6 Layer Mexican Dip With Taquitos

There are dozens, and probably hundreds of recipes for the famous 7 Layer Mexican Dip. And they are all pretty much the same, just each person adds or takes away ingredients as they please.  Mine is a 6 layer because I don't put olives on. I do, however, mix in something with the sour cream that I got from my mom - who by the way makes an 8 layer Mexican Dip.

This dip is traditionally a side dish, but I serve it for dinner because instead of serving it with chips, I serve it with beef taquitos! It's a great dish for when you need to throw something together fast, or you are just too tired to go all gourmet on your family.

6 Layer Mexican Dip with Taquitos

Ingredients:

2 cans Refried Beans (16 oz cans)
Guacamole*
16 oz sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. taco seasoning
Salsa*
Cheddar cheese, grated*
Shredded Lettuce*
Frozen taquitos (about 4-5 per person)

*The measurement depends on what looks good to you.

Instructions:

1. Layer ingredients in order with the refried beans on the bottom and the shredded lettuce on the top in a 9x13 pan.**
2. Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning together before layering them in the dish.
3. Store in fridge until ready.
4. Bake Taquitos according to package directions.

**A 9x13 is way too big for my family, so I cut the recipe into 1/4th and layer it in this dish:

Estimated Calories: 258 calories per serving (does not include taquitos), with one serving being 1/16th of a 9x13.
Suggested Sides: fruit salad

Carol's Chicken & Rice Casserole

Who doesn't love a hearty casserole? This is my grandma's recipe (her name is Carol if you can't tell by the title). It is a very large recipe as it fed 12 children (so when I make it I cut it into 1/4th of the amount). One of my friends calls it "potato chip casserole". It's warm, delicious, and comforting.

Carol's Chicken & Rice Casserole (a.k.a. Potato Chip Casserole)

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked rice
2 lbs. chicken, cooked and diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 can water
1 1/2 cups mayo
1 1/2 cups diced celery
6 boiled eggs, chopped
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (you can also use Lime Juice)
3/4 cup sliced almonds (I use slivered almonds)
1/2 tsp. pepper
Crushed potato chips.

Instructions:

1. Boil eggs in enough time for them to cool (I usually prepare the eggs the night before)
2.Boil chicken in water for about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook rice.
4. Combine all ingredients, except potato chips in 9x13 pan.*
5. Top with crushed potato chips.
6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

*This recipe goes to the very top of a 9x13 pan, so if you don't want that much, cut it in half.

Estimated calories (based on cutting it in half): 489 calories per serving (1/8th of pan)
Suggested sides: Fruit Salad

Potato-Corn Chowder

Do you love the feel  of hot soup going down your throat on a cold day? Then you'll love this one! I took two different soup recipes to create this one:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/southwest-potato-corn-chowder-57846.aspx
http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/09/creamy-ham-potato-corn-chowder/

The funny thing about this recipe is I like diced ham in my bowl and my husband likes bacon in his. So I prepare those separately and add them to our individual bowls. But you can add one or the other (or both) to your entire pot of soup. :)

Potato-Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

4 slices of cooked bacon*, chopped (or 1 cup diced ham)
1 1/2 lb. potatoes, cubed (about 5 potatoes)
1 small onion, chopped (or sprinkle dehydrated onions to your heart's desire)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
3 cups milk
8 oz. processed cheese food, cubed (I use Velveeta)
10 oz. frozen corn
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Cook on medium until potatoes are soft.

OR

1. Boil potatoes separately for 15-20 minutes.**
2. Meanwhile get everything else going on medium heat.
3. Add potatoes when they are done.
4. Ready to serve when cheese is melted (I usually let it get to a small boil before turning off the stove)

*The bacon will be soft and soggy, so if you want it crunchy, cook it and add it to each individual serving.
**I do the second option because it takes less time. The first option takes over an hour for the potatoes to soften in the milk at the same time as melting the cheese. Doing them separately is much faster. :)

Estimated calories: 387 calories per serving (about 1 cup)
Suggested sides: Dinner rolls (I LOVE Pillsbury crescent rolls)

Tater Tot Casserole

I actually don't know the true origins of this recipe. I just know that I got it from my mom and it is delicious. It's not gourmet or anything fancy. It's a casserole. Comfort food. Good for beginner cooks or if you need something quick.

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. hamburger, browned and drained.
chopped onions (or dehydrated onions sprinkled onto the meat)
1 can cream of mushroom soup + 1 can of milk (fill empty soup can with milk)
2 cans french cut green beans, drained
Tater tots (about 10 per person)

Instructions:

1. Brown hamburger and onions, drain.
2. Mix meat, onions, soup, milk, and green beans in a 9x13 glass pan.
3. Top with tater tots or cook them separately (I prefer to cook them separately)
4. Bake in the oven at 350° for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly. (I usually go 30 minutes in my oven.)

