Sunday, October 31, 2010

busy day

280. Beef Stew

This weekend has been wild and BUSY. The kids had halloween parties at school on friday. Friday night we went trick or treating on a local college in the dorms. Can you say Arbys for dinner at almost 8 at night. So no cooking. Sat we had the fall festival at Eli's school and then trick or treating. Can you say slow cooker for Sat? Today we had the fall festival at our church and more trick or treating. I think that Elise had a hot dog bun and bag of chips. healthy weekend! Then pile all the candy and can you say DONE IN!! The slow cooker got a lot of use. This beef stew was yummy. After a long day and time on our feet it was nice to come home and have it done!

*10 small potatoes, halved
*1-2 onion chopped
*5-8 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-2 inch chunks
*1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
*1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
*2 cups beef broth
*1 tsp oregano
*1/2 tsp paprika
*1 TBSP parsley
*8 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
*salt and pepper

Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

279. Mexican Bread

I forgot this one. We had it with the taco soup and it was good

*3/4 cup water
3 1/3 cup bread flour
*1 1/2 tsp sugar
*1 tsp salt
*2 1/2 TBSP taco mix
*1/2 cup sour cream
*1 1/2 tsp yeast

place in bread maker and press start!
272. Yukon Potatoes


I love yukon Potatoes and this just an easy way to make them

*2 lbs yukon potatoes
*2-3 TBSP olive oil
*salt and pepper
*1 tsp basil
*1 tsp garlic powder
*1 tsp oregano

Preheat oven 450
mix together and roast for 30 minutes



273. Cheese Dip


This was so easy. It was ok. Dave likes it more than I did and my kids would not touch it.

* 1 lb of Velveeta Cheese, cubed
*1 can rotel

Heat to melt cheese and stir


274. Apple Pie

It was no better than any recipe, so no need to type it out. To be honest I really like to use that canned Applie pie filling. I think its good and easy to make!!


275. Taco Soup

this was good. I am not going to lie and tell you that my kids loved it. They ate chicken nuggets!

*1 lb ground beef
*1 onion, chopped
*1 can kidney beans with liquid
*1 can chili beans with liquid
*1 can tomato sauce
*2 cups water
*2 cans peeled and diced tomatoes
* can diced green chile peppers
*1 packet taco seasoning

Brown the meat
Drain and pour into crock pot along with everything else
Cook on low for 6-8 hours


276. Chicken and dumplings


I made this one night when I did not have a lot of time and it was really good. The kids loved it. We loved it! No one had to sit in time out and that to me is a good night.

*1 whole chicken (to make this faster I just picked up a pre-cooked chicken
*5 carrots, peeled and cut until 1 inch pieces
*2-3 celery cut into 1/4 inch pieces
*2-3 cups chicken broth
*2 chicken bullion cubes
*1 bay leaf
*salt and peeper
*1 tube biscuits

Place the carrots and celery in a dutch oven and cover with broth.
Put the bay leaf and bullion in pot and season with salt and pepper
Cook for 30-45 minutes on a medium low heat or until carrots are soften
Carve the chicken and throw into dutch oven
Top with biscuits
Then I put it in the oven at 400 until the biscuits were cooked.

An easy take on chicken and dumplings!


277. Brownies


These were good if you like brownies. I am not a huge fan of brownies

*1/2 cup butter
*1 cup sugar
*1 tsp vanilla
*2 eggs
*1/2 cup flour
*1/3 cocoa powder
*1/4 tsp baking powder
*1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350
Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla
Add eggs and beat well
Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt until blended
pour into a 9 inch square pan
Bake for 25 minutes


278. Pot Roast

This was good and the kid liked it. It a different twist on just a pot roast. I am sure that you can also make it in the crock pot

*1 beef roast (4-5 lbs)
*2 TBSP oil
*salt and pepper
*1 cup water
*1 can tomato sauce
*1 sliced onion
 *2 cloves garlic, minced
*2 TBSP brown sugar
*1/2 tsp dry mustard
*1/4 cup lemon juice
*1/4 cup vinegar
*1/4 cup ketchup
*1 TBSP worcestershire sauce
*dash of hot sauce

Heat oil in dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Add water, tomato sauce, onion and garlic
Cover and simmer for 2 hours
Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook for an 1 1/2 hours








Wednesday, October 20, 2010

267. Sweet bread

Every time I use my bread machine I hear my friend JJ tell me that I would never use it. However I use it a lot and I love it! This is really good with some apple butter or pumpkin butter. this may come as a shock but we went apple picking and bought those 2 things.

