Hamburger Potato Chowder

I only call this soup a chowder because it has a light, thin broth similar to clam chowder. Whatever you decide to call it: it's DELICIOUS. Besides, "Hamburger Veggie Soup" just doesn't sound as good. ;) You can make this with breakfast sausage or hamburger. We've made it both ways and our family seems to like hamburger better. We've also found we really like red potatoes in it. Brown russet potatoes work well, too. It's just a feel good soup in which we never have any leftovers.

[Read all of recipe before beginning ;)]

Ingredients:
5 cups chicken broth (see note)
2 cups carrots, diced small
1 celery rib, diced very small
5 red or brown potatoes, diced small
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press
1 lb hamburger (or sausage or half a pound of each, we prefer hamburger but both are great)
1 12oz can evaporated milk
2 Tbsp broth (from soup -see instructions)
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Note about broth: I've found we really like the Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon in the mexican aisle
If you choose to do the bouillon, we do 1 Tbsp for every cup of water. Feel free to adjust this to your own tastes. Place water in a bowl with bouillon and warm it up in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Stir until bouillon is mixed well.

Directions:
Into a 3.5 quart pot, add broth, carrots, celery, and potatoes.
Cook all veggies in chicken broth until potatoes are about half done. I do a taste check at this point. I usually add some pepper, but rarely any salt.

While you are simultaneously cooking the veggies, in a 3 quart pan, cook the hamburger, onions, and garlic. I VERY lightly salt my hamburger and sprinkle some pepper over it. Brown it until done. I like to break my hamburger up so it is fine. It is a soup that you want to get a little of everything in every bite. I don't like any of the hamburger or veggies being too big.

Remove any grease from the hamburger. Add this to the veggies when the potatoes are half done. Allow to simmer until veggies are VERY close to done. When the veggies are tender, add evaporated milk and stir. You can serve it at this point. OR, if you want it just slightly thicker, you can remove 2 Tbsp of broth to a small bowl and stir in 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Stir until smooth and then add back into the soup. Do one last taste test and serve.

We love this soup with biscuits or breadsticks or even just saltines. So delicious and just warms you right up! Simple and delicious!

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

I found this recipe on Pinterest. A friend suggested some things she had changed and then I made a couple more. I apologize in advance that there are no pictures. (See original recipe for pics of the deliciousness!) My family gobbled it all up so fast, I didn't have a chance to take any pictures. I'll remedy that later & update the post. Take my word for it, this recipe is delicious! Here's the recipe with my changes:

*indicates my changes

For meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used the plain ones I had on hand)
1 egg
*2 large cloves garlic, pressed 
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup coarse grain mustard (I used dijon mustard I had on hand and did just under 1/4 cup)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp olive oil (for frying)

For gravy:
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped fine and set aside
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
*1 can Campbell's beef consommé
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 Tbsp ketchup
Parsley for garnish (optional)

*Mashed Potatoes:

4 large russet potatoes 

1 cube butter

1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Note: I prefer to make the meatballs ahead earlier in the day. It makes the balancing of cooking the meatballs, dicing potatoes for mashed potatoes, turning the meatballs, and all that so much easier! Before I start cooking the meatballs, I also premeasure the gravy ingredients and set aside for quick adding.

In a bowl, mix everything for meatballs together except for the olive oil. Roll into 1" balls. Should make close to 40 meatballs. (I think got just under 40.)

In a skillet, over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add meatballs, about 20 at a time -depending on the size of your pan. (Mine was a 12" pan.) Don't overcrowd the meatballs. You want plenty of space to be able to turn them over. The original recipes suggests leaving 1/2" buffer zone around the meatballs to avoid meatballs falling apart. Cook the meatballs well on all sides (you want them completely cooked on the inside). Take cooked meatballs out and set aside. I put mine on a plate with foil over them. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

For the gravy, once the meatballs are all done cooking, add the butter and onions to the pan. Using a rubber, heat resistant spatula, stir the butter and onions around. You'll pick up all that yummy goodness left behind by the meatballs. It will add excellent flavor to your sauce. In a bowl, add the cornstarch to the consommé and whisk well to get rid of any lumps. Keep stirring the onions around until they are softened and translucent. Add in the consommé/cornstarch mixture as well as the other gravy ingredients. Mix well with spatula and allow to thicken. This will take about 3-5 minutes. I like to lower the temperature to low after it thickens and add the meatballs at this point. I cover the pan while I finish mashing the potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes directions: 

Peel and dice potatoes. Boil until tender. Drain and pour potatoes into bowl for mixing or into bosch mixer. With mixer or in bosch (with whisk attachment), beat potatoes with butter, cream, and salt and pepper. Add small dashes of extra cream if needed. These mix up fast. Don’t over mix. Taste test for fluffiness as well for taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve meatballs over mashed potatoes and enjoy! Absolutely delicious!!!

