Editorial
Front Page - Friday, September 10, 2010
Kay's Cooking Corner
Kay Bona
Bobby Burton and Jessica Middlebrooks enjoyed a Mexican Fiesta with family and friends at the Pleasant Valley Country Club. Food and fun was had by all who attended the celebration of their upcoming new life together as husband and wife.
I don’t know how you spent your Labor Day, but Don and I spent ours celebrating with an engagement party for our son, Bobby – aka the general manager for The Daily Record. I’m sure a lot of you either know him, or have at least talked to him on the phone from time to time.
Bobby’s fiancé, Jessica Middlebrooks, (from Muncie, Indiana), her parents from Mississippi, friends and family from Tennessee, and a whole lot of other folks, all gathered together at Pleasant Valley Country Club for fun and terrific food.
Everyone has told us what a great time they had, how good the food was, and how pretty the room was decorated, but honestly, I have got to give credit where credit is due – the staff at Pleasant Valley Country Club did an excellent job at everything!
Since Bobby and Jess are going to Mexico for their honeymoon, we decided to have a Fiesta in order heighten the “mood.” Don and I traveled down to Dallas one evening and brought back a truckload (literally, the back of our truck could not have been more crammed!) of Mexican decorations.
I had no idea what-so-ever about what we were going to do with all of them and the room we had at the club was huge. However, when we went to discuss the party with the planners there, they took all of it and told me not to worry – that between them and the florist, they would take care of everything.
Have you ever watched HGTV doing room make-over shows? Once the crew is finished with the make-over they bring the couple in to see the results, and they are always “speechless”. Well, I have always thought – come on, that was just what the show was wanting you to say.
Well, all I have to say is that when I walked into that room an hour before the party to set up some music, I was speechless! The place was perfect, and it was almost like stepping into a room somewhere in Mexico!
All of the decorations were perfectly draped or hanging from the tables and ceiling. The floral arrangements (which were simply gorgeous), done by Distinctive Designs by Tanarah, located in Maumelle, had a beautiful tropical feel, and they had even incorporated some of the Dallas decorations into the flowers. The creativity over-flowed!
And it didn’t stop there. The food, a buffet called “Off to Mexico”, was so delicious. If it didn’t get Bobby and Jess in the “Mexican” mood, then I give up! It sure put me in one!
As far as the recipe goes today, I want to feature a Mexican dish (of course). Even if you’re not in the mood for Mexican tonight, you have to try this. It is yummy and the combination of pasta, salsa, ground beef, and cheese captures south-of-the-border flavors.
Taco Spaghetti
5-6 ounces spaghetti, broken
1/2 pound? ground beef
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup?water
1/2 of a envelope?(or 2 tablespoons) taco seasoning mix
1 11-ounce can?whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained
1/2 cup?sliced pitted ripe olives
12 ounces shredded Cojack or cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, drained
6 cups?shredded lettuce
1 cup broken tortilla chips
1 medium tomato, cut into thin wedges
1 thinly sliced ripe Avocado
?Dairy sour cream (optional)
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain again. In a large skillet cook ground beef, turkey, and onion until meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, olives, half of the shredded cheese, salsa, and chilies. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased casserole. Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.Sprinkle with remaining cheese.Serve with shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, avocado, and tomato wedges. Top with sour cream. Makes six main-dish servings.
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