Easy and Delicious Taco Soup!

This recipe was made at the request of a friend and classmate of DH. He had mentioned it to me several times, and we finally orchestrated a day to make it. It was amazingly simple and absolutely delicious. Primarily from canned ingredients, its the perfect 'pantry soup' and is great on a cool winter evening.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey or chicken)
2 cans Ro-tel Tomatoes (one with Habaneros and one mild.)
1 large white onion (chopped)
1 can of pinto beans (rinsed)
1 can of whole kernel corn (drained)
1 can of Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2.5 cups of water

* Sour cream, shredded cheddar and tortilla chips for serving *

Step 1.
Brown the meat and onions together. Coat with taco seasoning (I do not add the extra water).

Step 2.
While the meat is browning, rinse and drain all that needs it, and dump all the cans into a slow cooker set to LOW.

Step 3. 
Mix ranch dressing and water together until dissolved. Add to slow cooker.

Step 4.
Add in meat and onions.

Step 5.
Cover and simmer on LOW for about 7 hours.

Step 6.
Serve with your fav toppings and enjoy!

This was sure a hit! I served it for 7 and there was just enough. We topped it with sour cream and cheddar cheese.  ... There was also cornbread but I won't share that recipe. DH made it, and while it did turn out the recipe wasn't the same one I had used and there wasn't enough of the batter to adequately fill the cast iron skillet. Unfortunately during that part of the meal prep I was busy taking my midterm. Everyone was happy, sang praises for me (*blush.. it wasn't my recipe!*) and had nice warm full bellies!

So I recommend this as an easy and delicious soup. You could make this into a nice chili by doubling the beans and only using 1 cup of water. I might do that next time!

** Thanks David for the great idea! 

Decadent Pork Chops that are so easy...

it will knock your socks off! I must have seen a billion recipes for pork and apricot/orange/peach glaze. The idea ... has always perplexed me. I've been too chicken to try it until now, in addition to being sure my DH wouldn't like it. (There are very few things he doesn't like: seafood, excessive sweets and dishes flavored with citrus.) I thought the glaze would be too sweet for his liking. Good thing I had left overs just.in.case.

But I was REALLY surprised with this. Actually, I was more than surprised -- it was superb! And it was so insanely easy I kicked my self (silently, and really it was a mental kick...) for not making these sooner.

We're not big pork chop eaters. We're really not HUGE meat eaters -- thanks to the way we like to work out and what we learn about how our bodies break down food. We have been working for the last year or so on a predominately plant based diet. 2 years ago the bulk of our grocery budget was prepackaged/preprocessed foods. I didn't really put on any weight with a diet like this, but DH did. He put on about 40 pounds. Which is a bad thing, in addition to it costing us way.too.much money every 2 weeks. During his second deployment, we went through a lot of changes and he came home to a meal planning system that involved new recipes and 80% fresh/made from scratch ingredients and a significant decrease in frequency and quantity of meat. I've traded out ground beef for ground turkey in EVERY dish, and I love it. Leaner, cheaper, and just as flavorful. Making these changes (believe it or not) has actually decreased our grocery bill. Who can complain about that?!

And I'll never go back to that 'new mom' cook. Never. It might take a smidge more time to use fresh ingredients, but if you plan it right its just as easy. I learned my meal planning from one of my besties (Val!) and if you ever want to see what my menu looks like, send me a message and I'll share it here with you.

Wow, way to wander off course! Anyway - my point is this. Give these a try the next time porkchops are on your menu, and you'll be amazed!

Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
(You can find the original recipe here. I made a few changes of my own.) 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

4  boneless pork chops
1/2 white onion (chopped)

1 shallot (chopped)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoon soy sauce (low-sodium if you have it)
2 cloves garlic (minced)

a dash of salt (optional)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

Step 1. 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and saute the pork chops for about 6 minutes on each side or until 90% done. Remove from pan and keep 'em warm.

Step 2.

Saute the onions until browned, about 4 minutes, then add the preserves, soy sauce, garlic, and salt; cook 3 minutes or until thickened. 

Step 3.

Add the 'chops back in the pan and smother them in the sauce. Cover, and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.. giving time for them to finish cooking and soak in all that flavor.

Ate too fast to get a plated picture!

Step 4. 

Sprinkle some green onions on top before serving. (I did leave this step out... ha!)

And in case you are wondering, DH loved them. Not too sweet, just the right amount of awesome. 

     

 Yoga has been on my mind lately, since my practice has had to shift to a back burner while I deal with my teething infant, college, prep for moving and general yuckiness. Fear not, my good friends, I will be working out some new routines and at the suggestion of a good friend of mine I will start posting my routines for you to look through and try out if your heart desires such.  In addition to continuing to develop my own practice, I am in search of a studio that needs an instructor in Maryland ... I'll keep you posted! For now, I keep my spirits lifted with a few key postures when I'm feeling low (PIGEON! and a few sun salutes when I have time!) and focus on the tasks at hand. 

Love love love! 

