You've got to try this

OK. I can't spell. Not only that, but I am too lazy to try to change it.

Since I have been doing this for sooo long, I thought that it might be fun to take a break and let someone else do the cooking for a change. HA! I'm kidding. Well, not about someone else doing the cooking. Or about taking the break that comes with someone else doing the cooking. Hum...I guess all I'm kidding about is that I have been doing this for sooo long.

To be honest, I took complete and total advantage of my friend, Jenn. She made the mistake of coming to visit and mentioning this really yummy meal that she discovered.

That's all I needed to hear. Jenn has great taste for someone who likes raw oysters and blue cheese. So, I was drooling before she even got started making dinner.

What's this obvious non-food picture doing here?

Well, I managed to mess up every picture I took of Jenn while she was cooking.

So, instead of a blurry, face-stuffing picture,

I thought I could post this one that is sooo much better.

That's Jenn as she finishes a 20+ mile bike ride. We had planned to do it together, but since I was only 4 weeks post surgery, my doctor had the audacity to tell me I couldn't go.
Plus, I think her Cheeseburger Bread would be great after a long ride. Frankly, it might just be the thing that gets me to the finish line.

Here's your first ingredients - straight from the fridge:

Colby cheese, 1lb ground meat,

a tube of pizza crust, and 1 egg.





Then there are a those few that you can find in your pantry:

1/4 cup mustard, 1/4 cup ketchup,

a small onion

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce,

and
1 Tbs Zatarains seasoning,

(If you do not know what Zatarains Creole seasoning is... Well, I just feel sorry for you.
It is the best all purpose seasoning out there. You have to have some in your pantry.
Go on... Get it. You be calling your mother asking her why she let you grow up without it.)


Uhm, no. I do not keep ketchup and mustard in my pantry after it is opened. So you don't have to worry about my hubby's food poisoning potential. Well, not concerning the dubious mustard/ketchup dilemma. I'm not sure if I have totally broken him of using the same plate he takes raw meat to the grill on to carry that same meat, cooked, in from the grill.

I'm trying though! And I watch him like a hawk when company is over. It's one thing for him to kill the two of us, but a completely different matter for him to take out another whole family!

You know it will make you cry,

but chopping up that onion is going to be worth it.

Put the onion and ground meat in a skillet.

Cook until brown and the onion is soft.


You can threaten it with a spoon like Jenn is doing here,

but I don't think it helped speed things up any.

Add that 1/4 cup each of ketchup and mustard.

And, if you can get the ketchup and mustard our without making a farting noise, (yes, I said farting.) you are a better woman than me.

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and Zaterains.

Cook it for : Oh... about 5 minutes.

Yum!!
Once it is done, let it cool.

At this point, it looks a lot like Sloppy Joe mix.

But don't stop here. You will be soooo disappointed.

While the filling is cooling, roll out the pizza dough.

Patch any holes that might show up because you stuck your finger through the dough.

Do it so fast that you are a blur to your family and friends!

(I'm sure Jenn would like to be this fast if just to be able to keep up with her dynamic duo. However, I'm just having photography issues.

I'm mentally shaking my fist at all those blogs with perfect pictures.

OK. I'm done.)

Pour the meat mixture on top and spread it within one inch of the sides.

Top it with 2 cups of cheese.

Oh my goodness, this woman knows the way to make your mouth water.

At this point, you could get creative.

How about some tomatoes?

jalapenos?

or bacon?

I'm not a crazy avocado-on-my-burger type, but Hey! Add whatever your little heart desires.

Now is the tricky part.

Fold the left and right sides toward the middle - about 2 inches on each side.

(This is important so that all that gooey-ness will not

end up on the pan instead of your tummy where it belongs.)

Then grab the end closest to you and start rolling!
Roll it till you reach the other side.

Tuck the ends under the bottom of the roll

Now, add a Tbs of water to the egg and beat it.

(Suddenly I have a Micheal Jackson song in my head.

'Beat it. Just Beat it.... Beat it!')

Slop that egg mixture onto your roll.

It should look nice and moist so later you can get a beautiful golden color.







Bake in the oven 20 minutes or until it is a golden brown.

Let it sit a minute or two before you dig in. Not for any particular reason, other than you should enjoy your creation before everyone completely inhales it.

It tasted much better than it looks here. I can't do it justice.

The savory meat....

The melty cheese....

The crispy crust....

All add up to Yummy-ness!

Jenn's Cheeseburger Bread

1 lb ground meat of your choice

1 small onion

1/4 cup mustard

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs Zaterains seasoning

1 large tube of pizza dough

2 cups cheese

1 egg

1 Tbs water

Brown ground meat and onions in skillet, until all pink is gone and onions are soft. Add mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire and Zaterains. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Roll out pizza dough and repair any holes. Top with cooled meat mixture. Spread within 1 inch of sides. Cover meat with 2 cups of cheese.