Adapted from Jo Cooks.

Hashbrown Pie

This is a re-post of a much much older post. I finally took a picture of it. It is difficult to get a good picture of any casserole, but oh-well. The taste is great. It is an all-in-one dish meal & always a kid and husband favorite. We're not huge casserole fans, but on busy nights, this dish is easy to throw together.

from a cookbook at a bed & breakfast in Utah

1 bg frozen hashbrowns
1 lb browned hamburger
1 can corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup sour cream
½ pkg Lipton Onion Soup
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Put about 1” of hashbrowns in bottom of greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. You can do more. I’ve just found that 1” to 1 ½” works well. That way the layers are even. Brown hamburger with Lipton Onion Soup and a dash of pepper. Layer hamburger on top of hashbrowns. Add corn. Combine soups & sour cream. Pour over corn. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350º for 45 to 60 min. Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Lo-fat tip: Use ground turkey and yogurt sour cream.

Turkey Meatballs

from Kelly

l lb ground turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp worcestershire
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 egg

Mix with hands, roll. Fry them until cooked through. Place in pan.

Sauce:
1/2 package of onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom
fill can 3/4 full of milk

Whisk together, pour over meatballs, cover and put in the oven for 60 min at 350.

Mexican Lasagna

This is a repost of a recipe I put on here 2 years ago! (I can't believe this blog is that old!) It is a family favorite but I never remember to take pictures. Super easy, a kid favorite and if there are leftovers, it reheats well. Plus, it can be made ahead and frozen. My kind of meal!

*See variations at the bottom of post

from a card at a grocery store

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
1 pkg Taco Seasoning -I just do ½ pkg otherwise it can be a little too spicy
1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned salt
1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
½ of a 4oz can of diced green chiles
–I put the other half in a Ziploc bag and freeze it for later. It works really well.
1 cup ricotta cheese – I use cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
10 corn tortillas
2 ½ cups (10 oz.) grated Monterey jack cheese –I just use whatever cheese I have

**Note: the pictures are of a 1/2 batch. It makes just the right amount for my little family of 4. You could make a whole batch in 2 different pans and freeze one for another time.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, stirring until cooked through; drain fat. Add taco seasoning mix, seasoned salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chiles; blend well. (I leave out the chiles because my two little kids don't like the spice. But before we had kids, the chiles were in and they're great!) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.

In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and eggs. (You can leave the eggs out and just do the ricotta/cottage cheese. You'll just need a little more. I don't even measure anymore... I just make sure the tortillas are covered sufficiently.)

In bottom of 13x9x2 inch baking dish, spread ½ of meat mixture.Top with ½ of tortillas;spread ½ of ricotta cheese mixture over tortillasand top with ½ of grated cheese.Repeat layering, ending with grated cheese.Bake, uncovered, in 350 oven 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares. I know it isn't pretty, it all got eaten before I got a picture! And after this picture, it was ALL GONE!

Variation:

For a half batch, I used 1lb hamburger, NO taco seasoning, 1/2 tsp Lawry's, ONE 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles, 8oz tomato sauce, NO green chiles, NO eggs, cottage cheese, and extra thin corn tortillas. I liked it really well. Very easy having the tomatoes and chiles mixed together. It was the perfect spicy-ness for my family without losing any flavor. I liked the thinner tortillas and it didn't overwhelm the dish at all like some tortillas have in the past. Very good. Will probably do it this way from now on!

Simply Beef Stew

I got this recipe from my neighbor. She brought this stew over after I had my baby. It was so simple and delicious. We'll be making it again because my kids loved it! The other great thing was the veggies were in beautiful, big chunks but they were so tender and not crunchy or mushy like in most stews. The key is cooking them separately. Hope you enjoy this simple, yet full of flavor, stew.

from Jean

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, cut up
2 cups cubed potatoes
2 cups carrots, cut in thick circles
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp thyme or oregano (we used thyme)
pepper to taste
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 can tomato soup
Reserved veggie water

Cook hamburger with salt, pepper, and thyme. (Keep hamburger kind of chunky.)

