Our version of Tacos!

     My family LOVES tacos!  We have been making tacos at home for soooooooooooooo many years, and the recipe has evolved over time, however, this version has become the ultimate way we enjoy them!

INGREDIENTS:

*ground beef (we usually use 80-20)  substitute ground turkey or ground turkey, or build up the base with pinto and/or dark red kidney beans if you would like it to be non-meat. For a large amount I use 3 pounds of meat.
*one large onion, chopped
*one small can green chiles chopped (4.5 oz)
*1 tsp. olive oil
*cumin
*garlic - (1 clove, minced or 1 tsp. powdered)
*chili powder
*salt
*pepper
* 1/2 cup salsa of your choice
*tortillas  (your choice, flour, whole wheat or corn)
*1 can of black beans - do not drain or rinse

Toppings:
chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, diced mango, chopped lettuce, shredded cheese (we like the mexican style), sour cream, sliced avocados or guacamole and more salsa of your choice.  We also like to add 1 can of black beans to our toppings, just heat in a small pan right before serving time.

In a large heavy skillet add 1 tsp. olive oil, the onions and the green chiles and saute over medium heat until moderately tender, stirring often. 

Add the ground meat and start to break it up and cook.

You can see from the above picture that I have added the spices.  We use spices generously as we all like our food really spicy.  I think in this batch I used almost 3 large teaspoons of the ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of chile powder, several shakes of sea salt and fresh ground pepper and the garlic.  Continue cooking the ground meat until it is all cooked through and broken up into small pieces.  If the meat is overly fatty you can skim off some of the fat before you add the spices.  When the meat is cooked through add the salsa into the mixture and mix thoroughly.

Prepare all the toppings and garnishes into individual bowls or separated serving platters and start your tortillas. 

We like to heat our tortillas in a large skillet sprayed with a vegetable spray on medium heat.  I flip the tortillas over after a few minutes and serve immediately.  I cook the tortillas just until they start to puff up a bit.  They might have just a bit of browning on the edges.  Layer the tortillas with the ground meat and black beans then the cheese and garnish to your liking!   Enjoy!

Tamale Pie

This recipe is absolutely fantastic!  I had forgotten how great it is, and how forgiving it is as a recipe; you can make more or less by adjusting the amount of main ingredients without worrying about the effects, it will still come out great.  You can flavor it hot and spicy or mild.  

This is what you need to have on hand:

Ground round or sirloin (Try 1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
Canned, frozen or fresh kernel corn (lots!)
1 can of ripe black olives (sliced)
12-16 ounces of shredded cheese with a good cheddar base (Mexican or fiesta style is great)
chopped or diced tomatoes (the large can)
Salsa - if desired (your style and heat preference)
1 large onion, chopped
chili powder
garlic powder
yellow corn meal to make the "mush" to line the casserole and cover the top for baking

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Use a glass, ceramic or pottery style casserole (I used a deep dish glass pie
plate which worked great).  Presentation is a plus!

Make up the corn meal "mush"..Basic recipe:  In a sauce pan, place 1 1/4 cups corn meal, 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cook over medium heat on stove top, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken.  Set aside.

Brown the meat with the onions in a skillet.  Drain off the excess fat.  Mix in the tomatoes (drained), salsa, cheese, corn, olives, and ample chili powder and garlic powder.  I used a cup of salsa, about 2 cups of fresh frozen corn and a good 2 tablespoons of chili powder and a tablespoon of garlic powder.  You want this mixture to be thick because it will gain  juice as it cooks.

Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next line your casserole with the cornmeal mush, yet save enough to cover the top.  I layered mine about 1/4 inch thick this time and I liked it better than when I layered it 1/2 inch thick a few weeks ago, but this can be to your preference.  After you spread the bottom with the corn meal, spoon in your meat and cheese mixture and cover it evenly.  Spread the remaining mush over the top and poke a hole in the very center for the steam and juices to ooze out.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.  Let it cool a few minutes.  Garnish with a combination of salsa, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, avocado slices.....

Salmon, fruit salsa, veggies, new potatoes, salad, ciabatta, and a Happy Birthday to me, Simply!

Cooking something beautiful and fantastic can be easy.  On my birthday a few weeks ago, my wish was to have a simple dinner at home.  So this is what we did!

We bought salmon steaks and wrapped them individually in foil and gave them each a dollop of butter, garlic powder, a slight touch of olive oil, and a good squeeze of lemon.

Next we sliced up a yellow crook neck squash and a zucchini and placed the slices in a foil bag with the same seasonings as above.  We closed up the foil bags tight then placed the salmon and veggies on the grill and closed the lid to let them simmer and steam.  Then came the fruit salsa,

This time we sliced up mango, strawberries, tomato, red onion, fresh mint, a delicate splash of lemon, and some apple cider vinegar. Pretty much anything goes.  Fresh pineapple too, I almost forgot!

I had some leftover boiled new potatoes which a sliced up in chunks and pan fried them in a little olive oil and garlic.  Then made up a green salad, and voila!  Simple absolutely delicious dinner!

