

You will need:

7 medium-size wheat tortillas (depending on size, you may need more or less)

1 can of refried beans

1 small can of chopped green chilis

sliced olives (I didn't have any this time)

Shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese

oil

Begin by heating a pan on medium heat. Add about a Tbsp of oil. When oil is heated, add tortilla. Cook until golden brown and crisp, then flip over and crisp the other side. Add more oil when needed to prevent tortillas from burning. 

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add beans and 1/4 cup water (the water helps the beans to be less... stiff. This will make it easier to spread onto the tortillas). Heat beans on medium heat, stirring frequently.

When each tortilla is golden brown and crispy, lay it on a plate of paper towels to let any excess oil drain off. 

Then place all the tortillas into a thin baking sheet. You may need two baking sheets, depending on how large your tortillas are.

Begin layering your ingredients. Start with the beans...

Then the green chilis...

Then the cheese... (if I had olives, I would put them on last...)

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 14 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted.

Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy! You may need a fork and knife for this... :)

Taco Soup

Thanks Mom for the recipe! My family has this soup all the time in the winter and I love it! It is also very very easy! I cooked mine in a crock pot, but you can also simmer it in a pot if you want.

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground chicken or turkey

1 onion, chopped

2 cans corn

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 package ( or 3-4 Tbsp) Taco Seasoning

Begin browning meat with the onion on  medium heat in a skillet

Cook until meat is no longer pink and onion is soft

Add corn (with the water from the can!)

Add kidney beans (with the juice water from the can!)

Add tomato cans (with the water from the can!)

Add tomato sauce (there is no extra water in this can!)

Add taco seasoning

Add meat and onion (no need to drain, unless you are using ground beef)

Stir and heat in the crock pot on high for 1-2 hours, or simmer in a pot on a stove for 30 minutes.

Serving options: shredded cheese, Fritos, sour cream, cilantro

Pan Fried Chicken

This is one of those quick meal things.  It works really well if you have a giant bag of frozen chicken breasts already sitting in the freezer.  Go ahead and cook them frozen, no need to thaw this time!

You will need:

Frozen chicken breasts (I am using three)

3 Tbsp. oil

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Seasoning of your choice (I used Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper... REALLY good on chicken)

Heat your skillet on medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add chicken.  Season the top side with salt, pepper, and seasoning.  Then cover with a lid and let cook for 5-10 minutes.

When bottom side is white, flip over and begin to cook other side. Season this side just as you did with the first side. Cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes.  Check with a fork and knife if the center juices run clear. If everything is still pink inside, continue flipping every 5-10 minutes  until the center is white and juices are clear (I flipped like 4 or 5 times).

Enjoy! Can be served as a main course, or can be used in other dishes like salads or pastas.  

Cheesy Garlic Toast

This is a great homemade toast side dish! So cheesy... so flavorful... so crunchy... you can't go wrong!

You will need:

1 loaf of French bread from the store (watch out! some breads now have HFCS)

Oil for drizzling (or butter for spreading).

Garlic powder 

Shredded cheddar cheese

Shredded parmesan cheese (powdered is okay if you don't have shredded... it just looks fancier)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice your bread into 1" slices (can be thicker if you like them thicker).  Lay slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle oil (or spread butter), on each slice (you don't need a lot, because there will be oil in the cheese. Sprinkle garlic powder on each slice.  Then sprinkle the cheddar cheese, and then the parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and outer crust is crispy. Serve with some nice hot tomato soup and enjoy!

Delicious Hard Boiled Eggs

Here is another quick and easy lunch item! Eat it right away, or store it in a tupperware and reheat later while at work! This is healthy, tasty, simple, and keeps you full for a long time!

Here's what you need:

3 eggs (I used more in these pictures because I was cooking for two people )

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Paprika to taste

Olive oil for drizzling

In a medium sauce pan, fill 2/3 full with water and boil on stove top.  Once water is boiling, gently add eggs one at a time with a spoon.  Do not drop them in, their shells will crack and you will have an eggy watery mess. 

Leave to boil for ten minutes.

After ten minutes, drain water.  Run each egg under cold water for about 15 seconds to make it safe for handling.  Slam each egg against the counter top to crack the shell.  Then peel the shell off, leaving good lookin white eggs. 

With a knife and fork, cut up eggs.  Drizzle olive oil over eggs, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.  Enjoy your yummy and filling dish!

Mashed Winter Squash

I always stress to eat what is in season.  Well, squash is in season during the winter! So I will try to post lots of squash recipes! Here is my first. 

Start with your favored winter squash.  This is banana squash. Rinse it off.

Cut it into sections.

With a spoon, scoop out the seedy center and discard.

This is what it should look like.

Then peel off the skin.

Chop the squash into 1" cubes. If you have a steamer that can be inserted into a sauce pan (like the one below), fill pan with water until it the water line touches the bottom of the steamer. Then add squash. Cover and let water boil for about 15 minutes.  Check squash for doneness with a knife. Make sure not to over cook because if the water evaporates, the squash can burn.

Discard water and move squash into a mixing bowl.  Add a couple Tbsp of butter. With a beater on low setting, beat until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes.  Add more butter if it is too dry. 

Scoop and serve! Makes a great side dish!

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

This is a great Monday night football meal, and it doesn't take too long to make! As long as you can keep the meat lean, this sandwich is a great healthy choice for a dinner! Here's what you need:

1 onion

1 1/2 green peppers

1 Tbsp. oil

1 c mushrooms sliced and broken up

2 round sirloin steaks

6 slices provolone cheese

4 submarine rolls

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Chop onion and peppers to large but thin chunks.  

 Slice steaks to thin strips, trimming the fat along the way.

Over medium heat, add oil in skillet. Then add onion and pepper.

 Once onion and peppers start softening, add mushrooms.  

 Open bread on baking sheet and lightly spray the inside with oil cooking spray.  Place in oven for about 15 minutes, when bread is toasted on the outside , but still soft on the inside.

 When  all veggies beginning to soften, add meat.

When meat is brown, add cheese slices.

 When cheese slices have melted, gently transfer skillet contents, trying to keep the cheese on top, to the bread slices.

 You know how on all the fast food commercials, when they have the melted cheese strands in between the the two slices?... yep, thats's right :)

Parmesan Broccoli

I love how quick broccoli cooks. Seriously, from start to finish is less than ten minutes. And broccoli gives you SO MUCH of your daily essential vitamins and nutrients, that I don't know why I didn't start cooking with broccoli more than I use to.  Here's what you need:

1 bunch of broccoli

2 tsp salt

Olive oil for drizzling

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Remove stem, and slice the florets into smaller pieces.  

Pour into a pot of rapidly boiling water for 3-4 minutes.  Add salt at the same time of broccoli (It's a lot of salt, but adding it now allows the broccoli to absorb the salt as it becomes soft). Check for doneness with knife or fork. 

Drain water. Drizzle oil and sprinkle with cheese, stir.  Serve warm. Yum!