Taco Soup with a Twist

The temperatures are getting cooler and everyone is talking about soup again!  I have another great recipe that was shared with me by another Kansas Farm Mom.  Shirley Felts has shared recipes with me before like her Spicy Sausage Skillet and Creamy Sausage Soup.  When I saw her at a seed meeting the other day, I mentioned that she always has good recipes and I was starting to run out of time to find good ones.  She promptly said that I needed her sister in law, Ruth's recipe for Taco Soup with a Twist.  She sure didn't disappoint.  The soup is quick, easy, and very filling.

Taco Soup with a Twist 

1 lb ground beef.
1 med onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 t. Chili powder
1 t. Ground cumin
3 c. Beef broth
1 1/2 c. Picante sauce
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1 c. Uncooked rotini pasta
1 green pepper, chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

In large saucepan brown ground beef with onion & garlic. Drain. Sprinkle chili powder and cumin over meat. Cook & stir 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except cheese & chips. Mix well. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover & simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Ladle into bowls; top with cheese. Serve with chips & additional picante sauce.

A note from Ruth: The day Shirley sampled this soup, I had doubled the recipe and substituted a pound of ground pork and a pound of sausage for the ground beef. Sometimes I use Rotel in place of the diced tomatoes ... Just depends how hot you want it.

Super Bowl Recipe Roundup

Looking for recipes for your Super Bowl Party?  I just love appetizers, but I know some of you would like to have a crock pot of soup available at your parties as well.  Here is my roundup of appetizers and soups for your dining pleasure.

Hot Dog Snacks 

• Bacon, Hot Dogs, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup

Pork Meatball Appetizers

• Ground Pork, Cranberry Sauce, Chili Sauce

Touchdown Taco Dip

• Refried beans, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, all served WARM

Taco Bites

•  Ground Beef, Pepper Havarti Cheese and corn chips

Jalapeno Poppers

•  Jalapenos, cream cheese, bacon

Smoked Chipotle Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Bacon from Dairy Carrie

Taco Soup

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

Beefy Nacho Potato Soup

Sausage Soup

Calypso Beef Soup

Haskamps of Tulip Super Bowl Snacks

• Lil Smokies
• Taco Dip
• Toffee Apple Dip

Minnesota Farm Living

• Fajitas
• Quesadillas
• Sliders

I hope you all enjoy the food  and commercials on Sunday!  Oh and yeah, don't forget to watch a little of the game.  :)

-A Kansas Farm Mom

W4DW- Sausage Soup

One of my favorite fellow Kansas Farm Moms has once again insisted that I share one of her most requested recipes.  Shirley Felts shared her Spicy Sausage Skillet back in October for pork month.  She has now given me one of her most requested recipes for Sausage Soup.  Shirley also assured me that if I ever run out of recipes to share with you, she will help me out.  She is doing a great job of sharing recipes with me already and for that I am very thankful!

I was told I had to try this soup and even my mom agreed that it was pretty good.  Don't get overwhelmed by the long list of ingredients.  There really isn't anything that wasn't already in my pantry and it was quick and easy to make.

Sausage Soup

1 lb Sausage

1 cup water

1 medium potato, diced

1 onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tsp liquid smoke

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp summer savory

1 10oz package frozen mixed vegetables

1/3 cup water

1 tsp sugar

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 soup can of milk

½ cup butter

2/3 cup Velveeta cheese, grated

Crumble sausage in large saucepan and cook until done.  Drain fat.  To sausage add 1 cup water, potato, onion, bay leaf, liquid smoke, pepper and summer savory.  In small pan, cook the frozen vegetables with 1/3 cup water and sugar until they are tender.  Pour mixed vegetables into the sausage mixture, and then add remaining ingredients.  Stir until well blended and simmer until the potatoes are tender and flavors blended, about 30 minutes.  Serves 6-8.

-A Kansas Farm Mom

W4DW- Cheesy Enchiladas

What's For Dinner Wednesday?  How about Cheesy Enchiladas?

I have said several times over the course of my blog posts how much I love the Kansas Wheat Commission recipes.  Some of the ones I have shared include:  Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies, and Whole Wheat Angel Food Cake.

The Farmer and I fell in love with this yummy Cheesy Enchilada recipe from the Wheat Commission long before kids and now they really like it as well.  The picture really doesn't do it justice, but what is a busy farm mom to do when we have been harvesting for the last month and we still have more to go.  Make it yourself and you will see why I say the picture isn't as good as it could be.

