Easy and Tasty Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS:

1lb Ground Beef Browned
1 small onion chopped
1 can black olives chopped
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
3 cans of Enchilada Sauce
8 large Burrito Tortilla Shells
1 large package of Mexican or Taco Cheese shredded


INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown the beef, add the chopped onion and olives, mix in the Taco Seasoning and water - simmer 5-10 minutes until the liquid cooks off.

In a large deep frying pan warm up all three cans of enchilada sauce. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam or other cooking spray to grease. Dip tortillas one at a time in the warm enchilada sauce so both sides are covered - move to pan and fill with meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese - roll up and put fold side down in the pan. Do this with the remaining tortillas, once all 8 are filled and rolled up pour remaining sauce over the top and cover with the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for approx 30-35 minutes. Cut in pieces and serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes and/or salsa.

Vodka Slush

INGREDIENTS:
4 teabags
9 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 frozen OJ concentrate
1 frozen Lemonade concentrate
2 cups Vodka

INSTRUCTIONS:
Boil 2 cups of water with the 4 teabags - tea should be fairly dark - remove from heat and discard teabags. Add 2 cups of sugar - stir well. Add 7 cups of cold water, OJ & Lemonade concentrate and use a hand blender or regular blender to mix well. Add the vodka and stir well.

Pour into 9x13 pans and put in the freezer until frozen - because of the booze it will take a good day to freeze.

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop into glasses, pour 7-up, Sprite, or ginger ale over the slush. Drink with a straw and enjoy!

Truly Homemade Manicotti

INGREDIENTS - SHELLS:

4 eggs
1 1/2 c. water
1 TBSP. oil
1 cup flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

Whisk together liquid ingredients and add flour, whisk until there are no lumps.

A small (6" or so) nonstick frying pan works best for this; I spritz it with Pam once but after the first one, the oil in the batter is enough to keep them from sticking. Put burner on just a little higher than medium heat and ladle a bit of batter into the pan and swirl it around. It should be enough to just coat the whole pan, not like a pancake quantity. Let it cook until the top looks completely dry, then invert the pan and pop it out on a cooling rack or plate. Repeat until all batter is used. This will make a stack of shells that is enough for a family dinner, if you are making them for a crowd you should double or triple it. (Tripling makes between 50-60)

INGREDIENTS - CHEESE MIXTURE:

1 Lg container ricotta cheese
1 small bag shredded mozzarella
1/2 to 1 cup of parmesan
parsley
pepper
garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put a line of cheese in the middle of the circle and fold the sides over. Done! Place assembled manicotti in a baking dish layered with sauce, top with sauce and cheese, bake in a 350 degree oven approximately 35 minutes.

Any cheese mixture you are accustomed to making for lasagna, etc, works fine. Shells can be made days ahead and refrigerated; they can also be frozen. These manicotti are light and glorious.

Submitted by: Kimberly of Dispatches from the Northern Outpost