Grandma Nachos and Fiesta Bisquick Chicken Bake

I went out on a limb tonight and used my random bag of tricks. We're really broke this week, so I worked with what I had. Broke food generally ends up being good food. We recently have moved into a house that belonged to my grandmother. Directly after we settled in, we decided to go on vacation. Hence... flat-broke.

First of all, I should start off by telling you a bit of the history of the house. My grandmother was an Irish based European mix. She would put together the best simple snacks. One we call Grandma Nachos.

They're really easy. Get slices of American cheese that are not individually wrapped and a bag of round white corn tortilla chips. Painstakingly, she would pick out whole round chips and put them on a paper plate, breaking the slices apart into squares and centering them on the chips. They went in the microwave for about 30 seconds until melted.

As simple as it sounds, it took me YEARS to figure out how to make them just like she did. The secret was in buying bulk cheese slices from Sam's club and freezing them in sandwich sacks, and letting them thaw in the fridge about 12 hours before use. We love Grandma Nachos so much, there's always a quarter bag of tortilla chips of the reject broken chips. Now I finally found a use for it!

I digress. Tonight's feast from Brokesville, USA.
I give you Fiesta Bisquick Chicken Bake.

Small Onion
1lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Cutlets Diced
Taco Seasoning (Keep a little aside for Bisquick)
Splash of Grape-seed Oil (or Vegetable, anything but Olive Oil)
Splash of Water

Can Sweet Corn
Black Beans (Optional, I opted not in pictures)
Two Heaping Teaspoons of Sour Cream
I C. Cheddar Jack - Fancy Shredded
The Bottom of the Tortilla Chip Bag

3/4 C. Bisquick
1/2 C. Milk
2 Medium Eggs

Start with dicing a small onion and browning in a skillet with the Grape-seed Oil. Add in diced chicken and start browning. Once chicken's pink is mostly gone, add most of the packet of taco seasoning and add the splash of water. In a separate bowl, Mix Bisquick with 1/2 C. Milk, 2 Medium Eggs and remains of taco seasoning.

Simmer chicken/ onions until all the water is cooked out of the taco mixture.

Line a casserole dish with tin foil (makes it easier to clean!) and Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Take the warm chicken and fold sour cream into chicken. Fold in beans and corn. Spread the mixture evenly at the bottom of the dish. Crush the reject left overs from your Grandma Nacho tortilla chips, and spread on top of the chicken taco mixture. Then spread the shredded cheese on top. Pour the Bisquick mixture on top of the chicken, taco, chip mixture and bake until brown on top.

Verdict? Yummy, but a little bread-y. Next time I think I'll do a chips on top and Bisquick on bottom. Served with cottage cheese and sweet mini-peppers.

Crescent Pizza Rolls

Crescent Pizza Rolls... a learning experience.

This one was definitely a Pinterosity! 

Tomorrow, I will be making the same recipe and fixing what went wrong. 

The recipe itself is really easy and you can see it here. 

The original recipe was much less like a roll and more of a ball of dough with either WAY too much concentrated cheese chunk or flaming hot lava cheese pouring out melting the first and second layer of skin off. 

So! Modified pinterest recipe: 

1 Tube Crescent Rolls

1 C. Shredded Pizza Blend Cheese

Turkey Pepperoni (I don't eat pork.)

3 T Unsalted Butter Melted 

1 T Italian Seasoning Blend

2 t Minced Garlic

1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese (Divide in half)

1 - Can of Tomato Sauce 8 oz (NOT tomato paste for the love of Pete!)

2 T Italian Bread Crumbs 

- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Mix Unsalted Butter melted with Italian Seasoning, 1 t Minced Garlic and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. 

- Microwave Turkey Pepperoni wrapped in paper towels to get some of the grease out. 

- Take your crescent roll triangle and spread a little of the butter concoction layering a bit of cheese and pepperoni. 

- Roll the crescent rolls as one does with crescent rolls then pinch the edges to keep the cheese in. 

- Spread the last of the butter mixture on top of the rolls so when it bakes, it looks crispy and delicious. 

- Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. About 15- 20 mins. 

- While this is baking, pour the can of tomato sauce, the rest of the Parmesan, 1 t Minced Garlic and bread crumbs into a small sauce pan. Simmer on low heat until thickens. 

Serve together! Less burning death... more "roll." 

