Fried Tacos are a Family Tradition

I grew up making a large batch of tacos that would last us at least a month. We browned our hamburger just like everyone else. We drained off the grease and returned it to the frying pan so we could add the taco seasoning. Next comes an ingredient we dont tell people about all the time...refried beans! At the very end we add one can of refried beans to our hamburger over a medium heat until it is mixed evenly. I think the reason is to hold the meat together for frying, but it makes them just as delicious. Then we add a heaping tablespoon to a heated tortilla shell. Fold it into a taco and set aside until we are ready to fry them. We usually make 60 tacos at one time and freeze them in ten packs.

The next step is to fry them in oil until the shells are golden brown. These tacos, minus the beans, are served all over where i come from. Every bar around has a taco tuesday. I moved 30 minutes south and no one has ever heard of them. They are still using the hard Ortega shells that fall apart when you take your first bite. I would love to corrupt everyone down here and get them to add one more fried food to the menu, but that seems doubtful.

I dont know enough about Spanish food to know if this is a traditional food made in their households. All I know is that we learned to make it from our friend who learned from her mother who is of Mexican ancestry. And that we love them! Keep the unfried shells in the fridge for snacks. Just microwave for 30 seconds and add whatever you want! Enjoy!

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My Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

These are the best Cinnamon Rolls I have ever made. I can't say I have made many but i have finally figured them out. How? I got out my bread machine. I have only used it once or twice before, but decided this was my best option for making breads.

What about a recipe? I got it from Allrecipes.com. I tried a few, but this one is the best so far. I don't even know if I want to try another one. This one is called Cinnamon Rolls III. Yummy! The easiest part is it only takes 20 minutes to bake.

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Round Steak with Mushrooms and White Wine

What to do with Round Steak? Tonight's menu includes Round Steak, cut up and cooked all day in the crock pot with a Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1/2 and onion cut in rings, a can of mushroom, 1/4 cup of White Wine or White Cooking Wine, Thyme, salt and pepper. Just dump everything in at once and let it cook on low all day long.

This dish is one of my husbands favorites. Round Steak is always a meat that is tough and not my favorite. But, I grew up eating it and so did my husband. We get it every year when we buy a side of beef. So, this is a recipe he found. I don't always add wine. If you have it, it definitely makes the dish a little better, but you can make it without it too. Serve it over mash potatoes. There is enough in there to make a meal, but don't forget your vegetables to make it a well balance meal. There will be nothing leftover tonight.

Easy New England Clam Chowder

One of my favorite meals is New England Clam Chowder. When my husband and I first got married we love to try and make it but could never quite figure it out. Then I got a simple recipe set of different soups and learned the basics of making any soup. The easiest way to explain how to make any cream soup is to first saute the chopped vegetables in butter. Then add about a quarter cup of flour to them and stir them until the flour coats the vegetables evenly. The next step is to add your broth. That is another thing I didn't know, that you added chicken broth to cream soups like Clam Chowder, Cream of Broccoli, and Potato Soup. After that you add two cans of Evaporated milk. Let everything cook over a medium heat for a while, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. While that is going on you need to boil a pan of water for potatoes. Dice the potatoes and pour them in when the what is boiling for five minute. Drain and add to soup. Add the clams to the soup. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for at least 10 minutes and you have the easiest Clam Chowder and very tasty I might add.

Shopping list for Clam Chowder
2 cans evaporated milk
a large can of Chicken broth
1/4 cup celery
1/4 cup oinion ( but I use less)
2 cans of chopped clams ( or any clams you like )
1/4 cup flour
2 potatoes
salt
pepper

Enjoy a nice Warm Cup of Soup on a Cold Day!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcake

I have been relatively quiet on this blog and it is time I start getting back to posting here. I like to cook, but my favorite thing to do is to bake. I spend a lot of time on flickr getting inspiration. I had the idea to try to make chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and a Reese's Cup. I had been putting it off for months, but one day I tried it. This is what I came up with. The cupcake is a basic box mix cupcake. I topped that with a chocolate fudge icing in a can. Then peanut butter frosting, which is basically butter creme frosting with peanut butter added to it until it tastes right. I chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and added a few to each cupcake. The final decorators touch was Chocolate Syrup, which my kids decided we could do without. They loved the cupcakes, and hard to believe they were not too sweet.

Icing for Sugar Cookies!

