Stacked Taco

I got this idea from a recipe called Tortilla Pie...I like Stacked Taco better for my version.  This was pretty easy & better than I expected...in fact I almost didn't take a picture because I didn't have high expectations.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Here it is...

Stacked Taco

1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg Taco Seasoning + the water it calls for
about 2 C. Cheese
6 small or 3 large tortillas
1/2 C Mild Salsa
Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Brown & drain ground beef.  Add taco seasoning & water per package directions.  In a baking dish or pie pan put salsa on the bottom.  Layer tortilla, cheese & 1/2 taco meat.  Repeat with tortilla, cheese, taco meat.  Finish with one more layer of tortillas & cheese.  Put in oven for 10-12 minutes to heat through & melt cheese.  Enjoy with sour cream & any other taco toppings you like.

Chocolate Covered Popcorn

I love chocolate covered popcorn!  When we lived in Henderson I used to get it from a place called Nothing Bundt Cakes.  They sold it in small bags & it was expensive but, oh so good!  I have been wanting to find a recipe for this for a long time & I haven't come across anything.  I even had Chad ask his brother, Kevin a.k.a. International Chef Kevin, & he didn't have a recipe either.  He just said to try making it & see what happens.  Humm...I have no problem changing recipes since that is what I almost ALWAYS do anyway but it did take me awhile to attempt this one.  Honestly, I was worried that the hot, melted chocolate would wilt the popcorn & make it gross. 

Anyway, this Thanksgiving we were going to our friends house & I wanted to take something that we could snack on & I always have popcorn on hand so I figured 'what the heck!' & gave it a try.  It was EXACTLY...well almost exactly like the stuff I used to shovel out big $$$ for.  The only difference was that I didn't have colored chocolate to drizzle over the top & I learned that chocolate doesn't color well.  Next time it will be absolutely, perfectly, EXACTLY the way I used to get it!

Pop 1 C. unpopped corn & sort so you get out all of the unpopped kernals & small yucky pieces

Melt 1 pkg. (24 ounces) White Almond Bark in a double boiler (or use a smaller pan on top of a bigger one-it works the same)

add about 1 small spoon of shrtening to thin just a bit

Here is a picture of the Almond Bark package...this is the first time I have ever bought Almond Bark & I actually had it for another recipe that I haven't tried yet with oreos & candy canes...sounds good too.

Pour over popcorn & stir so that it all gets well coated.  Dump out onto cookie sheets that are lined with waxed paper. 

Melt a small amount of colored chocolate & drizzle over the top of coated popcorn.  ENJOY!!! 
Put any leftovers in a plastic bag to keep fresh.

Today is 3 days later & it is still delicious!

By the way...this is what I'm giving to all our neighbors this year for Christmas...yummy & so easy (but I won't tell them that!)

Dutch Baby

I got this recipe back from Emily (Travis' wife) back in 2000 when I  put together the 'Yours, Mine & Ours Family Cookbook' & we love it!  We would go through fazes with this one - the kids would ask for it everyday for breakfast & then we wouldn't have it for several weeks.  Now that they both go to school we definitely don't have it as often, but it is still a favorite.  By the way...I love everything that Emily makes.  She is an excellent cook/baker/canner.  I know when I use one of her recipes, I won't be disappointed.  Thanks Em!

Spray an 8X8 pan with cooking spray & add 2-3 T. butter.  Put the pan in the oven to melt the butter as it is preheating to 350.

In your blender add:
3/4 C. Milk
3/4 C. Flour
3 Eggs
Shake of Salt
1/2 T. Sugar

Mix well & pour into pan.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar & eat with syrup.

Easy Flat Bread Tacos

Make taco meat with taco seasoning & all the toppings you like. 

Then make the flat bread:

1 tube large biscuts

Flatten out biscut into about a 6 inch circle & place in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Cook on each side for about 1 minute each or until nice & golden.

