Barefoot in the Kitchen (Vol. 3)

Welcome to the third post of Barefoot in the Kitchen!

Quick Reminder

If you feel like joining in then please go ahead and click the bottom at the bottom of the post, add your link, and don't forget to post a link back here in your post! If you don't have anything ready today then no worries - you have all the way until the following Monday to take part! There are no recipe restrictions so whether you made the most amazing dessert anyone ever tasted or one of the worst flops of a side dish that has come into existence I would love to hear about it! 

This past week resulted in three recipes that I could have posted about today, but sadly I only took pictures for one of them. If you feel like checking out the other two just click here and check out #6 and #7. As you will soon see the number of pictures I took this week is slightly obscene and demonstrate a complete lack of self control. I am ashamed.....

Easy Taco Pie

Prep Time : 15 minutes

Cook Time : 25 – 30 minutes

Servings : 6

Ingredients :

• 1 lb ground beef (we used less)
• 1 package taco seasoning (we used less due to amount of ground beef used)
• 1 small can of green chilies (our addition – not in original recipe)
• 1 – 2 peppers, diced (our addition – not in original recipe)
• 1 package refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 cup sour cream (recommend using much less – at most ½ cup)
• 1 cup salsa, drained slightly (we only used On the Border salsa – great flavor and texture and if there's vinegar in it you can't taste it at all!)
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheese (we used a combination of sharp cheddar and pepper-jack)

Not Pictured : Green Chilies

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray (you really could use whatever type of dish you prefer – they're just being difficult because of the recipe name).

Step 2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break ground beef into small pieces and add to hot skillet; cook and stir until the beef is crumbly and no longer pink. Because we wanted a bit more flavor and zing we added the diced peppers in when the meat was about halfway done. 

Step 3. Drain and discard any excess green. Add green chilies and taco seasoning. 

Step 4. Press crescent roll dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread refried beans in an even layer onto the dough. Spread sour cream into a layer atop the refried beans. Sprinkle ground beef mixture evenly over the sour cream; top with salsa and shredded cheese.

Using a glass pie dish helped with determining
when the dough was fully cooked (cheese melts fast and isn't a good indicator)

Ok, we get it, Hannah.....

NOTE : Too much sour cream!!!

Seriously, you're still photographing?

.....You have a problem......

Step 5. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust has browned (25 – 30 minutes)

END RESULT (at last)

Verdict : Qualified Success. Despite adding the peppers, chilies, and pepper-jack cheese the flavor seemed to be lacking a bit. As mentioned in the ingredients section, I suspect that using a full cup of sour cream was too much and affected the flavor negatively. I would not omit it entirely but definitely cut down on it in the future. Ben and I found that crushing tortilla chips and sprinkling them on top of the food made for a big improvement. 

Hope you enjoyed this week's recipe and I cannot wait to see yours! Also, Leo's due date was yesterday and it looks like he has selected the "Extended Stay" option. Oh goodie! 

~ Happy Monday ~