Taco Chili... or maybe Taco Soup

So I told you I made a new recipe yesterday. My friend Ann posted it on her blog awhile back, and I've been meaning to make it and just forgot about it. Wow, was I missing out because it's really good! Ann left it up to her readers to decide once they made it, if it was taco soup or taco chili. After I got it made I had pretty much decided from the looks of it that it was taco chili. Then when Greg tasted it he decided it was taco chili. So for the sake of making a decision in this household, we're calling it taco chili at the Shearwater Nest! I think if you wanted to add some water to the recipe (which it says you can do) then you could call it soup. Yesterday I posted a picture of it on Facebook and had three requests right away for the recipe. I think this is one of those recipes that you'll be wanting to make. It's very very simple which is a plus, it doesn't have any weird hard to find ingredients which is another plus, and it's very very tasty which is yet another plus! It's definitely a recipe that will be making many more appearances at the Shearwater Nest!

Taco Chili (or Soup)

1 can of red kidney beans, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of corn, drained
2 cans of petite diced tomatoes (don't drain!) (I just used one large can- 28oz)
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of powder ranch dressing seasoning
1 pound of ground beef
Shredded cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Tortilla chips (optional)

Brown the ground beef. Once it's browned, combine with beans, corn, tomatoes, and the 2 packs of seasonings. Add a little water if the consistency seems too thick. (Note: I would wait a little bit before you decide to add water. I thought it was too thick at first, but then as it simmered it wasn't as thick as it was right away). Simmer or set on low in your Crockpot (I just simmered mine on the stove, but Ann had done hers in the Crockpot so either way works). I also had browned the ground beef up the day before and then just through everything together. Serve with tortilla chips, with or without cheese and sour cream on top.

I put sour cream and cheese on top of mine and it was delicious that way. I also served it with tortilla chips which was mighty tasty! Ann mentioned that you could serve it with cornbread instead of tortilla chips if you wanted. I do like cornbread, but that option didn't sound as good to me as the tortilla chips. You could also use tortilla strips.

I don't think you'll be disappointed so give it a try! It's so fast and easy to make and tasty to eat! Here's a little temptation!

It's February 1st and with that brings the big snowstorm of 2011! Schools are canceled for tomorrow and there's supposed to be a lot of snow coming tonight/tomorrow so we shall see!

The Dreaded Grocery Store Trip

For about three weeks I've avoided the big grocery store trip. You know, the one where you have the long list of items and it takes you forever to do the shopping. I've made a few trips here and there for things like milk, bread, bananas, and such. So tonight I finally decided it was time to hit Meijer and get the grocery shopping done. I had my list made this morning, got all my coupons out that I was going to use, and was all set so I could get in and out of Meijer in a reasonable amount of time. I had planned to go after dinner by myself because Em was still napping (she had a late nap today), and I figured I could be faster "sans" kids and they could stay home with Greg. Then as I was getting ready to leave Em woke up in a super crabby crying mood. She didn't want to let go of mommy and finally the only thing to get her to stop was when I asked her if she wanted to go to the store and look at the fish and toys. She stopped crying and was ready to go when she heard that. So if I was hauling her along that meant Greg and Evan were coming. I figured he could take her to look at the fish and toys while I grocery shopped. Why not kill two birds with one stone, right?

We got to Meijer and I had something to return so while I did that Greg and the kids did the bottle returns for me. I hate doing them because I can't stand the smell in the bottle/can area. Plus the machines go way to slow. Such a pain. So that worked out well because I did my return and started grocery shopping while they were doing the bottles. I was moving along through the store just fine. Then Greg and the kids found me and there was a bag of those small sized pop cans that the machine wouldn't take so I had to try and find someone to help me out in bottles. Well, of course trying to find someone in Meijer to help you is next to impossible. By the time someone came, I could of seriously done 1/3 of my shopping and come back before the bottle person got there.

Once that was taken care of, I continued on with my shopping and once again was doing fine. Then I got to the deli and I swear the two ladies working behind the counter moved slower than a snail. I just wanted to get home, and had Evan not been asking me all week to get some chicken deli meat all week I probably would've skipped it. I promised him I'd get the kind he likes when I went to the store so I waited it out. Finally it was my turn, I got my chicken and then thought I might as well get some ham too so I can make the ham & cheese crescent rolls this weekend. Wouldn't you know it, the ham had to be sliced because they were out. So the lady starts slicing it and right after me another customer asked for the same thing. The lady waiting on me decides she'll slice some for her too which was fine, until she gives the other deli lady my ham to give to the other customer. Are you serious? I've already waited like 15 minutes and now I have to wait longer because she gives the ham she sliced for me to someone else. Just my luck. I was seriously beginning to think we were going to spend the night at Meijer.

