Taco Pasta Salad #recipe @vmburns

 VMBURNS:  A friend gave me a recipe for a Taco Salad that feeds an army. I found a Taco Pasta Salad recipe that was really similar. I combined. I tweaked. And, I came up with a recipe that still feeds an army, but is equally tasty.

My friend's original recipe included an entire head of lettuce, but given recent events, I'm avoiding lettuce. She also included tomatoes, avocadoes, and black olives in her version. I don't like those, so you don't see them in my version. But if you like them, feel free to add them. I did add black beans, which were yummy. Although, I added them after the fact, so they didn't make the ingredient photo. 

Next time, I will use red onions instead of yellow. I might also add green bell peppers just to see how it tastes. NOTE: The Catalina Dressing will make the  Doritos soggy. If you aren't feeding an army, then add the Doritos for crunch before serving.  

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  TACO PASTA SALAD

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Packet Taco Seasoning
• 8 oz. Rotini pasta
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 1 can Corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 Medium onion, finely diced
• 2 Cups mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 Cup Catalina Dressing
• 1 Bag Doritos, crushed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink.
   
   
   
2. Follow the instructions on the packet of taco seasoning, and add to the ground beef.
   
   
   
3. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain.
4. Combine all of the ingredients, pasta, jalapeno, corn, black beans, onion, red bell pepper, cheese, taco meat, and Catalina dressing.
   
   
   
   
5. When ready to serve, add the crushed Doritos and toss to combine.

• READERS: Some of the ingredients in this pasta salad are unconventional (i.e. Doritos). Are there any unusual ingredients you like in your salads? Let me know in the comments below. 

MURDER AT FIRST SLICE 

As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly relocated from New York doesn’t know the sweet, memory-challenged Hannah the way the locals do—and the evidence seems open-and-shut as an oven. Now, with her sous-sleuths the Baker Street Irregulars, the bride-to-be is busy digging into Dorothy’s past to catch a killer before she cuts the cake . . .

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