Taco Casserole

I actually found this base recipe on another blog, but it works well for us. I leave out the onion, only because my family doesn’t love them, and follow her recipe. Our toppings are fairly simple, because I only do simple. Hawaiian haystacks (a la Dawnyel) Cheesy chicken and rice base (see blog link above ) Toppings: Chow mein noodles Pineapple Mandarin oranges  Olives Green peppers Cucumbers  Coconut Almonds The possibilities are endless!! (My friend told me they do fresh chopped tomatoes, frozen peas—defrosted. I’ve also seen celery and green onions and maraschino cherries. Yum!)

Wiener boats, such yummy food wrapped in a weird name. Believe me, once you try these, you will love them!! I have to admit, I’m a huge hot dog snob. I will only eat Falls Brand dogs. They are so yummy! If you can get these, I highly recommend it. Wiener boats  Hot dogs, sliced lengthwise  4-5 cups mashed potatoes, prepared (I usually make extra when I have them another night, then I refrigerate them until needed.) 2-3 cups shredded cheese  Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Lay hot dogs on pan and fill hot dogs with potatoes, then sprinkle with cheese and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes

Any time my mom was gone or sick and my dad was in charge of dinner he would make us French Toast. For YEARS I tried and failed at making my French Toast like his. One day I finally asked him how he made it. His recipe is so easy and uncomplicated that I laugh at my many, MANY attempts. I make it now and I’m transported back to my dad’s dinner time. Dad’s French Toast  5-6 eggs 1 cup of milk 1 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Black pepper  Mix together and dredge bread in the mixture (flipping quickly) and cooking until toasty and brown in medium heated saucepan.

My mom told me this recipe. It’s so dangerous because it’s so easy! In fact, I made some recently and we’ll just say that half the pan is gone.  Easy fudge 2 cans sweetened condensed milk  3 cups chocolate chips  Melt in microwave safe bowl do 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds after 2 minutes.  2 cups mini marshmallows  Gently fold into the melted mixture and either allow to melt fully for a smooth fudge or stir until they barely melt, immediately pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan and let cool. (I made mint fudge by adding 2 cups of mint chips and 2 cups chocolate chips, it was super yummy!)

My recipes and meals are simple and delicious. I am making this claim: It isn’t always healthy!!! My food isn’t necessarily for those on a diet or looking to live a healthier lifestyle. However, if you like easy meals that taste good, I’m your girl! I think I may have an unhealthy addiction and need for cream of chicken soup..... Don’t judge me. 

Before I get too far into this, I’d like to explain how I organize my mealtimes. For years I was a 4 o’clock dinner mom. I would go about my busy life and not worry about what I was making for dinner until 4 o’clock. My dinners frequently repeated weekly and soon my husband, Steve, was complaining that we ate way too much pizza (or other things.) I started watching The Food Nanny , a show that inspired me to get more organized. Her program was 2 weeks of planned meals. Her tip was to make each night of the week a theme, so you had somewhere to start for meal ideas. This appealed to me, and I quickly printed off her 2 week schedule and started. Two weeks isn’t very long, and I quite enjoyed the added benefit of my special needs son knowing what was for dinner. He has an obsessive disorder and this small knowledge went a long way with him. Pretty soon I became a pro at the two week meal plan and pushed myself to make a monthly menu. After all, I didn’t want to repeat a meal throughout

Lately I have been sharing my dinner tips and tricks with a few friends and then I even shared them on Facebook. One of my friends suggested that I start a blog with my menus and recipes so it is all contained in one space and easy to find. She said, “You should call it Taco Casserole.” (I had just shared that particular recipe via video with this group of friends.) I laughed and then thought, “Why not?!” This will simply be a place I share my simple recipes and my monthly meal plan. I truly cannot take all the credit, I borrow and tweak things to make them work for me. I can’t wait to share it all with you and hope you find inspiration in my methods. For now, here is the recipe that I named this blog for, enjoy!! Taco Casserole 1 pound ground beef, browned 1 packet taco seasoning 1 can tomato sauce 5-6 flour tortillas 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can milk 2-3 cups shredded cheddar Spray bottom of 13x9” cake pan with cooking spray. Layer 2-3 flour tortillas on the bottom