Add any other tasty bit you might want to try.

Fold in 2 inches of the left and right sides of the dough. Starting with the side closest to you, begin rolling the bread to the opposite side. Make sure the end of the roll is on the bottom.

Mix together egg and water. Brush, liberally, onto the roll.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until it is a golden brown.

Texas Taco Ring

My camera and have decided to try to work together again. After a long talk and a bit of discovery on how we each work, (frankly, that consisted of me finding out how to get the macro function to work) I think we may be able to work out our differences. I hope you are able to see a little bit of improvement in the photos. (If not, wait a little while until I am able to get that SLR I'm drooling over.) We're still having a disagreement on where to focus and why.

I found the inspiration for this recipe in the February issue of Taste of Home. It looked yummy, but the ingredients seemed a bit bland. Besides that, you were supposed to make meatballs for the ring. Meatballs! They take way to long to form and then bake. I really don't have time for grimy hands and 50 baby balls of meat. So, that is how TOH's Taco Meatball Ring became Texas Taco Ring.

Meet my little, chicken friend.

Since he isn't camera shy, like me, he gets the honor of naming all the dishes on this blog.

I decided to put this up first so you could drool for a bit before you continue on.
Did you notice the melty, gooey cheese?
The little leaf of cilantro? Oh!!! That crispy crust! And the Jalapeno!!!
Hold on while I go cut myself another piece......


Start off with 1/2 -1 pound of ground pork. Yep! Ground pork. It is sooo cheap compared to the extra lean beef and seems to be just as lean. Most of the time, I have to add olive oil to keep it from sticking to the pan. If you know of some horrible reason why I shouldn't be using it, feel free to let me know. I just can't promise that I will stop using it... It's so yummy and did I mention Cheap?!
I probably used only half of this. I put the leftover in the fridge for a taco later.

Once the meat is browned, add a packet of taco seasoning.

I prefer the Hot Taco Mix from McCormick.
Now, be honest. Were you surprised?

Did you even know they made Hot Taco Mix?

Pour in the 3/4 cup of water the package calls for.

Stir it up and wait till all the liquid is evaporated.



In the meantime....

Open up two cans of crescent rolls.

Or, get your hubby or kids to open it for you.

Which comes in very handy should you have a fear of these

exploding time bombs disguised as helpful, bready shortcuts.

I think they are an evil plot to make mother's hearts across America stop

when they POP open with the smallest of tear in the packaging.

I tell you - that little dough boy is dangerous!

Once you have given yourself CPR in order to restart your heart,

lay the triangles on a pizza sheet with the smallest ends pointing away from the center.
Over lap the wide ends by a couple of inches.

When you are finished, it should look like a

giant sunflower or a child's drawing of the sun.

Smear on some refried beans - straight from the can.

Nothing should be too good for your family!

Top the refried beans with a 1/2 pound of the taco meat.

Be careful to keep the meat on the overlapped edges.

Top with cheese. I think I used about a cup and a half.
Are you beginning to look forward to the coming goodness?

Add some onions, if you like.

I obviously like them, so here they go!

Top that with fresh cilantro.

If you are one of those people who think

cilantro tastes like soap, I just feel sorry for you.

You are missing out on one of the greatest herbs ever.

You knew it was coming. Jalapenos!

How could I make a Taco ring without them?
That would be sooo un-Texan.

Now, carefully tuck the points under the inside edge of the dough.

I discovered that it was easier if I used a butter knife to lift the dough from the pan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Or until it is golden brown.

I suggest that you serve it immediately.

That stretchy, gooey cheese is hard to resist.



Texas Taco Ring

1/2 lb of ground meat

one package Taco mix

3/4 cup water

2 tubes of Crescent rolls

3/4 cup refried beans

1 1/2 cups grated colby jack cheese

1/4 onion, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup sliced jalapenos (optional)

Brown ground meat in skillet. Add 1/2 of package of taco mix and 3/4 cup water.

(If using 1 lb of meat add entire package and 3/4 cup of water.)
Let simmer until all water has evaporated.

Meanwhile, place crescents on a greased, pizza pan with small end pointing out.

Overlap top edges by 1 1/2 - 2 inches.

Layer refried beans, taco meat, and cheese along inside edge.

Top with desired vegetables.

Bring points over layers and tuck under inside edge.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy! Take a Bite for me!

Sorry for the delay

I just want to apologize for the lack or recent recipes. You see, my camera and I are having issues. It is frustrated because I keep trying to make it do things it is just not able to do. I on the other hand, am frustrated because it won't do what I think should be a simple procedure. So, we are at a stand still. I hasn't helped anything, that I have been drooling over other cameras online. It makes my little point and shoot camera feel cheap. But, I just can't help myself. Those Digital SLRs are sooo good looking. And the lenses! I've got to stop. I'm just making us both miserable.



