Spanish Rice Bake

Casserole...Bake..Hot Dish... You either love them or hate them.

Well, I guess there's a middle ground, but... Some people just can't do the whole food mixed together thing, and some people have been scarred by their childhood casserole experience - you know the ones - smothered in multiple cans of cream of something and topped with greasy potato chip crumbs [shiver]. Others love the convenience of the one-dish dinner and have fond memories of potlucks and family dinners.

Here's an easy one to try - make up a pan for dinner, and then another one to share or keep in the freezer when you need a quick dinner.

Spanish Rice Bake

1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup water or chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup chile sauce (adjust to your family's spiciness - we like it hot)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat and transfer beef to a large pot over medium low heat. Stir in the onion, green bell pepper, tomatoes, water, rice, chile sauce, salt, brown sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and ground black pepper.

Let this simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then transport this to a 2-quart casserole dish. (If you're going to freeze this, you'll want to cut a few minutes off the simmering time, to slightly under cook the rice. That way, it won't be too mushy when you thaw and heat it.) Press down firmly and sprinkle with the shredded Cheddar cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome. It's a lot of work, but it is awesome. Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great. What more can you ask for? I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef. You can mix it up, but I really like this combo. It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish. The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli! I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME). If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and choppe

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months. If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them. But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming. As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes. Find out if you're

A Cooking Baker

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