In separate pots, cook potatoes and carrots until almost done. (Cook the onions with the potatoes.)Reserve water from potatoes and carrots.

Add veggies, Worcestershire, tomato soup, and veggie water to hamburger. (You might not need all the veggie water. Add to desired broth consistency.) Simmer for 30 minutes until veggies are fully tender (but not mushy).Serve with breadsticks or saltines.

Frank's Heinz 57 Meatballs

These meatballs were created purely from "throwing in this and that" until it looked right. In fact I still don't know what to call them. If you make them and come up with a good idea.... let me know. :) The flavor of these meatballs was amazing! They don't look pretty.... no matter how hard I tried to take pictures from different angles. However, you won't be disappointed. And don't let the Frank's Red Hot Sauce throw you off. There's not a lot in the recipe and it just gives it a great flavor. They're not spicy by any means. My kids loved them!

1 lb hamburger, thawed
1/3 cup Italian style bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Heinz 57
2 tsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce, original flavor
1 tsp minced onions
1/2 tsp minced garlic

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. (Note, I accidentally put in an egg. It doesn't need it. In fact, it is better without it.)

Now, I don't normally like the smell of ground beef (especially when I'm pregnant), but the smell of this was so yummy! I couldn't wait to see what the end result would be.Using an ice cream scoop (and plastic gloves if desired), roll mixture into about 1 inch balls.

Place in glass baking dish. This made 24 meatballs.Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes.Serve with your choice of side dish. We did loaded mashed potatoes and a salad. The kids liked dipping their meatballs in Bullseye BBQ sauce. With or without sauce, they were super delicious! I'll be posting the recipe for loaded mashed potatoes on Monday.

Cream Cheese Lasagna Roll-ups

from Rebecca and blogchef.net

I found two recipes I wanted to try and combined them

The picture above was taken after they had set up a bit, so sorry it isn't pretty. But the taste... the taste was pretty good! ***Variation at bottom of post.

12 lasagna noodles, cooked about half way

Favorite spaghetti sauce (homemade or in a jar)

1 lb hamburger, browned and drained

OR

1 lb italian sausage, browned and drained

Filling:

1 pkg cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 cups sour cream

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

2 tsp parsley

1/4 cup chopped spinach

Salt and pepper

Mix spaghetti sauce and hamburger/sausage together and put half of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 375.

Boil lasagna noodles until they are half done. (I always cook 1 or 2 extra in case they tear really bad or I have extra filling.) Then spread the noodles out on a piece of aluminum foil to let the water dry off a bit. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Mix sour cream and cream cheese together until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Spread a thin, but still generous, layer over each noodle.Carefully roll up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat until all noodles are rolled up. I only made a half batch for my family of 4 (we have two small children so I knew they would only eat 1).Spoon remaining sauce over rolls. (Done after the picture was taken.)

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375. At about the last 8 or 9 minutes, sprinkle mozzarella over the tops and finish cooking. Make sure cheese is melted. Dish up and enjoy with your favorite garlic bread and veggie.

**Note: Tonight, I just made this as a quick dish with a jar of spaghetti sauce, no spinach and no meat. However, I do think meat is an excellent addition to the dish as well as the spinach. Next time I make it I think that I'll add maybe 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes to the sauce. I think it would be really tasty that way. However, it was still good as a quick dish, but it could have been amazing with some meat, spinach, and the tomatoes.

***Variation:

1 1/4 cups cottage cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 beaten egg

Pinch of onion salt

Sprinkle of pepper

Couple of dashes of parsley

Mix up and spread 1/4 cup across each noodle. Makes 6 roll-ups.

Aunt Bessie Meatballs

I found this recipe at Favorite Family Recipes. It was simple and very tasty. I actually thought it tasted like a foil dinner in meatball form. They're moist and have great flavor. I tried to think of another name for them, but couldn't. So we'll stick with the original. :) My family really liked them and we'll be adding this dish to our favorites list. I don't normally post recipes I've found from other blogger sites because I don't want to recipe poach. But we really enjoyed this family friendly dish and I wanted to share it with all of you, too.

