Taco Salad

This was one of my favorites growing up. And yet I can't tell you how many times I call my Mom every year to get this recipe from her. I keep losing it. So, although you may have this recipe I need to keep it somewhere safe. Like on a foodblog. Plus it is just plain delicious. I used to love it and now my kids love it too.

A few tips -- unless you are going to eat it right away, wait to add the frito chips and lettuce until right before eating.

1 lb cooked and well seasoned ground hamburger -- room temperature
1 can drained kidney beans.
1 to 1 1/2 Cups cubed cheddar cheese
1 cucumber peeled and cubed
2 tomatoes chopped
1 can olives drained
3 green onions  sliced.
3/4 cup salsa
2 Tb french dressing or catsup
1 bag frito lays
2 cups shredded lettuce

Combine all ingredients. Make sure your hamburger is not too hot or it will melt your cheese and wilt your cucumbers. Toss Gently. Serve immediately.

If you want to add the lettuce on top or on the bottom -- instead of in the taco salad -- you will be able to save leftovers.

Yum! Maybe it will be one of your new faves.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

sorry for the worst pic ever.

I am sitting here freezing and I don't feel so well. Therefore, I think a little homemade soup sounds perfect right now. I love pasta in all its playful shapes and sizes. I definitely think that every pantry or food storage should have a variety of pasta shapes. As soon as the specialty pasta boxes go on sale I am swooping them into my basket.  Ditalini is one of my new favorites. Such adorable little cylinders. You can use any small past shape for this soup, even maccaroni would be fun and a good use of all that extra macaroni you have stored. However, make it fun and try the Ditalini if you can find it. The other reason I love this soup is  because it is a great use of my canned smoked ham and cannelini beans. It's pantry friendly!

Ingredients
1 Cup Ditalini or small pasta shape
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion minced
1 celery stalk minced
1 carrot minced (You could also use about a 1/4 cup of deyhdrated carrots here)
2 Cans (15 oz) cannelini beans drained and rinsed.
4 cups beef stock
1 Tb fresh thyme, minced or 1 tsp dried
1 bay leaf
Dash ground black pepper
Rind from a piece of parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt to taste
Basil, minced
Parmesan cheese

In a large stockpot, heat oil and add onion, celery and carrot.. Saute for 5 minutes. Add ham and garlic and cook stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes beans beef stock, thyme, bay leaf and parmesan rind.

Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30 minitues. Transfer 1/2 cup of soup from pot to a small processor or blender and puree.

Return to pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring liquid to a boil and add pasta. Simmer until pasta in tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and top with basil and parmesan cheese.

Southwestern Smoked Sausage Skillet Meal

I am always searching for a good recipe that uses smoked sausage. I buy the stuff thinking, this will make an easy dinner and then when I want to use it I can't seem to think of anything good to make with it. And good luck finding a good recipe. Fortunately, I had a stroke of genius this go round and looked up Hillshire Farms website, http://www.gomeat.com/ which is chock full of tasty recipes for keilbasa and smoked sausage. I loved the Southwestern flavors in this recipe and I adapted it a little to take advantage of my well stocked pantry. You can use frozen corn but I thought this was the perfect use for canned corn.

Sausage Skillet Meal
1 pkg. smoked beef or turkey sausage (If you use the turkey sausage this meal will be lower in fat but full on taste)
1 TB olive oil
1 large zuchinni finely chopped
2 cans of corn, drained or 2 Cups of frozen
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups of rice cooked
1/2 to 3/4 Cup salsa
1 tsp chili powder
1 Cup cheddar or monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/4 Cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a skillet and add a TB of olive oil. Saute over med high heat sausage, zucchinni, corn and onions for 5 to 8 minutes or until onions are tender and sausage is slightly browned.

Add black beans, rice, salsa and chil powder. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with shredded cheese and cilantro.

Quickie Baked Beans

Today I post a recipe that is just for the love of my eight-year-old daughter. She is a little different when it comes to her taste in food. At least different than me. The girl loves baked beans. She also loves anything with bacon and barbecue sauce. However, she would rather eat her noodles plain than with spaghetti sauce, she hates onions and shrimp and mushrooms and apple pies. Weird, I tell you. But because I love her I occasionally whip up some baked beans. And I say whipped because I am one busy mom and the bean thing is usually a last minute decision. So, while I will eventually post a made from scratch baked beans recipe, today I am going to give you the easiest quickest way to make those pork and beans from the pantry taste delicious.

Did I tell you she doesn't like her pork and beans straight from the can. Fortunately, my husband is a big baked beans fan as well (that's where she gets it from). And so just in case you have a bean lover in your house or you are trying to think of a way to add some flavor to that can of pork and beans on your pantry or food storage shelf, I bring you the easy peasy recipe very slightly adapted from my well-worn, well-loved Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

This recipe can be doubled

3 slices bacon

2 Tb of dried minced onions (or 1/4 cup chopped onion)

1 can of pork and beans in tomato sauce

1/8 cup of catsup

1 Tb of brown sugar

1 tsp of prepared mustard

1/2 tsp of Worcestire sauce.

Cook bacon until crisp. In a medium saucepan combine all ingredients and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until mixture begins to thicken and is heated through. Stir frequently to prevent the bottom from burning.

Veggie Loaded Chili

I have said it before, I love chili. I collect chili recipes and once the weather grows chronically cold I crave the stuff. This chili recipe is actually a little different than my standard chili. It comes from the recipe box of my SIL, Jessica. I like it because it is food storage friendly (I used dried veggies) and it has veggie power mixed in with ground beef and beans. I also love it because I can throw it in my crockpot.

JESS's CHILI

1 Cup chopped onion

1 Cup diced carrots ( I actually used rehydrated dried carrots)

1 Cup diced green peppers (I used rehydrated dried green peppers)

1 pound ground beef or turkey (seasoned to your liking)

3/4 Cup chicken broth

3/4 cup orange juice

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt (plus more for seasoning)

1 minced garlic clove

Seasoning

garlic powder

salt

pepper

dash of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Brown your ground turkey or hamburger. I browned my hamburger up with a little dried minced onion and Montreal steak seasoning.

Add all ingredients to crockpot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and if you like it spicy some good hot pepper sauce. I throw a few dashes in my bowl to give my chili some heat. Cause this mama likes it hot even if her kiddos prefer it mild.

Top with sour cream and shredded cheese