Taco Soup

Hello my favorite people who actually read my blog!  YOU ROCK!  Tonight I had trouble finding my recipe for our family favorite taco soup.  I actually had to look it up online to remember the last ingredient.  And of course I always alter the recipe just a touch!  I'm a rebel like that.

This is a recipe I got from a dear friend a couple years ago and now we eat it all the time.  I cook it and freeze it for freezer meals, but if I put leftovers in the fridge, they don't stay there long.  I especially love this recipe because it's a great food storage recipe.  Except for the meat, everything comes out of a can or could be made from scratch (dry beans).  The meat could come from a can as well, or it would be fine meatless.

Here's the recipe:

Taco Soup

2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped

Brown beef and onion in pan and drain grease.

1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can kidney beans

Drain the beans.  In another pot, add some water and boil the beans for maybe five minutes.  This helps boil the farts out!  This step can be skipped, but still drain the beans.

In a big pot or crockpot, dump ground beef, all the beans, and then add:

1 can corn
1 can refried beans (opt. but thickens stew!)
2 cans diced green chilies
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing
1 packet zesty italian dressing
1 tsp. fresh pressed garlic
2 cans water (probably 3-4 cups)

On the stove, let it simmer for about an hour.  In the crockpot cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with Mexican cheese.  We like to eat it with corn chips.  Other options might be over rice or noodles to help it stretch more or make a leftovers meal a little different.

Brownies PLUS!

I was perusing Pinterest today.  Big surprise, right?  I came across a brownie recipe and wondered why it was a big deal, so I read the description.  Someone said they're the best brownies ever.  I clicked and read the actual blog and thought to myself, "Self, we HAVE to try these brownies."

Tonight Matt saw a brownie mix in the pantry and asked if it was being saved for a special occasion.  Nope!  They can be made anytime.  So Matt opened the box to make them.  I remembered that Pin today and realized we could totally make it!

Here's what you need:

A brownie mix
3 large Symphony Candy Bars (toffee, almond)
9x13 pan

Mix your brownies as directed on the box.  Pour half of the mix into your pan.  Open the candy bars and lay them flat, side by side on the brownie mix.  Then layer the rest of the brownie mix on top.  Oh, yeah!  Seriously.  Bake as directed, then let it cool off a significant amount of time.

Surprise!  The chocolate bars cook into the brownie, leaving small chunks of almond and toffee in the brownies.  YUM!  You are going to love these!

Sorry I didn't have time to take a picture for you, they're gone already!  We only had one symphony bar, so we did it in a 9x9 baker and broke up the candy bar like the directions tell you not to do.  They were amazing!  So rich.  You know you want to try this!  And if you want to read the directions for yourself, find me on Pinterest and go to my "Death by Chocolate" board.  Right now, it's the first one there.

Cream of Mushroom & Bow Ties

Sara has spent the last few years learning how to cook. This past year Sara watched cooking shows and tried A LOT of new recipes. Hurray! She will not starve when she leaves home and anyone who hangs out with her will be thrilled to have her as a roommate/missionary companion/date/friend/wife!

On Sara's assigned dinner night many months ago, Sara decided to be creative and create her own recipe. I gave her a couple tips for seasonings that would work and this is what she came up with. I know there's an official name for it similar to other recipes, but I can't remember what it is, so we call it Cream of Mushroom & Bow Ties. Sara made it several times last year and it became a family favorite, so I decided to write down the ingredients as best I could considering everything Sara did was estimate. Here it is:

Cream of Mushroom & Bow Ties:

Prepare a pot of water to boil for the noodles. To feed six of us, I use 8 handfuls of bow tie noodles.

In a large skillet:

2 lbs. meat (sausage or meatballs work great)

1/2 onion, chopped

Brown the meat and the onions together, then drain the grease. If you're using premade meatballs, don't add them until the sauce is made. Then add:

1 tsp minced garlic

1 container sliced mushrooms

Let the mushrooms cook for a minute or two then add:

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can water

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

Simmer the sauce until the noodles are done. Drain the noodles and combine them with the sauce and mix together gently. Enjoy!

