Black Bean Taco Filling

I've been looking for a yummy taco filling for a LONG time...found one! And it's easy, which is even better. :) Also, I think it would be a good chip dip, and it's about a million times better than refried beans.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained, rinsed, and smashed

2 Tbsp yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 cup salsa

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, pepper, and garlic, cook until tender. Stir in mashed beans, then add the cornmeal. Stir in the spices and salsa. Cover and cook 5 minutes. See, easy peasy!

Scalloped Coconut Curry Potatoes

These are super delicious! Taunalee and I made up the recipe in a fit of creativity last night, and it turned out really good!

You'll need:

10 small-mediumish yukon gold potatoes

1 medium onion

1-2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 parts salt: 1 part yellow curry powder, to taste

1 can coconut milk

¼ cup soy milk

1/3 cup flour

unsweetened coconut flakes

Slice the potatoes and mince the onion. Grease a 9x13 pan and layer half the potatoes, half the onion, and half the spinach leaves. Sprinkle half the flour and half the seasonings on top. Repeat with remaining potatoes, onions, spinach leaves, flour, and seasonings. Pour the milk over top of the entire dish, and sprinkle with coconut flakes. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for an hour. Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes.

Taunalee says they're so creamy you can't even tell there's no dairy in them.

Hazelnut Quinoa Salad

For those of you who have never tried quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), you need to!! It's a whole grain that is absolutely delicious and super good for you! With no further ado:

1/2 c quinoa
1/2 c bottled Italian salad dressing
1/2 c hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c petite peas, frozen, thawed and drained
1/2 c yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp black pepper


Place quinoa in 1 c water in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 min. or until water is absorbed. Fluff with fork. Cool completely.

Process salad dressing and 1/4 c hazelnuts in food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.

Place cooked, cooled quinoa in large bowl. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, and bell pepper. Pour dressing over salad and toss until blended. Sprinkle with black pepper and remaining hazelnuts. Serve immediately.

Easy Vegetable Quiche

1 C chopped fresh broccoli
1/4 C chopped onion
1/4 C chopped green pepper
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 C grated cheese
3/4 C milk
1/4 C and 2 TB Bisquick
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Cook broccoli in glass measuring cup with 1/2" of water, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 minutes in the microwave. Drain thoroughly. Spray 9" pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Mix broccoli, onion, green pepper, and cheese in pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour into pie plate. Bake at 350 F until golden, about 35-45 minutes (knife comes out clean). Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Jam!!!

I am always so proud of myself after I have made jam, I must admit it. :) With this special pectin it makes it soooo easy! You don't have to cook anything or wait for jars to be sealed at all! Soooo easy.

I can't exactly remember all the directions, because I threw the package away, but you can double check the back of the pectin package to be sure.

4 cups crushed, blended fruit of choice
1 1/2 C sugar
1 package Ball Freezer Jam Pectin

Combine sugar and pectin first. Then add crushed/blended fruit. We used strawberry and raspberry for this batch. Stir for 3 minutes then ladle into jars. Let sit for 30 minutes and it is ready to serve or freeze!

It made 6 jars shown above.

Salsa

I have never made salsa before this and I have to say this stuff was DANG good! All we used was this:

Plus a couple of other things like:
1 lb Roma tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno (seeds optional, we used them)
1/4 C fresh, diced cilantro

We diced tomatoes and then put them in the processor to finish up. Then in a medium sized bowl add remaining ingredients + seasoning packet. Give it a stir and voila it's ready to serve. I thought that it got better overnight in the fridge.

Pretzels

This recipe was so much fun for girls and I to make on Saturday. I LOVE nacho cheese and just happened to buy a big bulk can of it from Sam's Club so I was trying to find ways to use it. So we made pretzels!
2 pkgs yeast
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 tsp salt
2 T sugar
4 C flour
1 egg beaten
kosher salt

Mix yeast and water in large mixing bowl. Than add salt, sugar, and flour. I used freshly ground wheat flour but white is just as awesome. Knead in mixer until smooth and elastic.

