Creamy Ham 'n' Mac

2 c. elbow macaroni

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. flour

2 c. milk

2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1-1/2 c. diced ham

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni; drain and set aside. In large pan, melt butter; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 c. cheddar cheese, ham, Parmesan and macaroni.

Transfer to a greased 2 quart dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Crock-Pot Chicken with Black Beans

I saw this on a blog this evening and thought it looked simple and yummy. Think I'll try it this week.

Ingredients:

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
1 (15 oz) jar salsa, any kind
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

Direction:

Take 4-5 FROZEN boneless chicken breasts and put into crock pot. Add black beans, salsa and corn.

Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. (My crockpot is always super hot, so I actually just put it on “Keep Warm” and leave the chicken in for 6-7 hours)

Add package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

1-Dish Taco Bake

This recipe has quickly become one of my go to dinners. I do need to emphasize that you do not pre-heat your oven for this one. It needs to start out in a cold oven.

Taco Meat Filling

1 lb. ground beef

1.25 package taco seasoning

Batter

cooking spray

3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. corn meal

2 envelopes yeast

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. very warm milk

3 T. oil

1 egg

Topping

1 c. Chunky salsa

1 c. shredded cheddar

1 c. corn tortilla chips, partially crushed

Brown and drain beef. Add taco seasoning and mix well.

Mix batter ingredients together and pour into a pre-sprayed 9.5 inch deep dish pie plate. If you don't have a deep pie plate, a small casserole dish works great too.

Top batter with taco meat. Pour salsa evenly over meat, sprinkle with shredded cheese and corn chips.

Bake by placing in a COLD OVEN; set temp to 350. Bake for 45 min or until batter is cooked through.

California Tamale Pie with Corn and Black Olives

Super yummy dinner tonight. I only used half the chile powder out of fear, but could have used all of it. It wasn't too spicy.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 small white onions, chopped (I didn't have one, so omitted this)
3 tablespoons pure mild to medium-hot ground chile powder
3/4 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, to your taste (I used 2)
Pinch of ground cumin
1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 to 4 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off the cob; or 2 cups frozen, or drained canned whole-kernel corn.
1 14-ounce can pitted ripe California black olives, drained, and coarsely chopped or halved. (I used a small can of sliced olives and it was fine.)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:
Coat the slow cooker with nonstick spray. Heat a medium-sized nonstick skillet over a medium heat. Add the beef and onions and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is limp, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat. Drain the fat from the pan and sprinkle the meat with the chile powder. Cook for 1 minute and transfer the meat and onion to the slow cooker.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, milk, eggs, salt and cumin until smooth. Stir in the tomatoes, corn and olives then pour the mixture into the cooker and stir to combine all the ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top, drizzle with the olive oil, cover, and continue to cook on HIGH for 10 minutes more to melt the cheese. Serve spooned directly from the crock.