Kid Friendly Taco Cups

If you have children, I'm sure you have or will, find it hard to get them to eat certain things.  My oldest is that way about certain foods.  So we as parents try everything, right?! Well I found that she would eat taco meat if it was in a scoop chip. (then later on a pizza) So I added lettuce, shredded carrots and shredded cheese and...what do ya know?!  She eats like 6 every time.  I also offer her a fruit or yogurt along with milk.  Hopefully the youngest will eat whatever I put infront of her but if not, maybe the oldest can talk her into some taco cups!  :)

Taco Pizza

Here's a new one.  I know I haven 't posted recently but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking.  I've just been cooking repeats.  But, here is a new one I tried out, thanks to Pinterest.  We loved it!  All 4 of us!

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger

1 small can refried beans

1 can of rotel

1/2 cup of black olives

1 - 1 1/2 cups of cheese (favorite)

1 can pizza crust

Toppings:

salsa

lettuce

sour cream

1- Cook pizza crust as instructed.  Be sure to poke holes in crust.

2- Cook hamburger.

3- Once crust is done, spread refried beans ontop of crust.

4- Spread hamburger next, then rotel.

5- Sprinkle cheese over top.

6- Place back in oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

7- Take out and add olives.

8- Slice and add toppings.

Italian Stuffed Meatloaf

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this recipe but I am so glad I did.  The name itself sounds good. Just imagine what it taste like!  I like the traditional recipe for meatloaf, but I am one to try a new spin on some things.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! (Picture to come soon)

Ingredients:

1 1/2lbs Hamburger

1/2 onion chopped

Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. of parsley

salt/pepper to taste

2 tbsp. of Italian seasoning

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

1- Combine all ingredients except the cheese.

2- Form the meatloaf in a baking dish.

3- Make an indention down the middle of the loaf, deep enough to stuff the cheese into. 

 Then try to pinch the loaf back together, covering the cheese completely.

4- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Chicken Stir Fry

So simple!  I have been wanting to try this stir fry for a while.  I finally made it tonight and it was so good. 

 If you like stir fry, you have got to try this.

Ingredients:

4 frozen chicken strips

1 bag of frozen stir fry mix vegetables

2 cups of rice

Stir fry sauce

1/4 cup of water

1 Tbsp oil

1- Boil chicken
2- While chicken is boiling, cook rice and set aside.
3- Also while chicken is boiling, heat water and vegetables.  Cover with lid and heat about 15 mins..
4- When rice has set up and the vegetables are tender, drain the vegetables and mix rice in. Add about 3 Tbsp of stir fry sauce and combine.
5- Once chicken is done, cut up chicken into bite size pieces. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in separate pan and add chicken.  Cook about 5 mins.
6- Add chicken to rice and vegetable mixture, stir.
7- Serve and enjoy!

Hamburger Steak with Gravy

This is a favorite of mine from when I was younger.  My favorite two places to get this from are Bills Grill in Black Creek, NC and The Creamery in Wilson, NC.  Most of the time when I am home visiting, I will make a point to get this.  I have never tried to make it although I didn't think it could be that hard. 

And I was right.

Ingredients:
2 - 3 lb of hamburger thawed
salt/pepper to taste
Worcestershire Sauce
garlic salt/powder
onion salt/powder
1 Jar of Beef Gravy
1 tablespoon oil
 Cheese slices (optional)


1- Mix first 5 ingredients together.  Pat out 5 patties, flat.  They should be rather large.
2- Heat pan/skillet with oil in it and place patties in.
3- Cook about 3-5 minutes per side.  Basically the way you would cook a burger on a grill.
4- In another pan heat gravy until it bubbles, then turn down to a simmer.  Place patties in gravy when done.
5-Add cheese if you would like, at this time. 
6-Heat patties in gravy for about 15 minutes.
7-Take out and enjoy.

I enjoyed mine with some mashed potatoes. 

 Any side you would like, probably would go well with this dish.

The BEST Sugar Cookies

In the years past, we have always been home, at my Mom's house for Christmas, to make Christmas cookies.  Well this year we are staying put up North for Christmas so it's my turn to make Christmas cookies and let my oldest help.  We started about 2 weeks ago with the first batch and they were horrible.  I let her decorate 4 of them, just for decoration on our cookie plate.  They were and still are hard as a brick, but she likes to see them on the cookie plate. 

The second attempt was the very next night, with a different recipe.  I followed it to a T, just as I had done with the previous one.  And they turn out better, but still not good.  My husband and daughter ate them, and we decorated them, which made them a little better.   Anything is good if you put enough icing on it!  But I still was not satisfied!

Three times a charm...right?!  I think so!  This recipe is wonderful!  The cookies came out wonderfully, taste amazing and they are not even iced yet!  This recipe came from Janelle at http://comfyinthekitchen.com/

I hope you will enjoy them as much as we will!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened  (2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp milk

Powdered sugar for rolling out the dough

1- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in bowl. Set aside.

2- Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric mixer and beat until light in color. ( I used my big Kitchenaid mixer)

3- Add egg and milk and beat to combine.
4- Put mixer on low speed, gradually add in flour and beat until mixture pulls away from bowl.  It will be very soft at first.
5- Divide dough in half and wrap in wax paper or Glade clear pastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
6- Preheat oven to 375.
7- Sprinkle area with powdered sugar to roll out the dough.  Sprinkle some on your rolling pin as well.
8- Get 1 package of dough out at a time.  Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. (dough may need to sit out a few mins to warm up)
9- Place parchment paper on cookie sheet and back 7-9 minutes.  Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 mins before moving to cooling rack.  ( 7-9 mins will make soft, chewy cookies)
10- Eat as is or decorate with icing!

Banana Bread

I don't usually make banana bread because between my daughter and husband, they usually get eaten.  But we had about 4 bananas that were way to ripe to eat, so I gave it a shot.  I have the cook book Better Homes and Garden 14th Edition and LOVE it!  I think my Mom or Grandma gave it to me one Christmas and I use it a lot!  This is the best banana bread I have had or ever made.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted)

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of one 9x5x3 or two 7 1/2x3 1/2x2 inch loaf pans. I used a 9x5x3.
2- In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.
3- In medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar and butter.  Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir to mix and mixture should be lumpy.
4-Pour in baking dish and bake for 55 to 60 minutes for a 9x5x3 or 40 to 45 minutes for a 7 1/2x3 1/2x2 pan.  Bake until you can insert a toothpick near the middle and it comes out clean.  Cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.