Best Crock Pot Mexican Casserole ever!

This easy recipe will make you feel so good about yourself. Everyone who eats it will call you the best cook of all time!

Okay so it's possible I'm exaggerating a tiny bit, but seriously, this stuff is GOOD. And I'm super proud of it. :) The meat adds a lot, but for a quicker version (or a vegetarian version) you can leave it out and still have a delicious, high-protein meal!

Crock Pot Mexican Casserole
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 cup salsa (your favorite kind)
8 oz sour cream
8 oz shredded cheese (any kind)
1 lb cooked ground beef OR cooked shredded chicken (optional)

Stick rice in the crock pot, set to "high," with 3 cups water. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

Set crock pot to "warm." Dump all other ingredients into crock pot. Mix, and let it all warm up together for a couple hours. Serves well with tortilla chips!

Seriously guys, it's so easy. And SO. YUMMY. Enjoy!

Chicken Burritos!

I was sitting in my kitchen pondering on what I could possibly make for dinner because I had not planned ahead and didn't want to drive to the grocery store.  So I decided to concoct my own recipe....  Chicken Burritos!

Boil chicken and then dice it.

Make Rice (if you want details on how to do it, see my previous blogpost entitled "How to Make the Perfect Rice") and make sure you include minced onions and salt.
Drain and heat up some black beans.
Mix some canned green peppers in with your cooked rice.
Heat up some Tortillas and put the above ingredients inside them.
Top with shredded cheese and heat up til the cheese melts.

It turned out delicious!  If I did it again, I would have added some lettuce and tomatoes, and put some cheese inside as well as on top.  Here's to inventing new recipes!  Hooray!

How to make the Perfect Rice

Get out the frying pan and put it on the stove.

Chop some onions and sautee them in Corn Oil.

Add the rice and stir it around a bit, letting it fry until it's a light golden color.

Pour in warm water (careful- the steam will attack you!).  You don't need to measure it, just add it.

Cover it completely with a lid or a plastic grocery bag :)

When all the water is gone, test the rice.  If it is too crunchy, add more water and cover it again.

When the rice is the perfect texture (soft and chewy but not too gooey) add a bunch of salt.

Voila!  The perfect rice!

And if you want a real Nicaraguan meal, fry some red beans and add them to the rice.  Mix together...  and you have Gallo Pinto!  The famous meal that all Nicaraguans eat all day every day.  It is SO delicious.  Try it with some sour cream and some chips.  Mmmmm good!

Or, you can make ham fried rice!  Like I did last night!  Scramble some eggs, cut up some ham, add some peas, mix it all together with a bunch of Soy Sauce.  So easy and SO delicious.