All this conflict has taken away my appetite and resulted in my kitchen being uncharacteristically quiet - and clean. I hope to be over this problem soon. My fister is coming to visit this weekend and I am depending on her to kick start my culinary drive. I hope she will tolerate my photographic intrusion while we cook for the herd. She isn't usually shy, but you never know! Maybe if I promise to name the recipe after her....

Tuna Mac Salad

I have to admit it. I never, ever, ever - in a million years- thought I would be making and eating a tuna salad. It's just not my style. Tuna fish sandwiches? You bet! But a salad?! Well, that just sounds too Grandmommy-ish for a hipster like myself.

Wait a minute while I pick myself up off the floor. Hipster! I can't believe I said that! Ha!

Well, now that I have have brushed my rump off and managed to get back in my chair, I can tell you that this recipe simply, intrigued me. You see, my beloved Fisha-head (Whom most of you know, but I have decided to begin making anonymous because of the embarrassing things I sometimes leak out here.) loves tuna fish. He eats tuna fish with a spoon. No crackers, bread, or anything. Just a spoon. He eats it for a meal and then will sneak in a have more for a snack. Needless to say, a single, large can of tuna doesn't last very long around here and since my goal every time I cook is to have leftovers for lunch, this predicament is unacceptable.

I guess I don't have to tell you that it passed the Fisha-head taste test, but my own, also. I found it on a great new site - www.elise.com/recipes Oh! and guess what?! I changed it. Surprise! Well, I know you're not but humor me some. The original recipe called for lettuce to be mixed in with the salad. However, that wouldn't work for leftovers. So - It had to go. I also made a few more changes, but nothing to drastic. Here goes!

I've decided my kitchen lighting is not very good for pictures. (Considering I have a huge florescent box on the ceiling, I shouldn't be surprised.) I'm going to start using a lens that helps with florescent lighting and try to get Photo Shop. Maybe that will help my pitiful, photo-taking self.

OK. I'm finished moping.

First you need to boil some eggs. I only had small eggs that somehow materialized in my fridge. So, I used 4 of them. Normally, I would have used 2 large eggs. In another pot, I boiled one cup of elbow macaroni according to the package directions.

Now, what's tuna without onions? So chop up 1/2 of a small onion.

Looks like I'm fixing to get part of my thumb in there too. Don't worry. I missed. Oh! I know it is hard to tell from my hands, but I am a girl. Very much so. Don't let the manly hands fool ya!

Next chop up 3 ribs of celery and 1/2 a large bell pepper.

Yes. I did put in celery. Even though I think it useless, other people seem to like it. Since trying to please my hubby is the most important thing.... Oh I can't go on. It's a filler! Anything to make tuna last longer! I'll even drop to the lows of adding celery. I'm so ashamed, right now.

I had to add a bit of kick. Mostly to get Fisha-head back for his recent jalapeno ambushes when it is his turn to cook. So, it is optional, of course. I just added one jalapeno - with seeds! I'm bad to the bone!

Now take all this beautiful deliciousness and dump it in a bowl. A large bowl to be exact.

Chop your eggs.

Drain one large can of tuna in spring water, (Only the best for Fisha-head!)

Add the cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni. And stir it up some.

Pour in the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

I frankly don't mind cheating with bottled lemon juice. However, if you are a purist (Why are you reading this for goodness sake?) go beat up an innocent lemon. I don't care!

When you have finished all this back-breaking work, it should look like this.

Now comes the gooey part. Add 1/2 cup of mayo. 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, and salt and ground black pepper to taste. Stir it all up

I said, "STIR! Sister!"

You should have ended up with something that looks like this.

Now, I personally think this would be very yummy over a bunch of salad greens. Unfortunately, I am out of salad fixin's at the moment. However, it tastes pretty darn good without the lettuce stuff. It's up to you.

I just can't keep from thinking just how much farther this recipe would stretch with lettuce though...... Let me know if you like it after you Take A Bite!




Hey! I realized that it might be easier to make a recipe if you could get it without all the annoying photos. So, here's your chance.

Tuna Mac Salad

2 large eggs or 4 small eggs

1 cup elbow macaroni

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)

1 large can of tuna in spring water

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup mayonnaise of your choice

1/2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Boil eggs and macaroni, in separate pans, til done.

Mix together onions, celery, bell peppers, and jalapeno (if desired.) Add tuna.

Drain and cool eggs. Drain macaroni and rinse. Dice eggs and add to tuna mixture. add macaroni to tuna and stir. Add rest of ingredients and stir til well coated.

Can be eaten with lettuce, as a salad, or as is. Serve either immediately or after being cooled in fridge. Enjoy!