Taco Seasoning and Things

If you ever have leftover rice to use up, it's great tossed into a veggie stir-fry.  That was dinner on Sunday evening. 

Last week I made a bunch of snacks to take to work, as it was my week to bring snacks.  Christopher was sad to see all the goodies leave the house, and he wondered where his snacks were ...

So last night I made him cookies.  Soft, moist, oatmeal cookies.

Should last him a day or two ...

Dinner last night was a meal we hadn't had in a long time - haystacks!

Haystacks start with a layer of hot cooked rice.  Then you top the rice with taco fillings.  I usually start with cheese, and then the taco beef (which will melt the cheese), and then after that things like: black olives, green chilies, cilantro, crunched up tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream ...

I don't like to use packaged taco seasoning, so I made my own.

Taco Seasoning (for beef)

1 1/2 T cumin
1 T chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper

I cooked some onions in olive oil first, until translucent.  I then added the beef, and cooked that on medium, adding half of the seasoning mixture.  Then I added about 1/4 cup of water, and cooked the meat the rest of the way through, and then added the rest of the seasoning.  I put a splash or two more water in, and heated it through.

What is your favourite taco-like dish?

What do you do with leftover rice?

Haystacks

It had been a while since I had haystacks, a favourite meal from my childhood.  My family used to run a summer camp, and I also attended each year as a camper.  Every kid's favourite meal during the week was always haystacks.  

Haystacks

All you do is layer:

cooked rice
shredded cheese
taco beef (lean ground beef with taco seasoning)
tomatoes
black olives (optional - use whatever "taco" fillings you like)
salsa
sour cream
crunched tortilla chips on top

Warning:  They get big fast! 
Amounts don't matter, and you can add or omit toppings as you like.

This was our dinner tonight, and there is still some left for me to take for lunch tomorrow.  

Did you ever attend summer camp as a child?  Did you have a favourite meal from camp?

Work Treats

I was in charge of bringing snacks this week to work (and cleaning the staffroom), and wanted to balance out the sweet and salty/savoury each day.  Yesterday I brought some brownies with Caramilk pieces, and they turned out really well.

I used some Costco mix and made it according to the directions on the box.  I poured half of it in the pan and topped it with Caramilk squares and then poured the rest of the brownie batter on top and baked for about 50 minutes.

 

They were decadent with layers of chocolate and bits of caramel dotted throughout.  Mmmmmmm!

 

 

Supper this evening was Angela's 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta.  It was super easy to make and absolutely delicious.  Warning: It is very garlicky, so don't eat before going out on the town!

Not that attractive looking, but apparently it is her most popular recipe!  I will definitely make it again.

Other eats lately have included trout with mixed organic beans and asparagus:

And haystacks (layer of rice, topped with layer of grated cheese, layer of taco beef, and then any other taco toppings you like such as: olives, tomatoes, crushed taco chips, salsa, sour cream, cilantro):

Have you made any new recipes yet this week?  

Any planned for later in the week?

Do you ever bring treats to work?  Do you have a rotation for treat bringing/staff room cleaning?