Easy Korean Beef Tacos

Hello, hello! How are you doing? It has been a million years!  I know, I suck at regular posting lol. But, a lot has been going on! I got a new job, we're moving next month, Josh's brother is having a baby...it's been a busy couple of months! I'm back now, and ready to start blogging again!! 

Tonight we made a super easy supper! I recently discovered the Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauces, and I am in love! As I have mentioned before, the slow cooker is the greatest thing ever invented, and these sauces are the next greatest thing! 

Tonight we tried the Korean Beef. The back of the bag suggested using the beef to make Korean Beef Tacos. We tried Korean Beef Tacos once before from a local food truck and really liked them. The recipe suggested using sour cream and cabbage, but Josh doesn't like cabbage so we used shredded lettuce. We also added a little hot sauce and some white rice. Yum! They were so delicious. 

Have a wonderful Saturday night!

Bomb Bread

 

I am officially back from my little blogging break. Midterms came up faster than I anticipated this semester!! Luckily, all went well and I am actually looking forward to my midterm grades for once! In addition to being busy at school, we have also had some things come up around the house as well. We purchased our first "adult" bed this month! How exciting!! I will be sharing photos soon of our new bedroom. I am so excited! We have been sleeping on a full sized bed for the last three years, and it feels wonderful to upgrade to a king! 

What else, what else. I am just excited about starting to blog again and have lots of stories ready to go. :] I will be playing around with the uploading schedule a little bit to try and see what works best for us, but I promise to write at least three times a week from here on out! 

So, with that, let's hop into the recipe today! 

This bread came about by complete accident. One day, when Josh and I were first living together, I made pasta for supper. I have always liked making my own garlic bread, so I put the butter on the bread and put it in the oven to warm up on broil. I started talking, and wasn't paying attention, shocker, and the bread started to burn! Josh, being the supportive man that he is, said he would still eat it, even though the ends were a little black. A little black is an understatement, they were like charcoal! But guess what? It ended up being so good!!!

I named it "Bomb Bread" because every time I make it, Josh takes one bite and says, "Bomb." Although the idea originally came from charcoal black bread, I make sure not to get distracted while it is baking so that we just get a little crisp instead of a lot of burn!

It is super easy to make. You can use any kind of bread that you like. The bread in the photo is ciabatta, but I have used rolls, french bread, even just regular sandwich bread. I really just use whatever I have on hand. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add garlic and parsley to your butter to make a garlic bread, or you can use just the butter. I recommend using the spreadable butter as it is MUCH easier than regular.

My best advice is to watch the bread closely. Broil is an interesting thing because there is a very fine line between delicious, crispy food and burnt to a crisp, throw it away food. I like to make ours in the toaster oven because it has a glass front so I can watch it without having to keep the oven door open. 

I hope you try this and love it as much as we do!

Taco Ring

My mom was a Pampered Chef consultant growing up, and this was her go to recipe for her shows. It was the first recipe I learned to make, the first meal I cooked for Josh and is still my favorite recipe for special events. I never even thought about putting the recipe on the blog because it is pretty old and I assumed everyone knew it already. I posted this photo on Facebook the other day, and had a lot of people ask for the recipe. So, here it is!

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is really customizable. There is really no right or wrong way to make it. If you don't like something, you can take it out and the recipe will still turn out great! I have used salsa instead of taco seasoning, added in different vegetables, and have even seen a buffalo and Italian versions of the ring on Pinterest.

The original recipe uses ground hamburger; however, neither my mom or I use hamburger. We both have a hard time digesting red meat. She usually uses ground chicken. I use ground turkey.

I would love to know how you made it if you try this recipe! This is one of our favorites. Josh requests it for birthdays, company...he would literally eat it everyday if I let him!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Hello! Happy Tuesday!! And, happy first day of school UNLV! This semester is going to be totally different from any other, mainly because most of my classes are in the afternoon. Today I didn't go to school until 1p.m. when usually I am there at 8a.m. I couldn't believe how many people are on campus in the afternoon! I'm excited for a great semester, but will definitely have to get used to this new schedule as I will be going straight from school to work instead of having some time between the two.

I made an awesome lunch today! Since I had some time before heading off to school, I decided to start my morning watching some Youtube videos while unloading the dishwasher. There is a vlogger that I like named Nikki Phillipi. She recently posted a video about healthy snack food. Two of the recipes were for fresh pico de gallo and butter lettuce wraps. I'll link to the original video if you are interested. They looked amazing! We have been trying to cut out fast food all together, so I have been in search of some healthy alternatives. I tweeked the recipe a bit and made my own version. They turned out freaking awesome! I am seriously considering having some again for supper.

