Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Hearty Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef - cooked and excess fat drained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can beans (black, kidney or pinto) drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
1/2- 1 packet taco seasoning (depending on spice preference)
1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
1/2-1 cup water

1. Mix all ingredients together in large stock pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 min- 1 hour until vegetables are tender.
2. Garnish with sour cream, cheese and fritos.

The soup was a little thick, so if you want a soupier soup add more water or tomato sauce! I came up with this recipe by combining 3 other Taco soup recipes.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Dinner Quiche

1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 15 oz pkg)
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 medium red onion, diced
2 packed cups baby spinach
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
2-3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oven to 400°. Unroll crust and roll out slightly. Fit into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch deep pie dish. Flute edge. Line crust with nonstick foil. Bake @ 400­° for 12 min. Remove foil.
2. Meanwhile, cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 5 min, breaking apart with a spoon. Spoon into a bowl and stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
3.In same skillet, cook onion for 5 min over medium heat. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook 3 minutes. Season with 1/8 tsp each of the salt and pepper. Stir in beef.
4. Transfer beef mixture to crust. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese over filling. Carefully add egg mixture. Bake @ 400° for 35-40 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing.

The original name for this was Cheeseburger Quiche, but that sounded a little too scary for me so I liked Dinner Quiche better! It was a big hit with everyone and the only change I made was I used diced tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes. And next time I will bake it on a cookie sheet, we had some bubble over into the bottom of the oven...ick.

Upside-down Pizza

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs ground turkey
2 (15 oz) can Italian-style tomato sauce
2 tsp dried basil
1 cup chopped pepperoni
1 tsp pepper
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (13.8 oz) pkg prepared pizza dough

1. Heat the oven to 400 °. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the turkey and continue to cook and stir, breaking the meat into small pieces, until it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomato sauce, basil and pepperoni and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, then transfer the mixture to a 9x13 casserole dish.
3. Scatter the cheese on top and later on the pizza dough. Bake the casserole until the dough is golden, about 20 minutes. To serve, spoon out portions with a large serving utensil.

Kind of fun and different! I made a full recipe but made it in 2 pans so I could freeze one. And even with one 8x8 we still had some leftovers. And I used beef instead of turkey and I also used a big can of pasta sauce instead of the tomato sauce and it was pretty tasty!

Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

One of my all time favorite soups!

3 cups milk
1 cup yellow corn muffin mix (like Jiffy)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 quarts chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese
3 cup frozen corn (not thawed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Mix muffin mix in a bowl until well combined; set aside. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender.

Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

*I sometimes add a drained 16 oz. can of chicken instead of doing all that work to get the chicken required for the soup.