RAREBIT: Take 1

If you love cheese then this is your dish!  There are two different rarebit recipes in my cookbook, one has a milk base, the other one a beer base.  Tonight I made the Rarebit with the beer base (I  think it is my favorite, though in a few weeks I will make the other one, which I had more often as a child, and compare!)

So here is the recipe:

RAREBIT: Take 1 (Beer based)

3 TBL. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBL. flour
2 room temperature cans of beer - lighter flavor beer = lighter rarebit
24 oz. or more grated/shredded cheddar cheese (mild or sharp, your preference)

Start with a big skillet on the stove on medium high heat.  Melt the butter with the minced garlic.

 Next spread the melted butter over the pan and sprinkle the flour over the butter.  Stir it together with a wooden spoon or wooden spatula until it gets a little thick (this is called making a roux).

 Now add the 2 cans of beer and stir gently for several minutes, letting it foam up at first, then settling down into a slightly thick sauce (it will not get really thick).  Now you can add your cheese in two batches to the middle of the pan, and stir while the cheese melts.  (You can add more cheese if you want to have a little thicker rarebit).

  Continue stirring until it is all melted in and is sizzling just a bit.  Lower the heat and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick to the pan.

Serve the rarebit over toasted bread, toasted English muffins or vegetables if you prefer. I have made gently pan-cooked eggplant slices for the rarebit, while the others had toast and it was excellent.  It has become a tradition to always serve a slice of tomato over the rarebit and sometimes, we cook up bacon for a topping too (I know, that really takes it over the fat content quotient!!!!!!).

Serve it up with a big green salad like we did tonight!

Minestrone Soup

Oh where oh where has this recipe been!  This soup is extremely awesome and delicious.  Originally it comes from my sister Cathy circa many years ago.  I used to make it back in my twenties quite often then somehow the recipe card didn't make it into my box, and I had long lost it, however it was not forgotten!  Then the other day there was a surprise for me AND my cookbook.  My sister Barbara had the recipe in her old recipe box.  So here it is for you!  It is easy to make, and tastes even better the next day.  It freezes well into individual servings.

Minestrone Soup:

Soak 1 pound of dry kidney beans overnight in a large pot.  To do this rinse the dry beans, removing any that look discolored or broken.  Add beans to a large soup pot and cover with water plus a few inches.  Cover with a lid and allow the beans to soak over night.  (package directions say 6-8 hours at the very least)

When you are ready to prepare the soup, drain the beans.  They will have fluffed up a bit. Add the beans back to the soup pot with 4 quarts of water and 1 tsp. of salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a good simmer, and cook the beans until they are tender.  You can start to sample a bean or two after it has simmered for about an hour.  When the beans are done, drain the beans, reserving the liquid.  Put aside 1 cup of the beans into the original pot with the reserved liquid.  Puree the rest of the beans in a blender.  (I did it in two batches)  You can add some of the reserved liquid to the blender to get a nice puree.

Add all the pureed beans into the soup pot with the reserved liquid and that extra cup of whole beans.

Then add:

1 small onion - chopped fine (or 1 Tbl. dried onion)
2 cloves of garlic - minced (or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)
1 Tbl. salt (go for a good quality sea salt here)
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 - 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

Mix in well and cook on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes (stirring occasionally)

Then add:

1 cup diced carrots (4 modest sized carrots)
1 cup diced celery (2 large stalks)
3 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 cup of small pasta (shells, macaroni, Ditalini, etc.)

Mix well and cook an additional 30 minutes, at a good simmer (stirring as necessary so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom). Taste for any additional seasonings that may need to be added (salt and pepper).  I made it tonight and didn't have to add anything additional!

I think you just have to garnish this soup with shredded cheddar cheese.  Enjoy!

So this is it!

This is the first post in my food blog which will initially be dedicated to my Hall Family Cookbook which has been in the works for over a decade.  At first I just wanted to compile all the recipes that I grew up with in my own family.  Not too long after I decided that, I realized it would be cool to ask for recipes from my husband's side of the family, and to ask my sisters and their kids to send me any favorite recipes that they had.  I started to get recipes coming in from around the country and found that there were so many different types of recipes coming in.  My love for drawing and art work led me to decide to hand letter and illustrate each recipe.  I am now over 100 recipes in to the cookbook and as I look over each page I have created my heart is filled with great memories and an appreciation for how cooking can thread together a family in so many ways. 

The kitchen has always been the centerpiece to our home for as long as I can remember.  The family dinner table was a tradition that created a time for our family to come together (usually in peace as I can recall) and eat our last meal of the day together.  My mom was an avid cook and baker, and my dad got into it too with a few favorite recipes of his, and of course he was in charge of the barbecue.  I feel that my parents left a legacy that all of us kids (there were 6 of us) inherited and are passing on to our own children, and hopefully to future generations to come.

The other day I amused myself at the thought of creating a food blog, going through each recipe I am compiling in my cookbook and dedicate myself to cooking and blogging about one recipe a week.  I don't know how Julie of the Julie and Julia project managed to do all those recipes in one year!  I am giving myself more space aka less stress! 

The recipes are a mixture of old style, traditional, and newly inspired dishes, baked goods, desserts, and even some drinks.  I am sure you will find recipes that you want to try and they just might become a family favorite for you too!  Enjoy!