Cheesy Stacked Enchilada Skillet Bake

Getting a wholesome, comforting meal on the table at dinnertime doesn't have to be a hassle. This recipe is such a simple one - quick and easy enough for busy weeknights. Layers of corn tortillas, ground beef in enchilada sauce, corn kernels and lots of cheese come together in bubbly, beautiful harmony to create a meal that kids and adults love.

I think you'll appreciate just how versatile this recipe is. Shredded cooked chicken can be subbed in for ground beef, for example. A drained can of black beans can be layered in with the corn if you so desire. A little Mexican rice can be tossed in. And, frankly, this would be perfect to throw together using up leftover beef, chicken or pork after Taco Night. What a fun, creative way to reimagine leftovers into a whole new meal.

A large, ten-inch cast iron skillet is recommended for this recipe. However, a medium-sized casserole dish would work fine if necessary.

Serves 6 - 8.

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Chili Lime Chicken Taco Salad

Summertime means lots of salads in the Joyously Domestic household. We eat salad quite regularly as our full meal when temps get up in the eighties and nineties this time of year. Some of our favorites are my Berry "Peachy Keen" Grilled Chicken Salad Bowl, my Easy Vegetarian Taco Salad, my Moroccan Quinoa and Bulgur Salad and my Mexicali Loaded Salad Bowl with Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing . I always buy a plethora of fresh produce each week and like to keep the ingredients for many of my go-to salads on hand. So, it's a breeze to whip up quick, light meals for us on busy weeknights ... or when we're being lazy on the weekends and don't want to put much effort into dinner.

This particular salad includes some killer grilled chicken that has real amped up flavor. I like that a couple of chicken breasts stretch to feed several people, so it's a pretty inexpensive salad to toss together. For this salad, I like old-school iceberg lettuce for the base. I, then, arrange the taco salad toppings that my family prefers on top. We serve this with fresh-cut avocado, lots of sour cream and hot sauce alongside. And, don't forget the nacho, corn or tortilla chips ... they are the cat's meow, so-to-speak, crushed atop the salad at time of service.

Simple. Flavorful. Inexpensive. A perfectly refreshing, healthful and bountiful salad for those nights when you don't want anything too heavy for dinner, yet something delicious and satisfying is in order.

Baked Tacos {Including Two Tricks for Taking Your Tacos from Average to Amazing}

 

Okay.  You might be thinking that a taco is a taco is a taco.  Right?  Well, there are a couple of key components to this recipe that will yield the tacos of your dreams right at home. These little "secrets" will truly take your "Taco Tuesday" from average to amazing.

The first tip that I want to share involves utilizing your slow cooker for the taco meat.  We aren't starting in the slow cooker, but that's where the meat will eventually end up.  (Bear with me.)  Typically, we all brown up our ground beef in a skillet on the stovetop, then add in the seasoning and water (after draining the fat).  And, typically, we would immediately serve up the cooked taco meat right away. 

Here's where we take a little detour on our journey to "taco nirvana."

After you've cooked, drained and seasoned your ground beef, you want to place it in a bread pan or small, aluminum disposable pan.  Where's it going to end up?  Your slow cooker!  That's right.  I make my taco meat early in the day, then place it in my slow cooker on low for several hours.  What's the point?  Well, this method will yield ultra tender, soft and blow-your-mind ground beef.  It will just melt in your mouth.

Think of cooking a pot roast ... it becomes fall-apart tender from all-day slow cooking.  Same concept!  (I use a small heat-safe container to place the meat in inside of the slow cooker because I usually only make one pound of taco meat.  If you're making a large amount for a crowd, you can just place all of the cooked taco meat right into the actual slow cooker insert.)

My words do not do justice to the results.  Just try it!  (Pretty please.)  This technique will not disappoint!

Now, let's move on the another aspect of AMAZING tacos.  I know there are avid flour tortilla lovers out there.  My kiddos were just like you!  But, I urge you to start with soft corn shells, then transform them by baking them off and forming them into semi-crispy shells.

Don't we all just love when we eat tacos out at a good Mexican joint ... the corn tortillas are usually that perfect combination of crispiness and chewiness?  Well, I've got a mega easy way to achieve that right in your oven using your bare oven rack.  You can read all about it in the recipe directions below.

And, one last thing ... I use one pound of ground beef to make nine tacos.  One pound of meat can yield between nine and twelve tacos - depending on how full you fill the shells. 

Vegetable Posole Verde

I tried posole at an amazing Mexican restaurant while living in Nashville, Tennessee years ago. I've always wanted to make it at home, but had never attempted it until this week. Posole (or pozole) is a soup or stew {originating in Mexico} traditionally made with hominy as a main ingredient. The base of the soup is a combination of roasted poblano peppers, tomatillos and chicken stock {vegetable stock can be used to make this a vegetarian soup}.  The addition of roasted corn, hominy, onions, garlic and cumin results in a flavorful, yet delicate soup that is best topped with avocado, cilantro, sliced radishes and a good squeeze of lime.

This is an incredibly healthful and good-for-you soup. It is light, yet abundant in flavor. {It does have a hint of spice, but it isn't overpowering.}

I had never worked with tomatillos before working on this recipe. They can be found in most supermarkets these days in the produce section. They look like green tomatoes covered in a papery skin. Just remove the papery skin and halve the tomatillos for this recipe. They are easy to work with and are a must in this recipe.

NOTE:  Don't be intimidated by the various steps in this recipe. They are all simple and easy.  You'll, basically, be roasting the veggies first, blending them up and combining everything in one pot at the end.

Yields 4 - 6 servings.

Chile Colorado Burritos

After seeing a few versions of this recipe floating around on some of my favorite food blogs, I knew I wanted to make these.  Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines.  I was overjoyed to find out that the meat for these burritos is made in the slow cooker.  Woo-hoo ... major time-saver!  Throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning, allow it to cook all day and you'll just have a few minutes of prep time just before dinner to finish up the recipe!

Today was a wonderful, lazy Saturday.  The hubby took the kids to the movies this afternoon while I stayed home and "kept an eye on dinner" (a.k.a. caught up on some recordings of Law & Order: SVU and The Pioneer Woman).

No, seriously, I did get some laundry done, too.  But, mainly, I parked my booty on the couch with the remote while I snacked on some pita chips and hummus.

(Okay ... and maybe I indulged in some Häagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream.)

Shhhh!  That'll be our little secret!  (P.S. That stuff is to die for!)

What were we talking about again?  Oh, yeah ... the burritos.