Uh-Oh! Gotta Work Late--What'll I Do For Dinner?

Life can be such a rat race. But we don't need that race to interrupt our goal of preparing a good dinner tonight. Here's what to do: Let CHEESE come to the rescue! Here are a couple recipes our family likes that's "saved my bacon" more than once. And anyway, who doesn't love cheese?

Try these out and let me know what you think. And if you have a quick and easy recipe you can share, please do. We're all in this together, so let's help each other out. And until next time, happy cook'n!

QUICK MEXICAN PIZZA (serves 4)
2 C shredded Colby/Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 lb ground beef
4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 C salsa
1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/4 tsp cumin (or to taste)
Green and red sweet bell peppers
Onions
Mushrooms
Fresh tomato slices
Black beans
Cilantro
etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook meat, drain. Stir in seasonings (you could also just add 1/2 pkg taco seasoning mix instead of these seasonings). Spread 1/4 C salsa and 1/2 C meat mixture on each tortilla. Top each with 1/2 C cheese and desired toppings. Bake for 8-10 min. or until crisp and lightly browned. Top off with cilantro, if desired.

CHICKEN & CHEDDAR GRILL (serves 2-4, a great use for leftover chicken)
Cheddar cheese, shredded or sliced
French or Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise
Chunky salsa
Sliced cooked chicken breast (shredded works well also)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Layer bread halves with cheese, chicken, salsa, and addtional cheese. Place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 min. or until cheese is melted.