Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

This is one of my husband’s favorite recipes. His Granny made this for years and his entire family loves it.

I posted the recipe on Recipezaar, so I would never lose it, because it took me quite a few tries to get it it right. We serve this with crackers and a green salad. I hope your family enjoys it as much as my bunch does.

View the complete recipe here: Taco Casserole Recipe aka Tex Mex Mess. The recipe is pretty straight forward.

1. You brown ground beef and garlic until done.
2. Next run the can of Ranch Style beans through the food processor until they reach a paste like consistency. Then mix into ground beef.
3. The recipe says to soften the corn tortillas in the reserved meat grease, but I usually soften them in a bit of vegetable oil in a small frying pan.
4. Once your grease is hot, it takes no more than five seconds per side to get the tortillas soft. Be sure you blot each tortilla well with paper towels to remove excess grease.
5. Also, be sure to grease the pan thoroughly or spray with nonstick cooking spray. This will stick and be a pain to clean otherwise.
6. Then you fill the tortilla shells with the meat and bean mixture.
7. Next cover with soup & water mixture. My advice is to reserve a bit of the soup mixture to layer on top of the Velveeta. It helps keep the Velveeta from getting too brown.
8. The layer of lettuce comes next.
9. Top this with the thinly sliced Velveeta. Top this with remaining soup mixture.
10. Then into the oven it goes.
11. Check it after 20 minutes, as the Velveeta will brown quite quickly and you do not want it to burn. All you really need to do is heat it through and melt the cheese.

That’s it! I hope you enjoy it!

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Out of the Box Lunch Ideas.

Find more cooking articles at Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

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Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Find more of her wonderful recipes on What’s Cookin’ and catch her on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes

These two recipes, cheesy Italian chops and quick and easy gumbo,  help make an easy week night meal that is a cinch to put together! It can be made in thirty minutes and is so simple that even the newest of cooks can easily make this for the family.

We added two premade, store bought side dishes caught on clearance sale, but any of your family’s favorite sides will round the meal out nicely.

Cheesy Italian Chops

Ingredients

• 4 thick cut, boneless pork chops
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
• 2 slices of bread, dry toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place 3 tablespoons butter on shallow baking pan and let melt in the oven while it preheats. 
3. Place cheeses, Italian seasoning, and toasted bread that has been torn into pieces into a food processor or blender. Pulse to make finely ground bread crumbs.
4. Wash pork chops off, then dip in breadcrumbs, turning to coat well. Make sure both sides are thoroughly coated.
5. Place coated chops in melted butter on baking pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until chops reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Frugal Cooking with Fresh Produce.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

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Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two. She loves stirring up new creations in her country kitchen. Catch her on Twitter @Nessa_TX or check out her original recipes on her site What’s Cookin’.

We were recently given several pounds of blackberries. After eating our fill, I wanted to bake up a tasty treat with the remaining berries. I decided on a wonderful cobbler. Blackberry cobbler is one of my favorite foods!

Cobbler Shortcut Tip

There are lots of good cobbler recipes around. A fast and easy short cut is to mix up a yellow butter cake mix. Grease a 9 x 13 cake pan, then add the fruit to the pan. If your fruit is a bit tart, go ahead and sprinkle some sugar on it. Then top with the mixed cake batter and bake according to cake mix directions.

The berries will rise to the top of the cake as the cake mix cooks. It’s so yummy! This is the quickest, easiest cobbler I know of.

I decided to use my Poor Man’s Cobbler recipe. It is just as easy, can be made with pantry staples, and is very versatile. You can use any fruit you want to in the simple, tasty dessert. I used butter rather than margarine today.

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Game Night Snacks.  Make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

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Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

I have recently discovered that I adore tuna steaks. They may very well be one of my favorite foods. I have created a recipe for grilled tuna steaks that makes absolutely delicious tuna steaks. Not only is it tasty, but even cooks with limited experience can make this dish and wow their family.

The prep time on this one is quite quick, just be sure to plan ahead and allow time for the tuna steaks to marinate.

Recipe:  Grilled Tuna Steaks

Ingredients 

• 4 (4oz.) tuna steaks 
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• !/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Grey Poupon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Place tuna steaks in gallon size zip top freezer bag.
2. Combine soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, lemon peel, mustard, and olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended
3. Pour marinade mixture over fish and gently flip a couple of times to coat the tuna steaks really well.
4. Place the plastic bag in the fridge, laying flat on a cookie sheet and marinate overnight.
5. Get your BBQ grill ready, you need the heat to be medium-high.
6. Place steaks on hot grill and cook about 6 minutes per side over moderate heat.
7. Baste with marinade mixture every two minutes or so while cooking.

