Taco Soup Recipe

This soup has been a hit with my family every time I make it.  Yes, there are some people who will leave certain ingredients untouched in their bowls, but I usually hear no complaints about it.  Last time I made it I jotted what I do down and thought I would put it on my blog.

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

28 oz diced or crushed tomatos
1 can tomato sauce (I often use 1 pint of homemade)
1 can corn, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
~ 1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 pounds gr. beef, browned
1 1/2 Tblsp. chili powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. real salt
2 tsp. cummin
1 Tblsp. dill
1 Tblsp. buttermilk powder
 (Optional:  I often add other veggies like peppers, carrots, zucchini, or peas to fill up the space as we don't care for a lot of broth.)

Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot in the morning and add enough water to make sure everything is just covered.  Cook on low all day (7-12 hours).  You can throw it all together just before dinner and heat it on the stove top, too, but the flavors work through everything when it gets to cook all day.

Serve with: Fritos or corn chips, sour cream, cheese, guacamole and cilantro.  Not everyone likes all those toppings, but I do.  Everyone gets to choose the topping they get on their soup.  Some of my kids would rather eat the chips plain, too.

Recipe Stash - Savory Sweet Potato Kugel

I've been bookmarking online recipes for a long time.  Some of them I have tried, but many of them just sounded good and I have never tried them.  This year one of my goals is to try at least one recipe from my bookmarked list each month.

Earlier this month I had two very large garnet yams in my pantry that I wanted to use.  I found this recipe that I had bookmarked and we tried it.

Savory Sweet Potato Kugel :  I used 2 very large garnet yams, 1 cup ground beef, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 1 cup corn, 2 eggs, and about 1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese.  It completely filled my 9X13 pan.  Click the recipe title to see the actual recipe.

It was good.  Most of the kids liked it and Jeff even said he would eat it again if I served it.  This is one recipe that will stay in my list, since we get a couple sweet potatoes a year and I like to serve them to my family members at least once, but several of them don't like plain sweet potatoes like I do.  The Savory Sweet Potato Kugel leftovers were good reheated in a frying pan with some butter.  I also saved the sweet potato water like the author of the recipe suggested and cooked rice with a few raisins for my breakfast the next day.  It was very good and didn't need any sweetening.

Potato Soup

I've had several varieties of potato soups, but this is my favorite recipe.  I made this recipe up after seeing a friend make some potato soup once and thinking how easy it looks.  We've been enjoying it a few times a year since then.

Potato Soup
You need: 1 large pot at least 8 quarts to make this recipe.

1/4 - 1/3 onoin, chopped (according to your family's tastes)
2 sticks butter
1-2 stalks celery, sliced
1-2 carrots, finely chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped (optional)
5 # potatoes
~ 4 cups chicken broth
1 pint half and half or cream
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. bacon (optional)
brocolli pieces, steamed (optional)
cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)


1.  Wash potatoes, cut in half and cover with water in a large pot.  Cover and bring to a boil and boil for 20 min. or until tender.
2.  While the potatoes are cooking cook bacon and chop and slice onion, celery, carrots, and green pepper.
3.  When potatoes are done dump into a colander to drain.
4.  Put butter, onoin, celery, carrots, and green pepper in the pot and return to stove on medium-low heat.  Cook thouroughly.
5.  Add chicken broth and potatoes to pot.  Keeping on medium-low heat.  Smash potatoes.  We like ours a little chunky. 
6.  When potatoes are smashed to your desired consistency add about 1/2 pint of half and half.  Stir well.  If still pretty thick add the rest of the half and half.  Warm on stove.  Stir often to keep from sticking on bottom of pot.  Do not boil.
8.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
7.  Serve with steamed broccoli, bacon and cheese, as desired.

This makes a thick hearty soup.  If you want it thinner add more chicken broth, half and half or water until it is the consistency you want.  Sometimes on the second day I need to add a little more liquid as it seems to thicken up in the fridge.  After our first meal I add in all the extra bacon and brocolli before refrigerating.
Sometimes we add a salad or bread to round out this meal.
I like the color the carrots give to the soup, plus the few extra nutrients.
I use my homemade chicken broth.
I leave the skins on our potatoes, but you could peel them before cooking if you don't like the skins.

