World's Best Chili Verde (Crockpot) ***

I needed green chili to go with a new recipe for Kari's Smothered Burritos that I've been wanting to try, but no store around here sells it.  I finally just decided to find a good recipe on my own.  This was wonderful.  I think that next time I'll just use some chicken breasts, though.  At least for when I use it in the burrito recipe.  I left out the jalapenos and used an extra can of chilies.  It doesn't say what size of tomato sauce to use, so I used the soup can size.  It was kind of liquidy because of that, but it was perfect for my purposes.  I was able to use the chili on the recipe and bag up two extra servings for the next time I make the burrito recipe.  :-)

WORLD'S BEST CHILI VERDE (CROCKPOT)
(Diary of a Stay-at-Home Mom)

3 lb. boneless pork roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 bell peppers, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cans tomato sauce
1 7-oz. can green chilies, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped coarse
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup beef broth
2 tsp. salt to taste
2 jalapenos, chopped fine (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Mix. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. Serve with flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Creamy Tortellini Soup *

This was good, but it came out really runny.  I doubled the recipe, since it said it only served 4.  I think something must be off on the liquid amounts.  I knew it looked like too much when I first got the recipe, but I went against my better judgement and did it anyway.  Should have listened to myself.  I still don't know what purpose the evaporated milk served.  I mean, yeah, they made it a white color, but that's about it.  With all of that liquid already in there, the milk just became watery too.  I'm not sure what changes I would make, but I would definitely cut down on the liquid.  Maybe use sour cream instead of evaporated milk?  At this point, I think it would probably just be easier to make something else next time than to try to redo the recipe. :-(

CREAMY TORTELLINI SOUP

(Better Homes and Gardens ~ via Pinterest)

2 (1-1/2 to 2 ounce) envelopes white sauce mix

8 cups water

28 ounces vegetable broth

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon  dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon  cayenne pepper

14 to 16 ounces dried cheese tortellini (about 4 cups)

2 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk

12 cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach

Ground black pepper (optional)

Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Place dry white sauce mix in a 6-quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

Stir in dried tortellini. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 45 minutes more.

Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Makes 8 servings.

Mexicali Hashbrown Taco Casserole***

We all enjoyed this one.  I didn't measure anything, so my amounts were probably off.  I did use about 4 oz of cream cheese, just because it was easier to use a half of the 8-oz container.  I also probably used a full cup of corn.  Overall, it was really pretty good.  Nothing overly special, but a nice change from the usual.

MEXICALI HASHBROWN TACO CASSEROLE

(TheMidnightBaker ~ via Pinterest)

1 lb very lean ground beef (90%)

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper, divided

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper, divided

1/2 cup corn

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can (10.5 oz) tomato soup

1 pkg (3 oz) low-fat cream cheese*

1/2 cup chopped onion, divided

2 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese, divided

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 bag (30 oz bag) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease or spray a 2 or 2 1/2 oblong casserole dish.

Brown ground beef and onion in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain fat from pan, reduce heat.

Add the undiluted tomato soup, corn and the cream cheese. Stir until well combined and no chunks of cream cheese are visible.  Stir in taco seasoning and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.  Turn mixture into prepared pan, spreading mixture evenly across the bottom.

In a separate bowl, combine the defrosted hash browns, the peppers, salt, pepper and remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.

Top ground beef with potato mixture, pressing it down slightly.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until topping is browned and crispy on top.

Serves 6

*In some locations, cream cheese is still sold in 3 oz packages.

Meatball Lasagna **

This was okay.  The bottom layer of noodles didn't soften much at all, though.  Next time, I would probably just boil the noodles and make it like a regular pasta.  In all actuality, I think it would be really good to do it stovetop with egg noodles, but I'd have to mess around with that one a bit.

Photo from BettyCrocker.com

MEATBALL LASAGNA

(BettyCrocker.com)

1 jar (26 oz) tomato pasta sauce (any variety)

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained

1 box (12 oz) frozen Italian-style meatballs, thawed, each cut in half

1-1/2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry (from 1-lb bag), thawed, drained

1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

8 uncooked lasagna noodles

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (12 oz)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (1 oz)

Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix pasta sauce and tomatoes. Reserve 1/2 cup tomato mixture. Stir meatballs and stir-fry vegetables into remaining tomato mixture.