*1 cup milk
*2 eggs
*2 TBSP butter
*1/3 cup sugar
*3/4 tsp salt
*3 cups bread flower
*2 1/2 tsp yeast

Put them in the bread machine and start!

268. Crab dip

This was really good. It was like something you buy while out to dinner. Plus it was easy and it was good cold too!

*11 ounces cream cheese, softened
*1 small onion, finely chopped
*5 TBSP mayo
*2 cans crab meat, drained and flaked
*1/8 tsp garlic powder
*salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350
Mix everything together and place in a small dish
Cook for 20-28 minutes

269. Cheddar Ranch dip

 We went to a party at our best friends home. I had to find a dip to make. I will say that Dave liked this more than I did. It was a little too much bacon taste!

*1 (16on) sour cream
*1 pack ranch dressing mix
*3 ounce bacon bits
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together and make sure to chill for at least 30 minutes

270. Gold crushed Potatoes

My husband went to cali and he brought back these gold temptation potatoes. They are these cute little yellow potatoes and they are tasty!

*yellow potatoes
*6 cloves garlic, minced
*1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
*1/4 cup olive oil
*salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400
Roast potatoes for 30 minutes
Take out and crush with fork to break the skin and flatten potato
Place in bowl and mix in everything
Serve warm

271. salt

It was this recipe that was way too much salt and just bad! It was a fish dish and not good!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

October 14

261. Baked Cheese Cake

What is there to not like about cheese cake. This was easy and I just used a pre-made pie crust

Filling
*2 packages cream cheese, softened
*1 TBSP lemon juice
*3/4 cup sugar
*1/4 cup milk
*1/2 tsp vanilla
*2 eggs

Topping
*2 TBSP sugar
*1 cup sour cream
*1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat Cream cheese until fluffy
Gradually add in lemon juice, sugar, milk. salt and vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time
Pour into crust
Bake at 325 for 30 minutes
Mix the sugar, sour cream and vanilla and spread over
Bake for another 10 minutes
Chill for 5 hours

262. Brownies

You know to be honest....just buy the box mix. there was nothing special about these.

263. Meatloaf
*1 1/2 lb ground beef
*1 egg
*1 onion
*1 cup milk
*1 cup breadcrumbs
*salt and pepper
*2 TBSP brown sugar
*2 TBSP mustard
*1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and breadcrumbs
Season with salt and pepper
Place in loaf pan
In a separate bowl mix brown sugar, mustard and ketchup together
Pour over top of meat
Bake for 1 hour

263. two cheese spaghetti bake

This was really good. The kids really liked it and it made enough for us to have lunch the next couple days. Eli did want to have hot dogs and candy when I told him what I was making. Oh well!! There is always tomorrow

*6 ounces spaghetti. broken into thirds
*1 lb ground beef
*1/4 cup chopped onion
*1 jar spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
*2 TBSP butter
*4 TBSP flour
*1/4 tsp salt
*3/4 evaporated milk
*1/3 cup water
*4 ounces process cheese, cubed
*2 TBSP parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti in salted water
Brown the meat with onion, drain
Add sauce to meat and cook until boils
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
In a small saucepan, melt butter
Stir in flour and salt; gradually stir in water and milk
Bring to boil; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly
Add Process cheese and Parmesan cheese and stir until melted
Spread half the spaghetti mixture in baking pan
Spread cheese mixture over it and top with spaghetti
Bake for 30 minutes in 350 oven

264. over the top Mac n Cheese

This was good. I made this for my sweet husband because he was out of town for almost a week and when he came home he wanted Mac n Cheese! This was good and it reheated really well!

*16 ounces Elbow Macaroni
*2 ounces Muenster cheese
*1/2 cup milk cheddar, sharp cheddar, monterey jack cheeses
*1/2 cup butter
*2 cups half and half cream
*2 eggs
*1 cup process cheese
*salt and pepper

Cook pasta in salted water
In a bowl mix the cheeses and set aside
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat
Stir in cream, eggs, process cheese, salt and pepper and 1 1/2 cups cheese mixture
Drain pasta add cheese sauce and stir to coat
Transfer to baker and top with remaining cheese
Bake in a 350 oven for 40 minutes

265. slow cooker lemon chicken with potatoes and mushrooms

this was good. I was worried that it was not going to cook and I was worried that the potatoes would be hard but it was great. Everything was well cooked and yummy

*3-4 lb chicken
*2 cubes chicken bouillon
*1 lemon
*1/4 tsp paprika
*3 TBSP parsley
*1 onion cut into wedges
*2 cloves garlic, chopped
*2 TBSP soy sauce
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp pepper
*8-12 Yukon potatoes
*6 ounces mushrooms

