Chalupa

Remember when I said the Mexican Meat Mix, which makes my favorite Chimmichangas also makes the best soup? Well, this is it. This soup is so good. I love it because if you already have the meat mix in the freezer, this soup takes no time! Everyone can top it the way they like - I like cheese, cilantro, green onions, shredded lettuce, tomato, avacado & chips. It is perfect for a cold night!

Chalupa

2 cans pinto beans (or black)

4 cups water - or to your desired consistency

3 cups Mexican Meat Mix

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. chili powder

Toppings

chips

cheese

green onion

shredded lettuce

cilantro

avacado

tomatoes

Add the beans, water, Meat mix, salt and chili powder in a soup pot. Cook uncovered for approx. an hour, stirring occasionally until it is heated all the way through.

Serve in a bowl over the chips. Garnish with the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Mexican Meat Mix / Chimmichangas

This is my favorite meal ever. No joking. My mom has been making this since I was a little girl. This was what all of the kids in my family picked for their birthday dinner. If I had to pick one dish to remind me of my home growing up, this is it. I love it.

It is from the cookbook titled Make-A-Mix Cookery. It is a great cookbook - that I seem to have borrowed from my mom about 10 years ago - that has many great meals. It is written by 3 moms who were trying to make more time for their families and still make good dinners. They are the original mix makers! They teach you how to make and prepare a mix and make it work for many meals. I found some copies of their book on Amazon if you are interested. Ours is well worn and I think I may break it out again and see what new things I can find!

In this meal, you cook up one large roast and then freeze it in 3 cup portions to make 3 separate meals. Our favorite is the Chimmichangas, but it also makes an amazing Chalupa (thick soup) that everyone loves.

Mexican Meat Mix

5 lbs. beef roast or combination of beef & pork roast

3 Tbs. vegetable shortening

3 onions, chopped

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies

2 (7 oz) cans green chili salsa

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

4 Tbs. flour

4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

Juices from beef roast

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place the roast in a large roasting pan. Cover with a tight lid and roast about 12 hours, until well done. OR cook all day in crock pot until it shreds easily.

Drain the juices and set aside for later. Cool the meat and then remove any bones. Shred the meat and then set aside.

Melt the shortening in a large pot. Add the onions and green chilies & saute 1 minute. Add the green chili salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt and cumin. Cook 1 minute over medium-low heat. Stir in the reserved juices and shredded meat and cook another 5 minutes, until thick. This will smell so good! At this point, I usually have the chips out for a nice snack!

Cool the meat and put about 3 cups mix into 3 freezer zip-lock bags. Seal, label and use within 6 months.

For the chimmis, we grab a bag out of the freezer in the morning and let it defrost in the refrigerator. Take the meat out of the zip-lock bag and heat up in the microwave. Put a little bit in a tortilla and roll up. I took some pictures of my hubby as he rolled up the tortilla...

Put a little canola oil in a skillet and heat up until popping. Add the rolled up tortillas and then flip them when they are golden.

They should look like this when they are done! SO GOOD! You could always make it a little healthier and bake them instead, but why? They are way to good this way.

Put them on a bed of shredded lettuce and then top with your favorite toppings. We like tomato, cheese, cilantro, green onion, guacamole and sour cream.

You will be glad there are 2 more bags in the freezer!!

Taco Rice

My mom made up this recipe when I was in high school & it was a big hit in our house. Now, it is a big hit in mine. There aren't that many recipes where I get a big smile from each member of the family - some are a little picky. But, when I make this dinner I ALWAYS hear "Thanks, mom!" They get to top it with whatever they like and everyone is happy.

And the best part is how easy and fast it is to make! You can make it quickly on the busy nights and enjoy a great meal. My mom always made it with ground beef and white rice, but since we are trying to eat a little better I tried it a little different last time. I made it with ground turkey and brown rice & couldn't tell any difference!! The kids had no clue.

Taco Rice

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

2 cups (approximately) cooked white or brown rice

1 packet or 1/4 cup taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

Taco toppings -

chopped tomatoes

cilantro

cheese

onions

avocado

shredded lettuce

salsa

tobasco sauce

Tortilla or corn chips

Brown the meat in a skillet and drain the juices. Add the taco seasoning and water, mix and then simmer for a couple minutes. Add the tomato sauce and rice and then mix well. Heat all the way through.

Serve on plate and top with all of your favorite taco toppings. My husband and I needed a little bit more kick to ours last time (but the kids didn't), so we sprinkled it with a little Tobasco sauce and it was great! We love to eat ours with a handful of chips for a little crunch.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

I love my crock pot. It saves me on days when I don't have time to think about dinner, which seems to be a lot lately. I have been trying to find ways to adapt some of my favorite recipes into crock pot dishes so we can still have a good meal on busy days. I have had this recipe for a while and it is one of my husband's favorites. It was our anniversary on Sunday and since we were in church from 1-4:00, I thought this would be a good one to prepare for him. It is super easy and tastes so good!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. cubed beef stew meat

2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup beef broth or water

1 pack onion soup mix

fresh mushrooms - optional, but so yummy!

4 ounces cream cheese

"scoop" of sour cream

Wide egg noodles

These are the two items you might not have right in your pantry. They are both necessary for this recipe and substitutions will not taste the same. I had a little bit of a hard time finding the Golden Mushroom soup, but eventually found it at Raleys grocery store (here in Nor Cal.)

Combine the beef, Golden mushroom soup, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, water and onion soup mix in your crock pot.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Add some sauteed mushrooms about a 1/2 hour before time is up. And then mix in the cream cheese and sour cream just before serving. Serve over some wide egg noodles and enjoy!