Friday Tried and Tasty Favorites

This week, my favorite new recipes were:

Taco Casserole
Easy Chicken Parmesan
Homemade Croutons  --not a new recipe this week but still a fairly new favorite recipe

Taco Casserole Courtesy of Melissa Guay

1 lb ground beef (I used almost a pound and a half)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I just pressed mine)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup taco sauce (I used mild)
4 oz can diced green chilies
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
8 taco shells -- broken (I believe I used 10)
2 cups cheddar cheese -- shredded
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/8 cup sliced green onions
sour cream
1 diced avocado

Cook beef, onion and garlic until beef is browned. Drain off the grease. Stir in water, taco sauce, chilies and seasoning mix. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Layer half of broken taco shells on bottom of greased 8" x 12" baking dish. Cover with half of meat sauce; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat with remaining shells, meat sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with tomatoes, green onions, sour cream and avocado as desired.

This dish was a hit with the family. This is recipe I referred to yesterday as getting 4 out of 6 stars from the family. Four of us loved it. One thought it was okay. Only one of my four kids claimed to not like it. I think it was because he could see the green chilies. Once we wrapped it up in a tortilla, he ate it up pretty quickly.

I didn't take a picture. We didn't have any leftovers. You get the picture!

Super-Easy Chicken Parmesan Courtesy of Jenny Vollmer 

1 jar spaghetti sauce
6 Tbsp, grated Parmesan cheese, divided
6 small boneless, chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pour sauce into 13 x 9 baking dish. Stir in 4 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese. Add chicken and coat both sides. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese and broil on low for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over hot pasta.

Everyone in my family of six enjoyed this meal. I served it over angel hair pasta, with bread and a side salad. I would note that if you don't have small chicken breasts, you need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. I think next time I will use chicken tenderloins as we ended up cutting up the chicken before putting it on the plates.

I took this picture before I added salad dressing and my homemade croutons.

Croutons are so easy to make. I love making my own- they are quick, simple, cheap and tasty.

Here's the Crouton recipe: Quick and Easy Garlic and Herb Croutons

As you can tell, the crouton recipe makes plenty. I store them in a ziploc and enjoy them on salads at lunchtime.