It's Taco Tuesday! Making Your Own Taco Seasoning Is A Cinch!

What you need:
2t chili powder
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t onion powder
1/8t cayenne pepper
1/4t dried oregano
1/2t paprika
1/2t cornstarch
1/2t granulated sugar
1t ground cumin
1t salt (I use garlic salt)
1/2t ground black pepper

What you do:
Mix well and add to one pound browned ground beef (or turkey)along with 1/2 to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Yum! Or you can triple the recipe, store in an airtight container and use when needed.

I save my spice containers, wash them well and reuse.

If you prefer more spice, increase the cayenne pepper to 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.

Ham Spaghetti Pasta Salad~A Great Recipe For Leftover Spaghetti Noodles...

This is a great way to use up leftover spaghetti noodles and other items in your fridge.

What you need:
8oz. cooked spaghetti, cold
7T butter
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2C chopped onion
8oz. broccoli, chopped-use frozen or fresh
1 6oz. can drained black olives, sliced
11/2-2C cooked chopped ham
1 can UNDRAINED artichoke hearts

What you do:
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add garlic, onion, broccoli, olives and ham. Sautee until onions are translucent. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with spaghetti and undrained artichoke hearts. Chill. Makes about 6 servings.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

I'm on the fence about this one-not because it doesn't work well or smell nice. It's simply because I'm lazy.

What you need:
One-gallon container with a tight fitting lid
Twenty Mule-Team Borax
Super washing soda or soda ash (sodium carbonate)-I could find neither, so I bought Spa pH increaser (98% sodium carbonate, 2% other.) Nobody has experienced any skin irritation, warts, an extra eye or second head.
BLUE Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. It must be blue and it's better if it's the original formula.
3/4 cup measuring device

What you do:
Measure 3/4 cup borax and 3/4 cup sodium carbonate and pour into one-gallon bottle. Add 2-3 cups hot tap water. Apply the lid and shake vigorously. Shake until everything is dissolved and it looks milky.

Fill the one-gallon container with water until it's about two inches from the very top of the container. Slowly pour in 3/4 cup Blue Dawn. If you pour quickly, it will bubble up and make a mess.

If there's room, fill the container to the top with water. Apply lid and just kind of roll the container around until everything is mixed. If you shake it too much, it gets all bubbly. You will add 1/4 cup of this to your laundry load. That's it.

This is low sudsing for HE washers and also works well for washers that are not fancy-smancy, like mine. If you see the ingredients in your homemade detergent separating, simply roll it around gently to mix it up again.

Move Over Spaghetti O's!

If you have a little one that loves Spaghetti O's, this is the recipe for you! This is even better than Spaghetti O's. My son can't stand them, but loves this recipe!

What you need:
7oz. elbow macaroni-sometimes I use two cheese packets in one Kraft Mac n Cheese, then I have a box of elbow mac left over. Or just use one of those little bags you can pick up for .59 cents
1 8oz. block sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1 can tomato soup
1/4 can water

What you do:
Cook macaroni and drain. Spread in large 11x8 casserole pan. Top with cheese cubes and pour soup and water over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes about 5-6 one cup servings.

The Perfct Meatloaf Recipe....

has yet to be discovered by me. I tried one the other night that isn't bad, but I'm still tweaking it. So, here I give you: Mini Meatloaf Pies. These are delicious!

What you need:
1lb. ground beef
1 package stuffing
1c water
3/4c spaghetti sauce
3/4c grated cheese of your choice
1t Italian seasoning

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix meat, stuffing, water and seasoning. Press into greased or sprayed (12 cup) muffin tin. Make an indentation in the center of the meat mixture and add about 1 teaspoon of sauce in each one. Cook for 30 minutes. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Warning: these will be eaten quickly because they're so damn good!

Homemade Dumplin's

These dumplin's are delish! Pop them on top of boiling soup or stew for a hearty, homey meal. Please note: using actual butter makes all the difference, but you can substitute margarine if you must.
 
What you need:
1c flour
2t baking powder
1/2t garlic salt
2T butter
1/2c milk
1/2t granulated sugar
 
What you do:
 
In large mixing bowl, stir flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add butter and mix until a crumbly dough forms. Add milk and "just" mix. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto boiling soup or stew, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Makes about 10-15 dumplin's.

I Made This For Dinner Tonight-Marinated Pork Chops

These came out great! Found three 1" thick pork chops at a local grocery store for $2. Here's the marinade:
3 1" pork chops
4t teriyaki sauce
1t brown sugar
1t corn syrup (I didn't have molasses)

Mix together and marinate at least an hour. I'm lazy and let those suckers sit for two days. Then I fried them for 10 minutes on each side in some oil. Healthy? Hecks no! If you want healthy, use cooking spray. These were moist and delicious and here I usually overcook my pork chops.