five ingredient fridays: traditional taco salad

there are those traditional meals that just always taste good. taco salad is one of those for me. i like it just the way we've all always made it. and it's a great summer meal - fast and cool!

traditional taco salad

romaine lettuce
1/2 to 1 lb lean ground beef - cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning (or garlic, cumin and chili powder)
tomatoes
black olives
light ranch dressing (i love kroger brand at Smith's -super cheap too!)

other delicious, but optional ingredients: cheese, tortilla chips, avocado, hearts of palm, anything else that sounds good to you!!

top shredded lettuce with taco meat, tomatoes, olives, dressing and any other topping of your choice. easy as that!

five ingredient fridays: homemade dry onion soup mix and french dips

this might be cheating because onion soup mix isn't a meal, per se, but french dips are... so i'm reposting. and since they both have 5 ingredients i think it counts! we had them again the other night and they were amazing, as usual.

and making your own onion soup mix definitely will save you some bucks. that stuff is expensive!!!

the best french dip sandwiches
(originally posted here)

sandwich is falling apart with deliciousness.

1 recipe onion soup mix (see below)
1 package zesty italian dressing mix (or homemade mix here)
a roast (i usually use rump or whatever i got on sale for $1.89/lb or less)

put roast in crock pot. fill with water so the top of the roast is poking out of the water. pour in mixes. slow cook on low for 8-10 hours. it is done when it falls apart. (depends on your crock pot and the size of your roast.)

serve on yummy french rolls (don't go stingey here - get good ones!), broiled in the oven to toast with pepper jack cheese on them (broil with the cheese on them). carmelized onions are also delicious on them. dip in the juice from the crock pot.

dry onion soup mix
from recipezaar.com (here)

• 4 teaspoons beef bullion granules
• 8 teaspoons dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper
  

face off: sloppy joes vs. sloppy sams

picture from allrecipes.com

we spent Christmas with my in-laws in UT this year. when all of the family (my hubby is one of 7, so this means lots of people) got together right before Christmas, my husband requested a main course on the 23rd of sloppy joes as an easy and delicious way to feed so many hungry mouths. my hubby's little sister and her husband are vegetarians, so i thought i'd make a complimentary vegetarian version that i'd made before to please both halves of the crowd. i liked having them both there as kind of a "face off". here was, in my opinion, the results of said face off:

• sloppy joes - traditional recipe, canned sauce, made with ground beef. i usually like them okay, but since i had the below alternative i couldn't even stomach the joes in comparison.
• sloppy sams - lentils, homemade sauce, sweetened with molasses and brown sugar. simply amazing. i can eat this stuff with a spoon, no bun required.

winner? clearly, the sloppy sams take home the award. cheaper, appease my lentil obsession and way healthier than the traditional joes. put them to the test in your house and let me know if they pass!

sloppy sams
4 big servings
modified from allrecipes.com, specifically here

3 cups chicken broth
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 cup chopped onion
a dash of olive oil
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses (use all brown sugar if you don't have it)
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 dash worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns

1. combine broth and lentils in a saucepan. bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. meanwhile, cook onions with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions have softened and turned translucent, about 4 minutes. add tomatoes and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. stir in tomato paste, ketchup, mustard powder, chili powder, molasses and Worcestershire sauce; simmer 5 to10 minutes until thickened.
3. drain lentils and reserve cooking liquid (i never have any liquid to drain). stir lentils into sauce mixture, adding cooking liquid or water as needed to obtain the desired "sloppy joe" consistency. serve on buns.
   

recipe of the week: steph's asian beef and broccoli

this dinner was awesome. my friend steph passed along her super easy and delicious recipe and i made some very minor adjustments... and viola! soooooo good and soooo simple. and i love it because it is adjustable to however much you want to make!

steph's asian beef and broccoli

about equal portions:
broccoli florets, steamed to crisp tender
very thinly sliced beef (i used london broil - it's the leanest!)

equal amounts of:
soy sauce
sugar
water

cornstarch

optional:
green onions
red pepper flakes

combine enough soy sauce, sugar and water (equal amounts of each) to just cover the meat in a bowl. marinate at least 1/2 an hour (i marinated mine for a few hours). mix in a few large spoonfuls of cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit.

heat your wok or large frying pan on low and add the meat in the sauce with a dash of red pepper flakes if you'd like. when the meat looks 70% cooked and the sauce is gelling to the meat, toss in the already steamed (crisp tender, not soggy) broccoli (with a bit of water if you feel like your sauce is getting too thick) and a few chopped green onions (optional) and mix around so the broccoli absorbs the sauce too. cover with the lid and let it simmer until meat is completely done.

serve over white rice.

recipe of the week: jalapeno pico burgers with homemade guacamole

this is hands down my husband and i's favorite way to eat a cheeseburger. we try and replicate it at restaurants, but it is always better at home. if you love spicy food you'll love this burger. it's fabulous. pair it with oven fries and some corn on the cob for a perfect dinner.

and notice the recipe for homemade guacamole - it contains the secret to perfect guac. getting a big clump of onions always ruins guacamole for me and onion salt isn't the same, but my friend maggi taught me the secret to fix that in college. you need the onion and its juice for perfect guac. see how below.

jalapeno pico burgers with homemade guacamole

hamburgers, grilled at home
buns
cheese of choice (really good with cheddar or pepper jack)
jalapenos (from the bottle)
homemade guacamole (below)
fresh pico de gallo
extra cilantro
tomato, lettuce or other desired burger toppings

put burgers together as desired with above ingredients. (if you spread the guac nice and thick on the bun and then put the jalapenos, pico and cilantro right on top of it it usually stays together pretty well!)

