Organized Chaos

Shepherds pie is basically a casserole with a layer of cooked meat and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes then cooked in the oven until the potatoes are golden brown. I must confess I have never made shepherds pie without using leftover potatoes, it's my go to recipe for not letting leftovers go to waste. If I have leftover roast, lamb or other meat that need to be used I replace the ground beef with the leftover meat, I've used leftover veggies too. Ingredients:  3 cups leftover mashed potatoes (made from 3 large potatoes) 4 Tb butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 2 cups of vegetables, diced (carrots, corn and peas) 1 lb ground beef (or leftover meat) 1/2 cup beef broth 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce salt, pepper to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees In a large saute pan melt butter over medium heat, add onion, garlic and vegetables and cook until soft (6-10 minutes). Add ground beef to pan and cook until no longer pink. Season w...

We all really like chili at our house & I really love quinoa. This is one of our favorites adapted from one of my favorite cooking blogs: Cooking Classy Update Ingredients: 2 cups cooked quinoa (from 2/3 cup dry) 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce 1 (14.5 oz) can vegetable broth 1 (7 oz) can diced green  chilies 2 1 ⁄ 2 Tbsp chili powder 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp cocoa powder 1 1 ⁄ 2 tsp paprika 1 ⁄ 2 tsp ground coriander 1 ⁄ 8 tsp cayenne pepper  Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup   frozen corn   1 ⁄ 4 cup chopped cilantro 1 Tbsp lime juice Shredded cheddar cheese diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips Directions In a large stock pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add on...

While playing a game of 20 questions I found out that these are my daughters all time favorite meal! I have tried lots of different enchilada recipes and definitely prefer a crunch to my tortilla and not a lot of sauce. This recipe is super easy to prepare as well as clean up. I purchase all the ingredients in bulk (Costco) and keep them in my pantry for nights I need a meal quickly or am running low on ingredients due to my lack of getting to the grocery store which happens way to often. Most people don't love the idea of eating from the shelf but this has been such a great recipe for us way to many times. Iv'e attached a picture of ingredients for reference, sometimes a visual is helpful when shopping for new ingredients. Ingredients: 2 cans (12.5 oz) chicken 1 bag (8.5 oz) quinoa & brown rice 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken  1 cup sour cream 10 flour tortillas 1 cup salsa, divided  2 cups Mexican blend cheese  1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped Di...

I will be honest this is not a family favorite, we all eat it but nobody asks for it. With that said this is my go to recipe whenever I need to use leftover rice because it is so quick, easy and inexpensive. I have only made this recipe from leftover rice which is why is calls for cooked rice. I love the story my parents tell about this dish because to them they both pictured two very different dishes when they discussed "stuffed pepper." My dad pictured the more traditional Spanish dish, an actual bell pepper stuffed with rice & meat. My mom pictured more of a tomato based Spanish rice with long slices of bell pepper in it. I've made it both ways but my kids don't eat the peppers unless they've been prepared in the dish, it's the quicker recipe and requires less peppers & so is the winner here. We've since renamed the dish to "Unstuffed peppers" but out of habit still call it "Stuffed Peppers!" Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb groun...