Some of you may remember last Lenten season when I committed to making one fish recipe per week? Mhm.

And maybe you remember how,by the end of Lent, I was done making fish?

I know I remember it. I’m so glad that’s over.

Welp, the other day I was asking a member of my focus group if I should re-visit the Lent series and her comment was something along the lines of “Uh. You hate fish.”

Well, there is that, but I’d really like to offer some lent . . . er what?

Oh, what’s that you say? You’re wondering how I ended up with a focus group that doesn’t include the people who live in my house? Well, I guess I don’t technically have a focus group, but I have something very close.

I lucked into having this great group of online friends who are more than happy to tell me what they want; whether it’s a new weekly veggie dish, or whether it is making easy pot-luck dishes. And, when I have an idea I bounce it off of them.

Personally I think the best part is that they’re pretty light on the criticism, which is good, since I hate criticism (I always tell people if they don’t like it I don’t care – which isn’t exactly true – if I didn’t care I wouldn’t mind the criticism, but that’s beside the point.)

Don’t worry though, it’s easy to tell if a recipe is a dud because when my friends fall silent I know that  they’re probably thinking something like

“I think I’ll skip the pork stuffed turnips, thanks anyway Angie Pangie.”

or maybe

“I think any recipe named meat nests is probably a bad idea.”

Yeah, looking back, that was definitely not one of my brighter cooking moments.

So anyhow, getting back to my story, my focus group/friend/non-critical critic reminded me how sick I was of making fish last year and she suggested that “It might not be bad to intersperse it with vegetarian dishes, if you have any on hand.”

Isn’t she brilliant? I think so, too.

So. That’s exactly what I’m going to do! I know I can’t be the ONLY person in the world who just can’t stand the thought of fish every Friday for the next 30-some days.

First up? A creamy Spanish rice dish with beans. Personally, I’m not big on food that “looks-a-mess”. This means it’s likely I’m not going to eat casseroles or jambalaya (at least, not without closing my eyes). This dish definitely does fit into the looks-a-mess category, but if you can get past that I think you’ll be happy you did. This is superb served with tortilla chips, or even rolled into a soft tortilla.

Creamy Spanish Rice Bake

1 1/2 Cups long grain white rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken if you aren’t going for a vegetarian dish)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups salsa
2 oz of chopped green chiles (this is half a small can, drained)
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn or an 11oz can, drained
1 cup water
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 to 2 cups prepared pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained (canned is fine)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Mexican blend is good, too)

In a large bowl mix together the first 8 ingredients (rice, soup, cream cheese, salsa, chiles, corn, water and chili powder) until smooth. I used pinto beans in this picture, but black beans give this dish a wonderful flavor. If you’re feeling really adventurous feel free to use half pinto and half black beans. Now that would really be something!

I warned you that it wasn’t terribly appetizing looking – did you think I was joking?

If you have older rice, or if you have problems with “crunchy” rice no matter what you do, then feel free to soak the rice in hot water before you start for about 15 minutes. Just be sure to drain it well before you start mixing things together.

Now, my Hubby isn’t crazy about cream cheese, but I personally think it’s about as wonderful as sunny days in March. Therefore, I would add 8 oz if it were just me eating it. Yum. Oh, and whatever heat of salsa you use will affect the heat of the dish, so you can pick your salsa based on your own preferences.

Add the beans and mix. Don’t mash the beans, be gentle!

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish (try using this Le Creuset Round French Oven) and cover tightly (use foil if you don’t have a lid). Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove from the oven and stir, return to the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until no longer soupy. This dish will set up a bit out of the oven, especially after you give it a good stir.

Sprinkle the top with cheese and serve.

Once again, no pictures.
In a large bowl mix together the first 8 ingredients (rice, soup, cream cheese, salsa, chiles, corn, water and chili powder) until smooth.

Add the beans and mix gently.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish and cover tightly. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove from the oven and stir, return to the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until no longer soupy. This will set up a bit out of the oven, especially after you give it a good stir.

Sprinkle the top with cheese and serve.Similar Posts:

• Saturday Sides: Roasted Green Beans aka “Green Fries”
• Saturday Sides: Fast and Easy Baked Beans
• And we feasted
• Dinner on the Fly: Freezer Burritos
• Dinner on the Fly: Skillet Parmesan Chicken

Hello readers!

Just like you, I am busy signing cards, buying presents, hanging mistletoe and baking cookies.

So, as much as I’d like to stick around here and chat it up with you all, I think I’ll just get to posting the many pictures I have for you today, along with this awesome recipe for burritos.

Now, please don’t stone me or anything, but I’ve used a can of (*gasp*) condensed cream of icky soup here.  If you can’t bring yourself to do that, I’ll understand.  But, in this case, it’s actually very wonderful!

