Taco Soup

I love making this soup because I always seem to have the ingredients on hand in my food storage. It is great to make when unexpected people show up because it is fast, easy, and you can make it for large groups really easy. If more people show up, just add a couple more cans of something.

1 lb. ground beef
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can whole kernel corn
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can water
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
Fritos
shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning mix and prepare according to package instructions. Open all the beans and rinse and drain. Add beans, corn and crushed tomatoes to the ground beef mixture. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add that to the soup. Heat through. Serve topped with shredded cheese, Fritos or corn chips and sour cream if desired.

If you don't have all of those kinds of beans, you can do 3 cans of one of them or mix and match in any way you like. I've even had it with Garbanzo beans too.

Mandarin Chicken and Fried Rice

This chicken is like the kind you get at Panda Express

MANDARIN CHICKEN

boneless skinless chicken thighs
2/3 c sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp. garlic
1/4 c. water
4 tsp flour

Put sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and stir together. Place on stove on low heat. In a separate bowl, mix flour with water. When the sauce warms up, add flour mixture a little at a time to thicken.

Grill the chicken on your BBQer until done. Slice into bitesize pieces and drizzle with sauce until all pieces are covered. Serve immediately with extra sauce on the side in case someone wants more. I figure 2-3 thighs per person. This sauce is enough for 15-20 thighs and it keeps for quite a while in the fridge too. When I cut my chicken up, I use a fork and knife holding the chicken down with the fork and slicing through the tines with the knife to cut into strips.


HAM FRIED RICE

3-4 c. prepared rice (I use regular or instant, my kids like the instant better but I like the real rice better)
diced ham
1-2 eggs
frozen peas
2-3 green onions , diced
soy sauce
butter

Melt 1 T butter in skillet or wok. Brown onions and ham in the butter. Mix the eggs in a bowl and cook in the skillet or wok (scramble) along with the peas. Take onions, peas, ham and eggs out of pan. Melt 1/4-1/2 c. butter in the pan. Add rice and cook over high heat so that it fries the rice. After it is fried, add the rest of the ingredients back in and stir together. Warm through and add 1-2 T soy sauce. Serve with soy sauce in case anyone likes to add more.

Cornbread Muffins

I hate dry crumbly corn bread with a passion! When I found this recipe, I fell in love with cornbread again. They are moist and not crumbly and they are delicious!

Corn Muffins

1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
3 T sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 c. sour cream

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl beat egg and sour cream; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes. Makes 8-10 muffins

Homemade Pizza

It has been a standing tradition at our house on Friday nights for the last few years to have pizza for dinner. It started because that was date night for Sean and I so it was easy for the boys to just do frozen pizza. Then we were unemployed and poor, so we started having our date for lunch because the lunch menu is cheaper than the dinner menu and we also started making pizza from scratch to save money also. My nephew Tyler doesn't like pizza, but he thinks that Aunt Lori's pizza is ok, so Tyler, this recipe is for you!

Crust (makes two 12 pizzas)
2 T. rapid yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder


Put 1/4 c. warm water in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and then sprinkle with the sugar. Let sit until it is foamy. Add the rest of the water (1c.), olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Stir just a little to mix. Add all of the flour and knead by hand until mixed well. If it is sticking to your hands, add a little more flour. Cover and let rise until double. I use a Tupperware bowl and let it rise until the lid pops off.

Sprinkle a little flour on your counter. Split dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out into a 12" circle and place on pizza pan sprayed with non-stick cooking oil. Poke holes in dough with a fork.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put dough into oven and cook for 5 minutes. Take out and spread pizza sauce (I like the Contadina pizza sauce you can buy in a can) on top followed by grated cheese and any other toppings you wish. Put back in oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until crust starts to brown and cheese is melted.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Make dough according to directions above.
Cut 2 chicken breasts into bite size pieces and brown in olive oil sprinkled with garlic powder.
Once you cook the dough for the 5 minutes, spread with alfredo sauce, sprinkle with cheese, spread chicken around the top and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Bake. YUMMY!

Pancakes from Scratch

These are so yummy! I can't eat pancakes from a mix anymore. The recipe calls for Buttermilk, but you can use regular milk if you want. BUTTERMILK makes them so much better though! I also sometimes mix in fresh or frozen blueberries when I want to give Trevin a treat because he loves them with blueberries.

Pancakes

1 1/2 c. buttermilk
3 eggs
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baing soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. canola oil (or vegetable oil)
1 3/4 c. flour

I put all the ingredients in my blender and mix up then you can just pour it out on your griddle easily.

Heidi, I doubled this when you guys were here.

Pumpkin Cookies

I can never find this recipe when I need it and I should be able to remember it since it is so easy, but I always second guess myself wondering if there is anything else that needs added, so I'm adding the recipe here so I don't have to search for it every time. I always think it needs eggs or something added and it doesn't. I made these for our YM/YW activity treats last night and they were a hit!

Pumpkin Cookies

1 can pumpkin (29 oz)

3 spice cake mixes

2 bags chocolate chips (you can just put 1 bag in if you want but we like lots of chocolate chips)

Mix pumpkin and cake mix with mixer until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop on cookie sheets sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool. I piped on some cream cheese frosting for these and it made them so much yummier!

Makes 8 dozen or so.

Banana Cream Layered Dessert

This is such a yummy and quick dessert to make. I usually make it in a 9x13 cake pan but you make individual ones like in the photo.

• 1 pkg cream cheese
• 1 T. vanilla
• 1 can sweet & condensed milk
• 12 oz. whipped cream (kool whip is great)
• 3 c. milk
• 1 lg pkg vanilla pudding
• 1 box vanilla wafer cookies
• 5-6 banana

Mix softened cream cheese, vanilla, sweet & condensed milk, 1/2 of the whipped cream, 3 c. milk and vanilla pudding in a large mixing bowl. Slice bananas. In a 9x13 cake pan, put one layer of sliced bananas, repeat this step then add the remaining whipped cream and crumble the remaining cookies on top.