Taco Soup

This Taco Soup is SUPER easy and very good. I learned how to make it from a sweet elder from my LDS mission. It was his mom's recipe from down on the Wyoming farm and I've loved it ever since.

TACO SOUP

1 lb. ground hamburger
1 large onion
1 packet of taco seasoning or 2 Tbs

Cook onion and ground hamburger with taco seasoning.

Add the following:
1 large can of tomato juice
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes Mexican style (optional)
1 can diced green chiles (optional)
1 cup frozen corn

Cook until simmering.


Top with:
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Fritos
Sour Cream
Green Onion
Black Olives

Veggie Soup AKA Green Soup

I love veggie soup. This particular batch didn't have an exact recipe, just what I had on hand.

VEGGIE SOUP

This batch consisted of Carrots, Cabbage, Onions, Celery, Green Beans, Peas and Corn.

Cut everything into bite size pieces. Brown in a bit of olive oil and salt (salt makes the veggies sweat and brings out their moisture.)
Add Chicken Stock and enjoy. Healthy tasty green soup.

Chicken Enchiladas with White Chili Sauce

My neighbor is the best cook. I truly mean that, she's AMAZING!!! I remember once having Chicken Enchilada's at her house when I was about 11 years old. They were AWESOME!!! I begged for the recipe, she gave it to me, but I lost it. I haven't dared ask for it again.

I saw this on Pinterest the other day and decided to give it a try. I made several changes so I can call it my own. But, when I tasted it, it was like I was thrown back to my 11 year old self eating the culinary creations of my amazing neighbor!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS


12 Soft Taco Shells (I made two pans, one had 8, one had 4 - to give away)
5 Chicken Breasts - Shredded (cooked in a pressure cooker with chicken base for flavor, broth will be used later)
2 C. Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 C. Shredded Cheddar
1/2 C. Shredded Mozzarella
6 Tbs. Butter
6 Tbs. Flour
1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
Pinch of Cayenne pepper Pepper to taste in sauce - Optional
3-4 C. Chicken stock (strained and used from cooked chicken)
2 (4 oz) cans of diced green chilies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9x13 pan and an 8x8 pan if making extra.

Mix shredded chicken with 2 C. cheese mixture and 1/2 C. sauce

In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and chili powder and a dash of pepper, cook for one minute. Add stock and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Stir in Chilies - Add 1/2 C. to chicken mixture.

Add 2 C. Sour Cream off the heat, you don't want the sour cream to boil, it will curdle.

Pour remaining sauce over rolled enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes and then under a high broil until cheese is brown.

Thai Fried Rice

THAI FRIED RICE

Prepare 4 cups cooked white rice
1-2 C. Diced Raw Chicken
1-2 TBS. Oil for Frying Pan
1-2 Cloves Minced Fresh Garlic
1 Onion Diced
4-6 Green Onions
1 Tomato Diced
1 C. Frozen Peas
4-5 eggs beaten in a separate bowl
Soy Sauce

Heat oil in frying pan, add garlic stir in chicken, cook until slightly brown, add onion, cook until tender, add tomato, peas, and rice, cover in soy sauce. Make a nest in the center of the rice add raw egg, mix in slowly, letting it cook.

Serve with Cucumber slices and Thai Fruit Drinks

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Stuffing should not be cooked in the bird. It doesn't reach the right tempturature at the same time the bird does, so one of two things will happen, the bird will be very dry, or the stuffing won't be fully cooked. So, I always cook the stuffing seperatly.

This is not exact measurments:

STUFFING
Saute in butter the following:
Chopped onions
Chopped Celery
Dash of dried Thyme
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper

Cook until veggies start to sweat. Add to dried bread cubes or stuffing mixture. Add dried rubbed sage, chicken stock and cream until desired consistancy, tossing gently. Cook at 350° until golden brown. (About 45 minutes)

Thanksgiving Turkey

This turkey recipe was adapted from America's Test Kitchen. It's my favorite way to cook a turkey. It's simple and it turns out super juicy every single time!

First thaw the bird in the refrigerator, this can take up to 4 days if frozen solid.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY
Start with a brine in a clean 5 galon bucket, consisting of:
1 C. Salt
1/2 C. Sugar
2 Tbs. Pepper Corns
1-2 Gallons of cold Water (add more once the turkey is added to cover the bird)

Mix the ingredients in the water. Then drop Tom the Turkey in the water.

Cover Tom with more water if necessary. Cover and place in a cold (50-35 degrees) location for 24 hours. In my case it was the garage.