Our whole family likes this soup (except maybe Felicity).  The kids usually get excited when they find out we are having Potato Soup for dinner and they often ask for more.

Low Cost Recipe Ideas

Thank you for joining my series about staying on top of food costs.  This is my last post in this series.  You can read the other posts I've written on this topic by clicking the orange button below.

Here are a few of my recipe ideas that help keep costs low.

Idea #1:
Taco Seasoning - Makes enough to season about 1# of meat
          1 Tblsp.  chili powder
          1/8 tsp.  cayenne (optional)
          1/4 tsp.  oregano
          1 1/2 tsp.  cumin
          1 tsp.  sea salt
          1 tsp.  black pepper

Mix all together in a small dish add to taco meat after meat is cooked.
 
*There is no onion or garlic powder listed because I cook my meat with fresh onion or garlic.

When making Tacos I use my taco seasoning and add 1 can of drained black beans/# of meat while I am cooking my meat.  We all like it even my pickiest eaters and we get a few more tacos per pound of meat.

Want extra veggies on those tacos?  chop up any leftover veggies finely and cook them along with the meat.

I've also made black bean tacos using the same seasoning and 3 cans of black beans coarsely smooshed.  Serve with cheese.  The first time I did this my husband asked me for more taco meat and said it was good.  I had forgotten to tell him it was just beans and I had to laugh as I revealed the news to him.



Idea #2:
Roast Chicken
      1 whole chicken - the largest you can find
      seasoning of choice, to taste
      apple
      onion

Peel onion and cut in half or quarters.  Cut apple in half (you don't have to remove core).  Have seasoning ready to apply.  Sprinkle bottom of baking dish or crock-pot with a little seasoning.  Rinse chicken and place breast side down in baking dish.  Stuff cavity with apple and onion.  Loosen skin on the back of the chicken and rub seasoning under skin.  Sprinkle a little more seasoning directly on top of the chicken.  Cover tightly and bake in 325 degree oven for 2-3 hours or in low crock-pot for about 4 hours, may take longer if a larger chicken.  Cooking it with the breast down helps keep it from drying out.

This chicken should be used for a couple of meals.  Here are my ideas:

Day 1:  Have small servings of Roast Chicken with veggies and salad and potatoes.  If you think you need more to eat serve bread or finish with a dessert.  After dinner remove all the meat from the bones and set it aside in two to four equal amounts depending on what you plan to use the rest of it for.  Put the bones and leftover onion and apple in the crockpot add 1-2 stalks of celery and 2-3 carrots or any other veggies you want.  Cover with water and cook on low for 18-24 hours.  Pour through strainer into a large pot and you have a lot of chicken broth to use for day 2 and 3 or to freeze and use the next time you need chicken broth.

Day 2:  Use some of the chicken and broth you set aside and make chicken and rice.  Add veggies to make it a one pot meal or have veggies and fruit as sides.  You could even add a little cream and have creamy chicken and rice.

Day 3:  Use some of the chicken you set aside and make chicken quesadillas.  Serve with salsa, pinto beans and a salad. 

Day 4:  Make chicken soup or cream of chicken soup.  If I make cream of chicken soup I freeze it to have on have for and recipes that need it.  I make it gluten free by using rice flour to thicken it.


Idea #3:
Make a big pot of pinto beans, serve with cornbread and a salad or spinach for a meatless meal.  Sometimes I flavor the beans with pieces of bacon or brisket, but that's not very often.

Here's the recipe we like for Gluten Free cornbread.

Gluten Free Yellow Cornbread
1 3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/8-1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine cornmeal, rice flour, honey, baking powder, and salt.  Add milk and oil, then beat in eggs 1 at a time until fairly smooth.  Pour into a well greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Bake for 25 min.  Serve hot.  (or bake in 18 muffin cups for 15-20 min.)

*This recipe is adapted from The Mount Vernon Cookbook.


Do you have any special low cost meals that your family likes?

Linked with:
                    

Yummy Trail Mix

You need about 5 cups of nuts and seeds and 2 cups of dried fruit, chocolate is optional.  The following is a combination that I used recently.