Side note: Josh and I upgraded our phones to the Galaxy Note 3, and the picture quality is Ah-mazing! So, that is very exciting!

I started with some butter lettuce as the "shell." I love this lettuce for two reasons; #1 because it still has the root in the package so it lasts forever, #2 it is just a better tasting lettuce, I think. Next, I added a slice of turkey to each shell. We use the Hormel Natural Choices deli meat because it has no sodium nitrates in it. I've read that it isn't that much healthier than other lunch meat, but I figure it can't hurt, right? Next, I added some bean sprouts. I finished it off with some homemade pico de gallo. I had some roma tomatoes in the fridge that needed to be used up, so it worked out perfectly.

You could definitely change up this recipe any way you'd like. In Nikki's video, she uses only turkey, tomatoes and cilantro. I think it would be great with some cucumber, olives and feta cheese. Mmm, that sounds good actually. Maybe some tomatoes, parsley, garlic and pepperoni instead of turkey. Yum.. I've got to stop. I'm getting hungry!

I really liked this lunch. It was filling, yet light, which I think makes for a perfect meal. I honestly didn't think Josh was going to like it, but to my surprise, he said it was "delicious!" I am excited to learn some new healthy lunch recipes!

Be sure to follow LTMFBlog on Twitter and Facebook! We are brand new on Twitter, but I am actually kind of liking it!! It is very different than Facebook. I know, I know, I am super late to jump on this bandwagon, but hey, I'm getting there! I post various things throughout the week like thrift store finds, photos of my dogs and of course, new posts on the blog.

There will be a giveaway coming up once we hit 50 followers on Twitter and Facebook... we are SOO close! I would love if you could help us get there!!

As always, be sure to check back during the week for other fun crafts and yummy recipes! Thanks for stopping by! <3

Granddad's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Josh came home from work today with a stuffy nose. Ugh. We can't get sick. Especially with the flu going around.

Four years ago, almost exactly, I came down with swine flu, H1N1. It was the worst three months of my life. I was a freshman at UNR. There were about five of us that came down with it, and we were quarantined to our rooms, only able to leave for the doctor. I remember being up all night long shaking and shivering. I couldn't get warm. Nothing I ate would stay down. I coughed so much that my lungs would just ache. I kid you not, I have never been so sick in my life. I remember calling my mom in the middle of the night and begging her to make the eight hour drive to come get me, not that there was anything she could have done to help. And now, it's back. I saw on the news yesterday that five people have already died from it this year. We cannot get sick!

I'm sure what Josh has is just a cold or allergies because he has no fever, but I'm not taking any chances! We've loaded up on vitamin c and echinacea, I've got him drinking Gatorade and Pedialyte to keep hydrated, and I made a giant batch of granddad's homemade chicken noodle soup. This thing does the trick, let me tell you. We grew up eating this soup. Anytime anyone felt sick, granddad made us soup. I recently asked him to teach me how to make it, and now it is one of my favorite recipes, probably because it brings back so many memories.

On of the best things about this soup is that it is super easy. Besides cutting the vegetables and chicken, you really just sit back and wait for it all to come together. The other great thing is that it is very inexpensive to make. I made ten servings of soup today and spent less than five dollars!! That is $.50 a serving! The other great thing about this soup--I know, it keeps getting better :) --is that it freezes very well. I put the leftover soup in individual bags and freeze them so that we always have some on hand for a quick lunch or supper. The last thing I love about this soup is that it is homemade. Have you seen the label of these canned soups? Granddad has been watching his salt intake lately because he has high blood pressure, and these canned soups have like 900mg of sodium in them!! I make the broth from scratch. I cook the chicken myself, though you could use like a rotisserie if you wanted to. I chop all the veggies myself. The only thing I don't make myself is the noodles.

Okay, enough blabbing, let's get to the recipe, shall we.

Smoky Chicken and Bacon Tostadas

Hello!!! How was your Christmas? I hope you had a great time with your friends and family! We had a relaxing morning and went out for supper with my granddad in the evening. It was a nice day. No cooking, no cleaning.

