No-fail Tacos from Scratch

I love tacos. All the veggies you can pile on top makes my mouth water! This is the recipe I conjured up and compiled from a few different sources that has worked PERFECTLY on the many occasions I've enjoyed it. Definitely a big crowd pleaser.

I love making spice mixes from scratch, so this Taco seasoning mix is the bomb!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all that in a little bowl and set aside

Taco meat:

• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 
• 1/2 green bell or poblano pepper, seeded and chopped1 tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 lb. chicken, beef or pork (cooked, shredded) 
• 1/2 cup chicken, beef or vegetable broth 
• 2 tbsp. flour 
• 1 cup mild or medium salsa 
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice 
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped (optional) 
• 1/2 tsp. ground or crushed cumin seed 
• 3 tbsp. Taco seasoning 
• few dashes hot pepper sauce or Taco sauce 

 Chop onion and garlic and pepper. Sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil until lightly colored. Add a few tablespoons of broth, then add chosen meat, cut into bite-sized pieces, or shredded.

Cook over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in salsa and heat for several minutes more.

Add remaining broth, flour, lemon juice, cilantro, cumin seed, taco seasoning, pepper or Taco sauce.

 

 

Now all you need are the toppings for your taco {salad}!

• Sour cream
• Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Salsa
• Shredded cheese
• Olives
• Jalapenos

Enjoy! 

Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken

Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken

4 frozen chicken breasts

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. teriyaki sauce

1 can pineapple chunks,  drain half the juice out

Crushed red pepper flakes

Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray and add chicken breasts.  Pour soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and pineapple chunks (with half of the juice) over the chicken.  Sprinkle as many red pepper flakes on top as desired.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken with two forks in the crock pot and serve over rice. 

Crock Pot Pork Roast

Today was Sunday, thus the day of "Roast." I love making roasts because it seems to make my husband a very happy man... and also because it is truly the easiest thing to make IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!! (bee tee dub, you should know that I NEVER EVER exaggerate) On this particular Sunday, we had made plans to combine efforts for lunch with a few of my dear friends. I would provide said roast and asparagus and they would provide the other items needed for a delicious and satisfying southern style Sunday Dinner. So, what did I do? I fell back on the trusted and amazing 3 ingredient pot roast recipe that worked deliciously before. (Link found here) I experimented with various ingredients I had in the house... YIKES!! yup, I was cooking for 4 and I did something daring like that.. But guess what.. They LOVED it :) yay! It turned out awesome and the gravy I made from the juices only required a pinch of salt and corn starch to thicken it.

So here is what I did..

1. Pan sear all sides of my 4lb roast with olive oil and onion
2. Place in Crock Pot
3. Dump in packet of Au Jus mix  ( I used the Knorr brand)
4. Squeeze half a bottle of Zesty Italian dressing in
5. Squeeze half a bottle of Peppercorn Ranch dressing in
6. Scoop 2 tsp of beef bouillon in
7. Use a spoon to spread it evenly on the roast
8. Cook on low for 10 hrs

easy peasy cheesy

We enjoyed this roast with 

• Green salad
• Mashed potatoes
• Carrots
• Aparagus
• Bread rolls
• Brownies for dessert

The best part is that with the leftovers I'm making BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. That's awesome.

Freestyle Crockpot Lasagna

Not gonna lie, this recipe was largely an experiment. First, I've never actually made lasagna before (not even with my mom!), and second, I didn't actually follow a recipe per say... But I will say that mylasagnarecipe.com was my inspiration. I'm actually going to post what I put in the ol' crockpot since there is no recipe quite like mine *evil laugh*


Drumroll....

In a large pot combine these ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 3 tsp onion flakes
• 2 tsp minced garlic

Sear these together until beef is well cooked, about 9 minutes
Add the following into the same pot, stirring as you go.

• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of crushed tomatos
• 1 small can of mushrooms
• 1/3 can of whole olives (I did this to compromise with my non-olive-loving spouse :)
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 heaping tsp of Italian seasoning
• About 2 tsp salt (more or less depending on your taste)
• 1/2 tsp of pepper

Let this simmer and work on the next bit.

In a medium size bowl stir together with a spoon

• 20 oz. Cottage Cheese
• A dash of nutmeg
• 1 egg

Now you are ready to layer your lasagna in the crockpot.

1. First the layer of meat sauce
2. Second the Cottage Cheese 
3. Third the unprepared lasagna noodles
4. Repeat until gone
5. Top off with Mozzarella Cheese ( I used dairy free veggie cheese) ((don't be alarmed, even my cheese loving husband likes this stuff))
6. Turn on low
7. Come back in 5 hrs
8. Enjoy delicious homemade lasagna!!

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

Click HER Pic for Link>>>
 Here's my picture of how it turned out>>>

This was fabulous and huge hit with my girlfriends. If you don't like cilantro though, sorry, but this ones not for you. I had never used actual chipotle chili peppers this recipe calls for before, and it was fantastic! Little on the spicy side to warn you.. but yummo!

We can thank Miss Rachel Ray for this bowl of happiness.

Corn and Bacon Pie (Quiche)

Quiche! Why can't it be spelled the way it sounds? "Keesh"... Ahhh, much better..
This "breakfast pie" is delish!

Click on Pic for link:

I, ummm, didn't read the recipe entirely until it was over so I ended up mixing ALL the ingridients together in stead of layering them... Whatev..it was UH-MAZE-ING (since we're into phonetics today).. Disappeared from the breakfast table faster than Tickle-Me-Elmo's on black Friday. Ironically, I did make it on black Friday... huh..

We made the non-dairy version using the Coffee-Mate original creamer mixed with water instead of milk.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

I'll start with what's cooking in my crockpot right now..

El Crock Pot Beef Stew. 

I accidentally left it on "high" when  stepped out the door to the spa (wouldn't that be nice) work..so it cooked for about 4.5 hrs on high. When I got home, I tasted it and YUM! The beef was super tender (falling apart), and the soup/sauce was awesome. I added a little tomato juice since I had some on hand, and then salt and fresh cracked pepper. Also, I used baking potatoes instead of the red potatoes they called for (just because it's what I had). I'll be tossing the Rhodes buns in the oven in a few minutes, and I'm sure the husband will be SOOOO thrilled for his meat and potatoes tonight :)

I'd give this 2 thumbs up!