Author: wyranchwife

Dawna’s Taco Salad

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You know sometimes when you are getting hungry, you yearn for something from home. Or maybe it is when you yearn for home you get a little hungry.  Either way memories and food seem to go hand in hand.

I’ve noticed for myself that when I am especially homesick for Tennessee that is when I crave my mom’s cooking the most. I want those smells to linger in my house. I want to taste the food and savor that memory of the last time I had this in my mom’s kitchen.  I bet we all have those certain recipes that just take us home. No matter where we are in the world, or where we are in life, we can smell that aroma or taste that food and we are back with in our childhood homes enjoying home.

Well that is what I believe this recipe is for my husband and his sisters.  For several years we would celebrate Thanksgiving down in gorgeous Craig, Colorado. Erica, my husband’s middle sister, lived in spectacular cabin placed on the hillside. Just being there over the holiday made you feel like you were in a movie. The crisp air, the cabin atmosphere, and the food. Oh my the food.

After Thanksgiving, my husband’s younger sister would whip up their mom’s taco salad. This recipe makes a ton. The girls would go shopping early in the morning and come home to this for lunch.  It will fill you up and hit the spot. Let me just say I have never settled for just one bowl. I always seem to over stuff my self again on Friday, rather than giving my gullet a break.

Today my husband asked me to make this recipe for our day tomorrow gathering cows on the mountain.  It is a long day and this salad will be a great meal.  (Although my son, who is the pickiest eater in the free world, will have none and a PBJ will be calling his name.) This was a meal from my understanding their mom would make up for large crowds and for cow work.

So Enjoy!

Dawna's Taco Salad

  • Servings: 10-12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 2 lbs of hamburger
  • 1 head of lettuce, chopped
  • 1 lrg onion, diced
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese
  • 1 lrg can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups mayo
  • 1 pkg taco seasoning
  • 1 family size back of Nacho Cheese Doritos

Cook the hamburger meat and drain. Add salt and pepper.  Remove from pan and allow to cool.  Mix together mayo and taco seasoning. Once the meat is cool add the mayo mixture and mix well.  Add the beans, lettuce, onion, cheese, to the meat mixture. Stir to combine.

Crush up the Doritos and add to the salad just before serving.

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This is my 2nd bowl. I was trying to downsize and only have a 1/2 cup of mix before I added my chips. That makes a second bowl better right?

Notes:  I have used pepper jack cheese and it was great. Also I don’t add the chips because it makes soggy leftovers. Instead I place the crushed chips in a large serving bowl and let guests add them to their bowls.  There is always leftovers and it keeps it crunchy. I like it better, it’s a texture thing for me I think.

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

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As I promised here is the recipe for this wonderful soup.  Trust me that hits home on a cold night. I made it in the morning for lunch. I was all alone and it was fantastic.  My husband and children really don’t care for this very much, so I was so happy to make it just for myself.  They are not real fans of gnocchi.

I left one container in the fridge,which I enjoyed for lunch today. The rest I put in containers and froze for another time. I am an avid freezer of everything. I hate for stuff to go to waste, so if I can freeze it I do.

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Print

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  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 4 cups half/half
  • 2 (14oz) cans of chicken broth
  • 1 cup carrots, finely diced or shredded
  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
  • 1 pkg gnocchi
  • 1 box frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp parsley

In a large pot, combine oil and butter. When melted add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent.  Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, then add the half/half.

In another pot cook gnocchi according to pkg directions.

 

Add carrots and chicken to the soup mixture.  Once the mixture thickens add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and turn to a simmer.

 

Once it thickens again add the gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings.  Simmer until heated thro

 

ughly. Before serving season to taste.

 

This is the basic recipe. I will tell you that I deviate from this every time.  I seldom cook the gnocchi in another pot. I know there is a good reason, but to me why dirty another pot, when I can throw it in with the soup and leT it cook there. So when I add the chicken and carrots, I also add the gnocchi.  I guess it is just one of my pet peeves. If it turns out okay, why mess with more dishes to clean later.

