Taco Salad

Tonights dinner was a kind of like the saying "when life gives you lemons make lemonaid", kind of night. I wanted to use up a pound of ground beef. I decided I would either make my enchirito's or Tacos. The consensus of the house was Tacos. So I started making tacos. I had purchased a big taco dinner kit, a couple of weeks ago. I was going to use that. Well, the kit came with two packages of 10 tacos, 2 pkg taco seasoning, and two taco sauce packages. I was so excited to have everything I needed. Then I pulled out the taco shells to bake them in the oven, and they are all CRACKED! I just really dislike that... don't you?!

Well, I informed the boys no taco's tonight. They started asking why after I got them excited about dinner. So, I told them nevermind, we would have taco salad instead. I quickly added a few other ingredients, cooked the broken shells and made a delicious thrown together, last minute salad. I had two helpings with extra greens. It was so tasty :)

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chili's
1 can refried beans with green chili's and lime
1 pkg taco seasoning with instructed water
1 pkg taco sauce
sour cream
cheese
1 bag mixed salad greens
4 cups spinach
10-20 crushed or broken taco shells

Directions:
Brown ground beef. Then make the taco meat per package instructions, adding water, and taco seasoning to the browned ground beef. After the taco meat is made, add the refried beans, and Rotel tomatoes. Stir to combine.

While the refried beans, taco meat, and Rotel tomato's are heating through, place the taco shells in preheated oven (per package directions), and mix together the mixed salad greens and spinach in a large bowl. set aside

Once the taco meat mixture is heated through remove from burner and turn off stove. Remove the taco shells from the oven (heating them), then start layering your salad.

On each plate, place a generous portion of salad greens/spinach mixture. Then top with taco meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Next sprinkle some taco sauce around the top of the salad, then sprinkle the warmed broken taco shells on top. Larger pieces can be placed around the edge for scooping the salad. Serve warm.

Verdict: I loved it! I really liked the salad. I have some leftover salad mix and taco meat, I will be eating that for lunch tomorrow. :)

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

This recipe again came from the WestBend recipe website. It was originally Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Bread. But my kids don't really like raisins. So, I decided not to add them. It was FABULOUS! My kids ate the whole loaf of bread this morning, and then complained when it was all gone. Now that is what I call a successful loaf of bread. Wouldn't you? This one is super easy to make. I again set my bread maker on delay, and had a nice warm loaf of bread in the bread maker when I got up this morning. The morning was slower than usual, we even had some scrambled eggs with our breakfast bread, with a small glass of juice. All in all I'd say it was a HUGE success. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. I'm on my second loaf in my bread maker, and I may have a third before today is over.

Ingredients:

10 oz (1 1/4 cup) milk, 75-85F (I warmed mine on beverage setting in the microwave)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine (use room temperature)
3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup oats, quick or old fashioned
2-4 Tbsp brown sugar, packed ( I didn't pack mine and I pinched it on top to create a nice fluffy layer of sugar on top of the oats.)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I added about 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast or 1 1/2 tsp bread machine/fast rise yeast
*1/2 cup raisins (I didn't add, optional)

Directions:

1. Add liquid ingredients and butter to bread pan.

2. Add all dry ingredients, except yeast, to bread pan. Tap pan to settle dry ingredients and then level, pushing some of the dry ingredients to the corners. Lock pan into bread machine.

3. Make an indention in center of dry ingredients fill with yeast.

4. Select desired setting (1 1/2 loaf, medium crust). Program timer, if necessary. Turn bread maker on. Add raisins when alert sounds during the knead cycle. When bread is done, turn bread maker off and, using oven mitts. unlock and remove the bread pan and cool on rack before slicing.

*** SPECIAL TIP: To make raisin bread overnight or without being present to add the raisins, follow steps 1-3 above. Then place raisins around the outside edge of pan. on top of dry ingredients, away from the yeast. Do not add to raisins to the water in pan as the raisins will absorb too much liquid and a poor loaf of bread will be obtained. Continue with step 4.

Verdict! DELICIOUS!!! WE loved it! I'm making my second loaf today. Will most likely make another loaf before the day is through. Enjoy! We do!

