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.