 

I also have used heavy cream instead of half and half and it turned out just fine. My reasoning was that it was in my fridge and I didn’t have that much milk to thin it out.  I guess it was just a much creamier and a much higher calorie count then the above recipe. Also it was oh, so good!

Enjoy!

A Hard Lesson

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Sometimes when I am at church a Bible verse just grabs me. I mean it just stirs and stirs in my brain and tugs at my soul.

I don’t know about you but there are times when verses seem to be written for the season I’m facing. As I come across them via Bible study, quiet reading, or during Sunday sermon, I am consumed by the words.

How can words written in black and white, and sometimes red, be so powerful? They can offer you understanding, strength to move forward, power to push away Satan, and love from the Heavenly Father that seems to radiate into your heart. They can also leave you to ponder the way your life is moving.

This past Sunday, which was yesterday, time has seemed to go so fast I’ve already forgotten it was Monday. Anyway, Pastor Steve discussed anger and emotions from forgiveness. My oh my how hard is that subject.

We all know people who have moved in our lives and then possibly moved out due to our kicking them into next week. How in the world can anyone expect to be forgiven after what they have done to us. I mean, I know a few who have a whole lot of nerve to even begin to seek my forgiveness. Not that they would ask of course, but even for me to consider giving that to them makes my head spin.

I have some of these in my life. I’m telling you God better move that mountain if he is asking me to forgive them. I am living proof that just making it to the next day at times is painful enough, but to ask me to forgive. Oh my, oh my. How can I possibly do that after what they did. How can I ask that of myself. I have the right to be mad, hurt, angry, and downright bitter for how it turned my life.

But He does. He does. How often when we let that anger, pain, and hurt linger on our souls and our hearts do we notice how it hurts the ones around us. We snap at our kids, because we are angry. But that person we want to aim that anger at is not there. We lay in bed depressed by the hand that was dealt our way, instead of greeting our loved ones in the morning with smiles and love. But that person we want to see all the pain they have caused is not there.

The person who we want bad things to happen to, the person who we hold anger and malice toward is never around. We aren’t hurting them. They are not affected by our emotions, but our loved ones are. Our loved ones are taking the brunt of our lack of forgiveness.

Ephesians 4: 31-32

“Let all bitterness, wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. 32 and be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.”

Wow! Wow! This hit home yesterday. It’s not enough to forgive, but we must not speak ill, we must not wish hurt and disappointment on them, and we must not be angry any longer. We are forgiven and therefore we must extend this to even the worst of enemies.

I have said I forgive to God. I have prayed about my forgiving. I have even sent an email to the person telling them I forgive them. But you know in my heart I had not. I was still speaking ill in my mind, soul, and heart. I was still wishing their life was as destroyed as mine. I was hoping they had it worse. And how did this help me? How is it helping me?

This needs, no it must stop so that I can let go and move forward, so that I can heal. So that my life is not wasted in bitterness and anger.

In Matthew 18: 21-22 when Peter asked how often should he forgive his brother who sins against him Jesus replied.

22 “Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven.”

This halted my heart. I have been deceiving myself to believe I forgave, so having emotions that are malicious toward that person was okay. Guess what no, that is not what he wants.

We must forgive seventy times seven. We must wish good things for them. We must have happy emotions for them. We must be strong in kind hearted thinking so that it is on the inside as well as the outside.

Does this mean we must be friends, acquaintances or pals. Ohhhh Noooo. We can separate from those that bring evil  and pain into our lives, but we can be kindhearted toward them and pray for them.

I have learned that forgiving is only partially what it takes to resolve hard situations. We must also give all the goodness he gives us and put it toward those whom have wronged us. We must place FAITH in God that life will move toward him and forgiving is part of moving forward.

Pray tonight that complete forgiveness can be done. Let go of those emotions that are keeping you tied to that person forever. Don’t let them occupy your heart, instead fill it with love and kindness. I know I am going to and every time they return, I am going to demand that they subside and open to God.