It's the Month of Casserole's!

So Friday night I looked in my freezer to see what type of meat was left for me to cook; all I saw was a lonely family size package of pork neck bones.  I started searching the Internet and Pinterest for some ideas.  As I was scrolling down, I saw one of my recipes from my blog.  A pinner had "pinned" one of my recipes.  I felt so accomplished lol.  If you ever try one of my recipes, please feel free to "pin it" on Pinterest :).

As I was making my March monthly calendar for food, I really wanted to focus on casseroles.  They can be made ahead of time, placed in the freezer, and they last for at least two days.  Anytime I have a get together at our home, I always have Doritos.  Well, my friend's boyfriend (who loves Doritos) sent me a Facebook message of a recipe called Dorito Casserole.  I told him I would make it, test it out, and if it tasted good, I would make him one.  Well, it came out GREAT, so I guess I owe him one (Thanks Chris).  It was so good that my mother asked me for the recipe when I told her how great it was.  She then gave the recipe to a co-worker.  My kids are picky eaters and even they loved this dish.  Next time I make it, I think I will use chicken instead of beef.  I hope you enjoy as much as we all did.

In addition to the Dorito Casserole recipe, I am also including my Million Dollar Brownie recipe (you will have EVERYONE asking you to be the official brownie maker for all events)! The weekly menu is also posted below!  Have a great week of cooking and baking!!!

Recipe: Dorito Casserole

 

Ingredients:

• 1lb of lean ground beef
• 1 can of ranch style beans
• 1/2 package of small bag of frozen corn
• 1 can of Rotel (with green Chile)
• 1 can of Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese
• 1 (16oz) can of Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 large bag of Doritos
• 2lb of Mexican/Taco Blended Cheese
• 1 pkg of McCormick's taco seasoning
• seasoning: garlic powder, season all, black pepper, and accent
• cooking spray

Direction:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, brown ground beef.  As your meat is browning, season with seasonings above.  When meat is brown, drain excess grease.  Place meat back in skillet and set aside.  

In a separate cup (container), mix taco seasoning according to packet instructions.  Poor the taco seasoning mix on top of the ground beef and mix well. 

In a large bowl, add the cream of chicken soup, fiesta nacho cheese, corn, beans, Rotel, and half the grated cheese.  Mix well.  Set aside.  Open the Doritos and place in a large zip lock bag.  Use a meat hammer or a rolling pin to crush the Doritos into small pieces.  Pour the crunched up Doritos into the bowl with the soup, beans, etc. Mix thoroughly.  Then add the cooked meat with taco seasoning to the mixture.  Mix well. 

Spray a casserole pan with cooking spray.  Slowly add the mixture to the casserole dish.  Even out.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.  Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes.  Uncover for the last 15 minutes.  Let it rest for about 15 minutes.  When you get ready to serve, crumble a few Doritos on top.  Serve with some type of bread and ENJOY!!!

Recipe: Magan's Million Dollar Brownies (Recipe Courtesy of Pampered Chef)

Ingredients:

• Canola oil or cooking spray
• 1 package of peanut butter sandwich cookies (about 30 cookies)
• 1 package of fudge brownie mix
• 1/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup of canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup of dry roasted peanuts (could use almonds or walnuts too)
• 1 pkg of semi-sweet chocolate morsels (2 cups)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a large pan with cooking spray.  Arrange 30 cookies in rows of 3x10 over the bottom of the pan. By the way, it is so much better when you bake your own cookies ahead of time.

2. In a bowl, combine the brownie mix, water, oil, and eggs. Mix well.

3. Pour batter evenly over cookies in a pan.  Spread with a spoon to cover the surface of cookies as much as possible. 

4. Bake 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in brownie portion comes out clean. 

5. Meanwhile, chop the peanuts up until coarsely chopped. 

6. Remove pan from oven.  Place on a cooling rack.  Immediately sprinkle chocolate morsels evenly over brownie.  Let it stand for about 3-5 minutes.  Spread the chocolate evenly over brownie after it melts.  Sprinkle with peanuts.

7. Cut into 48 squares with a pizza cutter.  Serve warm.  If you are feeling really adventurous, place a scoop of ice cream on top of the brownie. 

Weekly Menu Plan for March 17-22nd
Monday: Southwest Chicken Wraps
Tuesday: Taco's
Wednesday: Leftover
Thursday: Bread Pork Chops
Friday: Leftover
Saturday: Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap
Sunday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia