Texas Straw Hat – And Really Big Rabbits!
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When I was around seven or so , my grandmother Lucille, got to go to Dallas, Texas. This doesn’t seem like much these days but no one in my family had ever been out of our little corner of the country at that time it felt as if we had a world traveler suddenly among us!
She went with a group of ladies from her work and even though it was only a short trip, she came back loaded down with postcards and souvenirs for all of us. I had no idea where Texas was at the time but my worn out Pecos Bill storybook record kept my mind reeling with what all Grandmama must have experienced - that and one particular postcard she sent me that I will never forget as long as I live.
Imagine being a seven year old girl hearing tales of Texas and then getting this in the mail:
I just KNEW my Grandmama had ridden that rabbit!
And to be honest ~lowers her voice and looks around to make sure it’s just us here~ when I went to Texas for a weekend five years ago, I kept my eyes peeled for it…just in case. After all, it IS Texas…
Today I’m bringing you another easy ground beef recipe. Don’t you just love recipes that use the words “easy” and “ground beef”? For me, that spells food for the masses! This one is also easy to tailor to what you have on hand so don’t go out buying special ingredients if you don’t already have them. Feel free to add drained diced tomatoes or tomato sauce in lieu of the tomato paste, leave out the thyme if you like and just add a little extra chili powder. Cook it until it is nice and thick for layering and you’ve essentially just made yourself a Frito Chili Pie. But we’ll call it the same thing Granny Jordan did when she made it and maybe smile a bit as we think about how many tribes a Texas rabbit stew would feed!
To make it by Granny Jordan’s recipe you’ll need: Chili powder, tomato sauce, onion, pepper, thyme, salt, fritos, and some cheese.
And some ground beef, of course.
You know what is cool about this recipe? I made the meat up and then just popped whatever was left in the fridge so throughout the weekend if anyone is hungry they can just heat up some meat and toss it on some corn chips! It’s kinda like my pizza rolls, gives you some time off from cooking later . I love cooking, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a beautiful sunny day and my Katy and I like spending some time in the back yard swings seeing if we can touch the sky with our feet. I think Katy is almost there…
Brown your beef and onion together.
Usually I have my beef all browned and in the freezer and just take out a bag to use in order to cut out an extra step but we all have off days
Drain your grease off good and add tomato sauce and chilli powder…
add Salt and Pepper…
And thyme…
You know what I’m gonna try next time that I think would be good?
Italian seasoning. Y’all just don’t know how much I love that stuff!
and Worcestershire.
Now just for kicks, close your eyes and see if you can spell that word…
and pour in your water.
My photos are out of sequence here but basically, after you got the beef browned, just add everything else except the cheese and chips ~grins~
Stir all of that up good and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve atop corn chips, topped with cheese.
Sour cream would be good, too!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 c chopped onion
- 1 c water
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
- corn chips
Instructions
- Brown beef and onion in a skillet. Drain off grease. Add all other ingredients except corn chips and cheese. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve atop corn chips, topped with cheese.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Pluginhttp://www.southernplate.com/2009/09/texas-straw-hat-and-really-big-rabbits.html
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 c chopped onion
- 1 c water
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
- corn chips
Instructions
- Brown beef and onion in a skillet. Drain off grease. Add all other ingredients except corn chips and cheese. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve atop corn chips, topped with cheese.
“Keep away from the people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
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Gratefully,
Christy
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Sep 4 2009. Filed under Main Course, Misc, Quick&Easy.
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That looks sooooo good! I did a brief stint as a vegetarian last year, and boy am I glad I’m back to eating a little (or sometimes a lot!) of everything now! I’d probably drown mine in cheese and top with jalepenos… yum.
…And what’s this? First poster! Yay! It’s my first time ever being first to comment, so forgive my enthusiasm
Hey Dorothy!!!
YAY GO YOU!! First poster! This is gonna be your lucky day! ~winks~
Love the jalapenos idea…
This recipe is really just a fun starting point, isn’t it?
Gratefully,
Christy
YUM…..I love food like this! Thanks for always sharing great recipes with us!!
Thank YOU for always reading and taking the time to comment and say hidy to me!!!
Look forward to hearing from you every time!
Gratefully,
Christy
Wow, that was a really nice story. It is amazing when you are little. I was sent a jack o lope ( I think that is how you spell it) a rabbit with antlers on it. My mom sent me a post card and I was much older when I realized that there was no such thing. The recipe looks really good. I have one almost like this except you use doritos’s
ooh, do you remember when Doritos first came out?
I think I was in middle school then and they were all the rage! We all had cow fits whenever we’d have a party and someone would bring a bowl of nacho cheese flavored Doritos…
Then later on we figure out that they were all giving us horrendous breath and stopped eating them so much in our dating years, lol!!
Thank you so much! I love the Jackolope story!
in texas this is frito pie!!!!!!!!!!!!
love from texas!!!
Yes! That’s what I’ve called it all my life…Frito Pie. But everyone has their own name for it. I also like to add black olives and some raw onion (just a little bit). Yummy!!!!
I just asked the family if they wanted chili for supper. We may have this instead. I’ll have to see if we have the Fritos. We bought a mixed bag of chips and I think the kids didn’t like those. They may still be around here.
Spelling “Worcestershire” backwards? I don’t even think I pronouce it correctly. We just call it “wished-you-could-say-it-sauce.” (winks: I cut-and-pasted it here!)
Beverly
Okay, I LOVE THAT NAME for Worcestershire sauce!!!!!!
We are now going to call it that from now on!!!
~giggles~
and you cut and pasted? You smart girl, you!!!!
Have a great weekend, Beverly!
Gratefully,
Christy
I know that you are joking really but just try saying
” wuster shuh” sauce – that’s how we pronounce it in England – giggles -
I make something like this that my kids love. Same premise but we use a can of Chili (actually for my family of 6 2 cans of Chili) and 4 oz. of Cream Cheese heat them both up til the cream cheese is all melted then finish up as you have. They love it! and if you have bags of the lunch size Frito’s you can carefully open the bag put the chili and cheese on top and you don’t have to dirty up a dish.
Oh my, cream cheese? I think I just melted into cheesy bliss!!!
I gotta try that soon!
Thank you, Janice!
~blinks and does a double take~
okay, for a second there I had to think “Is this Mama posting here…no, if it was I would have had this recipe before…”
Hehe, my Mama is Janice, too. You don’t often run across more Janice’s!
Gratefully,
Christy
My grandma has a similar recipe – put chili, corn chips, and cheese into a big ziploc bag and shake it up until the cheese is melty. Then you pour it onto plates and dig in with a fork! I love this combination of flavors.
yummy yummy. I think I will enjoy this one very much! Well once I get over this cold anyways, right now most everything tastes the same, but still I am very very hungry all the time
Thanks for another great recipe! I know what we will be having for supper tomorrow night! I am fortunate to have a hubby that loves groung beef, just about any way ya fix it.
Meant to tell you also…….I made your wonderful Apple Dumpling recipe a few days ago,,,,only I used slightly under- ripe Nectarines! It was a HUGE success!
Us real Texans throw in some refried beans over the chips then the meat sauce, then the cheese, sour cream, avocado/guacamole, and of course jalapenos. Then comes the PACE Piquante sauce…hot of course.
We also use the jack-a-lope meat instead of beef…lol!
Rusty
Love this easy recipe & loved your story too. I had not seen that one but we did have postcards about the jackalope.
It was great that your Granny left you with some wonderful memories.
I didn’t know one of my grandmothers and the other died just before I turned 4 so my memories are very few.
But, most of all I love your wonderful sense of humor.
This is a good create your own recipe as I do the meat base in the skillet and have ingredients set out so each person can assemble to taste. I provide shredded lettuce, diced raw onion, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, refried beans, sloce dblack olives, jalapenoes and what ever else may be in the fridge or pantry. if I am lacking something it is an “oh well” till next time. After the assembly choice evertthing then is smothered in shredded cheese. My other little rule is that I always use paper plates for these so we can throw away the melty cheese mess.
We call these “Pepper Bellies”
NUMMY.
These look delicious
kinda like my taco pies
http://chubbagurl.blogspot.com/2008/05/taco-piles.html
I think Ill try this one but put some refried beans down before the meat, I LOVE taco style dishes
Carm
this looks delish… never had it quiet like this. Thanks Christy! Loved the story too!
Your stories of your Gramma just warm my heart. You are so good at reminding the little girl in me how WONDEROUS the world was when you are a little girl. I just LOVED the postcard and the recipe is a bonus! Smiles from the North…Ontario, Canada
My awesome Grandparents lived in Dallas for the first 10 years of my life….every summer, our 2 week trips out “west” to see them and back to Atlanta in the back of our station wagon always held excitement and wonder for me. I LOVE Texas, plus all the silly souvenirs at every gift shop. Thank you, Christy, for bringing up dear memories of precious times gone by.
