Favorite Taco Soup

 

TACO SOUP

Notes:  This recipe is from Suzie’s NE friend, Michelle M.
Servings: Approximately 12

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb. Hamburger
1 small chopped onion
4 oz. can Chopped Green Chilis
1 Pkg. (1.25oz.) Taco Seasoning (we make our own Taco Seasoning Mix)
1 pkg (1oz.) Ranch mix
2 cans (15oz.) Chili Recipe Stewed Tomatoes (I can my own Mexican Stewed Tomatoes)
2 cans (15oz.) Bush’s Hot Chili Beans (generally use the store brand)
1 ½ -2 cups Water
8oz. Mexican Blend Cheeses
1 Bag Fritos (Ranch or Chili Cheese Flavored are good, but plain Fritos are used more often at our home)
8oz Sour Cream (we use more sour cream!)

DIRECTIONS:
Brown hamburger & chopped onion, drain grease. Add chopped green chilies, beans, tomatoes, taco & ranch seasonings, and water. Simmer 30-45 minutes for best results or let it simmer in the crock pot for 4-6 hours. Serve soup over the Fritos. Then, top with cheese and sour cream.

FREEZING:
Cool completely.  Transfer to a gallon freezer bag.  Remove as much air as possible.  Double bag for safety!  Label and freeze on a cookie tray to keep the bag flat.

PREPARATION:
Thaw in the frig or in microwave.  Reheat on the stove or in a crock pot.  Serve soup over Fritos.  Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Who would’ve thought my whole crew would like this soup.  I made the soup because the cauliflower needed to be used and we really don’t care for the raw vegetable.  The soup was easy to make and I had all the ingredients on hand. 

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbls. butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
• 10 oz. frozen cauliflower*
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 Tbls. flour
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a sauce pan, add onion.  Sautee onions until translucent.  Add flour and mix thoroughly.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Add cauliflower; simmer until tender.

Use a slotted spoon to remove cauliflower from the pot into a blender.  Puree the cauliflower, then add back to the pot.  Mix well.  Add milk, salt & pepper.  Heat to a low simmer, being careful not to boil.

*I used fresh cauliflower.  As the vegetable is simmered in liquid until soft, using fresh meant simmering just a bit longer.

**My own touch was to add a bit of chopped parsley and shredded cheese on top.

 

Copyright © 2010 Leanne Ely, CNC  All rights reserved.

November 1-7 Menu

As always, a bread (biscuits, beer batter bread, croissants, etc.), salad, fruit or veggies are generally added to the main dish.  If I'm in the mood, I sometimes whip up a salad other than lettuce.

Sunday
Dinner: Pancakes and deer sausage
Supper: Country Church Fundraiser - Buffalo Supper

Monday
Dinner: Veggie Soup
Supper: Sandwiches for the Road & Field!

Tuesday
Dinner:  Leftovers (Veggie Soup)
Supper: Enchilada Stuffed Shells  (double and freeze one entree)

Wednesday
Dinner: Crock Pot - Roast Chicken (I usually roast two at a time)
Supper: Roast Chicken with stuffing

Thursday
Dinner: Chicken ala King (over biscuits)
Supper: Leftover (whatever needs eating)

Friday
Dinner: Tuna quesadillas
Supper: Clam Chowder

Saturday
Dinner: Leftovers (whatever needs eating)
Supper: Spaghetti w/ meat sauce

Manicotti Alla Romana

This is a new recipe to me.  I've had the manicotti pasta on hand for a while and decided during menu planning that it was time to 'use it'.  So, while this recipe doesn't recommend or even talk about doubling and freezing, that's my experiment.  I'm quite certain it will work because I frozen similar dishes with great results.  I am planning to change the recipe from the original I found online, so I can give you my ingredients and extended directions.  Please note that the ingredients are for a double batch and I do plan to freeze half.  This recipe is a bit time-consuming, so the double batch makes it more worthwhile for me.

FAMILY RATING:  *****

This recipe is soooo good.  For our family, one manicotti was enough for the three youngest.  Graham would have had enough with 1/2 or 3/4 of a manicotti, but I dished him without thinking.  He ate it anyway (I'm sure he's stuffed!) because the Cookie Cake Dessert was enticing.  I served the main dish with vegetables, so there should be enough left for dinner/lunch tomorrow, as long as I supplement with veggies or garlic toast. 

