taco salad
Posted: February 28, 2023 Filed under: salads, sides | Tags: avocado, beef, black olives, cheddar cheese, chicken, cilantro, corn chips, green chilies, kidney beans, lettuce, lime juice, tomatoes Leave a comment
This recipe is dedicated to our friend Torri – we celebrated by making this on her birthday and have dubbed this “Torri’s Taco Salad!”
~ 🥳️ ~
A Fiesta For Your Tastebuds
Every now and again, I’ll stumble across an unnamed recipe in Mom’s cookbook. This one was clearly a taco salad and it’s remarkably easy to make. You can adjust the ingredients and amounts but below is the original recipe for how Mom made her salad.
Foodie Tips
❤ A #1 can? Yeah – back in the good ol’ days, can sizes were referred to by a number. I found this hand reference sizing chart and the numbers can be tricky (a No. 2 can holds more than a No. 303)!
❤ I couldn’t resist adding chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. For the chilies, I used a can of diced green chilies as I was too lazy to chop them in a food processor. I was ready to eat!
❤ While this is a vegetarian taco salad, you may be left wondering “Where’s the beef?!” You can easily add some ground beef, fajita meat, or shredded rotisserie chicken to make this a mega meal packed with protein.
❤ Need a guacamole recipe? Fresh is best! Here’s a Betty’s Cook Nook favorite and our sister site “Home Style Austin” has Joe’s signature homemade guac.
i. Time
About 20-30 minutes to prep
ii. Ingredients
1 head | iceberg lettuce, sliced or chopped
1 can | kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 | tomatoes, chopped
1 can | green chilies
1 can | black olives, sliced
¼ pound | sharp cheddar, grated
to serve | guacamole
¾ – 1 cup | corn chips, coarsely chopped
iii. What To Do
1. Prep Your Lettuce: Perhaps we made our salads a little too big, as around 9:55 PM, I declared “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” We halved a head of lettuce which we divided between the two of us… but this could easily be made into quarters for up to four servings. I prefer my lettuce sliced into quarter-inch strips. Place the lettuce into a bowl.
2. Layer Up: Begin layering onto your salad the beans, tomatoes, green chilies, olives, and shredded cheese. You can place the salad in the fridge to chill a bit (if preferred).
3. Dig In: When ready to serve, add some fresh guacamole on top and sprinkle with the chopped corn chips. Finish with a few squeezes of fresh lime juice and enjoy!
Yield: 2-4 servings (depending on size)
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
An original scan of Mom’s recipe:
Do you eat the whole thing? Let’s take a trip down memory lane with a couple of vintage Alka Seltzer and Wendy’s commercials:
11/30/21
hondo corn casserole
Posted: November 17, 2019 Filed under: sides | Tags: butter, cheddar cheese, corn, cream style corn, egg, green chilies, onion, pepper, ritz crackers, salt, sugar, unsweetened condensed milk Leave a comment
Thanksgiving Spectacular
In uncommon fashion I’m pre-posting some recipes that are on deck and ready for the upcoming foodie festival!
Scroll down below and you’ll find three recipes that hail to my kitchen from my Cousin Julie – Hondo Corn Casserole (thank you, carbs), Madeira Turkey, and Wild Mushroom and Pecan Stuffing! These are on deck and coming out of the oven soon!
For you new-comers out there if you missed it make sure and check out the latest posts perfect for Thanksgiving – Pumpkin Bread, Sour Cream Apple Pie plus Brandied Pumpkin Flan which is a family Thanksgiving staple. On our sister site Home Style Austin you can score our newest recipe Honey+Rosemary Roasted Cashews which are great for gift giving. Enjoy our 2019 fall “flavorites” from us to you!
This is surely going to be a Thanksgiving to remember. Photos and my usual rambling on about the good ol’ days to follow!
HONDO CORN CASSEROLE
This recipe sat in my cookbook likely since the 1990s. This year I was searching for the best sides to make for Thanksgiving and dived in. I couldn’t remember the origin of the recipe but when I read the ending of the recipe “If guests arrive, give them a drink and regale with stories of Texas Gulf Coast wonders” I knew this recipe hailed from someone special.
One phone conversation with Cousin Jennifer and it was confirmed – this recipe was from my dear Cousin Julie Sutton Mueller. Jennifer said this was one of Julie’s long-standing recipes at the holidays and as the recipe indicates – it’s a crowd favorite and people always ask for this recipe. That certainly proved true this Thanksgiving when I made it for our annual gathering at Canyon Lake!
