This weekend, my mom and I made this tasty dish from my Campbells 1-2-3 cookbook. The original recipe was fairly simple, so we punched it up a bit. When deciding between mild, medium or hot salsa/picante sauce, keep in mind the preferences of everyone. It’s easy to make a dish spicier with hot sauce but almost impossible to make a dish milder.

1 pound ground beef
Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix* OR 1 package taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup (low sodium/healthy request okay)
1 cup Pace Thick & Chunky Salsa OR Picante Sauce
1/2 cup milk
6 flour tortillas (8 inch) OR 8 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chopped onions, peppers and/or tomatoes, as desired

Preheat oven to 400F

Brown beef over medium-high heat, stirring to separate meat. Pour off fat and add Homemade Taco Mix and water. Simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

In a 2 quart shallow baking dish, mix soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese. Add meat and vegetables (if using) and stir well.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve with sour cream, hot sauce, mexican rice, tortilla chips and/or veggies as desired (chopped veggies can be baked in or served on the side). Goes well with lemonade or another citrus drink.

*Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsps paprika
1 1/2 tsps cumin
1 tsp garlic powder (or garlic salt)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
dash cayenne (for the braver taste buds only)

Another adventure in spud-land. This is another easy and tasty recipe from the Lipton Recipe Secret Soup Mix magic cookbook.

6 medium potatoes
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secret Savory Herb and Garlic Soup Mix
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

Wash potatoes well in lukewarm water, peel if desired, and cut into chunks. Cover potatoes with water in a large pot and bring water to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and return to pan. Mash potatoes with a hand mixer.

Stir in soup mix, milk and butter, blending well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired and serve. Voila!

This is a simple and yummy recipe from my new Lipton Recipe Secrets Soup Mix Magic cookbook.

Crispy Garlic Chicken:

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb and Garlic Soup Mix*
1/3 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp plain dry breadcrumbs

*cookbook also suggests trying Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix

Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine soup mix, mayonnaise and cheese in a small bowl.

Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Top chicken evenly with soup mixture, then top evenly with bread crumbs.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

After chicken begins baking, prepare Lemon Couscous.

Lemon Couscous:

3/4 dry couscous
1 cup water
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
fresh ground black pepper
lemon wedges

Combine water, butter and salt in a saucepan. Bring to boil and remove from heat.

Add couscous and cover for 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

Serving:

Arrange a bed of couscous on eat plate and top with fresh ground black pepper. Place a piece of Crispy Garlic Chicken on top, garnishing with lemon wedges (squeeze lemon onto chicken for a burst of flavor).

Serve with a side of steamed green beans tossed in butter.

After buying a rather large bag of potatoes, I’ve found myself with more spuds then I know what to do with, so I’ve started experimenting with tater recipes. Here’s the first one I did, starting with a recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix:

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsps paprika
1 1/2 tsps cumin
1 tsp garlic powder (or garlic salt)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
dash cayenne (for the braver taste buds only)

Mix all the ingredients well in a small bowl and use instead of 1 package of taco seasoning mix. When adding to meat, simmer with a 3/4 cup of water.

Mexican Potatoes

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 to 6 large to medium potatoes

Preheat over to 425F.

Wash potatoes well in lukewarm water. Use a knife to remove any bad spots and peel only if desired (I prefer mine with the skins on). Cut potatoes into chunks and place in a large, heavy-duty ziplock bag. Add oil and taco mix and seal bag. Shake until potatoes are evenly coated.

Grease a 13×9 inch baking pan. Arrange potatoes in an even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 8-10 minutes.

Serve plain as a side dish or top like a baked potato with sour cream, cheddar cheese, onions, tomatoes, peppers, or salsa.

From Campbell’s, this one-skillet dish was a crowd pleaser when friends came over for dinner:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Campbell’s Tomato Soup (original or low-sodium/healthy request)
1 1/3 cups water
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until browned. Set chicken aside. Pour off fat.

Add soup, water, chili powder, cumin and brown sugar. Heat to a boil.

Stir in rice. Place chicken on rice mixture. Sprinkle chicken with additional chili powder and cheese. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. Stir rice mixture.