Joy's Taco Salad

Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you - it's worth it. This would be a great recipe for a potluck or something where you are feeding LOTS of people. I've made a few changes to the original - I don't like to add the dressing or chips until right before serving so the lettuce doesn't get all soggy.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 Tbs chili powder
2 cups low-fat salad dressing
1 cup ketchup
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 head iceberg lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
1 head romaine lettuce- rinsed, dried and chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can green chilie peppers, finely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
12 oz shredded Cheddar cheese
3 large tomatoes, diced (I used 2 cans petite diced tomatoes, drained)
2 (14.5 ounce) packages corn tortilla chips

1. Brown the beef, drain, season with chili powder and set aside to cool.

2. Prepare the dressing by whisking the salad dressing, ketchup and taco seasoning mix together in a small bowl.

3. In a large bowl, combine iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, green pepper, red or yellow pepper, green onions, green chilies, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cheese, cooled ground beef. Mix well, cover and refrigerate.

4. Just before serving, mix in tomatoes and dressing and top the salad with the crushed chips if desired. Serve with whole chips on the side.

Servings: 12

Author: Joy Valcarcel Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Joys-Taco-Salad/Detail.aspx

Stuffed Pasta Shells

This recipe is so easy and so tasty too. You won't even notice that it's meatless.

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
24 oz Cottage cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 package jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce


1. Combine cheeses and spinach; stuff into shells. Arrange in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

2. Pour spaghetti sauce over the shells. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Servings: 8

I got this recipe from Taste of Home magazine - submitted by Jena Coffey, St. Louis, Missouri

Taco Casserole

This is a recipe I got from my Mom. It's been changed a bit to include kidney beans (original called for 2 lbs ground beef).

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 can kidney beans, drained

2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. chili powder (more or less to taste)

12 corn tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

¾ cup milk

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Shredded lettuce

1. Mix ground beef and onion. Brown together until cooked, then drain off fat. Add kidney beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, and salt to taste.

2. Let simmer a few minutes. While meat mixture is simmering, line a 9x13 pan with 6 corn tortillas. Cover tortillas with meat mixture. Cover meat mixture with 6 more corn tortillas.

3. In a separate bowl, mix cream of chicken soup with milk. Pour soup mixture on top of casserole. Top with cheddar cheese.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cut in squares and serve on shredded lettuce.

I got this recipe from my Mom.

Six-Can Slow Cooked Chili

I found this when looking for crockpot recipes to try - it is excellent and super easy. This goes great with cornbread!

1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (we liked honey bbq sauce)
28 oz petite diced tomatoes w/juice
2 cans chili without beans; 15oz ea
15 1/2 oz can pinto or kidney beans w/juice
15 oz can spicy chili beans w/juice
1 can condensed french onion soup

1. In 3-1/2 to 4 qt crockpot, combine all ingredients; mix well.

2. Cover; cook on HIGH for 2 to 4 or until thoroughly heated. Or cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours.

Servings: 8

I found this recipe at www.culinarycafe.com

Taco Soup

Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you - this is quick and easy and very good!

1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 cans kidney beans
1 can vegetable soup, condensed
1 can tomato soup, condensed
2 soup cans water
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can green chilies, chopped
1 Tbs sugar
16 oz salsa
1 tsp chili powder
3 tsp taco seasoning mix

1. Brown Ground Beef and drain off fat. Add all other ingredients and simmer for ½-1 hour. Serve over tortilla chips; add cheese and sour cream if desired.

Servings: 8

I got this recipe from my Mom.

Spinach Lasagna

This is a variation of the lasagna recipe I got from my mom. I tried to cut down on the fat by using fat free cottage cheese and egg whites, also adding spinach and removing the beef. This turned out quite well and can even be doubled easily for freezing.

½ lb lasagna noodles, cooked
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
16 oz Fat-free Cottage cheese
2 Egg whites
1 Tbs
Parsley Flakes
½ cup Parmesan Cheese

1. Begin cooking lasagna noodles according to package directions.

2. Shred enough mozzarella cheese to cover a 9x13 pan, set aside to top lasagna. Shred remaining cheese and mix with spinach, cottage cheese, egg whites, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Ladle 1 cup spaghetti sauce into 9x13 baking dish. Next Layer 3 noodles, 1 cup cheese mixture, and 1/3 remaining spaghetti sauce in pan. Repeat twice, ending with sauce.

4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and then cover with the reserved mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

To serve frozen lasagna, preheat oven to 400 degrees and heat covered for 75 minutes, then uncover and heat 15 more minutes.

Servings: 6

This is a variation of my Mom's lasagna.

Chicken and Stuffing

This was a favorite for me growing up - in fact, it still is!

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cooked and pulled apart
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
½ cup milk
½ cup chicken broth
1 package stuffing mix
1 cup chicken broth
8 Tbs margarine, melted

1. Cook chicken, pull apart and line bottom of 9x13 pan.

2. Combine soup, milk, and broth and pour mixture over chicken.

3. Combine stuffing mix, broth and melted margarine and then sprinkle over chicken.

4. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes.