Worrchsestireer sauce is a tough-y to say and spell ;-} so I usually mumble it, and quickly, despite my English heritage. ~sigh~ We do use mmubmblemummblele quite often in making dishes. Fritos are my FAVORITE chip or snack….so much so that I won’t buy them, or they would be gone in a flash. The saying goes, “Once on the lips, forever on the hips” so I know my limits. So maybe, next time I make chili, I will spring for a smaaaaall bag, so not many will be left….tee hee. Honey-pie often hosts a Poker Game night here and this would be a thumbs up from all the men, for sure. Thank you again for all the time and effort you are always putting out to others so selflessly. I personally think that you ROCK!
oh, btw, my last name of Leverett means “baby RABBIT under the age of one” on our English Family Crest…can I have that post card? tee hee j/k
FRITO PIE!
Ya know, that used to be a regular on the lunch menu in the schools here in Texas! Still is a regular for a good fast meal here in our house. Good stuff Maynard. We just put a lot more chili on it. You gotta drown those Fritos then smother in cheese.
Oh, and that rabbit? He lives in my backyard along with my Longhorn Cattle right next to the oil well.
Thanks Christy, I live right outside of Houston, Texas and never even thought of using homemade chili for this. In concessions stands at our little field we cut open a bag of fritos along the long edge, pour a little chili right on top and then top with cheese. It’s a built in bowl! The kids love it! I will definitely try it with homemade chili next time we have it at home!
You didn’t know we have those big bunnies as pets in our backyard here in TX!! LOL Just kidding!! Looks yummy! Reminds me of going to the consession stand at baseball games and eating frito pie!
Yum!! What a great, easy-to-put-together, have-on-hand-ready snack or dinner!
Love the rabbit story! I’ve never been to Texas…do you think they have chocolate candy Easter rabbits that size too?:)
Bountiful Blessings!
p.s. I haven’t been on a swing in ages! What fun!!
You know I had a craving for this a couple of weeks ago and made it. I thought people would think it was weird, me wanting chili in August, but no one did when I said we made Frito Pie!
Thanks for another great recipe…and speaking of Worcestershire sauce…I just call it Rooster sauce!
This brings back memories. Yes, I am from Texas and this recipe is a version of our “Frito Pie”. When our youngest daughter was told by the orthodontist that her new braces would keep her from eating Frito Pie she cried !! She wasn’t in the least bit concerned with having teeth pulled or the wires tightened. I couldn’t stand to see her so heartbroken so I would make the chili portion more like regular chili and pour it over the chips and let them soften up. We toss on raw,diced onions and some cheese on top..sometimes some sour cream and hot salsa. Yummy !
I love this, it is the same as my taco salad, but I put nachos underneath, but I think your way is better. I love corn chips! I season my beef and tomato paste with cumin, coriander, oregano, chili powder, garlic and onions. I wanna try it your way too, the thyme sounds lovely! Great recipe, but I’ll have to through a bunch of lettuce and tomato on top to fool myself into believing its healthy for me. LOL!
Christy! Before I read the recipe I thought you were talking about making a real hat. LOL!!!
I’ve never heard of Texas Straw Hat because we just call something like this nachos. One of the ladies I work with is always bringing nachos for lunch. She’ll make her bean mixture (because she is vegetarian!), her cheese, salsa and chips and assemble it for lunch.
I’ll be in Texas before I make my way to Atlanta so I will try to find and have some Texas Straw Hat for you there!
Hey, Christy! The postcard is a hoot!!! My daughter keeps asking “Is it real?” Thanks for the laughs. By the way, our supper tonight was ‘fast food’ fabulous~~pork chop biscuits, corn on the cob and fried peaches. The fried peaches were sort of a combination of several of your recipes. With your help, meals around here are looking a lot better! Thanks! Have a great day!
Hi MaryC. How did you cook the peaches? Fresh/Frozen/or Canned?Sounds good.
Hey, Mary! I used a large 29 oz. can of sliced peaches in light syrup and dumped them into a heavy bottom skillet. I didn’t measure anything, just added a couple of tablespoons of margarine, about that much brown sugar, some cinnamon and allspice with a dash of salt. I got them good and hot with the lid on, them cooked on medium without the lid while everything else was being prepared. A little stirring now and then, and after probably 30 minutes or so, they had cooked down a little and made THE BEST topping for the buttered biscuits. Great to hear from you~~have a great day!
Our school and local pool serve chili and the cheese inside the bag of fritos all mixed together and call it a “walking taco”, the kids just love them.
looks soooo good i made your banana puddin tonight oh my goodness sooo good..stop by sooon have missed you
I love the recipe and the quote!
I’m looking forward to seeing you on Ellen and the food network, these are my goals for this month. 
Beautiful first segment, by the way.
Hi Christy. I’ve never heard the name Straw Hat, but variations of this abound in Texas. Kids, teens, and tailgaters love a single serve frito bag split down one side with beef toppings and cheese and dieters top a tossed green salad with beef and cheese (no chips or a few on the side, and the combination of cold, crunchy salad and hot beef is great).
