Taco Ring

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 package taco seasoning {here is a good recipe to make your own}
2 tubes of Crescent Rolls
Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, pico de gallo, taco sauce, sour cream, Western dressing
Directions:

Cook and drain ground beef.
Mix with taco seasoning, like you would for regular tacos.
Lay crescent rolls out on a large stone or cookie sheet, with narrow end facing out, creating a circle.
Spoon taco meat onto crescent rolls.
Fold over crescent roll ends, forming a circle.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve with toppings of your choice.

Macaroni Salad

14.5 oz box of macaroni
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 C baby carrots, sliced
1 T minced onion
4 oz. frozen peas
1 C mayo (we used mayo made with olive oil)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 T cider vinegar
paprika
parsley
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; be sure not to over cook the pasta so that the noodles become overly soft.

Add the frozen peas in the last minute of cooking. Then, drain. While the pasta is cooking, chop up the veggiesAllow the pasta and peas to cool down and then place in a large bowl.  As the pasta cools down, stir every few minutes to prevent the noodles from clumping together as they dry.Add the chopped up veggies. Stir to combine.Add the minced onion, and stir these veggies in too. Alternatively, you can use fresh onion here.Stir together the mayo, sugar, dry mustard, and cider vinegar until smooth and creamy. Pour the mayo mixture over the pasta.  Do this in small batches.  Add a little, stir it in well and repeat.  This way, the creamy sauce gets all over the pasta and you can stir it in well. Stir in the mayo mixture until the pasta and veggies are coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  If desired, you can also add tuna fish or chicken (either canned or grilled chicken breast).

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

 1lb boneless skinless chicken meat, cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1t minced garlic
2T olive oil
8oz cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened
Milk, to thin sauce
2t chili powder
1t cumin
1 cup salsa
12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup cream
 In a large frying pan cook chicken, onion, and garlic in olive oil.  When the chicken meat is fully cooked and the onions are soft add the cream cheese and stir around a bit to melt and mix up with the chicken and onions.  Add a little milk to make a sauce that is about the consistency of gravy.  Add chili powder, cumin and salsa.  You can taste and add a little salt and pepper to your liking.

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.  Lay half of the corn tortillas in the pan.  Spread half of the chicken enchilada sauce over the tortillas.  Sprinkle half the cheese over the sauce.  Repeat layers. Pour cream over the top.

Bake at 375 for 30 to 45 minutes, until enchiladas are golden brown on the top.  Serve with Spanish rice and refried beans and a big green salad.

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
3/4 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 c. hot water
1 tsp. almond extract

Mix dry ingredients; add oil. Blend in eggs, one at a time. Add hot water and extract. Bake in greased and floured Bundt pan at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50 minutes.