~Pastry Puffs and Pigeon~

Ahh.. so its the new year. Welcome to 2011! I set a few resolutions for myself. Aside from focusing on school and my family, I try not to set the silly resolutions that we all seem to fail at every year.... 'I resolve to go to the gym more... I resolve to eat fewer french fries..' or whatever else it is that Americans resolve to do but never manage. Inevitably, the gym is back to its "normal crowd"  by the end of February, and McDonald's isn't hurting for our business. This year, thanks wholly to my yoga practice, I made some resolutions to improve my self from the soul outward. I resolve to tell the people that are in my life that I love them and I appreciate them more. I resolve to do more than just say it, but show it every time I possibly can. I resolve to focus on today, on the here and now and worry less about the road ahead. I love the path I'm on and that is what matters. Life is a journey, not a series of destinations. I can't change yesterday, but I can welcome tomorrow with open arms and be grateful that yesterday put me where I am now.

I have also resolved to end this new year in full Hanumanasana. -- Which is a full front - to - back split! Hanuman is also called 'Monkey Pose' and represents the Hindu deity's leap from the southern tip of India to the island of Sri Lanka as told in the sacred texts. To me, Hanumanasana represents courage and strength as well as freedom and openness, the embodiment of where I want to go in my life. 

Aaaand after last Wednesday's hot yoga class, I'm adding one.more posture to my goals list, if my body is willing: a bind in pigeon. One Legged King Pigeon pose is knowin in Sanskrit as Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. In its simplest form, Pigeon pose is a fantabulous hip opener and low-back tension release. It stretches the interior of the pelvis as well as the psoas muscle (the long muscle that runs under the glut and attaches to the lower lumbar vertebrae and the inside of the ilium. If you have low back issues, I highly highly recommend a daily dose of Pigeon. You won't believe how spectacular you start to feel after just a day or two. It really helped me, when doctors didn't know what was wrong with my back, the lumbar hurt so bad I couldn't sit to drive my car. They tried steroid injections and treatment with narcotics. My super.bright.amazing.beautiful yoga teacher showed me Pigeon and I found the release I was searching for. I've never stopped practicing it, and I've been free from debilitating back pain for over a year now! The more advanced you are in Pigeon the more it takes over your whole body, rising from the openness of the hips, bringing lift and space to the shoulders and heart. And in its culmination, there is a suppleness in the body that allows you to possess a firmly grounded base and back bend beautifully to grasp the feet -- the fullest expression of bravery and beauty.

Both Hanuman and Pigeon put focus on creating space and freedom in the hips, and require courage and pure warmth from the heart. I am excited to focus my practice on creating space for myself, being courageous and loving; these intentions encapsulate what I want from my life.

As for the food part of this entry -- I want to share with you these delightful pastry puffs I made for a BBQ. They were incredibly easy! I made a strawberry whipped filling for them and I dipped them in chocolate. They were a hit, easy to make and there are so many options for fillings -- you can let your imagination run wild!

Okay, lets start with the dough. This is another of the very few sucessful recipes from Martha Stewart Food Everyday! You can find the original recipe here.

Chocolate-Glazed Strawberry Cream Puffs

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
Large zip-top bag

Step 1.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Step 2.

In a small saucepan, bring the water, butter, and sugar to a boil over high.

Step 3.
Immediately remove the mixture from the stove.  Using  a wooden spoon, stir in the flour. Continue to stir until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 2 minutes. Then let it cool 2 minutes.

Step 4.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix until each egg is entirely combined before adding the next.

Step 5.
Spoon the dough into a zip lock baggy (or a fancy decorating bag if you have them). Clip a small part of a corner off to pipe the dough out (or use a small round tip with your decorating bag). Pipe it into mounds whatever size you like (I thought the slightly larger ones were easier to work with).

Step 6.
Dab your finger in a little water and press down the peaks of the dough. If you don't, they'll burn.

Step 7.
Bake! For 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake some more until they are golden brown and delicious looking -- about 25 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets that are placed on wire racks.

Now for the filling!

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

1/4 cup strawberry jam

1 Tbsp brandy

Step 1.
Using a skewer, poke 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of your puffs.

Step 2.
Whip the heavy whipping cream until firm peaks form.

Step 3.
Gently fold in the strawberry jam and brandy. Fold over and over until combined, but not soupy.

Step 4.
Using a new ziplock baggy, pipe the cream into the opening in the bottom of the puff. Then put them back on the parchment paper, hole-side down.

** You could use any jam you have on hand and it would be perfect too!

AAANNND Chocolate!

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

4 oz. semi sweet chocolate

1 tbsp light corn syrup. 

Step 1.
Heat the heavy cream until just boiling.

Step 2. Pour cream over chocolate and corn syrup and stir briskly until melted and delicious.

Step 3.
Dunk the top of the puffs in the chocolate.

Step 4.
Refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Then enjoy!

You could also use the chocolate as a filling...  Which is what I plan on doing next time. You could use a lemon custard, or just dust them with powdered sugar. The possibilities are endless!

I hope you set some good intentions for yourselves this year! And maybe you'll consider joining me on my path through food and Yoga! ;) Blessings and loving wishes this gracious 2011!