Taco meat burrito thingys (an alternative to regular tacos)

2 cups taco meat (I keep it in the freezer in 2-cup packages)
2 carrots
1 onion (or half a large one)
2 large whole-wheat soft tortillas
cheese

Grab some taco meat that's been in the freezer for a while and you don't know what to do with it. Or just make some with ground beef and taco seasoning. If you're making it fresh, drain it well after it's brown. Use a food processor to finely chop the onion and carrots together, and then put them in the skillet with your taco meat (you don't have to defrost your meat first if it's frozen -- just stick it in there). Cook over medium heat until the onions are getting tender and a little browned. Spoon the mixture onto the tortilla shells, half in each one. Put it right in the middle, in kind of a strip down the middle. Put your cheese on top of the meat, however much and whatever kind you like. I used white American because it was what we had, but I think cheddar or a spicy cheese would be better. Fold the sides of the tortilla over everything, so it's like a flat burrito. Stick it on your George Foreman grill and grill it until it's brown and the cheese is melted, just a minute or two. If you don't have a George Foreman grill -- um, you need to get one. But you could probably brown it in the skillet if you wanted, if you've drained out the oil.

I don't like tacos because I hate lettuce and the stuff that's usually in tacos, so this is a good alternative. You don't *need* the carrots, I suppose, but they do enhance the flavor a bit, and it's added nutrition. I add chopped carrots to whatever I can add them to, because it's good for you and you don't notice the flavor that much. You could probably also do the same thing with chopped celery, maybe even some chopped baby spinach leaves. Whatever. This is great because it's a quick lunch packed with protein and flavor, and you can customize it for your tastes. Although I don't think I'd put lettuce in it. It would get wilty on the grill.

Pumpkin pancakes

This is from Allrecipes.com. Link to the recipe is http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Pancakes/Detail.aspx.


Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1 cup pumpkin puree
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons vinegar

Directions

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

*QB's notes: I used soy milk like I do in everything else, and it was fine, so you can make these dairy-free. I didn't have any allspice, so I used about 1/8 tsp. of cloves and 1/4 tsp. ish of nutmeg -- it turned out all right, but I should have used a bit more. Or else gone out and bought allspice. You really should have allspice. Anyway, these were delicious either alone or with maple syrup.

Pancakes

Here's a recipe from my mom. She makes the best pancakes ever. Light and crisp at the edges, fluffy in the middle. Mmmmm. :)

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
heaping teaspoon baking powder
2 shakes salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon cooking oil
approx. 2/3 cup milk (soy milk may also be used)
Optional: capful of vanilla, a generous helping of cinnamon, chopped frozen or fresh fruit, ginger

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add egg, oil, and a little milk (1/3 cup or so), and any extras, and whisk together. Add milk until the batter is runny, but not too thin. (If you get it thin, you can use it that way, you'll just have thin pancakes.)

Heat about a tablespoon of cooking oil on the griddle over medium heat. When the oil is hot, pour pancakes onto griddle. (You can tell if the oil is ready by dripping a drop of batter onto the griddle -- if it instantly starts to sizzle at the edges, it's hot enough.) Make them whatever size you want. I like to make small-ish ones for the kids. When the edges start to brown and the middles are bubbly, flip the pancakes over to brown the other side. When that side is browned, remove them from the griddle, add a bit more oil to the griddle to heat, and make another pan full. You'll need to make sure you have a bit of oil on the pan, because that's what's going to give you the crispy edges. Serve with butter and warm syrup.

My new favorite pancakes are with vanilla and a bit of cinnamon. The kids like "purple pancakes," with frozen blueberries -- the juice makes the batter purple. Experiment!

Home Made Beefaroni

I have no idea what store bought beefaroni tastes like so I am not sure how well this compares.

1# ground beef

1onion

2-4 t garlic (depends on how much you like garlic)

1 can tomato soup

2-3 T yellow mustard

shredded cheddar cheese

1# macaroni cooked

I run the onion and garlic through the food processor to almost puree. Dump them in a skillet with the ground beef. Cook til beef is brown. Stir in soup and mustard. Pour over cooked pasta and top with cheese.

Pretty kid friendly, quick and yummy

The best grilled cheese ever!

I know what you're thinking. "Grilled cheese? Grilled cheese? She thinks I need a recipe for grilled cheese?! Seriously?!" Yeah, seriously. Because I can guarantee you that if you make a basic grilled cheese, it has never been this heavenly.

What you need:

2 slices of whole wheat bread
A little butter or margarine
2 slices of American cheese (white American is even better)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic powder (to taste)
*Optional, but fabulous: Creole seasoning (gives it a little kick)

Heat up your non-stick skillet or griddle. Lightly butter one side of both pieces of bread and put one piece on the skillet, butter-side down. Layer one piece of American cheese, a healthy fingerful of mozzarella, a sprinkling of garlic powder, just a little sprinkle of Creole seasoning, the other slice of American cheese, and the other piece of bread, butter-side up. When the bottom slice of bread starts to get nice and warm, but not quite yet browned, flip the sandwich over (carefully, the mozzarella will try to escape -- you might want to use two spatulas, or else pick up the skillet and use it to help hold the sandwich together). Sprinkle a little mozzarella on the outside of the now-warmed bread and kind of press it into the bread lightly. You don't need to smash it, but you want it to kind of stick in there. After the other piece of bread is warmed, flip the sandwich and give that side the mozzarella treatment. Now, when your cheese on the inside is getting kind of melty and the bottom piece of bread is browned and the mozzarella on the bottom is nice and crispy, flip it over to brown the other slice of bread. When it's browned, remove the sandwich from the skillet and let it sit for a minute or two to finish melting the cheese and to cool enough to not burn your lips off.

Then eat it, and try not to pass out from the fabulosity.