homemade guacamole

avocados
roma tomatoes (optional)
an onion (yellow or white)
garlic salt
lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste if desired

peel, pit and mash avocados in bowl or tupperware (keep a pit to leave in with leftover guac - it keeps it from getting brown as easily). chop a roma tomato or two (or however many you like), leaving middles out, and add to avocado. slice onion in half and then use a spoon to scrape the onion into the bowl, allowing juice and flesh to fall from the onion. alternate adding scraped onion, garlic salt, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste until your guacamole is exactly how you like it! some people like more/less onion so there is no exact science here. just bust out some chips and try it as you go. mmm....

recipe of the week: cornbread taco bake

i suddenly remembered this delicious dinner my friend emily brought us after i had my daughter. i just had to call her and get the recipe. it is such a yummy, kid-friendly dinner and we loved it! hope you do too.

cornbread taco bake
4 servings

filling:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 can corn, drained (15 oz)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 heaping cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 of an onion, chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning

brown beef with onions, peppers and taco seasoning. add everything else and simmer until thickened. put in a greased 9X9 baking dish.

topping:
1 8.5 oz package of cornbread mix (i used 52 cent jiffy)
french fried onions
cheddar cheese

make cornbread mix according to package directions. add a few teaspoons of french fried onions to the batter. spoon over the top of the filling. bake in oven according to cornbread package directions, removing a few minutes before it is finished to add a few more french fried onions and shredded cheddar cheese to taste. return to oven and cook until cornbread is cooked through.

what made this happy, messy face?

fresh basil of course!

okay, maybe not. it was pastor ryan's homemade bolognese sauce (from the pioneer woman cooks, with a few changes of course) and mommy's homemade noodles. but the fresh basil rocked. i'm growing it in a pot outside my front door and it's fabulous. do yourself a favor. grow some. here's mine. and i kill everything. i call it my "black thumb". apparently basil is easy!

i can't even tell you how good this sauce was. please make some. please.

ryan’s bolognese
from the pioneer woman cooks
makes tons

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

1 zucchini, grated
1 large red onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef (i want to try ground turkey next time)
2 tablespoons dried oregano flakes
2 tablespoons dried basil flakes (i used fresh because i'm growing it - soooo yummy!
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup milk
fresh Parmesan cheese

heat oil in a large dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. add grated carrots, zucchini and onions and cook for a few minutes.
make a well in the center of the mixture, then add in the ground beef. cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.
throw in oregano and basil. use fresh if you have it; if you don’t, it’s fine.
when the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. add tomato paste and let it heat.
add garlic and stir to combine.
aake a well in the center of the mixture and add chicken broth. stir together.
add worcestershire and stir.
add canned tomatoes.
finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—however long you need.

serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

homemade noodles

ala better homes and gardens' red checker cook book

makes 1 lb (normal size box of pasta)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 beaten egg yolks

1 beaten egg

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1. in a large bowl stir together 1 3/4 cup of the flour and the salt. make a well in the center of the flour mixture. in a small bowl stir together egg yolks, whole egg and oil. add egg mixture to flour mixture; mix well.

2. sprinkle kneading surface with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. turn dough out onto floured surface. knead until dough is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes total). cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes.

3. divide dough into 4 equal portions. on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 12x9-inch rectangle (about 1/16 inch thick). let stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes. lightly dust dough with flour. loosely roll dough into a spiral; cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. shake the strands to separate; cut into 2-3-inch lengths.

4. to serve immediately, cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until tender but still firm, allowing 1 to 2 more minutes for dried or frozen noodles. drain.

5. to store cut noodles, spread them on a wire cooling rack. let noodles dryu about 1 hour or until completely dry. place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. ot dry noodles for at least 1 hour and place them in a freezer bag or freezer container; freeze up to 8 months.

don't be intimidated by this make-your-own-noodles gig. it's easier than it seems - i promise.

the recipe makes about 1 lb - the size of a normal box of pasta which usually makes leftovers for our 3 the following day. we have no leftovers with these. soooooo good. enjoy!

splurge night: part 2

on to the 2nd type of splurging - budgeted splurging (click here if you missed the first type). eating wouldn't be fun if you couldn't use some pricier, more fun ingredients once in a while. here are my guidelines for making your splurge night still budget-friendly:

• plan ahead - if you're going to have a budget splurging meal, plan ahead for it and each extra cheaply the rest of the week to compensate. also, if you plan ahead you can get things for your splurge while they are on sale. (ex. we love the french dips recipe below, but i don't buy the roast unless i can get it for $1.79/lb or less and i try and find the pepper jack on sale as well)
  
• stay in your budget - splurging shouldn't have to mean buying the most expensive ingredients out there, just something you don't normally buy. and put it in the budget. if your food budget is a little tight that month, find another category to squeeze it into. i'm infamous for filing yummy, splurge ingredients into my date budget or my miscellaneous category.
• have a date/fun budget - sometimes the splurge we want is a saturday night with no cooking - we'd rather someone else cook and clean up. so we have a date budget and that way we can have eating out be a budget-friendly splurge.

this is probably our favorite budgetary splurge. we love, love, love these sandwiches. i never liked traditional french dips, but these are fabulous.

french dips
ala my bff maggi

my french dip decided to fall apart for the picture... but man, was it good!!!!!!

1 package onion soup mix
1 package zesty italian dressing mix (or homemade mix here)
a roast

put roast in crock pot. fill with water. pour in mixes. heat on high. it is done when it falls apart. (depends on your crock pot and the size of your roast.)

serve on yummy french rolls (don't go stingey here - get good ones!), broiled in the oven to toast with pepper jack cheese on them (broil with the cheese on them). carmelized onions are also delicious on them. dip in the juice from the crock pot.