This was good soup!

This recipe comes from the Gooseberry Patch 101 Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook and was called Tami's Taco Soup. I made several changes and am calling it Taco Soup. 

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained

32 oz carton chicken broth

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes 

1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies, drained

1 15 oz can white beans, drained (I used navy beans as that is what I had on hand, but any canned white bean would work in my opinion) 

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can yellow hominy, drained

1 15 oz can white hominy, drained

Taco seasoning to taste

1 1 oz package fiesta ranch salad dressing mix

Combine all ingredients in a large stock and cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes or more to combine flavors.

 

Perfect for a gray, damp and cold April day! 

Beefy Nacho Potato Soup

This reminds me of a cross between Hamburger Helper and CCQ (which is what my family calls velveeta and rotel dip).   The recipe comes from Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom's web site.  If you're not familiar with her blog, please go check it out HERE  She's also on Facebook!

I made this Superbowl Sunday while it snowed cats and dogs outside though we were only to get a dusty.  Two days later when we were to get 2-5 inches, we got nothing!  Zilch!  The day before I made this soup, I was able to walk several miles outside.  I'll share some pictures from the trail at the end of this post.  Winter is hard and I try and enjoy the nicer days when we're blessed with them. 

So, this soup has a surprise ingredient!  A box of au gratin potatoes! 

Brown ground beef, add rotel, corn, water and...

The box of potatoes and the mix. 

There are three flicker woodpeckers on the tree picture above.  The windy was crazy strong as the snow came through and these woodpeckers took shelter on the south side of my tree. 

Back to the soup!  So, simmer the above ingredients until the potatoes are done.  Stir in milk and cubed Velveeta cheese.  Heat until cheese is melted and enjoy! 


Beefy Nacho Potato Soup


1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 pkg Au Gratin Potatoes
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes w/ green chilies (Rotel), undrained
2 c water
2 c milk
2 c cubed Velveeta cheese


In a 3 qt saucepan, mix ground beef, potatoes, sauce packet that comes with the potatoes, corn, tomatoes and water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add milk and cheese.  Cook and stir until cheese is melted. 

Public Service Announcement!  If you don't already collect these labels for an organization, Alpha Christian Children's Home in NE Kansas would gladly accept them from you.  They may be mailed to PO BOX 727, Perry KS 66073-0727.  

And finally some pictures from my walk Saturday February 3.  I encourage you to find a local trail and explore it! 

Cheese Enchiladas

Last month while making a pantry/freezer inventory list I wrote down the items that needed to be used sooner than later. Lemon pie filling, Alfredo sauce and a fruit crisp mix were on that list. All those items have been used. An enchilada seasoning packet remained. I found a recipe calling for one in the Fairbury NE D.A.R.E. cookbook and decided to give it a try. I made these for my father and never tried them, but he says they're excellent. 

 

To make brown a lb of ground beef. Add hot water, the seasoning packet and a can of tomato paste. 

 

The tomato paste looked like a tornado mold. 

 

Stir in shredded cheese and let simmer. 

 

Meanwhile, wrap sliced of cheese in tortillas. I used corn. 

 

Folks, that is a lot of cheese! 

 

Lay the rolled cheese tortillas in a greased 9x13 and pour meat mixture over the top. Bake.

 

Cheese Enchiladas

1 1/2 lb ground beef (I used 1 lb)

6oz tomato paste

1 12oz pkg block co-jack cheese (I used what I had in hand)

1 8oz pkg co-jack shredded cheese 

1 pkg enchilada seasoning 

1 1/2 c hot water

10 flour shells (I used corn)

Brown hamburger and drain. Add seasoning mix, tomato paste, water and half of the shredded cheese. Simmer 10 to 15 min. Slice block cheese into 10 slices (mine were cut in pieces as I used a rounded block) and wrap 1 slice in each of the flour shells; place seam down in a greased 9x13 pan. Pour meat mixture over flour shells. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes and then go wrestle the cat out of the sock drawer; 

 

Lil Cheddar Meat Loaves

I love visiting my country friends!  Its one of the things I look forward to the most! 

Pretty cows and just enough moisture to make my vehicle a mess! A dirty car is a badge of honor!  Dare to do dirt or at least gravel!  There is so much to be seen and enjoyed, if you leave pavement behind!

The great thing about country friends is that they'll often cook for you! My friend Michelle has shared two wonderful dishes with me and today I'm going to share one with you!  

Lil Cheddar Meat Loaves

1 egg
3/4 c milk
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1/2 c chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 lb lean ground beef
2/3 c ketchup
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk.  Stir in cheese, oats, onion and salt.  Add beef and mix well.  Shape into eight loaves, place in a greased 13x9 baking dish. 
Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard, spoon over loaves. 
Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minute or until the meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. 

Look at those beauties!  We paired them with a spinach salad and fresh fruit salad!  

While Michelle and I caught up, she baked me a loaf of banana oatmeal bread!  It is Huge and oh so good! 

Michelle doubled the meatloaf recipe and she sent me home with this tray full!  Bread and extra meat loaves!  Thank you, Michelle!  

 

Leftover Roast Casserole

Remember the applesauce roast?  It was good, but I only care to eat a meal a few times before I grow tired of it, which was the case with the roast and sweet potatoes.  My coworker makes a dish with pasta and leftover roast that I was hoping to duplicate without her recipe.  This isn't it, but it wasn't bad either.