This grilled tuna steaks recipe make a wonderful, light summer supper. Just add a salad, some crusty bread, and maybe a nice bottle of wine and you are all set. It is very simple and quick to prepare, which is great for busy working families.

Just remember to plan ahead for marinating time. If you cannot let the steaks marinate overnight, you can get by with only three hours. This dish is impressive enough to serve to company, something I really love about it. Plus, the tuna steaks do not taste “fishy” so most kids who turn up their noses at fish will enjoy this entree. Enjoy!

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Simple Blackberry Cobbler.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.  Grilled tuna steak photo by cote.

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Nessa is a full time wife and mama of two. She shares her love of family, cooking, and the frugal life on her blog Ramblings of a Texas Housewife . Catch up with her on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

During the summer months we do a lot of cooking outside. One of my favorite foods is chicken. I love it done BBQ style, grilled, or smoked. chicken is a great budget meat and very versatile.

I love it grilled with simple seasonings, slathered in BBQ sauce, or seasoned and tossed on the grill. I want to share with you some tricks I’ve learned for cooking a tasty bird.

Chicken Marinade Tips

For grilling, I usually throw the chicken in a gallon size zipper bag with my marinade of choice the night before cooking. You can buy jumbo packs of chicken then divide into meal size servings and put in large freezer bags with your favorite marinades. Toss these in the freezer, then when you want to cook them up, place in the fridge to thaw and it will marinate while it defrosts.

If we don’t use a marinade then we normally just season with salt, pepper, and garlic. It is simple and quite tasty.

BBQ Style Chicken

When it comes to BBQ style, it is very simple. We usually just grill it and baste often with BBQ sauce, either homemade or store bought. This is a simple, frugal meal that tastes delicious! Be sure to have plenty of napkins handy, as this one will get you a bit messy.

Recipe: How to Cook Smoked Chicken Outside

When smoking a chicken, I use a variety of spice blends. The only thing that never changes is my use of butter and onions. You can easily make a seasoning blend to suit your family’s tastes, just be creative and use spices you enjoy.

For this chicken I used sea salt, coarse black pepper, dill, and garlic.

	1.  Soften a stick of butter then mix desired seasonings into it.2.  Using your hands, loosen the skin all around the chicken, then shove your seasoned butter mix under the skin.
	Do this to both sides of the chicken, the legs, and all over. This will season the meat rather than just the skin. 3.  Then spread any left over butter and seasoning all over the outside of the bird.
	4.   In the cavity I place a stick of butter and half an onion, cut into quarters. 5.  Then place on the smoker.  This method is also great for grilling poultry.
	6.  As far as cooking times and temperatures go, it depends upon your cooking method. When smoking, I keep the temperature at about 250 degrees and it takes quite awhile.

My favorite piece of cooking equipment when it comes to outside cooking is a meat thermometer. Just cook until the thermometer reads done for chicken. You can’t go wrong this way!

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Grilled Tuna Steaks.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

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Below you can view the video of me showing how to make my Zesty Summer Cafe Sandwich using fresh, healthy ingredients that are easy on the grocery budget but big on taste! The full recipe card is provided with directions and ingredients at the end of the video.

(Subscribers will have to click through to this article to watch the video.)  

I am in love with the beautiful Kraft test kitchen and wish I could cook in it every day!  Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

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For the longest time I was afraid to fry chicken. I thought it was too complicated and that I would mess it up. Once I finally gave it a try, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it actually was. The key is timing your cooking and keeping a lid on your frying pan.

This is my basic recipe for how to fry chicken. You can change the seasonings around to suit your own taste. Serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, and any of your favorite side dishes. This is one of our favorite Sunday dinners.

You can now easily make gravy with the drippings. Just be sure to drain out all the excess grease.  This is great served immediately after cooking or packed cold for a picnic lunch.

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Cooking Chicken Outdoors.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

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Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two. She loves stirring up new creations in her country kitchen. Catch her on Twitter @Nessa_TX or check out her blog Ramblings of a Texas Housewife.

The 4th of July is a big event around here! It is the perfect time to have a big get together with family and friends, enjoy some great food, and celebrate our freedom. I wanted to share with you what we will be serving at our big 4th of July party this year. You might want to give some of these yummy recipes a try!

Appetizers

Last Call Jalapenos – These are my personal favorite snack! I look forward to these whenever we cook out. Be sure to wear food prep gloves when working with the jalapenos.

