Burritos El Grande

Well, it's November already.  The beginning of the end of the year.   It seems that after Halloween there's a rush to January and I've never been able to slow it down as hard as I try.  I love this time of year and wish that it would go slower or that there would be less to do so I could enjoy it more.  So in light of the fact that I know that dinner time will be rushed I will try and add some quick recipes. 

This is one of those.  I found this recipe last year and I think that it's one of my husband's favorites, although he says he doesn't have favorites.  These burritos go together rather quickly.  I like to avoid the dinnertime rush and wash and cut lettuce, shred cheese, etc. in the early afternoon while my little one is taking a nap and I only have one kid hanging on my legs.  The rice portion makes a WHOLE lot.  And I usually end up throwing away a lot, but I haven't figured out how to make less.  Maybe I'm supposed to put more on the burrito, but oh well.  We don't use really big tortillas, just the soft taco size, because it seems to be a better portion size for me and the kiddos, my husband just eats two instead of only one.  I hardly ever buy the "specialty" blends of cheese, I just use cheddar or Monterey Jack, otherwise this gets to be too expensive.  I serve them with a fruit sald, or just fresh fruit and tortilla chips if I have any laying around.   Let me know if you like them!  I found that they had a lighter version if you're interested in cutting down on fat, calories and all the good things in life...just kidding, here's the link.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/burritos-el-grande-made-113694.aspx

Burritos El Grande
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time:  10 minutes
Yields: 6 (using 10-inch tortillas) burritos, much more if you use smaller tortillas
Family Friendliness: My kids don't really eat tacos or burritos, they eat the tortillas plain and eat all the fillings seperately.  So they still eat it, I guess, sort of.  They don't starve anyway.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa (I use my home canned salsa, yum)
1 green pepper, chopped (I sometimes omit this and it still tastes good)
1 c. instant white rice, uncooked
1 can refried beans, warmed
6 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1-1/2 c. Mexican blend shredded cheese
1-1/2 c. shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes, chopped (my salsa is extra chunky so this is always a necessary ingredient)
1/3 c. sour cream
Directions: Brown meat in large skillet on medium heat; drain.  Add salsa and peppers; mix well.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in rice, cover.  Simmer on low heat 5 minutes.  Spread beans down centers of tortillas; top with meat mixture, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.  Fold in opposite sides of each tortilla, then roll up burrito style.  Serve with sour cream. 

(This recipe and photo originally came from www.kraftrecipes.com )

Stromboli Sandwiches

Think of these as Italian sloppy joes.  I love these because the flavor is quite robust and on the crunchy Italian bread, yum...  That's all I can say about them.  I think that this sauce would be yummy over pasta.  Let me know if you like them!
 

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Yields: 8 servings but can easily be doubled
Family Friendliness: The bread crust is a bit tough for kids to bite through.  But make thin slices and spread it on and then bake instead of slicing it lengthwise.  But the taste is great for kids.
Stromboli Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground beef
1/8 c. finely chopped onion
½ c. ketchup
½ c. tomato sauce
1/8 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. garlic powder, DIVIDED
½ t. dried oregano
¼ t. fennel seed
¼ t. Italian seasoning
¼ c. butter, softened
1 loaf Italian bread, halved lengthwise
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions: In a dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the ketchup, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, ¼ t. garlic powder, oregano, fennel seed and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine butter and remaining garlic powder; spread over top half of bread.  Sprinkle ½ c. mozzarella cheese over bottom half.  Spoon meat mixture over top; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Replace bread tops; wrap loaf in foil.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
(This recipe and the photo are originally from a Taste of Home magazine)