Rinse and dry the chicken
Make sure that you take out the giblets and neck
put one bouillon inside cavity
squeeze the lemon and set juice aside
place rinds in cavity
put chicken in slow cooker, breast side up
sprinkle with paprika and parsley
place onions and garlic around chicken
pour soy sauce and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper
crumble remaining bouillon cube over chicken
Top with potatoes and mushrooms
Cook on high for 4-5 hours

266. Ham and Cheese Crescents

When Dave was out of town and I made this for the kids. They loved them and it was easy to make. Things we all have sitting around

*1 can crescent rolls
*8 thinly sliced ham
*4 slices cheddar cheese

Heat oven 350
Separate dough into 8 triangles
Place ham and cheese onto dough and roll
Bake for 15-19 minutes

Monday, October 4, 2010

October 4

256. Roasted Sweet Potatoes

*4 cups sweet potatoes, cut into 1-2 in pieces
*1 TBSP paprika
*1 tsp garlic powder (I used 2)
*1 tsp onion powder
*1 tsp sugar
*1 tsp cumin
*1 tsp salt
*3 TBSP red wine vinegar or malt vinegar

Toss all this with the sweet potatoes
Cook in a 425 oven 30-45 minutes!!

257. Cola Pot Roast

Its cold outside. For those of you who live in the midwest maybe 62 is not cold, but it is for me!
So break out the crock pot

*2 lb pot Roast
*Dry onion soup mix
*dry gravy mix
*cream of whatever soup....I used mushroom
*1 can of coke

place all in crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours

258. award winning Chili

This is was good chili. We loved it. We even got the kids to eat a bowl. Elise tells us that she likes chili now!

*2 lb ground beef
*1/2 onion, chopped
*1 tsp pepper
*1/2 tsp garlic salt
*2 cups tomato sauce
*1 jar (8 onces) salsa, I used more
*4 TBSP chili seasoning
*1 can light kidney beans
*1 can dark kidney beans

Brown meat in a heavy pot with the onions over medium high heat
Drain meat
Add everything else into the pot with the drained meat
Cook over a low setting for an hour.(I covered it)



259. Corn bread

YUMMY! I would have made my own cornbread. It was easy to make and so good

*1 1/2 cup cornmeal
*2 1/2 cups milk
*2 cups flour
*1 TBSP baking powder
*1 tsp salt
*2/3 cup sugar
*2 eggs
*1/2 cup veg oil

Preheat oven to 400
In a small bowl combine the cornmeal and milk and let stand for 5 minutes
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar
Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil
Pour into 9x13
Bake for 30-35 minutes


260. Lemon Meringue pie

This was so good. I always thought it was harder to make than it is.

*1 cup  sugar
*2 TBSP flour
*3 TBSP cornstarch
*1/4 tsp salt
*1 1/2 cup water
*2 lemons, juiced and zested
*2 TBSP butter
*4 egg yolks beaten
*1 pie crust
*4 egg whites
*6 TBSP sugar

Preheat oven to 350
To make the lemon filing:
In a medium saucepan whisk the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt
Stir in water, lemon juice and zest
Cook over medium high heat, always stirring until it comes to a boil
Add the butter
Place the yolks in little by little always stirring
Bring back to a boil and continue to cook until thick
Remove from heat and place in pie shell
To make meringue
Whip egg whites until foamy
Add the sugar and beat until they form stiff peaks
Spread over the pie and bake for 10 minutes

Saturday, October 2, 2010

253. Chicken Stir fry

This was good and the kids really liked it too. That is what I call a win win for this house!

*3 chicken breast
*3 TBSP soy sauce
*3 TBSP rice vinegar
*3 TBSP teriyaki sauce
*2 TBSP corn starch
*rice

Cut the chicken into strips
Coat the chicken with everything
Put oil in the skillet and heat over medium high heat
cook the chicken until its cooked through
Serve over rice

254. no one liked....next


255. Pot Roast

Ok it was a tad tough to eat. I would for sure make it in the crock pot for longer!

*3 lb beef shoulder roast
*1 TBSP olive oil
*salt, pepper and Italian seasoning
*1 clove garlic minced
*1 large onion chopped
*1/2 cup red wine
*carrots

heat the oil in a dutch over over medium high heat
Sear the meat on all side
Add the onion and garlic and rest meat on top
Add wine and cook until its almost boiling
Turn heat down and cover
Simmer for 3 hours or until meat is tender
You can also cook this in a slow cooker