Honey Oatmeal Bread (bread maker)

Last night I wanted a healthy breakfast bread to wake up to. I some how got the notion that if I had fresh hot bread waiting for my kids then my mornings would be, shall I say... less hectic... I know a mother's dream right! well, exactly what it seems like it is... a dream. Well, I had one good day and that was the day with peanut butter bread. (sorry all mothers with kids with peanut allergies). My kids LOVE peanut butter. I make sure they wash their hands and dust off really good before they go to school, if that helps. That aside. This morning I tried a different bread recipe for "hopefully" another pretty smooth morning. Unfortunately for me... they were't too excited to have this for breakfast, except lathered in peanut butter. Well, almost. I couldn't get Bryen to even try it. Braeden ate one piece with peanut butter on it and my little Mikey, had it with honey. I toasted 4 pieces for my sweet heart when he got home from work with just butter. He loved it! Then I gave Mikey another piece after school with nothing on it. HE loved it. He even asked it this was what I gave him this morning. I said "yes", He said "I LOVE IT!"I guess this morning they were too tired to eat it. Or care. Can you say early bed time :)

Again I found this on the WestBend website for 1 1/2 lb bread recipes. I love being able to find cool recipes online.  This recipe was I think so far one of my favorite bread machine bread recipes. It came out pretty close to perfect. So soft in the center and not too browned on the crust. (no I didn't cut my self this time) :) Small miracles I know. I'll take them every day and twice on Sundays. Again I set this recipe on delay and went to bed. (I don't know why it took me so long to use that feature.) I LOVE IT!

Ingredients
7 1/2 oz (3/4 +3 Tbsp) water, 75-85F
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups bread flour
1 cup oats, quick or old fashioned
2 Tbsp dry milk
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast or 1 1/2 tsp bread machine/fast rise yeast

1. Add liquid ingredients and butter to bread pan.

2. Add all dry ingredients, except yeast to bread pan. tap pan to settle dry ingredients and then level, pushing some of them into the corners. Lock pan into bread maker.

3. Make an indentation in center of dry ingredients fill with yeast. Select desired setting. Program timer, if necessary. Turn bread maker on. When bread is done, turn bread maker off and, using oven mitts, unlock and remove the bread pan. Shake bread out of pan and cool on rack before slicing. (or you can be like me and slice it hot and enjoy! :))

Verdict!
A definite make at my house again. I loved it, even if the kids weren't too thrilled with it this morning. My husband and I loved it. They don't have to eat it... That's more for me, and I love my CARBS!

Banana Oat Cookies

I had several banana's that were turning a yucky brown color, I was almost going to throw them out. Then I found this recipe, and I thought it would be wonderful! I needed a treat for my kids lunches, and I wanted something that was healthier than store bought cookies, and not chocolate chip, as I didn't have any of those. This was perfect!

My two younger children helped making them. They really enjoyed sifting the flour, mashing the banana's and adding the oats to the mixture. It was fun having them help.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F (200C)
In a separate medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Cream together the shortening and sugar, beat until light and fluffy (about 3 to 5 minutes) scraping sides. Add egg, banana, oatmeal and nuts (optional). Mix well.
Add dry ingredients, mix well and drop by the teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes (depending on your oven) check after 9 minutes to add further time.

Cool on wire rack, store in closed container.

Verdict:
SO YUMMY, they are soft and moist. They taste like banana bread. but in the convenience of a cookie.

I added slivered honey roasted almonds.

Chicken Corn Chowder Cheesy Pot Pie

Tonights recipe is not exactly home made in the scratch form, but home made none the less. I was hitting a brain wall... I couldn't decide what to make for dinner. Then I read a recipe for chicken corn pot pie. I was going to use canned chicken, and a can of corn and a can of cream of chicken soup that it called for. But then I realized that I had a couple of cans of chicken corn chowder from Campbell's chunky. I thought, at least there are more veggies in that then in the recipe. So here is what I did. and it smells and looks wonderful.

Ingredients
2 cans chicken corn chowder (Campbell's chunky soup)
1 pkg corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Direction:
Preheat oven to 400F. In a pie dish or medium casserole dish, pour the corn chowder in the pan. Then mix the corn muffin mix together with the milk and egg (follow package directions). Then before you spread on the corn muffin mix, sprinkle some of the shredded cheese on top of the corn chowder. Then spoon on top of the cheese the corn muffin mix. Then spread with back of spoon.

Bake 30 minutes until corn muffin mix on top turns light brown. Once it's removed from the oven sprinkle more cheese on top and let it melt.

Serve warm.
Feeds 6-8.

Peanut Butter Bread (breadmaker)

I know what you must be thinking... Peanut butter bread... HUH!? Well, yeah. I thought it would be nice to have bread nice and warm when my kids got up this morning for school. I made this in my bread maker. I set the delay function and it cooked while I slept. Cool huh? I think so. :) Well, It was hard to sleep when it was baking, the smell woke me up a couple of times. But oh did it may my morning so much easier. EASIER... yes that is what I said. I got up at 7am which is 30 minutes later than normal. I woke the boys up and said I had breakfast ready, all they needed to do was get dressed quickly and come down stairs for some hot fresh peanut butter bread. That did it. No yelling, no screaming, no fighting. The boys came down stairs, and I had slices of bread waiting for them. They said it didn't taste like peanut butter, so they wanted peanut butter on top, a few wanted jelly. But, I was so happy. It was such a nicer morning getting everyone ready for school. Especially since it's so close to the end of the school year, no one wants to get out of bed. (not even me). I also felt like a "Wonder MOM" because my kids had a high protein breakfast with not a lot of mess or clean up. I just hope after school goes as smoothly as before school.