Foodie Tips
❤ All about the corn: You can use a box of frozen corn – the instructions below presume you’ll use canned corn. If you’d like to increase the serving sizes to 8-10 you can add a can of the whole kernel corn.
❤ “Unsweetened condensed milk” – you’ll likely not find this in your store… but never fear – it’s the same thing as evaporated milk. Who knew?!? I didn’t until I researched it!
i. Time
Total prep: About 75 minutes
ii. Ingredients
16 ounce can | cream style corn
16 ounce can | whole kernel corn
1 cup | cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup | Ritz crackers, crushed
1 small | onion, chopped (or several green onions, chopped)
1 | cage free egg
3 tablespoons (or less) | sugar
⅔ cup | unsweetened condensed milk (see foodie tip above)
1 stick | unsalted butter, melted (tip: my Grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias brand butter)
1 small can (4.5 ounces) | chopped green chilis
to taste | salt and fresh cracked pepper
iii. What to do
0. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Meanwhile…
1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine all the ingredients together and set aside.
2. Grease or spray an oven casserole dish and fill it with your casserole mixture. You can either refrigerate this overnight until ready to bake or you can simply jump to step 3!
3. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden brown. Recommended step: If you’d like to make a pretty top crust, 10 minutes before the casserole is done baking sprinkle more cheese or crushed Ritz crackers on top. Deeeee-licious!
Serves: 6-10 (see recipe expansion tip above)
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Cousin Julie’s Hondo Corn Casserole
Enjoy your preview of what’s to come for Thanksgiving 2019!
green chilies casserole
Posted: May 20, 2013 Filed under: appetizers, breakfast, casseroles and one-dish meals, sides | Tags: cheddar cheese, eggs, evaporated milk, flour, green chilies, monterrey jack cheese, tomato sauce, tortilla chips Leave a comment
A Great Side Or Main Dish
How can you create anything but success with a recipe that calls for an entire pound of cheese?
This is a tasty dish that’s easy to prepare and even easier to eat. It’s great as an entrée or main dish depending on the size of the helping and what time of day you’re eating it.
This Casserole? Olé! Olé!
2 4 ounce cans | whole green chilies
½ pound | cheddar cheese, grated
2 | cage free eggs
1 tablespoon | flour
12 ounce can | evaporated milk
½ pound | monterrey jack cheese, grated
8 ounce can | tomato sauce
to garnish | tortilla chips, crumbled
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 400°F.
1. Split the green chilies and remove the seeds (if any).
2. Butter the bottom of a 9″ x 9″ casserole dish and layer the chilies in the bottom. Cover the chilies with the cheddar cheese and set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl beat the eggs, flour and evaporated milk. Pour the mixture over the chilies and cheese and place the casserole in the oven for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven and top it with the monterrey jack cheese. Pour on the tomato sauce. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and set aside for a few minutes to rest. Cut, plate and enjoy!
Serves: 4-6
foodie tips ~
♥ Although the original recipe didn’t call for it, after my first helping I decided that a little crunch would be a nice contrast. So I crumbled some tortilla chips onto my plate before serving.
♥ Something tells me a dollop of sour cream would be good on top of a slice of this casserole. That “something” is my belly talking to me and I’ll try it when I heat-up the leftovers. (Simmer down, belly).
~ ~ ~
Who is “Mary Stephenson?”
We Kikers lived at 2927 Trailend Drive and Mary was the mother of the family living next door to us.
Mary was a fabulous foodie friend of ours and you’ll find a few recipes from Mary’s kitchen here at Betty’s Cook Nook. Click here for more of Mary’s recipes.
Our two families spent many shared dinners and laughs together so I was happy to find some of Mary’s recipes tucked in Mom’s cookbook since the Stephensons were a magnificent and memorable part of my wonder years.
impossible taco pie
Posted: April 15, 2012 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals, meats poultry and fish | Tags: bisquick, cheddar cheese, eggs, green chilies, ground beef, lettuce, milk, monterey jack cheese, onion, sour cream, taco seasoning, tomato Leave a commentGo Loco For Taco
This Pie Makes Its Own Crust ~ Total magic!
The idea of “magic” was something I was obsessed with when I was in 5th grade. I dreamed of being a professional magician after seeing a store display on Broadway Avenue… a mechanical magician who could perform tricks compliments of his table, a cup and a few eye-shifty shenanigans.