Servings: 6

I got this recipe from my Mom.

Tilapia Lemon Parmesan

I'm not really a big fish person, but I was reading somewhere about how cheap and healthy Tilapia was and decided to look for a recipe to try it with. JACKPOT! This was so tasty - you've gotta try this!

2- 1/2 lbs.Tilapia fillets
2-4 tsp butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Lemon-Parmesan Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise (don't use low-fat or fat-free)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (I used bottled and it worked fine)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Garnish (if desired)
2 lemons, sliced fresh parsley

1. Rinse the tilapia fillets in cold water and drain thoroughly.
2. Top with butter or margarine and lemon juice.
3. Broil about 4 inches from the source of heat for approximately 5 to 6 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork.
4. Top each portion with 1-2 Tbs of Lemon-Parmesan Sauce; broil 2-3 minutes or until sauce puffs and turns golden brown.
5. Place fillets on serving plate; garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley.

Servings: 6

I got this recipe online from Rainforest Aquaculture.

Swiss Chicken

Anytime I serve this, I get asked for the recipe. It is so delicious! The french bread on the top was the suggestion of a friend - the original recipe used packaged stuffing.

5 Chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
2 cans Cream of Chicken condensed soup
½ cup Water
6 slices Swiss Cheese
½ loaf French bread
4 Tbs Margarine

1. Place uncooked chicken breasts in 9x13 pan. Arrange swiss cheese slices on top of each breast. Mix soup with water and then pour soup mixture over top of chicken.

2. Cut French bread into cubes, toss with melted margarine and then sprinkle on top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

I got this recipe from a college roommate (Traci).

Mini Meat Loaves

These meat loaves cook quickly and are great tasting! They also make excellent leftovers - not that you'll have any ;) Our family likes lots of sauce so I did tweak the recipe to make more sauce than the original - also just used all ground beef instead of original's 1/2 lb pork plus 1 lb. ground beef.

1 cup ketchup
4 Tbs packed brown sugar
1 ½ lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 egg

1. Heat oven to 450°F. In small bowl, stir ketchup and brown sugar until mixed. In large bowl, stir remaining ingredients and 1/4 cup ketchup mixture (reserving remaining ketchup mixture for topping) until well mixed.

2. Spray 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Place meat mixture in pan; pat into 12x4-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise down center and then crosswise into sixths to form 12 loaves. Separate loaves, using spatula, so no edges are touching. Brush loaves with reserved ketchup mixture.

3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until loaves are no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160°F.

Servings: 6

I got the original recipe from www.bettycrocker.com

Cheeseburger Quiche

Here's a recipe I found when researching make ahead freezer recipes. It is delicious and does well even after being frozen.

1 pie crust, unbaked
1 lb ground beef, browned (1 lb = 2 ½ cups)
½ cup mayonnaise (fat-free is ok)
½ cup milk
2 T. onions, diced
2 Eggs
1 T. cornstarch
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Brown beef; drain well. In a medium bowl blend mayonnaise, milk, eggs, and cornstarch. Fold in cheese, onion, and beef.

2. Pour into a pie shell. Bake in pre-heated 350° oven for 35-40 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out wet but clean.

Freezing and Cooking Directions: 1 When cooled, place a sheet of waxed paper on top, then wrap completely with heavy duty aluminum foil or freezer paper. 2 To serve: Thaw completely, remove foil and wax paper, then warm for 20 minutes at 350°.

Servings: 4

Here's a link to the website I got it from: http://www.30daygourmet.com/

Taco Salad

This tastes great and is quick and easy - just remember to allow time for it to marinate. If you want to save a few calories, this works fine with Fat-free Catalina and you can leave out the olives. Enjoy!

1 can diced tomatoes, drained (petite diced are my favorite)
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can green beans, drained
3 green onions, chopped
¾ cup Catalina dressing
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (I like sharp cheddar)
¼ can olives, sliced
½ cup Fritos or tortilla chips
4 cups lettuce, shredded

1. Combine tomatoes, kidney beans, green beans, green onions and dressing in a bowl. Cover and marinate for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

2. After 3 hours of marinating, add cheese and olives. Add chips as desired and serve over lettuce.

Servings: 6

I got this recipe from a friend (Kristi) when I was first married.

Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies

Seriously - these are the BEST brownies I've had. They are so moist and delicious I have to share. I'm not a big fan of nuts in brownies, so I didn't add the pecans, but I left it in the recipe for those of you who like them.

3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup butter, melted, divided
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chunks

1. In a large bowl, combine cocoa and baking soda; blend in 1/3 cup melted butter. Add boiling water; stir until well blended. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining butter.

2. Add flour, vanilla and salt. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chunks. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool.

Yields: about 3 dozen

I found the recipe in the 2008 "Taste of Home - Prize Winning Recipes" and it says the recipe was contributed by Carol Prewett.