Tag Archives: Cook

Oct31

Chalupas

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Rachel

Do you ever have one of those days where you look at your bank account and go “Ahhhhhhhhh!”? Well fear not because this is one of the cheapest meals you can make for your family or even a crowd, and it’s absolutely delicious! Mexican is my favorite type of food to eat (and cook) and this will be a forever favorite whether I have $10 or $10,000 in my account!

Ingredients:
Corn tortillas
Canola or vegetable oil
Can of refried beans
Shredded cheese
Chopped lettuce
Fresh diced tomatoes
Chopped onion (I like purple with these)
Tony Chachere’s Seasoning (optional)

1. Pour oil into a skillet about 1/3 of the way up the side. Heat on medium to high heat for about ten minutes before putting in 1-2 corn tortillas. You’ll want them to be beside each other, not overlapping. You’ll fry these anywhere from 8-15 minutes depending on the temperature of your oil. Flip them over several times using tongs to ensure equal cooking on both sides. You’ll know they’re done when they are golden and crisp like a chip.

2. Once tortillas are cooked take out and place onto a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Season one side with Tony Chechare’s seasoning and place in the oven at 200F. This will keep them warm and crispy while you’re cooking other batches.

3. Once you’re done with your tortillas place refried beans in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for one minute with a handful of cheese. Feel free to also season with salt and pepper should you feel the need.

4. Using a knife spread heated cheesy refried beans in a thin layer on your chalupa (or tostada – I’ve heard it called both). Then top with another sprinkle of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and sour cream if desired. You can add meat to these if you like on top of the bean mixture, but I like to keep mine cheap and simple! However, my husband topped his with leftover chili, and of course you could always add shredded chicken or taco meat as well for more traditional meat toppings.

Oct29

Spicy Chili

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Rachel

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Yesterday when I woke up it was cold and foggy outside, and that’s when I knew for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt… It was a perfect day for chili! This chili has the perfect amount of kick and goes perfectly on baked potatoes (pictured), tamales, Fritos, French fries, or even by itself. Trust me, you could put this on an old leather boot and it would be delicious!

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, deer, whatever you like)
1 large sweet onion chopped
1 large jalapeño chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 12 oz beer (I used a Miller Lite, but any beer dark or light would be ok. Rule of adding drinks like this to food is if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t put it in your food. That means don’t buy the cheap stuff.)
1 can Rotel
1 cup Spicy V8 juice
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons each of garlic salt, paprika, and cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup ketchup (Heinz ketchup is my favorite)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I love French’s)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add onion and peppers to pot and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (go easy because you can always add more later, but you can’t take it out once you’ve added it). Sauté for 20 minutes on medium to high heat.

2. Add ground meat and chopped garlic and sauté until fully cooked. Add seasonings and stir well. At this point you can either keep in pot or transfer to crock pot on low.

3. Add beer, Rotel, V8, ketchup, and mustard and keep at a simmer on stovetop or crockpot for a few hours or even all day.

4. Garnish chili with your favorite toppings before serving. Classic chili toppings include onion, green onion, cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

Oct28

Roasted Onions And Potatoes

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Rachel

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Nothing says caveman (or cave-woman) quite like a meal of meat and potatoes. I like to make these roasted onions and potatoes with a medley of different potatoes, and sometimes with just sweet potatoes. Either way it pairs perfectly with any grilled meat, but my favorite is steak. Trust me when I tell you these are some tasty taters!

Ingredients:
1 large red potato
1 large sweet potato
1 handful of purple potatoes
1 large sweet onion
1/2 stick of butter
1 jalapeno sliced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Slice all of your potatoes into circle slices, slice onion into slivers (not too thin, don’t want them to burn), and jalapeno into slices. Place these in a cast iron skillet (or baking dish if you don’t have one) and drizzle with olive oil.

2. Season liberally with salt and pepper and stir them all around making sure olive oil and seasoning is well distributed. Top with 1/2 butter cut into slices and bake in 375 oven for approximately 1 hour.

