Indian Tacos!

Ok, if you already know about these, shame on you for not telling me about them!

I made them for the first time and am in LOVE!!

I also think that the bread would be awesome dusted with cinnamon and sugar for dessert.

So fry all that dough!

2 cups All Purpose Flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup Buttermilk
2 cans Pinto Beans (The only beans I had were red kidney beans and they worked great)
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1 lb. hamburger meat
1 packet Taco Seasoning

Lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese to garnish
You can also use sour cream and salsa if you like.

Brown ground beef and cook according to package of seasoning mix. Add the beans and heat.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in buttermilk until dough forms.

Turn out on floured surface and kneed a few times. Using a ball of dough roughly 2 to 3" in diameter, pat out to form a flat round of dough. Continue till all dough is used, roughly 4 to 6 fry breads.

Fill skillet with 1 to 2" of oil and fry till golden brown, turn over and repeat. Drain on paper towel or paper sack.

Top with meat, beans and all the yummy toppings!

*Recipe found at http://www.accordingtorachel.com/2010/05/indian-tacos.html

Super Easy Pizza Crust

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a rimmed pizza pan or baking sheet.
2.In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, oregano and black pepper. Mix in eggs and milk; stir well. Pour batter into prepared pan and tilt until evenly coated.
3.Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 min until crust is set.(will depend on how thick your crust is)
4.Remove crust from oven. Drizzle on pizza sauce, toppings and sprinkle on cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Biscuits

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)
1 teaspoon kosher salt or salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
3/4 cup buttermilk (approx) I used almost 3/4c milk and about 1 tsp vinegar
Directions
1Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
3Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.
4If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
5Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.
6If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.
7Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
8Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick.
9Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.
10You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
11Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
12If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
13Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.
14Do not overbake.
15Note: The key to real biscuits is not in the ingredients, but in the handling of the dough.
16The dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits.
17I have found that a food processor produces superior biscuits, because the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of overmixing.
18You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly.
19Rolling with a rolling pin is a guaranteed way to overstimulate the gluten, resulting in a tougher biscuit.
20Note 2: You can make these biscuits, cut them, put them on cookie sheets and freeze them for up to a month.
21When you want fresh biscuits, simply place them frozen on the cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes.

Recipe Found Here

Yummy, Indian Food!

Last night I made a wonderful dinner. My first attempt at making Indian food and it was fabulous. This is something I am going to make again and again and I am going to try more and more recipes! Here is the first one, in I hope, a long list of Indian recipes!

Chole (chickpea curry) Don't be scared of the chickpeas, it is wonderful!

Vegeterian, but would be yummy with the addition of chicken!

Serves 2-3

1 can chickpeas (I used Bushes brand)
1 TBSP oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 onion, cut in half and then sliced
1/2 small can tomato sauce
1 potato, peeled and cut into quarters and thinly chopped
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/8 tsp turmeric powder*
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp curry powder
dash of ground black pepper
1 1/2 -2 cup water
chopped fresh cilantro

(I did not salt this recipe, you can add at the table it you like, if you add while cooking I am afraid you will over salt because it will reduce down.)

Heat oil. Add onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add tomato sauce and potato. Add dry spices.
Drain and rinse chickpeas, add to pan. Mix well. Add water to make gravy, simmer and cook covered for about 10 min, or until potatoes are soft. Mash some of the peas and potatoes (like an 1/8th) mix well, this will thicken the sauce. Serve over white rice (I like basmati) and top with cilantro.

We fould indian bread at HEB, tandori bread (I think) it was near the deli. I put it under the broiler to warm on both sides and then served with butter and we scooped up the yumminess with the bread!

Serve with veggie of your choice. (We had sauteed sweet peas)

*Spices- the spices are kind of $$$ but they will go a long way. If you have a HEB with bulk foods and spices I got the turmeric, garam masala and curry powder for dirt cheap in small bags!

Crockpot BBQ pork and all the fixin's

BBQ Pork

Boneless pork ribs or pork roast (as much or as little as you need)
1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
1 or 2 onion depending on the amount of meat you use

-Put the meat in the crockpot, pour in half the sauce, and add the sliced onion.
Cook according to crockpot instructions until done. Remove from liquid and place
on platter, cover with the other half of bbq sauce.

** When I cook, I often do not use a recipe and so these next few recipes don't really have measurements, its kind of "to your taste" so TASTE it! I am cooking for 2 and a toddler so keep that in mind as well.