Manicotti Alla Romana (Doubled)
Yield: 14 servings (7 large adult servings per dish)

Ingredients:

2 Tbls. Olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

6 cloves minced garlic

2 lbs. ground beef

Sea Salt to taste

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained*

2 – 15oz. containers Ricotta Cheese

2 eggs, beaten

6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

4 Tbls. Butter

4 Tbls. All purpose flour
4 Tbls. Beef bouillon
4 cups half & half
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbls. Chopped fresh basil
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Stir in ground beef. Cook until well browned. Season with sea salt and set aside.

2. Cook spinach according to package directions.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add manicotti tubes and parboil for half the recommended time on the package. Drain and cover with cool water to stop the cooking process and prevent cracking.

4. To the ground beef, add the cooked spinach and ricotta cheese. When the mixture is cooled, add beaten eggs. Spread 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of each 9x13 inch pan. Gently drain the manicotti tubes and carefully stuff each one with meat and cheese mixture. I put the mixture in a Ziploc storage bag, cut the corner and squeezed the mixture into the tubes. Place half the pasta in each pan. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent cracking.

Meat and ricotta cheese mixture (above).

13x9 pans prepared with 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce.

Meat and ricotta cheese mixture in a ziploc bag and ready for squeezing into the manicotti tubes.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and beef bouillon. Increase heat to med-high and cook while stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble. Stir in ½ & ½ and bring to a boil, stirring constantly (a whisk works best). Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Ladle half the sauce over manicotti in each pan.

7. Stir the basil into the remaining spaghetti sauce. Ladle half the sauce over the white sauce in each pan. Try to layer the sauces without mixing.

Manicotti tubes are filled and placed in 13x9 pans (above).  Ready for baking or for freezing (below).

8. Cover aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered another 10 minutes.


Freezing Directions: 
After layering the sauces on the second pan, cover with plastic wrap and with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you prefer, you can even measure the parmesan cheese into a baggie and freeze between the plastic wrap and foil. Label with the following instructions: Thaw completely in frig (this may be more than overnight). Remove plastic wrap and recover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees, or until done. Remove from the oven, uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered another 10 minutes.

*If you decide not to double, it’s okay to use a full 10 oz. package of frozen spinach per ‘batch’.

An Additional Note:  I used a gallon size freezer bag, but it may be more manageable to use a quart sized bag.

And, a confession ... I forgot to add the eggs to the meat and cheese mixture!  However, the dish was still delicious and no one but me knew about the omission.

October 25-31 Menu

Menus are flexible in my house.  That means if leftovers last longer, I get a free pass for a meal or two!  Here's what I have planned for this coming week: October 25-31.  As always, a bread (biscuits, beer batter bread, croissants, etc.), salad, fruit or veggies are generally added to the main dish.  Although, additions have been a little forgotten during these last weeks of pregnancy - at least I'm getting a meal on the table.

Sunday
Dinner: French toast w/ deer sausage
Supper: Taco Bar at our 4-H meeting


Monday
Dinner: Healing Cabbage Soup (I need to use up a half a cabbage)
Supper: Leftovers or sandwiches (traveling for Angelina and I = sandwiches)


Tuesday
Dinner: Hamburger Hotdish (double and freeze one entree)
Supper: Leftovers (Hamburger Hotdish)


Wednesday
Dinner: Hot Ham & Cheese sandwiches
Supper: Manicotti Alla Romana (double and freeze one entree)


Thursday
Dinner: Leftovers or sandwiches
Supper: Pizza


Friday
Dinner: Tuna sandwiches
Supper: Shrimp Alfredo


Saturday
Dinner: Leftovers (whatever needs to be eaten)
Supper: Crock Pot: Whole Chicken with Veggies

I don't plan breakfasts.  We have a variety of choices available: cold & hot cereal, bagels, English muffins, bread, eggs (for those old enough, but many weeks I'll have cold boiled eggs in the frig), yogurt (homemade) and in-season fruit.  Cold cereal ends up the common breakfast, but I'm working on it.

Pepperoni Spaghetti Pie

The recipe that inspired this dish originally came to me from menus4moms.com. I did change some of the ingredients to suite what I had on hand, and I added a few ingredients, as well. My family thought this was a keeper. We are all looking forward to leftovers!! Here's my adjusted recipe.

Pepperoni Spaghetti Pie
Yield: 12 servings

1 lb. ground hamburger
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 (4oz.) can mushrooms
1 (26oz.) can or jar pasta sauce
1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. sweet basil, dried
1 tsp. oregano, dried
2 Tbl. parsely, dried
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
1 lb. spaghetti, broken into 1 to 2 inch pieces
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (5oz.) pkg sliced pepperoni*
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pasta as directed on the package. Drain and rinse. Set aside.