This recipe makes about 8 good sized burritos.  I usually make 4 and freeze four.  Since Katie doesn’t “do” Mexican food and Lilly doesn’t really “do” food at all, we only eat 4 in one sitting.  But, if your family will eat more than that just double the recipe.  Then you can make 8 and freeze 8.  Part of the reason this recipe is so fantastic is because it freezes so well.

Freezer Burritos

1 lb ground beef, or a package of frozen ground beef from your freezer
16 ounces refried beans
1 small onion, sauteed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 (15 ounce) cans green enchilada sauce
1 package of large sized flour tortillas

1 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Brown ground beef and drain off grease.  You can add a taco seasoning packet if you would like.  Or pull one package of pre-cooked meat (or taco meat) from your freezer and thaw it out enough to crumble.

Mix the beef and refried beans together.  You can add some hot sauce if you’d like.

Place a hefty portion of bean and beef mixture down the center of each burrito.  Softening the tortilla in microwave for 20-25 seconds will help it be more plyable.

Saute your onion and sprinkle a tablespoon of onion over the top of the bean and beef mixture and fold each burrito.  I keep cooked onions in my freezer, too.  Great time saver!  I just cook a whole bunch at once, cool, and bag.

Fold each burrito and place in an oiled pan.

Or, if you want to freeze the burritos for later, line your pan with aluminum foil and then oil the foil.

Mix the soup and green chile enchilada sauce together and pour over rolled tortillas in pan.  I know it doesn’t look very appetizing now, but just wait.  These are beyond yummy.

Top with both cheeses.  Cheese makes everything better, don’t you think?

Bake in 375F degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and the burritos are hot.

Or, if you’d rather freeze the burritos for later simply add another sheet of oiled foil over the top.  The oil will help prevent the cheese from sticking.  Put the entire pan in the freezer and let the burritos freeze all the way through.

Once they are frozen, you can remove the foil square from the pan, bag it and label it and return it to the freezer until you are ready to bake the burritos.

When you are ready to prepare the burritos from the freezer just take the square out of the bag and pop it back into the same pan.  Let the burritos thaw in the fridge.

Remove the top piece of foil and bake as directed – adding a few minutes on to the baking time if necessary.

Serve the burritos topped with lettuce, tomatoes, diced onions, sour cream, hot sauce, and or guacamole; if desired.Similar Posts:

• And we feasted
• While you were shopping for puzzles
• Harried Kitchen Basics: Ground Meat and Chili in 20 Minutes
• Get off my Turtwig
• Gyros! Don’t forget the Tzatziki, and bring your brick.

And now to relax . . . ahhhh.  Since my project is done I’ve decided to take a few days off from the kitchen and recipe research.  Frankly, my main hobby is cooking, but everyone needs a break sometimes.  Especially when you’re hobby is part of what you do for work.  I informed my hubby that I was not going to work on any cookbook related tasks until Tuesday.  I also will not be trying out any new recipes, reading any recipes, or making any food that takes more than a microwave to prepare.  That’s right; nothing on Saturday, nothing on Sunday, and nothing on Monday.  Cool!

So, what to do?  I started out this cold, snowy morning by waking up and deciding to bunker down under my big, fluffy down comforter for a while longer.  I laid there and got cozy and squeezed my eyes shut waiting for the sleep to come back to me.  Hmm.  O.k., I must not have been tired any longer, but the bed was really, really comfortable.  Aha!  I know, I’ll lay here and read.  I don’t get much reading time, so that sounded great.  So, I jumped up and grabbed my newest book (the one I got for Christmas); I’m Just Here For the Food, by Alton Brown, 2.0.  I spent the next hour engrossed in the Bill Nye of the culinary world, savoring his advice on ”How to Read a Recipe” and learning that he and I share a love of good knives.  I thoroughly enjoyed that time, snuggled in bed, not thinking about kitchen related cooking stuff.

Time for some coffee.  I moseyed into the kitchen and started looking over the coffee bean selection.  Hey!  That reminds me, I wanted to check out that online store that sells spices and herbs, and specialty foods.  I wondered if they have coffee beans?  So, I spent another good chunk of time just pointing and clicking away in front of the laptop, looking over vanilla beans, and peppers, and coffee beans (Yup!  They got ‘em).  Gosh, this is great!   I love this taking time off from the kitchen thing.  But, I was starting to maybe jones a bit for some culinary time.

After that, I have to admit, I cheated a bit.  It wasn’t really working, per se, but I did spend a couple of hours researching the menu for my next eBook.  I suppose that’s o.k., I mean, it’s not like I’m not going to take the rest of the time off, right?

As a matter of fact, I already know that tonight I will continue my relaxation.  We’ve decided to have some friends over for cards and games.  My hubby is a big gaming guy, so a lot of our friends are into playing games.  I’m thinking that I’ll serve that taco dip that everyone likes to refer to as “crack” (yes, it is that addictive).   But, then I got to thinking, maybe I should switch it up a little . . . use my homemade refried black beans instead of the canned regular variety of refried beans?  I’ve got a big ol’ bag of beans in the cabinet, all I needed to do was start soaking them.  Hubby was grumbling about having to warm up Speghettios for lunch.  Hey, I don’t want to hear it!  I’m off duty here, remember?!? 