Baked beans

1 can pork n' beans (or more :-)) *note the double chin!
2 slices bacon, diced
1/4 bell pepper, diced
1/4 onion, diced
dash or two of dry mustard
about 1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. ketchup
start with 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
dash of pepper

Saute the bacon, onion and pepper. When done add the beans. Now for the part that drives everyone crazy, just add a little of everything, don't go nuts with the sugar, you can't take it out! Simmer a few min, taste again, your done!

Coleslaw

1/2 head cabbage
1 carrot
1 small chunk of onion
chop together in the food processor until as fine as you like it

1/2 cup mayo
2 TBL milk
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
mix together, taste, you may need to add more sugar or more vinegar...I added a little pickle juice to mine! ( I am preggers ya know!) Pour over the slaw and mix, refridge for atleast 3 hours before serving.

Potato Salad

4 med size potatoes
small chunk of onion, diced small
1/2 c. mayo
1 TBL yellow mustard
1 TBL pickle relish (sweet or dill, up to you)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes, if I have time I boil them whole and then slip the skin off and dice them, if I don't have much time I microwave them in the skins and peel them. If I microwave them I want them a little firm so if you use the baked potato button and you have 4 potatoes tell it you have 3 and that should work well. Dice potatoes place in bowl. In another bowl mix together sauce ing. and taste. When its tangy enough, pour over potatoes, stir, cover, and chill. (if it seems like to much sauce thats ok, the potatoes are like sponges so you will be glad there was extra!)

Serve with your choice of bread or rolls and sweet tea!

Enjoy!

Rolls that even I can't mess up!

**I rolled out the dough, placed it on a sprayed cookie sheet and cut it with a pizza cutter. I then made a cream cheese filling topped some of them for cream cheese kolaches! I also did not refrigerate over night, I left them for about 4 or 5 hours. I dusted the counter with flour and dumped out the dough, don't kneed it, just work it enough so its not sticky, roll out and have fun!

SERVES 24 , 2 dozen 1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1 dash salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 1/2 cups flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water and add 1 tablespoon sugar and baking powder.

Allow to stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile scald milk. Add margarine, 1/3 cup sugar and salt. Cool a little and then add eggs. (I do this step in my 4 c glass measure in the microwave.).

Combine all with flour. (it will be sticky, thats ok) Cover and refrigerate overnight. (The dough will more than double in bulk, so make sure your container is big enough. If it looks like it might outgrow its bowl, you can always punch it down once or twice without any ill effects.).

Two hours before serving, divide dough into thirds and roll out into large circles about 9 inches in diameter on a floured surface. The dough will be sticky, but don't worry. It will quickly come together and handle really well with a few sprinklings of flour (not too much). Cut into 8 wedges and make crescent rolls by starting at the wide end and rolling up. Place on greased pans to rise, covered with clean towels. ****You can make them whatever you would like individual rolls, pull apart rolls, kolaches, cinnamon rolls...*****

Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Rub the hot rolls with a stick of butter when they come out of the oven. It makes them so beautiful.

Cream cheese filling:

1 pk cream cheese

1 egg yolk

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine, spoon onto rolls after they have risen.

So You Think You Hate Lentils Soup

Well, I heard about lentils being some kind of super food and thought I better try them.

I found this recipe and it was very easy and very good.

I have freezer bags full of soup in my freezer for a healthy and hearty meal anytime!

Seriously folks it's delish!

*This makes a TON so use your big pot!

1 Tbl. butter

2 onion diced

2 clove garlic crushed

4 strips of bacon ( I didn't sautee my bacon)

1 bag lentils sorted and rinsed

10 c. water or broth (if you use water add bullion of your choice, I used chicken)

~Sautee onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add lentils and water, bring to a boil while you chop the veggies.

If the soup gets too thick as you are cooking, just add more water or broth.

4 carrots chopped

5 celery ribs chopped

1 box frozen spinach, you can use fresh

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

(you can add any veggie you like, the recipe called for leeks, greenbeans, mushrooms and bell peppers. I didn't have those and really I think they would have been a strange addition.)

~Add the veggies as you get them chopped.

Season to taste with

*Parsley

*Oregano

*Basil

*Pepper

Sorry, I know it annoys some people (Laura) but I don't really measure my herbs. I know which ones I like more or less and I add accordingly. If you don't get carried away you can always add more!

*****Use salt lightly as the bacon and the bullion are both salty and as it cooks down the salt will concentrate. You may want to save the salt for the end after you taste it.*******

Simmer and stir until the lentils are done and the veggies are tender.

Freezes very well.

Serve with crusty bread and your choice of beverage!

Try it, you really will like it!

Enjoy!!