I have been busy starting a cookie decorating business on the side. I love to bake and decorate cookies. For the past 7 years I had been making these wonderful cookies, but was not happy with any of the icing I had been using to decorate them. I wanted something that tasted great, looked shiny, and would not smudge when you stacked them. I tried many recipes and many different consistency. Finally I changed everything around and came up with a recipe that works for me. I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Ingredients
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp. meringue powder (substitute 1 egg white if you don't want to buy it)
2 tbsp. corn syrup

I recommend using a heavy duty mixer if you have it as this recipe can be very stiff. In mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and meringue powder and combine so meringue is evenly distributed. (If you substitute an egg white add it after you add the water) Then slowly add the water a tbsp at a time until you get the right consistency. Add 2 tbsp of corn syrup and continue to mix for 4 minutes. The consistency you are looking for is Elmer's Glue. Seperate and add gel or paste food coloring. You can spread with a knife or a use cake decorating bags to decorate your cookies. Leave the cookies sit out about 12 hours and they should be hard enough to stack. Even though this will dry hard, it is not hard to bite into. It just forms a nice crust on the outside.

Another Blog Carnival

Christine presents http://memykidandlife.com/recipes110407.html">All Natural Honey Mustard Dressing: No Sugar Added posted at http://memykidandlife.com/">Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, "Spicing up your green salad with a fabulous all natural sugar-free Honey Mustard Dressing! It also makes a great dip for vegatables."

Kalyn presents http://blog.lifeedit.net/2007/11/easy-savoury-party-food-ideas.html">Easy Savoury Party Food Ideas posted at http://blog.lifeedit.net/">LifeEdit.net.

Sagar presents http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/top-50-vegan-and-vegetarian-restaurants-in-the-world/">Top 50 Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in the World posted at http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker">Travelhacker.

Christine presents http://memykidandlife.com/orange-juice-and-honey.html">Hot Orange Juice and Honey for the Holidays! posted at http://memykidandlife.com/">Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, "This is a great, simple, sugar-free, all natural recipe that is perfect for the holidays! It'll put a smile on the kid's faces and warm your soul!. The perfect holiday dessert drink for you, your kids and your friends refraining from alcohol."

Chef Andrew presents http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/2007/11/black-eyed-pea-dip.html">Black Eyed Pea Dip posted at http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/">The Recipe Bank, saying, "Great Recipes to Share with Our Friends!"

Lucynda Riley presents http://quietlyintothenight.com/?p=576">Roasted figs with honey and Rosemary posted at http://quietlyintothenight.com">Quietly Into the Night.

The Career Counselor presents http://askthecareercounselor.com/blog/archives/208">Holiday Season: Simple Ways to Increase Morale and Happiness at Your Office posted at http://askthecareercounselor.com/blog">ask the CareerCounselor.

Sagar presents http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/worlds-best-chocolate-a-chocoholics-travel-guide/">World?s Best Chocolate: A Chocoholics Travel Guide posted at http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker">Travelhacker.

The Columbia Foodie presents http://columbiafoodie.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html#6930940364577061768">Mascarpone and Pecan Stuffed Dates posted at http://columbiafoodie.blogspot.com/">The Columbia Foodie, saying, "Elegant, easy, and in season dates make for a delicious creation."

Lucynda Riley presents http://a-public-diet.com/?p=30">Sugar Free Fat Free Jello Pudding. posted at http://a-public-diet.com">A Public Diet.

James D. Brausch presents http://weightlossdude.com/?p=190">My Crab Cake Recipe posted at http://weightlossdude.com">Weight Loss Dude.

Roger Haeske presents http://rogerhaeske.com/?p=100">Having Trouble Staying Raw, It May Not Be Your Fault posted at http://rogerhaeske.com">Raw Food Diet, Bodyweight Fitness and Peak Performance Living.

WhatWorksForUs presents http://whatworksforus.blogspot.com/2007/12/holiday-slush-no-not-me.html">The Holiday Slush. No, NOT Me. posted at http://whatworksforus.blogspot.com/">What Works For Us.

Appetizers

Jami Leigh presents http://jamileigh.com/blog/2007/12/10/festive-foods/">festive foods posted at http://jamileigh.com/blog">Jami Leigh.

