Taco Soup
1 lb hamburger
1/4 cup onion
16 oz can petite diced tomatoes
16 oz can pinto beans
16 oz can corn
4 oz can diced green chiles
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups water
Brown beef and onion, drain. Add canned ingredients (including liquid), taco seasoning, and water. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with cheese, lettuce and tomato, as desired.
Here goes, guys. I give you the secrets to my mom's holiday baking. I can't tell you how glad I am that I've been helping her for years and they aren't lost. No recipe for the sugar cookies. We had no time for that, so we threw in some refrigerated dough while the oven was empty.
1 - Banana Nut Bread
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 cup banana
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 package milk chocolate chips
Stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat sugar and shortening until light. Add eggs one at a time, then milk. Add dry ingredients and banana alternately to creamed mixture, beating until smooth after each addition. Fold in nuts and chips.
Turn batter into lightly greased loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for ~40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes about 3 medium sized loaves (triple recipe pictured).
2 - Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup pumpkin
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin, mix well and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, pie spice, and soda; make well in center. Pour pumpkin mixture into well, stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into greased and floured loaf pans. Bake ~40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes about 3 medium sized loaves (double recipe pictured).
3 - Jam Thumbprints
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup jam
Beat butter for 30 seconds; add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating until well combined. Cover* and chill 1 hour.
Shape into 1 inch balls**; roll in egg whites, then roll in walnuts. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down centers with thumb***; fill centers with jam. Bake in a 350°F oven for 15 to 17 minutes.
*The first trick I learned from my mom on this one is to pack the dough into a gallon Ziploc bag and form it into a slab about 1 inch thick before putting it in the fridge.
**The second trick she taught me is to cut that slab into cubes and roll the cubes into balls.
***The third trick is to use a melon baller instead of your thumb. It's easier and more uniform.
4 - Fudge
Adapted from Kraft's Fantasy Fudge
6 cups baker's sugar*
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
10 oz (2 small cans) evaporated milk
24 oz (2 bags) semi-sweet chips (mini-morsels if possible, the smaller the better)
14 oz (2 jars) marshmallow creme
2 cups chopped walnuts
2 tsp vanilla
Line deep cookie sheet with heavy duty foil. Bring sugar, butter, and milk to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and boil 4 minutes, or until 234°F on candy thermometer. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into pan. Cool.
*Baker's sugar is much finer than regular granulated sugar, so it melts better. The result is a smoother fudge, avoiding the common problem of gritty fudge. Baker's sugar is preferred, but if it isn't available, you can put regular sugar in the blender to make it finer.
5 - Tortilla Roll-ups
Sorry about the messy plate, this is the only picture I have of one sliced open.
4 oz can diced green chiles
4.25 oz can chopped black olives
~ 1/2 cup each chopped red and green bell pepper (about 1/2 an average size pepper, each)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 sprig chopped green onion (green part only)
16 oz softened cream cheese
~5 burrito sized tortillas
Chop peppers and green onion in food processor, separately (green onion may be chopped with one of the peppers). Remove any large pieces. Remove excess moisture between paper towels, and combine. Remove excess moisture from green chiles and olives, add both to mixture. Add cheese and mix thoroughly. Use mixer to blend mixture into room temperature cream cheese. Slice about 1 inch off opposing sides of tortillas. Spread thin layer of mixture on tortillas and roll. Pack mixture into any remaining space on ends of tortillas. Roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 1/2 inch slices to serve.