After I started the beans soaking, I spent some time helping my kiddos bundle up to go out and play in all the snow.  If you’ve ever helped a child transform into a living snowman, you know that it’s a pretty involved procedure.  Honestly, I sometimes think my girls go through 20 minutes of bundling up just so that they can turn around and come back in 5 minutes later for hot chocolate.  Typically, I set to warming up the milk as soon as they walk out the door.  Well, after I sent them out the door, I remembered that I’d been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try out a new hot chocolate that Orangette posted on her blog a few weeks ago.  So, I scooted the beans over on the stove and went right to warming up the milk.

I really recommend that everyone take some time off from their hobbies from time to time!  It’s been tons of fun finding other things to do, and I’m already starting to feel rejuvenated.  By the time Tuesday rolls around, I’m sure I’ll look forward to getting back to my position of chief cook and bottle washer.

Refried Black Beans

1 tsp vegetable or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 oz. (1/8th of a cup) of chopped green chilies (canned or fresh)
3-4 cups of black beans, or 2 cans of black beans (partially drained)
1 tsp. of cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)

Saute onion, garlic, and chilies until onion is translucent.

Add beans, and some of the cooking liquid.  Use a fork or a potato masher to squish some of the beans, leave some beans whole.

Heat beans through and add cumin and salt, mixing well.  Do not allow beans to dry out.  Add water, beer, or additional bean liquid to maintain a creamy consistency.  Serve with cheese and red sauce, if desired.Similar Posts:

• Saturday Sides: Roasted Green Beans aka “Green Fries”
• Saturday Sides: Spicy Green Fries
• Saturday Sides: Green Bean Saute with Tomatoes
• Saturday Sides: Seasoned Green Beans
• Just Say No to Fish: Creamy Spanish Rice Bake

Yesterday is somewhat of a blur.  The day went something like this.

Shop for two hours, looking for special gems like plum juice and a round 10″ cooling rack to nestle in my wok.  This may not sound too challenging, but remember – I live in rural Mid-Michigan.  Yeah.  No Asian market.  No real kitchen store.  Well, not much of anything really, other than your typical, run-of the mill supermarket.

Come home, unload stuff, trash the kitchen.  Clean up the kitchen and put on my apron.

 Cut veggies, mix stuff.  “Honey!  Can you take a picture of this?”  Clean up the kitchen.

Cut veggies, cut meat, mix stuff.  “Honey!  Would you take a picture of this?”  Kitchen’s trashed, again. 

Ack!  Look at the time!  “Honey, will you help me with this?”

Cut veggies, fold dumplings, cook some stuff.  “Honey!  I need more pictures!!”

Hurry.  Forgot the rice.  People show up.  Dishes EVERYWHERE!

Seriously, yesterday was the first time I remember being totally challenged in the kitchen in a LONG time.  I worked from sun-up to well past sun-down.  I was exhausted, smelling of peanut oil, and happy.  Yes, very, very happy.

I got some excellent feedback on the food from our dinner guests.  The cookbook is really . . .  well, cooking right along. 

You’ll have to wait a little while longer for the Chinese recipes, but I do have a Mexican dish I want to share with you that we had for dinner a couple of nights ago.  It’s a casserole and easy as can be to put together.  Maybe you can make one and put it on your table tonight.

Saucy Burrito Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 flour tortillas
1 small can corn, drained (I really like the white/yellow mixed corn for this)
1 (10 oz.) can of red sauce (enchilada sauce)
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes (or 2 fresh chopped, seeded tomatoes)
1 can (4oz) green chilies, drained
2 cups of shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
Hot sauce, if desired
Sour cream, if desired
Green onions, chopped – for garnish
1 small tomato, chopped and seeded – for garnish

In a saute pan, brown the ground beef with the onion.  Add the garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Drain the grease.
In a medium bowl, mix the red sauce, tomatoes and chilies.  You may wish to only use part of the can of chilies, especially if you’re feeding children or the spicy impaired.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place two tortillas in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Tear the tortillas into make them fit and cover the bottom of the dish.
Place half of the meat mixture over the tortillas.  Sprinkle half the corn over the meat.  Sprinkle half the cheese over the corn.
Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of cheese on the top.  If you would like, you can sprinkle some hot sauce on top.  It looks pretty, and it will jazz up the heat a notch.
Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until hot all the way through and the cheese is melted on top.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle green onions and chopped tomato over the top for garnish.  Serve with sour cream, if desired.Similar Posts:

• Easy Dinner: Soup and Spicy Corn Muffins with Sweet Butter
• Homemade Pizza – Faster than Delivery. For real.
• Dinner on the Fly: Freezer Burritos
• Venetian Apricot Chicken Completely Rocks
• WFMW: Quick Dinner – Meatballs