On oiled surface roll dough into snakes, then shape as desired. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise until doubled in size. I was REALLY impatient and didn't let them rise, I should have though.
Then brush beaten egg onto each pretzel and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes. I let mine bake for only 12 and it was PLENTY long enough the bottoms were burnt.

You could also leave some pretzels unsalted and after they are done baking brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Game Day Guacamole

I hate to say it, but I had NEVER made guacamole before. After reading tips on how to make it I made up my own version and I have to say . . . it was DAAANNGG good. This is what I did:2 avocados
3 T Rol-Tel diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro
1 T diced cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
1/3 of lime, juiced
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

I first mashed the avacados with a fork. Then added everything else, gave it a good stir, and devoured the whole batch. Lucky for me my family doesn't really like it so I got to eat the whole thing . Hmmmm . . . maybe that isn't good.

Cheesy Potatoes

This is the classic side dish we ALWAYS have with ham or with Christmas dinner. We eat it so fast sometimes I double it. :)

1 bag frozen hashbrowns
2 C shredded cheese
1/3 C diced green onions
3/4 STICK butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
16 oz sour cream
milk
cornflakes

Melt butter in saucepan then add soup, sour cream, and onions. Stir constantly while letting come to slow boil. Remove from heat and add cheese, stir until melted.
Put hash browns in greased casserole dish and pour sauce over top. Stir together until nicely blended.
Top with more cheese and crushed cornflakes.

*If sauce is too thick to properly stir with hash browns add a little milk to thin it out.

Daddy's Homemade Mac n' Cheese

This dinner is one of the girls favorites and they are always requesting it. One day I made it and spiced it up with Gouda, breadcrumbs, and cayenne pepper and nobody liked it! From that day on it has been known as DADDY's homemade, because Mommy can't seem to get it right. :)

Because I am not the master of this recipe and Bryan doesn't measure I HOPE that I am getting all the amounts right. You might have to play around with it.
2 C elbow macaroni
3/4 stick of butter
1 C flour
milk (no idea how much)
salt, pepper
3 T onion powder
1 1/2 C + shredded cheddar cheese

While your macaroni is boiling, in medium saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. When butter is completely melted, add flour. Stir together until it's nice and creamy, kind of like the consistency of peanut butter. Then very slowly add milk. Just add a little at first, about 1 C until your flour mixture has blended in with your milk. (You are making a white sauce btw)

When the sauce is nice and smooth, add more milk. When Bryan makes it he usually fills the pan about 3/4 full. Then continue stirring. If it isn't thickening up, add more flour. Then add your spices to taste. "Daddy's homemade" has a very onion powdery taste (obviously from the 3 T) but that is what the girls love and what makes his so special.

Then add your cheese, stirring constantly until melted.

Drain noodles and add sauce. Serve with salt and pepper and hot dogs. Enjoy.
Another reason why the girls like this recipe so much is the fact that this is NOT baked. They like it saucy. :)

Roasted Red Pepper Italian Red Potatoes

Say that 3 times fast :)

All I did for these bad boys was quarter red potatoes, toss in olive oil and Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing. I placed them on a foil lined AND greased cookie sheet and finally sprinkled with kosher salt.

I then baked it for about 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. I am not sure on the time though because I forgot to set a timer. Just poke them and if they are tender and a little toasty they are done.
Soooo yummy and very easy too. I love recipes like this.

Pistachio Salad

I know that this looks like a big green blob of goo, but it is really yummy! A great side to any meal. :)

1 can crushed pineapple
2 pistachio instant jello packets
1 small container of cool whip (thawed)

Mix the pineapple and jello together first. Make sure it is mixed well or there will be chunks of dry pudding in your salad. Then mix with cool whip. Refrigerate until served.

Won Tons w/Sweet and Sour Sauce

This goes awesome with Thai Omelets!! My entire family loves these. All the kids too!! Too bad they don't know its really hamburger! This recipe is my in-famous won -ton recipe, which everyone loves and requests. :)

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 C sugar
1/4 C vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 C water
1 T ketchup
2 T cornstarch, mixed with a little water

In small pot add water, sugar, salt, and vinegar. On medium heat, slowly bring to boil. Once boiling, add ketchup and stir. Add cornstarch mixture gradually, stirring constantly until it thickens.
Remove from heat and let cool. Best served cold.

