Taco Soup

With all this cold weather and snow (over 70 inches this winter), I've been pulling out all my "comfort food" recipes. I got this recipe from one of my virtual playgroup moms and it is one of my favorites for cold winter days. It's easy to make and we almost always have all of the ingredients on-hand, so it's a cinch to throw together at the last minute.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix (not dip mix)

1 package taco seasoning (or a homemade version)

1 can chili hot beans

1 can corn

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can rotel

Directions:

Brown meat and onions. Add all ingredients to a pot (do not drain any of the cans), and simmer for one hour.

My Recommendations:

I never brown my meat in a frying pan, but instead boil it. While the meat is browning, I chop up the onions and throw them in the frying pan to brown. And sometimes when I'm lazy I don't brown them at all - doesn't make or break the meal. Instead of cooking this on the stove, you could also just brown the meat and onions and then throw everything together in the crock-pot.

Also, I usually sub out the rotel in favor of plain diced tomatoes, and replace the chili hot beans with just chili beans because my kids can't handle the spice.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

These muffins are a cinch to make and are under 100 calories (if you pay attention to that sort of thing). The kids are obsessed with these, and they are perfect for breakfast, snacks, or to pack in a lunchbox.

I found this recipe at one of my fav recipe sites Shades of Jaim. Seriously check out her recipes.

Ingredients:
1 box spice cake mix
15 oz. can pumpkin
1/2 c. water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and fill each baking cup 1/2 way with batter. Bake according to directions on box. Yields 24 muffins.

My Recommendations:
I tried the original recipe which was for Chocolate Pumpkin muffins, but I wasn't too crazy about it. The spice cake mix and pumpkin goes much better together in my opinion. Also, I have made multiple batches of these and then frozen them so we can have some on hand.

*This post is linked to Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap*

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

With bubba's birthday party being snowed out, I wanted to make an extra special treat for him, and these did not disappoint. I have very fond memories of my dad making these for my brother and I when we were younger, and hopefully my children will remember how much they enjoyed these when they are older.

(Adapted from this Betty Crocker recipe)

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (we used Funfetti)

water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake box

24 flat-bottom ice cream cones

icing

sprinkles

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make cake batter as directed on the box. Line ice cream cones on a baking sheet, and fill each cone 3/4 full of batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cones to cool completely, and then frost and decorate as desired.

My Recommendations:

My cones came out a little flat so next time I will add more batter so they more closely resemble an ice cream cone. Also, I frosted them, let the frosting harden, frosted them a second time and then added sprinkles before the frosting hardened.

*This post is linked to Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap*

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I have a phobia when it comes to handling raw meat, so I typically shy away from recipes that call for the bigger cuts of meat, i.e. roasts, shoulder, butt, etc. But this recipe is so easy, and the result is so delicious, that even I can handle it. I just make sure I have Al around to dispose of the yucky meat bits and wrappings, and that I wear gloves. When I say phobia, I'm not kidding.

(This recipe is courtesy of my friend Michele)

Ingredients:

3 to 4 lb. pork shoulder/butt

1 c. vinegar

1/2 c. water

salt & pepper

BBQ sauce

2 T. honey

2 T. sugar

crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:

Put pork into crock-pot. Pour vinegar and water over it, and then sprinkle salt & pepper. Cook for 6 hours on high. After 6 hours, check to see if the meat can be pulled apart easily. If it is tender, it is done. Shred the pork and reserve 1 to 1 1/2 c. of the pork water (dispose of the rest). Put the shredded pork back in the crock-pot, and add the pork water, BBQ sauce, honey, sugar, and crushed red pepper. Stir until the pork is evenly coated. Let the pork cook for an additional hour on low.

My Recommendations:

This is better if you can cook it the day before you want to serve it. You can trim the meat of any fat before you put it in the crock-pot or after it cooks. We (Al) usually does so after it cooks because it pulls right off. Much easier. We usually omit the red pepper so the kids are able to eat it as well. As to whether this is a kid friendly meal or not, I think the look on bubba's face speaks for itself.

Candy Cane Heart FAIL

I can't even look at that picture without laughing. I had a TON of leftover candy canes from Christmas and had seen a great idea for what to do with them here. MJ and I decided it would be cute to make some mini hearts for her classmates. My oven apparently did not think so. In retrospect because they were mini candy canes, I probably should have adjusted the baking time. But that would have been the kind of thing that someone would have thought of who actually knows what they're doing in the kitchen. Obviously not me.

In my defense I was preoccupied trying to multitask and make granola. Please make this ASAP.

