When I’m having a night when I just don’t feel like making the meal I’d planned, I find that the thing I turn to the most is breakfast-for-dinner. Breakfast foods are usually always a hit with everyone (they certainly are in my house!), and the ingredients are ones I always have on hand. Since my family also loves Mexican food (shocker, I know), I thought I’d combine breakfast and Mexican food to make us a quick, easy dinner.
These egg and cheese burritos are so delicious and simple, and you can literally make them with whatever you have on hand. Sausage, bacon, green peppers or chilies, onions, spinach, hash browns...literally, anything. The eggs are scrambled lightly, then mixed with cheese, and rolled in a tortilla along with some refried beans. Bake ‘em until the tortillas are crispy, and dinner’s ready in minutes.
For our version, I used taco cheese – the kind with spices mixed right in. You could also use pepper-jack, or any type of cheese in combination with a little chili powder and cumin. For my sons, I left out the beans (it’s a texture thing for them), and used smaller tortillas to make adorable scrambled egg taquitos. I would have taken a picture of those, too, but they were too busy devouring them. I’m definitely not complaining.
These freeze really well, and they’re so cheap to make. And they taste so good, too.
Egg, Bean and Cheese Burritos
8 large eggs
A few splashes of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
1 can Mexican-style refried beans
4 burrito-size flour tortillas
Salsa and sour cream for serving, if desired
1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Scramble in a large skillet short of being completely cooked – they’ll continue to cook in the oven. Stir in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
2. Meanwhile, heat the refried beans in a small saucepan with a little bit of water to thin them out.
3. Spread a layer of refried beans down the center of each tortilla. Top with a quarter of the egg mixture and a sprinkling of the remaining cheese, then fold over the edges of the tortillas and roll up burrito-style.
4. Place burritos on a cookie sheet and spray the tops lightly with cooking spray. Cook in a 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until the tops of the tortillas begin to brown. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.
It’s rainy, chilly, windy and gray outside today, so it seems like the perfect day to share this recipe, which will warm you up from the inside out.
Believe it or not, I’ve never had pot roast made in the oven. Not once! My mom always made roasts in the Crock pot, so that’s what I’ve always done too. I love the results so much, I’ve never felt the need to try it another way. For this version of roast beef, I decided to add lots and lots of mushrooms, in the form of actual mushrooms, mushroom gravy mix, and cream of mushroom soup. This mixture makes the gravy for the beef, and it cooks right in it, which makes the meat so tender it literally falls apart. It’s so flavorful and so delicious. With a big pile of mashed potatoes on the side, there simply couldn’t be anything more satisfying on a chilly fall day.
Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy
1 2- to 3-pound beef roast
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 10.75-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet mushroom gravy mix
1 cup beef broth or water
1. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Season beef roast liberally with salt and pepper. Add beef roast and sear on all sides until caramelized. Add to the bottom of a Crock pot.
2. To same pot, add remaining tablespoon of butter, mushrooms and onions. Cook until mushrooms are brown and onions are soft, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release browned bits. Add mushroom mixture to meat in Crock pot.
3. Mix together cream of mushroom soup and mushroom gravy mix. Pour over meat and mushroom mixture.
4. Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours, until meat begins to fall apart.
Monday: Crock pot chicken with black beans and cream cheese, cilantro lime rice. This chicken is a favorite in our house. It’s so easy and calls for so few ingredients, and it. is. delicious. This is one you should definitely try if you haven’t yet!
Tuesday: Bow ties with sausage, tomatoes and cream. This looks amazing, and I knew I’d be trying it the instant Sarah posted it. I’m going to add some spinach, too, to sneak more veggies into my boys.
Wednesday: Slow cooker chicken Caesar sandwiches and chips. Have you noticed I’ve been using my slow cooker for lots more meals lately? I’m very into it right now for some reason. I’m adding bacon to these sandwiches, and maybe some tomato, too. Yum!
Thursday: Marlboro Man’s favorite sandwich and stovetop macaroni and cheese. It’s about time I tried this sandwich, years after the rest of the world already has. However, I will be using less butter. Much, much less.
Friday: Slow-cooker bacon ranch chicken, steamed broccoli, rolls. Again with the slow-cooked chicken! I’m pretty sure I’m going to love this one.
Saturday: French onion pasta and roasted asparagus. Although I think I’ve put together a pretty delicious meal plan this week, this may be the one I’m looking forward to the most. I’ve been craving caramelized onions lately (yes, I’m craving onions, I'm so odd), so I'll be adding tons of them to this pasta.
Sunday: Sour cream chicken, rice pilaf, steamed broccoli, rolls. I’m intrigued by the cooking method for this chicken, and looking at the list of ingredients, I can only assume it’s going to taste amazing.
I know I’ve said this before, but sometimes I see a recipe and immediately think to myself, “Oh, man, I’ve gotta make that. As soon as I can. I need to make that YESTERDAY.” These sandwiches are a perfect example of a time when that happened. I loved the idea of a pork sandwich, and even more than that, I loved the idea of sour cream sauce. I think it’s pretty apparent by now how much I love sour cream, yes?
Anyway, as soon as Carrie posted these sandwiches, I put them on our menu. I adapted the cooking method pretty significantly since I was making these on a weeknight, and they were perfect. Absolutely perfect. The pork was tender and juicy, and the onions, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese worked together perfectly. And that sauce, my word! It’s so incredibly delicious, and the perfect creamy element for these sandwiches. Add in a crispy hoagie roll, and there’s nothing not to love.
Pork Sandwiches with Sour Cream Sauce
adapted from Carrie's Sweet Life
4 boneless pork chops, at least half an inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 cup sour cream
Sliced Swiss cheese
Hoagie rolls
1. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a large skillet. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and add to butter. Cook until both sides are browned and crispy. Transfer to a baking dish and finish cooking in a 350-degree oven.
2. To drippings in skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until onions are softened and mushrooms begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Remove pork chops from oven. Let the pork chops rest, then thinly slice them and remove them to a foil-covered plate to keep warm.
4. And add juices from the pork's baking dish to drippings in skillet, scraping the drippings off the bottom of the pan with a whisk or wooden spoon. Stir in sour cream. If sauce is too thick, add just enough water to thin it to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Top each hoagie roll with sliced pork, mushrooms and onions, and two slices of Swiss cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and roll is crispy. Top with sour cream sauce.
I’m always looking for ways to put a spin on traditional sloppy joes. They’re one of my go-to meals when I want something that’s quick, easy, and sure to please my whole family. I’ve tried lots of variations, but I must say that these bacon cheeseburger sloppy joes are one of my favorite versions to date.
This recipe was inspired by one I saw in one of my (many) Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks. That version was basically just ground beef, nacho cheese soup, and ketchup, but I knew I could adapt it into something absolutely delicious. I was successful!
These sloppy joes taste exactly like a bacon cheeseburger, only in loosemeat form. They’re so cheesy and delicious. They were definitely a hit with my family, and I’m sure you’ll love them too!
Bacon Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
inspired by Better Homes and Gardens Fast Fix Family Food
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 10.75-ounce can nacho cheese soup
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Mayonnaise and pickles for serving
Sandwich buns
1. Add bacon to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until crisp and remove to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan.
2. Add ground beef and onion to reserved bacon grease. When beef is browned and cooked through, stir in garlic. Cook and stir for 30 seconds. Drain off excess grease.
3. Add nacho cheese soup, ketchup, and mustard to meat mixture. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through. Add reserved bacon. (If the mixture is too thick, you can add more ketchup or even some beef broth to loosen it up.)
4. Serve on sandwich buns spread with mayonnaise. Top with pickles.