A famous local barber shop has trophies on all the walls, native animals and a few from foreign parts, like a full size bear standing on its hind legs. Among the deer and antelope heads is a “jackalope” (jack rabbit with antlers) that is very realistic. Everyone looks and everyone smiles.
Did you ever wonder why old fashioned barber shops turn their customers so their backs are to the mirror before they start cutting? Beauty shops would never get by with that!
Hi, Christy,
Thanks for posting your Grandma’s version of Texas Straw Hats. My mom taught school in Lubbock, Texas and one day she came home with the recipe (received from one of the other teachers) and made it for supper. This was some time back in the sixties. My sweet Daddy, little brother and I loved it! Then I learned to make Texas Straw Hats, too, and just about burned us out on it.
Nowadays, we call it Frito Pie and it is served in the school cafeterias, parties, festivals, etc. Dressing it up with refried beans, sour cream, guadacamole, and Pace picante sauce really makes it good.
By the way, out in West Texas, a Jack-a-lope is a very common sight…especially if one has had too much to drink! LOL!
Love,
SandyTX
Temple, TEXAS
YEEHAW!
This looks good and it’s my kind of recipe. Easy and fast. Although I will have to leave the onions out. Me and onions don’t like each other! Love your website.
Christy, when I lived in St. Louis one of the surrounding towns of Kirkwood had a Green Tree Festival, One of the booths from the local high school sold bags of Fritos with the meat poured into the bag on top of the Fritoes and topped with the cheese and stuck a fork in it!
It was funny to get to this post because we’re actually doing a nacho night today…hmmm, gotta go convince everyone to try this recipe.
I found your blog on twitter and really like it!
I am from Texas and have been eating Frito chili pie for as long as I can remember. At Texas high school football games you they pour the chili in the little bag of Fritos and top with cheese! It was so fun eating out of a chip bag with a fork. This is one of my favorite all time football foods.
Darn you Christy!! I’m supposed to be on a diet to lose weight and just reading these posts will make me gain a size or two at least! lol And this, as well as chili cheese fries, is one of my favorites!!! mmmmmmm Boy…I need to get home so i can make some! hehe
I enjoy your family stories. I am absolutely sure your Grandma rode that rabbit.. we grandmas have a lot to live up to. Thanks for your great recipes that we enjoy trying and finding new favorites.
Love your post today. Though I am from Texas, I never heard the name “Texas Straw Hats”, as all the other Texans have commented, it’s just plaino Frito Pie. I like your name a lot better, though, because it has our beloved state’s name in it! I will start calling it that. This was a favorite from the concession stand at Friday night high school football games, along side that big pickle!
Thanks for the recipe and the trip back in time.
Tammi
Cibolo, TX
It must be a southern grandparents thing! My grandaddy drove truck his whole life (or at least MY whole life), and I do believe he had himself a stuffed jackrabbit that used to scare the living daylights out of me. He assured me they were real. I asked my daddy, and he said no, of course they weren’t, but I was never fully convinced.
I love frito pie with all my heart. I make tacos just so I can have it for leftovers! I might just skip the fake taco intention from now on.
Christy, I like the idea of having the ground beef cooked ahead because it would already be drained. When you brown your beef and onions together and pour off the grease, you also pour off some of that good old onion juice. If the beef is browned ahead, you don’t have that worry.
This looks YUM-O!!! I had planned on making chili tonight, but now have added fritos to my shopping list. Your recipes are so great, and remind me of the things my mama used to make. Thank You!
Christy, Even though I am a hugh fan of Paula Deen you are now right up there with her.!!! Love your recipes and most of all your humor. Thanks for all our hard work, that makes it easy for the rest of us.
Oops last comment meant to say all your hard work
Your site is so easy, down to earth and you show pictures of the products you use. You make it seem so easy and for a task that I do not like you make me want to try. I love your imput and the way you make me feel right @ home. I really like your site and I thank you for a fresh idea when I am all out of them. My daughter is very picky and I just don’t want to eat the same things night after night. I like to try something new.
Your really cool!
Thanks and God Bless!
Mmmm were a Texas Homegrown family and we do love our frito pies
im going to hoioji
hey Christy, another gluten free meal. !be sure to use real fretos and gf chilli powder. thanks
. getting your book at Sams this weekend.
Thank you so much Debbi!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Love all the recipes, but even more than that?? I love that you answer comments! Love your heart.
Thank you Annette. I try to get to as many of them as I can, I know I miss some but I do try. ~HUGS~
Christy, Sure can’t wait for your next cook book to come out. You have the best recipes!!!