Smoked Chorizo Bean Soup
Swear to the gods, cooking beans never turns out the same. Soak them 24 hours and put them in the pan and half of them are still hard hours into it. This is why every woman/man wants to crockpot cook their beans. I am just not a huge crockpot person. It takes the talent out of cooking or at least I kind of feel that way about it. My picture of smoked chorizo bean soup looks so red from the chorizo.
Today, I want to tell you how I cook beans and make sure that they do not turn out hard. The no fail method is soak them for 36 hours not 24 hours. Drain them a few times and replace the water. Give them plenty of room to grow in the water by putting them in a larger bowl with a lid. After soaking, cook them for four hours and then let cool. Store them over night and cook for four hours again the next day. This allows for the oils and flavor to settle and you will have some of the best beans you’ve ever tasted. Adding a tad of liquid smoke really kicks in the flavor of the beans along with the bacon adding additional smoke flavor.
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large bowl, soak beans for 36 hour replacing the water two to three times.
In a large pot, add in onion, garlic, bacon, and jalapenos. Saute until onions are half way translucent. Add in chorizo and saute for about three minutes. Add in beans and broth; cover with water to 3/4 of the pot. Add liquid smoke and Worchester sauce along with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for four hours. Let cool and refrigerate over night. Cook again four hours on low before you plan to serve.
Serve with corn bread and top with cilantro or parsley.
http://mooshujenne.com/smoked-chorizo-bean-soup/Frito Pie & Chili Con Carne
After months of searching and preparing to make a decent Chili Con Carne (sauce/chili) I finally decided to give it a shot. I wanted the taste to be similar to what Taco Cabana uses on their enchiladas and what Sonic uses on their frito pie. Well folks, I have to admit my family said it tastes just like Sonic’s frito pie which is a plus; however, they never eat the enchiladas at Taco Cabana so that was up to my taste buds and it is pretty close.
On another note, who’s planning on seeing Ice Age this weekend? My daughter and I are thinking of going Friday morning. I love Diego! Who’s your favorite character? My daughter says I’m five. Oh well! She’s twelve and still wants to see it, so I will be five and take her 
If you like it with more heat then just add more cayenne and chili powder; just reverse it for less heat.
Ingredients
Instructions
In a medium stockpot (8qt), add in ground beef and onion. Bring to a medium heat and fry for about 8 minutes. Add in the cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add one cup of tomato sauce and one cup of beef broth; stir well. Lower heat to a medium-low heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until you reach the thickness you prefer. Serve over frito pie, hot dogs, or enchiladas.
Line a basket with paper or use a dish. Add a hand full of fritos and top with cheese. Ladle the chili con carne over the top and serve.
http://mooshujenne.com/frito-pie-chili-con-carne/Grilled Southern Stuffed Peppers
Three day weekend and three more days until school is out for Summer. At this point it’s all about grilling food for quick dinners! Here is an uber easy quick dinner. Tip: Leave the peppers a little bit crisp for more flavor.
Do you have a Memorial weekend project? I do! I hope to achieve it this weekend, or well maybe even next Thursday, is painting my kitchen wall with chalkboard paint. The wall sits behind the kitchen table. It should be perfect for displaying the weekly menu and chores. It can even be a cool background display in birthday party pictures. No more banners, just chalk up the wall with a creative “Happy Birthday” and let all the guests sign the wall. Yes, I am currently still a 5 year old inside but who doesn’t love some chalk!
Now, if I could just find a creative way to store my cookbooks. Any ideas? If you have an idea please comment below and leave me links if you have pictures.
Ingredients
Instructions
Heat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken tenders until cooked.
Slice bell peppers in halves and remove seeds and ribbing. In a large bowl, add in chopped grilled chicken, refried beans, drained sweet corn, two tablespoons of taco seasoning and salt. Stir mixture and fill bell peppers with mixture.
Place bell peppers on the grill on a medium-low heat. Grill for about 8 minutes until semi-soft. Add pepper jack cheese to tops of the peppers and cook until cheese is melted. Remove from grill and serve.
http://mooshujenne.com/grilled-southern-stuffed-peppers/Pick Your Heat Salsa
Salsa is just not something that stays very long in my house. It seems that a jar of good salsa at $5 a jar is just not worth the cost when you can make triple that amount with this simple recipe. Of course the guys (Chance & V) in the house were not sure if this salsa would be as good as the jarred variations. Of course I told them it won’t be as good, it will be even better because the salsa is fresh, all except the canned tomatoes of which you can eliminate, and just use fresh tomatoes in the place of them. However, I love the taste of the fire roasted tomatoes the best. So, if you are going to use some fresh tomatoes do not forget to throw them on the grill or roast them in the oven.
