The Cookbook Experiment: Taco Soup

Tonight's cookbook experiment is another excellent recipe by Sharon Giambrone. I love Sharon and I love her recipes too. My family loves anything to do with tacos and I thought I would give this one a try. It sure is easier than trying to wrangle all the ingredients together for regular tacos and tonight after a rough day at work and a rough time at physical therapy I needed easy.

Taco Soup by Sharon Giambrone

(2) pounds ground beef
(1) onion, chopped
(3) cans mild Rotel
(1) can Shoe-peg corn
(1) can black beans
(1) can kidney beans
(1) can pinto beans
(1) package dry ranch dressing
(1) package dry taco seasoning
(1) cup water

Brown ground beef and onions, drain. Add other ingredients and simmer at least 2 hours. Layer in bowl: Fritos or other corn chips, soup, cheese and sour cream.

My take-a-ways for this recipe:

• I drained the black beans and rinsed them.
• I had a green pepper I needed to use before it went bad so I chopped it and added it at the same time.
• I also had some bacon leftover (how did that happen in this household?) so I added that in. It was actually not a good idea because it got soggy. I should have saved it for the top as a garnish.
• Before I added any of the cans and after I drained the hamburger meat, I added the taco and ranch seasoning so that it could mix well and would not be lumpy in any of the juice/water.
• This was an excellent recipe. My whole family (minus the one vegetarian) loved it. I will definitely make it again.  Thanks Sharon!

The Cookbook Experiment: Indian Corn Pudding

Tonight's cookbook experiment is Indian Corn Pudding by Ms. Stella Smith. Stella is one of the most amazing cooks ever. Her chicken salad and her pimento cheese are legendary at our church. Her chicken salad outdoes mine hands down.  I am so in love with her pimento cheese. It is sheer heaven. I have not had corn pudding in a very, very long time.

Indian Corn Pudding by Stella Smith

(1) 15 ounce can creamed corn
(1) 15 ounce can whole corn
(1) stick butter or margarine (I used butter..duh! Everything is better with Kerrygold)
(2) eggs
(1) cup sour cream
(1) box Jiffy corn bread mix

Mix all ingredients, pour into 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes and then serve.

My take-a-ways for this recipe:

• The recipe does not say melt the butter but I assumed it was necessary so I melted it in the microwave first.
• The recipe also does not say whether to drain the water out of the can of whole corn. I drained it.
• I mixed everything in the dish I was baking it in. It worked out fine.
• This recipe is luxurious. It bakes up fluffy and tender. My suggestion would be to go fix it right now! What are you waiting for. I could eat this 3 times a day seven days a week, it is that good.
• Thank you Stella!

The Cookbook Experiment: Hash Brown Casserole

Tonight's recipe is another gem from Sharon Giambrone.  She is a most amazing woman and I love her dearly. Her faith in God is an incredible thing to witness. Tonight I made an overload of potatoes. I know I should not have but I did it anyway. It was tasty and worth it!

Hash Brown Casserole

(1) 32 ounce frozen hash browns, thawed
(3/4) cup butter, melted
(1/2) cup chopped onion*
(1) 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup
(1) 8 ounce carton sour cream
(1) cup shredded cheddar cheese
(2) cups cornflakes, crushed

Combine potatoes, 1/2 cup butter, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese; stir well. Spoon into 13" x 9" x 2" casserole dish. Stir remaining butter into crushed cereal. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. *May substitute green onions for yellow onion. Add 1-2 cups cubed ham, if desired.

My take-a-ways for this recipe:

• I did not have any cornflakes but I made it anyway. It was not the smartest decision as the dish lacked crunch without it. It was still  yummy but it did need the crunch.
• I did not realize the hash browns had to be thawed first. Me and my last minute dinner planning! Not to worry, I threw them in a big bowl and defrosted them in the microwave.
• The butter is very important in this dish so naturally I used Kerrygold. I am biased. What can I say?
• Thank you Sharon for another wonderful recipe! It will definitely be tried again, this time correctly with the cornflakes.

Waldorf Salad the Crystal Chef way

I had a pretty severe craving yesterday for Waldorf salad. I am not even sure how that happened! It is not something I have ever made, its just a dish that I always hope someone makes at a pot-luck dinner at church. I decided it was time to figure out one of my own.

I started with the following:

1 cup of celery chopped very small (if you like celery bigger, go for it but I like it small in this case)

2 cups of large red seedless grapes, cut in halves to quarters (if you are lucky enough to find the really big ones you will need to quarter them)

4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2/3 cup of dried cranberries

1/2 cup of Duke's Mayonnaise (okay, I don't usually list a brand name but seriously, I don't believe there is any other brand better than Duke's! I am a total Duke's devotee. You can use whatever mayo you want...but I would not recommend it!)

3 tablespoons of Daisy sour cream (yep, did it again, Daisy is the only sour cream I use...)

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

In a large bowl whisk the mayo and sour cream together with the lemon juice and the sugar until nice and smooth. Next add your apples, grapes, celery and cranberries and toss well to make sure everything gets coated. DO NOT EAT IT AT THIS POINT. Put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The flavors need a chance to marry.

Something to remember when you are making this, when chopping your apples, add a squirt of lemon juice to them while you chop so that they do not turn brown while you are making the rest of the salad. It helps.

I will tell you....the dressing does not taste the best right after you first make it. It takes 24 hours of sitting in the refrigerator and marinating with all of the fruits and celery to develop it's flavor. And it is so worth it! I know that I am the one that made it, but this is the best Waldorf salad I have ever had. Of course, tradition states one is supposed to put this salad on top of lettuce to serve, but I do not follow tradition. I just put it in the bowl and eat it. Serve it anyway you like. Just enjoy it.

PS...I added some chopped walnuts to the top right before serving. I liked the added texture. I would not add them until you are ready to serve. I like the crunch.

Taco Bar!

Today my sweet husband asked for soft tacos for dinner.  I decided to go a little crazy and give my family LOTS of things to add to their soft tacos!

Here is the list of what was on the table:

1. Seasoned ground beef (of course!)
2.  Fried chicken strips cut into chunks (no I did not fry them, got them from Harris Teeter pre-made and on sale!!)
3.  Fresh baby spinach leaves
4. Fresh salsa (courtesy of Harris Teeter again!)
5. chopped jalapenos (with the seeds left in!)
6.  Chimichurri sauce (which I made from scratch)
7. chopped tomatoes
8. chopped green onions
9.  bean sprouts
10.  alfalfa sprouts
11. Daisy sour cream (love the dollop! :) )
12.  Mexican blend of four cheeses, shredded
13.  chopped cucumber
14. re-fried beans
15. flour tortillas
16. Goya Spanish rice
17. Newman's Own Salsa con Queso
18. Broccoli slaw with fresh lime juice squeezed on it

Whew!! That was a lot to get ready! Of course, I cheated a little bit by using a few pre-made things from Harris Teeter.

The chimichurri sauce I made tonight was the best one I have made yet.  I did not follow any specific recipe, I just threw a bunch of ingredients in the blender and then blended and tasted until it was good.  I used a lot of it on my tacos.  It was delicious.  I love a "make it anyway you want" kind of plate! It was nice to have the whole family at the table.  My husband and children are such blessings!!