Taco Soup

I have really been wanting a taco soup. 

It just sounded good to me.

And I have made some in the last year or so that was pretty good.

But when I saw this recipe via Pinterest, I was intrigued.  Cheesy Taco Soup?  I am for anything with the word "cheesy" in it!  And even better, I could easily adapt the recipe to accommodate my food sensitive kid.

My hubby prefers soup on really cold days.

Except we aren't really having many of those.

Which works for me.  I don't mind that at all.  I am not a fan of cold days.

Today was a bit "cooler" (though warm compared to the rest of the country) so today was my chance.

I love that it can be made fairly quickly.  And the cheese sauce in it is AMAZING.  I mean, it really is. I could have eaten a whole bowl of just that!  The rest of the soup was bonus. :)

The original recipe was just made on the stove.  I needed to make it a little early so I started it on the stove then moved it to the crockpot.  It worked.

My one piece of advice:  Eat slowly and DON'T overeat.

I thought I was starving. And it was so good.  So I ate two bowls.

Well, I am pretty sure the beans have expanded in my stomach.  It is five hours later and I am STILL full!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef, browned (I used my usual 1.5 lbs)

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups milk

salt and pepper

1 cup shredded cheese (The original recipe uses cheddar; I used a Colby Jack...YUM)

1 package taco seasoning (I used 1 Tbsp of a homemade version)

10 oz can Rotel, drained (I just used petite diced tomatoes)

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

Note:  I also added 15 oz can of red kidney beans.

Crushed tortilla chips

Directions:
This is how I made it using both the stovetop and a crockpot.  The original recipe (link above) uses the stovetop.  It is your choice :)

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk the flour into the butter.

Add 1 cup of milk.

Continue to whisk for about 3 to 4 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat.

Pour in shredded cheese.

Stir until smooth.

Did I mention how very yummy this is???

Oh, I ended up doubling the sauce.  I wanted more. I needed more.  Really I did. With the extra can of beans, I needed a little more sauce.  Plus it really was yummy.

Pour all of the ingredients (including the rest of the milk) into a crockpot.  Cook on low (I did turn it to high for a bit since my time was limited) until heated through.

I HIGHLY recommend adding crushed tortilla chips to the top.

Enjoy!

Chili Con Carne

I made this a couple weeks ago and never posted about it in the "busyness" of the holiday season. I doubt most people are going to search this site for a chili recipe.  Most people have a favorite.  We actually have never even used a recipe...hubby usually makes it for us and just wings it. 

But as I have mentioned, we have a kiddo with some food sensitivities.  And one of those sensitivities is possibly tomatoes (we are still unsure on that one). 

So recently when I was in the mood for some chili, I was a little baffled about what to use or how to make it.

Is it even possible to make chili without tomatoes? Or tomato sauce?

So I did some searching. Big time Google searching. 

And finally I found this recipe. 

Ironically, it is sponsored by a tomato sauce company. :)

But it was exactly what I needed.

Well, minus the tomato sauce.

It is nothing fancy.  Nothing just earth shattering.

But perfect for what our family needs right now.

So I am going to post about it mainly for my records because I know there is more chili in our future. 

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground beef (the original recipe calls for 2 lbs but our ground beef packages are 1.5 lbs)

chopped onion (original recipe calls for 1 onion chopped, I just threw in some dried chopped onion)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar tomato/pasta sauce (I actually use a tomato-less sauce, it is good stuff!)

1 can red kidney beans, drained

2 Tbsp chili powder (for my sensitive kid, I put aside a small portion of the mixture in another skillet because chili powder is another sensitivity, so I didn't add this until the end)

Directions:
Brown the ground beef with the onion and minced garlic in a large skillet.

Drain (if necessary).

Add the sauce, kidney beans, and chili powder to the skillet.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

As you can see from the pictures above, I prefer my chili over white rice and topped with a little cheddar cheese.  I am sure this would also be good with Frito chips.

Like I said, nothing fancy, but it hit the spot for us.  We will be having it again this winter.

Happy cooking!

Reba

Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts

Recently I wanted a quick "sandwich" type meal.  But not just a regular sandwich.  I saw a picture of this (but photographed much better :) on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.

