Salsa Cheese Dip

I don't have a picture of this dip, because it is honestly not very pretty. It's kind of pink and chunky. I originally had it in a blue casserole, but I switched it to a red crock to make it more appetizing.

Although it's not a looker, this appetizer is worth your attention! It's easy and addictive and a good change from the usual Mexican appetizers I serve. The red crock I put it in has a plug-in base which kept it piping hot.

Salsa Cheese Dip

1 cup salsa (I used hot salsa from the produce section)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients together with a mixer until smooth. Bake, covered, for 35 minutes at 350. Uncover, stir or whisk, and bake for 45 minutes more. After you take it out of the oven, stir or whisk again and serve with tortilla chips.

Teacher Appreciation Menu

Here are the recipes I made for the teacher appreciation lunch at Ben's school. Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo

Sweet Corn Cake

Cheesy Refried Beans

(scroll down through this post to find the recipe)

Red Beef Enchiladas

Green Enchiladas with Chicken and Sour Cream

Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake

Green Enchiladas with Chicken and Sour Cream

I've become a big fan of green enchilada sauce. You can certainly buy your own, but I've come up with a pretty easy and delicious homemade version. I guess it's more of a salsa verde enchilada sauce, because it gets its green color and flavor from diced green chiles rather than tomatillos.

This recipe has a lot of steps, but the enchiladas are so good!

Filling

2 cups sour cream
1 cup sliced/chopped green onions
½ teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack

1 rotisserie chicken, or 3 cups of shredded roasted chicken

Tortillas

12 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

Enchilada Sauce

3/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 7-oz. can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup chopped green onions (for garnish)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Mix all filling ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas (one at a time) for 5 seconds on each side to soften and make them pliable. Add more oil to pan as needed. Drain between layers of paper towel and keep warm.

3.Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until mixture begins to boil. Slowly add the broth, stirring with a whisk until thickened. Mix in the chiles, and heat thoroughly but do not boil, stirring occasionally.

4. Dip each tortilla in the warm enchilada sauce. Lay tortilla on a plate, then spoon a good two or three tablespoons of the sour cream/chicken mixture in the middle. Roll tortilla, then place face down in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and sour cream mixture.

5. Cover the dish with the remaining cheese, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees until bubbly. Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions.

Sweet Corn Cake

This is not the same as Sweet Corn Pudding; it's a great accompaniment to a Mexican meal. ChiChi's used to serve it, and you can still buy a mix, but this is much better. It doesn't make a huge amount - you serve it almost like a garnish on the plate. But if you think you'll like it, you can double it easily.

Sweet Corn Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (can use milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the Mexican corn flour and water and beat until well mixed.
2. Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water. (You can skip the water bath if you like.)
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F (175 degrees C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.

Pico de Gallo and Guacamole

I love salsa, but lately I've been making pico de gallo more often. I like how chunky and flavorful it is, and it's a great topping for breakfast burritos or tacos. I first made it when I was introduced to Rick Bayless's Mexican cookbooks, but I wasn't a huge fan until I read Pioneer Woman's take on pico: each ingredient plays an equally important role. In other words, pico de gallo should not be 3/4 tomato with a little onion, jalapeno, and cilantro; equal amounts are what gives pico its flavor.

When you make it, save a 1/2 cup or so for the guacamole; that recipe will come next.

Pico de Gallo

4-5 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 small onion, diced

3 jalapenos, seeded and minced (leave the seeds in if you want much spicier pico)

1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and leaves chopped

2 T. lime juice

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients. Taste and correct with more lime juice and salt if needed.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados, mashed (you can buy unripe avocados a few days ahead and put them in a bag with an apple to ripen them)

1/2 cup pico de gallo

lime juice

salt

Combine avocado with pico de gallo. Add more lime juice and salt if needed.

