Cheesy Mexican Skillet Rice

I have been looking for a recipe for Mexican rice for quite some time now.  It seems that each one I tried was just a little too dry for my taste.  Until now!  I have finally found one that I like.  It's moist, it's cheesy, it's good!

Cheesy Mexican Skillet Rice

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 c. long grain white rice
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
2 c. chicken stock
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Once hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft.  Stir in the rice and cook, while stirring, to toast.  Add the tomato paste, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and stir until it's well blended with the rice.  Add the chicken stock and black beans and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with lid and cook on low until the rice is tender and the chicken stock is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the rice steam, covered, for 5 minutes.

Fluff rice with fork and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

**To skip the oven step, just simply stir in the cheese until melted, which is what I did.

New Favorite Sloppy Joe's

This is my new favorite.  Definitely more flavorful than my original recipe that I have used all these years. And packed with veggies...

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. steak seasoning
1 carrot, shredded
1 medium onion, shredded
1 red bell pepper, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Using a food processor, shred carrot, onion and red pepper.  In a large skillet, combine ground beef, shredded veggies, garlic and steak seasoning.  Cook until meat is browned.  Drain excess fat, if necessary.  Stir in red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir to combine, stirring until thickened.

Grandmama's BBQ Sauce

If you know my family, you know we are pretty famous for our rib cookouts.  Well, my Granddaddy is famous for his ribs and Grandmama is famous for her sauce.  I went on and on about it before The Jason ever met my family.  I think he didn't believe me that they are really so good!  Until he had them...then he was a believer.  This is my Grandmama's BBQ Sauce.

Grandmama's BBQ Sauce

2 lemon slices
1 c. water
1/2 c. vinegar
1 stick butter
Scant Tbsp. Salt
5 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan, heat all ingredients on medium high heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add 1 c. ketchup and stir until smooth.  Simmer 5 more minutes or until sauce is thickened.

Boston Butt Dry Rub

This is our favorite dry rub for smoking a Boston butt.  We had a BBQ lunch for Baby Pea's birthday this past weekend.  We also had, for those of you asking about recipes:

Grandmama's BBQ Sauce
Clear BBQ Sauce
Corn Salad
Red Velvet Cake
Cake Batter Ice Cream
Spinach Dip

It was a great day!

Boston Butt Dry Rub

1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

Southern Praline Pecan Cake

I made this cake for my mom's birthday this week.  She says it is definitely a hit.  It was SUPER easy to make.

Southern Praline Pecan Cake

1 box butter pecan cake mix
1 (16 oz.) container coconut pecan frosting
4 eggs
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. water
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix first 5 ingredients until well combined.  Stir in 1/2 of pecans.  Sprinkle remaining pecans into bottom of bundt pan.  Pour in cake batter.  Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Bobby Deen's Cheeseburger Casserole

We haven't had cable TV in our house for over a year.  I truly haven't missed it at all, and most of the shows that I liked on cable I can watch online or on the Roku anyway.  My Saturday mornings are different, though, because I used to watch the Food Network all morning.  Lucky for me, if I need a cooking show fix, I can just watch The Chew!  I knew this recipe would be good when Bobby was on with the show.  

Bobby Deen's Cheeseburger Casserole

2 c. rotini pasta (I used wheat)
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. ground beef (95% lean)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
28 ounces low-sodium diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 c. low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c. chopped dill pickles

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions and drain well.  In a large skillet, heat oil and cook onion until tender.  Add in garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.  Add ground beef and cook until browned.  Add salt, pepper, tomato paste, diced tomatoes and dijon mustard.  Stir until combined and cook until thickened, about 2 more minutes..  Add in pasta.  Pour into prepared baking dish and top with cheddar cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.  Sprinkle pickles on top and serve.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

We had some friends over for dinner on Sunday night.  I've had my eye on this jalapeño popper dip, so I decided to let them be my Guinea pigs.  I like things pretty mild, so was curious to know how hot it would be.  It had a kick, but wasn't so hot that I needed to have a drink of water.  We thought it was very good.  I only made half of the recipe since we were a small crowd and I really didn't need to eat much of it.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. mayo
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 (4 oz.) can slice jalapeños, well drained and chopped if desired
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

Mix together cream cheese, mayo, green chiles, jalapeños and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese.  Spread into oven safe dish (sprayed with cooking spray).  Mix remaining parmesan cheese with the panko bread crumbs.  Sprinkle on top of dip.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until topping is browned and dip is bubbling.

I served with Stacy's bagel chip.  You could use corn chips, pita chips, crostini, etc.