Beef Stew

I've been making this since college.  It still works and we still like it.  I think the original was from a book called "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?"  I've changed it a little, but not much.

Ingredients:

1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb stew meat, cubed small

2 T oil

1/4 cup Italian dressing

6 cups water

1 chopped onion

1 bay leaf

6 potatoes, washed and cubed (skin if you like, I leave them on)

2 cups carrots, sliced

Directions:

In a paper sack, combine flour, salt and  pepper.  Add stew meat and shake to coat each piece.  Heat oil in a large pot.   Remove meat from sack, reserving remaining flour, and add to heated oil.  Brown meat.  When beef is almost done, add the Italian dressing (secret ingredient here!).  Add water, onion and bay leaf.  Cover and cook over low heat until meat is tender.  (This can be 2 hours if you have the time or 30 minutes on higher heat if you didn't plan ahead - like me.)  Add potatoes and carrots and bring back to a boil.  Cook until tender, about 20-30 minutes.  Thicken with reserved flour stirred into a tiny bit of cold water.  Add extra salt and pepper if desired.



Debbie's Easy Chicken Soup

This is from my friend Debbie in Edmond, OK.  She served this to our family once and it's been a staple ever since.  Way fast and way easy!!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, diced (or leftover or canned in a real hurry)

10 cups water + 7 chicken bouillon cubes or 80 oz stock

2 cups chopped carrot

5-6 cups egg noodles

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 Tbsp rosemary needles

1/2 Tbsp parsley

Directions:

Bring water& bouillon or stock, and carrots to a boil.  Add chicken.  Boil 5-7 minutes.  Add noodles and spices and boil 7 more minutes.  Serve.  Super fast and easy!!

Pasta Fagioli (Stove or Crockpot)

Sadly, I do not remember where I got this recipe so I cannot give credit to the creator.  I have changed it  slightly, so maybe that doesn't matter?  Thanks, whoever you are!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 chopped onion

3 carrots

3 stalks celery (or celery seed if your husband hates the texture of celery)

2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes with liquid

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained

30 oz beef stock (or the bouillon + water thing)

2 tsp  oregano

1  tsp pepper

1 Tbsp parsley

1 20 oz jar/can of favorite spaghetti sauce

4-6 oz small pasta of choice

Directions:

Brown beef and onion and drain.

If making in the crockpot, put beef in and add everything else except pasta.  Cook low 7-8 hours or high 4-5.  Add pasta the last 30 minutes. * Note that spices can lose their strength in the crockpot and may need more than the above recipe lists for oregano, pepper and parsley.

If making on the stove, add other ingredients, except pasta, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and add pasta.  When pasta is done, you are ready to serve.

Green Chili Cilantro Soup

I first tasted this soup when my friend, Synthia, brought it to a ward Linger Longer.  A couple of family members tasted it and told me I should too.  It was delicious!!  I asked for the recipe, adapted it slightly and now we eat it regularly and love it!

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 chopped onion

4 cloves fresh or roasted garlic, minced

2-3 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced (if you have leftover cooked chicken, dice or shred)

8 cups water + 8 chicken bouillon cubes or 64 oz chicken stock (water + bouillon is cheaper and always on my shelf.  Stock is often healthier and has a different flavor. Use what you like/have.)

1 10 oz can Rotel (or diced tomatoes if Rotel is not on hand)

1 small can diced green chilies

2 cups cooked rice (or 1 cup raw and an 2 cups extra liquid.  See how versatile this is!)

1/4 c lime juice

1 1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste (really don't need salt if you used bouillon)

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

diced avocado drizzled with lime

shredded cheese

tortilla chips

Directions:

Heat oil in large pot.  Saute onion and garlic.  If your chicken is raw, toss it in now and cook it with the onions and garlic.  When chicken is  browned (doesn't have to be all done since soup will keep simmering) add broth/water, Rotel, green chilies, rice, seasonings and lime juice.  (If your chicken was pre-cooked, add it in now.)  Simmer 15+ minutes or until chicken and rice are both cooked.  Right before serving, add cilantro - it's my kids favorite part!

Serve with avocado, cheese and chips



Butternut Potato Soup

I love soups in the fall and winter!

I also love hiding secret nutrition in those soups.

My kids hate squash - all squash, but I love it.

I was planning to make potato soup last night, but at the last minute remembered I had some butternut squash that needed using.

I created something lovely!

And.................drum roll here.................the kids said it was better than my regular potato soup.

Until I dropped the bomb.

Chock full o' squash.

Here's what I did:

(and remember that these recipes feed 10)

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups uncooked, cubed butternut squash

5-6 peeled and cubed potatoes

1 c sliced carrots

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 t red pepper flakes

water

1 can evaporated milk

3/4 c flour

1 t salt

pepper to taste

1/2 tsp thyme

1 t crushed rosemary leaves (or are they needles?)

4 T butter/margarine

Directions:

Place onion, garlic, squash, potatoes, carrots, bouillon, and red pepper flakes into a large pot.  Fill with just enough water to cover the ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat slightly, but keep boiling until potatoes are softening (12-15 mins).  Pull out your potato masher and mash it in the pan until the squash is no longer recognizable.  (You could do this in a food processor or blender, but masher works fine for me and is easier to clean up.)  Remove from heat.

In a blender, combine milk, flour and salt and blend until flour lumps are gone.  Pour over the top of the soup.  Add pepper, thyme and rosemary and stir to combine.  Add butter/margarine and allow it to melt while you stir. If soup is too thick, you can add additional milk.

Serve as is, or garnish with cheese and crumbled bacon.

Pumpkin Dip

This is a recipe I pull out every October.

Anything pumpkin screams fall and it's an easy, anytime dessert.

We also have it every time we host Thanksgiving at our house.

This recipe was adapted slightly from allrecipes.com

 

Ingredients:

1 8oz package Neufchatel (or cream cheese), softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 15 oz can solid pack pumpkin

1 T cinnamon

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1 t orange juice

 

 

In medium bowl blend cream cheese and sugar.  Mix in pumpkin.  Add remaining ingredients, blend well and chill until ready to serve.  We like this with graham crackers, ginger snaps and vanilla wafers.

 



Hawaiian Pork Sliders

I love trying new recipes - especially when it seems I've fallen into a dinner rut.

We had some leftover chalupa pork and I searched the web until I created something delicious from bits and pieces of other recipes.

It would be really tasty with plain smoked pork, as well.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

cooked chalupa pork or 1-2 lb smoked pork

favorite barbecue sauce

favorite dinner rolls, buns, etc

Pineapple-Mango Salsa:

1/2 bell pepper any color, finely diced

1/4 cup purple/red onion, finely diced

3 T chopped cilantro

1/2 c diced mango

1/2 c diced pineapple

Pineapple-Mango Dressing:

1 T mayo

1/2 T vinegar

1 T orange juice

1/2 t mustard

1/4 t celery seed

1/2 T sugar

salt & pepper to taste

If pork is already cooked, simply add barbecue sauce and heat on low for at least 30 minutes. 

While pork is heating, chop items in pineapple-mango topping and put together into a bowl.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together, then pour over the fruits & vegies. Stir and chill until time to serve.

When pork is well simmered, serve on rolls, top with pineapple-mango salsa and enjoy.

* This could also be served with shredded beef or chicken.  The pineapple-mango salsa was originally a slaw, but my family won't eat cabbage, so I changed it to make us happy.  Add cabbage if you like and increase the dressing ingredients slightly.