Carnitas

Here's another great recipe from Pam Anderson! (The cookbook author, not the, um, actress. Scroll to the bottom of the post to find a link to her cookbook.) It's her overnight shredded pork which you can make into barbecue by adding sauce or carnitas (shredded pork tacos), which we did tonight. It's supereasy because you cook the pork overnight on low heat and shred it at your convenience. It's also cheap because pork shoulder is very reasonable and goes on sale regularly.

What makes these carnitas truly memorable are the extras you serve them with. Guacamole and orange cumin slaw, along with the usual cheese, salsa, and sour cream, are excellent counterpoints to the shredded pork. I liked Cotija cheese, but cheddar/monterey jack is good, too. Choose flour or corn tortillas according to your preference.

Carnitas

bone-in 8 - 9 lb. pork shoulder or picnic shoulder (trimmed of thick fat layer)

3 T. paprika

3 T. brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 T. black pepper

1 1/2 T. garlic powder

1/2 c. dijon or spicy brown mustard

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degree F.

Mix brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder in small bowl. Pat roast dry and place in a roasting pan. Lightly sprinkle top and sides of roast with salt, brush with half the mustard and sprinkle with half the spice rub. Carefully turn roast over. Sprinkle with a little salt, brush with remaining mustard and sprinkle with remaining spice rub.

Roast until meat thermometer registers 170 degree F, 9 to 11 hours, depending on size (9 hours is usually just right.). Transfer pork to platter and cool enough to handle, about 1 hour. Cut roast chunks and shred meat into a large bowl. Add enough pan drippings to moisten pork and stir to combine.

Note: You can put the pork in the refrigerator until later. Shred the pork and put roasting pan over two burners. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, and stir to loosen cooked-on bits. Return pork to pan to reheat.

To serve: Set out 20 small flour tortillas or 24 corn tortillas, Orange-Cumin Slaw, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. Warm the tortillas wrapped in a kitchen towel in the microwave or oven on low heat.

Orange Cumin Slaw

1/4 c. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1/4 c. rice wine vinegar

1/4 c. olive oil

1 t. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 16 oz. bag cole slaw mix (cabbage and carrots)

Mix together orange juice, vinegar, and cumin. Add olive oil slowly, whisking to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over cole slaw mix and toss.

Guacamole

4 avocados (tip: buy them green and store in a bag in the pantry with an apple for 4 days or so - they will be perfectly ripe)

1/4 c. lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Mash avocados. Add lime juice and plenty of salt and pepper.

Black Beans and Brown Rice

Here's Martha Stewart's twist on red beans and rice. This meal is delicious - but you really need to put out a choice of toppings. Be sure to check the beans as they cook, because mine were done early.

Jack really liked this; Ben pretty much ate brown rice with shredded cheese and tomato.

FOR THE BEANS
8 cups water, plus more if needed
1 bag (1 pound) dried black beans, picked over, rinsed, and drained
1 jalapeno chile, halved and seeded
2 medium onions, quartered
5 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper


FOR THE RICE
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups long-grain brown rice
3 1/2 cups water

Make the beans: Bring water, beans, jalapeno, onions, garlic, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to a simmer in a medium pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Add more water, 1/4 cup at a time, if needed.) Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, make the rice: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the rice. Cook until rice is slightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add water, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, and gently simmer, covered, until rice absorbs water, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with beans.

SERVING IDEA Serve beans and rice with jarred jalapenos, fresh cilantro, diced onion, chopped tomato, cubed avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, and hot sauce.

Migas

Migas, according to the Pioneer Woman, are a very popular breakfast item in the Southwest of the U.S. I'd never had them until I saw them on her site, but we've had them for dinner a number of times. I am not a fan of the egg unless it is mixed with lots of other good stuff, but these fit the bill. PW's migas are meatless, but I add some crumbled bacon on top - partly because I don't like eggs without meat, and partly because, well, BACON!

(Side note: 2 strips of bacon only has 6 grams of fat and 80 calories - and I only used one per serving: not bad!)

