Mini Tacos

These cute mini tacos (or wonton tacos) are easy to make and fun to eat. Sadie brought this recipe home from her Food and Nutrition class at school and it's a keeper.

24 wonton wrappers

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

2 c. salsa

1 c. shredded cheese

1/2 c. fresh chopped cilantro

sour cream

        Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray. Press wonton wrappers into mini-muffin cups. Brown ground beef and drain off fat. Stir in taco seasoning mix and 3/4 c. salsa. Spoon beef mixture into wonton cups. Top with a little salsa and the shredded cheese. Bake about 6 minutes or until wontons are golden brown. Remove from oven and top each with cilantro. Serve immediately with remaining salsa and sour cream as a garnish.

Taco Soup

My friend, Torrie, made this for us years ago and it's long been a favorite around here. It's so easy to throw together and we love to eat a bowlful with a big dollop of sour cream and plenty of tortilla chips for scooping it up. 

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1 medium onion, chopped. Saute and combine with beef. (I use a small handful of dried, minced onion instead.)

Then stir in:

1 package mild taco seasoning

16 oz. cut corn or whole kernel corn, undrained

16 oz. kidney beans, rinsed and drained

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

8 oz. tomato sauce

     Simmer 10-15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, grated cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce

This one is from my mother-in-law. The BBQ sauce isn't from a jar, but rather a combination of ingredients that give the meatloaf a yummy and tangy taste.

1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. milk
3 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and shape into a loaf. Bake about 10 minutes at 425º. Pour sauce (below) over and cook an additional 35 minutes at 350º.

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
6 Tbsp. chopped onion

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour over loaf. Score loaf so that sauce will penetrate during cooking.

Waikiki Meatballs

I always loved it when my sister, Chantal, made this dish. I'm a fan of sweet and sour and these meatballs, in their tangy sauce, are delicious! It's a bit time intensive, but oh, so worth it!!

1 lb. ground beef

2/3 c. cracker crumbs

1/3 c. minced onion

1 egg

1 ½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ginger

¼ c. milk

1 Tbsp. shortening or coconut oil

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

½ c. brown sugar

1/3 c. white vinegar

one 13.5 oz. can pineapple tidbits

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/3 c. chopped green pepper

Thoroughly mix beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, salt, ginger, and milk. Shape by rounded Tablespoonfuls into balls. Brown and cook meatballs in melted shortening. Remove meatballs and drain fat. Drain pineapple tidbits and keep the juice. Combine cornstarch and sugar. Stir in pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Add meatballs, pineapple tidbits, and green pepper. Heat through and serve over rice.

Chinese Beef and Rice Casserole

This is my very favorite way to use up leftover roast. In fact, I think I like this dish better than the roast to begin with! I got this recipe from my friend, Troba, years ago when we lived in Columbus. It's a keeper, for sure!

2/3 c. uncooked rice

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally (optional)

2 Tbsp. salad oil

1 ½ c. diced, cooked roast (leftovers!)

1 ½ c. boiling water

1 beef bouillon cube

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 green pepper, chopped

Cook and stir rice, onion and celery in hot oil until rice is golden brown, onion tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except green pepper. Heat to boiling and then lower heat. Cover tightly and simmer 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add green pepper and fluff rice lightly with fork. Cover 10 minutes. Serve with additional soy sauce, if desired.

Foil Dinners

Okay, so foil dinners have been around forever. I remember eating these when I was young and I've made them several times for Jeff and the boys as they head out for various overnighters. It was my friend Dana who suggested cooking them in the oven at home and then refrigerating them until leaving for camp. That way they are precooked and all you need to do is warm them up over the campfire. Genius!!

For each serving:

Place a hamburger patty (or ground turkey patty) in center of a large piece of foil. Season to taste. Top with onion slices, potato slices, and baby carrots. Be careful not to make it too thick or it won’t cook through. Bring edges of foil together and seal. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375º for 45 min. to one hour. It’s ready to eat for an at-home “camp” meal. Or to take on a camping trip, chill the cooked foil dinner in a cooler. Warm it up in hot coals. Because everything is precooked, you’ll be eating in no time!

Sloppy Joes

Okay, so I admit I usually open a can of Manwich when I make sloppy joes these days. But when I want to do it right, I always head for my mom's recipe. These are the sloppy joes I grew up on and they are so good!

Brown and drain:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

Stir in:

3 tsp. mustard

3 tsp. ketchup

1 can chicken gumbo soup

Simmer 30 minutes. Serve on buns.