The food was AH-mazing. We went to Don Vito's at the South Point.  I haven't been there since my grandma was alive, so that was interesting. The food was so good, I can't even tell you. Granddad and I had the turkey dinner and Josh had a steak. For dessert, Josh had a cappuccino cheesecake and I had an eggnog cannoli. Yum!!! If you are ever in Vegas, I highly recommend it. Our supper was $30 per person and included wine, bread, salad, the meal, dessert and coffee. Oh, and did I mention, it was AH-mazing! Totally worth every penny!

Not to be a Debbie downer, but I never got into the holiday spirit this year. I felt like I was going through the motions of the holidays, but never really felt the holiday spirit. I even took my tree and decorations down the day after Christmas. I really missed my family this year. Everyone lives so far away. I think that's why I never felt the spirit this year. We spent Thanksgiving with Josh's family. It was the first time in awhile that we were able to be with extended family for the holidays. After that, it just wasn't the same to spend the holidays by ourselves.

I took a little time off from writing for some much needed relaxation, but now I'm back...so let's start things off with a bang!

I completely forgot about this recipe! This recipe comes from Pampered Chef. I made it about a year ago, and then put the cookbook on the shelf and forgot about it. The other day I was looking for something new to make for supper and stumbled across it. So exciting!

And let me tell you, this is to die for...literally. It is not a very healthy recipe, unfortunately. Between the bacon and the dressing made out of its grease, you are definitely going to need some Pepto before bed. It is totally worth it. It isn't something I could eat everyday, but it makes a great treat.

My granddad got us a toaster oven for Christmas, and I am thoroughly enjoying it! We cooked our chicken in it tonight and honestly, any chicken we've cooked in it has turned out absolutely amazing. It is so juicy and delicious. I'm sure there will be more recipes to come done in our oven, because I have used it like a hundred times since we got it.

Side note, this is what my kitchen looks like when bacon is being cooked.  Mommy has a bad habit of giving the boys people food so they are always ready and waiting for some bacon to come their way.  

Hubby's Opinion:

"It was a mix of sweet and savory. The chicken was very juicy."

So, with that, let's get to the recipe!

Crockpot Chili and Cornbread Waffles

Josh and I have been trying to eat clean since coming home from vacation. We haven't been eating fast food and have been trying to cut out processed foods. Usually when I make chili, I use one of those seasoning packets you get at the grocery store. I recently read that those packets are filled with salt and unhealthy chemicals, so I decided to try and make my own chili seasoning. It turned out better than I planned and I am so excited to share it with you!!

I like making crockpot meals on the nights that I work until 9pm so that I can come home and not have to worry about what to make for supper. The crockpot is like the greatest invention ever!

We also made cornbread waffles. I learned this trick on Pinterest. Any batter can be cooked in a waffle iron instead of the oven. Everything turns out crispy and yummy, and best of all, it only takes a couple minutes! We made our Cinnamon Roll Waffles this way as well.

Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup

I recently reintroduced myself to squash. I had a bad experience with squash as a kid. True story... when I was about 8-years-old, my mom bought a squash lasagna from the Schwan's man. I kid you not, it was the grossest thing I have ever eaten in my life! I refused to eat it. My parents made me sit at the kitchen table until I finished eating. After hours of me pushing it around the plate, they gave up and ended up going to bed.  I fed the lasagna to my dog Copper. It was very traumatic- okay not really, but I could never eat squash after that. I also don't eat mushrooms because my 1st grade teacher told me they were made from ant throw-up, but that is a story for another time.

A few months ago, I decided it was time to be an adult and face my fears of squash, because, let's be real, there are much bigger things to be afraid of than a vegetable. I started simple, a yellow squash to put in my pasta sauce. Okay, that wasn't so bad. Then, I tried zucchini squash as a side dish. Hmm, also not bad. So, I went for the mac daddy, the butternut squash.

To be honest, this was the first and only recipe I have ever made with butternut squash. I should definitely try experimenting a little more with it because I have seen some very yummy looking recipes.

I use fresh squash, though you are certainly able to use frozen or packaged. Frozen or packaged squash is a lot easier to use, but I just like to use fresh.

If you use fresh, you will need to peel and dice the squash. This is tricky. The skin is pretty thick. My vegetable peeler isn't sharp enough to cut through it, so I use a knife. Though I did buy it at the dollar store, so you get what you pay for I guess. When picking a squash, you want to look for one that has a long top and smaller bottom. The bottom of the squash is mostly seeds, which you are going to scoop out. My first squash had a huge bottom and there was hardly any actual meat to it.

I love this soup. It is very creamy and is perfect for this colder weather. It does take a little bit of preparation if you are using fresh squash, but it would be a quick recipe if you use frozen or packaged. I hope you like it as much as we do!