Once the turkey has brined for 24 hours, remove from brine bath and place turkey on a cookie sheet and pat dry with paper towels.

Use a Roasting Pan with a "V" Rack. Cover the rack with Tin Foil and poke several holes in it. This will allow the juices from the turkey to seep to the bottom of the pan. Fill the bottom of the pan with the following:

Turkey Gravy Prep:
2 Carrots cleaned and roughly chopped
3 ribs of celery chopped
2 onions chopped
1-2 cans of chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
2 Bay leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper

Place Tom breast side DOWN on the tin foil:

Brush with butter and salt and pepper.

Cook at 275° until the turkey is golden brown. I had a 19 pound turkey so this took 3 1/2 hours. Once the bottom is brown the and temperature reads 160°, take out of the oven and flip the bird. :) That's right, turn it over. Now you will butter the breasts and legs and salt and pepper and I used a little bit of rubbed sage on the top. Cook the bird until the top is golden brown and reads 160°-165°, another 3-4 hours.

Remove the bird, wrap in tin foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

This is the juiciest turkey. It's so yummy.

The gravy is made from the drippings. Strain everything through a mesh strainer and squeeze the juice out of the veggies. Mix 1 C. Water with 3 Tbs. flour to thicken gravy.

Scalloped Potatoes

I adapted this from America's Test Kitchen Recipe. I will include their recipe later as I don't have it with me at the moment... This recipe is done in one pan - my version is anyway.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Slice several potatoes (I used red potatoes, but Yukon Gold are the best for this recipe)
One onion diced
2 Tbs. butter
1/8-1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Chicken base (or one bullion cube)
Sautee the onion in butter and seasoning until tender
Add 1-2 C. milk (depending on the amount of potatoes you have. I used 1 1/2 C. milk for the sauce pan shown above.)

Taste the mixture, it should be a tad strong, only because the potatoes absorb most of the flavor. Add to potatoes to the liquid. Boil on medium to low heat until potatoes are tender. Place in a 350 oven until brown and bubbly on top.

I added cheese to the dish below. I guess that makes them Au Gratin Potatoes.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

I like to roast my Asparagus in the oven with a little olive oil and kosher sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Sometimes I will add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Pork Roast with Yorkshire Pudding

This post will contain a few recipes. I didn't take individual pictures so it will include a few different dishes.

PORK ROAST

I brined the pork in a mixture of water and equal parts sugar and salt.
1/3 C. Salt
1/3 C. Sugar
1 gallon of water
Brine for one hour

Rinse meat and season with salt pepper and Garlic powder. Cook at 300 for 4 hours or until internal temprature reaches 165. I cooked the roasts until they were super tender and shredded easily.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

This recipe is from my Canadian side. It's a dish that might seem odd, but it's really good. Fattening, so it's only a once a year treat.

3 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix and let sit for 1 hour

Fill a muffin tin with 1/2 tbs oil in each cup. Heat in a 400 oven until oil is hot. Pour in 1/2 c. batter in each cup. Cook until batter is puffy and golden brown. There will be a hole in the middle. This will be filled with gravy.

Scalloped Potatoes will be the next recipe.

Goulash

Goulash, the name itself was always funny to me. Growing up it wasn't a favorite. But, as an adult I quite like it. It's a very simple dish it consists of tomatoes, hamburger, onions, and Macaroni noodles.
I got creative with this batch though. I had several garden tomatoes that were ready to be used. I placed them in the oven with a little olive oil and a few garlic cloves and roasted them at 300 for 2 hours. This brought out the natural flavor of the fresh tomatoes. Once out of the oven, I pulled off all the skins and mixed the tomatoes with cooked ground hamburger and onions. I seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix with Macaroni and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (Really, it's just spaghetti sauce.)

GOULASH

Diced tomatoes (bottled or fresh)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, sugar, garlic powder and onion powder.
Ground hamberger cooked with a diced onion
Cooked Macaroni noodles (al dente - slightly under cooked.)
Mix
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

I promise I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I've just been really busy. So... I will catch up with several posts.

Today I wanted to share a few staples. This particular one will probably seem really odd if you haven't tried it before. But, it's one of those meals that we ate as children when money was tight.

RICE AND EGGS

Steamed white rice
Fried eggs in a pan
Soy Sauce

That's it.

