Barbara's Apple Cider Stew - For crock-pot

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat; cut in 1 inch cubes (I buy stew meat already cut)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
4 carrots, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled & cut, I mix white and sweet (2 ½ cups)
2 onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped (you can use more if you like apples)
2 cups apple cider (you can substitute apple juice if cider not in season)
1 tablespoon vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
½ cup cold water
¼ cup all-purpose flour
I also use the a little browning sauce (like for gravy)

Preparation:
In skillet or large saucepan brown half the meat at a time in hot oil. Drain off fat. Combine 3 tablespoons flour, salt, thyme, and pepper. Toss with browned meat to coat. Place carrots, potatoes, onion, celery, and apple in crockery cooker. Place meat atop. Combine apple cider and vinegar. Pour over meat. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours.

Turn cooker to high-heat setting. Blend cold water into ¼ cup flour; stir into stew. I add a squirt of browning sauce and stir. Cover; cook until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste.

I use 1 ½ the recipe for 7 adults (3 young men & 1 husband with healthy appetites) and have some leftovers.

Enjoy!

Krista's Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
2 cans cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup
3 cups cheddar cheese
1 package of tater tots
salt, to taste

Preparation:
Brown ground beef and mix with 2 cans cream of mushroom(or chicken if you prefer) soup in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. (Campbells is the best!). Flatten the beef and soup mixture and put 3 cups cheddar over it, then a package of tater tots in one layer over it. Add a little salt for taste and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Lara's Cheesy Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 large 32 ounce can of chicken broth
1 large onion
3 giant potatoes
8 slices of bacon
1 brick (16 ounces) of Montery Jack cheese
1/2 pint container of half and half

Preparation:
Chop up the bacon and onion and brown in a large pot. Add the chicken broth and chopped potatoes and simmer for at least an hour. After that, cut up the cheese and add it to the mixture. Add the half and half at the end to heat through.

Serves 4 to 5 people.

Vickie's Peach Cobbler

Jenese, Here is one of my favorite easy peach cobbler recipes, hope you like it.

Ingredients:
1 stick margarine
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk
pinch of salt

3 cups peaches (I have used canned peaches which does well or blackberries or your favorite fruit, just alter sugar and spice, cinnamon for apple etc accordingly)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation:
Set oven at 350 degree.

Place the stick of margarine in a 12x9x2 inch glass baking dish and into the oven to melt, while you are mixing other ingredients.

Into small mixing bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder,salt and milk (very thin mixture) and pour over melted margarine.

Pour fruit over batter (either frozen of fresh or canned), sweetened and spiced.

Mix together about 1/2 cup sugar and scant teaspoonful of nutmeg, and then sprinkle it over the peaches.

Bake about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

David's Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
1 Package Chicken Breasts
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can Tomato Sauce (8 Ounce)
16 Ounces Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 Large Nacho Flavored Doritos Bag
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

Preparation:
Boil chicken until done, then let cool. Cut chicken into bite size pieces.

Mix together tomato sauce and soups, then add chicken to the soup mixture.

Butter sides and bottom of casserole dish.

Begin layering soup mixture, cheese, and Doritos; starting first with soup mixture then cheese and finally Doritos.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until sides begin bubbling really good.

Laurie’s Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients
½ lb ground beef
¾ cup chopped onion
¾ cup shredded carrots
¾ diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
4 tbsp butter or margarine, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced, peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
¼ cup all purpose flour
8 oz. process American cheese cubed
1-½ cups milk
¾ tsp salt
¼ to ½ tsp pepper
¼ cup sour cream

Preparation
In a 3 qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside.

In the same saucepan, sauté onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tbsp butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add four, cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.

Add butter and flour mixture to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir about 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream.

Yield: 8 servings (2-¼ quarts).

Laurie’s Very Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:
4 Squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup butter (no substitutes)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Topping:
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup water
2 tbsp butter (no substitutes)
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Preparation:
In a microwave or double boiler, melt chocolate and butter; cool for 10 minutes

Add sugar; mix well. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Stir in the walnuts. Line a 13x9x2” baking pan with foil and grease the foil. Pour batter into pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake).

Cool completely.

For topping, melt chocolate chips, water and butter in a microwave or double broiler; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over brownies. Chill before cutting.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Yield: 3 dozen

Mom’s Crumb Cake

Batter Ingredients:
¼ pound margarine
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Batter Preparation:
Mix sugar, eggs, vanilla and baking powder. Add ½ milk and ½ flour. Mix together. Then add balance of ingredients. Pour into greased and floured cake pan. It’s best if you use a pan that’s approximately 10 ½ x 16.



Crumb Ingredients:
3 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups of sugar
8 tsp cinnamon
3 sticks of melted margarine

Powdered sugar, to sprinkle on top after cooled

Crumb Preparation:
Combine dry ingredients and then slowly add melted margarine. Blend with fork as you form crumbs. The crumbs should not be too wet or too dry. If they appear to be too wet, add more flour.

