Exquisite Bean and Cheese Torta

* 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil
* 1 can (15 ounces) of refried beans
* 4 1/4 inch slices of jalapeñ0 jack cheese
* 1/2 ripe avocado
* salsa, hot sauce and salt to taste
* 1/2 pound sliced turkey meat
* 2 sandwich rolls

This Mexican "sandwich" is exquisite! Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat and add beans. Cook, stir and mash beans into a smooth paste (10 or 15 minutes) which will look similar to mash potatoes. Cover and put burner on low. Over medium heat, place remaining oil.

Scrape out some of the bread from the center of half of each roll and lay them scraped side down on the skillet until golden brown (2 minutes). Spread the beans on the inside of the roll and then pile the turkey, avocado and jalapeño jack. Add salsa or hot sauce to taste, cover with the tops of the rolls and serve.

Splendid Baked Pork Chops!

I've gotten some good feedback from my readers about this recipe....hope you enjoy it! As always, you can see more recipes at Recipe for Fatherhood.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* 6 loin pork chops
* 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
* 1 16-oz.can whole berry cranberry sauce
* 1/2 cup orange juice
* 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the pork chops on both sides. Remove to a 9 x 13 ovenproof casserole. Combine the cranberry sauce, orange juice, salt and pepper in the skillet, cook until bubbling and smooth, pour over the pork chops, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked. Depending on the size of the pork chops, this may make more than one meal.

Recipe of the Week: Hamburger Helper

I grew up as an Army brat and remember that there were times when we had what we needed but not always everything we wanted. Looking back, that actually might be a good thing...on recipeforfatherhood.com I talk about how my mother created the Fiesta Tamale Casserole out of necessity but I also remember a few nights of Hamburger Helper. I used to love it but now I have to say that it's hard for me to cook out of a box...

The other day I was thinking about how I could make a better one and did just that. After cooking the hamburger with a little oil and minced garlic, I added tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini.

There are a lot of vegetables you can add to this but I didn't have a lot in the refrigerator...the key is to drain the juice after the hamburger is almost done cooking through and before the vegetables are thrown in. I cooked up a box of Near East brand wild rice and I had a great dinner that my wife loved.

Recipe of the Week: Easy Stroganoff

Part of my New Year's Resolution was to post more often to this blog! One recipe a week it will be -- here's a good one that doesn't take much time at all...

* 1 large onion, cut into thin slices
* 1 3-oz. can sliced mushrooms
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 lb. top sirloin or top round steak cut into thin 3" strips
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 cup sour cream (regular, not low fat)
* 1 tablespoon granulated flour
* paprika
* cooked noodles or oven rice

Note: For yummy, tender, extra-thin meat slices, wrap the steak in plastic wrap and put it into the freezer for an hour or two. Remove when partially frozen and slice paper-thin with a very sharp knife.

In a separate bowl, sprinkle the steak strips with the flour, garlic salt and pepper. Mix together and set aside. In a small bowl, stir the sour cream with a spoon until it becomes smooth. In a large frying pan or electric skillet on medium heat, saute the onion and mushroom slices in butter until onion is soft.

Add the steak and saute for about 5 minutes on the same heat. The meat should not brown and should not be over-cooked. Remove pan from heat, stir in the sour cream and return briefly over very low heat only long enough to warm up the sour cream. (Do not boil or the sour cream will curdle.) Serve as quickly as possible over a bed of hot cooked egg noodles or oven rice. Sprinkle paprika over stroganoff before serving.