In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg and basil.

Spoon reserved 1/2 cup tomato mixture over bottom of baking dish. Top with 4 noodles. Top with about half of the ricotta mixture and half of the meatball mixture. Layer with remaining 4 noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and remaining meatball mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish with foil. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F. Bake covered lasagna 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until bubbly, edges are golden brown and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Manwich Cheesy Chicken Pasta ***

I was really surprised by how tasty this was.  I'm not a fan of sloppy joes in general, but this was pretty good.  The cheese and chicken help to soften the sweetness of the sloppy joe mix, which helps a lot.  I had shredded chicken in the freezer, so I just pulled that out to use.  Between that and not having to precook the noodles, this recipe is beyond easy.  I had it on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Woo hoo!  I'm definitely putting this one in the "keeper" file!

MANWICH CHEESY CHICKEN PASTA

(Yellow Bliss Road via Pinterest)

2 cups shredded or diced chicken

2 Tbsp minced onion

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 can Manwich Bold  + 1 can water

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 pound of small dry pasta (I used penne)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and saute for one minute, then add cooked chicken* and saute for a couple of minutes.

(*Tip: I happened to have cooked, shredded chicken on hand so I used that, but I think I would start with raw chicken next time and cook the diced chicken and in the pot).

2. Add chicken broth, Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe Sauce, water and pasta to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 25-25 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar until well incorporated, reserving a handful to sprinkle on the top. Cover for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt, and stir.

4. Serve

Crockpot Meatloaf and Potatoes **

This was good, but it wasn't what I wanted it to be.  The flavor of the meatloaf was great.  That wasn't a problem at all.  I cooked it for 9 hours, and while the meatloaf was slightly dry and overcooked, the potatoes were still pretty hard.  Some of them turned out perfectly, but at least 2 of them were way undercooked.  I think that next time, I would increase the meatloaf amount and use smaller potatoes.  That would probably help.  It would be great if you could mix up the meatloaf ahead of time and freeze it.  Then, by the time it had thawed and cooked, the potatoes should be pretty perfect.  I need to think on it some more, because I really do love the idea of it.

CROCKPOT MEATLOAF AND POTATOES

(Gleams of Sunshine via Pinterest)

2.5 pounds of ground turkey (or beef, if you prefer)

1 egg

3/4  cup smashed cornflakes (or bread crumbs, but I prefer corn flakes)

1 envelope of Lipton onion soup mix

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

salt, pepper, paprika, garlic salt, Italian seasoning to taste

5-6 baking potatoes

Mix the ingredients well and form a “loaf” in the bottom of your crock pot.

Then, wash 5-6 potatoes, prick them with a knife or fork, and wrap them in foil.  Place them around the meatloaf.  Cook for 8-10 hours on low.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole ***

Another winner for us.  I was afraid that it would be too spicy between the Rotel and the sauce, but the cornbread tamped that down a bit.  I couldn't find the Rotel Green Chili Sauce, so I just used green enchilada sauce.  We all liked it.  The kids and the hubs really liked it.  Definitely a keeper. :-)

MEXICAN CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

(Recipe.com via Pinterest)

2 (8.5-oz) packages corn muffin mix

1/2 cup Egg Beaters Original (or two fresh eggs)

2/3 cup reduced fat (2%) milk

1-1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, divided

1 pound ground chuck beef (80% lean)

2 (10-oz) cans Ro*Tel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, drained

2 (8-oz) cans Ro*Tel Original Tomato and Green Chili Sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Stir together cornbread mix, Egg Beaters, milk, and half of corn in bowl. Pour into prepared dish.

Meanwhile, cook beef in medium skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes or until crumbled and no longer pink, stirring occasionally; drain. Stir in drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, remaining corn, and cumin. Pour mixture over top of cornbread batter. Top with cheese.

Bake 25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cornbread is done.