Oct21

Taco Soup

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Rachel

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This is my favorite soup and perfect for simmering in a crock pot or on your stove top. It’s easy to make and very delicious! I recommend eating this with a glass of wine by the fireplace. Perfection 🙂

Ingredients:
1 can Ranch Style beans (you can use a can of pinto beans in a pinch)
1 can black beans
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn or 1 cup frozen corn
2 cans diced green chiles or 3 roasted and diced chiles
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, deer, whatever)
1 sweet onion diced
2 garlic cloves diced
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 packet taco seasoning (I like McCormicks)
1 chicken bouillon cube
4 cups of water

Ingredients for garnish:
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Green onion
Crushed chips or fried corn tortilla strips

1. Sauté for 10-15 minutes on medium to high heat chopped onion drizzled with olive oil. After it turns translucent add ground meat and chopped garlic cloves. Once meat is fully cooked add both seasoning packets and stir well. At this point you can either dump contents into crock pot set on low heat or keep in soup pot.

2. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, bouillon, and water. Do not drain anything before dumping into pot. Allow soup to simmer for several hours if you can before serving so that flavor has time to develop.

3. Serve with your favorite toppings. Personally, I like to cut a corn tortilla into strips and fry in a little oil in a sauté pan then drain on paper towel and season immediately with a little Tony Chachere’s seasoning. I love the works on mine: fried tortilla strips, cheese, a dollop of sour cream, green onion, and sometimes a dash of Louisiana hot sauce to take up the heat an extra notch.

Oct19

Pulled Pork Tacos

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Rachel

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I love shopping on Mondays at our local grocery store, because that’s when they put all of their meat on sale they’re trying to get rid of before their new shipment comes in. I have an extra freezer at my house for this very thing because the deals they offer are just too good to pass up. Earlier this week one of my purchases was pork shoulder blade roast for $7. My family of three has been eating pulled pork every day for a week and I still have some leftover! Needless to say, I had to get creative with how I prepared it every night so we didn’t get tired of eating the same thing. So after preparing pulled pork sandwiches, pulled pork enchiladas, and pulled pork breakfast sandwiches, I decided to make tacos with it one night. It has definitely been our favorite way to eat it! Pulled pork tacos aren’t anything new, but here is my recipe for them:

Ingredients
1.5 – 2 pounds pulled pork
1 can black beans drained
1/2 sweet onion chopped
2-3 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Original)
1 garlic clove
Salt and Pepper
Handful of chopped cilantro
Tortillas (I use white corn, my husband uses flour)
Olive Oil
2 roasted green chiles or 1 small can diced green chiles (optional)

1. In a saute pan or cast iron skilled heat chopped onion over medium to high heat with a drizzle of olive oil and cook until it begins to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper and add garlic cloves. Saute for a few more minutes at medium to high heat.

2. Add pulled pork, drained black beans, chiles (if you’re using them), BBQ sauce, and cilantro. Turn heat down to low and stir until it is entirely heated through and ready to eat.

3. In a separate skillet on high heat drizzle olive oil in there and heat tortillas on both sides. Stuff with pulled pork filling and top with your favorite taco toppings. My favorite is to top with my homemade salsa.

Oct14

Blueberry Banana Bread Made With Whole Wheat Flour

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Rachel

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Blueberry Banana Bread Made With Whole Wheat Flour

My son is a year and a half and I’m always trying to make sure the food he eats is nutrient rich and good for him. He loves banana bread, so I decided to try and make it a little healthier for him and use whole grains, add antioxidant rich blueberries to it, and cut down on the sugar. This bread is perfect to take to a brunch or just to keep around the house for your family to eat. I keep mine covered in cling wrap in the bread pan I baked it in for up to a week in the fridge, and reheat a slice at a time whenever my son is ready to eat it.

Ingredients:
3 bananas
3/4-1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 stick melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Using a hand mixer on low mix together melted butter, egg, bananas, vanilla, honey, and sugar.

2. Once blended add dry ingredients and blend again using hand mixer.

3. Using a spoon or spatula add 3/4-1 cup of blueberries (depending on how berrilicious you like your bread). Be careful not to break open the blueberries or crush then. It should only take you 3-4 stirs to incorporate them into batter.

4. Pour batter into bread pan that has been sprayed with your favorite non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350F for one hour.

Blonde Bitchin' West Texas Kitchen

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Tag Archives: Cook

Chalupas

Spicy Chili

Roasted Onions And Potatoes

Taco Soup

Pulled Pork Tacos

Blueberry Banana Bread Made With Whole Wheat Flour