Taco salad my way!

I lb.ground beef

Taco seasoning

Lettuce 

Tomato

Shredded cheddar cheese

Taco scoops 

Taco sauce or hot sauce to garnish.

Fry hamburger in a little oil.  Add onion powder, garlic powder, paprika , salt and pepper.  Don’t skimp on seasonings. ****  If in doubt buy a taco seasoning packet and follow directions.

Rinse lettuce well.  I do it several times in cold water. Add chopped tomato .

 I chopped my lettuce the way I like it.  ( chopped salad version ).  Drain well.  Use salad spinner or as I do most times after I drain the salad well I use  a few paper towels to remove moisture.

I layer taco scoops first, cheddar cheese, hot hamburger mixture and my salad on top. I season the lettuce with a ratio of 1/3 olive oil and 1/4 red wine vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder dried parsley salt and pepper.  .  Note:  remember to add more olive oil than vinegar so it won’t be overpowered by vinegar. Add a Pinch of sugar if you’re not sure . The sugar will balance the mix.

 

Some Family time 2026

Here are  a few pictures from our visit and a few of our tour of Pittsburgh.

There are times that I like to share some happy times that my husband and I really enjoy. Most of those times are  spent with our family.

Last weekend, we had a great opportunity for our grandson, our oldest grandson to come to Pittsburgh from Texas with his girlfriend.

He wanted to show her the sites of this beautiful city and of course introduce her to my husband and I.

They got to see a Steeler game(which we won) although that day there was quite a bit of rain.  Fortunately it wasn’t a wash out . The sun  peaked  through in the middle of the game.

 He took her to dinner Up in LaMont in Mt.  Washington. A perfect way to see the city from high above. They did visit some of his high school friends so that was awesome.

Al and I were able to show her that I can cook lol.

I made a simple dinner which included homemade sauce, pasta, salad, Italian bread meatballs and braciole. 

The salad was served in Daniel’s great great grandmother’s salad bowl. 

For dessert, I made homemade tiramisu and we had some fresh brewed coffee. 

It was a very simple dinner made from the heart with all homemade ingredients.

There was great conversation and I was able to learn a little bit about this lovely lady who seemed to have stolen my grandson’s heart. What more can I ask for?

 Al and I feel very blessed.

I forgot to mention that the next day we took a tour of the city, which, even though Al and I have lived in the Pittsburgh area for 20 years this was a first  !

Wow what a way to spend a Saturday! Two for two great days!

Did I mention dessert ?  On Saturday, cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!!! Lemon meringue cheesecake!!! Yummy!

Easy salsa appetizer

Simple and delicious appetizer

I block cream cheese

1 jar favorite salsa

Pretzel thins or chunky pretzel pieces

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Today’s Salisbury steak meatballs with a twist. 9/28/2026

Note: a game changer using onion soup mix in small amounts.  I didn’t have any onions so instead of onion powder i had a package of onion soup mix. It really saved the day. The flavor was spot on and no necessary extra salt added or pepper.

Today’s recipe I added 1/4 of a package of onion soup mix to beef along with 1 tablespoon ketchup , 1 egg and 1/4 cup   beef broth. (Mix together) then add the breadcrumbs to the egg mixture . Mix thoroughly to combine. If mixture is too soft add a little more breadcrumbs.

After the meatballs had fried in the butter/ olive oil

And browned on both sides remove from pan and set aside.

Add 2 +cups beef broth, 2 tablespoon ketchup and 1/2 package of onion soup mix.  Bring to a slow boil. Once onions are soft add meatballs and cook until

Completely warmed. Thicken with flour if you want.  This time I did with a tablespoon flour added to 1/2 cup broth and whisk until smooth then added to the rest of the broth. It should thicken nicely.

It is getting harder and harder to come up with easy meals that require little work and can be made from start to finish in a little over an hour.

I had bought some fresh ground round steak at the store the other day and I had intended on making some burgers with it but wanted something a little different.

It's over 6 years that I have been bringing recipes from my kitchen to yours and I'm needing some assistence for some variety.  I'll be adapting recipes I think are of interest and easy to make for a little change. Hope you continue to like what you see and find a few more selections for dinner at your house.

Enjoy!

I adapted a recipe to my liking and it's a nice change. Original recipe my way.

l lb. lean ground round (I'm sure you can use lean chuck or lean beef too)
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 T. ketscup
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup beef broth
dash of Worcestershire if you like(I eliminated it)

1 T butter
1 T. olive oil
 1 medium onion sliced thin
2 cups beef broth

Mix meat mixture and form into meatballs size balls.

In a large deep skillet on medium to low heat place butter and olive oil.  Place meatballs and fry until browned on all sides. Remove meatballs from skillet and drain any excess grease.

In the same skillet place thinly slice onions and fry slowly until browned and slightly tender while scrapping pan. Add 2 cups of beef broth and simmer for a few minutes. Add meatballs and simmer until meatballs are warmed.  

To thicken mixture if you like you can thicken mixture before adding meatballs with a little cornstarch.


Serve with mashed potatoes. 

adapted from Ree Drummond

Re-post 8/20/22

Updated 9/28/2026

Sheet pan Pork and Vegetable dinner

Most Sundays it’s pasta at our house. Today I just didn’t feel like making pasta and I had a nice pork loin that I was contemplating what to do with it so I decided to cut it in small pieces and load it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and refrigerate until I was going to use.

Now on to my simple recipe

l lb. pork tenderloin cut in small pieces.

Approximately two carrots in medium size pieces as well as a medium a size red onion, one sweet potato cut in cubes  about half a cup of small mini potatoes and cubed red beets.

I had Roma tomato that I removed the pulp and cut in pieces. 

And tossed it in as well.  

*****Before placing on cooking sheet generously grease  pan with olive oil or cooking spray.

Season all generously and bake 425° for approximately 30 minutes.  Every ten minutes I opened the stove door and with a silicone spatula I moved all of the pork and vegetables to evenly cook.

Prep time about 15 minutes.  30 minutes approximately in oven. Healthy and a nice change.  You can add any other vegetables to this to create the meal you would enjoy.

Note:  make sure your meat etc. are cut on the smaller side as to cook everything in a timely manner.  Pork is a great choice because it cooks quickly.  A few of my carrots were a'dente which we like so judge the size of your ingredients.

Side salad works well.