This was such a hit tonight that I didn't even have to put away left overs! Which for me, is cause for celebration!

If you know the real name of this dish, please tell me!

Chili

This is my favorite chili recipe. I got it from a magazine many years ago when I was struggling to make a good chili. It's a big hit with any crowd and I've been getting requests for the recipe, so here it is!

Chili

3 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion

4 cans of beans (I use a variety)

2 cans tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes

3 cups water

1 TBSP chicken boullion

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

heaping tsp. fresh garlic

Brown meat and onion, rinse, and drain. Boil beans separately for about 5 minutes (to reduce the farts). Mix all ingredients together and simmer all day in a large crock pot on low; or, bring to a boil in a large pan on the stove and then reduce the heat to simmer for another hour.

Being an Idaho girl, we often have this chili over potatoes for a potato bar! SO yummy.

Norwegian Salad

This mom's recipe given to her by a friend when I was a child. We've eaten "Frog Eye Salad" every year for Thanksgiving since we got this recipe while living in Germany! It does take prep time a day in advance and even though it takes some time, it's well worth every minute!

Shopping list:

1 pkg. Acini de Pepe (tini tiny pasta)

2 cans pineapple crushed

2 cans pineapple chunks

2 cans mandarin oranges

1 bottle maraschino cherries

1 ctn. Cool Whip

Other ingredients:

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

3 quarts water

1 Tbsp oil

2 1/2 tsp salt (separated)

1 Tbsp. flour

In a large pot, put 3 quarts of water, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 Tbsp oil and bring it to a boil. Then add the box of Acini de Pepe and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Then drain the water off of it without loosing all your noodles!

While that's cooking, open your cans of fruit, keeping only the pineapple juice. Measure 2 1/2 cups pineapple juice into a large saucepan. Add 1 Tbsp flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 eggs, to the pineapple juice and cook until thickened. Then add 1 tsp lemon juice when you take it off the heat! (Don't forget).

While this is cooking, cut the mandarin oranges in half or small pieces. Using gloves, cut the maraschino cherries into quarters. All the fruit can be combined into a bowl and put into the fridge.

Combine the noodles and the sauce together in a very large bowl. Put the lid on it and let it sit over night or for about 8 hours to marinate. The next day, combine the bowl of fruit, the container of Cool Whip into the bowl of noodles and stir well. Enjoy!

This recipe is much better than any other "Frog Eye Salad" I've ever had.

Whopper Pie!

This is the EASIEST pie ever! I made the whole thing in just a few short minutes. Here's the list of ingredients you will need:

2 graham cracker crusts (oreo is best)

1 container vanilla ice cream (I like vanilla bean)

1 container whipped cream

2 theatre size boxes of whoppers

Leave your whipped cream and your ice cream out to thaw for at least half an hour, maybe a little more. In a gallon size bag, crush all the whopppers into large chunks. In a large bowl, combine whipped cream, ice cream, and 3/4 of your crushed whoppers. Split into two graham cracker crusts and sprinkle the extra whoppers over both pies. Put the plastic from the pie tins over the pies to protect them and put them in the freezer to refreeze!

This recipe is so popular with my family that it's a yearly Thanksgiving tradition. Zack loves it so much that he asks for it instead of a birthday cake every summer!

I'd love to hear back if any of you decide to make this pie and what you think of it. I waited too long to shop for oreo crusts so this year we'll have graham cracker crusts. It'll still be delicious!

The BEST lemonade

I bought one of those cool 3 gallon drink dispensers at Costco last month and we're putting it to great use! My lemonade is becoming famous. The teenagers at Sara's end of school year party raved about it tonight! And if the teens like it, it must be good. Here's my recipe:

The BEST lemonade:

1 gallon pitcher

2 crystal light lemonade packets

1 orange rolled

1 lemon rolled

1 lime

ice cubes

Wash the fruit, slice it and add it to the lemonade. The lime gets pretty strong, so we don't roll it. I will warn you that rolling results in pulp, but the juices from the citrus makes the lemonade SO yummy; however, rolling isn't necessary, it just moves the blending of flavors along faster. The first few cups will taste like regular old lemonade. But if you prepare it in advance the flavors can blend a bit, the lemonade will be amazing! I typically reuse the fruit for another batch the same day, or put the fruit in the fridge to use it again for a fresh batch the next day. With the rolling and extra pulp, you're getting some vitamin C! Oh, and the last cup is typically really strong, so be prepared to add a couple ounces of water if needed.

