Beef Barbacoa Street Tacos - Review

I stumbled across Old El Paso's Beef Barbacoa Street tacos kit in the store the other day.  I hadn't seen them before but I hadn't really looked around in the taco section of the store either. I have had Beef Barbacoa Burritos at work before and it was pretty good so I decided to grab the kit and see if it would be something that we would want to add to our mix of things we fix.  

The kit itself comes with the street taco tortillas, salsa verde and the seasoning mix.  I just had to add the meat and apple cider vinegar.

I have to say it was pretty darn yummy.  It is definitely worth fixing at home in my opinion.  The kit was overall super easy. I dumped a chuck roast in the crock pot, added some apple cider vinegar and the seasoning mix. Fast forward 6 hours later and we had delicious street tacos.  If you like Mexican food it is a must try.  Next up will be to find a good recipe to use so that I don't need to buy the seasoning or kit but can mix my own because it is something we will have again in the future.

Some of our posts may contain affiliate links, which cost you nothing but do help support this site's maintenance and fees. See our full disclosure policy for more information.

Meatloaf

Everyone needs a go to recipe for meatloaf.  In the past I haven't been a huge fan of meatloaf until now.  This is my go to meatloaf recipe the entire family loves.

• 1.5 - 2 lb. 90% lean ground beef (if you use less than 90 it will shrink bad and have a ton of grease to dump)
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion - optional (my kid hates onions :( so I have to leave them out when she is going to eat this and it still turns out great )
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg beaten
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried parsley leaves
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, add all ingredients. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until well combined.

Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan or glass baking dish. Pat the meat down into an even layer.

Bake uncovered for 55 minutes. Top with some extra ketchup (enough to cover the top) during the last 10-15 min of baking or you can make your own topping (In a small bowl, add ¼ cup ketchup, 2tbsp of brown sugar, and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Stir to combine. Pour the sauce on top of the meatloaf and spread it into an even layer before baking.)

Let the meatloaf rest for 8-10 minutes before serving (so it doesn't fall apart).

**this can be mixed ahead and put in the fridge to toss in the oven when you get home.**

Some of our posts may contain affiliate links, which cost you nothing but do help support this site's maintenance and fees. See our full disclosure policy for more information.

Jim -N- Nick's Cheese Biscuts

Ingredients: 

 1 1/2 cups flour 

1 cup sugar 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

3/4 cup milk (2% works best) 

1 egg, beaten well 

4 Tablespoon butter, softened 

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

 Directions: Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased muffin pan and bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes. This recipe make about 12 muffins. Source: kitchenlink.com

Potato peeler woes!

So recently my pampered chef potato peeler bit the dust. I had replaced my original 20 year old peeler (that was a gift from my grandmother when I first moved out on my own... no name brand just a simple peeler) with the pampered chef one about 8 years ago. It was a sad sad day in my kitchen.  

We wound up buying this piece of crap replacement at the store just because we needed one in a hurry. That was a mistake and a total waste of money! I do not recommend it at all. Stay away from it. It was the faberware peeler that is like 2 bucks at walmart.  It is a piece of junk!  It broke the first time we tried to use it. The blade was just flimsy and could be bent with ease. 

So now we have gotten another replacement and hopefully it turns out to be a much better peeler than the last one. So far so good. 

We went with the T-fal Ingenio Curved Peeler, Black this time. It seems much sturdier than the last one we got. But only time will tell if it will really last for the long haul! It was a little more than the last one we got. About the same as my pampered chef one however.  As of right now... I would recommend it! 



Some of our posts may contain affiliate links, which cost you nothing but do help support this site's maintenance and fees. See our full disclosure policy for more information.

Homemade Cheesecake

Want a delicious cheesecake! Well here you go! I don't like my cheesecake to be too sweet! This recipe is so good! I even messed it up once or so I thought because I didn't save the egg yolks and used them for a different recipe. The cheesecake was still yummy! 

Homemade Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling
3 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Crust: Combine all crust ingredients and press against sides and bottom of 9-inch Springform Pan. 
(I use my measuring cup for pressing against the sides.)

Filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the sugar, cream cheese, 4 egg yolks, lemon juice and vanilla.

In another bowl, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff and creamy. Fold egg whites into the cream cheese mixture then pour into crust in the springform pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour with the door closed. Although you will be tempted 
don't open the oven door to look at the cheesecake when you turn off the oven.


