Category: Beef

Enchilada Night!

Beef, Mexican, Vegetarian

Hey guys! Hope you all had a great Monday. Today we took our weekly trip to the library. Lots of fun looking for books for the girls to read. Becca is devouring The Magic Tree House and Ivy and Bean books. Katie is still learning to read; she still has a bit to go, but she loves when I read to her. I make her read words I know she knows and reread the pages to me when I know she won’t get frustrated.  I mean, she just turned 6 and is going to 1st grade in the fall, so I know she will catch on fast and love reading books like the rest of her family!

Later we went to the local city park water fountain. Lots of fun! Then we cooled off with some smoothies.

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We came home and had some down time. Later in the afternoon we went to the pool for a few hours. It was so nice and relaxing. The water was so refreshing. Soon, it will be like bath water.

We came home and I made another family favorite… enchiladas! I always like to change it up a bit. I made a beef and a bean version. Here is how I made them this time.

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 can chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
8-12 tortillas (corn or flour)
1 large package of shredded cheese-Mexican Blend-
1 large container of Enchilada Sauce (once I made my own…it tasted wonderful, but it was a pain in the ass to make. Now I stick with the can.)

Directions
Add your seasoning and green chilies to the beef as you cook it. Cool.
Heat oven to 350
Spray pan with non-stick spray
Put a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Make your enchiladas- fill with spoonful of beef and cheese
Add enchilada sauce on top followed by lots of cheese…
Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 can refried beans
4-6 tortillas (corn or flour)
1 package of shredded cheese-Mexican Blend
Enchilada Sauce

Directions
Heat oven to 350
Spray pan with non-stick spray
Put a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Make your enchiladas- fill with spoonful of beans and cheese
Add enchilada sauce on top followed by lots of cheese
Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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Empty Plate Club
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Cheesy Baked Pasta with Semi-homemade Sauce

Beef, Pasta

Hey guys! Hope everyone is having a great start to the week. Not a lot of stuff going on here. The girls are going to art camp this week and having a blast! Yesterday I picked them up and we hung out at the pool for a while, not a surprise 😉 The next few days we will be doing pretty much the same thing with maybe a little fun outings mixed in depending on the weather.

I went to the store to pick up some things for dinner. I decided to make a baked pasta of some sort and garlic bread. On the blog I have made so many different baked pastas- some the easy way (jarred sauce) and some the from scratch way. This time I did a mix of both.

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Semi-homemade Sauce

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 box tube shaped pasta; I used Rigatoni, but Ziti or Penne would be fine.
1 jars of your favorite pasta sauce- I used Bertoli- Tomato Basil
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
2 med. bags or 1 large bag of mozzarella or Italian Cheese Blend
1 handful of fresh herbs (oregano, marjarum, thyme, rosmary and sage, finely chopped)- You can also use 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning if you don’t have fresh herbs.
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large dutch oven or pan, brown your meat with your onions in a tablespoon of olive oil on high heat, about 5 minutes.
Add in your mushrooms and garlic. Cook down together, about 5 minutes.
Add in the tomato paste. Cook down for 3-4 minutes. It will turn a rust color and when you smell it it will have an intense tomato aroma. Add in your Worcestershire Sauce, can of tomato puree, and container of marinara. Stir well and add in your fresh herbs. Let it simmer together while you cook your pasta
Assemble in a large casserole pan layering sauce, pasta, meat, and cheese.
Cook for about 30-45 minutes or until cheese is melting and turning that yummy brown color.

Serve with some garlic bread and a side salad! 002

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Weekend Wrap-up- A Day for Katie and a Day for Mommy

Beef, potatoes, Side dishes...veggies, Weekend Wrap-Up

Hey guys! So this weekend we celebrated 2 important people. Katie and ME!!! It was Katie’s birthday which always coincides with Mother’s Day. Best Mother’s Day present I have ever received =) Lots of fun, yummy food, and amazing family!

First Up…Katie’s birthday. She wanted to invite a few friends over for a play date. Only one sweet girl could make it (damn you spring sports), but we all had a blast. It was nice to hear 3 girls running around and playing together. We miss that. We ate cake, drank strawberry milkshakes, and opened presents. Tons of fun!010

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I made bacon cheese burgers for dinner. YUM! https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/08/28/burgers-2/
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Had a fun day with my Mommy at a picnic in the park…036

Dinner was so fun! I cooked stuffed mushrooms (Italian Sausage in mushroom caps topped with mozzarella cheese baked at 350 for 15 minutes), and steak with twice baked potatoes (https://funfoodiefamily.com/2015/02/15/steak-twice-baked-potatoes-and-pan-steamed-broccoli/)
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Throwback Thursday- Steak and Potatoes

Beef

Today I got to eat lunch with the girls, so I brought them Zaxby’s. I asked Becca if she wanted to order pizza for dinner on our last night of the kitchen being closed. She said, “No, I want you to make your steak and potatoes.” Hmmmm…..apparently she is ready for a home cooked meal. Ok, then! I had a few days off, but I guess I am ready for a home cooked meal as well. The kitchen is back open for tonight!

https://funfoodiefamily.com/2015/02/15/steak-twice-baked-potatoes-and-pan-steamed-broccoli/

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Enchiladas Two Ways- Carnivores and Vegetarians Unite!

Beef, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Mexican, Vegetarian

So this morning I got up and got ready for work. I went to wake up the girls. Becca got up and started getting ready. Katie was still sleeping, which is unusual for her. She usually pops out of bed and gets ready faster than Becca, so I went in to check on her. She was still sound asleep. I bent down to wake her up and she was burning up. Poor baby! So I let her sleep in and got Becca on the bus. After she woke up, her fever had broken and she seemed a bit better. She has had a cough and runny nose the last couple of days, so I ended up taking her to the doctor to get checked out. Turns out she has a pretty gross sinus infection; after getting some meds, we came home and rested and snuggled for a bit on the couch. Then we went to pick up Becca and they ended up playing together outside. I sat outside and read a book while they played. It was a nice afternoon.

For dinner I planned on making beef enchiladas. Then I saw that I had an extra can of refried beans in the pantry, so I ended up making bean and cheese enchiladas as well. Both of these were super easy to make. Nothing fancy or any extra veggies; just strait up beef and beans. Oh, and lots of cheese, of course!

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
8-12 tortillas (corn or flour)
shredded cheese-Mexican Blend-
Enchilada Sauce

Directions
Add your seasoning to the beef as you cook it. Add about 1/2 cup water over the heat until it absorbs, about 5 minutes. Cool.
Heat oven to 350
Spray pan with non-stick spray
Put a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Make your enchiladas- fill with spoonful of beef and cheese
Add enchilada sauce on top followed by lots of cheese…
Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 can refried beans
6-8 tortillas(corn or flour)
shredded cheese-Mexican Blend-
Enchilada Sauce

Directions
Heat oven to 350
Spray pan with non-stick spray
Put a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Make your enchiladas- fill with spoonful of beans and cheese
Add enchilada sauce on top followed by lots of cheese
Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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Plenty of leftovers in the freezer for another meal!