Quick Summer Meal - Supper

By the time summer rolls around, I am tired of cooking and it is just too hot in this Texas weather to be in the kitchen. I have a few "go to" meals that are quick and easy. These meals are some of our favorites and would be perfect for company.

Anything that has to do with rotisserie chicken fits into this category. I love to have half of my ingredients cooked and ready to go before I ever start my cooking.

One of my favorite meals is, King Ranch Casserole, Mexican Salad and Mexican Rice.

I developed the recipe for my King Ranch Casserole after tasting many others through the years that just didn't have enough flavor. I don't think I ever follow a recipe without tweaking it.



Here is the recipe for the King Ranch Casserole:

1 bag Nacho Cheese Doritos
1 rotisserie chicken deboned and shredded (about 2 cups of chicken)
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 small chopped onion
1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
2 cups cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 x 13 pan.

Layer Doritos in bottom of pan. Mix chicken, soups, chilies, evaporated milk and enchilada sauce in a bowl. Pour over Doritos. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with cheese and a few crushed Doritos and bake for another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Delicious & EASY!!

I love a good Mexican salad. Here, I used a bagged spring mix, grated cheese, ranch style beans, rinsed and drained, and garnished the salad with Frito's. The best part is the dressing. I drizzled Kraft Classic Catalina over the salad and tossed. I could eat this as a meal by itself. You can add tomatoes, olives, onions, green onions, avocado, or anything else you like. Sometimes, I will season some ground beef with Taco Seasoning and add this and it is a complete meal. Now that is quick and easy.
Below is my Mexican Rice. It is very quick and easy with just a few ingredients. A couple of those ingredients are unusual for a rice recipe.

And we can't forget dessert! That is almost the best part. Some of my favorite summer desserts are refrigerated cakes. This cake is a delicious Strawberry Cream cake. I could just about eat the whole thing myself. It is so light and cold and perfect for summer.

Tomorrow, I will be posting the recipes for the Mexican Rice and the Strawberry Cream Cake. Yum!