For the meatballs:
1lb hamburger, thawed
1 carrot, grated
1 large potato, shredded (raw)
Minced Onion (the recipe calls for chopped onions, but my family won't touch onions)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 beaten egg
Add salt and pepper to taste

For the gravy/sauce:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can milk

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs. Shape into balls and brown in a pan with a small amount of oil. I had to make sure I turned them carefully so they didn't fall apart. They stay together pretty good, but I found that you couldn't just stir them around to keep them browning on all sides. Once they're sufficiently browned, put in a casserole dish.
Pour sauce evenly over the meatballs.

Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350.
Serve over rice. Along with your preferred vegetable. Makes about 25 meatballs.

Meat and Potato Burrito

I love Taco Johns. However, I live 2 hours from the nearest one. So I decided to make my own version of their Meat and Potato Burrito. It actually turned out pretty good. We'll definitely be making them again!

2 lbs hamburger

taco seasoning

water

lettuce, shredded

tomato, cut up

nacho cheese sauce -I just buy a small cup at my convenience store

sour cream

Ore Ida Crispy Crowns

Burrito-sized tortillas

Brown hamburger with minced onions. Drain and return to pan with 1/3 cup water and taco seasoning. Use your own judgement on how much seasoning you want. Turn on low and allow the hamburger to get moist and tasty. If it starts to get too dry, add just a little more water.

Broil the crispy crowns. You want about 6-8 per burrito. I like a little bit more crunch and texture in mine so I use 8. Broil the crispy crowls on high for about 7-8 minutes. Turn them over and broil for another 3-4 minutes. Check until they're golden brown and crisp, but not burnt or soggy.

Wrapped in paper towels, warm up tortillas slightly in microwave.

To make the burrito:

Put some meat and some nacho cheese sauce in the tortilla. I learned later that this was not enough nacho cheese sauce. I think about 2 Tbsp is more appropriate. Maybe more. You don't want a dry burrito. :)

Put the crispy crowns down the center.Pile on sour cream, tomatoes, and lettuce. Then wrap it all up. I didn't have the burrito-sized tortillas and so mine didn't roll up so great. We'll definitely be buying those for next time. I had to use toothpicks to hold them together. As you can see below, the poor thing was bursting at the seams. However, they still tasted great. They're juicy and crispy and oh they're so yummy! Eat and enjoy.

A Family Favorite: Sloppy Joes

from Mom

2 lbs hamburger
2 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp minced onions
1/4 tsp mustard
2 -3 bay leaves

Brown hamburger and drain. Add all ingredients and simmer until desired consistency. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve on toasted buns.

Note: The recipe above is for a half recipe. (Sometimes I even do a half of a half!) A full recipe calls for 4 lbs hamburger, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 cups ketchup, 16 oz tomato sauce, 2 cups water, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire, 2 Tbsp white vinegar, 2 Tbsp minced onions, 1/2 tsp mustard, 5 bay leaves. My mom prefers to make a whole batch and freeze the rest. It freezes really well.

Lo-fat tip: Use ground turkey in place of the hamburger.

Burrito-ized Mexi Rolls

From Heidi's Brain! :)
This was inspired by J.'s creation... the Mexi-Rolls.1 lb hamburger, cooked and drained
Taco Seasoning to taste
1 pkg Spanish Rice cooked (I use the Lipton/Knorr packets -they're around $1 or less), works best cold
1/2 can of refried beans (regular or black) -use as much or little as you like
grated cheese
Tortillas (I used Burrito Style)
green enchilada sauce (or whichever sauce you prefer)

Directions:
Mix the hamburger and the beans together. Make sure your tortillas are warm enough to fold easily without tearing. Put a medium portion (depending on how full you like your burrito) of meat mixture then some grated cheese and about 3 tablespoons of the rice. Fold in 2 of the "sides" of the tortilla and fold in the other sides and fold it like a burrito.

Place crease down in 9x13 pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes depending on how crunchy you like your burrito. Be sure to flip them over half way through so they get cooked evenly on both sides.

**If you like the enchilada sauce then pour it over just before the end so that it is warm then dish it up and serve it with some sour cream and your remaining rice.
**I filled my tortillas kind of generously so I ended up with 6 burritos and also had half of the rice left over as a side to the dish.
**Another option is to roll the tortillas like enchiladas and pour the sauce over it and cook it that way.
Lo-Fat/Lo-Cal Tip:
Replace the hamburger with ground turkey and exchange the beans for fat free refried beans. Or use whole wheat tortillas instead.