Pride of Iowa Cookies

Here's a new favorite recipe for cookies! I particularly like this recipe because you can change out the flavors to make a different kind of cookie! I'll give you the recipe, then share with you the changes we've made.

Pride of Iowa Cookies

1 cup crisco

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

cream together, then add:

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

blend, then add:

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups coconut

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts

Mix well. Than bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. YUM!

The first time we tried this recipe, Matt altered the recipe to make them into White Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies. Holy Cow they were good. Instead of chocolate chips, he used white chocolate chips, and instead of walnuts, he used macadamia nuts! Matt also substituted butter for crisco. The coconut goes really well with the white chocolate and macadamia nut flavors! We shared a plate with our new neighbors and they raved about them and asked for the recipe. We have used this recipe a couple more times and no matter what we switch out, they are delicious! I might change the cookies' name, but that's what it was called from my mom's little town cookbook. Hope you enjoy!

Chicago Style Pizza Crust

Tonight was Elijah's night to cook and because he was excited about the meal, he actually helped make it! My goal with assigning each child a dinner night is for me to give them basic cooking skills so they don't starve when they leave home! My older kids are doing pretty well. They have a handful of favorites they make regularly without help and they are willing to pull out the recipe book and try things that I've never made! Today Elijah chose pizza. Since I told him we're not going to spend the money on buying pizza, he was all for making it!

A couple years ago I found this pizza crust recipe online and we've been loving it ever since! While helping Elijah measure the ingredients, he asked me if he could take this recipe with him when he grows up and leaves home. What a great compliment! Of course I told him yes and then thought about how cool it would be to give each of my kids a family cookbook of our favorite recipes as they leave home. We'll see if that actually happens. Then again, maybe if I get all the favorites on the blog I can simply print the pages for them.

Chicago Style Pizza Crust:

1 cup warm water

2 1/3 tsp yeast (1 packet)

2 tsp sugar

Whisk together and let the yeast sit for about 10 minutes, then mix together all of the following ingredients until soft:

3 cups flour

2 TBSP olive oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp salt

Once dough is soft, knead for 5 minutes, then place it in a well oiled bowl and let it rise 2-3 hours. Punch it down and roll out onto pizza sheets and let it rise again for about 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes. Makes 2 large crusts.

(I never let it rise for 2-3 hours, only long enough to prepare the other ingredients for the pizza. I also typically add some oregano or italian seasonings to the crust.)

Spanish Rice

I found this recipe in the cookbook my mom's ward put together many many years ago. It has been a family favorite ever since! I will caveat that I have altered the recipe for ease of my food storage! I have doubled the recipe and taken it to group get togethers and everyone loves it!

2 TBSP oil

1 cup rice

brown the rice in the oil, then add:

3 cups water

3 tsp chicken bullion

2 TBSP dry onions

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cumin

dash of black pepper

8 oz can of tomato sauce

stir well, put lid on pan and let the rice simmer 'til it's done, about 20 min. on medium heat. It will still look like there's a little extra moisture when it's done. This is fine, otherwise it will burn.

I often put chicken breast cut into strips or bites right in with the rice and it cooks up very nicely.

The original recipe used 2 cans chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, and 1/2 small onion chopped.

I serve this as a side dish, or with the chicken in it for the main dish, or with all the fixings for burritos or other Mexican cuisine! It's delicious!

