A recipe and a blogiversary

Beef and Potato Tex-Mex Hash
The Busy Mom’s Make It Quick Cookbook Copyright 2004

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef I used natural 90% lean ground beef
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. nonfat beef broth I used a couple of teaspoons of canola oil
3 cups frozen Potatoes O’Brien I threw in the entire bag
1 cup chunky-style salsa
2 tsp. Mexican seasoning I used my homemade taco seasoning
1 ½ cups nonfat shredded cheddar cheese I used Cabot's 50% Light Cheddar

Spray medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until beef is browned and crumbled. Remove beef and set aside. Respray skillet with cooking spray; add broth and heat over medium-high heat. Add potatoes; cook, stirring frequently 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. (I added some salt and pepper to the potatoes at this point.) Add salsa, Mexican seasoning, and ground beef to skillet; cook over medium-heat 10-12 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese over top; cover skillet and cook over medium-low heat until cheese is melted.
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I bought this cookbook without realizing it was written by 'America's Healthiest Mom' Jyl Steinback, the same author of another cookbook I own, Superfoods. She's written many cookbooks and she's hardcore into fat-free cooking. I admit that I'm not attracted to recipes that use a lot of fat-free products and methods but hey, it's easier to 'fatten up' a fat-free recipe than it is to lighten a fat-laden recipe. All I changed here is that I used a bit of canola oil to cook the potatoes, added some salt and pepper and used a 50% Light cheddar instead of fat-free (although fat-free cheddar is a much better product now than it was a few years ago - it even melts!) I used the entire bag of potatoes, thinking leftovers would be great for breakfast the next day. However, my husband scarfed it all down and there were no leftovers. My son enjoyed it too.

I used some of the organic (well, 'natural') beef that I picked up on clearance a few weeks ago and stuck in the freezer. I really thought it tasted a lot better. At least two of my local grocery stores are carrying 'natural' meats now. So far I've only purchased it when I found it marked down but I'm going to start using it more and paying the premium. I worry that since meat is already expensive, that they won't sell enough of the natural meat to make it worth their while to keep stocking it. I have to start doing my part to see that doesn't happen.

Onto the important stuff.....

A year ago today, I started this blog with an introduction post. I did it on impulse. Two days later, I started cooking. Over a 100 cookbooks and over 270 recipes later (there are too many of each to be exact), I'm still here. That's HUGE! You have no idea. I never stick with anything.

I can't even remember what we ate before I started blogging. Even though I didn't use my cookbooks very often, I still thought of myself as somewhat of a good cook but what I was cooking, I have no idea. I have a vague recollection of George Foreman-grilled meats, jambalaya from a Zatarain's mix and other simple meals. Even if I stopped blogging today, our menus would continue to benefit from all the great recipes I discovered this past year.

I don't know how much longer I'll continue this blog. As long as I enjoy it and I still enjoy it quite a bit. I still have quite a few cookbooks to get to. Blogging is quite addicting but it's also quite exhausting. And expensive. One reason I started this blog was to assuage the guilt I felt over spending so much money on cookbooks that I rarely used yet the blog turned out to be a great excuse to buy more cookbooks. Even cookbooks that I actually use come with a bit of guilt.

But let's face it - most hobbies cost money. At least I'm able to multi-task - I have to feed my family anyway, regardless whether I blog about it or not.

So, onward to the second year of The Cookbook Junkie.

No Question of the Day today. I'd just ask that if you read this, you leave a comment today, even if you usually don't. Don't be shy. Hey, I just devoted a year of my life to this blog.