Chef Andrew presents http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/2007/12/remoulade-sauce-recipe.html">Remoulade Sauce Recipe posted at http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/">The Recipe Bank, saying, "a great sauce recipe for your party - try this with shrimp"

Dessert

Carol Bentley presents http://www.copywriting4b2b.com/archives/54">An enjoyable experience. . . posted at http://www.copywriting4b2b.com">Carol Bentley.

Chickens in the Road presents http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/2007/12/16/clotted-cream-fudge/">Clotted Cream Fudge posted at http://suzannemcminn.com/blog">Suzanne McMinn, saying, "I fell in complete, enamored, adoring love with castles, old rocks, sheep, and clotted cream during my trip to England. I couldn’t bring the castles, rocks, or sheep back with me, but I did bring back some clotted cream fudge. My kids loved it and we had to have more!"

Drinks

Priya Jestin presents http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/drinking-across-america-a-look-at-the-25-best-microbreweries-in-the-country/">Drinking Across America: A Look at the 25 Best Microbreweries in the Country posted at http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker">Travelhacker.

Main Dish

blue skelton presents http://blueskeltonproductions.blogspot.com/2007/10/its-spiderman-pizza-delivery.html">It’s Spiderman Pizza Delivery posted at http://blueskeltonproductions.blogspot.com/">Blue Skelton Publications, saying, "Well Peter Parker is delivering pizza again and this time as Spiderman. No its not that superhero work doesn’t pay the bills anymore. Spiderman man will descend upon the Nasdaq Spider-Man will descend upon the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square today. He is not there to save lives but to deliver pizza, one hero to another."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition ofcarnival of party foodusing ourhttp://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_1738.html">carnival submission form.Past posts and future hosts can be found on ourhttp://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_1738.html">blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of party food, blog carnival.

The Cupcake Courier

I found a new product on the market for transporting cupcakes, 'The Cupcake Courier'. What a great find. What I like best is that is actually holds 3 dozen cupcakes. I don't know about anyone else, but it is very rare that I can send only 2 dozen cupcakes anywhere. My kids are required to have either 25 or 30 treats when sent to school and this is the perfect solution. It is stylish and doesn't take up a lot of room.

Unfortunately, I can't get a photo to copy to my site. Here is a link to the product Cupcake Courier. This has definitely been added to my wish list.

Christmas Tree Cookies

Christmas Tree Cookies
Originally uploaded by gensler97

Normally I like to cook, but at Christmas time, my focus tends to be on cookies and candies. These cookies were created for a family party last week, but never made it. These accidentally ended up at class with my son because he told my hubby mom had promised to make treats for them. I did promise, but I ran out of time.

So, 9 kids and one adult enjoyed 4 1/2 dozen cookies. That is a lot of cookies. Sorry mom and dad! I hurried up and remade the cookies and then we had an ice storm. No party. Oh well, they will keep another few days.

Red and White Christmas Cookies

Red and White Christmas Cookies
Originally uploaded by gensler97

Just some Cookies I created last night. I really like the modern look to the snowflake.

3-D Winter Scene Cookie

I loved making this cookie yesterday. I had so much fun. I have been making regular cut-out cookies and decided it was time to make something different. I saw someone else make one like this. I bet if I bring these to a party this weekend, no one will eat them.

Molasses Cookies

I will never be able to make these cookies as good as my Grandmother. She had been making these since the depression years, so she had a lot of practice. Her cookies were always soft and always perfectly cracked. They looked like a picture from a bakery. She made dozens at a time and kept about 4 dozen constantly on hand for visitors. Remember that they were always soft. I know very few people who even like Molasses, but after eating these cookies, many people changed their mind. I wish you luck and hope yours will turn out that perfect. Here is that special recipe.

Ingredients
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda

In a bowl, creme shortening and sugar. Add in egg, molasses, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Finally, add flour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Roll into 1" balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten with fingers and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and place cookies on a cooling rack or counter until cool.

Multi-layer Salad!

I was in charge of salad this year. I rarely bring salads, so we wanted to find something unusual to bring. We found a few ideas in a book and blended them with what we personally liked. Here is what we came up with.

Ingredients
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
Grape Tomatoes
Bacon cooked and crumbled
Feta Cheese
Avocado (cubed and sprinkled with lime juice to prevent browning)
3 eggs
Sliced Mushrooms
Italian Seasoning

We cut up the Romaine and added all the other ingredients. Let is sit in the fridge for an hour before serving. Make sure you sprinkle the avocado with lime juice to prevent it from browning. I could barely taste the juice in the salad or the avocado. Add a little pepper for flavor. Yum!