2. Brown the hamburger in a large skillet. Drain excess liquid. Once browned and drained, add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender.

3. Add the pasta sauce, tomato sauce and all the seasonings. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes to combine flavors.

4. Combine the milk and eggs in a large bowl. Mix the spaghetti into the milk and egg mixture to coat.

5. Lightly spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray.

6. Place half the spaghetti mixture in the pan, then place half the meat mixture on top. Repeat these two layers. Arrange pepperoni over the top of the layers. Spread 2 cheeses over the top of the pepperoni.

7. Cover the pie with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To Freeze: After the pepperoni is arranged, put the pie in the refrigerator to cool. Once cooled completely, spread the 2 cheeses over the top. Wrap the pie with freezer wrap (I usually use plastic wrap and foil - cheese will eat away at foil, so the plastic wrap is necessary for freezeing). It will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To Prepare from Freezer: Thaw the pie overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and cover again with the foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

*I try to avoid meats that have nitrates added. I thought I'd have to make an exception for this recipe, but was surprised to find that non-nitrate pepperoni is available!

Chicken Potpie

When I was growing up, mom would occasionally buy the chicken and beef frozen potpies. My brothers and I thought they were so good, and I remember the flaky crust. Plus, we each got our own (I remember being very excited). Then, she stopped purchasing the potpies.... When I tried them again years later, I was very disappointed to find the potpies didn't live up to my expectations for taste, flakiness, or filling!

Well, I got up the courage to try a homemade chicken potpie, and it is definitely a keeper recipe. My whole family liked the flavor, filling, and flaky crust. The smell of the potpie baking brought all the kids into the kitchen at some point.

This recipe makes two pies. You can bake one and freeze one; or bake both, if you need more than six adult servings. The first time I made the recipe, I cut it in half because I didn't want to have extra, if it was a flop. This week, I made the full recipe and put one in the freezer. I'll update later to let you know if the frozen pie bakes up as nice.

TIP: You may want to bake the pie on a cookie sheet to catch drips. The first pie dribbled over the pie plate quite a bit and would have caused a burnt mess in the oven. The second batch was fine (which is good, because I forgot to put a cookie sheet under it!).

CHICKEN POTPIE
Yield: 12 Servings
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 3/4 cups sliced carrots
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
4 pastry crusts for a 9 inch pie (2 crusts per pie)

DIRECTIONS
1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter. Whisk in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended.

3. Gradually whisk in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.


4. Line two 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture.

5. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Place over filling; pinch the edges of the bottom and top crusts together. Cut slits in top pastry to release steam. Cover the edge of the crust with foil to prevent over-browning.

6. Bake at 425 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Remove the foil in the last 15 minutes of baking to let the edges brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting (I did skimp on the ‘sitting still’ time).

We were all so hungry, I forgot to take a picture of a serving on a plate! We just dished up, prayed and ate. The crust is wonderfully flaky and the flavor is comforting. I'll definitely be adding this to the recipe list. For our family it's a 5 star recipe.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Cover the potpie with plastic wrap and then foil. Label the potpie and include baking instructions on the label.

BAKING THE FROZEN PIE: Cover the crust edges with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown.

Scandinavian Meatballs

Until now, I've never known the ingredients for Scandinavian meatballs. I just found a recipe, adjusted it to suite what I had on hand, doubled it for tonights meal, and it's so good! Why didn't anyone share this with me? Of course, I probably could have asked . . .

Right now, the meatballs are in the oven covered with homemade gravy.

The meatballs with be served with leftover mashed potatoes - the kind of potatoes that have all the 'good stuff' added to them. By 'good stuff', I mean butter, sour cream, veggie cream cheese, sea salt & white pepper. The potatoes are prepared ahead of time (up to 1 day ahead of time) and then baked in the oven until heated through. They are a great time-saver.

Scandinavian Meatballs
Yield for Double Batch: Approx. 60 meatballs


4 lbs. ground hamburger
6 Tbl. dried onion soup mix (or 2 packets)
1 cup milk
1-1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together. Using a cookie scoop, form the meatballs and place them about 1/2 inch apart on a brownie pan (A double batch will need two brownie pans, and I line the brownie pans with foil for easier clean-up). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done. Once done, either use the meatballs immediately, or prepare for storing. The meatballs can be easily frozen for later use and this would make a great OAMC recipe!

My Favorite Meatloaf

The Camera Saga: My camera is not worth repairing says the local repairman. It's amazing how prices on digital cameras have come down since I purchased in December 2004! My new camera is half the price of my old camera, even though I chose to get a similar model, and should arrive by the end of next week. I can hardly wait . . .