Take one piece of flat bread & put on some sour cream.  (I used 1 C sour cream & mixed it with 1/2 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix.) Then top with taco meat & all the toppings.  Yum!

Cinnamon & Sugar Popcorn

This is sooo easy & mmm good!

Pop 1/2 C. unpopped corn

Mix together:

3 rounded T. sugar

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 C. melted butter or margarine

Pour over popcorn & stir until well coated.  Enjoy!

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Coconut Cookies~YUM!

Just the name sounds delicious! I LOVE these cookies! I started out with an average oatmeal cookie recipe and altered it (of course) & ended up with perfection! I really don't think I'll be making any more changes to this recipe. I really do love it that much! WOW!

So here it is...

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Coconut Cookies~YUM!

2 sticks soft margarine

1 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C. Oats

About 2 C. Chocolate Chips

3/4 C. Coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together margarine & both sugars. Add eggs - one at a time - mixing well. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt. Then add to sugar mixture & mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips & coconut. YUM! Scoop onto cookie sheets & bake for 9-10 minutes. *Remember to rotate cookie sheets half way through.

ENJOY with a tall glass of milk!

Makes 38 cookies.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

It has been raining for the past several days so I thought soup sounded yummy. I always have the ingredients for this soup so this is what we had for dinner today. I got the original recipe from Anjalique (a friend from Henderson). I love friends that share their recipes!!! Here it is with my twist... Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 Chicken Breasts, cooked & chopped
4 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Can Corn, drained
1 Can of Kidney Beans
1 Can of Great Northern (white) beans
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 C Salsa
1/2 Onion, sauteed or a small amount of dried onion
a few Garlic Cloves, minced - I usually forget this item...
Tortilla Chips
Shredded Monterrey Cheese
Sour Cream & Olives for garnish

Bring all ingredients to a boil & simmer - 20 minutes should be fine, but I think the longer the better. This is also just as good as leftovers. Place tortilla chips & shredded cheese in the bottom of a bowl & ladle soup over. Enjoy!

***Note to self - Ryan doesn't like the Kidney beans (next time just use white beans) & Anna pretty much just doesn't like this soup at all. Go figure! A good recipe to half - that will be interesting, but I'll try it next time.

Chocolate Reese's Cake Mix Cookies

I don't know why I have had an aversion to cake mix cookies, but I have. I have seen recipes like this many times before but I've never had the desire to try any of them. Humm...I wonder why... Anyway, now I have a strong desire to make these cookies all the time!!! I love them!!! They are so yummy & oh so easy!

1 box Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/3 C oil

1/8 to 1/4 C water

1 10 oz package Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

Mix the cake mix, eggs, & oil. Add enough water to make the mixture the consistency of cookie dough --- it needs to be a little sticky or the cookies are dry. Stir in peanut butter chips.

Scoop onto lightly greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes until the cookies are set in the middle.

Makes 30-32 cookies (depends on the amount of water you use).

*Note: You can use whatever cake mix flavor you like & mix in whatever you like but I'm not sure why you'd want to change anything about these beautiful cookies!

Los Hermanos Fajitas

Yum, Yummy, YUM! I love Los Hermanos & I always get the same thing...Chicken Fajitas. MMM! Now that we live even further away and I'm trying to cook more I decided to pull out this old recipe. Many years ago I got this recipe from Chad's brother when he worked at Los Hermanos...yeah I had a good source! :) I tried these, only once - hard to believe but they were DISGUSTING! I mean really gross. I didn't figure out that I had used turkey instead of chicken until after we tasted these...opps...a mistake you don't want to make. Well, you know how it is when you eat something that is gross or you get sick after you eat it - you really don't want to eat it again for a long time if ever? That is what happened with this recipe. I put it away, never to been seen again...until today. The verdict...absolutely delicious!

Put the following in a blender:
juice of 2 Limes
juice of 3 Lemons
  *Cook's note - if using a lemon/lime press cut back 1 each
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Garlic (I used garlic powder - I think I'll use minced garlic next time)
1 tsp. Red Pepper
3 Bay Leaves
1/2 C. Vinegar
1/2 C. Olive Oil

Blend.

