Day 1, Mexican Stuffed Shells

Kicked off my month long challenge of only cooking, no dining out for supper tonight with a recipe that was very well received.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
4 ounces cream cheese
16 jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese
For toppings:
3 green onions
Sour cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a pan brown the ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Stir together and mix well. Set aside and cool completely.
While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to package directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
Pour salsa on bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Evenly cover shells with taco sauce. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed. Top with green onions or olives if desired. Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa!

Source unknown

I started off with a pound of elk burger.  I defrosted in the microwave on the defrost setting for four minutes.  I then pulled the defrosted burger apart from the still frozen center.  The defrosted meat went straight into the fry pan.  The remaining frozen burger goes back in the microwave on the defrost setting for another four minutes. I also set the water for pasta to boil while the burger was defrosting and browning.  Placing a lid on your pasta water will bring it to a boil more quickly.

Within 15 minutes the burger was browned and seasoned and the water was at a boil. 

After another 10 minutes the cream cheese was melted and the shells were ready for a rinse.

                                                     I may just try my burger this way the next time I want tacos.

After stuffing the shells (I didn't wait for the burger to cool as directed) I topped them with the taco sauce.

Adding yummy cheese is always the best part.

We balanced this supper out with a green salad tonight.

We don't always do dessert, but I've had this recipe in an open window on my phone for about a month and decided yesterday to go ahead and make it ahead so it would be ready for tonight.

This recipe was courtesy of Taste of Home. 

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/banana-cream-cheesecake/?fbclid=IwAR1GOqyRdQYYbUNHgn3KJ1EUNbS6iHs7rBrvMcsaFQ6ORd6jegzVPCqiQC0

In the interest of saving time I used a store bought graham cracker pie crust.

Banana Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
3 to 4 medium firm bananas, sliced
1-3/4 cups cold milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant banana cream pudding mix

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan or 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 5-7 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in 2 cups whipped topping. Arrange half of the banana slices in crust; top with half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers.
• In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; fold in remaining whipped topping. Pour over the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until set.