Crazy Noodles

I saw this on pinterest and thought I'd have a cooking night with the girls. We all had a blast sticking noodles into the hot dog slices, then we laughed and laughed at what they'd become after they were cooked.

I didn't eat any but my girls put parmesean cheese on them and said, "delicious, yummy and I like them mama."

Crock Pot Spicy Shredded Beef Tacos

If you've been around me at all in the last few weeks, you've probably heard me talk about Pinterest. I'm so sorry to sound like a broken record! I found this recipe during my daily Pinterest crawl. It's so good. And so spicy. I just had leftovers for lunch, and my mouth is still tingling (but I like that). Once again, I forgot to take pictures, but you can see the original recipe here, and she has gorgeous ones.

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe


(Adapted from My Kitchen Addiction)

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 cup beef stock

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (I love spice and used two!)

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Flour tortillas

Favorite taco toppings (**ideas below**)

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side.

Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.

Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.

Some topping ideas include:
guacamole or avocado
fresh salsa
Mexican rice
grated cheese
fresh lettuce
tomato
onion
cilantro
squeeze of lime juice

Kelly's note: Yesterday, I was in a hurry when I threw this together. I didn't do anything but throw the (frozen) roast into the crock pot, chop up 2 canned chipotle peppers, and scoop in some of the adobo sauce from the can. That was it. The meat was still really tasty!

Lemon Pesto Chicken & Raviolis

I really wish I could remember where I found this recipe. I might have even printed it off of this site! I just found it in my cookbook one day, and can't remember where I got it. Anyway, I made it for the first time last week, and it was really good!

5-6 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

3 Tbsp Olive Oil or Canola Oil

1/2 Pesto Packet (like taco seasoning packets)

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice

1 Cup milk

2 small yellow squash

2 small zucchini

2 Tomatoes

1/4 C. Parmessan

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a skillet, add in oil, and chicken. While chicken is browning, add in lemon juice, and cut the squash and zucchini into slices. When the chicken is brown on each side, (still pink in the middle), add in the squash & zucchini. Sprinkle pesto packet over everything in the skillet. Pour the milk on top, and mix around until everything is coated. Salt & pepper. Let cook at medium heat for about 10 minutes (until veggies are soft but not soggy). Add in sliced tomato and parmessan, stir. Remove from heat.

Serve over raviolis, or in my case, (I didn't have raviolis on hand), serve over pasta.

But here's another tip: Try it served over the Herb & Butter flavored Pasta Roni. I had some leftover from the kids dinner the next night, so I tried it. It was SO yummy!

Family Favorite

It's been a while since a new post on here.  Hopefully, everyone is busy having fun. This year's menu for us (so far) has been full of dishes that are "all-in-one"type dishes- with a little something from each food group to make it a complete meal.  Ham Fried Rice: rice, ham, carrots, peas, scrambled eggs.  Pesto Pasta: topped with turkey bacon, tomatoes, and a little cheese. And this Dorito Taco salad. I'm sure you all have this recipe, but I thought I'd share anyway.

1 pound ground beef or turkey

3/4 head of lettuce 

3 tomatoes

Doritos (you can use baked if you want)

1 can kidney beans (we like black better) drained and rinsed

a little onion

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

3/4 bottle Thousand Island dressing (you can use light or Fat Free)

Chop and mix tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.  Mix with dressing.  Brown hamburger, drain, and add the beans. Simmer for 10 min. Add to salad.  Serve with crushed Doritos.  I like it topped with sour cream and avocados.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

If we were giving prizes away at Fabulous Friday I think this soup would have been a blue ribbon winner for sure. I'm pretty sure I saw people licking their bowls and weeping over the empty crockpot. :)

Thanks Alyssa for sharing this yummy recipe with us.

Cheesy Cream of Vegetable Soup

2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery (I replaced with broccoli)
6 teaspoons or cubes of chicken bouillon
Simmer above to semi-soft.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
3 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk

Do not drain vegetables. Add the white sauce to cooked vegetables. Add 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Heat together but do not boil.

Sausage Soup

Here's another soup recipe from Fabulous Friday. This one comes from Teresa Throop.

Sausage Soup

3-4 large potatoes
4 -6 tsp. chicken bouillon
4-6 cups water
1 lb. sausage
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (about 8-10 slices) *
Salt to taste

Cube potatoes and place in sauce pan. Cover with enough water to boil, about 4-6 cups and add chicken bouillon. While potatoes are boiling, brown sausage and bacon. When potatoes are tender, add sausage, bacon and kale to sauce pan. Boil for 2 minutes and then add cream and salt if desired.

*I use Hormel real bacon bits for ease.

Porcupine Meatballs

This is a family favorite that my mom made when I was younger. I now make it all the time for my own family!

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (although, I always use ground turkey.)
2/3 cup rice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
15 ounce tomato soup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Mix ground meat with rice, water, onion, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Place meatballs in ungreased baking dish. Mix soup and Worcestershire sauce and pour over meatballs. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.


*When I don't have enough time, I will use my electric frying pan to cook them. I brown the meatballs first then add the sauce and cover. Once I have added the sauce, it usually only takes about 20-30 minutes. Cook covered until the meat is cook all the way through!

Taco Soup

Here is the soup I made for our Fabulous Friday. This is Tammy Thompson's recipe, but I have tweaked it a little bit.

1 lb ground beef
chopped onion
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans undrained
1 can corn undrained
1 cup salsa (I use Pace Chunky Salsa, Medium)
1 packet taco seasoning

Brown ground beef with onion. Drain. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Ladle into bowl. Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

I put mine in a crockpot and cooked on high for about 2 hours.

Ranch Chicken

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. So easy and yummy!

3/4 c. cornflakes, crushed

3/4 c. Parmesean cheese, grated

1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half

1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

In a shallow bowl (I use a pie tin) combine the crushed cornflakes, Parmesean cheese, and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat. Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish. Bake uncovered at 35o for 45 minutes or until chicken juice runs clear.

Burrito Bake

1 1b ground beef (I usually use ground turkey)
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup Bisquick
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, onion, and pepper together. Drain and rinse well. Add taco seasoning and 1 cup of water. Simmer 2o minutes. Combine Bisquick, 1/4 cup water and refried beans. Mix well and spread bean mixture on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Next, spread ground beef mixture, salsa, and then cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares and top with lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and sour cream.

Wendy's Chili

We love Wendy's chili and this recipe is close the real thing!

2 lb. Ground Beef, Browned
1-29 oz. Tomato Sauce
1 29- oz. Can Kidney Beans, Rinsed and Drained
1-29 oz. Can Pinto Beans, Rinsed and Drained
1 C. Onion Diced
1 C. Diced Celery
1 Can Diced Green Chilies
3 Medium Tomatoes (I used a 29 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1 Tsp. Cumin
2 TBSP. Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Salt
2 C. Water

Add all ingredients into crock pot. Simmer for a a few hours, or until celery is tender. Serve with grated cheese and tortilla chips.

Another PW recipe: Cajun Chicken Pasta

Here's the link to the recipe on The Pioneer Woman's site.

This was a yummy recipe! Obviously I didn't use white wine, but just added additional chicken stock. It's best to eat this meal in a bowl rather than on a plate.

Okay, I'm an idiot. For some odd reason, the text won't copy from PW's site. Just go to the link!

(Photo courtesy of thepioneerwoman.com)