Dave Archuleta's Taco Dip

When Curtis lived at Raintree apartments he had a roommate named Dave Archuletta and he was a pretty good cook. We loved it when he made and shared this taco dip :)

In a 9x13 pan spread a layer of retried beans, topped with a layer of cooked ground beef mixed with taco seasoning. 

 Over this spread a layer of sour cream mixed with taco seasoning, sliced avocados or guacamole, shredded cheddar or Colby-jack. Top with thinly sliced green onions and chopped or sliced olives. 

Warm up in a warm oven, serve with tortilla chips. 

(The picture shows a smaller pan and in a different order but it's still the same yummy dip)

Grandma Nina's Soft Spicy Chocolate Chip cookies

These are the cookies my grandma Nina always made. They have the look and texture of a pumpkin cookie. Sort of flattened. They are Delish!

2 C butter softened(or margarine)

3 C brown sugar

6 eggs

Mix these three ingredients together.

1 tsp soda dissolved in

1 1/2 C water

6+ C flour

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

Alternately add water mixture and flour mixture into the first 3 ingredient mixture. Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 375 degrees.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

This recipe is from Jamie Taylor, one of the founders of Flirty Aprons, who happened to live in our ward in Provo for a while. She brought it to a Relief Society meeting and it was a hit!

This is what we often take when we need to contribute a dessert to a school or church function. Yum!!

Cake:

3 C flour

1 C sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C milk

1 cube(1/2 C) butter, melted

Cinnamon Swirl:

1 cube(1/2 C) butter, melted

2/3 C brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Glaze:

2-3 C powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Enough milk to make an icing consistency

(Optional-Jamie adds another 1/2 cube butter, but I don't)

Mix the first 4 ingredients of cake. Add next 4 ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan. Mix cinnamon swirl ingredients in a small bowl, pour over cake. Swirl or marble it with a knife, being careful not to blend it too much. 

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. 

While cake is baking mix the glaze ingredients. Remove cake from oven, pour glaze over it while hot and poke holes in it using a skewer so that the glaze will sink in.

Enjoy!!

Pizza Casserole

This recipe is a tweak from a recipe I found in a brand-name cookbook. (Brand name as in it recommended using Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Kraft cheeses, etc.)

It's essentially baked spaghetti but we call it Pizza Casserole.

3 oz pepperoni, quartered

1 small can sliced olives 

8-16 oz shredded mozzarella

2 cans spaghetti sauce, or two prepared spaghetti sauce mixes

12-16 oz spaghetti or fettucini, broken into 1/3s and cooked.

Put cooked noodles into a 9x13, add sauce, pepperoni, olives (can add peppers, mushrooms, etc) and cheese . Mix well, adding a bit of cheese to top. Cover and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes to brown up the cheese on top. Serve with salad and bread. 

* its best to have a bit too much sauce than not enough!

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is my own creation. It's a hodge podge of other recipes I've tried. Usually chicken enchiladas have a white sauce but I LOVE the red sauce on these!

1 1/2 C cooked chopped or shredded chicken

Corn tortillas

1 can or mixed package red enchilada sauce

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

Sour cream

1 can green enchilada sauce (can use less, if desired)

1 1/2 C cheese

Sliced olives

Vegetable oil

Mix red and green sauces together, warm. Put a few tsp of vegetable oil in a skillet and warm the tortillas on both sides. Mix cheese, cream cheese, onion, chicken and 1 C sauce together in a mixing bowl. Pour a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a baking pan, spreading it around. Place a spoonful of the chicken/cheese mixture down the center of a tortilla, top with a dollop of sour cream and sliced olives. Tool up and place seam side down in baking pan. Repeat until pan is full. Pour with remaining sauce. Top with more cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. 

Serve with salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

(I have also done a super quick version of this by tearing the tortillas and layering it in the pan similar to a lasagna. Tastes yummy either way!)

Joy's Sour Cream Enchiladas

One fine day our neighbor brought over a pan and asked if we liked enchiladas. He said his wife had made too many. We love Mexican food so we took the pan off his hands. After we tasted them, we asked for the recipe. They are yummy, but best of all, they are easy!

1 family sized can of cream of chicken soup (I use 2 small cans)

2 C sour cream

2 cans mild green chilies, chopped

Large package of corn tortillas (abt 30)

Shredded cheddar (2-4 C)

Vegetable oil

In a large sauce pan, mix the soup, sour cream and green chilies. Heat until warmed through.

Heat a few tsp or oil in a skillet-warm tortilla on both sides, then dip in sauce. (I usually skip the dipping part) cover the bottom of a cake pan or cookie sheet with a small amount of the sauce. Place a few Tbsp of cheese on the tortilla, roll it up and place seam down in pan. Repeat until pan is full. Cover with remaining sauce, adding more cheese to the top. Cover with foil and bake at 425 til melts and bubbly. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes. 

Shepherd's Pie

This recipe is a tweak from a book called 30 Day Gourmet. It's a book on once-a-month cooking. 

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 C onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 Tbsp flour

2 C beef broth

1/2 C tomato sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp grd oregano

1 lb ground beef

2 C mashed potatoes

*optional: 1 can each corn and green beans

Brown the ground beef. Set aside. Melt butter/marg and sauté onion and carrot until golden brown. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt/pepper and cooked meat. Cover pan. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Pour into a sprayed 8x8 pan, 8" pie tin or freezer bag. 

If in pan, top with mashed potatoes and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. 

If in a bag, put potatoes in a separate bag, label and freeze together. To cook, thaw, put in pan with potatoes on top. Cook for 30-45 minutes. 

*we always pour the drained contents of one can of corn and one can of green beans on top of the meat mixture before adding the potatoes.*