Chicken Mexi-Ranch Tacos and a Giveaway

Recently, I was contacted by MyBlogSpark to review the Old El Paso "Family Taco Night" kit and give one away! I was thrilled because we LOVE Mexican food and I LOVE hosting giveaways for my readers!

Old El Paso suggested two recipes, Double Layer Tacos and Chicken Ranch Tacos. I was immediately intrigued by the Chicken Ranch Tacos, but they use plain ole rotisserie chicken and ranch... I had to spice it up! I added some Old El Paso taco seasoning to my chicken and to my ranch and it turned out delicious! We ate the chicken mexi-ranch tacos for lunch and then ate the leftovers as a chicken mexi-ranch salad for dinner!
So, what's the giveaway? An Old El Paso “Family Taco Night” prize pack, which includes a packet of original Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase everything for your own family taco night! To qualify for the giveaway just leave a comment with your name, telling me what recipe you would make with your Old El Paso taco seasoning! Do you have a family favorite or would you try something new? The giveaway will close at midnight on December 21st. I will draw names and announce the winner on my blog on December 22nd.

Want to start cooking now? Download this printable coupon for $0.60 off any two Old El Paso products!

Chicken Taco Ingredients
Flour tortillas
1 packet of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
Chicken breasts
Lettuce
Cheese
Tomatoes (I omitted)
Optional- Avocado

Mexi-Ranch Ingredients
1 packet of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning (only use 2 tablespoons of seasoning)
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip!)
1 cup milk

Directions
Sprinkle raw chicken breasts with taco seasoning (sprinkle both sides of the chicken). Cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.
Whisk together the mexi-ranch ingredients, cover, and store in fridge (it will thicken after being in the fridge for 30 minutes).
When the chicken's done, slice it up and assemble your tacos!

Enchirito

It's been a while since I've posted, I haven't been able to type because of this... *sings* Dun Dun Dun
I broke my arm! I wish I could say that I was doing something cool like water skiing but in reality I was putting sunscreen on my legs, fell backwards, tried to catch myself with my right hand, and snap! I broke my RIGHT arm... I'm right handed! So it's been darn near impossible to cook, do my hair, fold laundry, etc. It's been terrible :-(
On a positive note, I found the cutest purple purse and wallet at Target last week, I really think it compliments my cast... and for only $30 ($20 for the purse and $10 wallet), I feel just a little bit better about the purple clunky cast on my arm, lol. We've broken our July challenge and eaten out a few times but we're trying to eat homemade as much as possible. Our wonderful son Andrew has stepped in and made a few easy dinners for the family.... mostly all Mexican food because that's what he likes, lol. These Enchiritos were fairly easy for Andrew to make and they hit the spot!

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can Enchilada Sauce
1 can (28 Ounce) Refried Beans
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
12 Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas
Extra Grated Cheese, For Sprinkling
Extra Enchilada Sauce, For Drizzling

Spicy Beef Directions
Brown the ground beef and diced onions in a large skillet. Drain off excess fat and add the taco seasoning. Stir in 3/4 of the can of enchilada sauce (around a cup of sauce) and set the pan aside.
Cheesy Beans Directions
Stir the shredded cheese and beans together and warm the in the microwave... Andrew is a pro microwave nuke'er ,-)
Enchirito Directions
Nuke some burrito-size flour tortillas for about a minute or so. You want them to be soft and pliable. Spread on some warm cheesy beans And some of the spicy meat Roll it over Fold over the ends And roll it over again
Put a couple of the burritos on a plate Drizzle on the leftover enchilada sauce
Sprinkle on some shredded cheese And nuke it for about a minute (or until the cheese is melted)! Did I mention that Andrew is an excellent nuke'er? Thanks for dinner Andrew, I love you buddy!

Beefy Bean Burritos

For the past 3 weeks I have made these, we store the leftover burritos in the fridge and within a couple days they're gone! Everyone loves these burritos and it is rare that I find a dinner everyone gets excited about and fights over the leftovers! I modify Heidi's Brown Bag Burritos recipe to make these, they really do taste like Taco Bell's Beef and Bean Combo Burritos! I think everyone should make these, total cost is around $6 and they take 15 minutes to make... perfect for the working mom!