In some ways, it is similar to a sloppy joe. But different.

Either way, it is good stuff.

I changed little of the recipe except for adding more meat for our family. I didn't add any more ingredients (meaning I didn't double anything else) and I was fine with the flavor.  But that is just my opinion.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of ground beef, browned (I think the original recipe used a half pound but I used 1.5)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 envelope dry onion soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp mustard
1 garlic clove minced
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
thin crust pizza dough (I used Pillsbury)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
After browning and draining the beef (I rarely have to drain), add in the water, vinegar, soup mix, ketchup, mustard, and garlic.  Simmer over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a different skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.

Divide the pizza crust into 6 equal portions and shape them. I tried but I didn't ever accomplish much of a circular shape. Mine were more rectangular. And I am okay with that. :)

Fry for one minute on each side in the oil until they are a nice golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel.

Top with meat mixture and cheese.

Enjoy.

Very easy and fairly quick.  Nothing fancy but it was fun to try something new.  We will be having these again one day...

Reba

Taco Pasta Shells

Recently I was trying to figure out what to have for dinner. I wanted something with a Mexican food flavor but wanted to try something new. So of course, I went to the beloved Pinterest and looked at what I had pinned recently.

Hmmmm, Stuffed Taco Shells.

That sounds good.

 The only problem is that try as I might, I could NOT find the large "shells" for stuffing that were called for.  I looked.  And looked.  I did that whole "stare at the shelf at the grocery store just waiting for it to magically appear" thing. I asked someone I know who works with the store.  Some were coming but they were out for now.  Bummer.

So I threw in the towel and bought medium shells.

They could have probably been stuffed but it would have taken a REALLY long time.  Plus, there were a bunch of shells in the box.

So I decided to improvise a bit.

I used the basic recipe from the Stuffed Taco Shells and made minor changes.

Oh yum.

Good stuff.

(If I can ever find the large shell pasta, I would like to try it the way it was originally written.)

Sadly the Hubs was out of town for the afternoon/evening and didn't get to participate.

But the rest of us did.  And we enjoyed it.  I even had some leftovers for today, and it was just as good heated up again.  I will be making it again.

Ingredients:
Ground beef (1 lb or more...I use 1 1/2 pounds because that is how our half a cow came packaged)

1 envelope (1/4 cup) taco seasoning

4-6 oz cream cheese cubed (because I had more ground beef, I used more cream cheese, light of course...)

pasta shells cooked according to package (all I could find were medium shells)

salsa (I didn't measure, I just used enough to cover the bottom of my dish. I did make my own)

taco sauce (I used one bottle which is probably more than called for but it worked :)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack but cheddar and Monterrey Jack would also be good)

Directions:
Brown ground beef over medium/medium high heat.  Add in taco seasoning.  Stir to combine.  Drop in cubed cream cheese.  The original recipe called for simmering with the lid on to help the cream cheese melt. I just dropped the temperature on the oven a little and stirred with the lid off.

Preheat oven to 350.

Pour salsa in the bottom of a baking dish (I used a 9 x 13).

Pour pasta shells into the baking dish.

Spread beef mixture over the pasta shells.

Pour taco sauce over the top, then tightly cover the dish with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Remove foil.  Spread shredded cheese over the top.  Return to oven for about 10 more minutes.

You can top this with avocado, guacamole, sour cream, olives, etc.  I just took a few tortilla chips and crumbled them over the top.  Gave it a nice little crunch.

Enjoy!

Reba

Korean Beef

Yes.

I admit it.

It is another Pinterest recipe.

I saw it not long ago and have wanted to make it from the day I saw it.

I could almost taste it.

Beef, brown sugar, and soy. How could I go wrong?

So finally, tonight I made it.  Korean Beef.

First of all, it is an EASY meal.  And quick. (Quick is less than 30 minutes to me)  And best of all, it was yummy.

A HUGE hit with the family.

Well, most of them.

A couple picky eaters picked at it.

But the rest of us chowed down.

Think "Mongolian Beef" in a cheaper and easier form.