Cut into strips:
3-4 Chicken breasts (depends on size) or tenders work too
1 thick Steak (I like Costco's New York or Top Sirloin)
Sometimes I also use a couple hand fulls of shrimp if I have it
1 green pepper
about 1/2 of a red onion

Put together (I leave the chicken & steak separate) and chill for a few hours or cook immediately.

Put this into small tortillas and enjoy with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, rice, beans, what ever you like.

Stars: Chad 5, Ryan 4 1/2, Anna 5

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was looking at the very ripe bananas that I had on my counter and I had planned on making banana bread with them tonight but then I had an idea...I thought to myself, "I bet I could make banana bread into a cookie...humm." The verdict? I may never make banana bread again! EVER! These cookies are so delicious! And I love that they are a cookie instead of a loaf of bread...no slicing required! Cookies are much more 'user friendly!'

Here's the recipe...I may need to make a few more corrections to fine tune this but this is a very good start. YUM!

Cream together:

1 C margarine, softened

1 C sugar

Add & mix well:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 egg

In a separate bowl whisk together:

3 to 3 1/4 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Add half of this to the banana mixture and mix well. Then add the rest and mix well again.

Stir in:

1 C Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Use a medium scoop and scoop onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges just start to brown. ENJOY!

Stars: Anna 5, Ryan 3, Me 4 1/2 - I think they are almost perfect

Noodle Explosion!

Special thanks to Ryan for the name.

Yep, another casserole. Have I mentioned I love casseroles? This is basically the same recipe as Tater Tot Casserole other then I use noodles in place of the tater tots.
1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
dried onion
salt & pepper
3 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
milk - 1 1/2 cans (use soup cans)
1 can corn, drained or bag of frozen white petite corn
1/2 bag or 1/2 pound of fancy cut noodles (any kind will do I just happen to like these ones)
1 to 1 1/2 C shredded cheese (depends on how cheesy you like the top)

Boil noodles in salted water while you brown the ground beef with dried onion (as much as you like, I use about a palm full or so). Salt & pepper beef while cooking. Drain excess fat from meat. Add corn, soup & milk, mix well. Drain noodles & stir into mixture. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish, top with cheese and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Stars: Ryan 5, Anna 4 1/2

Scones (& Bread Dough too)

MMM...there is nothing like a warm scone with a little butter and some homemade jam...YUM!

1 Tbs. Yeast

1 C Warm Water (about 110 degrees)
1/2 C Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp. Salt
1 C Milk, scalded but cooled to warm (I microwave it for 1 min & then cool it in the fridge)
1/2 C Melted Butter
6 C Flour + more as needed

In mixing bowl with dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until lightly foamy (about 5 minutes), then stir in sugar. Add egg, salt, milk, & butter. Slowly add flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough. Roll out onto floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.

Cover & let raise until doubled in bulk.

Heat oil in large pan. Punch down dough. Break of a hand full of dough and form into scone. Fry in oil. Top with butter, honey, or my all time favorite homemade strawberry jam...MMM! ENJOY!

*** This recipe is also good for making bread - 2 large loaves. If I make scones I usually still have enough for 1 loaf of bread. For bread once you punch down the dough form into loaves and put in greased bread pan. Let raise (maybe a 1/2 hour). Bake at 350 for 25+ minutes until nice and brown on top or the middle will be doughy.

Stars:

Scones-Ryan 4, Anna 5

Bread-Ryan 5, Anna 5

Brownies...Kalyn's Recipe

MMM! I LOVE THESE BROWNIES!!! My good friend Kalyn brought these over one night and it was love at first bite! They are a little more cake like and less like a typical chewy brownie. The rest of my family prefer box brownies & that's ok... I think I could eat this entire thing all by myself. Yes, they are that good! Since I don't want to be miserable I only make these when we have someone over or I take some to a neighbor.