As far as picking your heat! If you want a spicy burn use more jalapenos. If you want a soft heat add more serranos. When I make this for people who can’t handle the heat I use one jalapeno and two serranos. If you want a bunch of heat then leave your seeds in the jalapenos. Now off to make some yummy cold desserts to beat this 100 degree month of heat in Texas!
Ingredients
Instructions
In a food processor drop in your garlic, cilantro, and peppers. Pulse till garlic is minced and cilantro is fine. Add your onion and pulse. Squeeze the juice of the lime and add in the two cans of fire roasted tomatoes. Pulse for a few second and then add in the large can of tomato sauce. Salt and pepper and pulse till well mixed. If you would like this to stay longer then a week just add a half of a cup of vinegar to your salsa. Vinegar will act as your preservative. Store in large container in fridge.
http://mooshujenne.com/pick-your-heat-salsa/Mini Taco Salad
With the heat wave stretching across all of the states and from what I hear from my friend Jen, even Canada is warmer then usual; I thought it would be great to post a simple stove top recipe. Slaving over the stove after being in the Summer heat is just not my forte! So, I brought back a recipe we used to make when the kids were little. However, I used to make it with baked tortillas over foil balls in the oven. This time I wanted to actually fry the tortillas, since my frying skills are better, and to make mini taco salads. Perfect for small dinners in the hot Summer heat or a super fun appetizer for a house party!
Ingredients
Instructions
In a stir fry pan or deep frying pan put in a tablespoon of olive oil, chopped garlic, half of the chopped onion, and ground beef. Brown the meat till you see no pink. Add in taco seasoning, this should dry up some of your grease. You do not want to dry up all the grease as it will make the tacos dry.
Preheat oven to 180F. In a second large pot fill about half way with vegetable oil and heat to about 350F. Using a large spoon or ladle, put your tortilla underneath and press down into hot oil. The tortilla will then curl around the spoon forming a small taco salad bowl. You can also use tongs to pull up the sides. Having someone else help is key in preventing either of you getting burned by hot oil. After you pull the bowls out of the hot oil just put them upside down on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. You can have the baking sheet in the oven to keep shells warm. As soon as your done be sure to turn off oven or the towels will burn!
Once your shells and meat are done just add the ingredients to the bowls that you would like. Sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, and salsa are great options.
http://mooshujenne.com/mini-taco-salad/Taco Soup
My brother and a friend of mine both had mentioned different versions of this soup. After hearing my brothers recipe and looking at many online I decided it was time to try to make this my way. Of course I used a few of my brothers ideas. Chili beans is a definite must in this soup. The other big battle was ground beef or chicken. I have to say hands down chicken, my style, makes the soup! So, don’t forget leave me a comment especially if you have your own version.
Ingredients
Instructions
In stir fry pan or sauce pan add in chicken, three tablespoons taco seasoning, and 2 cups beef broth. Add water till chicken is covered and boil on medium high till chicken is tender.
In a large pot put in onion, olive oil, and garlic on medium high heat. Saute till onions are tender. Add in your chili beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and can of rotel. Add in all the rest of the beef broth. Add water to cover. Then add in taco seasoning per your desired amount. I usually just shake in enough to cover top layer of water and then stir it in. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer.
Once chicken is finished, take your chicken and shred it. To shred just pull the chicken apart with a fork. Take shredded chicken and add it to the soup. Stir the chicken into the soup. Cut your avocado to long slices to garnish soup. Grate cheese for garnish also. If you like sour cream add a tablespoon full to the top of your soup.
http://mooshujenne.com/taco-soup/Shredded Beef Burritos
We have a local restaurant named Fuzzy’s Taco Shop. I just had to try it out when I first heard about it since I have a Godfather and a Great Uncle we call Fuzzy and Fuzzy Jr. This little place was rumored to have shredded beef burritos and to my surprise they did! I grew up on shredded beef burritos in LA and San Diego. Unfortunately once I moved to Texas all they had was the infamous “Tex-Mex” food of which I am not so fond of. So I was really glad to have a place that served “Cali-Mex” as we call it. After eating there a few times with the kids and my other half they fell in love the burritos as much as I did; I knew I just had to come up with a recipe at home. So I scoured the internet till I found a “old clothe” recipe and video which started the process. With a little effort and a decent amount of cooking time I can now make my own shredded beef burritos at home and for half the cost.
Ingredients
Instructions
In large sauce pot add in beef, onion, garlic and bay leaves. Fill with water to cover meat then add in beef broth. Bring to a boil and the simmer at a low boil on medium heat for about an hour to an hour and half. Once meat pulls free from center then it is ready. Pull out beef and shred meat with fork. Do not cut with knife. If you have to cut with a knife then the meat is not ready. After your meat is shredded put back in the broth. This is just for added flavor. Serve on tortillas with toppings of your choice.
http://mooshujenne.com/shredded-beef-burritos/
