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Ok, as traditional enchiladas go, they’re a chicken or ground beef affair, in a corn tortilla, smothered in red sauce. Yummy. But tradition doesn’t always fly here, and all the old school ones I’ve ever had in my life have been, well, puny. No more. These are beyond easy, and just as good for breakfast the next day (not to mention super filling.) Enjoy!

• 1-1.5 lbs ground beef, drained (use taco seasoning if you feel so inclined- I do!)
• 1 can Red sauce (I use Old El Paso)
• 1 16-32oz can vegetarian refried beans (I use Taco Bell brand)
• flour tortillas (amount will vary)
• shredded cheese- cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack, colby jack, Jack Palance, whatever. I use a lot

Assuming you have browned, drained and seasoned your beef already, remove it from heat and set it aside. Spray baking dish with a bit o’ cooking spray, and pour a small amount of red sauce into bottom of dish (making sure to spread it all over). Preheat oven to 375 or whatever temp is recommended by your sauce brand. Start spooning beans onto tortillas (I spoon them straight from the can with a large spoon), and top with beef (about 2-3 tbsp). Roll up and place in dish, seam side down. Repeat until dish is full. *I use an 8*8″ Pyrex dish, so my yield is usually between 4-6, but I always have a good amount of leftover meat and beans. If you have more mouths to feed, use a larger dish.* Pour on remaining sauce and top with cheese. Lots of cheese…..Bake for 15 minutes, and cool for 2 (ok the cooling is not imperative, especially to hungry, impatient types. They may be easier to plate after a slight cooling, but I wouldn’t know, because I’ve never waited, sorry.)

I normally serve these alone, 2 per person. They are pretty darn filling. Of course, you can serve them with some Spanish rice, a little salad, or my personal favorite, Rotel dip. Which is also a yummy breakfast treat :p

In my world, there is no greater cuisine than Mexican (except Chinese, but that’s for another day). It’s spicy, sizzling, and there’s cheese, too (and we all know, I love chee!!). I also love fajitas. Warm tortillas, grilled beef and chicken (and shrimp if you can!), nestled in with cheese and pico de gallo. It’s warm, it’s cool, it’s heaven on a plate. As it happens, my favorite Mexican place is about an hour away, so it’s nice to have an easy to do alternative at home. Best of all, it cooks quickly (even in the slow cooker), so you can fix it and amuse yourself some other way. Like thinking of the last time you went out for fajitas and had a bad experience with a pomegranate margarita. Here’s what you need:

• 1 pound stir fry beef (it’s even better if pre-sliced)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 3/4- 1 cup water
• squirt of lime juice (as much as you like!)
• white vinegar (I used roughly a tablespoon)

Place the steak strips in slow cooker. Mix taco seasoning with water and pour over meat. Turn on low if you have all day, high if you have only a few hours (mine cooked in less than 2 on high). Add lime juice and vinegar to taste, cover, and go do something else for a bit. You will want to stir it once or twice to keep meat from sticking to the crock.

I’m serving mine with vegetarian refried beans, cheese and salsa on tortillas. But I’m sure the meat would be just as tasty served over Spanish rice (if you like it). And while these are obviously not identical to traditional fajitas (hence “faux”), they do a great job of satisfying any craving for the real thing you may have, without all the work. Or the long drive, in my case Enjoy!

I received this cutie cookbook (written by Jessica Seinfeld, comedian Jerry’s wife) for Christmas from Brian’s brother, Scott. The premise is “sneaking” various fruit and veggie purees into foods so your kids will get more of them in their diets (especially helpful if you have picky kids). I have no kids, but a picky Brian. I can’t say I’ve done much cooking since then, mostly tacos/enchiladas, that sort of stuff. I’ve been meaning to try out the recipes within the pages, and what better place to begin that macaroni? You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t love those noodles in cheesy sauce. In my heart, it’s tied for first with mashed potatoes as the ultimate comfort food.

