Texas Cheese Dip

1 lb ground Spicy Sausage
2 lbs Velveeta Cheese, cubed
2 cans Rotel, undrained
Tortilla Chips

In a skillet brown sausage, drain.  

In a slow cooker combine Velveeta, rotel, and sausage.  Cook on high for 30 minutes, then on low for an hour.  

Eat with chips.  

Tex-Mex Enchilada Casserole

14 corn (or flour) tortillas cut into thirds
1 1/2 pounds ground beef 
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red or green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 large poblano chile, diced
1 jalepano, diced, with seeds
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Chopped cilantro, optional
Sour Cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350. 

Lightly coat a 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

Arrange the cut tortillas in a single layer on two large, rimmed baking sheets. Bake the tortillas until slightly crisp, about 15 minutes.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef with salt and pepper, breaking the meat up into bite-sized pieces. Cook, drain, and put meat aside in a bowl. 

Wipe the skillet clean 

In the same skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil and stir in the onion, bell pepper, poblano, jalepano, corn and garlic. Cook until the veggies are softened, 3-4 minutes. 

Stir the flour, chile powder, cumin and coriander into the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. 

Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. 

Stir in the beans, lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

Line the bottom of the greased baking pan with 1/3 of the baked tortillas. Layer with 1/3 of the meat and then 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture and then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses. Repeat that process again twice more ending with the cheeses.

Bake the casserole until hot and bubbly, about 30-35 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving. 

Garnish with chopped cilantro and sour cream if desired.

Tomato Basil Pasta - No Straining, just Stirring

1 lb. Linguine, broken in half
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
4 cups Chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 oz bag Baby Spinach, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and basil in a large stock pot. Pour in broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid. Place lid on top and heat on high. Once it comes to a rolling boil remove lid and turn down heat to medium.

Cook for 10-15 minutes without lid while pasta continues to boil over medium heat. Cook until most of the liquid is adsorbed, stirring every few minutes to avoid sticking. Do not over stir! Keep it at a boil at all times!

Stir in spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot and wilt spinach.

Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Tater Tots

1/3 bag Frozen Tater Tots
Stake Seasoning

Arrange Tater Tots on baking pan.  Sprinkle Stake Seasoning generously over tots.  

Bake Tater Tots 10 minutes longer than package directions.

AIR FRY directions

Heat air fryer to 390 degrees for 21 minutes.

Spread out frozen tater tots on half the sheet of a jelly roll pan.  Spray generously with Pam.

When air fryer gets to 18 minutes remove basket and add tater tots.

When finished air frying dump tater tots back onto jelly roll pan and spread out.  Sprinkle with Steak Seasoning.  Eat right away!

Three Corn Treat - Gina Dale

1 bag microwave Popcorn, popped
4 cups Kellogg’s Corn Pops
4 cups Frito corn chips
24 oz. Almond Bark

Make sure you try to get all unpopped popcorn kernels out of the popcorn.

In a large bowl, mix popcorn, corn pops, and fritos together.

In another bowl, melt Almond Bark according to package directions.

Pour Almond Bark over dry ingredients.

Mix well.

Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Break into bite-size pieces.

Tamales

1/2 bag Corn Husks
MASA: (enough for about 30 tamales)
     1 cup shortening
     3 cups masa harina
     1 tsp cumin
     1 tsp Chile powder
     1 tsp salt
     2 tsp baking powder
     1 14.5 oz can beef broth
1/2 recipe Mexican Meat Mixture
1 can Rotel
1 (16 oz) Velveta

In a large bowl add very hot water to about half the depth.  Place corn husks in a large bowl making sure to separate husks so water can soak throughout the pile.

With a second slightly smaller bowl fill it to about half way with water.  Place on top of the corn husks in the water to weigh them down and let soak for 30 minutes.  Drain husks.

Fill spaghetti pot with about 2 inches of water.  Place strainer pot into spaghetti pot to make sure that the water level is not touching the strainer pot.

Line the inside of the strainer pot with foil.  It just needs to cover the bottom and up the sides a little bit.  

Meanwhile, beat the shortening for 5 minutes in a stand mixer.

Combine the masa harina with cumin, chile powder, salt, and baking powder.

Add in masa mixture to the shortening. Mix well.

Slowly add the beef broth till mixture sticks together.  You don't want it to be crumbly.

Tamales
If you have a tortilla press cut a sandwich size zip lock down the sides and open it up.  Lay it on the opened tortilla press.  For every tamale use this so that it is easy to transfer to corn husks and easy clean up!

Working with one husk at a time, place about 35-40grams of Masa Dough in the center of tortilla press.  Press the dough, you want it to be about a 6 inch circle.  Place disk about 1 inch from bottom of husk.  You definitely want the whole circle to be inside the corn husk.  Sometimes I have to use two or three corn husks staggered on each other to make it wide enough to roll.  

Spoon about 2 tablespoons Mexican meat mixture down middle of dough.

Using the corn husk as your guide, fold husk over tamale, being sure to cover filling with dough. Fold bottom end of husk under. Place upright in the steamer.

STEAM
This recipe should make about 30 tamales. You can cram them in.  But if you are making a bigger batch having them not so crammed is good.  You can steam the next day if gets too late in the day.  Just put in fridge till tomorrow.