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (I get the leanest I can find)
1 can refried beans
1 can enchilada sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (a dash)
1 bag (2 cups) shredded colby/jack cheese
10 large flour tortillas

Directions
Brown and drain meat. Add all ingredients, but tortillas. Stir the mixture and heat to a simmer/boil. Put about 1/2 cup of the mixture in each flour tortilla, fold the tortillas into burritos, and serve. Store the extra burritos in a Ziploc in the refrigerator. To reheat the cold burritos microwave them for 30 seconds, flip, 30 seconds. They are just as good reheated as they are fresh!

Taco Pockets and Dip

There are a few foods that scare me to think about making like bread, cinnamon rolls, calzones... ok you caught me; I am terrified of yeast! It just seems so complicated and easy to mess up. So, when looking at the refrigerated cinnamon rolls I saw a long skinny tube called "thin-crust pizza dough". What a great find this was! I've wanted to try making calzones/hot pockets for a long time and this dough works perfectly! The possibilities are endless (and you will see my experiments coming soon) but my first pocket creation had to be Mexican of course, for my pepper bellied boys!

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 packet taco seasoning
1 small block of pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup salsa verde
1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough
Chips for the dip

Directions
Brown the ground turkey, drain, and add the taco seasoning. Roll the pizza dough out onto your pan with non-stick foil or cooking spray. With a pizza cutter divide the dough into four sections. Spoon the meat onto the dough (about 1/2 a cup) and put a couple cuts of pepper jack cheese on top. Fold the ends of the dough over the meat and cheese. Use a fork to crimp the sides together. When they are all filled, folded, and crimped. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes or until browned. Now while the Taco Pockets are cooking... what to do with the leftover meat in your pan? Add the rest of your cheese and 1/2 a cup of salsa verde. Cook over medium-low heat until everything is melted. Serve this dip with some chips!

Creamy Chicken and Chile Enchiladas

We are probably an embarrassing family to go to a restaurant with… Abbott gets ill at the table, Justin mixes his own dipping sauces and orders everything “no vegetables”, and Andrew and Justin smother their Mexican food with beans and rice (see picture below). Justin used to cover his chimichangas with beans and rice when we were dating and he’s just taught Andrew to do the same with all Mexican food. Its funny how Andrew eats just like Justin, it’s like they have the same taste buds!

Ingredients
4 shredded chicken breasts (I bake the chicken in the oven and shred the chicken by hand)
8 ounce package cream cheese
4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
12 flour tortillas
1 10 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
3/4 c shredded cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put cream cheese, chiles, and red enchilada sauce in a saucepan with cooked chicken. Cook and stir over medium heat until blended. Spoon filling onto tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down in a 13x9 in baking dish. Pour green chile enchilada sauce over top of rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and back for 15-20 minutes.

Fish Tacos

This Baja treat is well known to residents of Southern California, where fish tacos have been popular since their introduction in the 1980s. The crunch of coleslaw contrasts with tender fish, and the creamy dressing is spiked with the smoky heat of chipotle chiles.



Ingredients
Tilapia or flounder fillets (2 needed per taco)
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
½ c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp lime juice
1 (1-lb) bag coleslaw mix (8 cups)
Corn or flour tortillas
Accompaniments: salsa, lime wedges
Directions
Fish- To cook the fish you use the same recipe as the “Lemon Pepper Fish” previously posted (in fact you can just use any leftover fish you have from that recipe). Add olive oil to a sauté pan on medium heat. Lay frozen fillet in the pan, don’t let the fillets overlap but the sides can touch. On medium heat cook the fish until it looks thawed then sprinkle on the lemon pepper seasoning. Continue cooking until the sides of the fillets become transparent (around 5 minutes) and then flip the fillets. Sprinkle the other side with the lemon pepper seasoning and cook until fish is white and flakey (around 5 minutes).
Spicy Slaw- While the fish cooks, make the slaw sauce by stirring together mayonnaise, yogurt, chipotle powder, and lime juice in a bowl. Toss together with coleslaw mix. The slaw keeps for a couple days so you can make it the day before if desired.

Transfer fish to a platter along with bowls of coleslaw, salsa, lime wedges, and a basket of warm tortillas. Serve immediately