Seven on the Seventh

One of my friends Amanda, started this great idea to share 7 things on the 7th of the month. She sends out a topic idea and you put out your thoughts. This month is Meals I Make. You can check her blog out, if you would like to join in. http://wherethechildthingsare.blogspot.com/

1. PW's Mexican Lasagna http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/08/cooking-with-pastor-ryan-delicious-mexican-lasagna/
This is by far one of my favorite go to meals, we make this almost every week and I must say I do a little substituting. I use corn tortillas instead of flour, they are amazing in this casserole, we use ground turkey in our house, and lastly I add a can of black beans! Fabulous and it only takes a little bit of time.

2. Orange Chicken from the Tasty Kitchen
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/better-than-takeout-orange-chicken/
This is another of our family favorites. I know you have to fry the chicken, but it is well worth it in the end. Plus we serve this with fresh broccoli and jasmine rice! Yummy.

3. Tamales
This is one of my new favorites, not going to lie. We pick up one of the do-it-yourself kits from the commissary. If your interested I will look for the brand next time I go. I cook a cheap steak or chicken in the pressure cooker and shred the meat, then make the most awesome tamales (for a kit)!

4. Cube Steak and Mashed Potatoes with Corn
So easy to make, I use my pressure cooker. It is the most used appliance in my house and it is worth every penny. If you don't have one, you should totally get one. I throw the meat in the pot with onions, 3 C beef stock, 1/2 jar of chili sauce and let it cook. Once it is finished I add cornstarch and make a gravy for the meat and potatoes. PS. Here is where you can get your pressure cooker. http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Wolfgang-Puck-7-quart-4-in-1-Pressure-Cooker-with-WP-Recipes-Refurbished/5568285/product.html

5. Breakfast
We LOVE breakfast for dinner. We have banana pancakes with scrambled eggs (of course with ham and cheese in them), and hash browns. I try to add a fresh fruit like nectarines or clementines.

6. Chili
Just another go to easy dinner. We just use a good old fashioned seasoning packet from the store and add ground turkey with beans. Usually, have cornbread or Frito's with it to change things up a bit.

7. Enchiladas
I cook my meat in the pressure cooker for 30, shred it up and add corn and beans (black or pinto). We use flour tortillas and smother the bottom of the pan and the tops of the enchiladas with sauce and cheese. You can do a lot to switch this up; like fry the tortillas first and drench them in red sauce before you roll them, use green chili sauce, add refried beans. The options are endless.

We LOVE Mexican at our house. It is definitely one of our favorite types of food to make. Speaking of food has made me hungry and I need to get started on our giant salad we are making tonight. We had forgotten how much the boys love "leaves" with ranch!