Cashew Chicken

Several years ago my best friend, Emily Bryar met a lady from Taiwan who had owned her own restaurant there. For a couple months she gave us cooking lessons once a week to teach us how to make authentic Chinese food! One of my favorites was Cashew Chicken! Luckily I made it often enough that I didn't need the recipe. Thank goodness. I have lost the recipe when we moved three years ago. Tonight I was craving Cashew Chicken and decided to try it from memory, then write down the basic ingredients. The tough part is that I don't have measurements, so hopefully you're confident with your cooking skills and willing to try this. You won't regret it!

Jasmine rice: I add 1 tsp. bullion per cup of water used

Chicken breast or thigh cut into bite size pieces

peanut oil liberally sprinkled over the chicken

soy sauce liberally sprinkled over the chicken

garlic, about 1 TBSP of fresh garlic

white pepper sprinkled liberally over chicken

stir well, then smell your mix. It should smell strong like you just walked into a Chinese restaurant. If it doesn't, add more seasonings. Let marinade for about 15 minutes.

Optional: chop up some peppers, sweet onions, and mushrooms into large pieces, then add to chicken when ready to cook the chicken.

Cook the chicken with veggies until the chicken is tender, then strain the juices.

Add a small bottle of oyster sauce and stir.

Serve hot over rice and top with cashews.

Spicy Pineapple Zucchini Bread

I realized that I have Visiting Teaching appointments tonight and most of the ladies on my list are new to me. The thought process here is that I should not go empty handed. Since I had a gargantuan zucchini on the counter still waiting to be used, the decision was simple: zucchini bread it is. Here's a recipe that's different from your average zucchini bread! The oil can be substituted for applesauce if you so desire. I've done it both ways and it's delicious!

Spicy Pineapple Zucchini Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl:

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 can crushed pineapple (drained)

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Mix well then add:

3 cups flour

Mix well again! Spray pans or muffin cups then shake cinnamon sugar in the bottom. Add the batter to the pan then sprinkle more cinnamon sugar liberally over the top. If baking loaves, bake for approximately one hour, or 25 minutes for muffins. Makes two loaves or about 24 muffins. You know they're done when the top is golden brown. This recipe makes very moist bread because of the pineapple!

*Tip*

We have found Saigon Cinnamon at Costco. It is a much stronger cinnamon. It is the kind Cinnabon uses in their cinnamon rolls! This kind of cinnamon really enhances the flavor of the zucchini bread!

Yorkshire Pudding

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Mostly because Matt gets up with me to prepare it. Although we're not very awake or talkative, it is quality time together. If it was just me, we'd be having cold cereal for breakfast every day and breakfast for dinner on occasion. Thanks to Jaymie, one of my Tooele neighbors, I have this delicious recipe for Yorkshire Pudding. Depending on where you're from, the name might be different. I believe they're also called Popovers. I always make a double batch because the leftovers are great for snacking on later, and they're healthier than a lot of other snacks the kids might create or get ahold of!

Yorkshire Pudding:

1 cup milk

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pans WELL! Fill cups only 2/3rds full. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from pans immediately or the bottom of the yorkshire puddings will burn.

These can be eaten plain, or they can be topped with anything you can imagine! Each member of our family likes something different on their yorkshire pudding: maple syrup, peanut butter, jam, butter, etc.

This recipe can also be used as the outer portion of eclairs! They're SO easy to make. The funnest part is turning on the oven light and watching them rise taller and taller during the last couple minutes of baking. If you don't have time to cook in the morning, try these as an after school snack!

Easy Guacamole!

My dear friend Timi gave me this recipe and we make it ALL the time. If we have company over, it is instantly devoured. You're gonna love it, too!

You will need:

Premade salsa

ripe avacados

For small avacados, mix half a cup of salsa per avacado. With large avacados, mix one cup of salsa per avacado. Just squish the avacados like ripe bananas and mix it in with the salsa.

I buy my avacados at Costco so they're larger than others I've bought at other grocery stores. It's common for avacados to not be ripe when you buy them. If you leave them on the counter with a bunch of bananas, the gas released from the bananas as they ripen will help ripen the avacados within a couple days!

