Taco Salad

Ahhh, taco salad. The food that fed my pregnant self (and got me addicted to salad) for 5 months straight with my 2nd child. This one is completely versatile. Start with the basics and expand from there! The crucial part (in my opinion) is the taco bowls. You can buy the molds I think at Walmart. (My dad bought mine over 10 years ago, I think from an As Seen On TV ad haha). Anyway, just bake your shells and get started!

Basics:

Lettuce, rinsed and chopped

Meat (seasoned hamburger, chicken, steak or pork)

Shredded Cheese

Salsa

Sour cream

Green Onions, diced

Add-ins:

Guacamole

Red Onion

Black beans

Cilantro

Pico de Gallo

And anything else you like!

Layer your salad and enjoy!  

Dang Good Wrap!

Some men starve when they have to cook their own meals. Some men eat out. And then some men cook themselves some dang good food!!!! My husband cooks quite frequently in our home as it is (much to our delight), and it is no different when he is left to fend for himself for 5 days! This guy can cook! When he showed me this picture later of one of the meals he made for himself, not only was my mouth watering, but it also became a requirement to make some more for us all to try haha! 

1 lb pork (marinate in your fav sauce)

1 tomato, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 can black beans

2 cups cooked rice

Shredded Cheese

Tortillas

Cook up the pork and dice meat. Layer rice, beans, onion, meat, tomato and cheese on a tortilla. Enjoy!

Chimichanga Heaven

A lifelong staple in our house, it really doesn't get much better than this! Grandma used to work at the Lion House in Salt Lake City, and she would make these for us every time we would visit her (I don't know if this recipe actually came from the Lion House or if it's just because she is an amazing cook and worked there that I associate it with the Lion House :). And to this day, these little babies are one of my fav meals ever. 

These chimicangas are super versatile. Of course you can freeze them. But you really can also make them any way you want! My favorite way is to use left over shredded beef or pork roast for the meat and home-canned pinto beans. Grandma cans huge batches of the beans and then just smashes them up! You can't smash up canned beans though, so if you can't can your own, you'll have to use refried beans.

1 lb hamburger (or left over shredded pork or beef roast)

2 can refried beans (or smashed up home canned pinto beans)

1 packet taco seasoning

8" tortillas

Sour cream

Green onions

Shredded cheese

Cilantro

Salsa

Anything else you like

Canola oil

Brown the hamburger. Add the refried beans to the pan and stir until creamy and heated through. Add the taco seasoning packet and mix well. Spoon the mixture into flour tortillas and fold burrito style. (At this point, you can layer the chimicangas carefully in a ziplock bag and freeze for later). In a pan, heat up 2" of oil on medium heat. Cook 2-3 chimichangas at a time. Flip over after a few minutes (or golden brown on each side) and then set on a plate layered with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings!

(I always double this recipe and make enough to freeze for another meal!)

Shredded Ham (So Good!)

To. Die. For. That is if Jen makes it! For some reason mine was too mustardy... but I stuffed myself on hers and was left drooling for more! I love the flavor and texture of this meat... it reminded me of the amazing sandwich (albeit way too small) pork sandwich I had at Dickey's BBQ. This makes a TON of meat, perfect for other recipes and for freezing!

7 lb butt or shank portion ham
10 oz mustard
1/2 bag brown sugar

Bring ham to a boil with lid on and then simmer for 8 hours (with lid on). Combine brown sugar and mustard to make sauce. Let ham cool, then shred over water in a colander. Add sauce, stir well and put into 9x13 pan. Refrigerate overnight. Bake covered at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Serve on rolls and then use as sweet pork in Cafe Rio burritos and salad!