What is your favorite way to use squash? Leave a comment below!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

I love enchiladas! I usually just order them when we go out because they seemed too complicated to make. It was a lot easier than I expected, but I had no idea how messy they were to make! Holy Cow!

I originally found this recipe by Pioneer Woman on Pinterest. I changed it up a bit. It was so yummy, but I can't emphasize how messy this was to make!! haha. Next time, I will probably make it as a casserole instead of individual enchiladas.

This would also be a good recipe to make a lot of and freeze.

We even used the left over sour cream filling to make my chipotle salad tonight for supper. You can find that recipe here.

Hubby's Opinion:

"It was easy to make, and didn't take long. It was really, really good."

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Happy Sunday!!! You made it through another week!

This has been a super busy week at the Morales Home. Josh finished up a two week straight, no day off, all 2am shifts schedule on Friday! Whew, that was tough. We were on completely opposite schedules, he worked while I slept and I worked while he slept. Needless to say, while I am thankful for the extra overtime, I am more thankful that it is over and I can finally have my husband back.

On Friday morning, I wanted to do something special for Josh to show him how much I appreciate all the hard work he has been doing. So, I got up extra early to clean the house and make him breakfast in bed.

I couldn't believe that Josh slept through all the noise I was making by trying so hard not to make noise. As soon as I let the boys out of the kennel, Binx ran across the bed and jumped right on Josh's face. Josh slept through it. I went to shut the bedroom door and ran into the night stand knocking over the lamp. Josh slept through it. Nicky started barking at a cat walking around the neighborhood. Josh slept through it. Then, around 11, I decided to start making his breakfast. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you already know how this story ends...I hardly got two waffles done before he was out of bed and walking into the kitchen. Fail.

Although surprise breakfast in bed didn't happen, I did make a very yummy and super easy breakfast that I would love to share with you!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes

I work late on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so I like to make crockpot meals on those days.

We are trying not to eat supper too late, which is really hard to do when you aren't getting home until almost ten. Crockpot meals have really helped us because as soon as I get home we can eat supper instead of having to wait another half hour or longer for me to cook...or worse, me stopping at a fast food restaurant on the way home!

This recipe happened by accident, but it was so yummy. Originally, I was trying to make a buffalo chicken casserole, and forgot to add some of the ingredients. But, I doctored it up a bit, and it turned out to be a great sandwich!

I expected it to be pretty spicy, but the ranch dressing and soup definitely toned it down a bit.

This recipe made enough for two sandwiches that night, and two sandwiches for lunch today. So, it would be perfect for a family. You will love it!!!

Cracker Toffee

One of the therapists at my work made this the other day, and I just had to come home and try it!

It is the perfect combination of salty and sweet. It is super easy to make, and you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen!

You can definitely spice this recipe up. You could drizzle some chocolate on top. Maybe even add some peanuts or M&Ms into the mix. Yum! I think I am going to go make another batch!!

Hubby's Opinion:

"This is a good snack to have around. Kids would love it!"

Three Bean Soup

We had an awesome supper tonight, totally by accident. I had class today and needed to make a quick meal. I literally grabbed a bunch of cans out of the pantry and dumped them in the crock pot. I was trying to make chili, but added too much water and ended up making soup.

I was pleasantly surprised that it actually tasted really great! It was a light taste, but was very filling. We had it with a great big salad. I wasn't planning on posting another recipe this week, but it looked so pretty and cheerful that I felt I had to share it.

Hubby's Opinion: 

"I like that you can taste all the spices. The tomatoes were the best part."

Easy Chipotle Salad

Welcome to the first, of what I hope will be many, Mmmonday posts. Every Monday, I plan to post one of our favorite recipes from the week. It may be something new or something we have been making for years. Either way, I hope that you try these recipes and love them as much as we do!

This is the easiest most delicious salad you will ever make! We like to make this salad the day before we go grocery shopping and throw all of the leftover veggies into the salad. You can make this with whatever veggies you like. We usually do corn, bell peppers, beans, tomatoes...really whatever we have on hand. The salad dressing is a tad spicy, but the sour cream cools it down.

The first time we made this, I think Josh and I had three bowls of salad. But, since salad is negative calories, we didn't even feel bad!  I usually am not a big salad fan, so if I find a recipe that we both love this much, it is definitely a keeper!

Hubby's Opinion:

"This salad is easy to prepare when you don't feel like cooking. It has a good kick to it."