My all time Favorite Taco Salad

This taco salad was one of the very first meals that I ever made for Daniel and for as long as I live I will always remember his initial reaction to it. This isn't the normal taco salad that I grew up eating and after the face he made the first time I don't think it was his normal either. He was a trouper though and was willing to at least try it, it was all down hill after that :). The boy fell in love with it and I think if I made it everyday for dinner he would think he was the luckiest man on earth. The addition of the Catalina dressing gives it it's flavor and it was that addition that gave me Daniel's initial reaction. He had thought I had lost my mind, like I said though, he tried it and fell in love with it so it's all good...lol.

Ingredients:
1 lg. head iceberg lettuce, rinsed and chopped
1-2 bunches green onions, chopped
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 lbs. ground beef, cooked and drained
2 packets taco seasoning
1 bag cheese flavored Doritos (we use the family size)
1 bag shredded cheese, we use mild cheddar
1 6 oz. bottle Catalina dressing

Directions:
1.) In a large skillet add ground beef and cook on medium high heat until done, drain any excess grease and then add taco seasoning packets along with the water called for on each packet. Cook meat until sauce has thickened.
2.) In a large mixing bowl combine lettuce, green onions, and tomatoes. Add ground beef mixture and toss together.
3.) Add shredded cheese and mix.
4.) Take bag of Doritos and crumble in the bag, add to the mixing bowl.
5.) Add Catalina dressing and gently toss everything together.

Veggie of the Week-Shallots

Shallots belong to the lily family. There are more than 500 different types. In addition to shallots, onions, garlic and leeks also belong to the Allium genus. Generally, shallots produce a reddish brown bulb that adds flavour to many dishes. Sautéed or cooked shallots have a sweeter taste than onions. There are many shallot-based products such as shallot pulp, frozen shallots (or chopped shallots) and peeled shallots.

The most important areas of production in the Western world are: France, the Netherlands, the United States of America and Great Britain. Other production areas can be found in South-East Asia. Ten thousand hectares of shallots are cultivated in China, Indonesia, Thailand and the neighbouring countries.

Handy to know:
● A halved shallot can help to relieve cold or flu symptoms.

● Shallots contain substances that can help prevent cancer.
● Slice shallots just before use to preserve their sweet taste.
● Shallots are an important ingredient in Worcestershire Sauce. This sauce is mainly used as flavouring in meat dishes and marinades.

● One shallot contains twice as much vitamin C as an onion.
● In recipes, substitute an onion for a shallot. You will notice the difference in taste, more pronounced and sweeter.

●Put a peeled shallot in the water to rinse your windows for a steak-free and shiny result!

The benefits of eating shallots:

Shallots are rich in vitamin A, B, C and E. Shallots contain few calories: 50-60 calories per 100 g. Regular consumption of shallots will reduce cholesterol levels and improve the blood circulation. The very high concentration of flavonoids reduces the risk of cardio-vascular diseases.

Where can I buy shallots?

Shallots can be bought at most supermarkets and greengrocers. In the supermarket, shallots are in the fruit and vegetable section close to garlic or onions. Shallots are packed per 10 to 12 bulbs in a net or bag. Shallots can also be bought loose.

What is important when buying shallots?

The first rule is that a firm shallot is fresh. You can tell an old shallot by a yellowy-white or green shoot growing from the head. Avoid packaging containing any rotten shallots.

Picture and Info provided by shallot.com.

Steak Da Vinci

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs boneless beef round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup diced shallot
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
salt
pepper
8 ounces linguine, cooked, warm
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
1.) Spray large skillet with cooking spray: heat over medium heat until hot.
2.) Saute beef, onion, bell peppers, garlic, and shallots until meat is browned and onion tender, about 10 minute.
3.) Add remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper, linguine, parsley and Parmesan cheese, and simmer, covered, until meat is tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
4.) Simmer, uncovered until thickened to desired consistency, about 15 minutes.
5.) Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
6.) Serve over linguine: sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Pico de Gallo

I love Mexican food and while I realize that being a Crohn's patient Mexican should be at the bottom of my food pyramid I can't help but enjoy it every now and again. During our few trips to the local Mexican joints I absolutely must get my fill of the complimentary chips and salsa, it's the staple of my meal and if I am not careful it becomes my entire meal. I am fortunate that my Husband shares my love of chips and salsa and he and I both especially love Pico de Gallo. My wonderful Husband attempted to make some Pico de Gallo on his own several weeks ago and to say that it had a strong onion flavor would be an understatement...love you honey! So after he almost bought the store made kind yesterday I promised that I would make it fresh for him at home, with a little less onion of course. This is the creation and it met his approval although I think he would have liked a bit more jalapeno. I love Mexican but I do not love heat so he compromised and didn't insist on me adding anymore.

