Taco Soup

I have joined a "freezer cooking" group. This last month we had 4 people in our group but next month it has been increased to 6 people. This means we make 1 meal for the number of people in our group. So, I had to make 4 of the same meals and freeze them. Then, I take 3 of them to our get together and I get 3 other freezer meals to feed the family. Since we had 1 drop out of our group, I took my meal and I got 2 other meals today: chicken and noodles and chicken manicotti. I can't wait to try them! Well, I decided to make Taco Soup. I had a couple of different recipes, but after talking to my sister, Jill, I decided to use hers. We had it today and it is SUPER good!! I will definitely make this again! So, thanks Jill! Here's the recipe:

Taco Soup
by Jill Nelson


1 lb cooked ground beef
1 cup grated or matchstick carrots (these cook faster than sliced carrots)
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can beef broth
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cans beans, drained (Jill uses pinto and I used 1 pinto & 1 kidney)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 cans corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 cans water if necessary


Mix all ingredients together and simmer for 30 minutes. Top with grated cheese and serve with tortilla chips.

Breadsticks

This is my all-time favorite breadstick recipe. They are REALLY easy to make and they are REALLY good! My sister-in-law, Jolyn, gave me this recipe and she got it from Taste of Home Magazine.Breadsticks
by Taste of Home (Oct/Nov 2004)

2 pkg (1/4 oz each) yeast
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 cups warm water, divided
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 cup warm water. Add the oil, egg, salt, 2 cups flour, and remaining sugar and water. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; roll out into a rectangle and use a pizza cutter to cut breadsticks. (The recipe originally says to do this: divide into 36 pieces. Shape each piece into a 6 inch rope. *Too much work*) Place each breadstick 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush with melted butter or use the optional topping below:

Optional topping: In a small mixing bowl, cream 1/2 cup of softened butter, 2 tablespoons grated parmesean cheese, and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Serve with the breadsticks.

Glazed Mini Meatloaves

I saw this recipe on my friend Stacy's food blog. She originally found it on My Kitchen Cafe. I really haven't been a fan of meatloaf. I decided to try this last night and my family loved it. I will definitely make this again. The only thing different that I would do is double the glaze. The glaze is really good and I think I will make more for the leftovers. I did make a little more than the recipe since we have 6 people in the family. If I don't want leftovers, I will make the recipe. If Gary eats the rest of them, then next time I'll do like I did this time.

Glazed Mini Meatloaves
found on My Kitchen Cafe
adapted from The Best 30-Minute Recipes
Recipe makes 4-5 mini meatloaves


Meatloaves:
17-20 saltine crackers, crushed fine
1/4 cup whole milk (I used 2% because I didn't want to buy whole for this recipe)
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley (I used 3 Tbsp of dried)
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground meat
2 tsp oil


Glaze: (I will double the next time)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp cider vinegar (I used white wine vinegar - thought I had the cider but didn't)


Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add ground meat and combine until uniform. Shape mixture into oval loaves. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is rippling. Add meatloaves (without letting them touch sides) and brown well on one side, 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip loaves over and tidy up the edges using a spatula (I didn't need to do this - mine held their shape). Brown on this side for another 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. Transfer mini meatloaves to a foil-lined baking pan and spoon the glaze over the top of each meatloaf. Bake for 18-20 minutes (mine took about 30 minutes since I had more on the pan) or until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer (or cut one open and see if it's done). Enjoy!

Baked Potato Fries

My mom has made this for as long as I can remember. She usually cooks them on the grill. In Texas that's okay because you can grill almost year-round. Here, I cook them in the oven most of the time since our grilling time during the year is shorter. Either way, these are yummy! Kari ate TONS of them!

Baked Potato Fries
by Elizabeth Mancil


6 potatoes (I usually use 1 potato per person)
Morton's Seasonings to taste
3 Tbls of butter
Sliced onions (optional)
Ice
6 Pieces of aluminum foil (1 piece per potato - cut in rectangles)


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel the potatoes and slice into strips the shape of french fries. Place sliced potatoes onto aluminum foil (1 potato per piece of foil). Sprinkle seasoning onto potatoes. Put 1/2 tbs of butter and sliced onions on top of potatoes. Put an ice cube in the foil, too. (This helps to keep the potatoes from drying out and from sticking on foil). Bring up the longer sides of the foil and fold them over. Then roll up the ends. (Like a hobo dinner). Place directly on the oven or grill rack. Bake them 25-30 minutes or until tender. Open foil and serve.

Stacy's Salsa

My friend Stacy posted this recipe for her homemade salsa on her food blog. So, I decided to give it a try. It was SO good! Of course, I had to make 2 batches: one for Gary, Emily, & Kate and another for me, Jason, & Kari. I got a "make this again" out of it, so I consider it successful!

Stacy's Salsa
by Stacy Richards


1 can stewed, mexican style tomatoes (I used Ro-tel diced because that's what I had)
3 roma tomatoes
1/2 white onion
1 hungarian (banana) pepper (I didn't use this because it's out of season in Utah - DRAT!)
jalapenos, to taste (yeah - didn't put it in Gary's batch)
garlic salt



The following aren't exact measurements; just add how much, if any, you want:
minced garlic
cilantro (none for Mom & Jill)
fresh squeezed limes


Put everything in a blender and mix. Stacy's secret ingredient: Serve with Lime tortilla chips, preferably Tostitos.