Freeze cheesecake for several hours before serving. Remove it from freezer and then remove from the pan before letting the cheesecake thaw. Enjoy!

Supplies I recommend:

I love my springform pan. The Nordic Ware Leak Proof Springform Pan, 10 Cup, Assorted Colors, 9 Inch is a nice quality pan for a decent price. It is nonstick and doesn't leak! I am so glad my hubby got me this pan for Christmas. 



Some of our posts may contain affiliate links, which cost you nothing but do help support this site's maintenance and fees. See our full disclosure policy for more information.

No big secret...

So it is no secret that I love the Pioneer Woman cookbooks! My first cookbook by Ree Drummond was The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl that I just happened apon during my trip to the store.



Tons of delicious recipes! Some of my favorites from this book. The pot roast is fabulous and goes great with the mashed potatoes.  The pizza dough is also a nice go to recipe from this book. I still have tons that I still have to try!

I quickly fell in love with the style of the cookbook and of course the food too!  So much so that I requested my 2nd one The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier as a Christmas gift. I am glad to report that my hubby bought it for me too!



I will most likely add to my collection because my family enjoys the food that comes from following these recipes. There are two others on my wish list of cookbooks.  First we have    The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime - Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper



The other ones is The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays: 140 Step-by-Step Recipes for Simple, Scrumptious Celebrations.



After that then my collection will be complete! That is until she creates another cookbook.




Some of our posts may contain affilliate links, which cost you nothing but do help support this site's maintenance and fees. See our full disclosure policy for more information.

Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread

Ok this stuff is super super yummy... it is more of a dessert bread...

Usually you get a bag of starter mix and the instructions for what to do with your starter bag of batter are as follows... you can put it in a plastic container if you like as well and then you would just need to stir it daily.


Do not use any type of metal spoons or bowl for mixing. Do not refrigerate. If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble, and ferment.

Day 1: Do nothing. This is the date on which you receive the bag.
Day 2: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 3: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 4: Squish and mush the bag.

Day 5: Add to the bag 1 C. flour, 1 C. sugar, 1 C. milk. Squish and mush the bag.

Day 6: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 7: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 8: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 9: Squish and mush the bag.

Day 10: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Mix well. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to three friends.

To the balance (a little over one cup… well mine is always almost 2 cups) of the batter, add the following ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

1 cup oil (can use 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 oil to reduce fat)
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts (optional)

Grease or butter 2 large loaf pans and mix an additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with half the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Pour batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the top with remaining sugar mixture.

Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Cool until bread loosens from sides of pan (about 10 agonizingly long
minutes) and turn out to serving dish. (ok so mine are never done at 325 for an hour so I say bake at 350 for an hour if that is the case for you as well)

If bag isn't passed on to a friend on the 10th day, be certain to tell recipient which day the bag is at when given to them. If you keep a starter bag for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days.

The starter can be frozen if you don’t want to give it away and you can take it out of the freezer let it thaw for approx 3 hours on the counter and then either bake with it immediately or you can begin the 10 day process again if it is your last starter bag.

Now if you don't have someone to give you a bag of starter you can make your own... it is very easy...

Starter Recipe
1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 cup of sugar
1 pkg of active dry yeast.
1/4 cup of warm water

please note if you make your own starter mix... the first time you split off the bags you will have 4 bags of starter plus about 2 cups left in your bowl for the bread you will bake.


This recipe can easily be changed to create more variations of this delicious bread. Simple things such as....

Chocolate Bread - use choc pudding instead of vanilla   (you can go an extra step and add choc chips)
Butterscotch  - add butterscotch chips to the recipe (you can also exchange the vanilla pudding for butterscotch pudding if you want I haven't tried that version of it but I have simply added butterscotch chips)
Banana Friendship Bread - Simply add in 3-5 ripe bananas (you can also omit cinnamon and use banana pudding mix)
White Choc Almond - Substitute almond ALMOND flavoring (NOT Imitation) for the vanilla flavoring... substitute WHITE CHOCOLATE pudding For the vanilla pudding....`
Strawberry Bread - use 1 small box of strawberry jello, 1 c. thawed strawberries
Pineapple - add small can of crushed pineapple (drained)  you can also add some coconut  to this
Apple  - add some diced apple pieces

Experiment... it is really hard to mess this bread up.  Try different puddings and Jello, add in fruits.

And here is a link to more recipes you can use the starter in everything from cookies to pancakes and biscuits. Recipes to use Amish Friendship Starter in