The sides? Mixed Veggies with unsalted butter and Mrs. Dash's Table Blend and a clementine. 

Chop Suey!

Wake up! Grab a brush and put a little make-up! I don't think you trust... in my... self-righteous Pinterescide!

Seriously though, today was one of those days. We were supposed to have Roto Rooter come today, but alas, the awful deep snow left The Roto Rooters stuck and the City had to drag them out. Why were they stuck? Well... we didn't get to dig out because someone stole BOTH of our snow shovels! Jerks.

As the shovel thief was in action, I was attempting to start my version of Crock pot Chop Suey. In my haste to stop the thief, I accidentally plugged in the toaster, instead of the crock pot. Two hours later, I went to stir the meat and found a semi frozen block of stew pieces.

I eventually found the right cord to plug in and this deliciousness ensued.

It's not as pretty as it's pictured, but man... DELICIOUS! This recipe comes from my mother. I modify it as usual though!

2lbs Beef Stew Meat, pieces cut small
1/2 large Onion, sliced long-ways
2 T Bead Molasses
2 T Brown Bravy Sauce
1 Can La Choy Chop Suey Veggies - The Monster sized can 28oz (Drained)
1 can La Choy Bean Sprouts - about 15 oz (Drained)
4 oz Can Mushrooms (Optional, Drained)
8 oz Can Sliced Water Chestnuts (Optional, Drained)
1 C. Beef Stock, Hot
2 T Corn Starch

First... if you're going to crock pot, invest in crock pot liners:

They will save you TONS OF TIME trying to wash your crock pot. 

I use frozen stew meat thawed out enough that I can get it out of the packaging. 

- On top of the ice meat, drizzle 2 T bead molasses and 2 T brown gravy sauce. 

- Set crock pot on high for 2 hours. 

- Stir the meat and change the "high" setting to "low." 

- Add in onion and optional mushrooms (Ew)
- Let the meat/ onions go for another 3 hours.
- Take the hot 1 C. Beef Stock and Sprinkle/ Stir in Corn Starch. Be careful. It lumps easily.
- Pour Corn Starched Beef Stock over Meat.
- Add in drained La Choy Chop Suey Veggies and La Choy Bean Sprouts.

Serve over rice, feeds 4.
Options: top with rice noodles, season with soy sauce.

I loath both ways, so I eat the rice separately with a little bit of A1, which my mother refers to as Swimming Pool Chemicals. Both the kid and I LOVE A1.

Taco Cups

An update... I got engaged, planning a wedding, living in residential bliss. I got in a car accident, a lady ran a stop sign, and broke my foot. Since it's a mid-foot (lisfranc fracture), I get to leave the house only when the weather agrees.

This recent bought of snow has led to me not being able to leave the house. (WINTER-HECK 2014)

While I'm cooped up, I have been cooking a TON!

For lunch today, I made some delicious Taco Cups. Pinterest inspired, of course. While looking at Pinterest, I discovered the original recipe wasn't as delicious as it looked, so I tweaked it.

Today's FIRST success! 

How'd I do it? 

1/2 lb Hamburger
3 T. Taco Seasoning
1/3 C. Water
1/2 C. Shredded Colby Jack Cheese - Divided in half
4 Medium Soft Flour Tortillas
1/4 Finely Chopped Onion - Divided in Half
1 Can Ripe Medium Black Olives

Frying Pan, Cookie Cutter at least 3 in diameter and a mini-muffin pan.

- Make the ground hamburger like one normally would with a frying pan and hamburger, browning the meat, add the seasoning plus 1/3 C. Water. Reduce until Taco Meat- Like.
- While meat is simmering down, pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Take tortilla shells and cut them out with a large muffin-shaped cookie cutter.
- Sprayed a small muffin tin with generic Pam.
- Take the large muffin-shaped tortilla and stuffed them into the little muffin cups, making the "cup" to fill.
- Put a small amount of diced onions in the bottom of the cup, followed by the first half of the cheese.
- Fill the cups with finished Taco Meat, add a little more onions, slice a few olives, then the rest of the cheese on top. (See the picture for clarification.)

**Because my version eliminated the beans in the recipe (ew, beans) the cheese must be on top and bottom to hold them together**

Bake at 350 until tortilla sides are starting to crisp/ brown.

Sooooo much easier than the original recipe.

Sides? My kid loves to put olives on her fingers and eat them off.

The potatoes are normal rounds with Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning.