30-Minute Cheesy Taco Soup

When you want soup but you're also craving tacos, make this one pot cheesy taco soup!

Looking at the ingredients list can be overwhelming, but with a little prep work, this soup is very easy to throw together and have on the dinner table in 30 minutes. I like to print recipes out and take it with me to my spices and take them all out at once and line the up in order. This recipe is also made in one pot, which is my favorite. Less dirty dishes is always a good thing. There's an array of garnishes to pick from too. You can top it with a few or all of them. You can top it with those listed or any you would like. We did Fritos, sour cream, dried cilantro, diced tomatoes, and hot sauce on ours. It's one of my favorite soups because it's just a taco in soup form...and there is NOTHING wrong with that :)

Carne Asada Fries

I don't need chili cheese fries, I need these Carne Asada Fries in my life!

For this recipe, I purchased carne asada style beef and a packet of carne asada seasoning to make my own carne asada. I wanted my cheese to be super melty, so I stuck the fries back in the oven so it'd be all melty and delicious. Then I topped it with the carne asada and cilantro. I am the only one in my family who eats guacamole, so I left that off of everyone else's. I do want to say Nick ate his topped with banana peppers though.

Totcho Supreme

Nachos just got better with this loaded tatortot version topped with delicious carne asada!

I don't know if my blog demographic covers many Tenacious D fans, but if there are a few out there - one of the things that drew me to this recipe was the title. I couldn't stop giggling. Their song "The History of Tenacious D" features a lot of things that are supreme and I was so happy when the family asked what was for dinner and I got to sing totcho supreme and they looked at me like I was crazy (except for my husband who made me repeat it in a not-singing voice so that he could also sing it). I love the play on words here. This recipe is nachos using tatortots instead of chips and loaded up with all sorts of goodies - making it supreme, of course.

This is the exact type of meal I love to have when I'm craving Mexican food, but I loved having potatoes instead of chips.

Nacho Cheeseburgers #SecretRecipeClub

It's time again for Secret Recipe Club reveal day for my group, Group D! What is Secret Recipe Club? It's a bunch of food bloggers separated into four groups that post once a month on a designated Monday. Each month, we are paired with another foodie from our group secretly (hence the name). We then pick a recipe (or two or more) from that blog and make it. On our reveal day, we reveal whose blog we had and what recipe(s) we chose all at the same time. It's like a Secret Santa every month, but with food and blogs! It's a great deal of fun :)

This month I was assigned to a Group D veteran, Nicole, of I Am A Honeybee. Her about me makes me a happy person. I need to do mine up with some random facts about me. It makes me feel so much more connected to Nicole - like for example, we both get anxious opening presents in front of people. Glad I'm not alone there! Nicole has an almost 2 year old daughter, Autumn, who is a cutie patootie! AND she just got married and her wedding pictures are SO BEAUTIFUL. I especially loved their cocktail hour pictures - a lot of candid shots and it looks like such a happy occasion.

Anyways...I went to Nicole's blog to look for food and I decided to either do a burger recipe or a pizza recipe. I immediately found my recipe: Nacho Cheeseburgers (but please, do stop by and see Nicole's other fabulous recipes here) - yes, NACHO CHEESEBURGERS. Then I actually looked at the recipe and was even more excited! I've been a guacamole kick lately - even though no one else in the house eats it - and I was so happy that I had an excuse to get some for a dinner recipe and no one else had to pout about having to eat it. I got to have the guac all to myself :) I noted in the instructions how my burgers stuck a little to my pan, so I will use my griddle next time. However, despite the slight sticking - these burgers were so good. Nick looked at me like I was crazy when he saw the beans in the burger mix, but he was pleasantly surprised. They add a little texture to the burger and you get a hint of a bean taste, but it's not overwhelming and doesn't take away from the burger taste. I loved the crunch of the chips in there too :) Thanks, Nicole, for a very yummy recipe that will absolutely be a regular on burger night!

Taco Casserole

I often underestimate how much I am going to love recipes when I see the simplicity of the ingredients. I looked at this one and thought "Meh. Tacos" because it's just ground beef with taco seasoning and taco fixings. I should know by now that I'm gonna be impressed by simple recipes and blown away by ingredients I will throw together in a pinch on Taco Tuesday, not in casserole form, basically when they are actually in casserole form.

I have made this quite a few times since that first time making it because it's nice to not always have tacos and the kids enjoy taco salad because it's a little easier for them to eat than when it's in a hard or soft shell. I personally doubled the meat when I made it and I have plans to double the beans next time as well. Bell peppers or even a jalapeno would be a great addition. And cilantro is definitely a must [also not pictured in this initial time I made it].

Grilled Cheese Week: Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Yesterday's recipe had bacon gouda and guacamole, but today's recipe has actual bacon with guacamole in it. There is definitely a difference in a couple pieces of bacon and some bits of bacon in delicious smoked cheese. This sandwich also has crushed tortilla chips and cheddar jack cheese. They are similar, but different.

Grilled Cheese Week: Goudalicious Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Day 2 of Grilled Cheese Week is all about guacamole and gouda! Gouda is the bacon of cheeses, but it's even better when you get bacon gouda cheese. I have not had any luck with keeping fresh avocados fresh long enough to make anything from them, so I used guacamole in a jar. Still, the smooth guacamole with the juicy tomato and salty bacon-y cheese is a great combination for a grilled cheese sandwich!