Layers of Comfort Food

A couple days ago while it was rainy and cold outside I wanted to create something warming for dinner to take the chill off. This delicious and easy casserole fit the bill!

I took the original recipe and changed it to make it more flavorful and through this I have learned even more- and have changed a couple more things to end up with the recipe below. This is a great recipe because it is quick, healthy, easy and makes great leftovers. You could even make two and keep one in the freezer for later.

This casserole is also great because you can add ground beef, chicken or substitute black or pinto beans for the meat to make it a vegetarian meal. It is very versatile and delicious! Enjoy!

Tex Mex Tortilla Lasagna:

Makes 6-8 servings

2 cups tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper- chopped-(seeds removed)

12 corn tortillas
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 pound ground beef (or 1/2 pound chopped chicken, or 1 can black or pinto beans- drained and rinsed for filling)
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon taco seasoning or Mexican spice mix
1 teaspoon salt

1 can stewed tomatoes
1 bell pepper, sliced into rings
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350F

1. Spray a 13x9 casserole pan with non-stick spray- or oil it with olive oil.
2. Combine tomato sauce with spices, salt and jalapeno pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat a pan with olive oil in it. Saute the onions and the beef or chicken in it until thoroughly cooked. Add the taco seasoning and salt towards the end of cooking and mix together. If using beans for a vegetarian dish- add the beans to the pan with the onions and mix them together with the spice and salt.
4. Arrange 6 tortillas in the bottom of the pan, add a little tomato sauce mixture on the top and spread it around.
5. Mix the ricotta cheese, chili powder and garlic powder together. Add this mixture in a layer.
5. Add another layer of 6 tortillas and top with the chicken, beef or beans (your choice). Add remaining sauce and stewed tomatoes. Top with bell pepper rings, cover with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour uncover the casserole and sprinkle with cheese. Bake another 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and wait 10 minutes before serving


Enjoy this lovely meal! This photo shows a serving of the lasagna along with one of the pretty napkins my mom sewed for me a couple of years ago to go along with some place mats she made.

Chicken- Two Ways Plus More!

Last week we had a very busy week working on replacing our roof. My husband Paul and my Dad Dale worked on the roofing project all week while my Mom and I helped clean up the old roofing debris, ran errands, took care of my son Adam and cooked meals.

One of the meals we cooked was beer can chicken along with a salad of lettuce and potatoes- both from our garden! Since this year has not been the best for our garden it was nice to harvest a bit and enjoy it last week!



Above are the potatoes that we harvested, boiled and served with a bit of butter, salt and pepper.

I have made beer can chicken before on the barbecue and it was good, but this one turned out particularly tasty! And, as a bonus we made a lovely chicken salad out of the leftover chicken for lunch the next day. It was great to have plenty of hearty and healthy food for a hungry roofing crew!

The recipes for the Beer Can Chicken and Condiment Chicken Salad that we made follow along with my notes. Tonight I am making a chicken soup out of the chicken stock I made from the bones and bits of leftover chicken from these two meals. So, we got 2 meals out of 1 large chicken plus a bit more!! I'll post that recipe later. In the meantime, enjoy these two meals!

Beer Can Chicken:

1 large chicken- 6+ pounds
5-6 tablespoons spice rub ( I used a spice mix I already had and added a bit of brown sugar to it)
1 large & tall can of beer

1. Wash chicken with cold water and blot dry with paper towels.

2. Rub chicken with3-4 tablespoons spice rub outside and inside the cavity. Make sure to take out the giblets or giblet packet.

3. Open the tall beer can and also poke a few holes in the top using a bottle opener. Pour out the first inch or so of beer. Spoon the remaining spice rub into the can of beer. It will foam a bit.

4. Place the chicken onto the can of beer and make sure it can stand upright.

5. Heat your barbecue to high heat at first. Place the chicken on a roasting pan as seen in the picture above. Make sure that you can close the lid of the barbecue over the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium or low. Check your chicken often and lower the temperature if the skin is burning quite a bit.

6. Cook the chicken for an hour + or until the internal temperature reaches around 181F.

Slice, serve and enjoy!


Chicken Salad for Lunch:


The next day we had this lovely chicken salad for lunch! It is a recipe that has been in my family for a long time. We have always served it for summer barbecues or special occasions in the summer months. I love it because it is simple to make yet very special for company. We have reduced the amount of mayonnaise in our version from the original because it seemed to be too heavy. However, you may add more to your taste.

Here is the recipe:

Condiment Chicken Salad:

1/2 cup + of mayonnaise
1 cup raisins
1 cup salted peanuts
1 cup mango chutney (my Mom often uses the kind she makes herself)
1 cup flaked coconut
2 pounds cooked chicken, diced coarsely
1 cups bananas- sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 avocados, sliced
1 banana sliced
6 romaine lettuce leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix together mayonnaise, raisins, peanuts, chutney, coconut, chicken and salt. If making ahead, cover and chill at this point. Just before serving, gently combine with the two cups sliced bananas. Line the salad bowl (or put on a plate) with lettuce leaves and mound salad on top. Garnish with slices of avocado (or you can mix those in as we did above) and banana that have been dipped in lemon juice.


Enjoy these two meals from one chicken!