Oh, yeah… I was hooked.
Magically obsessed, one day I drug my Dad and best friend Sean to Central Park Mall to a magic shop. My eyes rest upon on a magic kit and I knew in a blink it was meant for me.
Dad selflessly bought me and Sean each the magic cred (I remember triple digits, so it was a big deal ~ especially in the 70s).
Back at our upstairs playroom at 2927 Trailend, complete with black light, cloth-covered table and my instruction manual cleverly tucked underneath, I performed ~ almost flawlessly ~ some of the tricks I could decipher.
This recipe? Totally easy to make. And especially easy and great to eat!
Ta Dah!
Let’s.
Make.
Magic!
i. ingredients
1 pound | ground beef
½ cup | onion, chopped
1 package | taco seasoning mix
4 ounces | chopped green chilies, drained
1¼ cups | milk
¾ cup | bisquick brand baking mix
3 | cage free eggs
2 | red tomatoes, sliced
1 cup | monterey jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
to garnish | ice burg lettuce, chopped
to garnish | red tomato, chopped
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 400°F.
1. Grease a 10½” pie plate and set aside.
2. Cook and stir beef and onion until brown; drain, then stir in taco seasoning mix.
3. Spread in pie plate and top with chilies.
4. With a blender or hand mixer, beat milk, baking mix and eggs until smooth; about 1 minute.
5. Pour into pie plate.
6. Bake pie 25 minutes then remove from oven.
7. Top with sliced tomatoes and cheese; return to oven and bake until knife inserted in the pie’s center returns clean (about 10 minutes).
8. Cool 5 minutes then top with sour cream, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and cheese.
Serves 6-8 Texans
Great For Breakfast Or Dinner
Foodie Tips ~
♥ Wanna spice up life? Add fresh diced jalapeños to the beef before you cook it. Adventurous!
jalapeño pie
Posted: May 29, 2011 Filed under: appetizers, breakfast, casseroles and one-dish meals | Tags: bacon, cheddar cheese, chorizo, eggs, green chilies, jalapeño Leave a commentOn this Memorial Day weekend, I welcome the rising temperatures of summer cascading through my kitchen windows. I decide today is a great day to make breakfast so I have a look through mom’s index card holder. Located up front is “the one” ~ a recipe for jalapeño pie. Looks simple enough, but I’m out of jalapeños!
The Labs have had their breakfast before me (a priority in my household), so I saddle-up and head to the neighborhood market and return a few minutes later with two handfuls of the spicy peppers. “Modern farming.”
Like the outside temperatures of May, which are on the rise, my taste buds waken from their siesta, ready for take-off. Better buckle up, buds.
i. ingredients
3 | eggs
8-10 oz. | shredded new york sharp cheddar
to taste | freshly sliced jalapeños (I prefer ¾ cup)
ii. what to do
1. In a small bowl, crack open and beat the eggs. Fold-in the cheese and jalapeños until well-blended.
2. Spray the bottom of a medium-sized pan with cooking spray.
3. Pour the egg mixture in the pan and cook at 350°F for 35 minutes.
Allow to cool a few minutes, then slice to serve. Shake your maracas and spank the piñata ~ you’ve just landed south of the border!
Foodie Tips ~
♥ This recipe can be easily doubled for larger fiestas.
♥ You can get creative with this recipe by adding your own favorite ingredients to the egg mixture like green chilies, cooked chorizo or bacon. Mom would approve. Just remember the more ingredients you add, you may need to increase the number of eggs to ensure a proper coating.
¡Disfrute de la vida!
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Note: I was happy to see mom’s treatment of the “n” in jalapeño, sporting a tilde. A tilde is kinda like a letter’s party hat or better yet… a sombrero (the bigger the hat…).
A tilded n? This ain’t “jalapeeno” country, folks!
Have a healthy appetite for the tilde like I do? Get more tasty tilde info at wiki here.
patrick’s chicken tortilla soup
Posted: May 15, 2011 Filed under: appetizers, soups, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: avocado, cheddar cheese, chicken, chicken broth, cilantro, corn, EVOO, green chilies, monterey jack cheese, onion, pepper jack cheese, sour cream, stewed tomatoes, taco seasoning, tortilla chips 3 CommentsThis recipe is dedicated to my special niece Melissa ~ Her zest for food taught me
the more spice you add to life, the merrier!
