Taco Dip

I just invented my own taco dip. It doesn't look great, but it's absolutely delicious and Alex and I both love it.

1 lb ground beef
1 cup water
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 cup of cream cheese, softened
Approx. 325 mL mild salsa*
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, drain. Add water and taco seasoning, cook until almost all water is gone. Add cream cheese, salsa and shredded cheese and mix well. Continue mixing over heat until cream cheese and cheddar cheeses are melted and mixed thoroughly. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Serve with nacho chips.

*I used about half of a large jar (650 mL) of salsa. So one small jar or half a large jar will do.

Alfredo Casserole

First post of 2013! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is getting back to normal. I cheated a bit with this recipe (used a bottled sauce instead of making one from scratch) but it was seriously awesome.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into small bite sized pieces
5 large mushrooms, chopped
2 1/2 cups of pasta (I used small shells, but other pasta would work too)
1 jar  (410 mL) of Classico Alfredo and Roasted Garlic sauce
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook diced chicken in olive oil until white on all sides, then add mushrooms and cook another 3-5 minutes.

When pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the chicken/mushrooms and stir. Then pour in the jar of sauce and mix thoroughly.

Transfer mixture to a casserole dish and cover with shredded cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Let sit 3-5 minutes before serving.

*One thing we noticed after baking was that the sauce had gotten really thick and kind of dry. So I would recommend either using two jars of sauce, or just one jar of sauce but adding 1/2 cup water as well, to keep it saucier.