The authentic way to make migas is to deep fry corn tortillas and chop them before adding them to the dish. But I always have broken hard-shell taco shells in the pantry, so that's what I use. You could use tortilla chips in a pinch. Whichever way you go, the tortialls meld with the eggs and give body and flavor - they don't stay crunchy.

Migas (adapted from Pioneer Woman)

4 hard shell taco shells, crushed.
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeds And Membranes Removed, Finely Diced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 whole Green Pepper, Roughly Chopped
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Roughly Chopped
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
10 whole Large Eggs
8 oz. (2 cups) Cotija Cheese, Grated (you can sub any cheese you like with Tex/Mex)
⅓ cups Cilantro, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
¼ cups milk
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Preparation Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Salt and pepper eggs, then set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the olive oil with the butter. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until starting to turn brown/black, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add in diced jalapenos and stir to combine. Add tomatoes to the skillet and stir around, then add tortilla pieces, stirring gently to combine.

Reduce heat to low.

When the heat has decreased, pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir gently to cook with the peppers, folding mixture very gently as it cooks. Add in grated cheese and chopped cilantro, and stir to combine.

Serve with bacon sprinkled on top.

Makes 6-8 servings. Reheats beautifully!

Beef Enchiladas

Periodically I decide to make some meals and sauces and prepare some meat to stock the freezer. It's usually when we've been busy and I decide we've had too much "ordered" pizza or Chinese. I made a double batch of enchiladas yesterday and a triple batch of sauce, so I wanted to share this recipe.

Enchiladas are time-consuming, but they freeze and reheat well, so they're worth it. Traditionally, they are made with soft corn tortillas which have been fried, but *other people* in this family prefer flour, so that's what I'm using in this recipe. Corn is a whole grain, but you fry them, so nutritionally it's probably a wash - just use whichever you prefer. If you do use the corn tortillas, you'll get close to twice as many enchiladas. Heat an inch or so of vegetable oil in a heavy bottom pot and fry tortillas one at a time on each side (30-60 seconds each); drain on paper towels.

Beef Enchiladas

Makes 6-8 large flour enchiladas.

3 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 T. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. cumin
3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 14 oz. can low sodium beef broth

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, diced

3 cups cheddar or Mexican cheese, shredded

Brown ground beef with onions until done; drain.

Melt butter in a deep skillet or sauce pan. Add flour slowly, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and golden brown. Add spices and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomato sauce and broth and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth and thickened. Add 1/4 c. water if it is too thick.

Ladle some sauce into the bottom of a 9X13 pan, just covering the bottom. Put the meat mixture in a bowl and add a little sauce, stirring it in. Put a flour tortilla on a plate and scatter about 1/2 c. of meat mixture and a sprinkling of cheese on one side; roll up tortilla. Place in pan seam side down.

When pan is full of enchiladas, pour the rest of the sauce on top and cover with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and hot sauce.

Fish Tacos

Jack loves fish and seafood almost as much as I do - he cheered when I told him what we were having for dinner tonight. These fish tacos are a healthier version of the ones you get in a restaurant, since they are not deep fried. I ate them with traditional soft corn, and Jack liked hard shell corn tortillas. I tried his, and I think they made the tacos taste a bit more like restaurant ones because they are crunchy and fried.

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The toppings for these tacos came from Sara's Secrets, a cookbook I really like.

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1 lb. tilapia

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs (Kikkoman is a common brand)

1-2 T. butter, melted

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2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 chipotle peppers, diced

1 T. adobo sauce (from the chipotle can)

2 T. lime juice

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2 cups shredded cabbage

1/4 t. salt

2 T. unseasoned rice vinegar

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1 avocado - diced

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Tortillas - soft or crunchy corn recommended

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Combine flour with 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Dip fish into flour, coating lightly. Dip into egg, and finish with panko breadcrumbs on both sides. Place on a baking dish and drizzle fish with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

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Combine sauce ingredients (mayo through lime juice). Chill until time to serve.

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Just before fish is finished cooking, toss cabbage with salt and rice vinegar.

