I heart you Christy!
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to keep up with the goings on when it comes to the ‘New Adventures of Christy Jordan’ (that’s what I’m calling it), then you may not have heard about Christy’s run-in with a certain horse. You can get all the updates HERE. Let’s just say, the horse isn’t the one scooting around in a wheelchair with two broken legs. Christy, as she always does, has the best attitude and outlook towards it all. God love her! But we’re keeping her close in our hearts and prayers for a swift recovery and healing.
So, let me introduce myself to the Southern Plate family. My name is Brandie and I am the author over at a food blog called The Country Cook. I share easy and family-friendly recipes. I like to say my food is home cookin’ for the busy cook! I was just tickled pink when Christy asked me if I wouldn’t mind sharing a favorite recipe of mine with Southern Plate readers while she is recuperating and eager to get back in the, uh, saddle. I mean, um, kitchen. Probably shouldn’t make any saddle references right now…
I have been a fan and follower of Christy’s for a few years now so I am a Southern Plate reader and fan myself! Christy’s words of advice and her easy recipes were such a comfort to me when my husband and I were working opposite shifts. For a number of years, it was like my husband and I were two ships in the night. He would walk in the door from work, we would high five each other, and I would step out the door to go to work. We did this for a while (up until last year). So dinners were often not as family-friendly as I would have liked. I would make supper for me and our son to eat before I had to get on to work and then my hubby would come in and eat later once I tagged out. I’m sure many of y’all can relate to this kind of hustle and bustle of family life. We do what we gotta do to take care of and provide for our families, right?
It wasn’t ideal but we always made time to be together as a family. Even if it wasn’t at the supper table every night as I would have liked. Sometimes it was at the breakfast table, sometimes it was just a moment with all of us in the car, or a rare Sunday when we were all off together. But we knew it was important to squeeze in those precious moments, to just enjoy being together, as a family. Even if those moments were small in time.
It was much like that when I was a kid. My Dad was in the Navy and he was deployed a lot. My Mom worked as a school custodian so she worked well into the evening. So, we didn’t always have those ideal family dinners either where everyone could sit at the table and where everyone happily chatted about their day. To me, that kind of stuff only happened on television. That was not my world, that was for sure. My parents were working to support us and we had a deep appreciation for their sacrifices (even if we grumbled about it sometimes). It wasn’t always easy for everyone. We all had to pull our own weight around the house. But my folks always made time for us, even if it wasn’t over the supper table. And it’s those moments that I remember. And I was made to feel special, even if I didn’t get to talk about my day at the dinner table, but rather while I hung out in my Mom and Dad’s room while my Mom got ready for bed after a long day at work. But the important thing was, they always made time for us to make us feel special. Even if they didn’t always have a lot of time to give. And that is something I have carried over into my own parenting. I sure didn’t like working an opposite schedule from my husband but I was thankful I was working (even if I did grumble about it sometimes).
So, this meal I’m sharing today is one that reminds me so much of my childhood. When my brother and I were old enough, my Mom taught us some easy meals so that we could cook hot meals for ourselves. Things like spaghetti and tacos and even meatloaf! I’m sure this salad will be familiar to many of you. This is one my brother and I now make for our own families.
What we loved most about it is my Mom let us make it however we liked it.
We would put all the ingredients into bowls and then we could just go down the line and add on whatever we wanted. It felt like a buffet to us! Feel free to change out the Doritos with regular tortilla chips. And have fun and play around with your favorite taco toppings on this!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- Water (whatever the back of your packet of taco seasoning requires)
- 1 bag of Doritos
- 1 can dark red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- ½ head lettuce, shredded
- 1 block of medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 1 container of Sour cream
- 1 bottle of Catalina dressing
Instructions
- Brown and drain beef of excess fat. Add packet of taco seasoning (whichever one is your favorite or if you make your own). Add necessary water (following directions on back of package). Let water reduce until the beef mixture is thick and the flavors melded. Turn off heat. Crush a handful (or more) of Doritos and place on plate. Next layer with a little taco beef mixture.
- Then add whatever toppings you prefer; kidney beans, shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and then lightly drizzle with Catalina dressing.
- This is great to double to feed a larger crowd. Have a taco salad bar!
Cook’s Note: Some other toppings include: salsa, pinto beans, olives or jalapenos.
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http://www.southernplate.com/2013/08/fiesta-taco-salad.html
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Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.
~Zig Ziglar