Taco Salad

This is a Grandma Goldsberry classic. Every Sunday night was dinner at Grandma's house while we lived in Provo. We always looked forward to taco salad night!
The dressing for the salad is tomato sauce and Ranch, when these two things mix together on the salad....mmmmmmm!

1 pound ground beef or turkey, cooked with taco seasoning
chopped lettuce
diced tomatoes
1 avocado, diced
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can sliced olives
green onions, sliced
shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
Frito corn chips
1 can tomato sauce with a few drops of Tabasco sauce added, warmed up
Ranch dressing

Place each ingredient in its own bowl and let everyone build their own salad. You could also build the salad in a tostada shell and omit the Fritos. You can substitute salsa for the tomato sauce, if desired.

Print this recipe!

Spinach-Apple Salad

Courtesy of Cooking Light

Spinach-Apple Salad with Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon maple syrup (come on, use the real stuff people!)

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring with whisk until well blended. Add chives, salt and pepper, and bacon; stir with a whisk until well blended.

For the salad:
1 large Granny Smith apple, julienne-cut

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 6-ounce package fresh baby spinach

Combine apple, onion, and spinach in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Yield 6 servings.

Chocolate dipped shortbread

Okay, this post comes a little late as it is something I make during the holidays but it's simple enough to enjoy all year round.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
dash of salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Place butter in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed. Add milk and vanilla; beat until blended.
Pat the dough into a 4-inch circle; wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Unwrap and place dough on plastic wrap. Cover dough with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 8-inch circle. Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (or just use a Silpat mat-my best friend). Cut dough into 16 wedges, cutting into--but not through--dough. Pierce dough several times with a fork.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pan 5 minutes. Cut into wedges. Cool completely (especially if you plan to dip in chocolate).

To dip your shortbread:
I melted a bag of bittersweet chocolate chips in the microwave in a glass dish, stirring every 15 seconds. Once it is mostly melted you want to stir, stir, stir and stir some more until you have tempered the chocolate. Once the chocolate is tempered, dip away.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light magazine

I'm back in the kitchen!

Okay, so after my three month hiatus I am finally getting back into the swing of things. My first trimester always keeps me out of the kitchen. I basically eat cereal every two hours and don't have motivation to do anything at all. But that is all behind me now and here I am!
My apologies for so many entries all at once.

Brownies, by Nigella

This is one of my first cookbooks I ever received. I remember being horrified by the amount of butter (and ingredients like mincemeat and grouse) Nigella uses, but luckily for my tastebuds, and all those I share my food with, I got over it! Yeah for butter! Three cheers for butter!

This cookbook has some real gems in it, but today we focus on the best brownies I have ever put in my mouth. Nigella suggests making these brownies instead of birthday cake and she decorates them with candles. Not a bad idea, I say.



1 2/3 cups soft, unsalted butter
13 ounces best bittersweet chocolate
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups chopped walnuts (they really need something nutty to break up the richness so choose whatever nut you do like to eat if not walnuts)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line your 13X9 pan with foil or parchment.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large heavy pan.
In a bowl or large measuring glass, beat the eggs with the vanilla and sugar.
Measure the flour into another bowl along with the salt.
When the chocolate has melted, let it cool a bit before beating in the eggs and sugar (or you might scramble the eggs!), then add the nuts and flour. Beat to combine smoothly and then scrape out of saucepan into the lined 13X9 pan.
Bake about 25 minutes. When it's ready, the top should be dried to a paler brown speckle, but the middle still dark and dense and gooey. [I do let mine go a little longer because I don't like it to be too much on the 'gooey' side]. Nigella warns to "keep checking because the difference between gungy brownies and dry brownies is only a few minutes, remember that they will continue to cook as they cool."

Awesome Blueberry Muffins

I borrow this recipe from 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks', whose blog puts mine to shame but oh well! I will keep posting anyway!!

The Awesome-est Blueberry Muffins

3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
heavy pinch of salt
dash of nutmeg (I prefer to freshly grate my own, the taste is much better)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 generous cup of plain yogurt
2 cups fresh blueberries (fresh tastes better but I did use frozen last time and I am still living...)
turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and powder, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla, egg and yogurt. Add the dry ingredients and stir to a count of 10.

Add blueberries, reserving 1/2 cup, to mixture and stir 3 times.
Add mixture to well buttered muffin pans (or use paper cups). Sprinkle remaining berries on top and lightly press them down. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top (use brown sugar if you have none).
Bake 20-25 minutes and allow to cool.
I can't figure out how much this is supposed to make, first I doubled it and had a ton, but last time I think I got about 18 muffins with a single batch.