Lana's Mexican Casserole - A Tex-Mex Recipe

When I was a little girl growing up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, 

my mom would whip up this ridiculously yummy Tex Mex meal and we 

were all just so happy to see it come out of the oven! 

Lana and Darin Del Monte lived across the street, 

and this was Lana's recipe! It has such a creamy sauce 

that strangely and perfectly compliments the beef and beans.

I promise you it will be a hit and the cook will be 

sneaking the leftovers on the next day for breakfast! 

Ingredients

2 lbs of ground beef

12 corn tortillas

1 can of evaporated milk

1 can of green chilis

1 can of refried beans

1 can of cream of chicken

1/2 stick of butter or margarine

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions

In a skillet, brown the meat with the chopped onions and add salt and pepper.

Drain off the grease and set aside.

To prepare the sauce combine soup, milk, green chilis, and one cup of cheese in a medium bowl, stir together and set aside.

In a small pot heat refried beans and 1/2 stick of butter to soften. 

Take off heat and set aside.

In a skillet or medium pot add a few tablespoons of olive oil and heat on medium.

Soften tortillas one at a time in the oil, turning once, and then place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. You want the tortillas to be pliable and not crisp.

Spray a casserole dish with oil to lightly coat.

Create each enchilada by adding meat and then topping it with a few tablespoons 

of the sauce. Continue this until the casserole dish is completely full of enchiladas. If you have extra meat leftover just fill in the spaces between the enchiladas. (see photo below)

Spread the softens beans over all of the enchiladas.

Dump the remaining yummy sauce over the beans and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top!

Bake covered with foil for about 30 minutes at 350℉. Remove the foil and then cook an adittional 10-15 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is gooey! 

I like to serve this with some really great tortilla chips and my homemade salsa and guacamole! If I am trying to be healthy I will add a green salad. 

There ya go! Enjoy!

Making the enchiladas one by one!

Extra meat? No problemo! 

Load it up baby!

Beans on top!

Sauce on top of beans and then comes the cheese!

Ready for the oven!

Need a Tex Mex Dip?

Go HERE!

NEED SALSA?

Click HERE!

 

Chinese Pepper Steak Mama Holli Style!

Before 

After

Long ago when Mama Holli's babies were young pups, she would load up her bus and haul the pups to Hallettsville, Texas to stay with Granny when her hubby traveled.

Granny LOVED to cook for her family but 

every now and then she

 would request one of us "GIRLS" 

to whip up some Chinese Pepper Steak.

It was a recipe not found in her usual amazing

repertoire of family favorites. Granny was Czech and Czech's did not cook up Chinese food, not even with a Texas twist. She would very quietly ask if I would mind making it for "DINNER" which was actually "LUNCH".

Then we would have leftovers for "SUPPER" 

which was actually "DINNER"!

This is the adapted recipe we would pull out.

The original was posted by Pam Post in the 

Holy Ghost Booster Club Cookbook

back in the 1970's!

Chinese Pepper Steak

1 1/2 lb Cubed Steak - cut in small bite size pieces

1/2 ts Ginger

1/2 ts Sugar

2 Garlic Cloves - minced

1/2 med Onion - sliced

1 Green Bell Pepper - sliced

1 med Tomato - sliced into wedges

1/2 C Soy Sauce

1 C water

1/2 C flour

Toss steak in flour. Brown steak in a skillet with about 3 tablespoons of oil. In a bowl mix soy sauce, ginger, and sugar. Add to steak and then add water. Gravy will thicken quickly. Add more water if needed to keep from sticking to bottom of skillet. Add garlic and simmer 10 minutes covered.

Add peppers, onions and tomatoes to meat, cover and cook on low until desired tenderness. Check every 5 minutes to see if more water is needed to keep from sticking to bottom as gravy will be thick. I usually cook for 10 - 15 minutes on low and then serve it hot over brown rice.

To spice it up add a little chili paste to your liking.

Have a Happy Day

and

REMEMBER

Nobody Puts Mama In A Corner!

Graphic courtesy 

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