Taco Fiesta!

Last night I made a Taco Casserole for dinner. It wasn't bad and it came together pretty easily too. I found this recipe in my neighborhood cookbook yet again. I never realized how talented the neighbors were when it came to cooking. The recipe called for cream of chicken soup and ground beef. In an attempt to stay dairy free I made my own dairy free cream base and added almond milk. I should have tasted the base as I was making it because it was little too sweet as a result of the milk. It needed just a little bit more salt. Professional chefs always say you should taste your sauces during the preparation phase. I don't usually taste my cooking as I am making it. I believe I have learned my lesson with this one.

However, the cream sauce was mixed with ground turkey which I used in place of the beef because I like ground turkey more than beef. I also mixed in a can of vegetarian re-fried beans and a jar of salsa. By mixing the meat, beans, and salsa in with the cream sauce it gave it the extra saltiness it needed.

The recipe also had corn tortillas spread throughout the casserole. I don't usually like corn tortillas unless they are crisp, but they crisp up in this recipe.

After the casserole was done baking I served it with shredded lettuce, more salsa, and some chipotle Tabasco sauce. My husband liked the salsa and I liked the Tabasco sauce on top.

There was also cheese in this recipe, but again I am attempting to avoid dairy as much as possible so I used a non-dairy cheese. I have an acquaintance from high school who is vegan and she wrote a blog about this non-dairy cheese that is made from rice, so a few months ago I decided to give it a whirl. It isn't half bad and for someone who really likes cheese, I really like this non-dairy "cheese."
Don't ask me what the name of the brand is because I honestly cannot remember.

Below is the recipe to the best of my memory. I left the cookbook at home, so I am going off of memory.


Taco Casserole
1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned
1 can of refried beans
1 jar of salsa
About 6 corn tortillas torn into pieces
1 can of cream of chicken soup
splash of milk
shredded cheese of choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the browned beef or turkey with the beans and salsa, set aside. Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk, set aside. In a casserole, add a layer of the meat mixture, then layer some of the tortillas on top, then add some of the soup mixture. Repeat the layers until used. Sprinkle as little or as much cheese on top and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

Serve with favorite taco toppings and sides.

Grilling Some Cheese And Making Soup

Happy New Year! As I mentioned in an earlier post I received an indoor grill (think George Foreman) for Christmas. So I decided to use it for tonight's recipe. It has been awhile since I have actually cooked something, but I have been crazy busy with the holidays. Now that they are over I can focus on my cooking once again.

For tonight I made Grilled Cheese and Kale Sandwiches with Tomato Soup! You wouldn't think this would be good, but I was wrong! The tomato soup in this recipe is homemade! And it was very easy to make and very tasty! I don't like canned tomato soup, which is weird because I love tomatoes, but this tomato soup was actually quite tasty! This soup has carrots in it, so it adds a little bit of sweetness but it so good. I enjoyed blending the soup with the stick blender -- that was kind of fun!

The sandwiches were easy to make and very tasty! I am always looking for new ways to kick up my grilled cheese sandwiches and this definitely kicked it up! The cheese in this sandwich is havarti cheese, which is a white cheese. It is a little saltier and heartier than your typical monterey jack cheese. Each sandwich has two slices of cheese with the kale (which you cook prior to putting on the sandwich) in between. Two slices is more than enough because it is strong cheese. The bread is also a multi-grain bread which is healthier than your standard white. I must say I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this sandwich! I am not a fan of wheat bread, but I love it in this. I also loved my grill because I used it like a panini press. I didn't have to babysit the sandwich and flip it -- I put on the grill, waited three minutes, and pulled it off and ate it! I also got the nice grill marks in the bread too!

The best part of this meal was dipping the sandwich into the soup! The combination of all the flavors really make it! This dish is a great way to introduce kids to a different kind of cheese and veggies while maintaining the classic grilled cheese sandwich and soup fare!

Vegetarians and carnivores will like this dish! It is very hearty and perfect for cold winter day!

This recipe and the ones coming up all come from the February 2011 "Everyday With Rachael Ray" magazine. There will be somethings that I cook this week that I have never cooked on my own such as flank steak and tilapia! Stay tuned for this month's culinary adventures!

Grilled Cheese and Kale Sandwich With Tomato Soup:

Cheese Fondue

So I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I sure did! I ate way too much but enjoyed every minute of it!

As I said, I was put in charge of appetizers for Thanksgiving and so I decided to do cheese fondue. I didn't take a picture of it, but I am sure everyone can imagine what melted cheese in a pot looks like. I found this recipe online the other day, but cannot remember the website, so I have posted it below for your convenience.

A couple of years ago I received a fondue pot for Christmas and I LOVE it! This could almost be a product review. I love my fondue pot because it is so versatile. It is good for fondue (DUH!) but it works well as a fryer as well as a way to keep food warm. Today I used it for its intended purpose.

I made a cheddar cheese based fondue. This recipe has beer as the liquid base in it (the alcohol cooks off, but make sure your fondue pot can get hot enough for that or you may have to prepare this on the stove top and then transfer to a fondue pot) and so it made the cheese a little sharper. My favorite part of this recipe was the things I paired with the fondue to dip in it.

I had those Flip-Side crackers -- the ones that are pretzel on one side and cracker on the other. I also had some Italian bread sticks and green apples. I also toasted and diced some french bread. The french bread was probably the biggest hit. I think if I do cheese fondue next time I will just do bread and nothing else. So all in all the fondue was a decent hit!

Happy Thanksgiving! Look for a more regular post from me soon! Next up is a potato cake with fried apples and a kale salad. Hope it is good!


Cheddar Cheese Fondue

1 lb. of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup of beer
1 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. of dry mustard
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. of Worcestershire Sauce

In a mixing bowl combine the cheese, flour, mustard, and cayenne pepper. Set aside. Meanwhile, bring the fondue pot to 375 degrees and add the beer and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a rolling boil. Gradually add the cheese mixture. Stir until cheese is melted and smooth. Lower the temperature on the fondue pot to 200 degrees. Serve with various dippers such as french bread.