Taco Soup (Guest Post)

Some of you may know that I am doing this blog for a class, and also because I am enjoying the whole process of the blog; but one ofthe requirement for the class is that I have a Guest Post and I chose another Foodie, my professor Cyndi Allison. Below is Cyndi's Guest Post...

Taco Soup

I was pleased when Raven asked me to guest post on her Meals $25 or Less. She’s always been one of my favorite students, and I’m excited that she shares my passion for cooking and is also blogging up great food for everyone. The budget slant on Raven’s food blog is a plus and not just for college students. With the economy now, I think we can all appreciate a good home cooked meals that don’t bust the budget.

What to Cook on a $25 Budget?

Being southern and a single Mom, I can stretch a dollar and that includes meals (although we aren’t skimping on taste). Thinking of college students, I wanted something simple to make that also would pop with flavor. The first meal that came to mind was Taco Soup, and even after more thought, that recipe kept coming back to my mind.

Story of Taco Soup

It seems rather fitting that Taco Soup would be the recipe I’d share, because I first got the recipe fifteen years ago when teaching public speaking at the community college.  One of my delightful returning students showed us how to make Taco Soup for her demonstration speech. She got an “A” of course, and I am still making this yummy, low cost meal all these years later.

Ingredients to Make Taco Soup:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 can of petite diced tomatoes (29 ounces)   

2 cans kidney beans (14 ounces each)

1 can hominy (14 ounces each) – can also use canned corn drained well

1 pack dry taco seasoning mix

1 pack dry Ranch dressing mix (do not mix up as dressing – just use the powdered mix)

Shredded cheese (8 ounce bag shredded or a block home shredded which costs less)

1 bag nacho chips (tortilla chips)

How to Make Taco Soup

1. You’ll need to cook the meat and drain off the extra fat.

2. Then, you just put everything in a stove cooking pot or a crock pot.

3. The Taco Soup is ready as soon as it heated through, but it smells great while simmering and gives the flavors time to meld. I like to put the Taco Soup in the crock pot in the morning on low with it ready for dinner.  In a hurry, I do it on the stove top after work.

4. Just serve the Taco Soup in bowls like chili and put cheese and nacho chips on top for decoration and flavor.

Budget Tip

This recipe is hard to mess up. If you have a bigger group or more people than expected, you can add more beans or hominy without a lot of extra cost. You can also change up the beans watching sales. Pintos and black beans (drained) work well in the recipe too.  I like to do a combination with 2 cans of kidney beans and one can of black beans for more flavor and color (all cans around 14 ounces or a total in that range of weight).

Everyone Loves Taco Soup

The name sounds kind of strange, but Taco Soup is like a mild but flavorful chili with that Tex-Mex feel.  I make this recipe for my family often and have made it for school classes and for church dinners. I’m often asked for the recipe, and it’s nice to have one that is so easy and virtually impossible to bomb to give out.

Cyndi Allison Bio

I’ve been Raven’s college professor and mentor for four years now at Catawba College, and she is in my blogging class – Online Publication. Someone is going to be lucky to get Raven as an employee when she graduates this year. She is top notch.

I teach a range of classes, but I especially love teaching writing classes and advising for the college newspaper (where Raven is the Graphics Editor). I’m also a blogger (which certainly helps when teaching a blogging class), and my most popular blog is also on cooking (but outdoors). Barbecue Master is my grilling space where I share outdoor cooking recipes, tips, and product reviews in the area of barbecue.



Sausage and Egg Casserole

I have a roommate who loves having breakfast for dinner anytime she can get it. So today I decided to do just that for her. I wanted to make a meal that was non-traditional breakfast meal, not knowing many recipes for those types of meals I looked on Pinterest. I found this recipe for Sausage and Egg Casserole on Casserole Recipe.

In addition to the casserole I wanted to try and make one of the dishes I have a hard time making. This is going to shock some because it so simple to make but I have the hardest time making GRITS. Yes, I know it weird but for me getting them right is so hard, so I am attempting them today. These are the ingredients for the casserole and grits:

8 slices white bread, cut in cubes

1 pound bulk pork sausage, crumbled and cooked

1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

10 large eggs

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons dry mustard

Salt

 Pepper

¾ cups of Grits

3 cups of Water

Butter

Along with these items from home:

Glass Pan

Bowl

Spatula

Measuring Spoons

Knife

Cutting Board

Whisk

Pot

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Then I began the casserole by cooking the sausage, then draining the grease off of it.

Set the sausage aside.

Cut the bread into cubes and place in the glass pan.

Then layer the sausage and cheese in the glass pan.

In a bowl mix the eggs, dry mustard, milk, salt and pepper. Then pour over the bread, sausage and cheese.

Place the pan in the oven for 50 minutes or until eggs are cooked.

