Mexican Casserole

1 pound ground beef

3 tablespoons onion, grated

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cottage cheese (small curd)

3 or 4 canned green chilies, seeded and chopped

2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese. grated

1 small can black olives, chopped

tortilla chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute beef in a cold skillet over medium heat.  Drain off excess fat.  Add onions, garlic, tomato sauce and olives to beef.

In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese and chopped green chilies.

Crush tortilla chips slightly.  Place half of the chips in the bottom of a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish.  Add half of the beef mixture, then a layer of half of the sour cream mixture.  Sprinkle half of the cheese over this.  Repeat these layers, reserving a few of the crushed chips for garnish.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

For a dinner party, this would be nice prepared in individual bowls, topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with chopped cilantro. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans Crescent Rolls

3 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese

1-1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter

1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay out 1 can of the crescent rolls in a 9 x 13-inch pan sprayed with nonstick spray. 

Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together with a beater until smooth; then cover the crescent rolls evenly.

Layer remaining can of crescent rolls on top.

Melt the stick of butter and pour over the top layer of rolls and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

This recipe can be halved easily - just use a 8 or 9-inch square pan.

Can be served as is,  or don't you know that some fruit topping and whipped cream would be yummy???

Thanks Cheryl!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Dreamy Strawberry Cheesecake

(Low-Fat)

3 Tablespoons Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 pkg. (4-serving size) strawberry gelatin

2/3 cup boiling water

1 cup low-fat Cottage Cheese

1 tub (8 Ounces) fat-free cream cheese

2 cups thawed whipped topping

1 can strawberry pie filling

Sprinkle crumbs onto the bottom of a 8- or 9-inch springform pan (or a 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray)

Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl at least 2 minutes until gelatin is completely dissolved.  Cool 5 minutes.  Pour into blender container.  Add cheeses and cover.  Blend on medium speed until well-blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down side of blender container.  Pour into large bowl.

Add the whipped topping and stir gently until well-blended.

Pour about half of mixture into prepared pan.  Spoon large dollops of the strawberry pie filling around, then top with remaining cheese mixture.  Take a knife and swirl it around to spread the pie filling out a little.  Smooth top with spatula.  

Refrigerate approximately 4 hours or until set.  Remove side of pan just before serving.  Top with remaining pie filling and more whipped topping.  Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

NOTE:  When in season you can chop up fresh strawberries and add some to the pie filling to add more fruit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Low Carb Pizza

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 large egg

2 tablespoons half-and-half cream

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup  grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup your favorite pizza or pasta sauce

1/2 pound Italian sausage, crumbled, browned and drained

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Optional toppings:  mushrooms, pepperoni, bell pepper, onion, bacon, anchovies, olives, jalapeno peppers

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.  Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Slowly add cream, then egg, then 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.  Mix well; set aside.  Use oil to grease pie plate well.  Scatter grated Parmesan and cheddar cheese on bottom of dish.  Pour egg mixture over cheese and bake for about  20 minutes, until puffy and lightly browned.  Remove cooked base from oven and cover with your pasta or pizza sauce.  Add any of the other toppings that you wish to add at this point.  Then sprinkle with remaining Italian seasoning and mozzarella cheese.  Increase oven temperature to 450 F. and return pan to oven.  Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese melts, bubbles and begins to brown.  Makes two servings.

Add a nice salad to this and you have a great meal that you don't have to feel guilty about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Quick & Easy Salsa

 

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup sliced jalapenos

1-1/2 tablespoons instant minced onions 

1/2 tablespoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

 

Put all ingredients in jar of blender.  Pulse on high for approximately 20 seconds or until tomatos are chopped.

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. 

Makes about 1 pint

This is great as a dip or as a topping for nachos, tacos or any other Mexican dish.

I can't say how long this will keep in the refrigerator because it doesn't ever last that long at my house.  But I can tell you that the longer it is around, the hotter it gets. 

Yum! Yum!

Bon Appetit!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Crockpot Chicken and Rice

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 pieces

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 soup can of water

5.5 ounce jar sliced mushrooms, undrained

Put all ingredients into crockpot.  Gently stir together and cook 5-1/2 hours on high.  Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in 1-1/2 cup instant white rice and 1/2 cup thawed green peas.  Cook for another 15 minutes.

Serves 5

 

Kids really like this dish.

You could substitute peas with green beans or some other vegetable.  If you want a liitle more flavor, you might also add some chopped onion, minced garlic and maybe some thyme and/or rosemary to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~