As the Guest cook of the month I want to share a little about ME with YOU by answering the questionaire that ALL guest cooks answer. So here are my answers:
Maggie’s Favorite’s
Movie: Nacho Libre (with Jack Black) or the first Harry Potter film
Dessert: my husband’s Oatmeal Cookies or my friend Kami’s Jello cake
Vacation Spot: Without kids. Mexico. Hands down. With kids. California. Hands Down.
Hobby: Blogging. Swapping arts and crafts on Swap-Bot. Watching a lot of British mini-series on Netflix.
My prefered time of day: About 9:45pm. The house is quiet, I am alone, and that is when I can blog, watch a movie, and even get some laundry and dishes done!
My claim to fame: I always seem to have some crazy adventure whenever I travel. This has filled my life with plenty of stories to share with my children and future grandchildren.
If I got to spend 1 month on a beautiful tropical island all by myself, what 3 things would I take with me: blank notebooks and pens, matches, and a very warm blanket. I’m somewhat practical aren’t I??? I seriously was thinking that Coke and tortillas would be highest on the list. Actually those are #4 and #5.
This week’s meal is one that my good friend Paige shared with me a year ago. Our family decided to give vegetarianism a try. We did try. We tried from May 21, 2011 until about Christmas 2011. It was not easy. We went so far as to cut the meat out completely and gave up most of the dairy. The dairy was the hard part, not the meat! This is a recipe that Paige shared with me that helped us feel full and fed during those few months. We now are back to eating meat and some dairy, but we do it more responsibly. Now we eat meat only a couple times a week (before it was in our diet daily) and we still are drinking soy milk, and rarely have sour cream and cheese. We feel better about our choices now and feel like our kids are getting a better diet.
Paige’s Taco Soup
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can corn
1 med. onion, chopped
1 med. bell pepper, chopped (in my house we have to chop them BIG so kids can pick out) or
a can of green beans for a milder flavor
1 envelope dry taco seasoning
1/2 c. water
5 c. vegetable juice
1 c. chunky salsa (Paige uses chunky, I use a less chunky one)
Place ingredients in slow cooker on LOW for 6-8 hours. If you need to add water add by 1/2 cups.
For freezing you can freeze ingredients BEFORE cooking in a bag… or freezer AFTER cooking in a bag. May top with following toppings in individual bowls just before serving.
shredded cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips