Chili Taco Soup

This is another recipe from my good friend Amy that I made back in the Fall when I visited her in Florida.  It was YUMMY!

You will need:

• 2lbs ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (4oz) can green chilies
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 3 (14 ½ oz) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (15oz) can ranch beans, undrained (can use chili beans)
• 1 (15oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix or you can make your own found here
• 1 packet Ranch dressing mix
• 2 c water or more to desired consistency

Brown beef with chopped onion and green chilies in a large soup pot. Drain fat. Blend tomatoes and add to meat. Add rest of ingredients and cook (simmer) for 20-30 mins. Makes large pot of soup.

Spiced Pecans

Here's a recipe for a quick and easy but tasty holiday treat that my mom used to make and I just recently made for the first time.  As long as you are going to the (little to no) trouble of making it, you might as well double the recipe!

Ingredients

• 3 cups pecan halves
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• In large bowl, combine egg whites with water
• Toss with pecans
• In separate smaller bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix very well
• Pour dry ingredients onto the pecans and stir well enough to evenly coat all pecans
• Lay aluminium foil onto a cookie sheet and spread spiced pecans evenly onto it

• Bake 30 minutes, stirring and turning pecans every 10 minutes
• Remove from oven and allow to cool
• Break up pecans from each other and enjoy!

Note: I would assume that this recipe would work with other nuts such as almonds and walnuts

Pecan-Crusted Tilapia

Wow...it's been a while since either Tonia or I posted anything here.  I suspect that the long Thanksgiving weekend had something very much to do with it.  Hope that the holiday season is off to a great start for you and your families!

Here's a gem I just found.  From my mother-in-law's leftover pie ingredients, we had TONS of pecans and walnuts sitting around and I wanted to incorporate them into a dish.  See what you think:

Tilapia Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp butter

Golden-Butter Rum Sauce Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 shallot, minced (as a substitute, use 2/3 tsp minced onion and 1 minced clove garlic)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp rum (can substitute lemon juice)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Process pecans in food processor until finely chopped
2. Mix the salt, garlic powder and pepper together with the pecans
3. Dredge fish in finely chopped pecans (I was afraid of the pecans not sticking so I brushed the fillets with a little oil first)
4. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat
5. Add fish and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until well browned and flaky
6. While fish is cooking, make Golden Butter Rum Sauce, starting by melting 1 tsp butter in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat
7. Add shallot and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
8. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in rum, fruit juices, honey and salt, as well as the remaining 2 tbsp of better
9. Cook one more minute 
10. Serve sauce over the finished fillets