Friday, April 16, 2010

Chicken (or Turkey or Bean) Fiesta Bake & A Win

We made it! Friday!!!! Aside from the usual work, I also have food shopping, a hair appointment, and a BBQ planned. What are you up to today?

The other night, I made up Rachael Ray's Turkey Fiesta Bake for Josh. What I love about this dish is you can really play with the ingredients. Her original recipe called for chicken, but I used turkey. I think it would be great with two kinds of beans (which I plan to make for myself in the future) and no meat or fake meat crumbles. Instead of using the diced tomatoes with chilies, I used a can of tomato sauce and added in cumin and chili powder (since Josh isn't a fan of tomato chunks). I think salsa would make a great substitute here as well.

After combining all ingredients in a skillet:

And into a baking dish:

Top with cheese:


And baked until melty:


This dish is fool proof and makes a ton! Josh can eat this for a few nights for lunch and/or dinner (perfect when I'm teaching and don't have a lot of time to throw a nice dinner together).
Josh's brother recently sent us some pictures he had taken this past New Years. I thought I'd share one of my favorites (thanks Jer!!):


On a side note, I won three tickets to the 2010 Taste of the Nation in Greenville, SC!! I am very excited to cover this event for FoodBuzz. I will also be giving away 1 ticket to this event in an upcoming post. Want to attend a Taste of the Nation event near you? Just go to their website for information on how to purchase tickets.
Have you heard about Sabrina's I Love Salad! Challenge? If not, check out the information here. I think its a really fun concept. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

33 comments:

Kelsey Ann said...

rachel ray is a guilty pleasure of mine. and if she saw this dish it would make her proud! <3

Jessica said...

We are both on Mexican food kicks! :) Have a fabulous weekend, girl!

Britt said...

Oh lucky you! I'm sure you will have a blast at Taste of the Nation!

Sounds like you have some fun stuff planned for the weekend. :-)

I'm laying low and getting ready for Monday.

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

ahh rachel rays dishes! I was just watching her show this morning before work! I love her...shes going to be the next oprah!! (haha thats what people are saying!) but her dishes really are so great! that looks amazing! I love the idea of having all of the food groups in ONE dish!! super easy and healthy too!

cute pic of you and josh!

happy friday erica!! xoxo

Molly said...

looks yummy! and cute picture!

congrats on winning tickets! I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun!

Christina said...

ahhh just last night i was thinking about doing something w/ meat, corn, and beans!!

how on earth do you make this and put up with the smell of meat and not want to eat it!?! haha. does it gross you out or you just don't want it? i'm so curious!

K from ksgoodeats said...

Ahh! You and Josh are so cute!! I'm catching up with a few of your posts so sorry for the random comments but....

LOVE that dress you wore when you went out to dinner! LOVE! The protein coffee cake looks scrumptious! I'm going to have to try it out myself. Have fun at your hair appointment! I think Friday has some baking in store for me ;)

Have a wonderful weekend my fellow Housewife! By the way, I was totes watching the NJ marathon - I love them! Favorite cast!

Syd Kilbey said...

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Lazaro Cooks said...

Beautiful dish. Big bold flavor. I hear you about making a big meal you can eat for days. Helps when life gets real busy. Cheers!

Heather said...

Josh is one lucky guy for you to always cook for him with your busy schedule!
Now I'm craving mexican! :)

Stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

Adorable picture! And congratsssss on the Foodbuzz opp, that is amazing girlie! Happy friday to you :)

Lauren said...

yum! I make a similar bake using salsa instead of tomato sauce. It's one of our favorite (although we haven't had it in ages... might be time to put it on the menu!). I also like to put a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of the pan before I bake it - it comes out like super awesome nachos!

So exciting about taste of the nation! I'm going to one of the events up here, and I can't wait!

Julie said...

oh my god i'm SO excited for you for foodbuzz!!!!!!!! i can't believe you won!! that's so exciting :) can't WAIT to hear all about it and you best share the deets

i wanna enter to win the other ticket hahaha umm does it cover flight...

RhodeyGirl said...

Yeahhhh!!! Taste of the Nation! Woohooo!!!!!!! Congrats!

Also, thanks for the shout out!

Krista said...

Rach has the best recipes! I love both her shows.

After work today will be groceries. We're out of quite a bit! HA!

Have a great weekend, Erica!

The Blonde Duck said...

That looks great! I love Southwest dishes like this.

Holly said...

haha great minds DO think alike!! This looks amazing, too! I love dishes that make a ton, and are still good for leftovers. I'd never made a rice bake but it's definitely staying on my list. :-)

That is so exciting about going to Taste of the Nation! I can't wait to hear ALL about it - I can't imagine the yummy food...

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

Rachael Ray knows how to create a meal for sure and this looks awesome!
LOVE the picture!

Rose said...

Aw, Josh is totally all in love with you in that pic. You guys are so sweet.

homecookedem said...

Oh yum, that dish looks great!! Gluten free and looks like something even I could handle, hehe! ;) I will be making this for Andrew, thanks girl!! :)

tam said...

Yay to your ticket win thats so cool! I have a party and a birthday so a fun weekend all round x x

Anonymous said...

Awwww, I just love that pic of you two :)

I just missed Taste of the Nation here the other night bummer but I may have to drive down to G-ville for that! Congrats on the winning the tickets!

terrid614 said...

i found your blog thru pancakesnpajamas! you have a ton of yummo recipes! thanks for sharing!!! xoxo

teresa said...

oh i love that dish! congrats on the win, i'm excited to hear about it. have a great weekend!

Being Healthier said...

oh wow congrats on the tickets!!! I bet that event will be fantastic!

love the turkey fiesta bake- beans and rice and cheese and veg are just such a great combo! you are right, so quick, easy and a ton for future meals!

Hope you have a fantastic weekend as well!

lynn said...

i love casseroles! and i love rachael ray too.

Kerstin said...

I like you idea to substitute salsa! All that cheesy goodness on top is making my mouth water!

Anonymous said...

That looks delicious! I love Mexican dishes... I bet tofu or seitan would be great too.

Taste Of The Nation always sounds like SO much fun- congrats on winning the tickets!!!!!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I really like the sounds of that dish! It sounds like there would be a lot of possibilities to switch it up. Taste of the Nation sounds like a blast--lucky you!

fittingbackin said...

Love the ideas you had for tweeking this recipe! Clever! Hope you had fun at the BBQ, post pics of the hair! Cute pic of you and Josh - I love getting pictures after the fact and being like OMG - thanks!!

We're off to a wedding then a night out with in-town friends - woo!

Jocelyn said...

congratz on the win! Can't wait to read all about it :)

I love Rach Ray...her food...always mouthwatering!

erica said...

Wow I must make that Fiesta Bake! Looks absolutely divine!!!
Congrats on winning the tickets! How much fun is that!

xo

Jenna said...

Hey Girl, LOVE the blog and you are simply adorable! Can't wait to try your vegan pumpkin chip muffins. I'm looking for a vegan, gluten free banana cake recipe any suggestions?