Cheesy Enchiladas

1 pound extra lean ground beef or pork, browned and drained
1 (16 oz) can fat free refried beans
1/2 package (2.5 tablespoons) taco seasoning
1 (11 oz) can nacho cheese soup
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (16 oz) container no fat sour cream
10 (8 inch) wheat tortillas
1 1/2 cups reduced fat, shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350*.
To make the sauce, combine nacho cheese soup, chopped green chilies and sour cream. Spread  1 1/2 cups of the sauce in a 9x13 baking dish.
Combine ground beef, refried beans and taco seasoning to make the filling. Divide the filling equally and place on each tortilla.  I have found that it takes 1 1/2 of the Large Pampered Chef cookie scoops to divide the filling evenly.  Top each with 2 tablespoons cheese.  Roll up each tortilla and place, seam-side down in prepared pan.
Pour remaining sauce over the tortillas.  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake and additional 15 minutes.  Serve hot.
Makes 10 servings.

Nutritional Analysis:  1 serving provides 349 calories, 23 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 24 g dietary fiber, 241 mg calcium, 341 mg potassium and 1045 mg sodium.


I have said before that I like to stock my freezer with ready to go meals before harvest and calving seasons.  Usually, I make this in 2-8x8 pans and freeze one, but the boys are getting bigger and eating more so I may have to start making a double batch to freeze.  I can thaw it out in the refrigerator and the boys or The Farmer can put it in the oven, so we can have a decent home cooked meal even when things are super busy.

-A Kansas Farm Mom

Shared on Twirl & Take a Bow Party #13
Melt in Your Mouth Monday Blog Hop 
Pinkapotamus Pink Hippo Party

You might also like:

Italian Beef Roll                                                        French Dip

                        

W4DW- Christy's Not So Famous Pork Loin

A Note From A Kansas Farm Mom: I am so excited to have one of my favorite pig farmer's wife is sharing a recipe with you this week.  Christy and I were friends before kids and well even before her husband.  I even  introduced her to her husband Michael and to this day they both still speak to me.  We have helped one another get through some difficult pregnancies and other trying times over the years.  She and Michael are truly friends we can count on!

I love her Pork Loin that she makes and I am sure your family will as well.  Here is her version of a wonderful Pork Loin in her own words.

Christy’s Not-So-Famous Pork Loin

On November 8^th I’ll officially have been a hog farmer’s wife for nine years… thanks to the author of this blog and a blind date.  Yep, that’s me up there, Princess Porkchop aka Christy Springer, wife of Michael, mom to Mason (7) and Cooper (4).

Hogfarmer hubby is a 3^rd generation farmer.  We grow corn, wheat, soybeans and lots of pigs.  Our farm is truly a family farm as it involves his mom, dad, grandma, granddad, aunt, uncle and cousin.  I did not grow up on a farm.  I did drive past a lot of ranches and farms growing up in Greenwood County though!  Does that count? 

As you can imagine, we have lots of pork in our freezer and I’m always looking for new and creative ways to cook “the other white meat”.

The first time I served this was at a “Lunch & Learn” for our employees.  After getting thumbs up from a bunch of hard-working hungry hog farm guys, I knew it was a keeper.

This is one of those recipes that makes you looked like you slaved away in the kitchen all day!

Three ingredients, you can’t beat that!

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 400º.

Rinse the loin under cool water and pat it dry with a paper towel.  It’s not that it’s dirty, I just feel better after a bath so I figured it would too.

Rub olive oil over the whole loin.  You can use a brush but I prefer to moisturize my hands while cooking. 

Grab your favorite rub and work it into all sides and crevices of your loin (hmmm… that sentence sounds a little kinky).

Get your mind out of the gutter and let’s continue.

Lookin’ good, lookin’ good. 

Now at this point in the game you could either:

1.    Cover it with plastic wrap/foil and stick in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

2.    Place it on a foil-lined sheet pan and just get her in the oven ‘cause momma’s getting hungry!  (I should have saved myself a step here and already had my sheet pan lined with foil.  I love doing dishes… said me never.)

See this gadget?  This is my best friend when I cook pork.

Moist pork good, dry pork bleh!

It’s a digital meat thermometer and they come in every size, shape and dollar amount.  I like the ones where you can manually program your favorite temperatures into them.  I also really like the wireless ones so that I can hear it beep while I’m scrubbing the hogfarmer’s clothes on the washboard!

Disclaimer:  Don’t be shocked but I am not a professional photographer and let’s just pretend that my oven is sparkling clean and there is not a top oven rack blocking your view.

Cook at 400º for 45 minutes.

Reduce oven temp to 325º.

Turn the loin over and cook until the internal temp of the pork is 145º.

Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 3 minutes.

Pork can be safely cooked to medium rare at a final internal cooked temperature of 145ºF as measured by a food thermometer, followed by a three-minute rest time.  Ground pork, like all ground meats, should be cooked to 160ºF.  For more details, visit www.PorkBeInspired.com.

Now slice and listen for the ooh’s and aah’s. 

This is when the hogfarmer usually proclaims his undying love for me. 

This is when it gets really quiet in the house for about 5 minutes.

My job here is done.  Now where are those bon-bons? 

Here’s a link to the two sides that I served with it.

