Taco Salad

Here's an easy one. I don't even need the recipe any more, but I'll post it so others can enjoy. We got this recipe from one of my aunts many moons ago. And we love it because it's salad with Doritoes. Who wouldn't like that. Okay, my boys don't like salad, but some day they'll change their tune. They're just too young to appreciate it.

Taco Salad

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 heads lettuce, cored and torn or chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped (I like to seed them too)
1 lb colby cheese, cubed (the texture is nicer, but you can use a shredded cheese if you prefer)
1 bag Doritoes, crushed a bit (flavor of your choice, I use nacho cheese, but Ranch is good too)
1 bottle Catalina dressing

Brown ground beef with onion. Prepare with taco seasoning as directed. (I usually do this step a day ahead and leave the meat cold, but you could use it hot.) Just before serving toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, taco meat, and Doritoes. Add as much dressing as you like and toss. (I like to make half of the taco salad at a time and put more together as needed. Soggy Doritoes are just not good.) Enjoy.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Last night was a simple meal of brats, dogs, leftover Baked Beans and Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese. This was a new recipe for us. It took a little longer to get together than I thought, but only by a few minutes. It was really nice to have macaroni and cheese that really tastes like something. I enjoyed it. Now if only my boys would eat it. I think they had a problem with the onion, so next time I may leave that out. There was a good bit of onion flavor, but in a good way. I'm not a huge onion fan either. I like them cooked in foods, but generally not as a major flavor component. But this was really good.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Show: Good Eats Episode: For Whom the Cheese Melts 2

1/2 pound elbow macaroni 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon powdered mustard 3 cups milk 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 large egg 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded 1 teaspoon kosher salt Fresh black pepper Topping: 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup panko bread crumbs Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving. Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Baked Beans

With the BBQ chicken, we had Alton Brown's Once and Future Beans. This was our second try at this recipe. I'm just not a big bean fan. But these were really good. The first time we made them the cast iron pan was pretty new and the beans picked up a metallic taste. A couple years and lots of cooking later, the beans turned out really good and did not have any metallic taste. I would strongly recommend getting preseasoned cast iron. They cost more, but you don't have as much problem with foods coming out tasting of iron. Although I seem to be more sensitive to the taste than anyone else at our house. As far as the recipe goes, we followed it more or less. I covered the beans to soak them and added more water a couple hours later so they were still covered. And it seems that 6 hours was plenty of time for cooking. At closer to 8 hours, the beans were starting to break up.

The Once and Future Beans Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

1 pound dried Great Northern beans 1 pound bacon, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 jalapenos, chopped 1/4 cup tomato paste 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup molasses Vegetable broth 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons kosher salt Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Soak beans in a plastic container overnight in just enough cold water to submerge them completely. Place a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and stir in the bacon, onion, and jalapenos until enough fat has rendered from the bacon to soften the onions, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, dark brown sugar, and molasses. Drain the beans and reserve the soaking liquid. Add the drained beans to the Dutch oven. Place the soaking liquid in a measuring cup and add enough vegetable broth to equal 4 cups of liquid. Add the liquid to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in cayenne, black pepper and salt. Give them a stir and cover with the lid. Place the Dutch oven in the oven for 6 to 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.

Not-Fried Rice

So when we go out for Chinese I always like to get the fried rice. I just like the extra veggies and bit of seasoning over the plain white rice. I don't usually have cooked rice left over to make fried rice so here's what I make instead.

Not-Fried Rice

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups liquid (If I have leftover chicken broth, I use that and add water to make up the rest.)
1/2 cup diced veggies, (I usually use carrots and frozen peas, but last time I added peeled, diced broccoli stems too)
1 tbsp. soy sauce

In a sauce pan, add oil and rice. Saute until translucent. Add liquid, veggies and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.