Sprinkle crumb mixture onto cake batter with your fingers and randomly drop.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Let cool and then shake confectionary sugar on the top.

Michele’s Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
5 pound bag potatoes
1 stick of sweet cream butter
½ container sour cream
1 ½ box (8 ounce packages) cream cheese
Salt, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
4 tbsp chives, chopped

Preparation:
Boil potatoes in salted water (1 hours); drain and mash a little with the power off just ot get rid of the lumps.

Add sour cream, ½ stick butter, cream cheese, 1 tbsp garlic salt, 1 tbsp white pepper; beat for a minute.

Coat casserole dish with butter; make sure to get all the sides.

Pour potatoes in dish and refrigerate 1 hour, then bring to room temperature.

Cut up the rest of the butter to top the potatoes.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Take lid off last ½ hour if you want the potatoes browned on top.

Taking Pictures of Food

Tonight I had Laurie's Cheeseburger Soup and Laurie's Very Chocolate Brownies tonight and both were very good. But, I discovered that I need to learn how to take better pictures of food because the pictures that I took don't make the food look as good as it taste. I looked at a couple of websites with ideas, so I'll see if the hints they gave on the websites help at all. If anyone else has any ideas on how to take good food pictures, I'd love to hear them.

Rita’s Italian Love Cake

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
32 ounce ricotta cheese
Eggs, per cake directions plus 4 eggs
Cooking oil, per cake directions
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
6 ounce mini chocolate cips
1 large Cool Whip (8 ounces is enough)
1 can regular chocolate frosting

Preparation:
Mix cake according to directions. Pour into greased 13x9 inch pan.

Mix together ricotta cheese, 4 eggs, sugar and vanilla with beater. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour the cheese mixture on top of cake mixture and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Cool thoroughly for 15 minutes (can leave in pan or put on dish). Continue to cool (usually overnight).

Mix together cool whip and chocolate frosting and frost.

Aunt Debbie’s White Chili

Ingredients:
1 medium onion
1- 7 ounce can chopped green chilies
2- 16 ounce cans cooked Great Northern beans
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cloves
3 cups diced cooled chicken
2- 14 ounce cans chicken broth
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

Toppings, to taste
Shredded cheese
Nacho chips
Sour Cream
Salsa

Preparation:
Combine 3 cups of broth, onions, chilies, beans, cumin and cloves. Simmer for an hour.

Add 1 to 1- 1/2 cups cheese and chicken. Cook until chili is thick and add additional broth as needed.

Top with shredded cheese, nacho chips, sour cream and salsa.

Serves 6.

Laurie’s Western-Style Beef ‘n’ Beans

Ingredients:
3 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 tsp beef bouillon granules
2/3 cup boiling water
2 cans (28 ounces each) baked beans with molasses
1-1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup prepared mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preparation:
In Dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef, onions and celery until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Dissolve bouillon in water; stir in beef mixture. Add the beans, ketchup, mustard, garlic. Salt and pepper; mix well.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until bubbly; stir. Top with bacon.

Yield: 12 servings

My confession... I don't really like to cook

I have a confession. I'm not really a very good cook, and I don't really even like cooking. But, I'm tired of eating the same meals and am tired of spending lots of money to eat out. So, I'm going to try really hard to start cooking more at home... which means cooking at home is inevitable.

One of the things that I dread is the constant trips to the grocery store in order to buy all the ingredients for different recipes. I wish that one of the online grocers would have been successful so I could have just placed the order online instead.

I didn't have time to look through the recipes today to generate a grocery list for this week, but am planning to do so tomorrow.

Tonight I tried Aunt Kathy's Chicken with Rice. I stuck it in the oven before leaving for church, so I lowered the oven temperature a little bit. Everyone seemed to like it, but to me the rice was a little crunchy, so I think that lowering the temperature messed it up a little bit. Next time I cook it, I will stick to the directions and I'm sure it will taste much better. (The chicken was very tender though).

Refrigerator Delight

I was too lazy to go grocery shopping or cook today, so I decided it would be a good night for "refrigerator delight". This is when you go to your refrigerator and eat any delightful thing you can find. My choice out of the refrigerator was leftover David's Chicken Casserole. The day I made it, the Doritos were a little overpowering. But, today the taste of the Doritos blended into the casserole much nicer. Overall, it was a delightful choice. :-) Guess this means I need to go grocery shopping and actually cook tomorrow night.

Pat's Bacon and Cheese Spread

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded cheese
1 pack slivered almonds
3 tablespoons chooped green onion
1/4 bottle of bacos
2 cups mayonnaise (less is better)


Preparation:
Mix and refrigerate overnight.

Pat's Salsa

Ingredients:
2 large and 1 small cans of diced tomatoes
2 small cans of green chili peppers
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup diced onion
Cilantro, to taste
Salt, to taste
Garlic, to taste

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together.

