Loaded Nachos

These are Pioneer Woman's nachos and they are deeeeee-lish! I mean, I love these! Especially with the jalapeños! And, no, the jalapeños aren't spicy after you cook them, for those of you who live in the South and can't abide anything spicier than bone marrow (not trying to hurt anyone's feelings). You can't even taste them, it just looks prettier. Maybe you can taste them, I don't know. They seem to have a lot more flavor than the ones without the jalapeños, though, so maybe it just adds some flavor. But trust me, you'll love these.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 lbs ground beef 
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 can (14-5 oz) black beans
• tortilla chips
• 1-1/2 c grated cheddar cheese (diy)
• 1-1/2 c grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 jalapeño, chopped

salsa 

• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 jalapeño, diced finely
• 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp salt

optional toppings

• 1 whole avocado, pitted and diced (not optional for me!)
• sour cream 

INSTRUCTIONS

I'm sorry guys, but there are so many words in the instructions that I don't want to take the time to write them all down by "hand", so if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to copy and paste...take or add a few words, because Pioneer Woman uses half an onion, I just use all of it. Besides, it's not any spicier and let me tell you it's wayy faster to just cut up all of it and toss it in. Well, if you don't count crying over it, then it's easier. Half of an onion doesn't get to your heart as much as a whole onion does. It's touching. So, I know it's so unoriginal, but at least you get Pioneer Woman instead of me! That's good, right?

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and the (diced) onion. Cook it until starting to soften, then add the ground beef. Cook the meat until it's totally browned. This is the part where Pioneer Woman (no, this is not copied, this is me) drains the fat. Are you kidding? Ain't nobody got time fo dat! So, just let it cook a little. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the beans and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. To make the salsa, lightly blend all ingredients in the food processor, the way we always make salsa. (Or, you can just use your own salsa recipe! I know, shocking, you don't have to follow a recipe! Who knew?)
3. To build the nachos, place a layer of tortilla chips on a platter or plate. Top with a layer of the beef/bean mixture, then all but 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. Add another layer of chips, another layer of the beef/bean mixture, and the Monterey Jack cheese. Add a final small layer of chips, then a small layer of beef and beans, then a final sprinkling of cheddar. Top with chopped jalapeño.
4. Place the sheet into a 325 degree oven. Just leave it in until the cheese is melted.
5. Immediately sprinkle on the diced avocado and plenty of salsa.
6. Optional: Add dollops of sour cream here and there! (See, she put the avocado down in the "optional toppings" list, but she includes it as non-optional in the instructions! Soooo, I think we can all agree we're supposed to put avocados on?)
7. Serve immediately and 

P.S. Sorry for the funky sizing of the font...for some reason it won't just be the normal size that it's supposed to be. But oh well, as long as you can read my witty comments about this whole endeavor, then who cares how small it is. ;)

Latkes

A fancy word for "fancy potato pancakes". Don't stop reading because it sounds gross. Because it really isn't, trust me. Potato pancakes are made out of 100% potatoes that you buy at your local grocery store. But these are fancier than potato pancakes, which is why they're called something fancier than "fancy potato pancakes" or "yummier than potato pancakes". This is simple and easy. Not to mention quick. I love quick and easy, don't you?

Update: after I had these, I decided these weren't my thing. They made me feel a little queasy, even when I think about them they do. So, if you get a little nervous about the idea of being queasy or not liking them but making too much, cut this recipe in half and make just a small batch. This recipe makes a lot of latkes, and you may not like that (I think around 20). But if you like latkes, then enjoy.

Ingredients

•  2 c potatoes, grated
• 1 T onion, grated
• 3 eggs, large
• 2 T flour
• 1½ t salt
• ½ c oil, for frying

Directions

1. peel potatoes, then grate them and put in medium-sized bowl.
2. peel and grate onion, put them with grated potatoes.
3. break three eggs into potato-onion mixture.
4. stir until well-mixed.
5. put in flour and stir, then salt and stir until all of the ingredients are well-mixed in with the other ingredients. Do not over-stir (you don't need to stir as often if you don't want to), or the eggs will get tough.
6. pour oil into frying pan or non-stick skillet.
7. once boiling or has bubbles, scoop out about ¾ of a cup of latke batter and pour onto skillet, about the shape of a pancake.
8. if you can fit three, do three at a time, flipping them over like pancakes. Latkes are potato pancakes, so if you don't know if you're cooking them right, just pretend they're pancakes because they are...they're just not made out of the same ingredients and they're a little bit more lumpy. Whatever you do, make sure you don't burn them, and make sure you enjoy them, which leads us to the last step...
9. Once you've used up all the batter, put them on a plate or platter, serve and

P.S. got this recipe from my sister. I have no clue where she got it, but if you see a pin on pinterest that has good-looking latkes, that may be where she got the recipe. Also, I wasn't a huge fan of this...it made my stomach feel a little queasy and I'm even queasy thinking about them. So, these may not be for you, so let me forewarn you that this recipe makes a lot of latkes, so cut the recipe in half and you should be good. ;)

Coffee Craves

This is my every-day coffee with a little twist... ;) a twist that will make you crave your coffee every morning.

If you don't already.

I thought I'd already posted a recipe of my every-day coffee, but maybe not. I can't find it anywhere, so maybe I did but then I took it down?

Whatever.

Ingredients

• 1 spnful Trader Joe's inst. coffee
• 7 oz. (or so) water
• 7 oz. mug (bigger is fine, smaller is not)
• 1-5 dashes cream
• 2 spnfuls brown sugar
• dribble of Bailey's (that's the twist!)

Directions

1. Heat the water until it  whistles or until it comes to a rolling boil*
2. Pour water into mug
3. Put two spnfuls brown sugar in coffee
4. Pour in cream until light brown
5. Drizzle a tiny drip of Bailey's in. Any stronger and it'll be overpowering. You just want a hint of Bailey's

Bailey's makes coffee taste wayy better, trust me. But make sure that doesn't mean you put more Bailey's in because you think I don't know what I'm talking about when I say the Bailey's will overpower your coffee if you put too much in. No, honestly, it does becoming overpowering after a few drizzles (notice I didn't say drops because really I don't think drops make any difference whatsoever in your coffee). Ask me how I know.
So, make the coffee, sit down with a very good book (it has to be very good to match the coffee. Can I suggest "Mara, Daughter of the Nile" — by Eloise Jarvis McGraw — to you? It's so excellent—I've read it five times, I think?).
Anyway, read Mara while drinking coffee and

*I have no clue what a "rolling boil" is, it just sounds better than just plain "boil". ;) (Don't tell anyone I said that.)