"Pico de Gallo"

During the summer we have a garden which contains all of the ingredients below that I have used for the last few summers to make homemade "Pico de Gallo". I use it to top turkey burgers, serve with fajitas and other Mexican dishes I make, and of course, with tortilla chips. This recipe yields approximately 32 ounces.

Ingredients

• 4-6 fresh tomatoes depending on size, 6 roma sized, or 4 larger
• ⅓ white onion
• bunch of cilantro - approximately 1/4 cup loosely packed 
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded or with seeds in depending on spice preference
• 1 lime
• salt
• 2 cloves of garlic

Instructions

1. Finely dice tomato and onion
2. chop cilantro into fine pieces 
3. Add the onion and cilantro and garlic.
4. Slice the lime in half and squeeze both halves on top
5. Add a few pinches of salt
6. Add the jalapeno pepper and blend.

Cheeseburger Soup

I made a double batch of the Cheeseburger Soup and I'm so glad I did! It filled a large pot, so make sure if you're making a double batch (or more) that you are prepared with a large enough pot. I recommend making a large batch and freezing. This microwaves from frozen really well. Just heat for about 2 minutes, stir, and then heat for an additional 2 minutes or until heated through. 

Here's what you need for 1 batch:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef 
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup diced celery (I used my Pampered Chef chopper to get the pieces really fine as I don't really care for celery in soup)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (the original recipe calls for 4 cups of potatoes, but I don't like a soup full of potatoes)
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup Velveeta & 1 cup shredded yellow cheddar cheese (the original recipe says to use 2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed or- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese)
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.(You use the same saucepan to get a strong mix of the flavors, don't wash or wipe out the pan between steps)
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

Original recipe was found here: http://therecipecritic.com/2012/12/cheeseburger-soup/

From the Oven with Lovin'

The idea behind this blog is simple; share delicious recipes with family and friends that don't take a lot of time, but taste delicious, and have ingredients I can pronounce!