*** This time they turned out a little flat. So, for this recipe I moved the baking soda in with the other dry ingredients. The original recipe had it going in with the eggs, milk & vanilla. Hopefully that makes it better next time. I may also add a touch more flour...maybe it is the humidity here that made them so flat. We'll see. ***

1 C. Margarine

4 Tbs. Cocoa

1 C. Water

2 C. Flour

2 C. Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 C. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine margarine, cocoa & water in sauce pan & bring to a boil. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt & baking soda. Pour hot mixture into dry ingredients & mix well. Add eggs, milk & vanilla and mix well. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray & bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

While baking, prepare icing...

1/2 C. Margarine

4 Tbs. Cocoa

6 Tbs. Milk

dash of salt

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 box (1 lb.) Powdered Sugar

Combine margarine, cocoa, milk, vanilla & salt in a sauce pan & bring to a boil. Pour hot mixture over powedered sugar & beat until smooth. Pour over brownies when they have been out of the oven for 15 minutes or less, but no longer.

Tater Tot Casserole

MMM...tonight we are having a family favorite...Tater Tot Casserole. I love this because it is good and EASY! (And CHEESY...I over did it just a bit this time...cheese is never something I've really measured...2 cups was a little too much :)

1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
dried onion
salt & pepper
3 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
milk - 1 1/2 cans (use soup cans)
1 bag - 2 pounds of frozen tater tots
1 to 1 1/2 C shredded cheese (depends on how cheesy you like the top)

Brown ground beef with dried onion (as much as you like, I use about a palm full or so). Salt & pepper beef while cooking. Drain excess fat from meat. Add soup & milk, mix well. Stir in tater tots. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for about 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

This is also a good casserole to add corn (I like to add one bag of frozen white petite corn) or what ever sounds good.

Stars - Chad 4, Ryan 5, Anna 5

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I love enchiladas. When I had Ryan my visiting teacher brought us over some sort of enchilada plate - kind of like a quesadilla/enchilada combo & I asked her for the recipe. You know how sometimes you can tell when someone says they'll give it to you but you know they're just saying that. Why? I'd rather know up front that I'm not going to get it. I've been told 'no' more than once and that is better then thinking you'll get it and you never do. Hum, I do wish I had that recipe! It was delicious. Anyway, I don't think I have ever really made enchiladas until I came across this recipe. Of course the following is my version but I think they turned out pretty good. I like the cream & enchilada sauce mixed together. Yum!4 chicken breasts

a bit of olive oil

1 - 4 ounce can of diced green chillies

1/4 C diced onion (I used dried onion from the cannery - great way to use up that food storage)

1 - 8 ounce pkg of cream cheese

2 1/2 C shredded monterey jack cheese - about 1/2 lb.

8 tortillas

1 C heavy cream

1 can enchilada sauce

1 small can sliced olives

Boil chicken breasts in water until cooked, then shred. Sometimes I add chicken stock to the water for more flavor. Also, frozen breasts work good for this - just make sure they are fully cooked and you can 'clean' the chicken when you shred it if its needed.

Saute green chillies & onion in the olive oil. Add cream cheese and heat until melted. Add about 1 1/2 C of the shredded cheese - reserve 1 C to top enchiladas. Heat until melted and add chicken. Stir well.

Divide into 1/2, then 1/2 again until you have 8 equal parts. Stuff the tortillas and roll them and place in a 9X13 baking pan.

Mix together cream & enchilada sauce and pour over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese & olives. Bake 350 for 15-20 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings; sour cream, salsa, rice, tomatoes, etc.

Stars - Chad 3 1/2, Ryan 4 1/2, Anna 5

3 Steps to cooking a Fryer Chicken

I just learned how to do this a few months ago & how I wish I'd known this long ago! A fryer chicken is just a whole chicken that is cut up. Look for it in the meat section of the grocery store.

First, rinse the chicken and place in a large pot of water.

Second, bring to a boil.

