Traditional Beef Enchiladas

Today's Recipe comes from Classic Tex-Mex and Texas Cooking by Cookbook Resource. I chose Traditional Beef Enchiladas.

Traditional Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1- 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 t minced garlic
1 i chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
10 corn tortillas
oil
1-12 oz package shredded cheddar cheese
2-10 oz can enchilada sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In skillet, brown beef and onion together and drain. Add tomato sauce, garlic, chili powder, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt and heat mixture thoroughly.

3. with oil in large skillet, sofetn each tortilla and place on wax paper. Spoon about 3 heaping tablespoons of beef-onion mixture and 2 Tablespoons cheese on each tortilla.

4. Roll up and place each tortilla seam side down in sprayed 9x13-inch baking dish

5. Add any remaining beef-onion mixture to enchilada sauce and pour over enchiladas in baking dish

6. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serves 6-8 

Review: We love Mexican food, but this dish was not a favorite. It was just okay. I was expecting there to be more flavor and it just did not scream delicious. Tanner like it (or so he said) but leftovers sat in the fridge for a couple of days after...so this will probably not get made again.

 Until Next Time,

Shannon

Spinach Manicotti

Pasta...Oh Pasta, how I love thee. Yes, Tanner and I both love Pasta, probably a little too much. But when I make it, I try to find recipes that are healthy. I have had this cookbook for quite a while and it is called 365 Easy Pasta Recipes by Cookbook Resources. I chose Spinach Manicotti for this recipe.

Spinach Manicotti

Ingredients 
1- 8 oz package manicotti
1- 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1- lb lean ground beef
1 t dried onion flakes
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c pesto
1 egg
1 jar tomato pasta sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Cook manicotti according to packing directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Pleace manicotti on large piece of wax paper to cool

3. Combine spinach, groud beef, ionino flakes, cheese, pesto, egg and a little salt and pepper in bowl.

4. Fill each manicotti by carefully studd beef-spinach mixture into each manicotti. Place manicotti on sprayed 9x13 in glass baking dish. Pour pasta sauce over manicotti.

5. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes or until filling is no longer pink in center.

Serves 8

Tip: Squeeze spinach between paper towels to completely remove excess moisture.

Review: WOW!!!! This recipe was absolutely delicious! It far exceeded my expectations. But I mean how can you go wrong with pasta, spinach, beef, pesto, tomato sauce, and cheese- they are the prefect ingredients!  The pesto in the meat mixture really gives this dish a unique taste. Also, I used fresh spinach and cooked it down until wilted instead of using frozen; I like using fresh of any ingredient if possible because I think it makes the taste even better. Tanner loved this dish as well, so this is one that I will be going in my make again book.

Until Next Time,

Shannon

Pimento Cheese

Okay, so I have to admit I really like pimento cheese. All of the sudden I have seen all of these tv chefs making it so i thought, why not?! Well....Tanner hates it (not as much as pumpkin pie-story for another time) but he does not like it, but since we have been together I have been trying to broaden his food horizons-  so why not try with pimento cheese. The recipe I used is from Martha Stewart and her cookbook Martha's American Food. 
  
Yield:  3 cups

     Ingredients

• 12 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 jars (2 ounces each) pimentos, drained
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Crackers, for serving

  Directions

  Process cream cheese, cheddar, pimentos, and Tabasco in a food processor until coarsely pureed.Transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers.
   
   

  
   
   Review 
   
   Like I said, I really like pimento cheese, but I did not care for this recipe. It was okay, but it was not one that I will make again. It was very thick and I just did not care for it. I did have Tanner try it too and he agreed with me.
  
  
  Until next time, 
  
  
  Shannon