Campfire Taco Salad

Served in a corn chip or tortilla chip bag. This easy outdoor meal is flavorful and fun. Taste of home readers do it again!

6 snack-size bags. . . 1-1/2 ounces each.

1 15 oz. can chili without beans

3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (or mexi cheese blend)

3/4 cup sour cream

1 8 oz jar salsa

1/2 med head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Cut the top off of each bag of chips; set aside.

Place the chili in a sauce pan; cook on a grill over med heat for 10 minute. . I think a camp fire would work fine!

Until heated through, stirring to make sure it doesn't stick or burn. Spoon about 2 TBLS of chili into each bag of chips. Top with cheese, sour cream and salsa.

I would also add chopped tomatoes and avocados to the mix.

This is something that could be served at birthday parties gatherings, scouting functions as well as camping!

Love this idea!

Garden Salsa

I have learned that I can make salsa! It is not nearly as hard as I thought it was and it is yummy. Here are two recipes I have been having fun with:

Mango Salsa (thanks to The Essential Mormon Cookbook)

1/2 medium onion chopped (I like a purple onion for color)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 fresh red pepper (green is fine)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon minced green onion

Saute onion in olive oil or butter (I found I could skip this step and just add a bit of olive oil to the mixture and keep the onions very purple and crunchy). Toss all ingredients together gently. Serve with tortilla chips. It's also great with grilled chicken or halibut.

Besides being yummy beyond words I like this because I can substitute to my hearts content if I can't remember the exact recipe or don't have ingredients on hand. I am trying it with strawberries along with the mangoes. Also I like it heavy on the fruit so adding an extra mango worked well...so did leaving out the pepper when I didn't have one. I think peaches might be really good too. Yumm-o when peaches come in season.


Black Bean Salsa (thanks to Ag in the Classroom)

I lost the original recipe...but this is my version

2 cups (that's about 2 cans) black beans (we aren't bean people so I use only one can)
1 can corn
1 bunch green onion (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped fine (purple is pretty)
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2-4 tomatoes, chopped (this is what I like about salsa...chop until it looks like you have enough for you. I put in more tomatoes, less beans than the original recipe)
6 tablespoons lime juice
6 tablespoons olive oil (I put in much less than that)
1 teaspoon cumin (I discovered that the seeds work well too, especially if that is all you have. I also discovered I don't think I want a mortar and pestle)
salt
pepper

Toss all the ingredients together. Serve with tortilla chips. Also good heated up with leftover chicken to make a burrito/taco/fajita.

a monday morning

I know I do not use my blog very often. Well I mean I use it to read others blog, but I guess I am not much of a blog poster myself.

But listen up. This one is important.

This is a photographer that my daughter just hired for her wedding.

http://weddings.jarviedigital.com/

Here is his blog

http://jarviestudios.com/blog/

I am very excited for the family photographs. We defintely need a new one on the wall.

Quotes for the Week

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Theodore Geiss

"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." Catherine Aird

New Computer

Well I earned enough Scholastic Bonus Points to get a new computer. I was going to wait until my laptop was really annoying and out of date...but it seemed as if they were asking you to have more and more bonus points to get a laptop, so I decided I better get mine while the getting was good. So here I am with a new computer and no reason not to actually start this blog.

I started this when Mallory, Courtney, and George were here this summer. I thought Melissa and Kevin might enjoy seeing pictures of what they were up to while they were off at grandma's house. Well...for various reasons that didn't happen. So now the weekend before Thanksgiving we try again.