1, 2, 3.. LUNCH!

Mel over at The Larson Lingo is doing a Salad Recipe Swap.

Which got me thinking about my favorite salads...

This is my go-to Summer Salad.

Taco Salad A La Heidi

Salads are so easy. 

Most Salads are Dump, Dump, Serve....and I LOVE that.

Here are the ingredients for My Version...

(this version changes all the time...the basics stay the same, but sometimes it turns into whatever I have in the cupboard.)

1 lb Ground Beef (or chicken, turkey or vegan meat)

1 package of Taco Seasoning

1 can of corn (or two ears of corn de-kerneled and cooked- steamed or grilled)

1 can of black beans (or Kidney Beans)

3 heads of Romaine shredded (or iceberg, or butter/radicchio blend)

1 can of olives (sliced or whole)

1 bunch of green onions (sliced)

2 tomatoes (diced)

1- 2 cups of shredded Mexican Cheese

1 bag of Nacho Doritos

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (prepared with FULL FAT Mayo and WHOLE milk)

1 jar of Taco Bell Taco Sauce

1 avocado (sliced for garnish)

Sour Cream and Extra cheese for topping

Brown the Meat until fully cooked

add taco seasoning and cook to package directions.

Prepare Ranch Dressing.  Do not skimp on the deliciousness of Whole Milk and Best Foods Mayo.  They are the key ingredients to making this salad perfection.

Take the prepared dressing and remove 1 cup, and add the entire jar of Taco Bell sauce to the ranch until it's mixed. (save the second cup for dipping veggies, or chicken nuggets or pizza)  ;)

it should be a nice rose color and look like this.

Dump all ingredients together, except the chips.

Toss in the dressing.

Just before serving add chips to the bottom of the bowl 

and add the salad to the top. Mix and enjoy.

Top with Guac,  or Sour Cream , or sliced avocado and more cheese! 

Two things make this salad fantastic.  

My super secret dressing and the Doritos. 

Try it tonight!

Happy Eating!

And...

You're Welcome. 

1-2-3 Dinner!

I've had some requests.

Some of you would like my recipes. 

And none of you really ask for my fancy pants recipes.... (well...Rose does..)

But the rest of you want my simple recipes.

The ones that when I'm asked for the recipe, I usually say....I don't know...it's in my brain.  I just throw a bunch of stuff together and call it dinner. 

Dump. Dump. Serve.

My kind of Meal.

So...

I thought I would start sharing those recipes.

If you've been my friend long enough, you probably have been served some of these recipes more than once. 

Most of these meals do not have the best presentation, but I promise you, they are crowd pleasers and super easy.

So here you go...

Beef Stroganoff in less than 15 minutes.

Here are some of the basics.  

I use what I have on hand..if I have cream of mushroom, then that goes in, if I have french onion, then that goes in....I know some of you hate mushrooms, so if that is the case then use your favorite "cream of".  Cream of celery works fine too.

In a perfect world, these are the ingredients I use:

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can of beef consomme

1 package of gravy mix (prepared)

3/4 cup sour cream (sometimes 1 cup)

1/2 onion diced

1 package of sliced fresh mushrooms

1 clove of garlic

1 lb of ground beef

2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce

garlic salt and pepper to taste

I can whip this up in no time, but I cheat.

If I have more time, I would put a pat of butter in a pan with a splash of olive oil and saute the onions until translucent, then I would add the mushrooms and brown until tender, adding the garlic once the mushrooms start to soften.

In a separate pan I would brown the ground beef, drain and add to the mushroom/onion mixture.

But let's be honest..sometimes, I am coming off a 9 hour work day and there isn't time...

So...

I turn my favorite deep skillet onto high, throw the beef in until the fat starts to appear, throw the onions in while the meat is still pink and cooking, throw the mushrooms in and then the garlic and let it all cook up at once. By the time the meat is cooked, so is everything else, and the water I have started for the egg noodles is on high and bubbling.  I add the noodles to the water and put the timer on 9 minutes.

Then I start to dump. 

Dump your cream of whatever soup in, then your "gravy" you can use any gravy you want, canned gravy, jarred gravy, gravy you've made from a packet or if you want something lighter, beef consomme- sometimes I use both, a jar of pre-made gravy and a can of beef consomme. Stir it all up until it starts to bubble, add your worcestershire sauce ( I say 2 tablespoons, but really it's however much you like...I never measure, it's usually 3 spins around the pan with the bottle) .  Once the mixture has come together, the final ingredient you add is sour cream.  Let it heat through and serve immediately.

(by now the noodles are done)

It may not look pretty, but I promise you, the men and children in your life will ask for seconds.

We eat ours over rice or egg noodles.

Whatever way you like...

You can make it healthier if you wish, with light sour cream, reduced fat "cream of whatever", ground turkey, ground chicken....but it probably won't be as delicious.  

Here is the ONE rule with my recipes...

Try them just as they are....full fat everything...the first time... THEN ...if you wish...lighten them up later.... But give yourself the gift of full fat your first time around.

Promise me.

And I will promise you that I'll share lots more of my "oh it's just something I threw together" recipes

Enjoy!