Ingredients:
1.5 lb. ground round
3 cans dark red kidney beans, liquid drained
1 24 ounce jar thick and chunky salsa (mild or however hot you like it)
1 16 ounce can tomato sauce
Garlic powder, onion powder, salt

Directions:
Crumble the ground beef into a large pot. Sprinkle liberally with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Drain any grease by dumping the meat into a colander in the sink, then wipe out the bottom of the pot if necessary. Put the ground beef back in the pot.

Add the 3 cans of drained kidney beans, the jar of salsa, and the can of tomato sauce. Stir well to combine and taste to adjust seasonings. Turn the heat up to high until the surface of the chili starts to boil, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, cover the pot and turn the heat down to medium low, just enough to keep the chili simmering. Simmer about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Note- The original recipe called for cheese on top, we did not like it with cheese. I served it with saltine crackers plus corn muffins made with Jiffy cornbread mix. DELICIOUS!

Yes, that’s right, Velveeta! The makers of those bricks of yellow processed cheese have come up with a clever way to get America to rediscover Velveeta, which is inexpensive and unbelievably versatile. In fact, five bloggers were asked by Kraft to take the official “Velveeta Challenge”- creating an original casserole recipe using Velveeta that can serve four for under $10 including leftovers for the next day. Visitors to the Velveeta Casserole Challenge site between Oct. 30 and Nov. 23 can vote for their favorite blogger’s recipe and try them out for themselves.

A contest, also hosted on VelveetaCasseroleChallenge.com, offers great prizes for consumers’ best tips to deliver delicious dinners to the family on a budget. Twenty first prize winners will receive VELVEETA Casserole Kits and the creator of the top tip will be awarded a set of stainless steel cookware.

I got an email from Teresa at Edelman asking if I wanted to also check out Velveeta and see for myself how it can make a delicious casserole for not a lot of money. She sent me a coupon, a Velveeta Cookbook, and a beautiful blue Le Creuset casserole dish (thanks again Teresa!). Now, here’s the thing- I was supposed to use all three of those items to, you know, MAKE A CASSEROLE. Instead, I took the coupon and the cookbook to the grocery store to find sale items that I could combine with the Velveeta. And somehow I got it in my head that I should make the Cheesy Tostadas recipe from the cookbook.

It should have been easy- I bought a Taco Bell tostada kit on sale, it came with ten tostada shells, the seasonings, and sauce. I found ground beef marked down because it was the end of the day, refried beans on sale, and used the coupon to pick up the Velveeta. All I had to do was brown the ground beef, layer it on the tostada shells along with the warmed-up refried beans, and top each shell with a cube of Velveeta, then bake. Except I got it in my head that I should MELT the Velveeta.

Here’s the thing- Velveeta doesn’t really melt by itself. If you mix it with milk or or cream cheese, you can make a cheese sauce. If you put a cube of it on something and bake it, it will more or less melt. But in a glass measuring cup in the microwave? It sort of melts, then immediately cools into well, a giant lump. It’s not Velveeta’s fault! It’s mine, totally. Here’s what I ended up with:

As you can see, the Velveeta (under the sour cream) isn’t so much melted as just, um, sitting there. But it was still good! And Teresa, I promise next time I’ll make an actual casserole. For those of you who made it all the way to here, thanks for reading, and please go visit VelveetaCasseroleChallenge.com. Personally, I voted for Lori at My Wooden Spoon’s recipe because I thought it looked the most like something I would enjoy eating :)

Meal 1.- Slow Cooker Chili (food & family)- 1.5 lbs. lean ground beef, two 15 ounce cans dark red kidney beans, 1.5 cups Taco Bell thick and chunky salsa, 1 sixteen ounce can no salt added tomato sauce, small chopped onion. Serve with shredded cheese and saltines.

Meal 2.-Cook’s Ham (I have a coupon and I’ll be giving some away this week too)- serve with Betty Crocker Au gratin potatoes, steamed broccoli, and no-knead dinner rolls (recipe coming soon).

Meal 3.- Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken (food & family)
1/2 lb. fettucine noodles, 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, 1.25 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, four ounces reduced fat cream cheese. Serve with romaine salad with croutons and Kraft Tuscan Italian salad dressing.

Meal 4.- Garlic Ranch Chicken (simple & delicious)
1.5 lb. boneless skinless chicken, fat free half n half, minced garlic, ranch salad dressing mix. Serve with steamed peas and mashed potatoes.

Meal 5. Pizza Night

I’m hoping to encourage my boys to eat a few homemade lunches this week by tempting them with:

1. Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Roast Beef mixed with Kraft BBQ sauce served with lettuce on a sandwich bun, Capri Sun 100% juice pouch, Baked Lay’s chips.

2. Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Turkey with Kraft 2% milk cheese singles, on multigrain bread with a lowfat pudding cup and an apple, and milk

3. Homemade Lunchable made with bologna, cheese, and Ritz crackers, with baby carrots, Capri Sun 100% juice, and cookies.

Hopefully they will go for it!