Guacamole Dip
2 ripe avocados, peeled and mashed
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup medium (or hot if you are man enough) salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash or three of salt
Tortilla chips

Combine everything (except the chips) and serve with the chips.

Mexican Dip
1/4 cup chopped green onion (or 1/3 cup chopped chives)
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 can refried beans
8 oz. guacamole/avocado dip
16 oz. sour cream
1 envelope dry Taco seasoning
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Corn chips

In a casserole dish, spread beans then guacamole/avocado dip. Mix together the sour cream and taco seasoning. Spread this mixture on top of the guacamole/avocado dip. Top with tomatoes, onions, and then cheese. Serve with chips.

Mexican Cornbread
This is my sister Traci's (Channell) recipe.

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
Buttermilk or sweet milk, enough to wet the batter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
8 oz. can creamed corn
1 egg
8 oz. bag shredded cheese, uh, you need to remove the bag

Preheat oven to 450F. Mix cornmeal and flour with buttermilk; add remaining ingredients except cheese and stir until moistened. Prepare pan by greasing and dusting with cornmeal. Pour half of the cornmeal mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle cheese (did you remove it from the bag?) evenly over cornmeal mixture, and then add remaining cornmeal mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Taco Bake
This recipe is mother’s (Peggy Whaley). It can be halved if you aren't feeding an army like I sometimes do.

2 pounds ground beef
2 packets taco seasoning
Water (use the same amount listed on the back of taco seasoning packet)
6 large flour tortillas (8-inch size)
1 cup Salsa Con Queso (that's salsa and melted cheese for you confused folks out there)
2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blended cheese (I double this. Why? Because I can)
Serve with: chopped black olives, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, diced green onions and diced tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease, and add in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet). Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add in salsa con queso. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Spray a 9x13-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the pan with a flour tortilla. Add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the first layer, then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese for the second layer. Continue layering two more times: another tortilla, more taco mixture, and more cheese.

Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes then slice and serve with your choice of chopped black olives, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, diced green onions and/or diced tomatoes.

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons minced onion flakes
1½ bottles of Taco Bell sauce
1 cup plus 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10-12 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350º and grease 9x13-inch baking dish.

Mix together chicken, cream cheese, onion flakes, ½ bottle of Taco Bell sauce, and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Spoon chicken mixture (as evenly distributed as possible) onto flour tortilla, roll it up and place into baking dish.

Spread 1 bottle of Taco Bell sauce over the top of the enchilada, making sure that all of the tortillas are covered. Dump on cheddar cheese, and bake until cheese is good and bubbly, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes, and serve.

Easy Guacamole Dip
1 container guacamole dip.

There ya go. You’re welcome.

Chicken Quesadillas
Very, very quick dish.

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, or whatever you have (pepper jack is amazing!)
Flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup sliced green onion, if desired
Sour cream
Salsa

Combine salsa (as much as you like) and onion with the chicken. Heat up a skillet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Put a layer of shredded cheese, a layer of chicken mixture, and another layer of cheese on HALF of the tortilla and fold over. Fry for five minutes, turn and fry for five more minutes heating through. Do this with all the tortillas. Serve with sour cream and additional salsa.

Mexican Fried Rice
1 cup long grain rice
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of water
1 tomato diced
1/4 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 dried cilantro
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Heat oil over medium heat. Add in rice and sauté rice for about 3 to 5 minutes or until toasted and golden - don't leave this unattended, because rice burns very easily. Lower the heat and quickly add tomatoes, onion, spices and then sauté for about 3 more minutes. Next add water and broth. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low for about 30 to 45 minutes – lightly stirring every 10 minutes – until rice is tender.

Bean Chalupa
2 16 oz. cans refried beans, or 4 cups cooked mashed pinto or black beans
3 avocados, mashed
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp garlic salt
1½ cups (12 oz.) sour cream
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small can ripe olives, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
8 taco size flour or corn tortillas

Heat beans over medium heat until warm. While beans are warming up, mix mashed avocados with garlic salt and lemon juice, set aside, and then mix together sour cream and taco seasoning.

To serve, layer the beans, avocado mixture, vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and onions), cheese and sour cream mixture on top of a tortilla.

Refried Beans
Wonderful! You don’t have to slow cook this, you can simmer on medium heat for about 45 minutes until beans are tender. I prefer to slow cook because it makes the beans taste better.
1 pound dried pinto beans
2 to 4 garlic cloves or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ pound bacon, fried crisp and drained or ham hock, if desired
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Rinse beans and pick out the yucky ones, then place in crockpot. Cover with water. Add garlic, chicken bouillon, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 pound of bacon or ham hock, if desired. Cook on low for about 3-4 hours. Re-season as needed; if beans are not tender, then cook additional time.

Drain liquid from beans, reserving about 1 cup liquid (aka pot likker). Mash beans. Heat about 3-4 tablespoons bacon grease on medium high. Stir mashed beans and enough pot likker until they are the consistency of pudding. It will take a lot of muscle work, let me tell ya. As you are smashing beans. Fry about 10-15 minutes until heated through and beans are thickened to your desired consistency. Serve.