Third, reduce heat and continue cooking about 1 hour.

That's it. Easy, right? When it is done pull the meat off the bones, discard bones & skin, and you have delicious chicken for chicken salad, a casserole, enchiladas, whatever & it really is pretty easy you just need to plan a little ahead because it takes a full hour to cook it.

Chicken & Spaghetti Casserole

I love a good casserole. Don't mind the picture...the paper plate is ugly and it looked way better in real life. I'm just starting to take pictures of food and it isn't as easy as you'd think. Anyway, this was delicious! Even Chad liked it & that says a lot because he is not a pasta lover like the rest of us. Also he only had it as leftovers since we usually eat pasta dishes on days he is working.
1 cut up fryer chicken, cooked and pick out the meat to make around 2 cups (cut into bite sized pieces)
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup
Milk - almost fill the empty soup cans
3 C grated sharp cheddar cheese separated into 2 cups & 1 cup
1/4 - 1/2 C finely diced onion (I used a pinch of dry onion from the cannery)
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti in some of the chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain and combine with all other ingredients except 1 cup of cheese.

Place in casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil.

We had this last Sunday for dinner so I made it in the morning then covered it and put it in the fridge until after church then baked it. I think that a bag of frozen white petite corn or a can of beans would be a good addition to this casserole...I might try the corn next time but Ryan isn't a fan of beans so they will have to remain a side dish.

Stars - Chad 3, Ryan 5, Anna 4

MMM...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have perfected this recipe, if I do say so myself. This makes the yummiest, most delicious, scrumptious pumpkin cookies ever! I think that it tastes like the pumpkin chocolate chip bread that you can buy from Great Harvest Bread - only better for two reasons: 1. It is a cookie - no cutting required! 2. When you crave these, they are easy to make right at home. Excellent option when you live thousands of miles from the closest Great Harvest. Anyway, trust me you have to try these!

Here it is... Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together:
1 C soft margarine
1 C granulated sugar

Add mixing between each ingredient:
1 small can pumpkin - 15 ounces
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl whisk together:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Add half of this to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Then add the rest and mix well again.

Stir in 1 heaping cup of chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet).

Using a medium scoop - scoop onto cookie sheets. These beautiful cookies hold their shape well so you can put these fairly close. Bake for 12 minutes. I usually bake the 1st batch for 13 minutes and the 2nd for 12.

Makes 38 cookies. Enjoy! These are delicious straight out of the oven with a tall glass of milk. YUM!

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I loves these cookies! I have been trying to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie for almost as long as I've had kids to taste them and I think this recipe is close...very close!!!
2/3 C. Shortening
2/3 C. Margarine, Softened (room temperature or about 10 seconds in the microwave)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. packed Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 bag or 2 very full cups of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (Sometimes I use 1/2 semi sweet & 1/2 milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream together shortening, butter, & sugars. Add vanilla & eggs - one at a time - mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, soda & salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 7-8 (sometimes 9) minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden brown. I don't like cookies that are too done...I like them soft. Be sure to rotate the sheets half way through.

Makes 46 cookies using a medium scoop.

Stars - Chad 4 1/2, Ryan 5, Anna 5MMM...I just tried this cookie & it was delicious! I love that they aren't too thin...I really love a nice plump cookie!

***Note - I actually think I like these better using margarine in place of the shortening. Hummm...still thinking...

MMM...Good Eats!

This will be my blog that I keep the recipes that I like. I am always looking for a good recipe. I like to surf the net for new recipes to try and I have a weakness for cookbooks...especially if they have pictures. Honestly, I enjoy reading recipes. I have never been a great cook but I would like to be one someday. The problem I have is that I always change the recipe to meet my families likes or dislikes so I need a good place to keep these recipes and then one day when I decide to make a recipe book I'll know where all my good recipes are. Well, here it is...MMM...Good Eats! A collection of my favorite recipes.

p.s. At the bottom of the recipe I'll put the number of stars the kids give it between 1-5.