Tonight’s recipe, Haystacks, is at the request of Jaelithe of the Librarian @ Home. Jae and I go way back (think prior to grade school folks ;)) and when we reconnected in the great big ole Blogosphere, Jae sent me a note and asked that I hunt down an old get-together family favorite that our families would share: Haystacks.
Truth be told this meal is great for get-togethers because everyone can bring one component to make a do-it-yourself version of taco salad with a lot of different flavors than you would expect.
You start with about 2 cups of rice. I cooked mine up in my new Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker.
Dude! Where have I been??? I am in love with this thing.
Once my rice was done, I sat it aside and cooked my ground beef up in it!
I put the raw hamburger in…
Added 1 chopped Onion, 1 chopped garlic clove, salt and pepper…
Mixed it all up with my Mix ‘n Chop ( and we all know how I feel about it…) and popped it into the microwave for 2 minutes, mixed, then 3 minutes, mixed and cooked for 2 more minutes.
I then drained it through it’s drain-able lid
And added in 2/3 cup water and some Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
I then mixed it up and popped it back in for another minute.
And sat it aside.
I then heated 1 T of Olive Oil in a skillet and cooked down some mushrooms with a little salt.
Cover and let them cook down.
Drain and set aside
Heat up some cheese sauce and… you guessed it, set aside.
The slice up some grape tomatoes, grab some olives and place in a serving dish with the mushrooms.
Now take some Club Crackers…
And crush them up…
Whew… I’m tired, how about you???
Ok, we are on the home stretch, I promise.
Grab your plate and put some lettuce on it.
Now the rice
And the taco beef
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Club Crackers
Cheese Sauce
And finish off with your favorite salad dressing….
Tradition calls for French Dressing ’round these parts…
So there you have it, Haystacks-Not Your Mama’s Taco Salad.
If your family would like to give this recipe a try or take a more traditional approach to family taco night, click here to go to learn about my Old El Paso Family Taco Night Prize Pack Giveaway.
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Disclosure: The plates and taco seasoning packet pictured above were provided by Old El Paso click here for more information.
Pam says
Thanks for linking up with us at MFM. I'm returning your follow from the Thrifty Things and look forward to reading more of your blog.
Christy says
That looks scrumptious. Too bad I wasnt' there. LOL!
Welcome to the Tuesday Train. Have a great week!
Jennifer @ Just Peachy in Dixie says
Mmm! Thanks for stopping by my blog and following! I'm following back. 😉
Jennifer @ http://justpeachyindixie.blogspot.com
Cranberry Morning says
This might be the third thing my 22 year old son would eat. The first two are pizza and…Wait! Maybe this is the second. LOL
Kerin says
How interesting to use the club crackers and the mushrooms.
I'll have to get brave and give this it a try.
Have a great day !
Let'sMakeADifference says
I'm a new follower! Would love for you to check out my blog and follow back!
Jaelithe says
Cris, I am so happy to see this post! I cannot wait to have Haystacks for dinner! I requested this from my Mom about a year ago, but I think she forgot about the mushrooms. Also, love the Old El Paso plate!
Johnnie says
Hi! I am a new follower from Tuesday's blog hops. I am looking forward to reading more of your blog. Blessings…
Saved By Love Creations
Country Gal says
I just discovered this amazing dish a year ago and now it's a family favorite! 🙂 We love to add corn chips and black olives to ours.
Lana says
Micro Cooker! That's the name of the thing I cooked my ground beef up in for my lasagna!
Your Texas Straw Hats look Yum! and how fun to hook up with an old friend out here in cyberspace! Way cool!
Brenda says
This is really unusual, but a great change from regular taco salad.
Brenda says
This is really unusual, but a great change from regular taco salad.
Jaelithe says
Cris, I am so happy to see this post! I cannot wait to have Haystacks for dinner! I requested this from my Mom about a year ago, but I think she forgot about the mushrooms. Also, love the Old El Paso plate!
Cranberry Morning says
This might be the third thing my 22 year old son would eat. The first two are pizza and…Wait! Maybe this is the second. LOL
Kerin says
How interesting to use the club crackers and the mushrooms.
I'll have to get brave and give this it a try.
Have a great day !