Sarah's Tacos

Who doesn't love tacos?! I got creative the other night with mine and this is what I came up with...

Ingredients:

1 lb of hamburger
1/2 of small onion (minced)
1 packet of Old Elpaso Cheesy Taco Seasoning
3/4 cup of milk
1 can of Rotel
1 box of taco shells
shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa or your preferred taco toppings

Brown hamburger over medium-high meat and add onions about halfway through cooking. Drain meat of grease.

Add taco seasoning, milk and Rotel.

Mix together well and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

Stuff warm taco shells with meat mixture and your choice of toppings. Enjoy!!

Crockpot Chili

There is nothing like a good pot of chili, especially on a cold winter day! So here is my chili recipe :)

1 bag of dry kidney beans (soaked in water overnight or at least 8 hours)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder (such as Mexene) to taste

1 lb of hamburger meat (browned and drained of grease)
1 onion
1 green pepper
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel
1 packet of chili seasoning

Drain beans of water and put in crockpot. Cover with fresh water (just enough to cover the beans). Add salt, garlic powder and chili powder. I think the amount of these depend on the persons taste. Set crock pot to low and cook for 2-3 hours.

Now you may want to drain the beans of some of the water. It depends on how soupy you want your chili.

Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir. Continue to cook 4-6 hours or until the beans and vegetables are done.

Top with some cheese and onions if you choose. We also like tortilla chips to go along with it :)

Baked Rosemary Chicken & Veggies

 You can't go wrong with rosemary and chicken. And this dish is a good wholesome meal that is easy to throw together.

Keep in mind that this recipe only serves 2. If you want to make more than 2 servings, you may want to double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breasts
1 potato
2 carrots
1/2 cup of chopped onion
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of rosmary
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 375. 

•  Chop vegetables and chicken into small pieces. Put in foil lined casserole dish.

• Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. 

• Toss mixture together. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Creamy Potato Soup

Who doesn't love potato soup? Especially this time of year. I usually do my potato soup in the crock pot, but I ran a little short on time and decided to do it on the stove top.




Ingredients :

4 potatoes
3 carrots
1 onion
4 stalks of celery
1/2 lb of bacon
2 cans of chicken broth

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of milk
1 cups of shredded cheese

• Cut bacon into small pieces (using kitchen shears, if you have them). Cook over medium heat until cooked thoroughly.

• While bacon is cooking chop the vegetables to desired size and add to the cooking bacon. Saute with bacon for 5 minutes.

• Add chicken broth to vegetables and bacon. Cover and cook on a low temperature for 1-2 hours.

• About 20-30 minutes before serving, melt the stick of butter in a separate sauce pan, over low heat.

 

• Add flour and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Stir in milk and cheese and continue to cook for another minute.

•  Pour roux into vegetable mixture.

 

• Stir and continue cooking another 20-30 minutes. 

•  Serve and enjoy! 

Vegetable Beef Soup

I don't think I have to say much for this. Its a classic, but its so good! Great for the fall and upcoming winter months.

Now I don't think there is a certain way to make vegetable beef soup, but this is how I made mine.

1 1/2 - 2 lbs of beef stew meat
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of oil
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 bag of frozen peas
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
3 cans of beef broth
salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste

• Cut the stew meat in to smaller pieces and remove fat if you choose.

•  Saute beef and onions in oil, on medium high heat until meat is cooked. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

 

  

•  Add meat mixture, vegetables and broth to crock pot. Season with some more salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir together and cook on low 4-6 hours or until carrots are tender.

Spinach Salad

I made this salad the other day and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it! Its a must try! Its so simple to make and so good! No chopping veggies. Just toss it together and enjoy!!

Ingredients:

Spinach Leaves
Feta Cheese
Dried Cranberries
Sliced Almonds
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

As far as measurements go I think it just depends on the person's taste.

Put salad together as desired and enjoy!! (I do recommend getting a good feta cheese. It makes a big difference to me.)

Single-Serve Microwave Mac n' Cheese

This is my first time making this and I am excited to say it turned out well! No more pre-packaged microwave mac n' cheese! This way is a lot cheaper and a lot healthier!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of pasta
3/4 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of butter
3 tablespoons of milk
1/4 cup of shredded cheese (your choice)

• Stir together pasta, water and salt in microwave-safe bowl.

• Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, depending on the wattage of the microwave. You want the pasta to be tender but not too soft. Most of the water should be gone. Stir in butter, until melted.

• Add milk and cheese. Stir well.

 

• Microwave on high for another 3 minutes, stopping half-way through to stir. Remove from microwave and let sit for 2-3 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it sits.

Cheese Ball

I am a girl who loves cheese! And cream cheese is one of my favorites. So of course this is my favorite cheese ball recipe! And it only has 3 ingredients, 3 super cheap ingredients. You can literally make it for probably under 3 bucks.

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese (softened)
3-4 green onions
1 2 oz package of sliced beef

Now if you own a pair of kitchen shears, I definitely recommend them for this!

• Using kitchen shears, slice green onions and cut beef slices into small pieces.

• Place cream cheese on top of green onions and beef. You can cut it into smaller pieces if you feel that will make it easier. (Another good use for the kitchen shears)

 

• Now this is where it gets messy. Make sure your hands are clean. Then begin mixing the cheese, onions and beef together. Try to get the onions and beef as evenly distributed through-out the cheese as possible. 
• Form Mixture into ball. Store in refrigerator until ready to eat. I recommend leaving it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before eating to let the flavors mix together. Serve with crackers. 

 

Easy Philly Subs

I am a huge fan of anything with the magical combination of onions and green peppers. So of course I love a good Philly Sub!

Ingredients:

1 package of Steak-umm sliced steaks
1 onion, cut up
1 green pepper, cut up
2 tablespoons of olive oil
provolone or mozzarella cheese
sub or hoagie rolls

• Cook meat according to box instructions.

• Heat olive oil on medium-high heat and saute onions and peppers to desired tenderness. Season with salt & pepper if desired.

•  Place meat, cheese and onion & pepper mixture on rolls. I like to spread butter on the rolls and sprinkle them with garlic powder. Then I put them in the oven (butter side-up) on broil for a few minutes to toast the rolls. Beware that the rolls will burn VERY QUICKLY on broil. So keep a close eye on them.

Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have searched the internet for the perfect broccoli cheese soup, and I can't seem to find a recipe that I totally love. I think broccoli cheese soup is pretty versatile however. I'm sure there are plenty of awesome ways to make it. I however wanted to make it using fresh broccoli and without the condensed cheddar cheese soup that seems to be in almost every recipe. This is what I came up with. 

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh broccoli (cut up)
1/2 lb. of sliced carrots
1 medium onion (chopped)
3 cups of chicken stock/broth
6 tablespoons of butter
6 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

The green pepper is an option.

• Add chicken broth, vegetables, salt & pepper and garlic powder to crock pot. (I left the broccoli on the top for the first couple of hours it was in the crock pot, just so it didn't get too mushy).

• Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

About an hour or so before you want to serve it,

•  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

•  Add flour and whisk until smooth. 

•  Remove from heat; gradually add milk, whisking to keep smooth.  

•  Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly until thickened. 

•  Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt to taste if desired.

• Add cheese mixture to crock pot. Stir well.

 

• Cook on high for another hour or so.