a new nothing with a speckled handle

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 s...

this recipe comes straight from pinterest.  i've tried to find the exact source and i think it was originally pinned from a pinner named mandy baughn - so she's gonna get the credit.  thanks, mandy - whoever you are!  she has it pinned as being a soup, but i think it is as versatile as you can possibly imagine.  i have made this recipe twice now and the second time i made a few slight adjustments and i absolutely loved it.  i think the improved recipe is so good that you can use it for whatever you can think up.  for instance, i've added milk to it at the end and eaten it as soup.  i have used it just as is and poured the creamy mixture over rice.  i've used the leftovers wrapped up in a tortilla with cheese and avocado.  i even had some large fritos and used them to dip right into the yummy mixture.  make it however you want, it's creamy and slightly spicy and entirely delicious. 1 can S&W mexican stewed tomatoes 1 can corn ...

this recipe is oh so good.  ask my kids.  my 4-yr old ate 4 bowlfuls!  it's a great way to use leftover grilled chicken or a rotisserie chicken.  it tastes great leftover for lunch the next day.  it's so good topped with avocados, sour cream and a little salsa.  it's great no matter how you choose to eat it.  i like to make the green sauce in the morning or the day before and let it set for maximum flavor and it thickens a bit.  then it's quick to assemble and cook for dinner!  enjoy! green enchilada casserole green sauce (recipe below) about 15 corn tortillas 2 cups grated colby jack cheese (or more for maximum cheesy-ness!) 3 chicken breasts, grilled or a rotisserie chicken, shredded for the sauce: 1 Tbsp butter 1 sweet onion, diced 3 tomatillos, husks removed 1 cup tomatillo liquid 1 tsp better than bouillon 2 4 oz. cans diced green chiles 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp cumin 3 Tbsp sour cream...

we are big time lovers of the tamale on this blog!  i can say with surety that both amanda and i have scoured the web, interviewed friends, and read through countless magazines and cookbooks to find the perfect tamale recipe.  it's a hard thing to find.  a good friend from our childhood even sent me a message on facebook explaining exactly how she makes her tamales!  and each christmas eve i hear about families gathering around their kitchens to make and eat delicious traditional tamales.  so since the holidays were just here, my mouth has been watering and i've been craving that perfect tamale fix.  and i finally put together a recipe that's a winner.  it's a combination of a friend's and other sources all mixed into one.  i love it when that sort of thing works out!  since tamales can be very time consuming, remember to do a few steps ahead of time.  cook a large roast for dinner one night and shred the leftovers to use in these tamale...

i've been searching for a good tortilla soup for a while now.  i love all kinds of tortilla, taco, enchilada, bean burrito (just kidding, i made that one up) soups but i wanted to make one that was a little more hearty than the usual brothy tortilla soup.  my mom has a tortilla soup that is to die for.  however, it's really brothy.  and while i love it, my cravings were wanting something more.  i like to talk about my cravings like they have lives of their own (and no, there's no bun in this oven).  i cook and bake to serve those cravings and their needs.  so its a win/win situation.  i bake and cook and therefore serve.  get it?  now on to the recipe . 2 T olive oil 2 small corn tortillas cut 1 inch squares (yes, just two) 1 small or 1/2 large sweet onion diced 2 cloves garlic 1 1/2 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp salt pepper to taste 1 tbsp chili powder 2 cups frozen white corn (divided) 2 cans mexican stewed tomatoes (i used s&w...

we've had this recipe in our family for such a long time that i don't really remember its source!  growing up, our mom was the type of cook that had a serious arsenal of recipes.  she'd clip them from newspapers and magazines, she'd gather them from friends, she'd collect recipe cards from the grocery store.  our kitchen growing up had stacks of recipes in lots of different spots.  there was even a stack on the top of the microwave!  you can still tell from just walking in her kitchen that my mom has a talent for cooking.  she values her cookbooks and recipes and has passed that on to us.  and this is one of those recipes that i can remember looking like it had been torn from one of our mother's many many cooking magazines.  it's possible that it was cooking light.  but whatever the source, this recipe is a keeper.  it's very easy to make and most of the ingredients you probably have on hand.  just a warning: it makes a large 9 x ...

these fajitas were a hit at our super bowl party! the chicken is marinated to sweet perfection and then grilled indoor over a very hot grill pan. with the addition of grilled peppers and onions and all the toppings, these make a delicious and easy dinner for any night of the week. lime marinated chicken 6 - 8 chicken tenders (could also use breasts) 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 T chili powder 1 T cumin juice and pulp of one lime a few pinches of salt add all ingredients to resealable plastic bag, or tupperware container. shake to coat all chicken. marinate for several hours, preferably overnight. preheat grill pan over medium to high heat. drizzle pan with olive oil. place chicken in hot pan! here's the part that makes it delicious...allow the chicken to remain in one spot, do not flip or move until the chicken looks cooked at least halfway through. (this allows for carmelization, that's where you get your grill marks and your flavor!) turn over and cook th...

you may be wondering about the title of this post.  i just couldn't think of what to call it.  it's not quite a fajita...not quite a burrito...so it's a furrito!  it's my own creation, so i can call it what i want, right?  i have been trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet.  the fact of the matter is, we just don't eat enough vegetables around here.  my kids are kind of on a vegetable funk and, to be honest, so am i.  they just never sound good to me.  don't get me wrong, i normally love my green roughage, but lately, not so much.  so, i've tried to put a new spin on the ol' veggies.  here's my second creation (my first was a vegetable lasagna that still needs a little work.  it was edible, but still not sharable.)  enjoy it.  those sweet potatoes MAKE the dish.  seriously.so.good. i actually used leftover frozen sweet potatoes that i had baked, diced up and frozen for baby finger food....

These really are good. A friend here in KS made them. I haven't made them myself, but am planning on it. I want to try making and then freezing them so that they can be a quick fix meal for us. And yes, mom, I will be sure to post a picture of them when I make them. Brown 1 lb Ground Beef, seasoned with Old El Paso Taco Seasoning (any seasoning works, but is the best) Mix 1 "big" can of Old El Paso refried beans and the beef together to make it easier to put in tortillas Spread beef/bean mixture on flour tortillas to desired thickness Sprinkle on Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese and Shredded Mozzerella Cheese Roll up burritos and secure with tooth picks Cook in oven at 350 degrees until desired crispness, about 15 minutes. Serve with Sour Cream and Old El Paso Taco Sauce.