Spice Cake Oatmeal Cookies

I love that my teenagers are willing to try new recipes on their own! Sara is taking treats to her Novel Writing class on Friday and perused one of our cook books and came across this recipe. Since we had a spice cake mix in the house, it was easily done! At first she wouldn't let us taste them, not knowing if there would be enough for her class. After torturing us with the divine smells accompanied by spicy cookies, we finally got to discover how yummy these are! Please note, there's a story after the recipe! Read on.

Spice Cake Oatmeal Cookies:

1 pkg. spice cake mix

2 cups rolled oats

2 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

2 cups raisins (opt.)

1 cup chopped nuts (we used pecans)

1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients. Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes. Cool on rack.

Story:

As Sara prepared her cookies, I was reminded of a time when she was 8 years old. She had checked out a library book that was recipes from another country. She was determined that we had to cook something from this book before she returned it to the library. I finally agreed and asked her to choose a recipe. Sara chose oatmeal cookies, but of course they weren't called that because they were from another country. After verifying that we had all the ingredients, I asked her to read off the ingredients to me and I'd pull them out of the cupboard and fridge in preparation to bake. The last ingredient was rolled oats. I said, "Here's the oatmeal." Without missing a beat, Sara said, "Okay, let's roll 'em!"

Pumpkin Jam!

Do you like pumpkin pie? Then you'll love pumpkin jam! It's very easy to make, though time consuming. I bet you can still find a pumpkin somewhere that hasn't been thrown out or carved yet so you can try this! Measurements are not perfect, so just go with the flow! Any size pumpkin will do, but I used a medium pumpkin.

1. Pierce the pumpkin in a spot or two and put it on a pan. Bake your pumpkin at 350 degrees for a couple hours until it's soft.

2. Cut the pumpkin open to let it cool off. Once it's cooled off enough, cut it into small sections, scrape off the seeds, strings, and skin.

3. Put the pumpkin in a large pot and use a potato masher to smash it. (My pot is about a six quart.)

4. With a full pot, I add 5-6 cups sugar and a tablespoon of pumpkin pie seasoning. Squish thoroughly while simmering. No thickener is necessary, the simmering pumpkin is plenty thick.

5. Optional: I like my pumpkin jam smooth rather than chunky, so I put it through the blender and then bottle it in sanitized jars.

6. I've never tried to do freezer jam with pumpkin, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I prefer to hot water bath my pumpkin jam. Once the jam is bottled, hot water bath them for thirty minutes. Remove the jars from the water and let them sit to cool off. Do not move them until after the lids have popped! What a rewarding sound!

Thanksgiving Recipes

How many of you LOVE to cook that turkey? I bet you dread the constant wonder of will it be moist or dry? My sister in law is an amazing cook and she gave some tips that have worked every year.

1. Don't stuff the turkey with stuffing or rice. These dry out the turkey.

2. Do stuff it with apple, orange, & onion all chopped and liberally use salt, pepper, & sage then mix well and stuff both ends of the turkey. These put moisture into the turkey instead of taking it out.

3. Use an oven bag to cook the turkey in. This also helps keep the moisture in the turkey.

4. Cook the turkey upside down. If the breast is up, it will dry out easier. With the breast at the bottom, it will sit in the turkey juices while it cooks! Yes, this means the little timer thing can't pop. Don't worry about it. Use the time recommended by weight on the oven bag instructions and it will come out perfect!

Here's a recipe I'm going to try this year for Pumpkin Pie. It looks really easy!

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

1/4 cup plus 2 TBsp. caramel topping, divided

1 graham Pie crust

1/2 cup plus 2 TBsp. pecan pieces, divided

1 cup cold milk

2 pkg (3.4 oz. each) Jell-o Vanilla Instant Pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed, divided

POUR 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans

BEAT milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin, and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups Cool Whip. Spread into crust.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Top with remaining Cool Whip, caramel topping and pecans just before serving. Makes 10 servings, on slice each.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies (low calorie)

1 spice cake mix

1 sm. can pumpkin

2/3 cup choc. chips

Blend together. Blob onto cookie sheet using a tablespoon. Bake at 350 for about 10 min.