Taco Soup

This recipe is an amalgamation of three different taco soup recipes, therefore, I might as well call this one my own (I need just a little ego stroking today, thank you very much). It has quickly become one of our favorite and quick soups.

1 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper
ground beef
1 can kidney beans + liquid
1 can corn + 1/2 liquid
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
taco seasonings (One of those packets or your own favorite combination. Ours is chili powder, cumin, mustard, paprika, and a little Mrs. Dash (she's like my third grandma).)
tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream

Saute one onion and half a green pepper (optional) in a little Worcestershire sauce. Add ground beef and brown. Add taco seasonings. Add beans, corn, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Simmer until ready to serve. In your own bowl, sprinkle on some shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This probably isn't a healthy soup but my excuse is that it will help us with some additional padding in the cold winter season. I even lowered the excessive amount of butter from the original recipe (you're welcome)!

1-2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked with a dash of chili powder (either microwave or cook in a separate pan)
1 Onion
1 green pepper (optional)
1 pint Half & Half (I hope to experiment with milk someday, I'll let you know how that turns out)
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
4 c. chicken broth (bullion granules + water works fine)
1 c. cheese (plus some for garnish)
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes (with or w/out chilis)
1 can corn, drained (or use frozen)
1-2 cans beans of your choice, drained and rinsed (we like black beans and kidney beans)
Taco Seasonings (packet or homemade - chili powder, cumin, paprika, mustard, Mrs. Dash)
Sriracha chili paste (for my slightly masochistic husband)

Saute onion and green pepper in butter. Add Half & Half. Slowly add in and WHISK flour. Add chicken broth, cheese, cooked chicken, tomatoes, and seasonings. Rinse beans in a collander and add. Add drained corn. Season with taco seasonings and Sriracha (optional) to make it as hot as you dare.

Serve with tortilla chips, a little more cheese, and a small dollop of sour cream to cool it down.

Smart shopping

I am the wife of an MD/PhD student who earns a small stipend and a stay-at-home-mother of two small children. According to the US government standards, we are considered to be below the poverty line but I think we live quite comfortably, eat very well, and the only current debt we have is our home mortgage. We shop quite frugally and manage to stretch our dollars quite far!

If it’s alright, I’d like to pass some of my frugal grocery shopping tips on to you. You can also learn more by just Googling for more frugal shopping and even frugal cooking tips. Lots of people write blogs and websites devoted to shopping on tight budgets. Heck! I’m still learning and I'd love to hear from others what sort of money-saving techniques you use when grocery shopping as well as favorite blogs on the subject!

Price per ounce – shop with a calculator to figure out which package of vegetables will give you the most for your money. Sometimes, beggars can’t be choosers and one must buy the store-brand if it’s the cheapest. Some store-brands are even better than the name-brand!

Shop for sales and keep track of prices with a small notebook in your purse so you can record what a good price is when you come across it. Look at the store ads, clip coupons. Stock up on things to keep in your pantry you know you use often rather than waiting till you run out. Peanut butter on sale? Stock up if you eat it often. Mayonnaise? Pickles? Cereal? We're also in the market for a chest freezer so we can stock up on awesome priced frozen vegetables and meat.

Buy some items in bulk – dried beans, brown rice, sugar, flour, oatmeal, etc. It’s intimidating but a big bag of brown rice is a smarter choice than little boxes of minute rice and stores well in five-gallon buckets in my food storage room. Brown rice is also healthier and fills you up more than white rice. And you don’t have to be a family of four or more just to buy in bulk. Even my husband did it when he was a bachelor!

Food storage – Yes, I’m LDS. I grew up learning about food storage. It’s not just about being prepared for a natural disaster or job loss but stocking up on things you eat when on sale to easily have on hand. I stock up on canned food, boxed cereal, etc. Anything that has a good shelf life and that we eat often, I’ll buy when I can. I’ve also learned from my mother’s mistake of buying red wheat that she never could really use. Don't buy in bulk what you just won't eat!

My laundry/food storage room

Make dinners from scratch – I must confess that Stouffers lasagna is quite tasty but it’s expensive and actually not all that healthy (too much cheese also gives my nursing infant painful gas, anyway). I can also make a bigger pan of healthier lasagna for less than those frozen meals cost. Left overs are also just fine in our house. My husband made a huge batch of chili this weekend in our stockpot. He doesn’t mind eating it for lunch almost every day this week. And no, he’s not that gassy because his body is used to eating beans and able to digest them. (Besides, if you know anything about my sense of humor, I think farts are funny!)

Gardening – I can’t talk about this one but someday, I’ll find my green thumbs and figure out how to cultivate a garden of fresh fruits and veggies and learn how to preserve them for the winter months.

The list can go on and perhaps I'll write again in the future about smart shopping but this is what I've come up with in just one morning while my daughter watches some Cailou.

Eggs Marshall

Sorry it's been a while. I've never been good at updating this ol' thing. And now there's a new addition to the family! We shall call him Bubs! We're all still adjusting and I'm slowly working my way back into the kitchen and away from the quick-fix box meals. (There's nothing bad with Hamburger Helper, just a little boring.) Today, I shall introduce you to Eggs Marshall (picture unavailable since the nursing mommy scarfed it up too fast, but here's another cool picture which is still somewhat relevant to today's post).

(Man, I wish I could get my hunnybun to wear a fedora!)

I got the simple recipe/seasoning tip from the show "How I Met Your Mother". Lily adds just a couple of squirts of Italian Dressing to scrambled eggs and bada-bing! you've got Eggs Marshall. Quite tasty! You can adjust the amount of dressing depending on the taste buds of the consuming connoisseur.

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

I had a plethora of eggs in my fridge this weekend. I also had a church activity coming up where I was to bring Angel Food Cake. I must admit that I've never really liked Angel Food Cake. Why? I think the store-bought version(s) taste and feel like stale Styrofoam. I've now changed my mind. I DO like Angel Food Cake! BUT only if it's homemade. Yeah, call me stuck-up and picky. Then, try this recipe and you'll side with me. (Recipe carefully selected from allrecipes.com and personally tested in my own kitchen.) And it really isn't that hard if you follow these recipe directions closely.

10-12 egg whites (1 & 1/2 c. egg whites)
1 & 1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar

Put mixing bowl and flat beater in fridge. Meanwhile, sift confectioner's sugar and flour together three times with a sifter (give those hands a nice workout). Set aside.

Separate eggs until you have 1 & 1/2 cups (this is where the amount of eggs varies and a clear glass measuring cup works best). Save yolks for scrambled eggs or custard. Throwing such delicacies away would be such a waste!

Pull out chilled mixing bowl and beater and add egg whites into the bowl. Add cream of tartar, vanila extract, and salt. Beat on high speed (8-10 works best on a Kitchenaid stand mixer) while gradually adding 1 cup regular sugar. Continue mixing on high until stiff peaks form and the batter doesn't fall off the beater when it is lifted up. You want it stiff but DON'T OVERDO IT or else the cake will turn out tough. This step takes about 7-9 minutes. Next, GENTLY fold sifted flour and sugar mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, into the stiff egg white mixture. DO NOT OVER-MIX! GENTLY spoon into UN-GREASED angel food cake pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove any air pockets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan onto a cooling rack and cool completely before attempting to remove the cake from the pan.

Serve with a lovely dollop of whipped topping and fresh strawberries. Goober has also grown out of her egg allergy and therefore may partake of this sweet delicacy. YAY!