The salad was a hit. I can't say I eat avocado, ever. But, I loved it in this salad. We were suppose to add diced chicken, but we figured it was not the main course and we already had turkey with our meal. Like all salads, you can omit whatever you don't like, but I recommend trying everything. You can always pick out what you don't like.

November Blog Carnival

Welcome to the November 21, 2007 edition of carnival of party food. A lot of great submissions from everyone this month. Check out the links below for great recipes and holiday food ideas.

Bart Van Honsté presents WinePhabet - A of Amarone posted at Fylloxera, saying, "Learn something more about an astonishing party wine from la bella Italia: Amarone."

Mama Duck presents 13 outdoor birthday food ideas posted at Lil Duck Duck.

Israel Cruz presents Frijoles Charros posted at Authentic Southern Mexican Food.

Trent presents Ten Frugal Tips For A Great Grilling Experience posted at The Simple Dollar, saying, "Ten great money saving tips for tasty, easy barbecuing for your next party."

Meredith Mathews presents Happy Birthday Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Treats! posted at Lemonade Stand.

presents Its all about the amount of wine posted at The best wine blog - new wine posts daily.

James D. Brausch presents Why I'm Not A Vegetarian posted at Weight Loss Dude.

Frugal Fanny presents Thanksgiving on a Budget posted at Frugal Fanny's Everyday Money Saving Tips.

Host Bee presents Turducken posted at Busy Bee Lifestyle.

Tiffany Washko presents Peanut Butter Carob Balls Recipe posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Appetizers

Katy presents Butternut Squash Toasts posted at sugarlaw, saying, "Delicious, super easy, and requires only a few ingredients. Every time I make it, someone asks me for the recipe!"

Chris presents Snack Idea: Apples and Cinnamon posted at The Healthy Snacks Blog.

Phil B. presents Spicy Hot versus Temperature Hot « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "When someone tells you that the food is "hot", do you assume temperature hot or spicy hot?"

Cookies

TherapyDoc presents Hoo-du ya love, Substances, and The Bake Sale posted at Everyone needs therapy, saying, "Here's a warning for the label of your cookie jar."

Desserts

Stephanie presents Elementary Chef » Blog Archive » Pecan Pie posted at Elementary Chef. I always wanted to know how to make this dish, but haven't tried it yet. I hope to soon.

Summer presents Yummy Pumpkin Pie! posted at Mom Is Teaching. Today is Thanksgiving and I can hardly wait for the Pumpkin Pie.

Drinks

Heather Juma presents Throw A Fast, Fabulous and Fun Cocktail Party! posted at Girls Who Network Diary.

Main dishes

Annette Berlin presents Easy Pizza Dough posted at Frugal Journey, saying, "Pizza is always a favorite main course at casual parties. Unfortunately, if you have a lot of big eaters, it can get expensive to order take-out. Here's a simple recipe for a do-it-yourself version of pizza dough."

That is the end of this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of party food using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

carnival of party food, blog carnival.

Potica...A Long Lost Tradition.

I was watching TV the other day and a bakery was making Potica. I grew up with this dessert in my family and at every party all my life. Unfortunately for me, I never gave it a try until I was in college. Now I love it and I don't have the opportunity to eat it anymore.

This is a sweet bread roll, kinda a cross between a cinnamon roll and a bread, with lots and lots of walnuts. There are not a lot of desserts that people will pay $40 for a loaf of it. My Uncle use to sell dozens every year. As I get older, I hope to one day make this dessert myself, but I have a lot to learn before I am ready for that.

A bakery in Minnesota sells them on-line. They are the Italian Bakery. I can't imagine it being the same, but maybe I should give it a try. One patron remarked that, "Once you try it, everyone loves Potica." That is very true. At one social event outsiders huddled around the beer and everyone who knew what we were eating, sat down and begged for a piece. Growing up I thought it looked horrible, but I was so wrong.

As the holidays grow near, I long for those traditions of years past. Hope everyone has a great holiday.

Clam Linguine

This is definitely a dish for fish lovers. My husband was the first to make this dish and it has been a family favorite ever since. I can even get my children to eat clams in it. In my house, that means something.

