Authentic Mexican Tacos

Lately, my husband has been obsessed with going to taco stands. He goes to a taco stand for lunch at least once a week. So a few weeks ago I decided that I would try my hand at making them myself. Two of my brothers in law were over for dinner that night and WOW what a reaction. Everyone loved them; they even went back for seconds and thirds. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

2 1/2 lb. beef roast

1 large onion, chopped

2 tsp chili powder

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp cumin

2 bell peppers, chopped (I used red and green)

1/2 cup beef broth

1 can Mexican style diced tomatoes

Salt, to taste (about 2 tsp)

corn tortillas

Combine chili powder, garlic, and cumin and rub on outside of roast. Place roast in slow cooker and top with chopped onions and diced tomatoes. Pour beef broth over top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shortly before serving, shred beef and stir in salt. Serve over warm corn tortillas with pico de gallo, hot sauce, and guacamole.

Spicy Basil Chicken

This is an Asian-inspired dish that I will definitely make again. When I saw the recipe on For the Love of Cooking, I knew that it had to be good (does she even make something that isn't good? I love that blog!) I still wouldn't say that it tastes like something out of a Chinese restaurant, but my husband and I both liked it a lot.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes

2 tsp canola oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp hot chili sauce

1 tsp water

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced

Preheat canola oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add green onions and cook, stirring, approximately one minute. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until completely cooked. Then add garlic and cook for another minute.

Combine Oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, water, and cornstarch. Pour mixture over the chicken and cook until the mixture thickens, approximately 1 minute. Then, remove chicken from heat and stir in basil leaves. Serve over rice.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

I got this dressing from snaptheconference.com and did it almost exactly the same as she did. It wasn't quite the same as Cafe Rio, but it was close enough. We really liked it anyway. I only added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, but in the future I will definitely add more. I like that spicy kick that it gives.

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1/3 to 1/2 cup milk

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/8-1/4 cup salsa verde

2 cloves garlic, minced

lime juice from 1 lime (approx. 2 Tbsp)

Combine everything in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Cafe Rio Salad

My husband and I love Cafe Rio and we love copycat recipes, which made this one of our ideal meals. Even though it wasn't identical to Cafe Rio, we were impressed with how close it was. We had been talking about making this meal for several months, but never got around to doing it, so last week I decided to surprise my hubby with it. When he found out what was for dinner he got so excited! I think that is my favorite thing about cooking. I love making things that make other people happy. I created this recipe by taking ideas from a couple of different reciepes that I found online.

Serves about 10 people (depending on how much meat you like on your salad)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 12 hours

Meat:
2-3 lb pork roast
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 can Dr. Pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/4 cup brown sugar

Other Salad Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
Large tortilla (freshly cooked is best)
Pico de Gallo
Tortilla strips
Guacamole
Black beans
Rice
Cilantro
Cilantro Ranch dressing

Combine brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic and salt, and rub on roast. Cook on low for 3 hours, then add Dr. Pepper, chicken broth and onions and cook for another 8 hours. About an hour before serving, shred roast and add brown sugar; if desired, add more sugar and salt to taste.

Prepare the salad by first placing a large tortilla in a shallow bowl, then add rice, beans, meat, lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Garnish with tortilla strips and cilantro.

Chocolate Pretzel Snaps

The first time I ever had these was when my mom made them for a baby shower. They are SO delicious and completely addictive. For the baby shower, she used the pastel colored spring M&Ms. Afterwards I came home and made a batch for myself. After they cooled down, I put them in a bowl and set them on the counter. I thought they would be a nice little snack for the next few days. Unfortunately, we polished them off in less than a day!

Pretzel Snaps

1 bag Hershey's chocolate kisses

1 bag plain M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350°. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet. Place one chocolate kiss on each pretzel. Heat in oven for 2-3 minutes or until kisses are melted. Top each kiss with an M&M. Cool completely before serving.

Light Wheat Rolls

The other day, I was in charge of bringing rolls to dinner. I wanted to make wheat rolls and ended up finding this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It got near perfect reviews from over 300 people so it was pretty much a guaranteed hit. The rolls did taste good and their spiral shape made them very fun to eat.

Makes 2 dozen rolls

Preparation time: 3 hours

1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 egg
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1/4 cup gluten flour

Combine water, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Allow the yeast to activate, then stir in wheat flour. Add margarine and egg and stir until combined. Add white flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a dough that is soft and elastic. Knead dough for about 8 minutes, then allow it to rise until double in size in a lightly greased bowl (about an hour).

Punch down dough, cover, and then allow to rise again for about 30 minutes.

Divide dough into two equal portions and roll out dough into two 6 x 14" rectangles. Cut into 12 strips and roll each strip. Place each roll into a greased muffin cup, brush with butter and allow to rise, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, or until double in size. Bake at 400­° for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.

Turkey Meatball and Vegetable Soup

This soup might be the tastiest soup I have ever made. It took a little while to make the meatballs, maybe about a half hour, but it was definitely worth it. I got the base recipe from For the Love of Cooking and adjusted it slightly according to my preferences and the ingredients that I had available. (Sorry about the low quality picture. It really tastes better than this picture makes it look.)

Serves: 6 

Total meal preparation time: nearly 2 hours

Meatballs:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 egg

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan and garlic Panko bread crumbs

Soup:

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 cup carrots, diced

1 1/2 cup (3 stalks) celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

8 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup dilatini pasta

2 cups spinach leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients for meatballs in a medium bowl. Roll meat mixture into mini meatballs - 1/2-1 tsp for each meatball - and place onto a plate. Refrigerate meatballs while you chop up vegetables for the soup.

In a large pot, preheat 1 Tbsp over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs, in batches for 4-5 minutes. Carefully turn each meatball over halfway through so that they cook on both sides. Meatballs don't need to cook completely because they will finish cooking in the soup. Remove cooked meatballs from pan and place on a plate.

Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pot. Stir fry onion, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften, about five minutes. Add minced garlic and stir constantly for one minute, then stir in diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Then add meatballs and pasta and cook for another 20 minutes. Right before serving, add spinach leaves and stir until they are wilted. Taste and season as needed. 

Homemade Root Beer

My family made root beer several times when I was young - usually in conjunction with Halloween (dry ice is an excellent addition to any witches brew). Knowing how much my husband loves root beer, I was surprised to find out he had never made it at home before he was married to me. It is very simple and very fun to make.

2 Tbsp root beer flavoring

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 gallon of water

1 lb dry ice

Combing sugar, water, and root beer flavoring in a large bowl; make sure  the bowl holds more than a gallon. The mixture will bubble a lot when you add the dry ice. Carefully add dry ice and stir constantly until it is completely melted. It should take about 15 minutes.