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When fish is cooked, cut into chunks. Serve at the table with tortillas, sauce, cabbage, and avocado.

Chipotle Chicken Salad

This recipe is actually for tacos, but I liked it even better with the filling used as a salad. You can wrap the filling in any kind of tortillas you like: flour, hard shell, or soft shell corn. I got the original recipe from Recipezaar, but I streamlined it to make it easy for weeknights.

Note: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are sold with the Mexican products. You can take out the two you need for this recipe and freeze the rest for another time.

Chipotle Chicken Salad

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped
salt
1 package coleslaw* mix with carrots (can also used chopped napa cabbage and carrots)
1/2 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded (or three cups cooked chicken)
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 cup coarsely grated mexican queso anejo or queso fresco (like Romano or feta, respectively)

warm tortillas (if you want a wrap rather than a salad)

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*Bagged coleslaw mix is next to bagged lettuce; it won't have dressing on it.

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In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and chipotles.
Season generously with 1/4 t. salt.
Add the coleslaw, onion, cilantro and chicken.
Toss everything together and let stand for 15 minutes.
Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.

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Scoop the filling into a wide shallow serving bowl, dot with the cubed avocado and dust generously with the cheese.

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Serve with warm tortillas, if desirted.

Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas Verde

This is not a picture of my enchiladas. If I posted my picture, you would not want to make this recipe - green enchilada sauce does not photograph well. If you want to see what I mean, look up green enchiladas in Google images, and you'll see - the pea soup over tortillas look is not very appetizing.


But these were so good! I made them a few days after the 4th of July with some leftover corn salad (made from corn scraped off the cob).

Green enchilada sauce is made from tomatillos and is a little more fresh and tart tasting than red. It's widely available with other Mexican food products.


This is a rare recipe that I developed myself. The amounts are approximate.



Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas Verde



1 T. olive oil

1 T. lime juice

1/c. red onion, diced

1.5 - 2 cups of corn

1 can black beans (or 2 cups), drained and rinsed

1 can Rotel tomatoes, any kind

8-12 flour tortillas

1 large can (28 oz. +) green enchilada sauce (I often make my own, but didn't have time)

1 12-oz. package Queso Fresco (Mexican crumbling cheese - texture of feta)



Mix together corn, black beans, Rotel tomatoes, and diced red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice and stir to combine. Pour in 1/4 - 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce and combine.

Place a tortilla on a dinner-sized plate, and put 1/4 cup of the filling on one edge of a tortilla. Wrap it up, trying not to spill the filling out. Put the tortillas, seam side down, in a baking dish. Pour rest of enchilada sauce on top of tortillas, trying to cover completely. Crumble and sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn on a broiler for a couple of minutes (watching carefully) until enchiladas are slightly browned and bubbly.

Serve with sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Homemade Tortillas

Instead of the insipid gummy blandness of store-bought tortillas, these were substantial and flavorful. The slightly blackened spots added an almost smoky taste. These were more than just a vehicle for getting meat, cheese, and vegetables to your mouth! Crisp and slightly chewy at the same time - delicious.

Were they easy? Well, they take a bit of planning. They could certainly be made ahead of time and rewarmed in a dry skillet. There is no yeast involved, so there is no rising time, but the dough does need to rest.

I found the recipe on a blog called the Homesick Texan (http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html) which is a great find as well! I'll be visiting often to try her recipes.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

Two cups all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-

wheat flour for white flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

3/4 cups warm milk

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.

Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes.

After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s very thin and about eight inches in diameter. Don’t overwork the dough, or it’ll be stiff.

Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook. Gently shake off excess flour. In a dry skillet heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat. Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil. While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so. Makes eight tortillas.

What We're Eating - Week of 3/2/09

This week is a busy one for me - I have to go to campus about 45 minutes away to give finals on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon/evening, so I need to leave something for dinner that will be quick and ready whenever the boys are ready to eat.

