Easy summer fare for the lunch or dinner table . . .

During the summer months, it is nice to have something sort of warm but still not a hot meal that only add to the outside temperatures. Taco Salad always seems to be a good answer and you can add or substract ingredients according to your own tastes.

Taco Salad (serves 4)

1/2 pound ground beef (depends on how many you want to serve)
Chili flakes
Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
Corn or Tortilla chips
1/2 head lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 green Bell Pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup favorite salsa
Black olives, to taste, sliced

Brown the beef  over medium heat, stirring to break the meat up into small pieces. Season with the listed spices. Taste for heat and add as desired. Drain the grease.

Divide the chips into four bowls. Add 1/4 of the lettuce to the bowls and top each with 1/4 of the meat, tomato, green pepper, onion, salsa, and sliced olives. Serve!

If you are having a buffet or picnic-style event, you can put out the cooked meat with the condiments and let your guests build their own salad.

Sometimes, I like to add in some pork sausage to the ground beef for a different slant on the flavors. Some shredded cheese would be good, too.

Recipe Ideas from Barbara - Entering the Meat Loaf Wars!

Chunks of beef tend to be expensive these days, especially when there are many people to feed in a family. The beef sales are most often the ground varieties. I like ground beef. It is versatile, filling, and quite presentable. Of cours, the first ground beef meal that comes to mind is meat loaf. Competitive meat loaf recipes could initiate wars! Everyone has their favorite and I can't and won't dispute it here. I, too, have my preferences but like to hear about other methods of stretching ground beef.

Basic Meat Loaf

2-3 pounds of ground beef (More or less depending on need)
4 eggs
2 cups fresh bread crumbs, Panko crumbs, crushed croutons, or oatmeal . . .
1 finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients and form into rounded loaf and place in greased baking dish. You may not have a sufficiently large enough dish so you can divide the meat and make two. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes depending on size of your meat loaf. Drain off accumulated fat, slice, and serve.

For interesting variations . . .

*Coat the meatl loaf before bakine with tomoatoe or barbeque sauce.

* Lay strips of raw bacon on the bottom of your baking dish before you form your meat loaf.

*For a tasty version, add half a cup of crumbled Feta cheese to your mixtures.

*Mix in a cup of sharp, grated cheddar cheese and you have a one-dish, baked cheese burger.

*Don't forget to check out the herbs and spices! Basil, Dill, Chili flakes, etc. can all be considered according to your tastes.

If you work it right, you can have enough leftovers for another meal. Don't worry, we are not talking about reheated, dried out meat loaf. Slice the leftover meat loaf into thick slices. Dip into beaten egg and then into seasoned flour, coating both sides. Place in sizzling frying pan with a bit of olive oil or butter (or both!) Brown on both sides and serve.

One-Pot Meal

Although this recipe can be simmered on the stove, it is nice to have cooking away in a crock pot while you go about your errands on an especially busy day. It is always nice to come home with dinner ready and only a salad or bread to add to the table.

One-Pot Meal

½ to 1 lb. ground beef
½lb. bacon, cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans (1lb., 15oz.) pork and beans
1 can (1lb.) Kidney beans, drained
1 can (l lb.) butter lima beans, drained
1 cup catsup
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar

Brown ground meat, cook bacon, saute onions - Do individually in same pan to minimize fat. Place in crockpot with remaining ingredients. Stir together well. Cover and cook on low 4-9 hours.

If you don't have catsup on hand, bottled barbecue sauce works just fine, too. Leave out the sugar and vinegar if you opt for bottled sauce.

Thanks to my friend, Ann Marie, who shared this recipe with me years ago!