Mexican Tortilla Skillet
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 packet taco seasoning
6 burrito size flour tortillas
2 cups pureed canned or fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)

1. Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot. Add ground beef, garlic and taco seasoning. Cook until beef is browned, breaking it into small pieces and mixing everything together.
2. While beef is browning, slice tortillas into 1-inch squares. A pizza cutter or scissors works well for this.
3. Add tomatoes, salsa and cut-up tortillas to skillet and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. If it seems dry, you can add a little water. Once this heated through, sprinkle cheese over top and cover for a few minutes. Once cheese is melted, it is ready to serve. Sprinkle with chopped green pepper (if using) for a little color, crunch and a healthy dose of Vitamin C.

The Verdict: Delicious and simple! Really not that different than making tacos - but just a bit different way of serving it! :) It went together so fast, especially if your ground beef is thawed! I didn't use 6 tortillas, maybe 3 and that was plenty. We really liked this and I think it's going to be a go-to quick dinner recipe, since I usually have these things on hand! Great way to use up the last couple of tortillas too!!

Swedish Meat Pies

Swedish Meat Pies
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 large red potatoes, grated
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
6 tablespoons sour cream

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in the ground beef and add onion, parsley, allspice, dill, nutmeg and grated potatoes. Cook and stir until the meat is browned. Drain any excess grease. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven at 400*F
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Mix in the shortening with a fork or pastry cutter until only pea size lumps remain. Stir in sour cream a little bit at a time until the dough holds together. Knead briefly on a floured surface. Divide into four equal portions and pat into balls.
4. Roll out each ball of dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Place a heaping 1/2 cup of filling into each one. Fold over into half circles, and seal by moistening the edges with warm water and pressing together. Place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Our verdict: Yum!!! I love the Swedish Meat Pies that you can buy at the Scandinavian Fest in Junction City each summer - and this year, I bought a recipe at one of the little shops at the Scandi Fest (for 10 cents!) for them. (I also bought a Swedish Meatball recipe) We really really liked these! Next time I will add a little salt to the meat mixture, just a little to enhance the flavor! But other than that, these were delicious! The combination of seasonings, parsley, allspice, nutmeg and dill - is interesting, but delicious!! Yum!!!

Chili Corn Pone Pie

Chili Corn Pone Pie
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

Filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
One 15-ounce can kidney or small red beans, drained
1/2 cup frozen or canned (drained) corn kernels
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (about 12 ounces)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Crust:
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Topping:
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Preheat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add ground beef, and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into small pieces with the side of a spoon. Remove beef from skillet; add onion to skillet. Cook onion until it begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining filling ingredients; stir well to combine. Simmer until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. In a medium-size bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add beaten egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture; mix well to form a soft dough.
4. Spread meat mixture over the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Drop tablespoonfuls of the corn bread mixture all over the top of the pie, distributing it as evenly as possible. Sprinkle cheese across the top. Bake 45 minutes, or until cheese is flecked with brown and filling starts to bubble out the sides.

Our verdict: YUM!! We love chili and cornbread, so it was nice to have a variation on that! Would be a great way to use up leftover chili too!! The only change I would make for the future, would be to add a jalapeno into the chili next time - just because we like a little extra heat.

Flatbread Tacos with Ranch Sour Cream

I got behind on posting recipes again - so there will be a LOT! Enjoy!! :)
We both really liked these. The only thing I changed from the original recipe - is that instead of using the refrigerator biscuits for the flatbread, I actually bought whole wheat flatbread pitas. We both REALLY like them (we use them a lot for pizzas - which are delightful!) - so I figured I might as well make them with real flatbread. :) I'm sure they'd be really good with the biscuits as well, and I might try them that way the next time I make them!

Flatbread Tacos with Ranch Sour Cream
recipe from: Taste of Home

• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 2 teaspoons ranch salad dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• Optional toppings: sliced ripe olives and shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dressing mix and lemon juice; chill until serving.
• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning and pepper sauce; heat through.
• Meanwhile, roll out each biscuit into a 6-in. circle. In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown; keep warm.
• To serve, spread each flatbread with 2 tablespoons ranch sour cream; top each with 2/3 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle with toppings if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Beef Barley Lentil Soup

Originally posted March 29, 2011 (a few notes added at the end - since I've made this a number of times now)

Both Brandon and I really enjoy soup! In fact my dream some day is to own/run a Soup Shack - you know when I have my pumpkin patch/Christmas tree farm with goats and donkeys. Someday....

Anyway, I tried this soup and it was REALLY good!! A couple of differences from the original recipe - I cooked it on the stove top instead of using the crockpot. I'm a HUGE fan of my crockpot, but I was home during spring break, so I decided to just cook this on the stove instead! Also, I accidentally left out the tomatoes. I don't think I'll put them in the next time either! It was super yummy the way it was - so why change it?!? :) Neither of us are HUGE tomato fans, we like them in things, but they're not our favorite - so we were perfectly happy without them! I think I might add a little more of the lemon pepper next time too.


** I've made this several times since originally posted it, and we really love it. I've not ever put the tomatoes in, and we love it without them. I have made it in the crockpot as well as on the stove top, and either way works great! This makes a LOT of soup - and company has enjoyed it! Definitely one of our favorite soups!!


Beef Barley Lentil Soup
Recipe from Taste of Home

• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups cubed red potatoes (1/4-inch pieces)
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 cup medium pearl barley
• 8 cups water
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (I used 4 cups of beef broth and the rest water1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning (I would use a little more next time!)
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes (I didn't use)

Directions

• In a nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Layer with the potatoes, celery, carrots, lentils and barley. Combine the water, bouillon, salt and lemon-pepper; pour over vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until vegetables and barley are tender.
• Add the tomatoes; cook 2 hours longer. Yield: 10 servings.