Southwestern Shepherd's Pie

I haven't used ground beef in a long time but I had some in my freezer that needed to be eaten so we made this yesterday and it was sooo yummy! Ya gotta give it a try.

2 T olive oil
1 med onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 T garlic, minced
1T jalapeno, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 T tomato paste
1 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 c. tomatoes, chopped (I used canned)
1/2 c corn
1/2 c black beans (I used a whole can)
1/4 c cilantro
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes*, peeled and cut into chunks
2 T butter
1/2 c milk
Salt & pepper, to taste

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring for 10 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno; cook for minutes. Raise heat to medium high; add beef and brown for 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste & spices. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, and half of the cilantro. Spoon into a 9x13 baking dish.

Place sweet potatoes in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, mash with butter and milk. Spread potatoes over meat mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until brown. Garnish with additional cilantro.

*My husband has a real aversion to sweet potoates so I made a corner for him with Yukon Gold and while still good, the sweet potatoes were sooooo much better.

Italian Sausage Soup

My friend, Lisa, brought this over tonight for us to eat for dinner! It was seriously sooo good! She served it will peppered jelly and breadsticks! YUMMY! I'm so excited to take this to some holiday parties over the next few months!

1 lb Italian or turkey Italian sausage
2-3 c broccoli
1 c uncooked mostaccioi pasta
2 ½ c water
½ tsp dried basil leaves
¼ tsp pepper
1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2- 10 oz cans Campbell’s French Onion soup

Brown sausage and put in pot. Throw in remaining ingredients, and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to med-low cover and cook about 15 min or until pasta is done.

Stove Top one-dish chicken skillet

I also made this dish this week. It was one that I will do every once in a while. It was super easy and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand!

1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken6 small bonesless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream

Mix hot water, butter, and stuff mix as directed on the box. Set aside.

Cook chicken in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat for approx 5 min on each side of until browned on both sides.

Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuff; cover. Cook on low eat for 10 minutes or until chicken is all the way done.

You could also opt out to use the oven. Heat oven to 375. Prepare stuffing as direction. Place chicken in 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing. Bake for 35 minutes.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe off my friend, Brenda's, cooking blog and it was FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC! The chicken had such a great taste!! I have amended a few things to clarify and to add one little step! ENJOY!

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I use 2-3 chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack and Colby Jack cheese, mixed and shredded
1 1/2 - 16 ounces cans green enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a Ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all night). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce with 1/4 cup heavy cream on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese and drip about 1 tablespoon of the mixed sauce (green enchilada sauce and heavy cream) and roll. Fill pan with rolled enchiladas. Save about 1-2 cups of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the remaining cream. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with leftover cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.