Taco Lasagna

Finally, another recipe! We have been so busy the past couple of days I haven’t had time to make a good homemade meal. We had a few quick fix dinners, but hey, at least we didn’t eat out right? Here is another one from the Lancaster Family Recipe book. It is called Taco Lasagna.

1 lb. ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green pepper

2/3 cup water

1 envelope taco season

1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 – 14.5 oz can Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained

6 – 8 oz. flour tortillas

1 – 16 oz. can refried beans

3 cups (12 oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, cook the beef, green peppers and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add water and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes. Stir in the black beans and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Place 2 tortillas in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Spread with half of the refried beans and beef mixture; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 9 servings

I forgot black beans at the grocery store. Luckily my wonderful mom who happens to live minutes away brought me a can of pinto beans. So I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but at least it had the beans!

Zach: “It’s really good, just needs a little salt and some salsa.”

JT: “It needs some salsa.” (I think someone wants to be like his daddy. : )

Who doesn't love onions and peppers??? YUM

This is just after everything was added in the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes.

And the end product... didn't get a picture before the boys were wanting to eat. :)

 I hope you enjoy the recipe! We sure enjoyed making it together.

Easy Cookies

We had enough leftovers for last night and tonight, so I haven’t had to cook any “meals”. Today I thought I would make something sweet  for the boys. While I was looking through the “Lancaster Family Recipe” book I came across “Easy Cookies” which I already had all of the ingredients for. Being the lazy Saturday that it is, I was excited to not have to go to the grocery store!

1 (18.25 oz) box of ANY flavor cake mix

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup of vegetable oil

Mix in large bowl. Make small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes.

Variations: (Mix each with egg and oil)

Chocolate cake mix and 1 cup  mint chocolate chips

Yellow cake mix, 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped pecans

White cake mix, 1 cup vanilla chips and 1 cup chp. Macadamia nuts

Yellow cake mix, 1 cup peanut butter chips and 1 cup chp. Peanuts

This is the easiest cookie recipe I have every made, and we all loved it! Family Verdict:

Zach: “They’re good”

JT: “Yea, pretty good”

Will (8 months): “Mum Mum”

We used the yellow cake mix and chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t add nuts because we aren’t crazy about them.

Here is JT with the mix, he had a blast helping!

The final product, very YUM!

Hearty Chicken Soup

Tonight we tried “Hearty Chicken Soup” from the Lancaster Family Recipe book.

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

2 – 10 oz cans of Campbell’s Chick Veggie Soup

1 – 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, unsalted

1 – 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1 ½ cups chicken broth (saved when cooking the chicken)

1 -15 oz. can reg. Ranch Style Beans

Remove fat from chicken, wash. Boil 1 Hour in 1 ½ cups unsalted water (undiluted soup is salty). Remove from broth and cool. Cut Chicken into small chunks. Mix all together, simmer 30 minutes or in crock pot on low for 3-4 hours.

You can add a can of green beans, lima beans or sweet peas if you like.

Although this takes a long time to cook, you really don’t have to do anything but throw everything together in a pot. I love these kind of recipes!  Family Verdict:

Zach: Very Good and filling!

JT: I LOVE it!

I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. After I put everything in together I thought it looked like it needed some more to fill these growing boys.

So I added a bag of veggies I got a while back on sale from Kroger. It made it thicker, plus JT LOVES broccoli. 

I served the soup with some crackers and we were good to go! I will make this again! Yum!

Easy Italian Chicken

Tonight I made "Easy Italian Chicken" from the recipe book Lancaster Family Recipes. This is one from Zach's aunt Donna. 

3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breast

Italian Salad Dressing (any brand, oil based not creamy)

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pierce chicken breasts with a fork or pound them flat. Marinate them in enough Italian dressing to cover them for at least 30 minutes (you can put them in a large baggie with the dressing).

Remove the breasts and grill or broil them for approx. 15 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

This recipe is as simple as it gets, perfect for a busy mom with limited time after work. Here is the verdict from the family:

Zach:  "Good, but not enough seasoning or extra flavor"

JT (4 years): "Just Good"

Here is what I would change about the recipe for next time: Marinate the chicken in the Italian dressing for about a day instead of an hour, use chicken tenders instead of breasts or split the breast to make them thinner, and add some Italian seasoning before putting on the cheese. I bet they would be great grilled!

This is what they looked like before I put them in the fridge to marinate. I should have pounded them down thinner!

These are the sides I went with. Two of our favorites. We always try to eat frozen or fresh veggies instead of the can!

And the finished product! Yum!

New Year New Meals

This year my New Year's resolution is to find a collection of recipes that will feed my growing boys. I was inspired to do this because I have 3 "boys" in the house and they eat more than I could have ever imagined! My youngest is 8 months old and already wearing size 2T and 3T clothes. I know he eats a lot now, but I can't imagine what it will be like in 10 years! 

So, in the past I have tried the "cheap" way of cooking. But every recipe I found will barely feed myself and my husband (who is also a big eater). I decided to find some economical recipes that will also fill my bottomless pits. The first recipe book I am trying is one that was actually made by my husband's aunt. It is a collection of their family recipes and I am eager to try everything in it! I will post pictures and recipes as I cook them along with a review. :) Hope you enjoy.