Taco Salad- Simple but delicious

Taco Salad

Perfect for Pic-Nics, Pot Lucks and quick dinners! This is cheap, fast to make and portable.

You will make this over and over again it is that good.

Prep time is about 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Lbs. Ground Beef

1/2 Onions, cut into small pieces

1 bottle Italian Dressing

1 head Lettuce (chopped)

4 Tomatoes (diced)

1 small tub of sour cream

1 package of grated cheese (I like the package that has three cheeses)

1 can Black Olives (sliced) drained

1 or 2 cans of kidney beans or pinto beans (drained)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Cayenne Pepper powder

Chili Powder

1 bag of Tortilla Chips

Optional: Salsa (all ingredients chopped into small pieces)

2 tomatoes, 1/4 of an onion, 2 jalapeno chilies, 1 bunch cilantro, salt to taste and one lime squeezed. Mix together and serve.

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Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion, add salt, pepper, chili powder and cayenne pepper powder to your liking.

 

Meanwhile in a large bowl add the:

Drained beans, drained olives, chopped tomatoes

When beef is cooked drain any excess fat. Let cool. When cool add the ground beef to the bowl of beans, olives and tomatoes. Add all of the salad dressing. Let marinate about 10 minutes.

 

When you are ready to eat add layer of lettuce to a individual bowls or plates, then add the marinated mixture, sprinkle with cheese add salsa and finally the sour cream. Serve with chips on the side.

 

 

For a fancier alternative serve in tortilla bowls that can be bought readymade at the store. Or serve with colored tortilla chips flavors are tomato and spinach. You could also substitute ground turkey for the beef for a healthier alternative.

Enjoy!

Pictures on the way :)

Guitar Crazy

So one of my twins has been begging for a Guitar for about two months, I have no idea where this came from. Then of course after she is insistent on a guitar and we run into them all the time. At the grocery store a man is outside with his guitar, she comments. We go to get on the bus and the man that gives me his seat is holding a guitar, she comments. As we are walking down the street we run into a group of ‘Musicos’ (Mexican three piece traveling musical group), she comments.

So my take on kids asking for random things is that they saw it on a TV program or another kid has it and they want one, just to want it. So I have a ‘waiting period’ for things like this.  If it’s a phase it will usually go away after about two months and we all forget about it. If it something that they really want they will be persistent and you will never hear the end of it and apparently you will run into everyone that  owns a guitar within those two months…

As you have probably figured out I am on a tight budget, so extra random things like guitars are usually out of the question. If the begging has been going on for two months or so then I start preparing to borrow or budget for the ‘wanted’ item. So I started reaching out to everyone that I know to see if anyone had a guitar that we could borrow for the week. Just so happens that my nephew had done the same thing to my sister and he had a child size guitar. I didn’t even know that they came in kids sizes... Shows how much I know about the musical instrument department. Growing up my sisters and I took dance lessons and the closest thing to musical instruments was Grandmas organ and violin that we were not allowed to touch.

Ok so back to the guitar… My Mom brought it to my house this weekend and the twins were fighting over it (typical for twins you have to have two of everything…) then I had to break out my kitchen timer and give each a time to play. Like I said I have no musical talent but the guitar sounded horrible! I figured that it was because the girls don’t know how to play, but I let them string away. When my husband got home the girls were still playing the guitar (5 hours later) to a Gypsy Kings CD that they love and he said ‘what in the world?’ I explained and he took the guitar and tuned it. Aww, much better now I can do this for 5 more hours.

One happy Guitar palyin' twin

So it has been three days since we received the borrowed guitar from my nephew who says he has a full size one now and they can long term borrow it Yippy! This brings me to today… It’s 6:30am and my alarm doesn’t go off until 7:30am and I am dreaming of being serenaded by a guitar, my cat scratches me and brings me back to reality. So again it is 6:30am… and a girl is playing a guitar. I have to count my lucky stars that they didn’t want drums or a trumpet.

More on the guitar later… I have to go and find someone to teach them to play it. Turns out my husband just knows how to tune it, how he even knows this is beyond me.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

 

This soup is easy to make in a short amount of time and is a great way to warm up on a winter day. It is also very easy on the budget. Makes about 8 cups of soup for under $12 this soup can be frozen. Serve with sourdough bread or any kind of bread you have -even crackers! Kids love it too because they don’t know its cauliflower. Unless they see you make it.

 

Ingredients:

 

Cauliflower, 1 head

Olive Oil

Garlic, 1 clove (I use already chopped garlic)

1 box of Vegetable broth-low sodium

1 Can evaporated milk

1 Cup Milk

Celery, 4 Stalks

½ of an Onion

Butter

Salt & Pepper

1 Bay leaf

Flat leaf parsley

 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of butter in a stock pot. Add chopped onion, chopped celery, and chopped garlic, sauté until golden. Sauté on low heat and make sure not to burn.

 

Meanwhile cut cauliflower into pieces spread on a baking sheet and spray or sprinkle with Olive oil add salt & pepper to taste. Roast in 425 oven for about 45 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

Once onion, celery and garlic are golden brown add Vegetable broth, Bay Leaf and bring to a boil. Check cauliflower turn floret’s over once, continue to roast.

 

When cauliflower is done add milk, and evaporated milk to vegetable broth. Heat through do not boil. Remove Bay leaf before you puree. Puree entire mixture with a hand held blender in the stock pot or by transferring contents to a blender.

 

! -Remember that when blending contents hot in a blender it tends to pop the lid off and you may get burned. Use CAUTION when contents are hot. I have burned myself so many times like this and I forget every time…

 

Once contents are pureed bring entire mixture back to a slow boil.

 

Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley. Serve hot with toasted sourdough bread or any kind or bread even crackers! Make do with what you got

 

Great Variations:

 

Add potatoes

Add carrots

Garnish with green onions

Paprika

Cayenne Pepper

 

 

 

Mango Salsa

I will post pictures soon

Tropical and Fresh. Great with chips or on tacos

1 Mango- Peeled, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 Jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped. For spicier add more jalapenos
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
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Mix all ingredients together and marinate for 30 minutes before serving. Serve chilled.

Variation:
Add chopped cucumber to salsa
Add avacado to salsa