Sally's Taco Salad

This recipe was contributed by Rachel Nielson.

My mother-in-law Sally has made this taco salad for years.  It is so tasty.  I've eaten it at their home countless times, but I finally made it myself the other night, and it was so easy.  

Ingredients:

-package of ground beef
-one can of Classic Stagg Chili
-tortilla chips
-one packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix, prepared (this is the secret ingredient, I think!)
          -1 cup mayo and 1 cup milk to make the ranch
-chopped iceberg lettuce
-chopped tomato
-shredded cheddar cheese
-olives (optional)

1. Make and refrigerate the ranch.  This "homemade" ranch is so easy and sooooooo yummy--it really makes the entire salad!  Don't go with the pre-made stuff in the jar!  The ranch packets are so much better.

2. Brown the ground beef, pour off the grease, and add the can of chili.  Make sure the chili is heated through.

3.  Prepare the toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives, etc).

4.  Put a bed of tortilla chips on a plate, top with the beef/chili mixture, top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and of course, the tasty ranch

YUM!

Super Sloppy Joes

This recipe comes from a cookbook put together by Natalie Dayton's mom.  (Natalie keeps getting honorable mentions on this blog...I think she should just become a regularly contributing author, don't you?)

I don't know why these Sloppy Joes are so darn good...I think it's the sweet brown sugar and the slightly crunchy red pepper...yuuuuuuummmmmmm.  Even better: it's a super fast and easy recipe.

1 1/4 lbs. ground beef (I've used ground turkey too, and it's delicious)
1/4-1/2 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal seasoning (I've used Adobo, and it works)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 C. tomato sauce
2 T. tomato paste
8 crusty rolls, split and toasted (the toasting really does make it even better)

Heat large skillet over medium high heat.  Add meat to the pan.  Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up.  When the meat has browned, drain the grease.  Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning.  Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine.  Add chopped onion and red pepper to the skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce with meat until the vegetable soften, about 5 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and paste to skillet.  Stir to combine well.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer.  Using large spoon, pile sloppy meat onto toasted buns.

Fast and Easy Chili

This recipe was contributed by Rachel Nielson.

I made this recipe in 15 minutes tonight. I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was!

-1 small onion (chopped)

-1 medium green pepper (chopped)

-1 clove garlic (minced)

-1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

Brown the meat with the onion, pepper, and garlic. Drain.

In a pot, mix the meat with the following:

-1 can kidney beans

-2 cans black beans

-1 can corn

-1 can stewed tomatoes

-1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

-1 tsp. chili pepper

-1/2 tsp. basil

Simmer for a while. The recipe says at least 30 minutes, but I did it for about 10 minutes tonight, and it was still delicious. Top with crackers and cheese. YUM.