Happy Monday, mamas! Time to think about dinner for a brand new week. Before I forget, we wanted to 
let you know about a cool website that offers info on expiration dates, how long you can keep a particular food in the fridge, etc., called Still Tasty. We like the food freshness question of the day and that you can find shelf life information by category.
We also wanted to share some recipes you might try this week. Are any of you Texans familiar with Taco USA? Well, we’ve got their Conquistador recipe — and a few others — below (courtesy of Donna Byers of Fayetteville, who used to work there and is married to the once-owner’s son):
Conquistadors
10 large flour tortillas
2 cups lettuce, shredded
1 large tomato, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Meat filling:
1 pound lean ground beef
½ teaspoon cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
¼ cup quick oats, uncooked
Brown meat, then add cumin, garlic, salt, chili powder, tomato sauce and oats. After the mixture has simmered for 20 to 30 minutes, spoon about two tablespoons of the meat mixture onto a steamed/warm flour tortilla. Then layer on top of meat the following: shredded lettuce, two tomato slices and chopped onion. Fold tortilla like a burrito, then cover the top with a layer of enchilada sauce. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Place Conquistador in oven on broil until cheese melts. Serve with chips.
Frog-Eye Salad
1 (7-ounce) package Stars Estralla pasta (a product of Mexico)
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapples, drained
1 package cream cheese
2 (11-ounce) cans of mandarin oranges
1 (12-ounce) container whipped topping
½ cup pecans, chopped (plus a few extra to sprinkle on top)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
Cook flour, sugar, pineapple and cream cheese in a small saucepan on medium-low heat until thick. Place mixture in refrigerator to cool. Cook pasta according to package instructions, then drain and rinse with cold water. Add chilled mixture and gently stir. Fold in mandarin oranges, ¾ tub of whipped topping and nuts. Top the salad with the remaining ¼ tub of whipped topping and sprinkle chopped pecans.
Buttermilk Pie
2 cups sugar
1 stick margarine
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Cream sugar and margarine in small bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir. After thoroughly mixed, pour into a large, unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 for one hour.
*Tip: Cover edge of pie shell with foil to prevent burning.