Mexican Pizza

from my own brain

I love mexican food. Well, so called "american mexican" food. I could eat it nearly everyday. So I'm always trying to mix up the ingredients and make it different. Here's what I came up with. And you can make it as health or as non-healthy as you want. It's all in the ingredients.

Two small tortillas (or healthy wraps) for each pizza you are going to make
**if you use wraps, and don't want a big pizza, just cut the wrap in half and use those two pieces for the top and the bottom

Pam non-stick spray

For the inside:
Refried Beans, black or regular
Hamburger, seasoned with desired Taco Seasoning
Shredded Cheese
Salsa, optional
Olives, optional
Diced Red or Green peppers, optional
Sliced Jalapenos, optional

Desired toppings:
Olives
Lettuce
Freshly Diced Tomatoes
Sour cream
Diced avocadoes or fresh guacamole
Sliced green, red, yellow, or orange peppers
Sliced Jalapenos

Directions:
Spray one side of tortilla with Pam. Place on a plate (Pam side down) to build your pizza. Depending on what kind of mexican pizza you want, add layers in desired order. For a regular one, spread desired amount of refried beans over the whole tortilla. Add taco meat and shredded cheese. You can put any of the optional items in there if you'd like or just add it later when you pile the lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream on top of the pizza.

Place 2nd tortilla on top. Slide carefully off plate into hot pan. Spray top with Pam. Cook until lightly golden brown on the bottom. Carefully flip it over (you'll want to use two "flippers") and cook on the other side.

For adults, I usually don't cut it into triangles. We just pile the lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc. on top and use a fork to eat it. But for some kids, a whole one is too big so we cut it into 4 to 6 triangles and let them eat it as a slice. See below for variations.

For enchilada style mexican pizza:
Refried beans
Enchilada sauce (we like Carlita's)
Taco Meat
Cheese

For chimichanga style:
Refried beans
Spanish rice (we use the Lipton/Knorr Fiesta Sides Spanish Rice)
Taco Meat
Cheese

For chicken:
Replace hamburger with shredded or grilled chicken, also flavored with taco seasoning

For nacho style:
Refried Beans
Taco Meat
Nacho Cheese sauce
Note: For the nacho cheese sauce, we just cook 1 cheddar soup and 1 Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup from Campbells mixed together with a bit of milk added until it is the consistency we want. And then we store the rest in the fridge for another day or snack.

For appetizers:
Cook as desired according to directions. Cut into triangles and serve with dipping choices of guacamole ranch sauce, nacho cheese sauce, salsa, and sour cream

If you have any other variations you think would be good, let me know... I'll add it to this recipe!

BBQ Sparerib Meatballs

From my own brain
I thought of these one night when I was craving spareribs but didn't have any spareribs. So I tried them out and they've been a hit in our family ever since.

1 to 2 lbs of hamburger, thawed (1 lb makes 20-30 balls, 2lbs makes about 40-60 balls, it depends on how big you make your meatballs)
2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup finely blended oatmeal (almost like an oatmeal flour), I do this in the blender and then store it in a tightly sealed container and use it as I need it.
Mnced onions (desired amount)
dash of salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Mix and assess if you need more blended oatmeal. You want to make sure you have enough but too much will make them dry. 2 Tbsp+ is about right for 1 lb. And 1/4 cup is about right for 2 lbs. Mix well with fork and roll balls into 1 inch balls. Place in 9x13 inch pan (they can be close together.) The picture below is of 2 lbs and 60 meatballs.

Cook for 30 minutes at 375. They may need longer if you are doing 2 lbs.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan make sparerib sauce. It can be any recipe. I like ones that are a little tiny bit sweet and not overly spicy. A sparerib can handle that but it is a lot for a meatball. Or if you want a super fast sauce, just buy it in a bottle. I haven't found one I like yet. If you do, let me know. I'll try it out!

After the meatballs cook, make sure they look mostly done. You want them to be completely brown all the way around. If they're not put them back in for a few more minutes. If you're really adept, hold the pan and pour the drippings into a bowl. I'm not super adept so I usually just remove them from the oven and put them on a large plate. Then I pour out the drippings and wipe out pan and put the meatballs back in.

Pour some sparerib sauce over the meatballs. (I don't usually ending up needing all of it so I store it in a bowl and use it later for chicken or for another smaller batch of meatballs.) Put meatballs back in oven and cook for another 20 minutes. I usually pull one out and cut it in half and make sure it is all the way done. Serve with mashed potatoes, any flavor of rice, or use for hors d'oeuvres. Very good!