I got this recipe from West Bend (which is the brand of bread maker I have). I could not find my bread maker recipe book (i've had it for 13 years). I was disappointed because I have used it so often, that I really wanted to find a yummy breakfast bread to make for the morning. So, I was so grateful that they have recipes on their website. It saved me from having a heart attack and tearing the house apart at 11pm at night.

When I make bread in my bread maker (where it cooks the bread), the bread comes out knotty. However, if I just have it make the dough, it's fabulous. Even though my dough is knotty, it's really good. It has a nice crust on top, and soft center. I recommend caution cutting the bread if it's knotty, as I sliced my finger a little when the knife slipped from the bread to my finger. Other than that.. Delicious. I just added some homemade jelly to it and it was like eating a pb&j sandwich with no slathering of peanut butter. (my kids are Peanut Butter Junkies) if it doesn't have a strong peanut butter taste, then they need more peanut butter. It smelled like peanut butter, and with jelly it tasted like peanut butter. For those of you who have children with peanut allergies... Try the sunflower butter and let me know how it works.  I still haven't bought sunflower butter, but I heard its good.

Ingredients:
8 oz (1 cup) water, 80 degrees F
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy, crunchy or sunflower
1 Tbsp honey
2 3/4 cup bread flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast or 1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

1. Add liquid ingredients and butter to pan.

2. Add all dry ingredients, except yeast to pan. Tap pan to settle dry ingredients, then level ingredients, pushing some of the mixture into the corners. Lock pan into bread maker.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add yeast. close the bread maker door.

Program for recommended select setting BASIC WHITE (1, 2, 3). Program timer if being used. Turn bread maker on. When done, turn off, unlock pan, and remove with oven mitts. Shake bread out of pan and cool on rack before slicing.

I set mine with a 3 hour delay since I was up at 11pm putting the ingredients in the pan. This would make great bread for sandwiches for the kids school lunches, or even for french toast. I ate mine with jelly and not toasted. This is a great addition to my families bread recipes. Enjoy!

Dr. Pepper Pork BBQ

Photo by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman)

As I sit here coughing and with a migraine, typing up this recipe. I am grateful for other women/men out on the web listing their recipes for other's to try. I have been visiting The pioneer Woman cooks recipe blog for a while. She has beautiful pictures of her food (as seen above) and step by step directions. Mine isn't done cooking so I borrowed her picture for now.  I just love her blog. It makes me want to be a better blogger, when I have more time. :) Well, I have been eyeing this recipe of hers for a while, but haven't had the ability to purchase a pork butt, but I finally bit the bullet this last week and bought it and the ingredients to make her Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork. However, my recipe is slightly different, but uses the same ingredients. Just either more or less of some of them. Hoping for a sweeter, less spicy bbq pork, but still with lots of flavor. This is my attempt, as I sit here sick. I was going to make my crock pot chicken, but my chicken is beried in the middle of my deep freeze and I don't have the energy to pull it out. the pork was in the fridge for a different day to make. It just got moved up on the menu list. So excited for a yummy dinner. Even if tonight is Bunco Night. I'm still going to eat it, at least a little, but looking forward to leftovers for a salad tomorrow :)

Here is my recipe. For Ree's recipe click on the link above.

Ingredients:

3 medium/small yellow onions
1 boneless, pork shoulder/butt  (5-7 lbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 can 7 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed or gently packed)

Directions:
Cut the onion ends off and then quarter the onion, peel off the outer skin, and arrange in the bottom of a LARGE dutch oven. Next... Generously sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the pork shoulder/butt. Then set on top of the onions. Pour the chipotle peppers on top of the pork (including the sauce). Then sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the pork and on the sides of the dutch oven. Then pour both cans of Dr. Pepper on top of the chipotle peppers/pork and onions. Stir to incorporate the brown sugar in to the liquid.

Place lid tightly on top of the pot. Then set pot on the middle rack in the oven. Cook for at least 6 hours turning the meat every 2 hours during the cooking process. Check the meat at 6 hours; it should be absolutely falling apart.(use the two forks to test). If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove the meat from the pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred the meat, discard large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard the fat. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and the liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it's cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.)

Serve on a salad, rolls, rice, or warm tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, avocado slices/guacamole, salsa or what ever you want. Enjoy!

This looks so delicious, I can barely wait to eat it. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think of the dish. :)