Cooking with Jaz

Sort of revised, written out like a recipe this time.

Description:
One of our family favorites, it’s quick, cheap, and yummy. And it can be done with or without meat.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (optional)
1 small onion, diced
Package of 18 corn tortillas
1 can of enchilada sauce
1 can of refried beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Brown the ground beef, if using, with the onion. Drain.

Spray a 9×13″ baking pan with nonstick spray. Cover the bottom with a layer of corn tortillas (using 6 – it may help to tear some in half). Cover lightly with the sauce. Spread 1/2 the meat over the top, and follow with about 1/3 of the cheese.

Put down another layer of the corn tortillas. Spoon the refried beans over them, and spread as well as you can. Pour about 1/2 the remaining sauce over, and and then the remaining meat, and half the remaining cheese.

Follow with the final layer of corn tortillas, and the remaining sauce and the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Another revised recipe.

Description:
My very yummy potato salad, which tastes a lot like my deviled eggs – but with potatoes!

Ingredients:
12 medium russet potatoes, peeled, quartered and boiled, and cooled
1½ cups mayonnaise
2/3 cup yellow mustard
12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1½ tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. Hungarian paprika (plus a little more for sprinkling on top)
6 green onions, sliced (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, use a butter knife to chop the potatoes into smaller bits – about 1″ or so (don’t worry about getting every single one, and don’t worry that they’re uniform – just run your knife through a bunch of times).

Add mayonnaise and mustard, and start mixing with a big wooden spoon. You’ll mush up some of the potatoes as you go, and that’s good. You want to end up with some potatoes that are still in chunks, and some that are all mushed up.

Add salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika and mix well.

Chop up 8 of the eggs and fold them into the potato salad. Fold the onion in, as well. Slice the other two eggs and arrange them nicely on top. Sprinkle the whole thing with paprika. Chill.

This is how I make goulash these days:

Description:
One of the favorite dinners in our household, and it makes lots for not a lot of money. Not a lot of work, either.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic
1 package medium shell pasta
2 16oz. cans diced tomatoes
About 4 tablespoons paprika
1 can corn
Salt & pepper

Directions:
Boil the pasta. While it’s cooking, brown the ground beef with the garlic in a really large skillet. Drain, if necessary, and add the diced tomatoes and the paprika. Let it simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.

While the pasta drains, add the corn to the meat mixture. Add the pasta and stir. Let sit on the heat for a few minutes, and serve.