Ingredients:
10-12 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp. salt
lemon juice

1.) In a large bowl combine tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, cilantro and salt. Add a splash or two of lemon juice and carefully mix together.
2.) Cover bowl and refrigerate for several hours to allow the mixture to marinate together.

I serve mine up with tortilla chips and this go round Daniel is enjoying his with Frito Scoops.

Katie's Club Sammy

Tonight was yet another family dinner and this time I served a nice pot of chili along with this sandwich I just kind of threw together. Everyone raved about how good it was and that it was better than any store bought sandwich. They actually thought I bought it so I took that as a compliment. Very simple to put together and great for all of your Superbowl parties!

Ingredients:

2 loaves of french bread

1 lb. sliced ham

1 lb. sliced turkey

1/2 red onion, finely sliced

1 bag of Dole shredded lettuce

3 tomatoes

1 package of swiss cheese, about 12 slices

Mayo

Brown Mustard

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1.) Take your loaves of french bread and slice down the center.

2.) On the bottom layers spread on some mayo and brown mustard.

3.) Layer half of the ham and half of the turkey on each bottom half.

4.) Top meat with swiss cheese and layer with your lettuce, onion, and tomato.

5.) Sprinkle the tomatoes with about a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper.

6.) Take the top half of each loaf and hallow out the center that way the top of the bread can cradle the veggies.

7.) ENJOY!!!

Snow Day

I am sure a good chunk of you all are experiencing the same weather as we are here in Ohio, keep safe and stay warm! I finally got a snow day off from work which is very exciting. I know my boys sure are having fun!

Oreo Dream Cupcakes

I want to take a moment to apologize for my lack of food blogging these past several days. I have been a little under the weather and haven't been cooking quite as much because I haven't had much of an appetite. Once again we had our family dinner on Saturday night and we went pretty easy, I made a big pot of sloppy joes and some macaroni and cheese out of the box, please forgive me father for I have sinned...lol. If it makes you feel any better I did make these fabulous cupcakes which are some what of a spin off of Christy's Kitchen Creations blog. She called hers Mississippi Mud Cupcakes and everything was made from scratch, I cheated and used the box cake mix.

The measurements aren't exact since I pretty much flew by the seat of my pants but the extras I had of everything made great snacks.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1 box of milk chocolate cake mix (Make as instructed on the box)
10-12 Oreo Cookies, crushed
Lg. box Vanilla Pudding, instant
Icing:
2 blocks of cream cheese (16 oz.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. powdered sugar

6-7 oreos crushed

1.) Take oreos and crush, placing about two teaspoons into each cupcake wrapper.
2.) Pour batter into each cupcake wrapper over top of the crushed oreos. Bake as directed and allow to cool.
3.) Once cupcakes are cooled, make your vanilla pudding as instructed on the box. With a pastry bag fill each cupcake with the pudding mixture after the vanilla has had time to set up.
4.) In a large bowl beat together room temperature cream cheese with vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Add crushed oreos and gently mix. Top each cupcake with icing.

I used the large box of vanilla pudding and had two little dessert bowls left over. You can either do the same as I did and just have some vanilla pudding for a snack later or you can use the smaller box. I also had quite a bit of the icing left over which my Uncle Dan and I found to be quite tasty on graham crackers. If you don't want to make extra just cut everything in half.

Chicken and Broccoli Spaghetti

I love Italian food, especially anything made with spaghetti noodles, so when my step-mom started making this dish for us years ago I definitely made sure to keep track of how it was done and make sure it was stored away upstairs for when I needed it. Now that she and my Dad are divorced it's a pretty safe bet to say it's a good thing I was paying attention. This is a simple dish that has simple ingredients. The addition of the ranch seasoning should get all kids excited because come on...what kid does not love ranch?

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 sm. bag frozen broccoli,thawed
1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
butter
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
1.)Bring water to a boil for spaghetti noodles, cook as directed on the box.
2.) In a food processor, take your broccoli which has been thawed and process into fine pieces. You do not want to cook the broccoli as it will cook in the saute pan.
3.) In a large saute pan melt a couple of tablespoons of butter and add shredded chicken, broccoli, and ranch seasoning. Cook until everything is warmed through.
4.) After spaghetti noodles are done boiling add about a couple of tablespoons of the liquid to your saute pan. Drain noodles and then add to saute pan.
5.) Toss ingredients and serve. Top each plate of spaghetti with the Parmesan cheese.The picture I have posted is missing a very important ingredient! I make this dish so often that I usually always keep a bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer, for once I did not have any. I was in the mood for this dish though so it was full steam ahead. It was good without it, but I definitely enjoy it better with it.