When I lived in Thailand I was thrilled when I was offered rice and eggs. It was something I was familiar with and I didn't have to wonder what kind of animal was in it. (Thai food is WONDERFUL and delicious and healthy, but when made by displaced Thai's who's home was destroyed by a Tsunami, you were grateful for what they gave you because it was all they had. Hence, they got creative.)

Dijon Chicken Linguine

This dish was AMAZING! I found the Recipe off of Pintrest.
It was very good and something I will totally make again! YUMM!!!

DIJON CHICKEN LINGUINE
Serves 4

1 package cooked Linguine
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to season
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan over medium low heat. Add chicken breasts, garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue to fry the chicken until completely cooked.
Remove chicken from pan and hold in a warm oven.

Add to the pan:

4 oz white wine

Simmer until volume is reduced by half. Then add:

2 cups whipping cream
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to season.
Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a metal spoon. Return Chicken to the sauce, add the chanterelle mushrooms and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Serve over cooked linguine. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.

Spaghetti Pie

When I was growing up I remember my mom making this dish once in a while. It was always a favorite. Now, as we are all grown, my brothers have had their wives make it for them. I decided to make it last night, I haven't had it since I was a young girl. It was as good as I remember. I made three of them to freeze two for later.

This recipe came from a cook book that specialized in everything MICROWAVED. It's old, it's from an old Betty Crocker book (I think) probably a wedding gift for my parents in 1977.

SPAGHETTI PIE

1 1/2 C. Cooked Spaghetti
2 eggs
1/3 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese

The original recipe called for 6 oz. of spaghetti, but that must be DRY spaghetti because 6 oz. cooked was a very small amount. Shown above I weighed out 1 lb or 16 oz. that was a good amount!

Mix and put in 10 in. pie plate and form into a crust. Microwave for 2 minutes on high.

Fill with 1 C. Cottage Cheese

Next, fill with Spaghetti Sauce

(The recipe calls for the following, but I just cooked some onion, green pepper, 1/2 sausage 1/2 ground beef and mixed with botteled sauce.)

1lb. beef or pork sausage
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. chopped green pepper
1 8oz. can of tomatoes - diced
1 6oz. can of tomato paste
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Cook and place on top of cottage cheese:

Cover with Mozzarella cheese (1/2 C.) and cook in microwave until melted (about 3 minutes) Cook for 1 more minute and let sit for 8 minutes before serving. A pretty fast little dish!

It's really yummy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I've been a little under the weather the past few days. Last night the only thing that sounded good, besides a bed and Nyquil, was some chicken noodle soup. So, I decided to make a small batch for myself. It ended up not being a small batch since a few others wanted dinner too. I guess I'll feed the household. :)

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP


1 Onion chopped
3 Carrots chopped
4 Celery Ribs chopped
1/4 tsp dried Thyme
1 Tbs. butter

Saute veggies and Thyme in butter until they start to sweat.

In a large pot boil 2 Chicken Breasts in broth in pressure cooker until tender. Strain liquid to remove chicken stuff. (What is that stuff called that floats around after you've boiled chicken? Get rid of that stuff. Yuck!)

Mix veggies with chicken and add noodles. Gently boil until noodles are cooked through and veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh Parsley.

Nothing better than homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.

Mom's Meatloaf

When I was young I remember my mom making meatloaf. It didn't happen very often, but it was always really good. I asked her what she did in the past and she gave me her recipe, it was from memory from Grandma Betty. I decided to try it last night.

MOM'S MEATLOAF

2 lbs. Ground Beef/Hamburger
1/2 lb. Sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
3 eggs
1 C. Saltine crackers crushed
1/2 C. Half and half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Worchestire Sauce
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 C. Chopped onions (Next time I will saute the onions first)
1/4 tsp. dried Thyme
1/4 C. Ketchup - Plus extra for the top of loaf
2 Tbs. Fresh chopped Parsley
3 dried leaves of sage rubbed and shredded (optional)


Mix all ingredient together by hand. Place in a loaf pan or on a cookie sheet, shaped into a loaf. This makes enough to do both. Cover with a few squirts of ketchup and coat loaf to make a crust.

Cook at 350° until internal temperature is 160° - 165°. (About 1 hour)

I made the one on the cookie sheet and as I was getting a plate down to take a picture. I dropped a plate and shattered it all over the meatloaf. So... That one went in the garbage. So sad.

It turned out really good. I love this recipe.

Baccon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

I saw this on a Pintest. Click HERE for the original. I wanted to try it. The original recipe calls for 12 Chicken breasts. I only wanted to make three. So, I altered a bit. But, it's still very simple, only three ingredients and it was delicious!

