Nauvoosungirl Discourses: Recipes

Taco Soup and Conference

I had a beautiful, warm, peaceful weekend. We watched eight hours of General Conference, enjoyed the company of good friends, and savored delectable bowls of savory taco soup.

Some of my favorite quotes of conference that I felt were just for me were...

"Once we see the divinity in ourselves, we see the divinity in others."

"Exaltation is our goal. Discipleship is our journey."

"Focus on the simplicity in Christ."

"The Sabbath purifies us."

"Maternal love is divine."

"No darkness that light cannot overcome."

These words strengthen me, uplift me, and give me hope.

Eliza played well, but the second the Mormon Tabernacle Choir started singing, she ran to the TV and stared, mesmerized.

She let me hold her for a talk or two.

The taco soup recipe was easy. I found one on the internet and added my own flare. I'm from Ohio, so I love colorful Cincinnati chili; this taco soup was similar.

You'll Need:

2 cans of pinto beans

2 cans of chili beans

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of kidney beans

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 can of green chilies

1 pint of beef broth

1 package of frozen corn

1 lb. of beef

1 taco seasoning packet

To garnish:

Mexican shredded cheese

Cilantro

Lime or regular corn chips

Sour cream

I combined the beans, tomatoes, broth, chilies, and corn and cooked the meat separately. For more taco flavor, add a second taco seasoning packet to your soup.

The soup was warm, cheesy, rich, and perfect for a chilly, cozy weekend.

Tangy cherry pie and strawberry ice cream for dessert.

Once we were in our food coma and started watching the last session of October conference, the girls settled down and colored.

Win win.

I celebrate General Conference like a holiday; until next April!

Lauren's Sloppy Joes

Earlier this week, I was craving my sister, Lauren's, delicious sloppy joes recipe. She uses red bell peppers and bacon which give the sandwich mix so much flavor!

To enjoy this yummy summer meal, you'll need:

1 lb. of ground beef

1 red bell pepper

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

8 strips of bacon

1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce

1.5 cups ketchup

1. To begin, dice the onion, garlic, and red bell pepper and sauté the three in olive oil until the onion is translucent.

2. Cook the bacon in a separate pan and cut into squares.

3. Add the ground beef to the onion, garlic, and red bell peppers until brown.

4. Add the bacon to the ground beef and vegetable mixture.

5. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and ketchup.

6. Serve on bread or chips and enjoy!

For dessert, try a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie and cookie butter ice cream from Trader Joe's (obsessed).

I'm glad the missionaries enjoyed the sloppy joes with Kenny, Eliza, and I!

Mom's Zuppa Toscana

My mom has a talent for making soup and Zuppa Toscana is her best.

Trust me, it's better than Olive Garden's.

Start by gathering the ingredients:

1 large onion

1/2 a bulb of garlic

1 lb. fresh mushrooms

olive oil

2 lb. Italian sausage

5 lb. gold potatoes

Half a bag of kale

1 lb. fresh shredded carrots

1/2 chicken broth

1 qt. heavy cream

First, dice the onions and garlic and wash the mushrooms.

Sautè these three ingredients in olive oil until the onions are transparent. Then add the sausage to the mixture and cook until brown.

Next, wash, dice, and boil the potatoes until soft.

Now, it's time for the carrots, kale, chicken broth, and heavy cream.

Keep about ten cups of the potato water and drain the rest. Then add the carrots, kale, chicken broth, and heavy cream to the pot.

Last, add the onion, garlic, mushroom, and sausage mixture to the pot.

Add salt and pepper as needed. For an extra kick, add some red pepper spice.

And enjoy this mouth watering, flavorful soup, which is also packed with vegetables.

Kenny's Carbonara

Kenny served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rome, Italy, and as a result, is an excellent cook.

Kenny makes a carbonara or what we like to call the breakfast pasta.

The needed ingredients are...

1 lb. of bacon

1 to 2 lbs. of spaghetti (depending on how rich you like it)

2-3 handfuls of salt

5-6 eggs

About 1 cup of Parmesan cheese

An onion

1/4 cup olive oil

A little black pepper

Begin by dicing an onion and adding several handfuls of salt to a pot of hot water. Also, drizzle the olive oil into the pot and into a skillet.

Put the diced onion into the skillet and sauté until it is translucent.

Bring out an additional, smaller pot and put the bacon into it on low.

Once the bacon looks like this...

Cut it into squares with scissors.

And add the bacon to the skillet of onions and put it on low.

Put the spaghetti into the boiling water for the amount of time suggested on the box.

Next, put the eggs in a bowl with the Parmesan cheese.

And whip it up.

Drain the water from the pasta and add the egg mixture, bacon, and onion while the pasta is still hot.

And stir quickly!

Add a little black pepper if desired.

Eliza loves a lot of the same foods as Kenny, including his pasta. She is truly a mini-Kenny.

Enjoy!

Hailey's Yogurt Pancakes

Whenever I am with my amazing sister-in-law, Hailey, for breakfast, she makes tasty pancakes. Her Chobani pancakes are my favorite. I love that they have Greek yogurt which is packed with protein (Protein is a must for me in the morning).

I recently asked her for the recipe and I made them myself.

Here is the ingredient list.

I used Trader Joe's vanilla bean yogurt which made the pancakes taste even more like a dessert.

To make the pancakes, combine the ingredients in no particular order and stir.

I had to add more milk than what the recipe called for. So add milk until the mixture has that pancake consistency which is runny yet thick.

After the pancakes are fried with a little oil, enjoy them with blueberries.

Or syrup.

The above recipe yields about 12 medium-sized pancakes.

Enjoy!

Scrumptious Chex Mix Dessert

I came across this addicting Chex Mix dessert the other day, and I just had to share. It's chewy, nutty, and sweet...and amazing.

Here is the ingredient list to make it:

10 oz rice chex
1/2 c. Slivered almonds
1/2 c. Halved pecans
1/2 c. Coconut

1 c. butter

1 c. Karo

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Start by melting the butter, sugar, and Karo together.

Put the Chex Mix, almonds, pecans, and coconut in a bowl.

Once the mixture starts getting foamy, let it boil for 3-4 minutes but no more than four.

After it boils for four minutes, add the almond extract and baking soda.

Then add the buttery mixture to the dry mixture in the bowl and stir!

Put the mixture in a 9 by 13 pan to cool.

I had to refrain from sampling.

Once it cools, enjoy your tasty dessert!

How to make mandip

One of my friends just introduced me to this dip that he invented with his roommates, and as it was made by a bunch of guys, it's called "mandip." It's of course amazing, so here is how you make it.

For ingredients, you need sausage, cream cheese, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of green chilies, and if you are daring, jalapeno peppers (I am not daring).