Quick & Easy Enchilada Casserole

So Mr. Devilish Dish and I did a thing this Spring.  We bought a bass boat.  Now that Little Devil has left the nest and we're empty nesters we decided we needed a fun "social distancing" type hobby we can enjoy together.  I grew up on Oklahoma lakes, so I was completely on board with the idea.  We've had a really fun spring and summer so far.  The only downside (and it isn't much of a downside) is we sometimes come home after dinner time.  Again, this isn't a bad thing since we're empty nesters and don't have anyone waiting to be fed but ourselves, but now I'm on the hunt for recipes that come together quickly and easily after day on the lake.  This Quick & Easy Enchilada Casserole totally fits the bill.  Only 5 ingredients and about 25 minutes in the oven to a hearty Mexican feast!  The time saver is the tortilla chips.  No tortillas to soften and roll up, just a short cut with the chips!  You can even use store bought taco seasoning, to speed things up.  I happened to have some of my Homemade Taco Seasoning on hand, which is gluten-free so I used that.  Canned enchilada sauce and pre-shredded cheese make it even easier.  Just brown your ground beef and onions and layer the ingredients together. While it bakes, throw together a simple lettuce and tomato salad and you'll have a comforting, filling meal that comes together in minutes.  The perfect ending to a day enjoying your favorite hobby!

Only 5 ingredients to a quick & easy meal!

Layer crushed tortilla chips in prepared dish.

Brown ground beef and diced onion.

Season with taco seasoning.

Combine ground beef mixture with
enchilada sauce and half of the cheese.
Pour over the crushed chips.

Top with remaining cheese.
Bake 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Serve with a simple
lettuce and tomato salad for a hearty meal. 
Perfect after a day of boating!

Aunt Jenny's Watermelon Salad

My college friends and I recently celebrated our annual girl's weekend at the lake.  Lots of fun was had by all, including a few drinks and lots of good food, mostly prepared by my friend Jenny.  She has been my roommate, sorority sister and all around best friend for many years now.  If you know Jenny then you know she is extraordinarily kind, patient, generous and a fabulous cook.  I'll go ahead and admit I'm not a huge fan of watermelon, but when I tasted this salad I could totally change my mind!  It is colorful, refreshing and an unusual combination of flavors that work perfectly together.  Just like our group of friends.  The first night she prepared this for us she forgot to add the red onion, but we all agreed it wasn't necessary.  Feel free to add it if you'd like but I think the salad is equally delicious without it.  The second night we prepared this we were out of cilantro and again, it was still just as tasty.  We used a store bought raspberry vinaigrette, but feel free to use your favorite homemade too.  This goes together in minutes, the most time consuming part is cubing the watermelon, so get a friend like Aunt Amy to do the work for you. This is an excellent summer side dish, perfect for a hot day, so refreshing! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  Good friends, good food, good times.  Here's to Jenny: Aunt to the Little Devil, CEO, incredible mother with a beautiful singing voice, tadpole wrangler, gardener, beekeeper, fabulous cook and best friend!

Aunt Jenny's Watermelon Salad
the perfectly refreshing side dish for
any summer meal!

Here's the Raspberry Vinaigrette we used.
Jenny is so thoughtful to pick a gluten free
dressing just for me!

A colorful and cool side dish
for any hot weather meal.