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

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

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.

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!

Thai Omelets

All my life growing up we would often have Thai Omelets. Dad would make them on a Saturday or Sunday morning and sometimes for dinner. It's a family favorite and one that the in-laws - my brother in-law and two sister-in-laws - have learned to love. It seems strange at first because of the ingredients, but it's healthy and very flavorful. The fresh veggies, although an odd combination, are very good together and you will want it again after you've tried it once. I can almost guarantee you this one isn't out there on the web. It's a one of a kind and very delicious. A MUST try!

The filling consists of equal amounts of Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Onions, Bean Sprouts, Green Beans, and Green Onions. And a few cloves of minced garlic and the same amount of ginger, (About 2 tsp. each). And a tablespoon of Maggi seasoning. (It's a sauce available at Asian food stores, and very inexpensive, but tasty!)

Dice all veggies.

Cook onion, garlic and ginger until tender, then add cucumber, green beans cook, then add bean sprouts and tomato last. About 10 min (from start to finish) until veggies start to sweat and are slightly tender. (Don't over cook)

Drain filling in a strainer over a plate or bowl to loose some of the water.

Cook 2 mixed eggs in a large round plan in 1 tablespoon hot oil. Oil MUST be hot to cook right, like a big pancake.

Add filling to flipped egg.

Fold sides in to make a pocket. Just folding in half like a cheesy omelet won't work. The filling isn't being held in by any thing other than the sides of the egg.

Serve over a bed of steamed rice with soy sauce and red sauce.

Serve with a red sauce, no this is NOT ketchup. It is a Thai sauce made from tomato paste, brown sugar, Rogers Syrup, rice vinegar, white pepper, garlic and some thai sauces pictured below:

Mix all ingredients together (recipe below).

THAI OMELETS

2 TBS. Oil in HOT pan
2 tsp. Minced Garlic
2 tsp. Minced Ginger
2 Tbs. Maggi Seasoning (found at oriental market)
1 C. Onion
1 C. Tomato
1 C. Cucumber
1 C. Green Beans (Fresh)
1 ¾ C. Bean Sprouts (thoroughly rinsed)
Cook until steamed and tender set aside in a strainer to add to omelets.

2-3 eggs will be used for each omelet.

Serve over steamed rice with soy sauce and red sauce.


RED SAUCE:
1 small can tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. brown sugar
Dash of salt & pepper
A pinch of white pepper - optional
1 Tbs. Rogers Syrup (From Canada) (Kero Syrup would work too)
1 Tbs. Fish Sauce
Add a few squirts of store bought Spring Roll Sauce for spice

Bled together with a hand held blender.

FRUIT DRINK
We also have Thai fruit drinks with our Thai Omlets. They are now considered "Smoothies" but I've been drinking Thai fruit drinks since I was old enough to hold a glass. This one consisted of banana, orange, mango and ice.

BLT

One of my favorite summer/fall meals is a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato. But the tomato has to be fresh from the garden. I picked these tomatoes came straight in and sliced them up. Yum! I only use mayo and a little pepper and toast on my BLT.