I didn't want our baking afternoon to be a wash, so MJ and I made some brownies (boxed), cut them into hearts, and covered them with marshmallow fluff and sprinkles. Bakerella I am not, but these are pretty dang cute.

*This post is linked to Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap*

Hot Wing Dip

My hubby is a very generous person but not when it comes to food that he likes. And he happens to love this dip. I had intended to make this for the adults at bubba's birthday party - Al wasn't too keen on the idea of sharing his favorite dip. Lucky for him, the party got snowed out, so he got it all for himself. *He would like for me to clarify that he shared some with me*

Ingredients:
8 oz. shredded chicken
12 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. blue cheese or ranch dressing
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. Original Franks RedHot sauce

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all of the ingredients and place in a baking dish. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the mixture is heated through. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or celery.

My Recommendations:

Even though the directions say to cook this in the oven, we always cook it in the crock-pot, on low for about 2-3 hours. If you choose to cook it this way, make sure to give it a good stir every once in a while. Also, the amount of Frank's RedHot that you add is completely up to you. Al likes to add a lot. I think he does this to ensure that he will be the only one eating it. He's sneaky that way.

Snow Cones

One good thing that came out of all the snow Mother Nature dumped on us was that the kids and I got to make our own snow cones! We had so much fun with these and they took about two seconds to make.

Ingredients:
Fresh, clean snow
Fruit juice (we used pineapple)

Directions:
Scoop snow into cups and pour fruit juice over the snow.

My Recommendations:
This would work better if the snow was thicker and more dense. Our snow was light and fluffy so the snow kind of disintegrated when we poured the juice overtop. It was delicious nonetheless, and the kids had second and third helpings!

Personal Pita Pizzas

Disclaimer: Don't judge me on my crappy cookie sheets. Now that that's settled...

We had a huge, major Nor'easter this weekend. The kids were getting kind of stir crazy so I decided a kids & mom cooking event was in order. MJ and bubba were craving pizza but I didn't have the time to whip up some pizza dough, so we improvised with pita bread!

Ingredients:

Pita pockets

Tomato sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Toppings (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to broil. Slice the pita pocket in half so you have two little circles. Place the pita on a cookie sheet and put in the oven to broil for about 3 minutes, just until they begin to crisp. Take them out of the oven and add sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you would like. Place the cookie sheet back in the oven to broil, about 5 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned.

My Recommendations:

The kids loved making these with me, and had they not been "starving," I would have been a bit more creative with the toppings. These were really tasty, very easy, and ready in about 15 minutes.

Easy Baked Macaroni

My mom made this for us a few years ago and after only one bite, I demanded the recipe. When I read the recipe for the first time, I almost laughed at how easy it is. Then I recovered and made lots of it, and consumed it in mass quantities. I'm pretty sure this is where all of my baby weight with bubba came from.

Ingredients:

6 T. margarine or butter

2 c. elbow macaroni, uncooked

4 c. milk

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

(Optional crumb topping)

2 T. melted butter

1/2 c. bread crumbs

Directions:

Melt margarine or butter in a 2-quart casserole dish. Dump in uncooked macaroni, milk and cheese in that order. DO NOT STIR. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

For crumb topping: Combine melted butter with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

My Recommendations:

If you are like me, serve with heated diced tomatoes. Or if you're like Al, look at me with a bizarre look and make retching noises when I suggest that. (Am I the only one who likes my macaroni with hot tomatoes?)

This would definitely classify as a kid friendly recipe. I barely had time to serve myself some before MJ handed me her empty bowl asking for more. I love it when that happens.

Crock-Pot Chocolate Cake (a.k.a. P.M.S. Delight)

{Picture to be added a bit later}

**Edited to add: I had every intention of taking a picture,

but this cake was demolished before I got a chance**

It's one of those days and I'm in the need of chocolate therapy. I threw the ingredients in the crock-pot four hours ago and my house now smells delicious. I'm in a better mood already! The official name is P.M.S. Delight but just in case I were to ever acquire a male reader, we shall call it Crock-Pot Chocolate Cake. Another good name for it would be "Death By Chocolate." Or "My-Diet-Is-Over Chocolate Cake."

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate cake mix
1 8 oz. carton sour cream (don't use fat free)
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c. chocolate chips
3/4 c. vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs
1 c. water


Directions:
Spray crock-pot with non-stick spray. In a medium bow, mix by hand all of the ingredients. Pour into pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours.


My Recommendations:
The time has varied on this for me. Just keep your eye on it after 4 hours if on low, or 2 hours if on high. Check to see if it's done by sticking a fork in the middle; if it comes out clean, it's done.


Serve with lots of whipped cream or ice cream (my preference). And it's always ALWAYS better when it's served hot. Try not to eat it all.