Taco Soup

Taco Soup

½ lb. hamburger

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup green or red pepper chopped

1 can tomatoes (diced and with juice)

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

15 oz. can kidney beans with juice

12 oz. can of corn (I like niblets)

½ cup salsa

Sliced olives

Brown hamburger, onions and peppers. Drain off fat. Then dump in all the remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Add olives. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, and tortilla chips or Fritos. So yummy and so easy!

*Note: For those of you who grow green peppers in a garden or like to stock up when they are on sale: this is my tip. I chop them up in bulk and than using snack plastic baggies I measure out a half cup of chopped green pepper in each bag. Freeze them. Then throughout the year when you cook this meal you can just dump one bag of green peppers into the hamburger and onion mixture and its ready to cook!

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

2/3 cup pumpkin

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

Filling:

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

4 Tbsp. butter

½ tsp. vanilla

Beat until smooth and spread on unrolled pumpkin roll.

Beat eggs. Add sugar and beat. Add lemon juice and pumpkin and beat again. Stir in dry ingredients. Spread in well greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Don’t let edge get to brown. Turn out onto dishtowel covered with 1 cup of powdered sugar. Roll in dishtowel and cool for about 15 minutes. Unroll and spread with filling. Re-roll without towel this time. Cover with foil. Freeze. When ready to serve, take out of freezer unwrap and slice. Serve immediately. Best straight from freezer rather than room temperature.

Breadsticks

2 ½-3 cups flour

1 T dry yeast

1 c warm water

1 T oil (vegetable, canola, or olive)

1 T sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Mix 2 cups flour and dry yeast in mixer bowl. Add water, oil, sugar and salt. Mix well. Gradually add remaining four until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. If the dough becomes too tough add some more water so that the dough is soft to the touch but not tacky. Knead 3-4 minutes.

You can shape the breadsticks several ways. 1: Roll dough into a rectangle about a 1/2 inch thick. Then using a pizza cutter, cut strips off the rectangle and roll into ropes. 2: Squeeze a chunk of dough off and roll between the palms of your hands. 3: Spread dough into a rectangular pan and with a pizza cutter, cut the breadsticks, but leave as is in the pan.

I usually use the third method because it is the quickest. You can double or triple this recipe. I get one 9x13 out of one batch.

Let dough rise until almost double in size (about an hour) and then bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, or 400° for 10 minutes to get a darker crust.

After I take the bread sticks out of the oven, I butter the top of breadsticks like toast, using softened butter and a knife or brush. Then sprinkle with a light mist of garlic salt and i like to sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds!

I got this wonderful recipe from Bronwyn Brown- she makes them better than anybody!

Country Style Pot Roast with Red Gravy

1 Large Boneless beef chuck roast (5 ½-6 pounds)

salt and pepper

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 medium onions, chopped

1 large celery, chopped

4 medium carrots, chopped

6 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 cup red wine, or a substitute

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

2 c chicken broth

½ t hot red pepper flakes (optional)

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 T chopped fresh parsley

Season roast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until simmering but not smoking. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer browned roast to slow-cooker insert.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to empty skillet, along with onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to slow-cooker insert.

Increase heat to high. Add red wine to empty skillet, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to boil. Add pepper flakes, bay leaves and thyme and transfer to slow-cooker insert.

Set slow cooker to high, cover, and cook until tender, 6-7 hours or 9-10 hours on low. Transfer roast to carving board; loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Discard bay leaves. Allow liquid in pot to settle, about 5 minutes, then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface. Puree liquid and solids in batches in blender or food processor or use immersion bleder and process until smooth. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove strings from roast and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Transfer meat to warmed serving platter. I serve the gravy in a gravy boat on the side. I like it on my roast and potatoes.

Sourdough Bread Bowls

1. Call the closest Paradise Bakery.

2. Order enough breadbowls for all your guests, give them a week or at least several days to make your fabulous bread bowls.

3. Pick them up at the appointed time and pay for them.

4. Take them home and fill them with a home made soup. Now they are Yours.

Notes: You could find a recipe and make bread bowls, but buying them from Paradise Bakery is easier, when you dont have allot of time. And they Never mess up. You deserve it.

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars
1 cup butter

½ cup powder sugar

2 cups flour

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

¼ cup flour

2 tsp. powder sugar

Notes: Julie Anderson's recipe- best lemon bars! Deanna got me hooked!!! They are a little more mild than most Lemon Bar recipes, and not runny. Super Yum!

Cream together 1 cup butter, ½ cup powder sugar, 2 cups flour. Spread (pat) into a 9x13 pan. Bake 350 for 22 minutes.

While crust is baking, make filling: 4 eggs, 2 cups sugar, 1/3 cup lemon juice, ¼ cup flour, 2 tsp. powder. Pour over hot crust. Bake 350 for 25 minutes. When cool – dust with powder sugar.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

Rice or Breadbowls
1lb. boneless chicken breasts
½ c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tb. Butter or margarine
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1c hot water
½-1 t ground cumin
2 c half and half cream
1-2 c shredded monetary jack cheese
1 can cream style corn
1 can chopped green chilies, undrained
¼-½ t Tabasco sauce
1 chopped tomato
fresh cilantro

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. Dissolve bouillon in hot water. Add to pan along with cumin…bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cream, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Serve over Rice, and garnish with tomato and cilantro.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

I have several different sugar cookie recipes that I just love! And I use them all depending on my mood. These ones are very moist and yummy- I have to say that the sour cream makes them so soft that they are more like a "sour cream cookie" than a sugar cookie. But whatever they are, they are worth eating!

I am a big fan of cream cheese frosting, so Ill include the recipe for this yummy thick frosting as well.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 c butter, softened

2 c sugar

1 c sour cream

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

5 c flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

4t baking powder

Directions: Beat the softened butter and the sugar. Add the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients separately and then combine the dry ingredients into the wet. You may need to add more flour to get the consistency you want.

Mix and refridgerate dough for one hour. Roll out on floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness. These baked cookies will not brown, so dont wait for them to brown before pulling them out. They will also have bubbles throughout.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 bricks cream cheese

2 1/2 cubes butter

1 bag powdered sugar

1t vanilla

add 1T milk as needed