the ultimate frito taco salad

well, it's been quite sometime since our last post! instead of catching you up on the happenings, let's just get right down to business, shall we? basically, we still love cooking and baking and all things food related, and we love that you love our recipes! and after many requests from our dear friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, we're back!

i (laura here ;) ) recently attended a mission farewell for a darling neighbor and this is the taco salad that was served there. now I know you've made taco salad a million times in a million variations, but this one tops them all. this meat/rice mixture is to die for, and it even makes a perfect dip for those extra fritos you didn't crunch up into your salad. I made a ton with the intention of freezing it....and that didn't even happen because we ate it for leftovers for the next several days! it's delicious with the meat and rice combo and the sugar cuts that acidity of the tomato sauce nicely, go try it. I bet you have most of the ingredients already on hand!

the ultimate frito taco salad

1/2 medium onion, diced finely
1 lb ground turkey (or hamburger, your decision)
1 can tomato paste
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
3 cans water
3 Tbsp sugar
1 clove garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 cup rice, cooked (measure out 1 cup rice, then cook as desired. i always use my instant pot to cook the rice quickly just in time to add it into this recipe!)

romaine Lettuce, chopped
tomatoes
fritos
ranch dressing (good dressing is a must! we like BYU ranch but we also love our own homemade version when there is time for that!)
beans (optional)
corn (optional)
green onions, chopped (optional)
black olives, chopped (optional)

saute onion until soft and translucent, then add ground turkey (or hamburger) and brown. then stir together all sauce and seasonings, except rice, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. then add cooked rice and simmer for an additional 20 minutes on very low heat, stirring often. The original recipe called for 1 cup cooked rice, but I accidentally measure it as dry, then cooked it. it added quite a bit more rice to the mixture, which i prefer now. use as much rice/meat ratio as you desire. Make sure to watch that the rice doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan, as it has a tendency to settle as it cooks. then serve over your choice of taco salad ingredients!

Comments

heart cookies

got this recipe from martha for valentine's day. it is a mix between an oatmeal cookie and a shortbread cookie and oh so yummy. i'll be taking these to a preschool party and around to some of my friends tomorrow. they are reminiscent of graham crackers and chocolate frosting, which my husband and kids love, so i'm hoping they enjoy these. the dough turned out be a bit different than the recipe claims, but i made it work. i've changed the recipe only slightly-i dipped the hearts in melted chocolate chips rather than sandwiching nutella between two cookies. one great tip on melting chocolate is do it in the microwave! it's so easy and you don't have to worry about a double-boiler and all that clean up. ina garten, the barefoot contessa and one of my cooking idols, gives a great explanation on how to do it here . i'm sure the nutella way would be good, too. it's just not something i regularly have in my pantry, for good reason.

hash brown quiche

sorry i've been m.i.a. for a while. i haven't really been m.i.a. i just moved across the country in the middle of the first trimester of my third pregnancy and i've been a little wonky the past few months. (ask my husband) while in the throngs of packing up our house full of junk, er... things, i just couldn't keep up with all my responsibilities, so the blog had to go...temporarily. plus, i mean really, along with all the yucks of those first few months like feeling like your stomach is turning inside out and you can barely keep control of your balance and you don't even want to think about food, i had a strange aversion to all things cyberspace. even the thought of facebook or checking my email or this blog sent me into a spin of nausea. strange, i know. i can't really explain it. i do have a friend who said when she was pregnant she had a strange aversion to certain people. anytime she saw someone in particular, it would make her si

pear salad with lemon-garlic vinaigrette

i have a friend who served me this salad. it was love at first taste. i think i could spend the rest of my life with that dressing. i found myself wanting to eat it so often, i had to find something else to pair it with (just plain drinking it was not an option, although, it did cross my mind.) it actually happened by accident. i added pears to my salad one day and loved it so much, the next day i decided to leave out the lettuce/spinach altogether. the result: a fantastic and easy salad that just may make your lips pucker up and make your heart skip a beat. 2 fresh pears, peel on and diced grated parmesan, or any other sharp cheese almonds, chopped or slivered (the original recipe calls for crumbled bacon, which would be fantastic even in this salad!) lemon-garlic vinaigrette juice of one lemon small clove of garlic, minced 2/3 cup canola oil salt and pepper to taste combine in a jar and shake to emulsify (or you can whisk in the canola oil to emulsify.

a new nothing with a speckled handle

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