Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup makes me think of fall but I found myself making it in the dead of summer. Why? You ask. Because it sounded yummy and can feed us for many meals! There isn't a whole lot to write about this meal, all you need are the following items, a 6 qt crock pot, and some time.

Here's what you need:

1 qt can of tomato juice

2 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes

1 14 oz can of chicken broth

3 medium sized potatoes, diced

1 12oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1 12oz bag of frozen corn

1 12oz bag of carrots

1 12oz bag of green beans

When it comes to the vegetables add a much or as little as you like of each veggie.  Personally, carrots, corn, and green beans are my favorite so that's why I add more of those.  Or you could always just use 4 bags of mixed vegetables if you don't want more of one than the other.  Or you could always add beans or beef to your soup, however you like it. I have heard of people using Bloody Mary mix instead of the tomato juice to give it a little kick! I haven't tried that because of the little ones but if you do let me know how it turns out!

Seasonings to Taste

Paprika

Rosemary

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Thyme

Basil

Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)

Garlic Powder

Hot Sauce
1-2 Bay Leaves (Don't forget to take them out!)

Place all of this in the crock pot, stir, cover with the lid, turn the heat to low for 8 hours or high for 6, and walk away.  It's as simple as that! In the time it takes you to go to work you can come home to a lovely meal. Serve hot with a grilled cheese is my favorite way to enjoy vegetable soup!

Western Taco Salad

This is probably the cheapest, easiest, and yummiest thing I make! Every time I make this I get nostalgic, dreaming of summers living in a crappy trailer with no air conditioning and the only relief you felt was going outside.  On some of the hottest days when there was no way in hell my mom was turning on the oven, she would cook this up and top it with tomatoes fresh out of our garden. No matter how many times I make it, it never quite tastes like it did when my mom made it. You may wonder why anyone would get nostalgic for that but those summers are some of my fondest memories. Sorry for the stroll down memory lane, now back to the taco salad.


This is probably one of the simplest things that I make, here's what you need:
Taco Meat
2 lbs of ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, whatever you like!

approximately 1/2 cup shredded frozen onion (remember my ***Chunky Girl Tip***? That's ok if you don't here it is)

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 tbls homemade taco seasoning (recipe to follow) or package seasoning of your choice
2/3 cup of water

Taco Salad Fixins
Lettuce
Tomato
Western Dressing (just trust me on this!)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Nacho Cheese Doritos

Place your thawed hamburger and your shredded onion in a large skillet.  Sprinkle your pepper, salt, cumin and garlic powder over top and brown your beef.

While your meat is cooking I take this time to cut up tomatoes and tear up lettuce.  After the meat is finished I drain the grease very well in a colander and add the 2/3 cup of water to the pan.  After my meat is thoroughly drained I sprinkle the taco seasoning on top of the meat and stir well and then allow to come to a simmer.  It's really as simple as that.  Top your lettuce with the taco meat, as much Western dressing as you like, cheese, tomatoes, and mix to coat with the dressing.  Top with Doritos and you're ready to eat!!! Personally, I like to crumble my Doritos over the top and my husband likes to scoop. Eat up! Dinner's done!!!

Taco Seasoning
I make this in a big batch but I've reduced it for only one serving (one store bought size pouch)
1 tbls chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (if you don't like spicy food, you could leave this out or sub 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper


Mix in bowl and sprinkle over beef.

Kraft Fresh Taste

So if you are anything like me chicken is a huge part of your family's diet, and if you're anything like me you get sick of it.  Let's face it, chicken is cheap, abundant, and versatile but it gets old after awhile.  I'm constantly looking for new chicken recipes and it appears so are other people.  Chicken recipes held the number one spot in Google searches for 2011 and it is the most searched topic on Food Networks website.  Wow...we eat a lot of chicken! Whether you get your chicken from a farm or from the store (I won't judge and I will save that for another blog post entirely) you're always looking for new ideas! Well, here is where I come in, or should I say Kraft Fresh Take comes in! Kraft Fresh Take is a simple breadcrumb and cheese mixture that comes in 6 different flavors, Southwest Three Cheese, Italian Parmesan, Roasted Garlic & Rosemary, Cheddar Jack & Bacon, Chili Lime & Panko, and Savory Four Cheese and it has many uses.

So far my family has tried the Southwest Three Cheese and Cheddar Jack and Bacon.  Kraft has made these packets so simple, honestly a kid could do it! Simply follow the package directions, bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, you can use chicken, fish, or pork, make a few side dishes and you're done! There is enough mixture in these packages for approximately 4 good sized chicken breasts. I even put mine on aluminum foil on a sheet pan so cleanup is virtually nonexistent! The chicken comes out with a nice crisp exterior, moist interior, and great flavor.

The Southwest Three Cheese has a slight spice to it so I might not recommend this to people who don't like spice or people with children who don't like spicy food.  Personally, I would've added a touch more cayenne pepper for my husband and I, but I'm glad I didn't serve it to my stepdaughter! The Cheddar Jack and Bacon is simply amazing and my stepdaughter said that it was the best chicken I've served to date, not sure if that makes me happy or sad, hmmm. The other great thing about these mixtures is that you can use them for different dishes other than meat, use them on potatoes, vegetables, the sky's the limit! I hope you take a chance on these great flavors, you won't be disappointed!