Family Foodies

Yep – it’s my second post in one day.  I couldn’t wait to continue my Cross Blog Conversation with The Veggie Queen.  But I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to participate in the Ultimate Recipe Swap meme with Life as Mom, either.  One great thing about a recipe swap meme is the variety of recipes you are going to find at the host blog!

The theme is:  Feeding a Crowd.  So what do you do when you feed a crowd?

I like to keep things simple, and since both of my daughters’ birthdays are during summer, we usually have a backyard get together.  I have served Taco Salad almost every time – and everybody has loved it!

In keeping with the 2-for-1 theme, I actually have 2 versions of taco salad – one is my mom’s and one is my mother-in-law’s.  They are both easy to serve outside and they serve a crowd nicely.  Since we always have coolers full of beverages, the “cold” ingredients are kept chilled in the coolers until its time to clean up!

Martha’s Taco Salad

1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 packet dry taco seasoning
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained
2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese
2 bags prepared lettuces (We like Classic Romaine or Greener Selection lettuces)
Toppings:
1 1-lb bag of taco flavored tortilla chips
1 tomato, diced
1 onion, minced
Sour Cream
Salsa or Taco sauce
Sliced black olives
Bottles of various dressings (our favorite is Catalina)

Cook ground beef with onion until cooked through.  Stir in taco seasoning (I usually add about 2 Tbsp. water to make a thin sauce) and kidney beans.  Cook until heated through.

Toss lettuces with cheese in large bowl. Have other ingredients in small containers or bowls and serve this buffet style and let everyone mix and match their salad according to their ingredients.

Obviously, you can add other ingredients to your taste such as sliced peppers, corn, black beans, etc.  It’s very easy and can be multiplied according to your crowd size.

Thelma’s Taco Salad

1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 packet dry taco seasoning
1 jar Taco sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1-lb bag taco flavored chips
1 bag prepared lettuce (my mother-in-law uses iceberg, but we love the Greener Selection)
1 tomato, diced
Toppings:
Sour cream
Salsa
Sliced black olives
Minced onion
Salad Dressings (Ranch dressing is perfect for this!)

Spray 9×13 pan with non-fat cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook ground beef with onion until cooked through.  Stir in taco seasoning and taco sauce.  Pour into prepared 9×13 pan.  Cover with cheese.  Crush chips slightly and cover meat mixture.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes.  Top with lettuce and tomato, and cut into squares for serving.  Offer guests additional toppings in a buffet style.

Now I want to know what some of my readers do when Feeding a Crowd, so I am going to tag:

Janet at Meatless Mama

Alyssa Avant at Life From my Laptop

Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolates

TAG!  You’re It!