Side Dishes

Pinto Beans – This recipe makes the best pinto beans I’ve ever tasted.

Main Course

Bar-B-Q Chicken

Dessert

This is my menu plan for the 4th of July. They are all tried and true favorites that my family really enjoys. I hope your family enjoys them as well! Have a happy and safe holiday!

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles and recipes!

Find more cooking articles at Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

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During the summer months, cooking generally means heating up the house. Since it’s already hot enough, adding to it is not a good idea. So, summer salads are often our dinner when it’s hot outside.

Salads are great because you don’t have to heat things up when you make them, they are good for you, taste great, and even someone with limited cooking skills can make a great salad! Here are some of my family’s favorite salad recipes.

7 Refreshing Summer Salad Recipes

1. Layered Brushetta Salad 

This yummy is salad is so simple, yet very impressive. It is crunchy, light, and sure to be a hit!

2.  Kittencal’s Famous Greek Salad

I love a good Greek salad and this one is restaurant quality. It is a snap to put together at home for a fraction of what you would spend grabbing one from the local deli. Just be sure to make the dressing a couple of hours before you intend to serve it.

3.  Spinach Strawberry Salad

This is not your typical salad fare, but the flavor is impressive. I was a little leery of this combination at first, but now it is one of my favorite salads ever! Top this with grilled chicken for a really delicious meal.

4.  Ranch Beef Pasta Salad

This is the perfect salad for those guys who think a salad does not make a meal. It will satisfy the heartiest of appetites and leaving them smiling. After all, what man will say no to sirloin steak?

5.  Black Bean Salad

This is not a main course salad, but it makes a nice accompaniment to any dish with a southwestern flair. We usually enjoy it with chicken fajitas. It is a nice, refreshing salad with a spicy kick. Be sure to make in advance, as this one requires some chill time before serving.

6.  Cookie Monster Fruit Salad

While not an entree salad, this fruity treat is a delightful addition to a summer meal. It is one of my favorite dishes to take to pot lucks and my favorite dessert for a bar-b-que.

7.  Tex Mex Salad

This is my husband’s very favorite salad. We have it every time his side of the family gets together. It is a cinch to make and oh so good!

Tex Mex Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of mixed leaf lettuce for salads
• 1 can of pinto beans
• grated cheddar cheese, I use cheddar or Mexican style blend
• Frito style corn chips
• Catalina salad dressing

Directions:

a.  Put salad greens in large bowl.

b.  Drain and rinse pinto beans, add to greens.

c.  Put about three large handfuls of corn chips in the food processor and pulse just until you have them crushed. You can also just break them up in a zip close bag with anything hard, like a rolling pin. Then add to salad.

d.  Add about a cup of grated cheese and toss.

e.  Top individual servings with Catalina dressing. Enjoy!

These are just a few of the many salads we enjoy during the summer months. Salads are light, yet filling and make a really great meal. Plus, they are one of those wonderful foods that you can really be creative with. Just grab some veggies and let your imagination run wild. You may just create a new family favorite!

Find more recipes at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays! Strawberry spinach salad photo by Plat.

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A while back, we wrote an article about saving produce before it goes bad by either puréeing it and freezing or by cutting up into slices or chunks and freezing to use in cooking later.  Read more about how to save fruits and vegetables with this method and sneak healthy food into your recipes without your kids knowing! Barbi

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Frugal Recipes:  Fruit or Veggie Muffins

This basic muffin recipe is one I’ve made countless times using all sorts of different fruits and even vegetables. It is one of those great recipes that you can use your imagination with.

I’ve made basic apple, mixed berry, and even strawberry banana muffins. This weekend I made zucchini banana muffins. Play with it until you discover what you like best.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 egg

Directions:

1.  Sift dry ingredients together into large mixing bowl.

2.  Whisk egg, margarine, and milk together until well blended.

3.  Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are well combined.

4.  Here is where you make your additions. For zucchini banana muffins, I used 1 cup diced zucchini and 1/2 cup mashed banana. Grated, diced, and even slightly pureed fruits and vegetables work well in these muffins. I often add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon at this point as well. Add your additions, then mix batter until everything is just blended together.

5.  Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full of batter.

6.  Cook at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Depending on what fruits you’ve added, these may take a little longer. Test for doneness as you would on a cake, by sticking in a toothpick. When it comes out clean, the muffins are done.

Did you like this In the Kitchen with Nessa article?  Stay tuned next Monday for Nessa’s new column, Baking Cookies with Kids.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

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