frugal taco soup

The wonderful thing about this soup, is that you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. It also doesn't have to be precise. You can substitute pinto beans for black beans, leave out the corn, add chicken instead of ground beef, or leave the meat out all together, etc. It's very versatile.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I like to use petite diced-I'm not a tomato chunk fan)
1 (15 oz.) can corn
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans
1 (15 oz.) can water

Brown ground beef and chopped onion in skillet; drain. Place beef mixture, taco seasoning, tomatoes, corn, kidney beans, pinto beans, and water in pot on stove. Simmer 30-40 minutes.

Serve with fritos or homemade cooked tortilla strips. I like to put a dollop of Daisy sour cream on top. I don't stir it in. I grab a portion with each spoonful. Cheese is also good sprinkled on top. You can freeze the soup in a large ziploc freezer bag for another meal. Like I said, very versatile, very cheap, and very delicious.

biscuits and EGG gravy

I LOVE biscuits and gravy, except I don't like it with sausage so much. I like it with eggs. This is how I always knew biscuits and gravy. I didn't know people made it with sausage until I went to college. Can you believe that? This is another recipe that came from my great grandpa, Pop, from Arkansas. Once again, I'm not sure if this is something that they came up with on their own on the farm, or if it was something they learned from someone else, but it's been in the family for a very long time. Mr. Fuzz prefers it with sausage, but still enjoys this recipe. He was raised mostly in the south, and once when we were dating, we went out to breakfast, and I watched with fascination as he hand-broke into pieces his biscuits and then dropped them into his plate of sausage and gravy. So weird to me. Every time I make this dish, I try something new. I think it's how I like it now.

1. prepare and bake your favorite biscuit recipe. I like my Pop's biscuits.

2. make hard-cooked eggs (from BH&G New Cookbook):

• 4 eggs (you can do more than 4)
  
• cold water

Place eggs in a single layer in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to come 1 inch above the eggs. Bring to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat so water is just below simmering. Cover and cook for 15 minutes; drain.

Run cold water over the eggs or place them in ice water till cool enough to handle; drain.

To peel eggs, gently tap each egg on the countertop. Roll the egg between the palms of your hands. Peel off eggshell, starting at the large end.

3. Prepare white sauce:

• 1/2 stick of butter
  
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups milk

In a small saucepan melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute then remove from heat. Makes 2 cups.

4. To serve, slice hard-cooked eggs into white sauce and gently stir until eggs are covered/combined with white sauce (I like to mash 3/4 of the boiled eggs and stir them in and then garnish with remaining eggs, cut into slices). Slice biscuits in half and place side by side on a plate. Pour egg and sauce mixture over biscuits halves. Garnish with egg slices, if desired. Serve immediately. Best while hot and fresh. I usually serve sausage links on the side and fresh fruit.

sweet chili meatballs

Mr. Fuzz loves these meatballs. We've made them for parties and get-togethers and they are gone lickety-split. (I don't think I've ever actually said lickety-split before). They are great by themselves, as shown above in a bowl with chopsticks, or served inside a hoagie roll to make a sandwich. I just stick these babies in a crockpot for a few hours and they're done. It's that easy. You can make your own meatballs if you have a recipe you like to use. I have found a frozen pre-made brand that I like. I have also noticed that sometimes brand matters.

sweet chili meatballs

2 (32 oz) packages of homestyle meatballs (I'm not sure if Italian style would make a difference)
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 (12 oz) grape jelly (I like to use Welch's)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 (12 oz) chili sauce (I like to use Homade brand)

Combine ingredients and heat in a crockpot on high until heated through. Serve in hoagie buns or by themselves. If using homemade meatballs, cook them thoroughly before heating it with the sauce. These are the brands that I use:

guy food

Here is an example of something my husband makes when he is hungry. This is why he doesn't do any of the cooking for our family. He calls it the "Delgado Slim". If you know your Spanish, the direct translation of this would be the "Slim Slim". The following pictures and instructions are from his own mouth.

Here's what you need:

One hot dog (I used a ball park frank because they're endorsed by his airness himself Michael Jordan and yes, you will jump higher if you eat this hot dog).

One tortilla

Some cheese (I used medium Cheddar).

Ketchup.

First, select your dog and place it on a microwave safe plate. Microwave that frank for 30 seconds.

While you're microwaving the dog, shred some cheese.

When your dog comes out of the microwave it may look a little deformed, like when Bruce Banner turns into the Incredible Hulk. Don't worry it just makes it more manly and full of flavor that way.

Now take the dog and place it on the tortilla towards one side. Cover it with the shredded cheese and microwave the whole thing for 30 more seconds.

This may look weird but trust me, it's awesome.