Bring the 2 inches of water in a large spaghetti pot to a boil.  Put strainer basket with tamales in the pot.  Cover with lid.

Steam on the stove for 2 hours.  (I steam mine on  level 6).  About 30 minutes till end of cooking time check water level.  I typically need to add a cup of water.

At the 2 hour mark take one tamale out and see if it is cooked.  If you think it needs 30 more minutes just make sure that there is enough water in pan.  

If there are left overs you can wrap them in the aluminum foil used to cook them and freeze.  Thaw and microwave to reheat.  But reheat without sauce. The sauce will melt from the heat of the tamale or you can heat the sauce separately. 

Cheese Sauce
In a blender combine rotel and velveta.

When serving, unwrap tamales onto individual plates.  Cover with cheese sauce.

Tomatillos Sauce

3-4 fresh Tomatillos
     small and dark green best
1/2 cup Mayo
1 cup fresh Cilantro
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
3 Tablespoons Buttermilk Ranch Mix
1/2 cup Buttermilk
3 cloves of Garlic minced
1 Lime Juice

Food process everything together.

Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Taco Salad - Mexican Mess - Laura Hale

1 (15 oz) can refried beans
1/2 recipe of Mexican Meat Mixture
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (16 oz) bottle Medium Pace Salsa
Assembly Ingredients:
Tortilla Chips
lettuce
Shredded cheese
guacamole
Tomatillos sauce

In a 13x9 pan layer the refried beans, shredded beef, cheese and salsa.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve as meat for taco salad.

Assembly:
Crush Tortilla Chips in bottom of individual bows.

Put shredded lettuce on top of crushed chips.

Sprinkle cheese on top of lettuce.

Add meat mixture on top of cheese.

Add guacamole and then finally Tomatillos sauce.

Note: I priced this on DaleLiciousFood with the guacamole and Tomatillos sauce. With everything it is $32.26 or $2.69/serving. With only the casserole it is $23.27 or $1.94/serving.

Turkey Gravy

1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups Turkey drippings
2/3 cup buttermilk

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent.

Stir in flour, pepper, and celery seed.

Combine Turkey Drippings and buttermilk in pour-able container, like a large measuring cup.  Slowly stir into onion mixture with a whisk.  Be careful it likes to slosh.  

Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat.

Note: If you are not using turkey drippings where you used Seasoning Salt on the turkey then add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the flour mixture in the instructions.

Taco Salad

1 lb. ground Beef
1 Onion chopped
2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning Mix
1/4 cup Water
1 bag Tortilla Chips
1 head Romaine Lettuce pulled into bit sized pieces
1-2 Tomatoes chopped
shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Salsa

Brown beef and onions, drain.

Add taco seasoning and water to meat and mix well.

In individual bowls crush tortilla chips. Layer with lettuce, meat mixture, cheese, tomatoes, Sour Cream, and salsa to desired tastes.

Taco Dip

1 can Refried Beans
2 Avocados
1 fresh lime, juiced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Sour Cream
1/3 cup Mayo
1 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning Mix
2 cups Salsa
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 medium - large Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bunch Green Onions, thinly chopped
1 bag Tortilla Chips

In a bowl stir refried beans to make it more spreadable. Spread onto a 11X15 Jelly Roll pan.

Cut avocados in half and remove seed. Scoop out insides close to skin into a bowl. Mash avocados.

Mix in lime juice, garlic, and salt. I like to stir and mash with the masher.

Spread guacamole on top of refried bean layer, trying to keep even layers and not combining with refried bean layer.

Combine sour cream, mayo, and taco seasoning; spread evenly over guacamole trying not to combine with guacamole layer.

Spread salsa evenly over sour cream layer.

Top with Cheese, then tomatoes, and then green onions.

Serve with Tortilla chips.

Tuna Burgers - Gina Dale

1 can Tuna, drained
1 Egg
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup Onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup Celery, chopped
1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 cup Mayo
2 Tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dill Weed
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Butter
4 Hamburger Buns
Lettuce
Mayo

In a large bowl combine everything but the buns and butter. Mix well.

Shape into four patties and place on wax paper.

Heat a large non-stick skillet with butter for over medium-high heat.

Place patties in skillet and cook for 4 minutes on each side.

Serve on buns with toppings of choice.

Taco Seasoning mix

1/2 cup Dried Minced Onion
1/2 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Salt
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Paprika
2 T + 2 t Cornstarch
1/4 cup Onion Powder
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Cumin
2 Tablespoons Crushed Red Pepper
1 T + 1 t Beef Bouillon granules
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Mix everything together and store in container with a tight fitting lid.

To use:
1 pkg of taco seasoning = 2 Tablespoons of mix

If you are adding to ground beef add 1/4 cup water to juice it up.

Note:  Makes about 42 Tablespoons

Tuna Mac and Cheese

2 boxes Mac and Cheese
2 cans Cream of Celery Soup
2 cans Tuna, drained
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Butter, softened
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
All Purpose Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Mix powdered cheese mix, soup, tuna, milk, and butter in a large bowl.

Drain pasta and add to cheese mixture. Stir well.

Transfer to a baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Top with seasonings as desired in individual bowls.