Casseroles!

I just love them in the fall! So easy and delicious. Probaby highly fattening, especially the way I make them, but yummy nonetheless. Here are a couple I made this last week.

Jumbalaya Casserole

1 box Zatarans Jumbalaya rice mix

1 jalepeno (to taste)

1 package kielbasa sausage (cut up into bite size pieces)

1 tomato (can easily be left out if you don’t like them)

1 cup bread crumbs

4 cups shredded cheese (I used mexican blend)

cook Zatarans as directed and then add in jalapeno, tomato, kielbasa and any other seasonings you want (I added cayenne pepper yum!) then place in casserole dish and cover generously with bread crumbs and shredded cheese. Bake uncovered at 375 for 15-20 minutes and then broil for 3-4 minutes to really make the cheese crusty. Let cool for 10 minutes and then serve with a salad.

I liked that so much that I made another with a different twist a couple of nights later. The only thing I didn’t like about this next one is how greasy it seemed. Not sure how to remedy that, but it was delicious, just could use some refining in that area.

Twisted Kielbasa Potato Casserole

3 small potatoes chopped small (think 1/2 the size of a home fry, or smaller)

2 whole onions (I used one sweet and one red)

1 box of *rice

1 tomato

1 packet ranch dressing seasoning

1 pat of butter (for sauteing the onions)

1 package kielbasa

1/4 pound ground beef (season with kosher salt and pepper to taste)

4 pieces bacon (chopped)

4 cups cheese (I used half mexican blend and half fresh parmesan)

*1 cup bread crumbs

*I cannot cook rice. period. I think this might be part of the problem I had. I used a rice r roni which I don’t like, Zatarans or a plain, fluffy white rice would be better

* I did not have any bread crumbs this time so I used cheese alone and it does not make for as good a crust, use bread crumbs

cook up your rice as directed on packaging, cut up onions and saute with butter in pan then add the kielbasa and continue to saute on low heat to let the kielbasa soak up the flavor, add chopped bacon if desired (everything is better with bacon!)  Add tomato, cooked ground beef, potatoes and ranch dressing seasoning. Cook on low heat on stove top until potatoes are beginning to soften (they’ll fully cook in the oven) Place ingredient mixture in casserole pan and bake uncovered for 10 minutes at 375, then cover the top with bread crumbs and cheese and bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes more and then broil for 3-4 or until top is golden brown. Let cool for ten minutes and serve. I didn’t have it with any sides, the consistency is like a thick stew or goulash and was very filling alone.

Necessity is the mother of invention

….and lack of funds can birth the creation of absolute deliciousness!

This is something my husband came up with

canned (that’s right CANNED) chicken (Costco brand all white meat is what we used)

green onions

spices to taste (we used garlic and powdered cayenne pepper)

mashed potatoes (we used Idahoan packaged)

shredded cheese blend

brown gravy (optional)

in pan saute the garlic and spices with the canned chicken to taste. Be sure not to over cook as canned chicken is already cooked. Cook mashed potatoes as directed. Layer chicken, mashed potatoes, green onions and shredded cheese (in that order) in an oven safe casserole dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes-watch it closely, you just want to warm it up and melt the cheese. make up gravy (we used plain brown gravy from a packet) and then drizzle gravy over servings when plating.

This was amazingly delicious and so simple! The amounts can be changed to accommodate how many are eating, we used one can of chicken for two people and one small package of the instant potatoes and we were both stuffed. This could be good for kids too with less spice and no green onions.

TACOS!

Tacos are easy and the kids love the “buffet” feel I create by letting them make their own tacos

When trying to be frugal we came up with a great recipe for tacos using dark meat chicken last week and it was tasty- plus the kids liked it too so it was a win win!

1-2 pounds boneless chicken thighs

1 package steak seasoning (we used McCormick’s Fajita Lime)

1/2 cup olive oil

poke all thighs with fork to allow seasoning to penetrate meat. add seasoning mix and olive oil to 13×19 casserole pan and make a runny “paste” out of it. Add chicken to dish and coat thoroughly with mixture, cover with foil and bake at 400. Depending on how thick the chicken is, 20-35 minutes is usually the right amount of time. I check it often and then when I *think* it’s done I cut one of the thickest ones open. I never trust chicken is done by temping it I have to see it. When there is no pink and no shiny meat in the center it is done.

Add whatever condiments you like on your tacos and enjoy!

*tip: to keep children a little less messy- wrap hard shell in a soft shell as it holds in the broken shell pieces that are sure to fall on the floor if little hands aren’t careful. For added flavor you can even add some refried beans or nacho cheese sauce in between the hard and soft shells to hold them together. This is also slightly more filling for the older children.

Using the dark meat chicken versus ground beef was about half the price. If ground beef isn’t on sale it can be quite expensive, especially for the good stuff.