The casserole will be golden brown when done.

For the grits (which I succeeded in make) should only take about 10 minutes.

First add Grits and salt to boiling water.

Reduce heat and cover for 5 minutes or until the grits reach the right thickness.

Perfectly made Grits.

To round out the meal I added some canned fruit.

Serve.

Enjoy!

The total cost:

Again I brought items for 2 meals at Walmart, so the total cost for this meal was: $16.09

Something a Little Different

In my life I do not always have time to fix a meal because I am busy with school, work, or a million of things; so instead I try to find restaurants that can feed at least five people and still be under $25. As I am still in college these places are normally like Taco Bell, where you can order 12 tacos for about $10 and still have money for dessert.  Or even Bojangles where you can get a Tailgate Special for less than $20.

Or maybe you get invited to a get together or a party, like I did this weekend. On Saturday I did something a little different, instead of cooking myself the cooking it was done for me, because I was invited to a Baby Shower. We enjoyed many different foods ranging from meatballs to a cake in the shape of a cupcake. 

All the food what made by my friend, Arsherres’s Mother and Aunt. The food was all great and it felt good not to have to cook for once, instead I helped with the set up and had a good time.

To round out the day we enjoyed a lovely cake made by a Fancy Pastry Shop in Lexington, NC.

So you do not always have to cook a meal for it to be under $25 and good. Just look for a good deal at a restaurant or good friends.

Cookie Pudding

For those you who do not like Banana Pudding there is something that is like it but better…Cookie Pudding. This also one dessert you will not need an oven for. The ingredients you will need are:

-4 Cups Milk

-2 Boxes Vanilla Wafers

-1 Package of Cream Cheese (Softened)

-1 Container Whipped Cream

-2 Boxes Instant Vanilla Pudding

-1 Tsp of Vanilla Exact

Along with these items from home:

-Large Bowl

-Spoon

-Whisk

-Mixer

-Rubber Spatula

-Glass Pan or Large Bowl with Lid

First start off by following the directions on the Pudding box, which is to add 2 cups of milk for each box in a bowl and whisk until it is thick but still runny.

Add the softened Cream cheese and Vanilla Exact and using the Mixer, mix the all the ingredients until the Cream cheese is in small pieces.

With the Rubber Spatula scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in, and then add in the Whipping Cream again using the Mixer to mix everything together.

Again with the Rubber Spatula scrape the sides of the bowl to mix everything together.

In the Glass pan, add a layer of the Wafers. Then add a layer of the Pudding mixture.

Repeat the previous step until you reach the top. Then decorate the top with the leftover Wafers.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight, until the cookies are soft and the pudding has set.

Serve.

 Enjoy!

For this dessert, I brought everything from Food Lion and only paid $10.44.

Rice Krispy Treats Remixed & No Bake Cookies

Being a busy student, getting a meal cooked in the middle of the week will be hard, so I have decided to make Wednesdays, “Deserts Wednesdays.” Every Wednesday I chose one to two of my favorite or new deserts and try something new with it. This Wednesday I decided to make something I call “Rice Krispy Treats Remixed” and No Bake Cookies. For these deserts the ingredients you will need are:

Rice Krispy Treats Remixed

- 1 Box of Chex cereal

- 1 Stick of Butter

- 1 Bag of Marshmallow

- 1 ½ cup of Chocolate Chip (Whatever kind you like)

                                                                                                                                            

No Bake Cookies

- 3 cups of Oatmeal

- 2 cups of Sugar

- ½ cup of Milk

- 1 Stick of Butter

- 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

- ½ cup of Peanut Butter

- 2-4 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder

Along with these items from home:

- Pot

- Wooden Spoon

-Spoons

-Measuring Cup

-Measuring Spoons

- Glass Pan

- Wax Paper

- Knife

Beginning with the Rice Krispy Treats Remixed, take the pot and heat the stick of butter until it is almost melt then add the marshmallow. Stir until all the marshmallows are all melt down.

Remove from heat and add in the Chex cereal. Mix in the cereal well. At the very last minute add in the Chocolate chips.

After everything is mixed well, pour into the Glass Pan.

You can top the Treats with more Chocolate Chips and then let it stand for about an hour.

Now for the No Bake Cookies, begin with heat in a pot the stick of butter, milk, and sugar until it comes to a boil for 2 minutes.

Add in the Peanut Butter, keep on heat until it is melted and then add in the Vanilla Extract. Remove from heat and add in the Oatmeal and Cocoa Powder.

Stir until all the Cocoa is mixed in. 

Once mixed pour quickly onto Wax paper and let stand for about an hour. 

Once the cookies have hardened, cut them with a knife.

Serve.

Enjoy!