For appetizers, serve meatballs on a plate with a toothpick in each.

***Lo-Fat suggestion: Instead of hamburger, use ground turkey. That will at least off set some of the calories/fat from any sauce you use. Unless you're able to find a low fat sauce... and then you're set!

Chili

from Gayleen

1 lb hamburger
1 can tomato soup
1 jar of Pace Mild Picante sauce
2-3 cans of beans of your choice -we did pinto beans, black beans, and great northern

Brown hamburger and season as desired with salt and pepper. Drain. Place in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Add as little or as many beans as you'd like. A regular batch takes about 2 cans, a double batch 3 or 4. Let warm and serve with onions, cheese, fritos, and sour cream.

This is a super simple recipe but it sure tastes good.

Slow Cooker Beef Enchiladas

from a list of crockpot recipes from a church function

1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (16 oz) pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies -it is all together, undrained
1/3 cup water
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (6 or 7 inches)

In a skillet, cook beef, onion, and green pepper until beef is browned and vegetables are tender; drain. Add the next eight ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cheeses. In a 5 quart crock pot, layer about 3/4 cup beef mixture, one tortilla and about 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours or until heated through.

***Lo-Fat tip: Use ground turkey instead of hamburger

Mexi-Rolls

(see variation for Southwestern Egg Rolls)
from my own brain

1 pkg egg roll wraps (I like the Nasoya or Melissa's brand, they work best. Don't use Azumaya, they are really chewy and thick. The other brands have a little cornstarch on them and they work better.)
1 lb hamburger, cooked and drained, and cooled
Taco Seasoning to taste
1 pkg Spanish Rice (I use the Lipton/Knorr packets -they're around $1 or less), works best cold
1/2 can of refried beans (regular or black) -use as much or little as you like
grated cheese
Ranch or Guacamole or green chile enchilada sauce (also good mixed with the ranch)


Directions:
Put wraps on a plate. Mix taco seasoning to taste into the hamburger. Add as much refried beans as you want to hamburger. Mix it together until mixed well and sticks together.

Get your assembly line ready. Put some water in a small bowl. You will use it to seal the roll as you roll it up. Have a plate to make the roll on. One to put the rolled roll on and another to put the cooked roll on. I also keep a dry washcloth or paper towel on hand to dry off my assembly plate after I am done with the water. Place small scoop of rice, then small scoop of hamburger/bean mixture, and grated cheese. (It works best if all ingredients are cold. If you use the rice hot, it makes the wrap tear easier. I make the rice earlier in the day and then put it in the fridge.)With fingertips, dab small amount water around filling to the edges of wrap. This helps seal the roll. Starting at the bottom corner, roll up over filling. Continue to wet the wrap with your fingertips. Fold sides in and then top, like an envelope, while continuing to dip fingertips in water on the wrap to seal the roll. See picture below. I know it isn't clear. This is more for illustration than for readingPlace roll in hot fry daddy. I do the heat around 350-375. Just make sure it is good and hot before you plop one in. I don't use the basket because the rolls stick to it. Cook until light golden brown. I can usually do around 3 or 4 at a time -it will depend on how big your fry daddy is. I use the fry daddy slotted spoon thing to remove them when they're done.Here is the finished product. There are quite a few wraps in a package. This recipe usually makes around 16-18 rolls.Cut in half and serve with Ranch, guacamole, or mix them together for a great dip!

For appetizers, cut each egg roll diagonally and place on a plate. Have guacamole ranch, ranch, and green chile enchilada sauce for the dips.

Note: These rolls are easy to make and so yummy. I'm sure they're full of calories. We don't make them a lot, but there are times you've just got to enjoy your food. They are one of Brinlee's very favorite dinners. They take a little bit of time to figure out how to roll the wraps well. But if you use the water on your fingertips to keep sealing it, they should stay together okay.

Variation: I use these rolls for southwestern egg rolls, too. I use chopped, grilled, & seasoned chicken, tostitos southwestern dip, little black beans, corn, chopped cooked spinach, and cheese. Mix up all of this together so that it is thick but not too juicy or too try. It also works best if it is chilled. Spoon it onto egg roll wrap and then roll up like normal. Dip in guacamole ranch dip.