Mexican Casserole

From: Southern Living 1992 cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 15-oz can Mexican-style chili beans, undrained
1 10-oz can enchilada sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup corn chips, crushed

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until meat is browned, stirring to crumble meat; drain well.

Stir in macaroni, chili beans, and next 4 ingredients; spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes; sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Sprinkle corn chips on top.

What we did differently:
I didn't put the entire can of beans in, or the enchilada sauce, or the full amount of chili powder. I know my family doesn't do too much spicy, so I didn't want to blow them out of the water! I also only did Fritos on half the casserole, as you can see. Two of us like Fritos, and the others wanted plain casserole with a side of tortilla chips.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I will admit I didn't LOVE the macaroni texture, but my husband did. I did love the mix of flavors and it wasn't too spicy at all. I ate the leftovers today and it was actually tastier today than last night, I think. I would make this again but maybe even sprinkle on some shredded lettuce and pico de gallo at the very end.

Sausage Gravy

From: Southern Living 1992 cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground pork sausage
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup flour
3 1/4 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 sp Italian seasoning

What I changed:
I put almost an entire pound of sausage in, just because that's what we already had in the freezer. I put less milk than what it called for - probably closer to 2 1/2 cups - and I really don't think it made a huge difference.  Your mileage may vary!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love biscuits and gravy but I've never made my own gravy that was edible. It was very good. This particular sausage was a little spicy for me but at least I know the recipe works!

Quick and Easy Chili

From: Southern Living 1992 cookbook

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 16-oz can tomatoes, undrained and chopped
2 15-oz cans red kidney beans, undrained
1 10-oz can tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 1/2 cups water
1 envelope chili seasoning mix
1 envelope instant onion soup mix

Cook ground beef in a Dutch oven until meat is browned, stirring until it crumbles; drain.

Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

What I did differently:
I didn't use the whole can of diced tomatoes because we aren't really fans of tomatoes. I only used one can of kidney beans, and I did drain them, even though the recipe said not to. I also left out the envelope of onion soup mix.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! It wasn't too spicy and it could easily be spiced up as much as you want. I liked it because it was so fast to make. I do love chili in a crockpot but I felt like the flavor of this was great, and the family liked it. Winning!