Fish Tacos

                                      Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

This is one of me and my husband's favorite go-to meals.  It is so simple and very delicious.  For those of you who are thinking "Fish?  In a taco?  Really??  Yuck!!!", take a walk on the wild side and I promise you won't be disappointed.  Unless you don't like fish; I can't help you there, because even though everybody loves tacos, it IS still fish inside....

For the taco:

1 lb tilapia (I get the frozen bag of individually wrapped, but fresh is always better)
White corn tortillas
Shredded cabbage
Optional toppings: chopped fresh jalapeno, cilantro, tomatoes, etc.
Cajun or blackening seasoning
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Lime

For the cream:

2-3 chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (or more to taste)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip!!)
1/3 cup sour cream
2 T whipping or heavy cream (or milk)


Place the tilapia in a dish and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lime.  Let sit while you make the cream.

In a bowl, combine the chopped chipotle peppers with the mayo, sour cream, and milk or cream.  You may want to add some of the adobo sauce to add more flavor.  You can add more of less of the cream until you get the consistency you want.  This is going to be the sauce you drizzle on the finished tacos.  Place in the refrigerator until you're ready to use.

Heat a large skillet to medium-high and add a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Place the tilapia in heated skillet and sprinkle cajun seasoning on the fish while cooking.  Turn fish after a couple of minutes and sprinkle seasoning on the other side.  Cook for another couple of minutes, until fish is flaky and remove to a plate.  Keep fish warm while you heat the torillas.

In a small skillet heated to medium, spray some cooking oil and heat torillas individually and keep warm.

To assemble, place whole, or chunked fish in the warm tortillas and add shredded cabbage.  Drizzle the chipotle cream next.  I don't drizzle, I pour...I could eat that stuff with a spoon!!  Anyways, finish with any other toppings to your liking.  I serve these with fiesta black beans and rice.

I hope I've gotten you fish/taco combination haters to change your mind....these are sooo yummy and pretty healthy (minus the enourmous glob of creamy goodness that I use).  Enjoy!!

Sour Cream Beef Enchilada Casserole

                

First of all, ignore the chicken in the picture.  I am not a photographer and photos of sour cream and beef together in an enchilada casserole are hard to come by...at least ones that I thought looked cheesy enough.

Secondly, I stole this recipe.  I am proud to admit this because the person I stole it from will not be reading this...he doesn't know I have a blog.  I don't think he would mind anyways....I hope. :)

Finally, you certainly could substitute chicken if you wanted to, but I just loved the combination of the beef mixed with the sour cream and there are plenty of sour cream chicken enchilada recipes out there anyways, so just make this with beef, ok??

You'll need:

2 lb ground beef
1 med onion
1/3 cup salsa (I use Pace)
1 1/2 t cumin
1/2 T chili powder
1 1/2 t salt (or to taste)
1/4 t black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 stick butter
2 T flour
1 1/2 cups milk
16 oz sour cream
12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded mexican cheese...or more :)

Cook ground beef and onion until brown, drain grease, add seasonings, and simmer for a few minutes to let flavors marry, or co-habitate for you commitment-phobes.  In a separate skillet, melt butter and add flour, stirring constantly until mixed.  Add milk slowly, stirring to avoid lumps, until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat and add sour cream.

Spray a 9x13 baking pan with oil and layer 6 tortillas on bottom.  Add 1/2 sour cream sauce, 1/2 beef mixture, and 1/2 cheese (or enough to cover beef...you can never have too much cheese).  Repeat layers one more time and finish with the cheese......lots of it!!  Can you tell I love cheese??  If you know me, then you know who I'm married to...the epitome of human cheesiness!!  Anyways, bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.  Let stand for 5 minutes at least to let layers set.

You could add black olives, jalapenos, or fresh cilantro to garnish.  You could even add green chiles to the beef mixture (I think I will).  Hope you all enjoy!!

                                            

Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti

                                              Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti


Crockpot = easy.  That's the conclusion I have come to lately after finally using my crockpot for more than just queso.  I am loving finding new recipes that are not only easy, but TASTE SO GOOD!!

I found this recipe and made a few modifications and loved the way it turned out.  I even wanted to put the noodles in uncooked, but after researching it, I decided just to partially cook them to be on the safe side.  It worked beautifully!!  Enjoy!!

1 can rotel
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
8 oz fresh mushrooms
4 chicken breasts (I used frozen)
1 lb Velveeta
16 oz spaghetti

Place all ingredients except the Velveeta and the noodles in the crockpot and stir together.  Cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hrs.  I added the cubed Velveeta at the 7 hour mark and shredded the chicken with a fork.  Boil the spaghetti noodles for about 3 or 4 minutes and then add to the mixure and let cook for another 30 minutes to an hour.  It will thicken during this time.  It's ready as soon as the spaghetti is to your liking.  This goes great with Texas Garlic Toast!!

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

OK...so I am NOT a photographer...hence this delicious looking pic of beef stroganoff with the "shutterstock" insignia on it.  I chose this particular picture because it it served over rice and most pics have it served over noodles, which are good too, but I LOVE my stroganoff over rice because it soaks up all the yummy sauce!!

I saw this recipe on pinterest and it immediately sparked my interest....(I rhymed)...because a) I love easy crockpot recipes and b) beef stroganoff is one of my all time favorite meals since I was a little girl.  I changed the recipe just a tad but the basics are pretty much the same and let me tell you, it turned out JUST like the stroganoff I make on the stove top which is the recipe I learned from my mom and have been using forever!!  But it was so much easier!!

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup ( I used Campbell's )
1 medium onion, chopped
3 T Worcestershire
1/2 cup water
8 to 12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 lb stew meat
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
prepared rice or egg noodles

Combine the soup, onion, worcestershire, water, and mushrooms in the crockpot.  Sprinkle the stew meat with a little flour to coat and whichever seasonings you prefer.  I used kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  Add the meat into the crockpot and stir to combine.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hrs.  I added a little more salt, pepper and paprika to the pot in the middle of cooking time because I couldn't keep from sneaking a little taste...it smelt so good!!  Before serving, cube the cream cheese and add it and the sour cream to the pot.  Replace the lid and let the cream cheese melt.  Stir together and serve it over either rice or noodles.  This has so much flavor and is so easy!!  Enjoy!!

                                                              Jalapeno Popper Dip

Ok, so I'm going to start a new blog (this one) about different recipes that I make and want to share.  This one, in particular, was demanded of me that I share immediately!!  So, for those of you that didn't get the recipe from me, here it is.....

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise, the real stuff
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup shredded parmesan, bagged, not canned
2-4 oz chopped green chiles
4 oz chopped, canned jalapenos
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs mixed with 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Mix first seven ingredients together and place in a baking dish.  Top with the panko mixture and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.  Serve it with tortilla chips.

So here it is!!  Make it RIGHT NOW, or as soon as you can.......ENJOY!!