BACON WRAPPED STUFFED CHICKEN


Chicken breast, flattened with a mallet
Stuffed with Chive and Onion Cream cheese
Wrapped with two strips of bacon
Use toothpicks to hold in place (I didn't need toothpicks, the bacon held everything together just fine.)

Cook at 400° for 20 min or until juices run clear. Then cook for 8 minutes under the broiler to crisp the chicken.

This was really yummy chicken. Next time, I may cook the bacon first, sprinkle it inside of the chicken with the cream cheese and then put Swiss cheese on top of the chicken for the last 8 minutes and melt cheese on top of chicken.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This recipe is supposedly the same as the soup at Panera. (It's been so long I honestly can't remember, but it is FANTASTIC soup!) Panera is a great little cafe that I would go to often when I lived in Nebraska. I wish it would make it's way west. I loved Panera!

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP


2 TBS. Butter, melted
1 Large Onion, chopped
1/8 tsp. dried thyme (optional)
1/2 C. Butter, melted
1/2 C. all purpose flour
4 C. Half and half
4 C. Chicken broth
1 lb. fresh broccoli
2 C. Julienned carrots
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
16 oz. sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

Sauté onion in butter and thyme. Set aside. Whisk butter and flour over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until flour looses it's raw flavor. Stir constantly and slowly add half and half and chicken stock. Still whisking.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add Broccoli, carrot slices and onion. Cook over low heat until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, the soup will have slightly thickened. Blend soup with a hand mixer or carefully transfer hot soup to blender. Puree. Return hot soup to pot and add cheese. Stir until well blended. Add nutmeg right before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Notes: I cut the recipe in half and it served 5. I also like to have a little bit of broccoli in my soup. So, after I blended everything I added several broccoli floweret's and simmered until they were tender. I didn't have a bread bowl to serve it in, but it's best in a sour dough bread bowl. Next time I will make sure I have one handy!

Creamed Peas and Potatoes

I've always called this dish "Creamed Peas and Potatoes", but really, it has peas, potatoes and carrots. Both sides of my parents families had this dish growing up so it's something that was passed down. It's really yummy and I usually prepare this dish in the fall when potatoes and carrots are at their prime. But in the spring when peas are fresh it's also a fun treat.

Really it's a comfort food.

When I was a young girl I would spend hours in the garden picking and eating fresh peas. Something I still love. I've always loved peas, fresh sweet ones. Not canned peas, those are nasty!

To make this simple dish you need to start with a rue. To make a rue you melt butter and mix it with an equal amount of flour.

Brown the flour a little until it looses the raw taste.

Add salt, pepper, a pinch of white pepper, and a little bit of Chicken base. If using bouillon cubes, use only one. If using a concentrate, such as the Swanson Chicken Base concentrate packets, use about a teaspoon.

Wisk in milk and cream.

Wisk until sauce begins to thicken. It should cover the back of a metal spoon. Adding more milk if necessary.

Mix white sauce with boiled red potatoes, boiled carrot slices and rinsed frozen baby peas. Mix until peas are warm. Don't over cook the peas, they go hard and or mushy.

Serve

CREAMED PEAS AND POTATOES

4 Tbs. Butter - melted
4 Tbs. Flour - mixed with butter in sauce pan
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
pinch of white pepper
1/2 tsp. Chicken base/flavoring
1 C. Milk
1/2 C. Cream

Mix with boiled red potatoes (I used about 6 very small red potatoes - quartered), carrots (I used 3 carrots, sliced) and frozen sweet peas (about 1 cup frozen peas - rinsed).

Yeild: This amount serves 4-5

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Broccoli Casserole has been one of those dishes I've had my entire life, about once a month at least. It's a staple and one everyone loves. It's very simple to make and only has a few ingredients.

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Cook 4-5 Chicken breasts in chicken stock or broth until tender (I always use a pressure cooker and freeze the broth for another meal.)

Steam 3-4 heads of Broccoli (I always do it in the microwave with a little water.)

Sauce:
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 C. Mayo (I always use less, about 3/4 C.)
2-3 tsp. Curry Powder

Add Broccoli

Mix Chicken, broccoli and sauce and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.

Cover with shredded cheddar cheese and a two teaspoons of breadcrums.

Cook at 400° until golden brown and bubbly

Serve with rice and soy sauce


This amount will serve 8-10 people, but we always eat it for leftovers the next day.