Enchiladas

I didn't like enchiladas when I still lived at home--now I love them. I found this in Mom's recipes and now it is one of my staples! Chili powder can differ in potency by brand and age so you may want to adjust by taste. The recipe makes enough sauce for two batches--I usually half it so I've included those measurements in parenthesis.

Enchiladas

Sauce
1/3 cup salad oil (1/6 cup)
1/4 cup (or less) chili powder (2 tsp.)
1 cup flour (½ cup)
1 Tbsp. cumin (½ Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp. garlic salt (½ Tbsp.)
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce (1 can)
5 cups water, approx. (~3 cups)

Put oil and chili powder in pan and simmer. Stir in flour. Add other spices, tomato sauce, and water to make a gravy (not too thick).

1 lb. ground beef
chopped onion
cheddar cheese, grated
tortillas

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain and season with onion salt and pepper. Use half the sauce. Dip tortillas in sauce and fill with ground beef and cheese. Roll very tight and place in a baking dish. Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with more grated cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes. Makes 1-1½ dozen enchiladas.

French Dip Sandwiches

This is one of my favorite meals. And it is so easy! If we have leftovers, I use it the second day to make a sort of Philly Cheese Sandwich with sauteed peppers, mushrooms and onions. I usually butter the rolls and toast them under the broiler before I put the meat and cheese on and then again afterward. This recipe came from Taste of Home magazine--July/Aug 1999.

French Dip Sandwiches

2 large onions, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup butter
1 boneless bottom round roast (3-4 lbs.)
5 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 1/2 tsp. browning sauce, optional (I don't use this)
1 garlic clove, minced
12-14 French rolls, split
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded swiss cheese (I usually use sliced)

In a skillet, saute onions in butter until tender; transfer to a slow cooker. Cut the roast in half; place over onions. Combine water, soy sauce, soup mix, browning sauce if desired and garlic; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until the meat is tender.

Remove roast with a slotted spoon and let stand for 15 minutes. Thinly slice meat across the grain. Place on rolls; sprinkle with Swiss cheese. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 1 minute or until the cheese is melted. Skim fat from the cooking juices; strain and serve as a dipping sauce.

Makes 12-14 servings.

Meatloaf

I love meatloaf. Good meatloaf that is. I think my favorite lunch is a leftover meatloaf sandwich. The first recipe is a new one that I tried last night for dinner, and that I loved. It came from Allrecipes.com. The second recipe is the meatloaf I have been making for a long time. It originally came from a Real Lemon cookbook.

Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf

12 oz. chopped raw bacon
1 small white onion, chopped
5 button mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup evaporated milk
6 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs

Preheat oven to 350.

Place bacon in a skillet and cook over medium heat until the pieces are browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Discard all but 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease. Stir in onions and mushrooms, and cook until soft. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, stir together beef, egg, and milk. Stir in the onion and mushrooms. Mix in about 4 oz. Swiss cheese, and all but 1 Tbsp. bacon. Stir in cornflake crumbs, and mix until well blended. Shape into a loaf, and place in a meatloaf pan.

Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Drain fat, and sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon. Return to oven, and bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Glazed Meatloaf

1/2 cup catsup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (about 2 1/2 slices)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. beef bouillon

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine catsup, sugar, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and mustard; set aside. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and 1/3 cup sauce; mix well. In shallow dish, shape into loaf. Bake 1 hour; pour off fat. Pour remaining sauce over top of loaf; bake 10 minutes longer.