Estimated Calories: 345 per serving (about 1/8th of the pan)

Suggested sides: Fruit salad

Slow Cooker San Francisco Pork Chops

Preparing dinner in a slow cooker is seriously one of the best inventions ever. The original recipe has you cooking these pork chops on the stove, but one day my mom didn't get them thawed, so she just did everything in her slow cooker. When I was ready to try them, I thought the stove top directions sounded difficult, so I did it in the slow cooker and viola! As usual with the slow cooker, it made the pork chops easier to cut, they just fell apart.

Slow Cooker San Francisco Pork Chops

Ingredients:

Pork Chops (1 per person - or 2 per person if you want leftovers!)

Salt and Pepper

1 Tbsp Oil

1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

Sauce:*

4 tsp oil

3/4 cup water, divided

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

4 tsp Cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet.

2. Put chops in skillet and season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Brown on both sides and move into slow cooker.

3. Combine 4 tsp oil, 1/2 cup water, soy sauce, and brown sugar.  Pour over chops.

4. Cook on LOW for at least 5 hours.

5. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Add to slow cooker and turn to HIGH for 20-30 minutes. If serving with rice, cook the rice at this time.

6. Serve chops either whole or shredded.

*Note: The amount of sauce depends on how many pork chops and the size of your slow cooker. The recipe above is for approximately 4 pork chops. Be prepared to double the sauce recipe.

Estimated Calories: 288 calories per pork chop

Suggested sides: rice, fruit salad

Homemade French Fries

Homemade french fries are the perfect addition to your BBQ! They are simple enough to make, but if you are new to frying in a deep fryer, fries are the first food you should try.

Though you can fry any food in any pan/container that can heat oil, I would highly recommend a Fry Daddy deep fryer. The reason why is because you can leave the oil (I use Crisco shortening) inside the Fry Daddy after frying, let it harden, and then reuse it the next time you want to fry something! Other pans and deep fryers require you to remove the oil, which means you have to either throw it out or properly store it elsewhere until next time (which is a pain).

Homemade French Fries

Ingredients:

Potatoes, sliced

Oil (I use Crisco shortening)

Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Instructions: 

1. Heat oil (for a Fry Daddy the oil is ready approximately 15 minutes after being plugged in).

2. Meanwhile, peel potatoes and slice them: slicing lengthwise into thirds and then those into thirds (total of 9 slices per potato) generally makes a good size.

3. When oil is ready, us an oil strainer to place fries in oil. Use the strainer to rotate the fries every once in a while so that they don't stick together. When they are golden brown they are ready (aprox. 2-3 minutes). Remove them and place them on a paper towel to drain.

4. Sprinkle fries with Lawry's Seasoning Salt.

*Note: Fries cool very quickly, so I would recommend having them be the last food you prepare before serving dinner.

Estimated Calories: 210 calories per 9 fries (This is more of a guess than an actual calculation. There are several formulas when figuring out calories for fried foods. I just picked the easiest one. It really depends on the oil you use, how thick you cut the potato, and how long it sits in the oil.)

My favorite burger recipe to serve with these fries is from Kraft:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/mini-cheeseburgers-112482.aspx

CAUTION: Serious injury can occur when working with hot oil. Please read all of the instructions in the owner's manual of your deep fryer before frying.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Taco Salad

I used to make this shredded BBQ chicken and would serve it with cheesy potatoes. Then one day my husband asked, "Can you make this chicken into a taco or something? Like Cafe Rio style?" Cafe Rio style? Oh yes baby, I can do that. So I came up with this gem:

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (1 breast serves 2-3 people)
1 cup BBQ sauce per 2 chicken breasts
1 can Black Beans
1 can Corn
Shredded Mozzarella cheese (or Cheddar)
Avocados (about 1 per 2 people), diced
Ranch Dressing
Shredded lettuce
Tortillas

Instructions:

1. Place Chicken breasts in slow cooker, cover with BBQ sauce mixed with 2/3 cup of water.*
2. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
3. When done shred chicken, return it to the slow cooker and stir it among remaining sauce.
4. Warm up black beans and corn on the stove (in separate pans), dice avocados, warm tortillas in a skillet pan on medium heat.
5. Layer tortillas with chicken, beans, corn, cheese, lettuce, and avocado; drizzle with Ranch.

*Note: The BBQ sauce-water-chicken ratio will be dependent on the size of your slow cooker. It should almost cover  the chicken breasts. My slow cooker is an 8-qt and so I have to do at least 2 cups of BBQ sauce with 1 1/3 cup water.

Like this:

Estimated Calories: 600-700 per salad (It depends on how much of everything you put on)
Recommended sides: Fruit Salad