~ ♥ ~
If my Mom “Betty” was still alive, I would have made sure she put my own favorite recipe in her cookbook. And better yet, I would have made her some bowls of this great-tasting soup.
I’ve tweaked this recipe over the years, and you can also edit it to please your own personal taste buds. I’ve had several friends say it’s the best tortilla soup they’ve had … plus, it’s easy to make. My secret? Squeezing lime juice on top just after the cheese starts to melt.
As temperatures start to “dip,” what better way to warm-up chilly evenings, than with this all-time favorite tortilla soup recipe? Perfect as an appetizer, or as a main course, one bowl of this soup usually leads to two … or more! Totally a comfort food staple for the Fall Foodie in you.
ingredients
2 cups | cooked chicken breast (cubed)
1 cup | chopped onion
1 tsp. | olive oil
1 – 4 oz. can | chopped green chilies
1 – 1.25 oz. package | taco seasoning mix ~ the hotter, the better
1 – 16 oz. can | stewed tomatoes
6 cups | chicken broth
1 – 10 oz. package | frozen corn
1/3 cup | fresh chopped cilantro
to taste | tortilla chips, broken into pieces
4 cups | your favorite grated cheese (we prefer pepper jack, monterey jack or cheddar)
1 | avocado
garnish | sour cream
garnish | green onion (scallion)
to taste | fresh ground black pepper
garnish | a squeeze of lime juice
what to do
1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place into a medium pot filled with water. Bring to a boil for 5-7 minutes and cook until done. Drain and set aside.
2. In a 5-quart saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in oil 3 to 4 minutes, until soft.
3. Stir in chilies and the seasoning mix, cook 1 minute.
4. Add tomatoes and juice, breaking them up with a spoon.
5. Stir in broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add corn and chicken, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Top with the cilantro.
8. Spoon into bowls and top with chips, cheese, avocado, and sour cream. Garnish with scallion, black pepper, and a squeeze of lime.
Serves 4-5 hungry folks. The soup refrigerates well; keep the garnish (chips, cheese, avocado, sour cream) as last minute additions.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
calabacita
Posted: May 1, 2011 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals | Tags: calabacita, chicken, cilantro, corn, cumin, EVOO, garlic powder, green chilies, onion, squash, zucchini Leave a commentThis special recipe is dedicated to our dear family friend Bristol ~
thanks to her, mom’s recipes live on; the greatest treat I’ve ever received.
~ ♥ ~
My mom’s great friend “Bristol” said “calabacita” was one of mom’s absolute favorite recipes because she loved its spicy taste. Now I know where I get my love of spicy food!
I didn’t even know how to spell calaba-HUH?, but thanks to Google, I do now. Calabacita means “little squash” in Spanish and is often made of a variety of summer squashes with thin, edible skins, including zucchini, yellow crookneck, Mexican straight-neck and sunburst squashes (per the research I did online). We’ll see what mom used!
I remember something squashy as a kid, but not sure of the name. I think mom “dumbed” the name calabacita down to “squash” for me since my tiny tongue was too young to pronounce “ca-la-ba-ci-ta.” Although I do remember the young ability to say “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!”
5/14/11 UPDATE ~ I received mom’s cookbook this very week and scoured both the cookbook and the little recipe card file… and no calabacita recipe! All I can figure is that mom probably had the recipe in her head and didn’t need to write it down. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t share it with her friends! I’m on the hunt for the recipe, so in the meantime, enjoy the recipe below from the other Betty (Crocker)… the ingredients look similar to what I remember eating… except I don’t remember mom using chicken… but she did use both yellow crookneck squash and green zucchini.
i. ingredients
1 tablespoon | extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 lb | uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)
8 to 10 small to medium | zucchini (2 1/2 lb), peeled, thinly sliced (8 cups)
1 medium | white onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (15.25 oz) | Green Giant® whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (14.5 oz) | diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion, undrained
1 can (4.5 oz) | Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, undrained
1-1/2 teaspoons | garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon | ground cumin
to taste | salt and pepper, if desired
1/2 cup | chopped fresh cilantro
ii. what to do
1. In a 5- to 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the chicken; cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in the center.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except cilantro. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.
3. Stir in cilantro; cook 3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
Foodie Tips ~
♥ While I don’t remember mom serving calabacita over white rice, consider it (from me to you).
♥ Making instant rice? Why not substitute water with chicken or beef broth?
Enjoy!
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Betty's Cook Nook 
