Taco Soup

Soup is always a good choice for dinner, especially if it's easy to make.  This soup is so easy to put together, and it really does taste great.

Taco Soup:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 can of corn with juice

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans stewed tomatoes (about 28 oz)

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Cook the ground beef and onion in a large pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

Top with:

Fritos

Cheddar Cheese

Olives

Sour Cream

Cream Cheese Frosting

I think cream cheese goes with most anything.  When I was thinking about Emilee's birthday cake this year, I knew that I wanted white frosting with chocolate on top.  I am not a fan of white frosting, then one night I remembered the cream cheese frosting I found on the food network.  I changed the recipe just a little and added extra powder sugar, to make it a little stiffer. The cake ended up tasting wonderful, it was the perfect mixture of chocolate and cream cheese.  

Cream Cheese Frosting

courtesy of Paula Deen, the Food Network

16 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

4 1/2 C. powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, until well mixed.  Enjoy.

Caramel Brownies

These are always a favorite. My family loves them, and I can never seem to keep them around for longer then a couple days. When I went away to school, the same thing happened with my roommates, everybody loves them, Its a garanteed success.

Batter:

1 package of German Chocolate Cake mix
3/4 Cup of Margarine
1/3 Cup evaporated milk.
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Caramel:
50 light Caramels
1/3 Cup Evaportated milk
Melt together in a double boiler
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9in pan. Combine cake mix, margarine, milk by hand, or pastry cutter till the dough holds together. Press 1/2 of mix into pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle Chocolate chips on baked crust. Pour caramel over chips. Crumble remaining cough over caramel mixture. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
*I like to add a few more caramels to my mix, but I would go over 60. Also when spreading the top layer on. Flatten it out in your hand, It is easier and covers more surface area. With the chocolate chips, if you dont like whole chips in you brownie, leave them in the oven for a little bit, no longer then a minute, then try to spread the chips. Just be careful not to break the brownie. this way you get more of a layer of chocolate then, chunks.

Oatmeal Cookies

The last couple of weeks I have wanted oatmeal cookies.  I pulled out the recipe I've had forever and they didn't turn out the way I wanted.  So a couple of days later I made them again and got them to work, they taste wonderful.  I love how light they are.  We ate almost all of the cookies that day, Adam has already asked for more.

Oatmeal Cookie

1/2 Cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/4 Cups flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Cups quick oatmeal

1/2 Cup coconut

Preheat the oven to 375.  In mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Stir in the remaining ingredients until mixed.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.  

Chicken Enchiladas

Adam loves these, they are one of his most favorite meals.  They make a lot and are really easy to make.  If you are making these for someone who has a hard time with spicy, just cut back on the cumin.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 to 3 C. Cooked chicken (shredded)

2 cans Cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 tsp. Cumin

1 C.  Sour Cream

1/2 C. Milk

1/2 C. Cheddar Cheese

Flour Tortillas

Mix the soup, cumin, sour cream, and milk in a bowl.  Place chicken, cheese, and 1 or 2 tsp. of sauce in a tortilla, roll and place on cookie sheet.  Repeat until chicken is gone.  Pour the remaining sauce over all the Enchiladas.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Fudge Brownies

I have a cute heart pan that I bought years ago, I seem to remember that I own a heart pan once a year.  This year Emilee (my precious daughter)  and I decided to make Heart Brownies for Valentines Day.  This brownie recipe is so simple, it doesn't really  need a frosting.  Growing up I liked using this recipe for Ice Cream Sundaes.  Emilee had fun helping me cook and decorate the brownies, I think they turned out cute.  

Fudge Brownies:

4 eggs

2 Cups  sugar

1 Cup margarine, melted

1 1/2 Cups  flour

2/3 Cup cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs slightly.  Blend in sugar and melted margarine.  Combine flour, cocoa, and salt.  Add flour mixture to margarine mixture.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour in lightly greased (bottom only) 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.  

Caramel Muffins

Today is our Moms Birthday, Happy Birthday!  So in honor of her, I decided to post the recipe she always wants me to make.  In the recipe it calls for Basic Mix, the recipe for Basic Mix is at the bottom.  I use to have a few recipes that called for Basic Mix, this is the only recipe that has made it through the years.  The Muffin recipe only makes one, plan on doing the math if you want to make more than one at a time.

Caramel Muffins 

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Cherries cut in half 

2 Tbsp. chopped nuts (optional)

2 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

½ C. basic mix*

2 Tbsp. milk

Directions:

            Heat oven to 400 degrees.

1.  Melt the butter.  In a Pyrex custard dish, or muffin tin, layer in order.

                                    1 Tbsp. melted butter

                                    1 Tbsp. brown sugar

                                    2 Cherries cut in half

                                    2 tsp. chopped nuts

2.  Then mix together 2 tsp. sugar and 1/8 tsp. cinnamon and the remaining nuts, rolled fine with a rolling pin.                 

3.      Mix together ½ C. of basic mix* and 2 Tbsp. milk until the flour is moistened.  Shape dough into 3 balls.  Roll the balls in the remaining melted butter and then the cinnamon mixture. Then place in the pan on top of the layers.

4.      Bake until golden brown, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.  Turn upside down on plate.  Break into sections.  Makes 1 serving.

*Basic Mix Recipe:

         3 C. sifted flour

     1 Tbsp. Baking powder

      1 tsp. salt

     2/3 C. shortening

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together to mix thoroughly.
2. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender until all of the shortening is coated and resembles course crumbs.
3. Makes about 3 ¾ C. to 4 C. of basic mix.  Can be stored until ready to use.