Doritos Taco Salad

This is one of our favorite salads for an easy, simple, somewhat, healthy dinner.  This is basically taco salad....kicked up a notch....with nacho cheese doritos.  What's not to love about that?  My son is not a huge salad lover like we are, but he will always eat this, because anything with chips in it gets a thumbs up from him!  And, while I'm on the subject of chips, let me just say, we think that HEB brand Nacho Cheese chips are hands down better than the name brand.  If you haven't tried them, you should.  Go ahead and inspect the "cheesiness" of each individual chip.....that's what we do:) 

recipe from Life in the Lofthouse  *Love this blog by the way*

You will need:

-1 pound lean ground beef

-1 packet taco seasoning

-2 Romaine lettuce hearts, rinse and chopped 

     (I've also used a bag of romaine, and shred it by hand a little)

-1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we usually use more)

-1 cup Nacho Cheese Doritos, broken into bite size pieces (more to top salad if desired)

-1 cup Catalina dressing (we use Kraft)

*Brown ground beef in medium skillet until cooked through.  Drain grease.  Add taco seasoning and water called for on packet.  Stir and reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let meat cool down slightly.

*In a large serving bowl, add chopped lettuce, black beans, tomato, and cheese.  Add slightly cooled ground beef and gently toss to combine.  Serve now, or chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.  

*When ready to serve, top with Doritos chips and dressing.  Toss to coat. 

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

First off, don't pay any attention to this mediocre picture.  Photography is not a strength of mine.....and these days I usually am racing around the kitchen with Harper glued to my leg, so I'm doing good if I remember to snap a picture with my phone!  That said, despite the less than appealing picture, this is quite delicious!  This is easily one of our top favorite new meals!  The whole family liked this....kids included!  I decided to add some red pepper flakes to give it a little kick and it was perfect (not too sweet or spicy), and served it over rice.  Also, instead of using a flank steak, I used beef stir fry meat.  Only because it was on sale.....AND.....it was already sliced and ready to go!  It worked great, but I'm sure a flank steak would be perfect too!

recipe found and adapted from The Recipe Critic 

You will need:

-1 1/2 pounds flank steak (or see above note)

-1/4 cup cornstarch

-2 Tablespoons olive oil

-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

-3/4 cups soy sauce (I used low sodium)

-3/4 cups water

-3/4 cups brown sugar

-1 cup grated carrots (I used the pre-shredded carrots in a bag)

-1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes if desired

-sliced green onions

*Cut flank steak into thin strips.  In a ziploc bag, add flank steak strips and cornstarch.  Shake to coat.

*Add olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and carrots to slow cooker.  Stir ingredients well.

*Add coated flank steak to slow cooker and stir again, until coated in the sauce.  

*Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours (I opted on low for 5 hours).  Stir well again before serving.

*Serve over rice and top with green onions.

Strawberry Banana Trifle

I was trying to think of a "lighter" dessert I could do recently, and remembered this one.  I haven't actually made this in a while because I forgot about it, but now that I've found it, I will go ahead and post it.....so I don't have to look for it again!  Also, I got this recipe from my mother in law Pam, which makes it even more special to me now.  I believe the original recipe came from Taste of Home.  It is great for a crowd because it serves a ton.....and it's pretty:)

 Note: The original recipe calls for whipping your own cream.  I just use a container of cool whip.  Because these days, I don't have time for those kind of silly things. 

You will need;

-1 cup sugar

-1/4 cup cornstarch

-3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin powder (from a packet of strawberry jello)

-1 cup cold water

-1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

-1 3/4 cups cold milk

-1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

-3 to 4 medium bananas, sliced

-6 cups cubed angel food cake 

-2 cups whipping cream or a container of cool whip

-additional strawberries to garnish

*In a saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin.  Stir in cold water until smooth. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.  Stir in fresh sliced strawberries, and set aside.

*In a large bowl combine milk and pudding mix.  Beat on low speed for 2 minutes, set aside.  

*Place half of the cake cubes in a trifle bowl or serving bowl.  Layer with half of the pudding, then bananas, then strawberry sauce, then whipped cream.  Repeat layers.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  

Mississippi Crock Pot Roast

 I finally got around to trying out this recipe a few months ago, and it is now one of my favorites!  We have made this several times now and each time it's been a hit! Once again, if I'm going to do a slow cooker dish, I want it to be super easy and to need little to no prep work......and this one meets all those qualifications.  Not to mention, it smells amazing while it cooks throughout the day!  I was a little skeptical of this recipe when I saw that you don't add any liquid, but it totally works.  The peperoncini peppers (which can be found by the pickles and banana peppers) are perfectly roasted by the time the roast is done. The peppers have a little bit of a kick, but are not overly spicy at all....my kids eat them.  I usually use a chuck roast but have also used a cheaper cut roast and they both turned out great.  It's best to cook it on the lowest setting for at least 8-10 hours, so its perfect to do on a busy weekday morning!  I usually serve this roast with mashed potatoes and veggies, but it would be great for sandwiches, or served over rice/noodles.

You will need:
-chuck roast (approx 2-3 pounds)
-1 packet of ranch dressing mix
-1 packet of Au Jus mix
-1 stick of butter (I usually use unsalted)
-jar of peperoncini peppers

*Place roast in the slow cooker
*Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix on top
*Sprinkle the Au Jus mix on top of that
*Place whole stick of butter on top of roast
*Place 6-7 peperoncini peppers on top of roast (surrounding the butter)
*That's it.  Don't add water.  Just cook on low setting for 8-10 hours.