Andrea's Enchilada Casser-Ole!

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 T taco seasoning
1/4 tsp ground cumin
6 flour tortillas (8 inch)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown beef and onion in large skillet; drain. Stir in salsa, beans, dressing, taco seasoning, and cumin. Place 3 tortillas in greased 2-qt baking dish. Layer with half of the meat mixture, sour cream, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes or until heated through.

Garnish with chopped lettuce, tomato, and cilantro.

Chicken and Bean Flautas

(original recipe here)

1 cup shredded chicken
1 can black beans (I used my own frozen ones)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste (I used at least 1/4 tsp)

Shredded cheddar cheese
8 10-inch flour or whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the chicken, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, onion powder and salt. Let this cook down for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken is heated through. Most of the water will evaporate and you will be left with a nicely coated saucy chicken. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle some cheese in a line down the middle of a tortilla. Spread some meat filling on top. Fold bottom and top down a little, then roll up from the side. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the tortillas and filling.

Brush the tops of the flautas with a bit of vegetable oil (or spray with a cooking spray), and place in the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, flip them over (I spread more oil on them) and bake another 8-12 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream to dip in (guacamole would be yummy, too).

Homemade Yogurt

4 cups milk
1/2 cup powdered milk (this is to thicken it, next time I may try a little less)
2 T honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt (live culture), room temperature


Mix milk, powdered milk, and honey in a saucepan and bring slowly to boiling just around the edges. Remove from heat. Place pan in cool water bath and monitor until it cools to 115 degrees. Whisk 1 cup milk mixture with the plain yogurt, then dump all of it into a crockpot insert and wrap it in towels (I use a crockpot for the extra insulation, you could leave it in the saucepan with a lid and just wrap it more). Let sit 3-8 hours.

Notes: I used my my 2-quart crockpot but I wouldn't use my 6 quart--in that case I would put a lid on the saucepan and use that. I like using my crockpot because I can heat it up on low to warm the milk back to 115 in case it cools too much when I add the yogurt. Then I turn off the crockpot and wrap in 2 or 3 thick towels. I wrapped just the crock part and set it in my oven for 4 hours. Basically, you just want it to stay warm (about 115 degrees) so the yogurt bacteria can grown. The longer you leave it, the thicker it gets but also the tangier it gets. I thought 4 hours was perfect.

The last time I made it, I didn't add the honey and I let it sit for 6 or 8 hours--and it was very, very tangy. This time it was not tangy at all--I loved what the honey did for it, and it was thick, creamy, and even silky. Yum!

Berry Delight Cobbler

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 & 3/4 cups of sugar, divided
  
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 bag (~2 cups) frozen berries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place butter in 9x13 pan in oven until butter melts. Meanwhile, mix 1 cup sugar, flour, and baking powder and stir in milk. Pour into pan with melted butter. Mix berries with 3/4 cup sugar. Spread evenly on top of batter. Bake for about an hour until golden.

Note: Original recipe (found here) said to mix batter in with butter, but we didn't notice and poured it on top and liked how it turned out kind of crispy. Also, to reduce baking time, you could cook the berries with the sugar on the stovetop first.