Corn Dogs and Pasta Salad with Brownies and Cream Cheese Frosting

     So, tonight we made our own corn dogs.  Eric found a corn dog recipe, we weren't crazy about it but it worked.  It just made it a bit thinner than expected.

1 cup flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 ts baking soda

     We did not have buttermilk so he used milk which is probably why it was a bit thin.  We cut the hot dogs in half and dipped them in the mix and fried in vegetable oil.  For the pasta salad, it was a recipe I made my own.

1 envelope Knorr vegetable mix
Mayonnaise
Spinach leaves
Carrots
1 pound elbow noodles

     I eyeballed the mayonnaise and mixed it with the Knorr mix, chopped up some spinach leaves I had left and a few baby carrots.  Cooked, drains, and cooled a pound of elbow noodles.  Added the noodles to the mix and chilled in the refrigerator.    

     After dinner Lila helped me make some brownies from a box and we added some cream cheese frosting on top.

     All in all, it didn't turn out too bad.  Many of my homeade recipes are often made from experiments.  Don't be afraid to add what you feel, not all my concoctions have been successful but I keep trying and alot of them don't turn out too bad.  

Well, that is all for tonight!  

Spaghetti Like You Never Had it Before!

My family LOVES spaghetti, and I hate it.  Too much tomato sauce for me.  So I tried to create a new spaghetti that I could love.

Ingredients:
 1 Jar spaghetti sauce
1 package frozen tortellini, I used cheese
1 lb smoked sausage
1 can diced tomatos

Directions:

I sliced and pan fried the sausages to get a sear, then added half the jar of sauce.  I cooked the pasta according to directions and added the other half of the jar.  I put the diced tomatos in with the meat and let it all simmer for a few mins.  Then combine it all together in a big pot and mix well. 

It was an interesting combination and the family loved it.

Navajo Taco

Tonight we cooked Navajo Tacos, I found this on the whatsfordinner.net website.  The recipe for 4 servings is:

1 lb & 4 oz canned pinto beans
8 oz ground beef
1/4 cup salsa
2 oz onion
2 oz green pepper
2 oz red pepper
2 oz lettuce
2 cups tomato sauce
1 dash pepper
1 dash Italian seasoning
1 dash cilantro
1 dash lemon pepper
1 oz cheddar cheese
2 cups flour
2 ts baking powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil

     I altered the recipe a bit.  I used one 15oz can of northern white beans, 1 lb ground beef, chopped a whole small onion, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 tomato, and a 26 oz can tomato sauce.  We didn't have Italian seasonings so I used a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano.  We also bought a can of refried beans, cause we love them on tacos.

     First I dropped the beans in a pot, and the beef in a pan.  In the beans we put the cilantro, pepper, lemon  pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and half the can of tomato sauce.  After the meat was cooked, I drained it and added the other half of the tomato sauce and the salsa.  I let those simmer as I made the dough.  I have a beautiful big red bowl I do alot of mixing in, I added the flour, baking powder and water together.  Lila and Eric helped out a bit..  Eric did all the chopping and Lila put the dough together and since we do not have a rolling pin she used a soda bottle to roll them out.  She loves helping me with dinner and has worked with dough often when we cook our sausage gravy and biscuit Sunday breakfasts.  Once Eric was done chopping he fried up the dough in a bit of olive oil.

    To build the tacos I put the bread on bottom, smeared on some refried beans, topped with the bean sauce, then meat.  Then everyone picked their own veggies, with cheese and salsa on top.

Everyone LOVED these.  I would say they were a hit!  Good Luck in your own endeavers and don't forget to donate to keep these pages alive and moving.  Thanks!