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp salt
2 T minced onion
1 tsp fish sauce
1 egg
3 T+ coriander (I like it so I usually use almost 4 T)
dash of pepper
1 package won ton skins

Mix all ingredients with the raw hamburger. Place 1 tsp and ONLY 1 tsp of meat mixture on the center of won ton skin. Dip your finger in warm water and rub on two of the outside edges of the won ton. Like this:
Then fold the won ton in half diagonally. The water will be like glue and hold the two sides together. Gently make sure all air bubbles are gone inside.
(Sorry these two pics are blurry - my hands were messy and I didn't take as much time with it) Then grab both lower ends of triangle and crunch up like this:Deep fry in oil for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. It's always a good idea to cut one in half and make sure the hamburger is cooked through. ENJOY!!!! So yummy!!

Mashed Potatoes

Ok, I know that this may seem like a no-brainer recipe to some of you, BUT believe it or not, there was a time in my young, newly-married life that I had no clue how to make mashed potatoes. I called my Mom, in a hurry, before my cute hubby came home from work. Sooo . . . just in case nobody knows . . . here ya go.

The best thing about mashed potatoes is that you really can't mess it up. :)
6-9 potatoes of your choice (I used red this time)
1 stick butter
1/4 C + milk
salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc (optional)

Boil potatoes until tender when stabbed, yes I said stabbed, with a fork. Drain.
Put taters in mixing bowl. I do it in my Kitchen Aid. Mix potatoes with 1/2 of butter on low speed until potatoes are semi-mush :)
I then put on my whisk attatchement and whisk on med-high speed until all smooth. Slowly add seasonings and milk until creamy.
Top with rest of butter.

You can add lots of things to this such as: cheese, onions, green onions/chives, sour cream. It depends on your personal style. Happy mashing.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I am still not home, but I couldn't resist posting this. I am at my in-laws house visiting and today we spent all morning out in the garden picking the rest of their tomatoes. My little 2 year old is a master tomato picker, let me tell ya. She was picking them off faster than we could put them in the bag! Almost all of the tomatoes were green, so I decided to try it out. After a little research online, I made up my own version of these tasty fried green toe-maters. We fried the red ones too, which were tasty, but not quite as much.
4-5 green tomatoes
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 C flour
1-2 C bread crumbs or corn meal
vegetable oil or bacon grease

Wash and slice your tomatoes to about 1/4 in. thick. (We cut these way to thick and I think they would have turned out even better if they were thinner.) Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour on BOTH sides. Dip the toe-mater in egg and then in the bread crumbs/corn meal.
Fry tomatoes in heated grease for about 3 minutes on both sides, or until nice and brown. Serve while hot!

*Lots of the recipes I looked at said to use either corn meal or bread crumbs. I used bread crumbs because I am a huge fan of bread crumbs. It also said to fry it bacon grease, which I will have to do next time. I bet that would be even tastier!

Lime Cilantro Rice

I saw a recipe online somewhere for this and searched and searched for it. I couldn't find it. So I just kind of made it up.

Rice (how ever much your family eats)
water (according to rice package)
2 T butter
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp lime zezt
2 T fresh cilantro

I have a rice cooker, so I couldn't tell you to cook rice w/o it. In the rice cooker I put, the washed and drained rice, water, butter, lime juice, and zest. I gave it a good stir and pushed "cook" on the rice cooker. I sprinkled it with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.

It was pretty tasty, but it still felt like it was missing something. I think next time I will add the cilantro in the rice cooker as well as 1 more lime.
Any ideas?

Bryan's Dutch Oven Chicken and Potatoes

Bryan, my husband, gets all credit for this recipe! This is a Tidlund family favorite. We ALWAYS have this when we are camping, but now we are starting to have it more often since we have a place to cook in the backyard :) We all love it. My 2 year old had 3 drumsticks!!!!

