CROCKPOT STACKED ENCHILADAS

My friend, Kim made these for a potluck one time and our family loved the recipe, so I added it to my list of favorites.  It is easy and great for nights your children have a ball game at 5:00 p.m. and you come home at 7 p.m. starving!  The enchiladas are waiting in the crock pot for you, and if you did the clean up right away when you put them together, you won't be doing dishes at 9 p.m.

You can find the enchilada recipe here on Recipezaar.  I use venison hamburger, which is very lean and I always use the light cream cheese.  I usually cut down on the amount of cheddar I use, but if you used the fat free cheddar, you could use more for the same amount of calories.  I usually use canned enchilada sauce, but yesterday I discovered I was completely out!  So, I googled "homemade enchilada sauce" thinking it would be a less-than-perfect substitute for the store bought stuff.  Boy was I ever wrong!  I have found a new, easy homemade sauce that we all like 100 times better.  In fact, when Ty was woofing down the remainder of what was left in the crockpot, he said, "what did you do different - these are so much better than you've ever made" (I did not have the heart to correct his English from 'different' to 'differently' - hey, a compliment is a compliment!).

The sauce is from an Emeril Lagasse recipe and it could not be easier!
Heat 3 T. oil in a pan and add 1 T. flour.  Cook for about 1 minute.
Add 1/4 cup chili powder and mix around.
Then add:  2 cups chicken broth (whisking as you add), a can of tomato paste, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. cumin and salt to taste.
Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes.

TACO SALAD

I am not a huge fan of Mexican cuisine.  I like the Mexican food I make here at home, but something did not sit right with me one time I ate at the local Mexican restaurant when I was pregnant.  I just cannot bring myself to try it again.  Maybe someday.

I do love making taco salad and nachos.   I found a recipe for making my own taco seasoning from Taste of Home cookbook.   I really like it because it adds a lot of flavor without salt or preservatives.  Here is the recipe:

4 teaspoons dried minced onion
3 teaspoons chili powder (heat to your liking)
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin (I usually double this)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix it all up and add to your cooked ground beef or chicken (or venison).  This will do 2 pounds of meat.  I sometimes triple the recipe and then store it in a ziplock baggie for later use.

This was my supper Sunday night:

Gotta love the diet Dr. Pepper!  (Notice I have my holiday glasses out too!)