Remove it form the microwave and add a line of ketchup parallel to the dog, roll that sucker up, and enjoy!

Now there is one known variation to the Delgado Slim. If you use Bar S brand Turkey Dog, it becomes a Gordo Fatty Monstro. I lived off of the Delgado Slim for 3 months in the bad part of El Paso Texas. I love this food!

Would you eat this? Does this look/sound good to you? Maybe I'll post some of his other atrocities every now and then. I think it's hilarious.

egg rolls

These egg rolls are so versatile. I think it's hard to ruin an egg roll. You can stuff all kinds of things in there.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound ground pork (I used chicken for these)
  
• 1 cup finely shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup finely shredded carrot (if you're in a hurry, buy the coleslaw mix)
  
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup bean sprouts
  
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce (this is the Chinese chili sauce-more of a paste)
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• Large egg roll wrappers
• vegetable oil for frying
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Place pork in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove from heat and drain.(if using chicken, cook by oven or stovetop until done)
   
2. In a medium bowl, mix together pork, cabbage, carrot, green onions, bean sprouts, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic and chili sauce.
3. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
4. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture in the center of egg roll wrappers. Roll wrappers around the mixture, folding edges inward to close (like an envelope-but roll tight). Moisten fingers in the cornstarch and water mixture, and brush wrapper seams to seal.
5. Fry egg rolls in 1-2 inch deep heated vegetable oil. Fry until golden on all sides. You will probably have to turn them. I set them on a plate covered with paper towels to drain oil.
   

easy meatball subs

These aren't my favorite pictures, but these are good sandwiches. Mr. Fuzz said that the cheese looks like Elmer's glue how it melted. If I had shredded the cheese instead of slicing it, then it would look more attractive, but I kind of like seeing the bumps of the meatballs underneath. This is one of the fastest sandwiches to make if you are using precooked and frozen meatballs, pre-shredded mozzarella, and bottled sauce. I have store bought meatballs that I like to use, but I would love to make my own. I just haven't found a recipe that I love.

Meatball Subs

hoagie rolls
meatballs
mozzarella cheese
marinara sauce, or other tomato sauce of your preference

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your hoagie buns by cutting a trough directly on top. I usually cut out a diamond shape wedge on top and remove the piece and a little bread underneath to make a bed for the meatballs and sauce. (I can't believe I used to make these hot dog style-what a mess!) Pour a few tablespoons, or desired amount of sauce inside trough. Place meatballs on top of sauce and then top with your mozarella cheese. Place in oven for 5-6 minutes, or until cheese is melted. I let mine cook a little bit longer because I like the hoagie to be a little crunchy on the outside from being baked, and soft on the inside.

behind the name

image taken from cakewrecks

I love cake wrecks. If you haven't browsed through this website, you really should.

I've been planning HF's graduation party and I remembered seeing this cake a few weeks ago. Hilarious. I think it was a groom's cake, but wouldn't this be an awesome graduation cake? I'll probably just stick to the original idea. The badge-shaped cake.

I know that cops are given a hard time about liking donuts, but really, who doesn't like donuts? I just so happen to love them. Especially when I'm pregnant. Unfortunately, I crave donuts like no other. HF loves donuts too. In fact, one night while the kids were sleeping, we got one of each kind of donut sold at Krispy Kreme. We cut each one in half and held our own taste test. Pretty pathetic, but we had fun even though we felt like throwing up after a few and our mouths felt numb, and I got dizzy from the sugar rush. Anyway, I love making and eating donuts. Mom and Pop donut shops are the best.

So that's sort of why my food blog says, "feeding and nurturing my family one meal at a time and trying to lay off the donuts". I really am trying to lay off the donuts, but it's hard because they taste so good!

Grandma's Banana Bread

This is my Grandma's recipe. She is a farm girl from Arkansas. I'm not sure if this is a recipe that's been in the family for some time or if she acquired it later on. Wherever it originally came from, it's delicious! I think what set's this recipe apart from others is whipping the egg whites and then folding them in. It gives it a really soft, fluffy texture. Also, one of my banana bread secrets is to grease the loaf pans and then instead of coating them with flour, I coat them with granulated sugar. When the loaves are done and you turn them out, there is a crunchy, sugary coating on the bread and it's really yummy. We like to spread cream cheese on it.

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 bananas, mashed
3 eggs, separated

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream shortening and sugars together. Add bananas, vanilla, and well-beaten egg yolks. (Reserve egg whites). Sift flour, soda, and salt together. Add to first mixture, alternating flour and nuts. Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold in gently. Put into greased and floured pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let sit for awhile before turning out onto cooling racks. We refrigerate and freeze the leftovers.