Monday
Fish tacos


Tuesday
Chicken Caesar salad wraps (deconstructed for the boys)
I can take this with me to my finals, and the boys can eat it whenever - helpful because Jack has baseball practice that night!

Wednesday
Hamburger Stroganoff
salad
Comfort food from my childhood

Thursday
Mexican lasagna

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mexican-lasagna-recipe/index.html

Friday
Kung Pao chicken
brown rice

Make-Ahead Projects for Sunday

• Cook and freeze brown rice
• Make Caesar dressing
• Make sauce for fish tacos
• Soak and cook black beans for Mexican lasagna
• Make Kung Pao sauce

Weekly Baking
King Arthur Flour bagels - I've never made them from scratch
Cookies - giant chocolate chip

Ben's Birthday Bash

Ben turned three on Saturday, and we had a Diego-themed party. He had so much fun playing party games, opening presents, and blowing out the candles on his cake.

During the festivities, I had the Mexican Layer Dip on the island with some tortilla chips. You can find the recipe if you click on the appetizers tag. Since Ben loves fruit so much, I also put out watermelon, red grapes, purple grapes, green apples, red apples, kiwi, bananas, strawberries, honeydew, and canteloupe along with the three fruit dips you can also find under the appetizers tag.

We had 22 people at the party, all of them close family and friends, so we decided to serve dinner after the party. Mexican food lends itself to large groups and varied tastes, so we went with a taco bar. I wish I'd taken pictures of the toppings all laid out; my mother-in-law gave me a cool Tuscan serving set last Christmas that was perfect to contain the onions, tortillas, cheese, olives, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapenos, and lettuce. You can sort of see it in the background of the cake picture. I also made cheesy refried beans and ground beef taco meat. My SIL makes ground beef in the crockpot, which produces fine-textured meat similar to many Mexican restaurants. Since I made just under 6 pounds of meat, the crock pot was much easier than using the frying pan! I also made taco seasoning instead of buying it. See the recipes below for more details.

The party was lots of fun, and I am so grateful to have friends and family members who help me clean up!

Cake

I made two cakes: a dark chocolate 9x13 for the base and an 8-inch round two-layer yellow cake. The chocolate cake recipe is on the back of the Hershey's Special Dark cocoa box, and the yellow cake recipe came from a friend of my mother's. The yellow cake is dense and very flavorful, and I love the dark chocolate cake, which is lighter.

Yellow Cake

Preheat oven to 350.

2 1/4 c. flour

3 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 3 oz. pkg. vanilla pudding

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 stick butter, softened

2 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

4 egg whites

Grease and flour a 13X9 pan or 2 8-inch cake pans.Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the batter, ending with flour. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Gently spoon into pan(s).Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until golden and no crumbs cling to cake tester inserted in the middle.

Decorator's Buttercream

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. butter

1 t. vanilla

4 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 T. milk

Cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, beating well on medium speed. Will appear dry. Add milk - beat until light and fluffy.

Tacos

Cheesy Refried Beans

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

2 cans refried beans

1 cup sour cream

3 cups shredded Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese (will mix up smoother if you grate cheese rather than buying pre-shredded)

1 package taco seasoning or 1/4 cup homemade taco seasoning

Mix 2 cups of shredded cheese with all other ingredients until smooth. Pour into 2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or as a side dish or burrito filling.

Crockpot Taco Meat

Put the desired amount of ground beef into a crockpot. Add a chopped onion or two, and pour about an inch of water in the bottom of the crockpot. Set on high for four hours, stirring occasionally. When meat is cooked, drain off most of the water and add taco seasoning (one packet or 1/4 cup per pound of meat). Leave on warm until ready to eat.

Taco Seasoning Mix - adapted from http://www.recipezaar.com/

2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2-3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon seasoning salt (or use 1/2 teaspoon white salt)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)

2 t. cornstarch

Mix all ingredients together. You can multiply the amounts by 5 or 10 and keep some in the refrigerator. I added some tomato paste to the taco meat because I thought it needed some tomato flavor.