I can say that with all honesty because we have made P. F. Chang's Mongolian Beef before.  And it was good. But it also was rather pricey (flank steak is NOT cheap right now) and fairly time consuming.

This recipe uses ground beef and takes less than 30 minutes.  Yet it tastes very similar to Mongolian Beef.

I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:
1 to 1.5 lbs ground beef, browned (The original recipe calls for 1 pound but our "half a cow" beef is in 1.5 lb packages so that is what I use)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce (I think next time I would even double that)

1 Tbsp sesame oil (pricey but it is worth the flavor and can be used with several recipes)

 3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1/2 -1 tsp crushed red peppers

salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch green onions, diced

Directions:
Okay, I messed up the directions just a little...

You are SUPPOSED to brown the ground beef in a skillet with the garlic and sesame oil.

I totally missed that part.

I just browned the meat like normal and drained it.

THEN I added the other ingredients except for the green onions.

And I let it simmer while I finished up the other parts of the meal.

Before serving, top with the green onions.

We ate it over basmati rice and with a roll with honey butter.  I would have served some veggies/dips too but we are out. 

And that is it.

Like I said, very easy.  Very quick. And very yummy.

More soon,
Reba

Stuffed Burger Bundles

I have been wanting to make these for some time but when it came time to make them, I would ultimately put them off until another day. I don't know why. They are not complicated and are very tasty.

This recipe comes from the kitchen of my cousin and his wife. In fact, in our family cookbook, they said it was the dish that made him propose. My cousin knows good food when he tastes it!

Anyway, here is the recipe.

Meatballs Ingredients:
1 cup seasoned crouton stuffing mix, such as Kellogg's. I think I ended up having to use Pepperidge Farm. It worked.
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 pound ground beef (unless it is my family, then we go for 2)

Gravy Ingredients:
1 10 oz. can of cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup

*As my cousin's wife suggested, double the soup, sauce, and ketchup, double the gravy and double the fun. I would agree. I would have done this had I had another can of soup. The gravy is really good.

Directions:
Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions.
Combine milk and meat thoroughly. Divide into five patties (about 6" in diameter) on waxed paper (unless you used more meat like I did...).
Divide stuffing evenly into the middle of each patty, then wrap meat around the stuffing to form a large meatball. Make sure meat seals in stuffing all around.

*I will be honest. I didn't evenly divide the stuffing. I just took a small handful, shaped it into a ball, then put it on the "patties" to form the meatball.

Place the meatballs in a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish.

Combine gravy ingredients to make gravy; heat through and pour over meatballs.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.

The gravy is excellent on mashed potatoes. We had ours served over white rice...oh yum. Good stuff. VERY filling!

Reba

Easy Cheesy Spaghetti

Today was not a nice weather kind of day. It was cool and wet all day long. So we needed something warm and filling for dinner. It seemed like a good Easy Cheesy Spaghetti kind of day.

This meal is pretty easy and can be made ahead. My favorite combination. That being said, I didn't really make it that far ahead this time around.

Easy Cheesy Spaghetti

Take 2 pounds of ground beef (we use 93/7 %). Brown. The original recipe (which came from my dear co-worker Claudia of Baked Potato Soup fame) calls for a chopped onion. I didn't mess with that. Any time I cook ground beef, I throw in some dried minced onion and garlic. It makes it much more bearable to smell when it is cooking. :) Drain the meat.

At the same time, boil water and cook a package of spaghetti. I use whole grain spaghetti. It took me a time or two to get used to the texture but honestly now, I don't like the plain white/flour spaghetti! After cooking it according to package directions, drain the spaghetti.

In a LARGE bowl, mix together spaghetti, ground beef, 2 cans of tomato soup, and 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (we use the low fat). Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. (We use the 2%) Here is a picture of it half done...

Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until "bubbly". Again, I am not a food photographer. I really need to learn some lighting techniques. But trust me, it really is good. All six of us ate it. Joshua alone had three helpings. He told me his favorite parts were the cheese and the "sgetti". I served it with garlic/cheese bread (just frozen). I would have served some leftover salad from last night but I ate that for lunch. :)

This does make a lot so if your family is smaller in numbers, I think you could easily halve the recipe.
Happy cooking!
Reba