Mexican Haystacks

I am pretty sure my brother lived off of this in college. And I can't blame him.  It is easy to make and has basic ingredients that you can dress up if you have the extras. 

My husband thinks these are "Taco Salads", but in my family, taco salads are way different. I will show you our taco salad another time. In my book, this is a Mexican Haystack. Top it with whatever you want, I will just give you some ideas. 

Mexican Haystacks

Filling

1 lb ground beef

2 (16oz) cans pork and beans

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

Cook ground beef in skillet. Drain grease and return to pan. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

Lay a base of tortilla chips. Top with warm meat mixture. Add any of the following

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Chopped lettuce

Salsa

Sour Cream

Ranch Dressing

One Tasty Salad

Do you remember when you used to go play at a friends house and you were there around dinner and so the mom would invite you to stay? And then you would have to borrow the phone (house phones of course) and call your mom and ask if you could stay for dinner. Good times.

This recipe reminds me of eating at my childhood friend's house. They used to have this salad at almost every meal. To be honest, it was good, but not my favorite as a kid. But as I got older and wiser, I really came to love it. What really makes this salad is the dressing. It is simple, easy to adapt to your tastes and very healthy. Give it a go.

Salad:
1 head Red or Green Leaf Lettuce (chopped)
1- 2 tomatoes, large dice
1 avocado, sliced
1/8 red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:
1 Tbsp lemon juice (FRESH!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp black pepper

Peach Cobbler Muffins

Have I talked about how much I love peaches? They are right up there with lemons. I can't think of a better fruit than a ripe peach from a farmer's market. And oh those beautiful peachy colors! Peaches are so great, I wanted them in my wedding. I don't remember if I mentioned this before, but we had peach cobbler at our wedding instead of wedding cake. It was amazing, and made for a nice display. 

Anyways, I think I first made these muffins for a camping trip. They were a sweet, portable breakfast of sorts. I know this post is terribly out of season, but I figured we could use a little summer in the midst of this cold winter. 

Peach Cobbler Muffins 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

A dash of milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups white sugar

2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 muffin cups.

2.      In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, milk, eggs, and sugar. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture just until moist. Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.

3.      Bake 20-23 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.