Finally we made it to the check out, and thank goodness Greg was with me because he scanned the groceries while I bagged them. Some of you might not like the U-Scan, but I love it! I always go to the U-Scan. I seriously don't remember the last time I was at Meijer and went through a regular check out. I like my groceries bagged a certain way, (that must be from my days when I worked as a bagger at a grocery store while in high school) so that's why I go to the U-Scan. Plus half the time the cashiers at Meijer seem to be very unfriendly and I can't stand it so I'd rather not deal with them. Finally after an hour and a half we got out of there. Ugh! There went our evening. Exciting huh? Thank goodness I got some good deals. I think almost everything I got was on sale, and I saved $16 with coupons so that was nice. Not to mention usually I go into Meijer and come out with spending $100 easily. Today I only spent $86 so that was a bonus! Now I know why I was dreading the grocery store trip!

Now, I'm off to bed because it's been a long day and I'm tired. I feel like I didn't really have an evening and probably won't have much of one tomorrow. We've got Evan's school fall social tomorrow evening (weather permitting) and I'm doing the single parent thing because Greg has to work late. But before I leave you, I wanted to share a new recipe I tried tonight that I thought was pretty good. The recipe actually calls for it to be cooked in a slow cooker for 5 hours, but I tried it in the oven instead and it seemed to come out fine.

Meatloaf with Mozzarella, Mushrooms, & Pepperoni

Ingredients:

2 slices white sandwich bread (I used 1/4 cup bread crumbs)
1 1/2 lbs. ground sirloin
1 1/2 cups finely chopped button mushrooms ( I used a 4oz. can of mushrooms and chopped them)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup finely chopped pepperoni
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp. ketchup

Directions:

1. Tear bread into large pieces and blend in a food processor until they form fine crumbs. (or use 1/4 cup of bread crumbs)
2. Combine crumbs, sirloin, mushrooms, mozzarella, pepperoni, oregano, garlic, salt, and eggs in a large bowl and mix gently with your hands to combine.
3. Put in a 9x5 bread pan.
4. Brush meatloaf with ketchup.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until center is not pink. (or put in a slow cooker and cover and cook on low for about 5 hours)
   

Quick Recipe

Here's a quick and easy recipe that I discovered on my friend Ann's blog. I've made it several times and in fact made just last night. It's an easy go to recipe if your stuck on what to make for dinner and it tastes really good! Usually I have all the ingredients on hand and it's simple to prepare.

Tater-Topped Casserole

Prep: 15 min. | Total: 1 hour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, finely chopped (Greg doesn't like onions, so I skipped this ingredient!)

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup (regular or reduced fat soup)

1/4 cup milk

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (can put in more if prefer a little more)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I've also used colby jack when didn't have cheddar on hand, & I usually use more than a cup. You can never have too much cheese!)

1 lb. (1/2 of 32 oz. pkg.) frozen bite-size seasoned potato nuggets (tater tots)

Brown meat with onions in skillet, stirring occasionally; drain. Spoon into an 11x7 size dish. Mix soup and milk; pour over meat mixture. Top with layers of mixed vegetables, cheese and potatoes. Bake 45 min. or until potatoes are golden brown and casserole is heated through.

Makes about 6 servings.

* I switch it up occasionally and use turkey burger instead of ground beef!

Sloppy Evan's

Earlier in the week I promised you some recipes. No, I haven't forgotten. I've just been a little busy and I've filled my blog posts with so much other info from the week that I thought I'd just hold off and put them in a separate post. In honor of Evan learning to ride his bike without training wheels this weekend I thought my first recipe should be one of his favorite things for dinner. It's SUPER easy and it's made often in our household especially in the summer! So without further ado, here's my recipe for Sloppy Evan's (a.k.a. Sloppy Joe's- I've renamed them because Evan loves them so much)

Sloppy Evan's (a.k.a- Sloppy Joe's)

Prep Time: 15 min. | Total: 20 min.

1-1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
3-4 Tbsp brown sugar
Ketchup
Optional: 1/2 green pepper finely chopped

Brown meat in skillet, stirring occasionally. Drain. Combine meat, brown sugar, and ketchup in a pot. Mix well and heat thoroughly. Serve on hamburger buns and enjoy!

I don't ever measure the ketchup, when I make this. I just keep adding until the meat is covered and it's to a desired "sloppy" consistency. I usually use 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef so we have some for leftovers, but if using only 1lb. then probably 3 Tbsp of brown sugar is enough. Occasionally I will add green peppers which is really good, but Evan doesn't like those so usually I make without.

So there you have it. I told you it was super simple. Once you make, you can adjust the measurements to your liking- i.e. more or less brown sugar, more ketchup. I got this recipe from my sister and it's served us well. It's an easy go to recipe for dinner when you want something fast.

Now that I have my first recipe posted, you may have noticed yet another section added, called "What's Cookin' On Shearwater Lane. " Here you will find a list of different labels that will link you back to recipes that have been in various posts. So instead of searching through all the posts to find that one recipe you wanted to try you can go to the label and click on it and it will take you back to the posts that contain recipes with that label.