I love this green bean recipe as it reminds me of my Grandma Erma’s green beans. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-homestyle-green-beans/detail.aspx

Please don’t judge me ‘cause I used instant mashed taters. 

http://hungryjackpotatoes.com/recipes/entry/garlic-mashed-potatoes-with-crunchy-onions/

Hogs & Kisses from Kansas!

From KFM:
If you are still looking for more pork but don't want to cook, be sure to check out the Kansas Pork Association's Blog In Pursuit of Pork.  They have traveled around the state reviewing restaurant's and their pork offerings.

Also, on the Kansas Pork Association's web page you can find the recipe from the Morris and Bohrn Families for Pork Chop and Cajun Sausage Picante. Be sure to take a look around the site and learn a little about pig production in Kansas.

Have a great week everyone!

This recipe linked to:
Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #80 
Melt in Your Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop

W4DW-Dairy Carrie's Favorite Pork Recipe

• It is Porktober (October is Pork Month).  When I realized that October 2013 has 5 Wednesdays and I post a recipe every Wednesday, I reached out to my pig farmer friends on Facebook to find some new farm wife tested pork recipes.  My dairy farmer friends didn't want to be left out, though.  Here is a recipe that Carrie Mess shared with me.  
•  
• Carrie is a Wisconsin Dairy Farmer who has a blog called The Adventures of Dairy Carrie, she can be found on Twitter @DairyCarrie and also has a Facebook page.  If you follow her for very long, you find out that her favorite cow in the world is Norma.  She says that she is the best cow in the world, but I would debate that point with her as I have some of my own favorites.   She has a sense of humor and honesty that comes through in her blog posts about everyday agriculture.
•  
• When I asked her what she called this recipe, here was her response, "I don't know what I call it other than my favorite pork recipe. Hubs calls it that pork with the olives and capers thing..."  I have renamed it Mediterrean Pork Tenderloin.  So without further ado here is:

•  Dairy Carrie's Favorite Pork Recipe

• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 garlic powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 
  
• Preparation
• Cut pork crosswise into 8 pieces. Place each pork piece between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of the pork with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge pork in flour, turning to coat; shake off the excess flour. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of pork, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork mixture from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with the remaining oil and pork. Return pork to pan. Add wine and broth; bring to a boil. Stir in olives and capers; cook 4 minutes.

My oldest son helped out by pounding the pork for me.  :)

Please take time to go check out Carrie's pages.  I enjoy the fun she has with everything on the farm.  She did not grow up on a farm and has a great way of explaining things that I have a hard time with.

And as I have all week, here is a link to another great pork recipe from a Kansas Pork Producer: 

Low and Slow Pulled Pork

Have a Porktastic week everyone! 


This recipe linked to:
Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #80 
Melt in Your Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop

W4DW-Pork Meatball Appetizers

Continuing with The Pork Month Theme is recipe shared from a pig farmer friend in Minnesota.  I have several friends that raise pigs in Southern Minnesota and I can't wait to go visit them all again.  Wanda is my newest friend in Minnesota.  She is also new to blogging, so please go visit her page after you view this yummy recipe that my oldest son really enjoyed when I made it.

Hi, My name is Wanda Patsche and I am an agvocate living in southern Minnesota! My husband and I crop farm corn and soybeans and we also have a hog farm. Hogs are big in my county. We are the top county in Minnesota for raising hogs. I have three grown daughters, two of which are married and one who is a senior in college. Even though having three daughters is great, having  three grandchildren and one more on the way is even better! 

Agriculture is my passion! Being an agnerd and a computernerd has led me down the path of agricultural social media. October is Pork month and being pork farmers we eat a lot of pork. The pork meatball appetizer recipe is one I have brought to a number of holiday gatherings.  Everyone loves them!  You can find me on facebook at www.facebook.com/minnesotafarmer or checkout my blog at www.minnesotafarmer.net.  Consequently, my blog this week is on food choices! Be sure to check it out!

Pork Meatball Appetizers

1 pound ground pork

1 egg

1/2 c. saltine crackers crushed

3 Tbsp minced onion

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

3/4 C. chili sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 Tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In large bowl, combine ground pork, egg, cracker crumbs and onion

2. Roll into small meatballs - about 1" diameter

3. Bake for 20 minutes turning once

4. In crock pot, blend cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice. Add meatballs and cook for 2 hr on low.

 If you are still looking for another pork recipe, check out the Kansas Pork Association's Website.  My pick from their family farmers this week comes from the Springer family who happens to be the family who will be sharing a recipe with you next week right here on this blog!  In the meantime, check out Honey-Pecan Pork Cutlets.

-A Kansas Farm Mom

Other Recipes you Might Like:

Steak Roll Ups with Bacon

Jalapeno Poppers

Linked to:
Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop
In the Kitchen Thursdays
Melt in Your Mouth Monday