One Pot Mexican Skillet Pasta

Hello All!  Happy Tuesday!  Prayers to those that need them.  Hey, thanx for stopping by, Spicy and I are very glad to see you.  It is so a Tuesday, I have nothing left.  My weeks worth of givin a S#%^ has already been used up lol.  So, comfort food, easy dish, I hope your peeps love it, all mine in both Asylums did.  Prayers to those that need them.  Look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

ONE POT MEXICAN SKILLET PASTA

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Yield6 servings

This Mexican-inspired pasta dish can be made in 30 minutes or less. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the pot!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 cups uncooked elbows pasta
• 2 cups salsa, homemade or store-bought
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
• Stir in pasta, salsa, chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes.
• Stir in tomato, corn and black beans, and gently toss to combine. Stir in cheese until melted through, about 1-2 minutes.
• Serve immediately, topped with avocado and cilantro.

NOTES

Adapted from Julie's Eats & Treats

Mexican hot chocolate cookies

1 pkg sugar cookie mix (Betty Crocker)
1/4 cup coffee (optional, I used leftover from the pot)
1/4-1/2 cup flour (just enough so they are sticky)
1/2 bag chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli because they were on sale at the Commissary)
1 stick butter
1 egg
2 TBSP cocoa powder (optional)

Mix together and roll balls into the following mix:

1/2-1 TBSP chili powder (depends on how Spicy you want them)
1/2 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Place on cookie sheets and flatten with the bottom of a cup. They will spread so leave room between cookies. I got 25 large cookies out of each batch.

Make sure you put them in a sealed container. I didn't and they turned into coffee/milk dunkers.

You can also make it without cocoa powder and coffee, but when I tried both ways we liked the chocolate better! If you omit the coffee you can omit the extra flour. You will get 16 large cookies. We like our cookies HUGE!

I asked the Teenage Resident what he thought of them and he said they tasted like hot cocoa. So I guess I got it right!

I took several recipes and found what worked for me.

Mexican Macaroni Salad

So just yet another example of the craziness at my Asylum:

My son LOVES to talk.  He is 10 and I can see that the world is starting to shift for him.  It is opening up to new things (the flute) and he is becoming a young man.  I CAN wait to see what he makes of himself because I want to enjoy these moments NOW!

Onto the recipe!

I was trying to find a salad to make that would use up a lot of the veggies in the fridge.  So guess how surprised I was when Ree Drummond put this recipe up on her Facebook page that same day!  This recipe was so very good!  I even had plenty to feed the neighbors! 

Mexican Macaroni Salad

Ree Drummond

FOR THE SALAD:

1 pound Elbow Macaroni, Cooked To Package Instructions, Drained, And Rinsed With Cold Water

2 ears Fresh Corn, Husks And Silks Removed (I used 4 small ears)

1 can (15 Oz. Size) Black Beans (or Kidney Beans), Drained And Rinsed

½ cups Chopped Black Olives

6 whole Roma Tomatoes (or 2 Large Tomatoes), Chopped

3 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

½ whole Red Onions, Finely Diced

Chopped Cilantro (optional)

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 cup Jarred Salsa (spicy Is Best!)

1 cup Sour Cream (I used softened cream cheese)

¼ cups Mayonnaise

1 clove Garlic, Minced Or Pressed

½ teaspoons Cumin

Salt And Pepper, to taste

2  Limes, Juiced (optional)  (It says optional, but it made it taste so much better)

Grill the corn on a grill pan, or just place it in a hot skillet to brown some of the kernels. Remove from pan, allow to cool slightly, then use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob.
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined.
Place the macaroni, corn, beans, olives, tomatoes, green onions, red onion, and cilantro (if using) in a large bowl. Pour 3/4 of the dressing over the top and gently toss until all the ingredients are coated. Add the final 1/4 of the dressing if you think it needs it. Cover and allow salad to chill for 2 hours.
Garnish with cilantro, lime wedge, and any other extra ingredients you have!

We hope you have an amazing day and thanks for coming on our crazy adventure!

They are gone!!!

The kids are on the bus and on their way to the first day of school!!! Woo-hoo it's quiet! Wait, it's quiet...I already miss them and it's only been 30 minutes! Sorry I'm a stay-at-home mom - when there are no kids it seems strange!

Okay my Asylum therapist and I will work through those issues in group - moving on! (Seriously I am hoping if I just keep typing a recipe idea will come to me. No luck yet...)

Okay so last year we were praying no one got dehydrated from the heat this year we are hoping they don't get dehydrated from an ecoli scare.  One kid is going to a school that has no water because of this! 
So I was thinking about how they have to boil water and it made me think of hot cocoa. Seriously just go with it!  Stop judging me,  we don't allow that here! 

Mexican Hot Chocolate

4 c milk (whole is best)
1 1/3 c chocolate chips
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of salt
1 c water

Put ingredients in a pot on the stove over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Remove from heat and put in your favorite penguin mug (or maybe that's just me). Garnish with a sprinkle of chili powder on top or cool whip!

No idea where I got this recipe. It doesn't even have directions on my recipe card,  just the ingredients! Hope you are having a great Monday!

Quiet Saturday

Hello all!  Quiet day at my Asylum today.  I like it that way.   I hope everyone had a wonderful week and will enjoy an even more wonderful weekend!  Love your families and enjoy your time! :D  I got my recipe for today when I lived in Ohio from a friend named Erma, she was doing weight watchers at the time.  And this has been at least 15 years ago.  So Weight Watchers is the only thing I know about it, except for the fact that is definitely delicious and super easy.  Enjoy!

Mexican "Quiche"

4 6" flour tortillas

1/4 lb crumbled sausage

1/2 cup red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 eggs, lightly beaten 

2 oz shredded cheddar cheese (or taco mix cheese)

1.  Preheat oven to 375°.  In a 9" pie plate arrange tortillas in a single layer over bottom and up sides of plate to form a crust.  Bake until browned, 5-6 minutes; set aside.

2.  Cook sausage, bell pepper, onion and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sausage is no longer pink.  Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and cumin.  Add eggs and stir to combine.

3.  Sprinkle 1 ounce cheese over prepared tortilla crust; spread sausage mixture over cheese, then top with remaining 1 oz of cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and sausage mixture is set.

And of course salad on the side is excellent!