Mommy Rocks - Kitchen Diva Part 1

Yesterday, as I slaved away in my kitchen making this CAKE and this LASAGNA for dinner. I realized, there amongst the dirty dishes and splattered counter tops, that I really enjoy cooking and baking! I get an overwhelming sense of “wonderful” Wife and Mother when I cook!

Every time I out-do myself in the kitchen I am always reminded by HUBS that I once confessed (when we were first dating) that I did not know how to cook, Hahahhahahaha! Not sure where I was going with that one, but I think I wanted to make it perfectly clear to him that I was not the type of woman who was going to spend my days in the kitchen cooking for him – No Way, No How!!!!

I knew how to cook some things; like rice, an egg sandwich, maybe some chicken breasts, but I really had no clue when it came to the kitchen and since I was single in the city (and the beach), cooking was the last thing on my agenda. HELLO, who did I need to cook for MYSELF, nope. I had take-out on speed dial and Grandma minutes away. I was golden!

My cooking came into it’s own when HUBS and I moved in with one another. Not sure why, but I possessed a strong need to make HUBS grand meals and I soon found myself enjoying the art of cooking. It’s a lot of fun and it’s real exciting to try something new that makes your family cheerfully ask for a second helping.

MY Taco Salad Recipe – This is the first thing I ever made for HUBS. Sorry there are no visuals but I have not made this in awhile.

Ingredients

Meat Mixture
1 lb of Ground Beef
1 Taco Seasoning Packet (any brand – they all taste the same)

Salad
½ Head of Ice berg lettuce
½ Head of Romaine lettuce
4 Roma Tomatoes
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Cucumber
2 Grated Carrots
1 Can Whole Black Beans (not refried)

You can add any other salad favorite but I like mine pretty basic and colorful

Pico De Gallo Salsa
1 small White Onion (diced)
1 to 2 Jalapeno Chile Peppers (cute/remove membranes if you do not like things scorching hot)
¼ c. Cilantro
4 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
½ Lime

Salad Toppings
1 Bag of Tortilla Chips (I like to get the ones that closely resemble homemade tortilla chips but any will do)
2 Avocados, Sliced
Low-Fat Sour Creme
Mexi-Chesse

First Things First
Cook ground beef according to package directions or until browned. I sometimes add a little pepper/season salt to my meat. Once done, drain excess fat but leave a little for flavor.

Add Taco seasoning according to package directions. Stir and let simmer for a couple minutes.

Make salad: Cut and Dice Up Salad as you desire.

You can heat up your black beans or add them cold to your salad. If you had them cold to the salad, rinse and drain off the gooey excess stuff – You just want the beans, no juice.

Salsa: Dice up ingredients, mix and squeeze a half-a-lemon’s juice. Mix Again. You can also buy a salsa of your choice. One of my favorite salsa’s is Pace Picante Salsa. If you take a cup of plain old ranch dressing and 2 table spoons of Pace Salsa, mix together for an easy salsa topper.

Taco Salad Assembly
There really is not a right or wrong way to assemble your taco salad but some people (like me) require structure/guidance and so this is how I do it.

1. Place a handful of chips in bowel - I crunch the chips a little so the are not so big.
2. Get a spoonful of meat and put on chips. (If you decide to warm beans, place warm beans on meat)
3. Sprinkle a little cheese
4. Get a large helping of salad mixture
5. Add some salsa, sour creme and some sliced avocado
6. If you love cheese, like me, sprinkle a little more.

Now sit down with a tasty beverage and enjoy this salad.