Ingredients
Linguine noodles
fresh garlic
can of clams ( I prefer minced clams )
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
oregano
salt
pepper
basil

In a large stock pan, boil water and add Linguine noodles. I make enough noodles for 6 servings. In a small sauce pan melt butter and olive oil, until combined. Add one finely chopped garlic clove on medium heat, but do not allow garlic to brown. Add juice from clams, oregano, salt, pepper, and basil. Continue heating on medium for 2 minutes. Add clams, and cook until clams are heated through. Usually take another 2 minutes. Plate the pasta and top with clam mixture.

Carnival of Party Food

Welcome to the June 17, 2007 edition of carnival of party food.

Bart presents One thing I learned in Champagne today posted at Fylloxera. If you thought you knew about champagne, here is something you may not have known.

Party Plans

Thad Guy presents Finding Allergies posted at Thad Guy, saying, "There are lots of things that can go wrong when one is planning a party. One of the least funny calamities is if one serves food that one's guests are allergic to. With that in mind, here is a joke about just that. I hope you like it."

Rickey Henderson presents It’s Friday wenches, is everyone ready for the upc... posted at Riding with Rickey, saying, "A humorous look at how to prepare for a weekend BBQ party."

Recipes

Sepehr Moghadam presents Health Recipes archive at Minus The Fat posted at Minus The Fat, saying, "A delicious summer salad."

Danielle presents Rosemary Crostini with Roasted Garlic and Marinated Tomatoes. Yummm by Ms. Danielle posted at MsDanielle.com, saying, "Simple and Easy! :)" These are deffintely a great appetizer, but one I know I will try making myself after reading this article.

Amanda presents Chips n' Dip: Salsa and Guacamoli posted at Eat... and Be MerryAmanda gives two easy recipes for these great dips. I love her idea to keep her salsa a little chunky. That is how I like it too!

Caley Walsh presents Recipe4Living- Ultimate BBQ Contest posted at Recipe4LivingIf you think you are the ultimate BBQ master, then submit your entry to this contest. Definitely not a contest for my husband!!

Mama Duck presents Food ideas for a Luau Party posted at Lil Duck DuckA Luau Party is always a great idea, but if you are like me, you never know what to serve. Here are a few simple ideas.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of party food
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

carnival of party food, blog carnival.

Puppy Chow, Chex Chocolate Snack Mix.

Muddy Puppies in Black & White
Originally uploaded by ivy.chiu

One of my favorite snacks from my childhood has to be "Puppy Chow". The first time someone brought it to a party was about 20 years ago. I and everyone in the class was hooked on this amazing little creation. Who would have thought that chocolate and peanut butter would go so well with Chex cereal.

Ingredients

1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter (or chunky if you want extra nuts in your mix)

6 c. Chex cereal

1 c. powdered sugar

Melt chocolate in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly. Stir in peanut butter. Pour mixture over cereal and stir gently until well coated. Place powdered sugar in a 2-gallon storage bag. Gently shake until well coated. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Originally uploaded by Deep Fried Kudzu

Summer cookouts are a lot of fun, but finding a good dessert than can hold up to the heat can be tough. This Strawberry Pretzel Dessert holds up pretty well, even on the 4th of July as long as it is not directly in the sun.

2 1/2 c. crushed pretzels

3tsp. sugar

1 stick margarine, melted

Combine ingredients and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

1 pkg cream cheese

1 c. sugar

1 lg pkg coolwhip

Cream all ingredients together. Spread over pretzel crust.

2 c. boiling water

2 pkg. strawberry jello

2 pkg. frozen strawberries

Combine water and jello. Fold in strawberries until thawed. Pour over cheese layer and refrigerate for several hours.

Apple Crisp

dessert. apple crisp. my favorite
Originally uploaded by ginthefer

For many of us, there is no time to cook in the summer. Better yet, no one wants to spend extra time inside cooking in a hot kitchen when they could be outside enjoying the nice weather. Apple Crisp is a quick dessert to make for your family that everyone will love.

If you are fortunate to have an apple tree in your yard, this is a nice way to eat your harvest.

Ingredients8 c. sliced apples
1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. instant oatmeal
Cinamon
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt

Places apples in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Mix remaining ingredients together and crumble over apples. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown and apples are done (40 to 50 minutes).

Allow to cool slightly before serving. Great served with a scoop of ice cream.