It was very easy to mix up.  Boil 2 cups dry pasta according to package directions to al dente.  Chop up some leftover roast, stir in 8 oz of shredded cheese and 1 can of cream of chicken soup.  Add to the drained pasta and transfer to a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serves 4.  

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly healthy either!  In a pinch, I'd make it again, but I'll probably use leftover roast to make   

Beef Salad in the future. 

 

Applesauce Roast? Crockpot Sweet Potatoes?

I found these recipes on Pinterest. The first found while searching for easy crockpot roast recipes. I had wanted to make a roast, but hadn't wanted to run to the store for any additonal ingredients. This sounded a little weird, but I thought it worth a try as I had applesauce to use up. 

First season both sides of the roast with garlic powder, salt and pepper. I omitted the pepper and added some onion powder. 

 

Next pour a 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce over the roast. 

 

Weird, huh?!?

 

Pour a cup of water around, not on top, the roast and cook on low for 8 hours. 

I didn't taste the applesauce at all and doubted I'd make it again using applesauce. Otherwise it tasted good and I'll enjoy eating it this week. 

 

Another unusual Pinterest recipe I found was for sweet potatoes in the crockpot. Wash and pierce several sweet potatoes. Place in a large crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours. Don't add any liquid to the pot, just the potatoes. These turned out great. I made three. Only two are shown as the third needed to bake a little while longer due to its size. 

 

I love a baked sweet potato with butter and salt! 

These dishes kick off the eat from home challenge to use up groceries I already have on hand and to adhere to a grocery budget.  With some exceptions, I'm hoping to reduce my grocery purchases to meat and dairy products for the next couple of months. I have a lot of pantry, cupboard and freezer items I need to use up. 

Hamburger Chowder

Hamburger Chowder has been in my family for at least three generations.  The recipe has changed some over the years based on people's preferences. 




Hamburger Chowder The Original


1 lb. ground beef, brown until crumbles
2 c water
2 c tomato juice
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
1 c potatoes peeled and diced
1/2 c celery sliced
1/4 c onion diced
1/4 c barley


Mix together ground beef, water and tomato juice.  Add vegetables, potatoes, celery, onion and barely.  Cook until vegetables and barley are done (approximately 30 min). 

Hamburger Chowder my mother's version


1 lb ground beef, brown until crumbles
1 large can tomato juice
1 large tomato can full of water
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
peeled and diced potatoes

Hamburger Chowder my version!


1 lb ground beef, brown until crumbles
1 large can tomato juice
1 large tomato juice can of water
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
up to 5 lbs of peeled and diced potatoes!

My mother never had any use for the left over tomato juice, so she added the entire can and upped the amount of water.  She also likes a lot of broth in the soups she eats.  She also dropped the added celery, onion and barley probably for ease or because she's picky (its true).  I on the other hand, do not like a lot of broth in my soup and upped the amount of potatoes.  I've been known to peel and dice an entire 5 lb bag of potatoes for this soup. 

Of note!  Don't get the mixed vegetables with lima beans, though honestly I'd eat them.  They don't have much taste.

Above I my mother's bowl with a lot of broth and below is my bowl with little to no broth.

I made this Christmas day and served it to my parents with baked garlic rolls (store made) and a small fruit salad.  We had pie leftover from our holiday gather on Christmas Eve.

Other than having them over for lunch and doing a few chores that morning, I spent most of Christmas cross stitching with this big baby in my lap.  I think I'll repeat this for New Years Eve night and New Years Day, especially with highs only in the single digits and wind chills well below zero.

 

Unstuffed Skillet Peppers

This smelled and tasted soo good, but needs some work!

I had some bell peppers from my trip to Bates County Produce several weeks ago that needed to be used.  I was wanting to make stuffed bell peppers, but its been too hot to turn the oven on.  This last Saturday we got up to 103 degrees actual temperature, but with the high dew points the heat index was 120!  Too Hot! I opted for unstuffed skillet peppers instead.  Actually the blogger calls it One Pot Wonder Stuffed Pepper Skillet and you find the recipe HERE

Its very easy to make and I'd make it again with a few changes.  First you brown and drain ground beef.  Add some dry rice and brown for 2-3 minutes. 

Then you add tomato soup, diced canned tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped peppers, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and brown sugar.  Bring to a rolling boil, cover, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 40 minutes if using brown rice, less if using white.

I used brown rice and simmered that baby for well over an hour and the liquid wasn't getting absorbed. It was bubbling on the simmer level, so slightly boiling and I had used a lid. I sent panicked texts to my friend Jenna who without knowing many details said a tablespoon of oats will help soak up the moisture without altering the taste. 

In they go and I cooked it another 4-5 minutes.

Still really soupy.  I tried a spoonful and the rice was crunchy!  So I added some more beef broth, brought it up to a rolling boil, lowered to simmer (it still bubbled), covered and cooked it some more. 

I called it quits at 2 hours.  Its good, but the rice probably still could have cooked for a while longer.  I will definitely make this again, but use white rice or plan to start dinner at 3 in the afternoon! 

Sunday Roast

Five and a half hours of yard work. Too many on the hot and humid day I worked outside and not nearly enough. Not enough hours in the day. Knowing I'd be outside working I threw a roast, potatoes and a McCormick slow cooker roast sauce pack into the crock pot that morning and had a wonderful dinner that evening!

 

The potatoes were from the farmers market. I arrived late and most items were picked over. 

 

I love the purple potatoes!

 

Fresh tomatoes, potatoes and roast, it doesn't get much better than this!