Remembering back to my previous post I brought the ingredients for that meal and this one at the same time from Walmart  but the real amount for these ingredients (Hot Oatmeal, GV H4Y Corn (cereal), GV 100Z Mini (marshmallows), NTH PNT MLK (Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chips) and Milk) is… $11.13.

Baked Spaghetti, Salad, and Garlic Bread

This meal may seem simple, but to me it’s a memory that I hold near and dear to my heart. Baked Spaghetti was one of the last meals my aunt made for the family before she passed away. I remember it being the best spaghetti I have ever had. Mine will not be near as good as hers but I will try my best.

For this meal the ingredients you will need are:

Hamburger meat

Spaghetti sauce

Spaghetti noodles

Garlic Bread

Shredded Cheese

Pepperoni

Salad (Optional)

 Along with these items from home:

Oil

Salt

Pot

Spoons and Spatula

Pan

Glass Pan

Strainer

To begin with adding water, salt and oil in a pot to boil for the noodles and in a pan place the hamburger meat to brown it.

Once the meat is browned, strain the grease off. 

Set aside the hamburger meat.

Once the water for the noodles begins to boil, add the noodles to the water. When the noodles are cooked, strain the water off and set aside.

Put the hamburger meat in the pot and add the Spaghetti sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. After the sauce has simmered add the noodles to the pot.

Let the Spaghetti simmer for about 10 minutes and then you can start layering the Spaghetti in the Glass pan. Preheat the oven at 300°.

Beginning layering with the Spaghetti at the bottom if the pan.

Next add a layer of Pepperonis and Cheese.

Repeat each layer again, ending with Cheese on top.

Place in the oven for about 15 minutes or until Cheese is melted.

Set aside to cool and place the Garlic Bread in the oven under the Broiler for about 5 minutes.

Once the bread is done, cut up into pieces.

When the bread is done you can serve the meal adding a salad to round out the meal.

 Enjoy!

This receipt may say I went over $25 worth of food from Walmart but I didn’t, because there are a few things I brought for my next post. So get the total for this meal you have to subtract the Hot Oatmeal, GV H4Y Corn (cereal), GV 100Z Mini (marshmallows), NTH PNT MLK (Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chips) and Milk, bring the actually total to….$18.64

Anniversary Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes and Salad

On Sunday, I decided I would cook a meal that my family enjoyed when I cooked it at home.  It is also pretty simple to make when you’re having a busy day. These are all the ingredients you will need:

-4 Baked Potatoes

-Chicken Tender or Breast

-Teriyaki Sauce

- Ranch Dressing

-Mozzarella Cheese or whatever cheese you want
- Real Bacon Bits

-Honey Mustard Dressing

-Salad (Optional)

 Along with these items from home:

-Oil
- Salt

-Tinfoil

-Two pans

 -Bowl

-Spoons and Spatula

I started with the Twice Baked Potatoes because they would take the longest. For five people, using four potatoes is enough. To prepare, set your oven to 350°. Begin by washing the potatoes (because you will want to eat the outside of the potato, wash them with a little soap).

Once the potatoes are washed, you will need tinfoil to wrap the potatoes with after rubbing each potato with oil and then sprinkling with salt. Once wrapped, poke holes in each potato, so the heat can be released. Put the potatoes in the oven on the racks at 350° for about an hour and 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Once the potatoes are cooked set them aside to cool. Lower the temperature of the oven to 250°.

Now that the potatoes are cooked you can began on the chicken. 

To begin, run water over the chicken to clean it. REMEMBER when working with chicken to WASH YOUR HANDS.

I used Chicken Tender with this recipe but you can use any type of chicken you want or have at the time.

 Heat a skillet to medium heat with a little oil in the bottom. Add about four of the tenders at a time and cook both sides thoroughly.

Once all the chicken is cooked, line a pan with tinfoil and place the cooked chicken on the pan side by side. 

Pour over the chicken first the Teriyaki Sauce and then the Ranch Dressing. Run a spoon over the chicken to make sure that all the chicken is cover with the sauce and dressing.  You can top the chicken with about anything once this is done; I decided to use Mozzarella Cheese and Real Bacon Bits.

Put the pan in the over at 250° for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

When the chicken is in the oven, continue with the potatoes.

Now that the potatoes are cooled, split each in half and using a spoon, spoon out the inside of each potato, leaving just the potato skins. 

Put the insides of the potatoes in a bowl.  Mix with Ranch Dressing, Honey Mustard Dressing and more Mozzarella Cheese and Bacon Bits.

Put the mixture back into the potatoes skins and top with more cheese.

Take the chicken out of the oven once all the cheese is melted and place the potatoes in the oven at the same temperature for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.

This is how the potatoes and the chicken will look. 

After this you can plate up the meal, adding a salad, ending with a perfect Sunday dinner that was less than $25.

Total for everything I brought from Food Lion :