This particular macaroni recipe called for 1/2 cup cauliflower, broccoli, or butternut squash puree’. I have had a bag of cauliflower in the freezer for…a bit, so I figured now was as good a time as any to use some of it. I began by boiling about a cup of it in about a cup of lightly salted water, while boiling 1.5 cups elbow macaroni in lightly salted, lightly oiled water (for about 7 minutes). While you’re waiting for the boiling to commence, spray a large skillet with non-stick spray, heat it just a tad over medium, and brown a tablespoon each of olive oil and all purpose flour (about 3 minutes). When it is barely browned, add 1/2 cup skim milk, and cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens (I believe it went a little quicker than the book said; our stove is a little wonky on the controls). After that has thickened, add 1.5 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar, stir until melted, and add 4 oz. of reduced fat cream cheese. Keep stirring until all is well incorporated, and add salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders, and paprika to taste. It’s a really thick mix! Hopefully by now, the pasta is perfectly al dente, and the cauliflower is boiled and smelling like butter (it helps to follow the advice of the book here- keep pre-made, frozen purees on hand. It’s a wee time saver, and worth it). If you haven’t yet, mash or process the cauliflower by hand or with a food processor or blender (I used a blender, kind of a pain, but ok if it’s all you have). Add the puree to the cheese mixture, drain the pasta if you have not by now, and add the sauce to the pasta. Serves four.

At first glance, I thought “At last! A healthy, super-creamy macaroni Brian and I can both enjoy!” It was a lovely shade of light yellow-orange, and looked generally perfect. I called him in for the taste test, and his first words were “too much cream cheese.” I am a big fan of the Philly, but I have to agree- there was something distinctly non-macaroni-ish about it. It wasn’t the cauliflower, and I followed the recipe to the letter (which is pretty abnormal here). Brian did wind up eating a sizable pile of it, as it wasn’t terrible, and I decided that next time- and there will definitely be a next time- I will slightly up the milk and use half the cream cheese. I had the leftovers for lunch today, with an added sprinkle of regular shredded cheddar, and it was so much better. The cream cheese taste was barely noticeable. But I don’t always want to wait overnight for my precious noodles n’ chee. The worst part was having no idea where the camera is; I served the macaroni with some Italian breadcrumb and Parmesan crusted chicken strips and a side salad. I had a nice looking plate going, but no evidence b/c there’s no telling where Brian left the camera…

This meal was born of my love for cheesy biscuits made from Pioneer baking mix (or Wagon Wheel, as it’s known in this house), and thick, creamy potato soup. I’ll eat it any time of the year, but it’s especially great in winter. So I’m a bit late posting, but now you know for next time

Also, I don’t always use exact measurements in cooking (yeah, it’s a little Rachael Ray, but not intentionally). So these are the best measurements from all the times I’ve made this. Except for the biscuits. You can’t just throw some stuff in a bowl all willy-nilly and expect awesomeness to result. Not with baking, at least.

Soup:

• 4-6 medium sized potatoes (I’ve used Russets and red skinned new potatoes with equally great results)
• water
• Cooked bacon or real bacon bits (I like the Hormel brand, in the glass jar)
• paprika, to taste
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• heavy whipping cream and skim milk
• shredded cheddar

Peel, wash, and chop the potatoes into small chunks. Rinse the chunks, and place in a 4-quart crock pot. Add enough water to pot to cover potatoes, and add spices. Turn cooker on high, and go do something else for about 5 hours. In the beginning of hour six, add bacon bits (half the jar should do), and about a cup of cream and enough skim milk to make it soupy- whatever soupy means to you. Cover and cook one hour more. For the last 20 minutes of that hour, it’s time to make the biscuits! Here goes:

Chee Biscuits:

• 2 cups Pioneer baking mix
• 2/3 cup milk, plus a splash of heavy cream (about a tablespoon should do)
• shredded cheddar- I just throw in two handfuls. I love cheese.
• half a jar of bacon bits. They have to be the real deal. Not those dehydrated bits. It won’t be the same.

Preheat oven to 400. Put baking mix in mixing bowl, add cheese and bacon bits, and mix it a bit with your hands. Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Add milk and stir just until mixed. If the mix still looks a little dry, add the cream (and if not, do it anyway. it makes a difference!) Spoon onto a baking sheet. Non stick spray is often helpful, so use it if you like. Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. When done, brush them with a bit of melted butter or margarine. You don’t need the butter, and if you don’t like it, it won’t make a difference. I just prefer mine butter-basted By this time, the soup is done, the biscuits are out and still piping hot, and you’re hungry. So dig in. I also love to sprinkle a bit of cheese on top of the soup, mostly if I decided not to add any to the soup in the crock. I know this meal sounds like an artery clogging fat fest, but no one told you to eat this way every night. Once in a while though, you can misbehave, and I won’t tell if you won’t. One last note- if you like spice, red pepper goes really well in this. I especially like red pepper flakes in the biscuits. But not too much, because I like my tongue not on fire. But a little bit of heat really complements the salty bacon and cheese. Either way, they’re just awesome biscuits, and super easy.