1 cup raw pecan halves
1 cup raw organic almonds
1 3/4 cups raw organic cashews
1 cup raw organic pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
4 Tablespoons organic butter, melted
about 3/4 teaspoon Real salt (pink/white)
1 cup dried organic cranberries
1  cup organic raisins
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Get out a large baking pan with raised edges.  In a large mixing bowl combine nuts and seeds.  Add salt to melted butter and pour over nuts and seeds.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour mixture onto baking pan and spread it out as much as possible.  Bake for 60 minutes, stirring thoroughly after 20 minute intervals.  When finished place mixture onto platters or drying racks covered with 2-3 layers of paper towels.  Let cool.  Occasionally stir to help remove any wet butter and be sure it is completely cool before continuing.

Add dried fruit and chocolate chips.  Mix well and store in an airtight container. 

This recipe makes a nice lightly salted, roasted mixture.  I usually prefer to eat my nuts raw, but Jeff prefers them salted, so hopefully this makes a good compromise for the rare occasion, we might need one.

Gluten and Dairy Free Rice Krispy Treats

I thought I'd share one of the recipes we made on our baking day.  I altered our Rice Crispy Treat Recipe and they were really good.

Gluten and Dairy Free Rice Crispy Treats

8 cups gluten free rice krispies
7 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
5 1/4 Tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
colored sugar (optional)

Grease 13 x 9 pan or a large sheet pan with coconut oil.
Melt marshmallows and coconut oil in large microwave safe glass bowl for  1 minute and 30 seconds.  Stir with greased scraper.  Microwave 1 minute more.  Stir again and microwave in 20 second increments until marshmallows are melted.  Add vanilla.  While stirring add rice krispies.  Mix until all rice krispies are coated.  Turn out into greased pan and press flat with greased scraper.  Sprinkle with colored sugar, as desired.  I find it easiest to cut them right away, before they cool with my pizza cutter (greased).  Then when it is time to take them out of the pan I run the pizza cutter along the same lines, but I'm not fighting the hardend, sticky marshmallow mixture.

We wrapped each one individually in plastic wrap and put a Christmas sticker on the top to make them festive.  Now they are ready for whenever we need them.

I'm linking this up to From Grandma Loy's Kitchen.

Making Crayons

Peel and break old crayons into small pieces.

Melt in 250 degree oven.  Cool.

Fun new crayons.

Homemade Apple Butter

My house smelled wonderful all day.  I made apple butter in my crockpot.

The recipe I used is adapted from this recipe.  My recipe is below.

Homemade Apple Butter

2 quarts of homemade, blended applesauce
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/16 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup honey

Mix all in a small crockpot and heat on low.  Place crockpot lid on wooden skewers to allow steam to escape.  Cook for 7-12 hours, scraping sides of crockpot every hour or so to keep from burning.  When as thick as you want it put into jars.  Cool and freeze or refrigerate with labels. 

I had the above jars from jam and decided to use them and will freeze my apple butter.  I left about an inch of head space in my jars to allow for expansion in the freezer.  Mine cooked for about 9 hours.  You could also can them in a water bath using canning jars. 

The apple butter will keep for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator or 6-12 months in the freezer. 

Egg Salad

I love a good egg salad sandwich.  I didn't used to care much for egg salad, but one day I was trying to come up with something for lunch that was different than the usual peanut butter and jelly.  I'll tell you what I do, but I won't give any exact measurements, as my recipe varies most times I make it.

I start with enough hard boiled eggs, for how many sandwiches I want to make (1-1.5 eggs/sandwich).

While the eggs are cooking I start chopping veggies with my Pampered Chef food Chopper.
I use whatever I have on hand and feel like eating at the moment.  I've used onion, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, hot peppers, celery, broccoli, etc.  I use a small piece of each veggie I chose, again the size of each piece varies for how many sandwiches I am making.  I like to chop carrots, celery, and onion very fine and everything else a little chunky.  I like the crunch it adds to the sandwich.  I also use dill pickles and chop them a little chunky, too.
When the eggs are done, yes I usually use them still warm.  I slice up my eggs both ways with my egg slicer plus, so the pieces are not very small.  Then I add salt, fresh ground pepper, a pinch of cayenne, a little dill and any other spice I am in the mood for.  Then I add just enough mayonnaise to get everything wet, but not drippy.  Mix well and serve on your favorite bread or eat with a spoon.  I try to only make as much as we are going to eat at that meal, as it gets a little juicy later in the fridge.

My children even like my egg salad sandwiches.

I'm sharing this at http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/