Mexican Salad & Dressing Recipe

Sometimes all does not go as planned. I had an evening meeting, and the family was left to do their own dinner. They made "Mexican Salad". The only problem was they doubled the ground beef and didn't double the spices to put in the ground beef for that great South-of-the-Border flavor. We also ran out of the dressing we have always used, so I decided a "Mexican Dressing" might fix all the problems at once.
I'll include the Mexican Salad recipe we use, too.

Mexican Salad Dressing

1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Chipotle Seasoning blend [2 tsp if you enjoy spicy foods]
1 cup ketchup

Mix all ingredients together before assembling salad [the longer it sits before serving, the better it will taste because the spices get a chance to release their flavors into the liquid ingredients].

Mexican Salad [for 4 hungry people]

[All veggies except the tomatoes can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance & stored covered in your salad bowl in the 'fridge. Have all your canned goods selected & put together by your can opener for faster assembly. Your spice mix can also be put together ahead & set next to your cooktop. Be sure you make the Dressing ahead, too.]

Large head of Lettuce, washed, drained & dried, & chopped
['Iceberg' has the right crunch but almost no nutrition. We prefer 'Romaine'.]
Ripe Tomato, diced & stored in own container if preparing ahead - if they're out of season, I don't include this
1 Carrot, peeled & coarsely shredded
6 oz can of Olives
Can of Pinto or Kidney Beans, drained & rinsed - OR use both if you like beans
1/2 small Red Onion - sliced paper thin
OR use 1 Bunch of Green Onions - sliced thinly in tiny circles
1 Cucumber - sliced or diced [ peel if you think it's necessary]
2 cups Shredded Cheese - your choice, Jack or Pepper-Jack works well
1 Small Bag of Corn Chips - Frito's Brand is our over-the-top favorite!

20 minutes before you wish to serve the meal:

1 pound Ground Beef - The higher the fat content, the better it tastes [Sorry]. For a healthy option, get the leanest Ground Beef [or Turkey, or whatever] and, after draining any fat off, add 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil to enhance your finished flavors.

Spice mix for Ground Beef:
1 1/2 teaspoons Onion Powder OR 1 Tablespoon Onion Flakes
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
3 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Paprika - but only if you prefer more 'heat'
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Basil
1/4 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Fry the Ground Meat on Medium to Medium-High. If you can get the wrapping off, you can start with frozen beef, but add a few minutes to your prep time. Cook until all pink is gone, stirring frequently to break the meat into small pieces. When the pink is gone, drain off any extra fat. If you started with very lean meat, add the 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil. Put pan back on cooktop and add:

1 cup Water
the Spice Mix

Continue cooking & stirring until the spice mix is thoroughly mixed in and it is steaming hot again. If you are careful, you can turn the heat down to Low under your pan to keep the meat hot while you put the final touches on your salad [about 5 minutes].

Mix all salad ingredients together. Cheese can be served on the side or mixed in [we put it on the side - 3 of our family have serious lactose issues]. Mix in the meat, or divide between your 4 dinner bowls [we mix it in - it's easier]. Put in your bag of chips [smash them up a bit if they are bigger than croûtons - kids love to help with this]. You can pour all of the dressing over the top, or you can bring it to the table to serve [if you think there will be leftovers, don't, put the dressing on the table - the salad will keep better in the 'fridge].

Stocking Ornament Pattern

Here is the Stocking Ornament Pattern. I don't know if this will work, but we'll never know if I don't try...

Just in case it works...

Here are my rules for using this pattern free of charge:

1. FREE for personal use only. This means you can make one or 1,000 or 1 million as long as you are using the item yourself or are giving them as gifts to your sewing circle friends or even the entire town you live in and are not compensated in any way.

2. Do not copy the pattern(s) (electronically or otherwise) to pass out or share with others. You may make one copy for your personal use. If your pattern wears out, then you may make another copy for more personal use. This means you can refer people to this site to get their own copy. If you know someone who would like a copy who has no internet service available, I would be happy to place one in a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) if they will send me one. Anyone can arrange this with me by sending an email from this blog.

3. You may purchase the right to use my pattern(s) for your personal profit or for fund-raising for your non-profit group. This means you can purchase a license from me for making & selling a specifically agreed upon number of finished items from a specific pattern. A possible alternative arrangement could be the purchase of a license to make and sell an item for a specific period of time in unlimited quantities. Anyone can arrange this with me by sending an email from this blog.

And, no list of rules is complete without this one these days...

4. When you use my pattern(s), you agree to use them at your own risk. Using my pattern(s) for any purpose indicates that you have read & understand my terms for using my pattern(s) and you agree to abide by my rules. This means I am not responsible for anything that happens as a result of your choice to use my patterns.

The Philosophy Behind the Rules

I want to be generous with my ideas. I want to feel free to share. Some of you will think I am naive -- I know there are people out there who are 'takers', those who think that any rules are for everyone else, who think their situation is different and so stealing will be OK. If you really think you have an exceptional situation, I would be happy to discuss it with you through e-mail to see if an alternative arrangement or agreement can be reached. I wish to honor you with my trust & I will treat you the way I wish to be treated in return -- with integrity -- because I believe that anyone who chooses the path of integrity makes the entire world a better place to live.

Rule # 1 [OR 'Why you don't start a blog 12 days before Christmas!]

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas & remembers to write 2008 instead of 2007 on all official documents.

Good News...Bad News

The good news is... I think I can [finally] get the free stocking ornament pattern up on this blog, since Hubby got a scanner for Christmas!

The bad news is... I'm a little late for Christmas 2007.

The good news is... we can all get a roaring head start on Christmas 2008.

The bad news is... we're all still just a little worn out from Christmas 2007.

The best news is... I've decided on an official policy for sharing my ideas with you without undue amounts of legal stuff to confuse us all.

In Case You Are Curious

Our first Christmas at Thistle Farm got a late & stressful start. The computer crashed taking the biggest Christmas gift captive for at least a week [long story endless - we were self-publishing a book]. Just after posting I got the flu for a week, which means my parents delayed their arrival 2 days [Flu - the gift no one wants], which means the final shopping was pushed right to Christmas Eve for Hubby [I do wonder, though, if he does that by insane choice...]. I also renewed the tradition of finishing gifts at the last minute -- "'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, everybody was sleeping, except me & my spouse!" Scrooge & myself finally fell into bed after 2am.

The story does have a happy ending -- Christmas Day was 'over the top'. The Book [not to be confused with 'The Good Book' aka Bible] turned out perfect...on December 27th! We wrapped it up as a work in process, since the printing was done but the book-binding was not [I think cooking glue at 2am would be bad manners in a hostess, don't you?]. I had to get the final proof printing we did on the cheap paper so Mom & Dad didn't have to [gasp!] share their granddaughter's poetry & so I had a better chance of prying the 'good' copy out of their hands to get it done!

Deep Thought...

Most of us know the Christmas story about how the God who made us sent his only Son to the cold, mean, & cruel world as a helpless baby. He did this so Jesus, the best Christmas gift ever, could experience firsthand the crises that turn most of us humans into drama queens [like our Christmas Eve here at Thistle Farm]; and, God did this so we could have an Advocate to cover for us when we blow it who really understands why we lost it in the first place.

But you've gotta' wonder -- just before the angels freaked out the shepherds by suddenly filling the quiet darkness overhead with the biggest & best "Hallelujah Chorus" ever... had the angels just endured the worst dress rehearsal in history?