Tex Mex Day In Tennessee

It’s funny how a simple ingredient can drive the meals for a day. We had a quart or so of Pioneer Woman salsa left from Sundays Superbowl Party that Bev said she did not want to go to waste, so she planned a Tex-Mex dinner and I had decided on a bowl of leftover vegetable soup for lunch. I was doing meat prep for Thursday's BBQ cook so Bev was doing the cooking Wednesday. After realizing we also had tortilla chips, guacamole, and some cooked hamburger that needed to be used, she talked me into nachos instead instead of the soup – as if I needed any arm twisting. She mixed some taco seasoning in the meat, spread the scoops on a jelly roll pan, filled them with the meat, canned black beans and some cheese, and put it in the oven until the cheese melted.


She removed them added some shredded lettuce, salsa (in lieu of tomatoes), a few black beans and jalapenos, and some more cheese. The title photo is the finished product. Here they are before the final cheese addition.


She added the guacamole to hers and I ate mine on the side – it’s too good to mix with that other stuff. They were excellent and making them in a single layer ensures no bare chips. Here’s a couple shots of my plate.



Then for dinner, it was Mexican rice using another Pioneer Woman recipe, refried beans, and burritos. I nearly always have some smoked pulled chicken in the freezer, so we got out a couple of pounds along with a bag of roasted chili peppers from last years garden. She didn't have a recipe for the filling, but added the meat, green chili's, cheese, cream cheese, can of mushroom soup, cumin, S&P. After the next to last mixing, we both decided it still needed something and she added some chipotle in adobo until it tasted right. Remember - she's the real cook, I'm a recipe follower.

She stuffed the tortilla's, topped them with salsa and cheese, sided with the beans, and warmed them until the cheese melted. Then she added the hot rice to the plate, sprinkled on a little chopped cilantro and black olives and off to the table we went. I didn't get any shots of the process, but here's my plate. It was good and the MIL declared it to be the best burrito she'd ever had.


Definately a good way to keep that salsa from being wasted.

Have a great day and I enjoy your comments. Larry