This is my preferred meatloaf recipe. I did not like meatloaf as a kid, but I decided to try making meatloaf because it's a quick and easy meal base that usually yields leftovers for the next day. The first recipes I tried were very basic - hamburger, sausage, egg, oatmeal, onion - the usual ingredients in varying combinations. This recipe is different and it's adapted from a recipe printed in the Cooking Light, January 2000 issue.

Barbecued Meat Loaf
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

1 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 slice white bread*
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/4 cup fresh parsley (use about half that amount if using dried parsley)
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin*
1/2 pound lean ground pork*
1 large egg

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place bread in a food processor; process until finely ground. Combine bread and milk in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup ketchup mixture, onion, and the next 9 ingredients (onion through egg); stir until well-blended. Place beef mixture in an 8x4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Brush remaining ketchup mixture over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove meat loaf from pan. Cut into slices.

*I make a few adjustments to the recipe. I use whole wheat bread instead of white. Our ground beef is in 2 pound packs, so I increase the ground beef. I also increase the ground pork to 1 pound. These changes don't affect the recipe beyond providing more servings, in my opinion.

Notes:
1. I usually bake the meat loaf in a stoneware loaf pan that has been seasoned with use. I do NOT need to use cooking spray. I've found that I don't need cooking spray in any of my glass or metal pans, either.
2. I like to drain the fat with a baster after the first hour. I drain the fat again before serving.
3. This recipe doubles easily and freezes well. To freeze, bake the loaf and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and then wrap in foil. Label and freeze.

We serve Barbecued Meat Loaf with baked or mashed potatoes, mixed veggies or a salad.

Once a Month Cooking

On Wednesday, I finally had time to look through the 'Freezer Cooking Manual' - something I'd been meaning to do since I picked up the book this summer our our local homeschool conference - and am planning to attempt a mini-cooking day on Saturday. I registered as a member of the http://www.30daygourmet.com/ website, too. This gives me access to tested recipes and tips from those who have done it. While I don't think I'll be doing a major cooking day that would cover our whole month, I can definitely see getting 10-15 meals out of a cooking session.

The website also touted an interesting software program that keeps recipes, tracks and mulitiplies ingredients, and creates a variety of reports to make your cooking day easier. A free 30 day trial is available, so I'm testing it out. So far, I'm impressed. I am using a few recipes that were pre-entered, but also entered some of my family favorites for this Saturday. The program creates an ingredient list for shopping and my next favorite feature is the inventory list. The inventory list shows how many entrees have been prepared and can be kept on or near your deep freeze for easy check-off when entrees are taken out for use. Have I mentioned that I LOVE lists? Maybe that's why I like cookbooks and recipes; they're full of lists.

Tomorrow, I'm going to make use of the ingredient list. Fridays are my meeting, errand & shopping day. My dd and I will head to town to fill the cart, the coolers & probably the back of the van!

This is one of the family favorite recipes that I entered into the software (and yes, it does freeze and reheat quite well) . . .

TACO SOUP (from Suzie’s friend, Michelle M.)
Servings: Approximately 12

2 lb. Hamburger
1 small chopped onion
4 oz. can Chopped Green Chilis
1 Pkg. (1.25oz.) Taco Seasoning (I make my own Taco Seasoning Mix)
1 pkg (1oz.) Ranch mix
2 cans (15oz.) Chili Recipe Stewed Tomatoes (I can my own Mexican Stewed Tomatoes)
2 cans (15oz.) Bush’s Hot Chili Beans (I generally use the store brand)
1 ½ -2 cups Water
8oz. Mexican Blend Cheeses
1 Bag Fritos (Ranch or Chili Cheese Flavored are good, but I like plain Fritos)
8oz Sour Cream (we use more sour cream!)

Brown hamburger & chopped onion, drain grease. Add chopped green chilies, beans, tomatoes, taco & ranch seasonings, and water. Simmer 30-45 minutes for best results or let it simmer in the crock pot for 4-6 hours. Serve soup over the Fritos. Then, top with cheese and sour cream.

If I'm ambitious, I try to serve the Taco Soup with my favorite corn bread recipe - adapted from the Company Corn Bread recipe in the cookbook 'Help! My Family's Hungry'.

COMPANY CORN BREAD
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen (more if you only fill the muffin cups 2/3 full)

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted but not hot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Either spray the muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or use muffin cup papers. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, biscuit mix, sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add milk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir or whisk until smooth. A few lumps of biscuit mix may remain. Pour into prepared muffin pan. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.