The Gibbsters

This recipe is one that my mother use to make for us when we were kids. I’ve made it for Eric several times and now he craves it. We both give this one 5 stars!

Taco Casserole

1lb. ground beef

1 medium chopped onion

14 oz. tomato sauce

1 package taco seasoning

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1/8 tsp ground hot pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 small can green chilies

1 small can olives (drained)

1 bag shredded 3 cheese Mexican mix

12 small corn tortillas

1/2 stick of butter

1/4 cup chopped green onion

Directions:

Heat Oven to 375

Combine beef and onions in skillet. Brown beef and cook onions until translucent and drain off juices and fat. Second, add 3/4 can of tomato sauce to mixture. Next add taco seasoning, pepper, hot pepper, and cumin. Mix in well then fold in green chilies and olives. Heat mixture all the way through, add the rest of tomato sauce if needed, and set beef mixture aside.

Butter bottom of 9X13 casserole dish. Next butter the tops of  the first 6 tortillas and arrange them in the bottom of baking dish so that the entire bottom is covered. Spread half of beef mixture on top of buttered tortillas. Next sprinkle half of the Mexican cheese mix on top of beef. Afterward, butter the remaining 6 tortillas, place them over the beef mixture and layer the rest of the meat and cheese like before. Finally drizzle chopped green onion over the top of the casserole. Bake @375 for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Cut Casserole in to sections and serve hot with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, and spicy salsa.

Eric and I will sometimes be in the mood to have breakfast for dinner, so we’ll load up in the car and head down the road to the old IHOP. Every time we go, I always struggle to order the right pancakes. I ask myself, “Do I want the fluffy buttermilk pancakes, or am I craving their delicious cornmeal pancakes?” Neither one seems to satisfy me completely. Finally, I decided to go on a quest for the perfect pancake recipe.  I am happy to say, I found it! This recipe takes my two favorite pancakes and combines them into one mouthwatering flapjack. If you like blueberry or banana pancakes, you can easily mix your favorite fruit into this batter to make your perfect pancake. Give them a try and enjoy!

• 

  Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes

  1/2 cup cornmeal

• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter

Put cornmeal and cold water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and continue to boil gently and mix for 2 or 3 minutes. Turn cornmeal into a mixing bowl. Stir buttermilk into cornmeal mixture. Sift together flower, surgar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; add to cornmeal mixture. Stir in beaten egg and butter. Cook pancakes on a lightly greased griddle or pan.

Pasta Bar

Once again it is time to post a recipe.  Eric and I love to go to Brick Oven located in Provo and order the “All you can eat pasta bar”. However, now that we have a baby it’s not as easy to get out of the house, so I creatively came up with this little beauty… My home made pasta bar. This bar includes two different kinds of sauces along with different cheeses and toppings to put on top. Yummy!

Alfredo Sauce

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 stick of cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Combine butter and whipping cream in a small saucepan; cook over low heat until butter melts. Stir in cream cheese until it is fully melted. Next, stir in Parmesan cheese, white pepper, and parsley.

Yield: 8 servings

Meat Sauce

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce of choice (I prefer the Ragu Sweet Basil and Sun Dried Tomato sauce)
• Several leaves of basil rolled up and cut into strips
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Salt and pepper beef and brown. Drain beef, then set aside. Next, combine garlic and olive oil on medium heat in a skillet. Saute until garlic is tender, but do not brown the garlic. Next, pour entire jar of sauce into garlic and olive oil. Stir in basil and red pepper. Finally add beef to the sauce.

Pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions. Try cooking two different types of pasta that you think your family will enjoy choosing from.

Mmmm, Eric likey

Toppings

• Mizithra Cheese (This is wonderful sprinkled on top of the meat sauce)
• Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Pine Nuts
• Parmesan Cheese
• Artichoke Hearts
• Grilled Chicken

“I’m a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That’s what kind of man I am.”

Yes, last weekend I decided to assert my manhood through that age-old tradition of home improvement.  After dusting off the ol’ tool belt and borrowing a truck-load of power tools from by brother, Ken, I was ready to begin the task of tearing through wood with a table saw and driving nails through it with the raw power of compressed air.  OK, maybe it was a little more elegant than that, but it sounds a lot tougher when you put it that way.

Natalie and I decided it was time to get started on Tateym’s room, and our first task was to put up beadboard.  This was my first time undertaking such a task, but it seemed simple enough:  put some glue on the plank, stick it on the wall, then nail it in place–I could have it all done in a day!  Or so I thought.  As it turns out, if you want it to look good (which was the general idea) there’s a little more to it.  I quickly discovered that to get a level line at the chair rail level I was going to need to trim each plank to the proper height, which in turn meant a lot of measuring and running up and down the stairs to the saw in the garage.

Well, a couple of Saturdays, a few weeknights, and a number of sore muscles later I’ve nearly finished my one day project.  It still needs those finishing touches, a little caulk and some paint, but all in all I think it’s coming out pretty nice.

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Without a doubt this is one of Eric’s and my favorite dessert. It truly is a bit of heaven in a dish.

Serves 10-12 (If you’re piggies liken Eric and I, this recipe serves 6.)

• One 3 1/2 package vanilla instant pudding mix
• One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• One 12-ounce box vanilla wafers
• 3 or 4 bananas, sliced
• Chocolate syrup

Heavenly Banana Delight

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, condensed milk, and milk, and beat for 2 minutes, or until well blended.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes.  In another bowl, whip the heavy cream.  Add the whipped cream and the sour cream to the pudding mixture.  Place half the vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch dish.  Top with half the sliced bananas, half the pudding mixture, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup (don’t be shy with the chocolate syrup).  Repeat each layer and decorate the top with chocolate syrup.