I did all the prep work on this and Bryan cooked it all because he is THE MAN. I don't have a written recipe to go off of, so I am doing it from memory, I hope your results are as awesome as ours.

Dutch Oven Potatoes:
1 package bacon
1 onion, diced
6-8 potatoes, diced
1 cube of butter (in needed)

Start by heating up the dutch oven. Meanwhile, cut bacon into 1"x 1" squares. It doesn't have to be perfect, just as long as they are small pieces. Put into dutch oven and cook.
Cut potatoes and onion into small-ish pieces or cubes.
When bacon is cooked to your liking, DO NOT DRAIN GREASE, and add potatoes and onions. Cook until potatoes and onions are cooked through, while stirring frequently. You don't want burned taters.

If things need a little lubing up, use the butter. You probably won't need it with all the bacon grease, but just in case. We usually save these leftovers (if there are any) for breakfast the next day.
Dutch Oven Chicken: (Adapt this to feed your family - the choice of chicken is up to you)
Chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks w/skin on and bone in
2 C flour
season salt and pepper
red cayanne pepper
1 can shortening

In big ziplock add flour and seasonings. I never measure so just eyeball it. Make sure the seasonings are mixed throughout flour.
Drain chicken and coat in flour mixture. Just shake in ziplock bag. Put all of shortening into dutch oven and heat through until melted. When oil is at right temperature, which I am not sure of because I have never cooked these, (I am sure you will know) carefully place chicken in the grease.
Rotate and flip chicken when sides begin to brown. Make sure your dutch oven has a lid or you will get hot, flaming grease everywhere. Safety comes first :) Put goggles on if you don't trust your self - hee hee. Once chicken reaches internal temperature of 180 degrees it is done! Let drain over paper towels and serve!

Lion House Rolls

These are the yummiest homemade rolls I have ever had, except maybe Grandma Boyer's, but I don't have her recipe - so sad. Anyways, they very easy and always turn out!Lionhouse Rolls*
2 C warm water
1 egg
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C butter, melted and cooled
2 T yeast
2 tsp salt
2/3 C powdered milk
5 - 6 C flour

Dissolve dry milk in warm water completely. Add yeast, sugar, butter, egg and 2 C of flour. Mix briefly then add salt and remaining flour. Dough will be very sticky, but don't add more flour than you need, just until the dough sticks to hook and not sides of bowl.
Leave in bowl and allow to rise until doubled - up to 2 hours!

Roll dough on floured surface into large rectangle until 1/2 in. thick. With a pizza cutter, cut 2"x4" rectangles. Roll up rectangles, pinch sides, and tuck slightly under. Arrange rolls on half baking sheet in 5x7 array.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
Brush with butter when they come out of oven and cool on cooling rack to avoid soggy bottoms. (Nobody wants a soggy bottom) Hee Hee
Shape rolls and allow to rise until doubled or another 1 hour!

*I NEVER have powdered milk on hand so I usually end up using 1 C warm water and 1 C warm milk - it has always worked for me. Maybe that means I need to be better with my food storage.
*I put my rolls in baking dishes this time. This way they are more like pull apart rolls.

(Courtesy of Jessica A's Kitchen)

Garlic Bread to Boot

This is my favorite way to make garlic bread . . .

1 loaf french bread
1/2 stick butter
2 T minced garlic
Parmesan cheese

Cut bread down the middle in half lengthwise. Make sure your butter is soft and spreadable and then stir in your garlic right with the butter. Spread LIBERALLY over all the bread. I use a basting brush I believe. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Broil in oven until golden brown or until you start to smell the cheese. :) Don't burn it like I did, which is why there is no picture.

*My husbands favorite side for anything pasta is just plain sandwich bread broiled in the oven topped with a generous amount of cheddar cheese. Really yummy and the kiddos love it just as much as dad.

Corn Bread

3/4 C corn meal
1 1/4 C flour
1/3 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C milk
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. Blend all dry ingredients. Stir in remaining wet ingredients until combined and creamy. Pour batter into greased 9x9 pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Serve with White Chili (recipe below)