Enchilada Casserole

What's not to like? All the yum of regular enchiladas... about 1/3 of the work and 1/4 of the mess!

1lb ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 c chopped onion
1 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-ounce carton regular or light sour cream
2 T flour
1/4 t garlic powder
8 6-inch tortillas
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
1 c shredded cheddar cheese (or more... a lot more)

In a large skillet, fry up your ground meat, onion, chili powder and cumin. Drain if needed. Stir in beans and set aside.
In a small bowl stir together sour cream, flour and garlic powder. Set that aside as well.
Lightly grease a 4-quart casserole dish. Place half of the tortillas in the bottom. Top with half the meat mixture, half the sour cream mixture, half the enchilada sauce and 1/2c cheese. Repeat layers.
Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly.
Makes 6 servings.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I have to admit I have stolen this recipe from my sister-in-law, Anya. Try it. You'll like it. Oh and heat up some refried beans with cheese and put them on the side. Dinner that tastes like you worked really hard when you really didn't.
10 (or so) tortillas
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
a million cups of shredded cheddar cheese... no, about 4 cups (or more) will do
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
1 small can diced chiles

Mix together last 3 ingredients.
Put a light coating of mixture on the bottom of a casserole dish. Then roll into each tortilla a small handful of chicken, a generous amount of cheese and a spoonful or two of the sauce mixture. Place into the pan. Cover with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until it's heated and cheese is melted throughout. Turn oven and broil and toast the top of the cheese.
Delicious! Thanks for the great dinner recipe, Anya!

"Mexican" Pizza

This is a recipe I stole from a friend. It combines the best of two of our favorite dinners: Pizza and nachos.
For starters, my favorite Pizza dough:

Quick Pizza Dough
(Makes 2 pizzas)

1t sugar
1c warm water
3c unbleached flour
1 packet active dry yeast
1t salt
2T olive oil

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar into water then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand 10 minutes or until it has developed a good foam. Stir oil into yeast water then incorporate half or more of the flour and salt until a sticky ball forms. Knead dough with leftover flour mixture. Knead about 5 minutes. Cut in half, cover and let rise 10 minutes. Roll each ball into desired shape for your pizza. Let rise 15 minutes before adding toppings. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. It should be solid on the bottom but not overcooked.

Here's the part my friend contributed:
Mexican Pizza

1 pizza dough
1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
Taco seasoning
1 can pinto beans
Fiesta blend cheese

Brown the ground meat and incorporate taco seasoning as indicated on the packaging. Let cool slightly. Mush the pinto beans and spread on pizza dough. Sprinkle meat on top. Top with cheese.
She incorporated lots of other things to spice it up. She uses pintos with jalapenos in it and puts peppers on top. Since I'm cooking for a young crowd who aren't all crazy for hot stuff, we skipped the extra spices and it turned out great! I was skeptical but the tastes together worked out really well. A big thank you to my friend Lyndsay!