Pat's Texas Caviar

Ingredients:
2 cans field peas with jalapenos, drained (Bi/ Lo or Ingles)
2 cans Ro Tel, drained
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1-1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 cup chopped onion
8 oz. bottle of Italian dressing
1/4 to 3/4 cup chopped jalapenos, optional for more heat

Preparation:
Mix well and refrigerate overnight.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Mexican Hotdogs from Pepe85323

Ingredients:
10 corn tortillas
1 package hotdogs
1 block small cheese
onion (optional)
wooden toothpicks
oil for deep frying

Preparation:
Heat the oil for deep frying.

Split the hotdogs lenghtwise, but not all the way through. Cut the cheese into strips and place 1 strip in the hotdog. Add onions if desired.

Heat the tortillas to make them easier to handle and to prevent spliting. Roll the hotdogs in the tortilla using a toothpick to hold everything in place. Deep fry and drain on paper towels.

Makes 10

Some of the cheese is going to melt out and so will the some of the onions if used. When they are done we usually serve them with salsa and/or guacamole to dip them in. Sometimes nacho sauce.

Hoagie Bake - Recommended by Blizlady

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, and my family really likes it. I personally don't put in pepperoni because the salami has enough fat for us without the added pepperoni, but it's a dish that you can change with different meats and cheeses. Deli sliced turkey or breast is good in this too. I serve a marinara or spaghetti sauce on the side as a dip.

Hoagie Bake
A great, fairly quick recipe for a delicious hoagie bake.
Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes.
Cook Time: approx. 35 Minutes.
Ready in: approx. 50 Minutes.
Makes 8 servings.

Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Cindy
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 pound salami, sliced
1/4 pound cooked ham, sliced
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, sliced
8 slices provolone cheese 8 slices Swiss cheese
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2 Cover bottom of baking dish with 1 package crescent roll dough. Layer with salami, ham, and pepperoni. Cover meat with a layer of Provolone cheese and Swiss cheese. Spread 1/2 of the beaten eggs over the cheese. Top with second package of crescent rolls. Brush with remaining beaten eggs, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3 Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake for another 10 minutes.

This recipe is featured within our Tried & True Quick & Easy cookbook. If you would like to learn more, please click http://allrecipes.com/quick/

Pat's Etruscan Peasant Soup

Hi, Jenese,

I saw your post on Mimi's Cyberkitchen. Here is a recipe that I created a number of years ago. It was in a Taste of Home Cooking School Magazine and won me $500. It is my husband's favorite soup and oh, so easy to make. Best of luck with your recipe blog.

Pat


ETRUSCAN PEASANT SOUP
1 T. Olive Oil
1 lb. Italian Sweet Sausage Links, cut into 1/2" pieces (lower fat or turkey sausage, if available)
1/2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
3/4 C. Chopped Onion
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 C. Fresh Spinach, washed, stems removed and rough chopped
1 - 14 1/2 oz. Can No-Fat Chicken Broth
1 - 14 1/2 oz. Can Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano, undrained
1 - 15 oz. Can Canellini Beans, drained
1/2 t. Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
2 T. Grated Parmesan Cheese

In heavy 4 quart pan, heat olive oil. Brown sausage link pieces and chicken pieces until no longer pink. Add onion and garlic and stir fry until softened. Add spinach, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, beans, and red pepper. Heat to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. Serve with crusty Italian bread and robust red wine, if desired.
Makes 4-5 servings.


"We may live without friends,We may live without books, butCivilized men cannot live without cooks."-----Owen Meredith

Vickie's Autumn Muffins

These muffins are easy and really good warm – enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
2 apples – cored and chopped
1 ¼ cups shredded carrots
½ cup raisins
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (juice pack), undrained
2/3 cup cooking oil
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. Line 18 muffin cups with paper bake cups. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour,baking soda, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar.

3. Stir in apples, carrots and raisins.

4. In a separate bowl, combine pineapple and juice with oil, eggs, vanilla.

5. Add pineapple mixture to flour mixture. Stir until just moistened.

6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

7. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 18 minutes (until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.)

8. Cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Similar to Olive Garden's Pasta E Fagioli

Ingredients:
3 tsp. Oil
2 lb. Ground beef
14 oz. Bag of Small Carrots; slivered
14 oz. Celery; diced
48 oz. Tomatoes; canned, diced
2 Cans cooked Red Kidney beans
2 Cans cooked White kidney beans
88 oz. Beef stock
3 tsp. Oregano
2 1/2 tsp. Pepper
5 tsp. Parsley
48 oz. Spaghetti sauce
8 oz. dry pasta Shell macaroni; or other pasta

Preparation:
Sauté beef in oil in large 10-qt. pot until beef starts to brown. Add carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot. Also add beef stock, oregano, pepper, spaghetti sauce, noodles and parsley. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes.

Makes 9 qts. of soup.