It's that time of year again ...

I love this time of year, when it starts getting cooler and I can make more soups and stews. Don't get me wrong, I love the summer and I'm always ready for it when it comes. But I like the crisp fall weather and the warm, comfort foods that come with it. This stew is one of my favorites. I even asked for it for my birthday dinner one year ... and my birthday is in August. I love it that much! I also made it for our Halloween dinner with Philip's family this last weekend everyone who ate it commented on how good it was. It's really easy to make and I love being able to throw it together in the morning and have a hot meal ready for me when I get home from work. 

Skier's Stew

2 1/2 pounds stew meat

8 medium potatoes, diced

8 large carrots, diced (Sometimes, to save time, I'll just cut about 20 baby carrots into thirds and throw those in.)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can tomato sauce

1 package dried onion soup

Layer beef and vegetables in crock pot. Top with soups and tomato sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or cook on low for 6-8 hours. Simmer another 2-3 hours. Stir just before serving.

This is also good with diced onion and/or mushrooms added in. 

This is one of the the slow cookers I have. My mom gave it to me for Christmas last year and I use it when I cook something in a slow cooker that I'm taking somewhere. It has a handy little strap that fits over the lid and around each handle to keep things from spilling. I also love the "keep warm" feature for those times when the food is done, but we're not quite ready to eat yet.

I also have a 6-quart slow cooker that's great for larger meals. It's nice to cook a large amount of soup in it and freeze some for a quick meal later on.

Picnic Cake

This cake is one of my favorite "sweet treats" to make and eat. It's very easy to make, all of the ingredients are things I almost always have on hand, and is very tasty. I even justify eating it for breakfast because it has applesauce in it ... don't judge me. Find a printable version of this recipe here.

Picnic Cake

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups applesauce

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips. Mix well. Pour batter into 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with an additional 2 TBS. sugar, and chocolate chips. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Great served with vanilla ice cream.

What We've Been Eating

I have been cooking, I promise! In the last 3 days, we have tried 4 new recipes. They can all be found online so I'll just post the links to them. Enjoy!

Best-Ever Chicken Fried Steak, served with mashed potatoes. I had a free sample of the Shirley J Universal Sauce, but any country gravy mix (or homemade gravy) would be just as good.

Mozzarella Chicken Roll-Ups, served with whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Catalina Chicken Breasts with Steakhouse Potato Salad

Campbell's Chicken Crunch, served with rice on the side and "homemade" (Bisquick) biscuits

Waikiki Meatballs

These meatballs are delicious and pretty easy to make. This was one of my favorite dinners growing up, and last night this totally hit the spot. Hope you like it! Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Waikiki Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

2/3 cup cracker crumbs

1/3 cup minced onion

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 cup milk

1 TBS. shortening

Sauce:

2 TBS. cornstarch

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

1 TBS. soy sauce

Juice from 1 can (15 oz.) pineapple (reserve pineapple)

Mix beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, salt, ginger, and milk. Shape into meatballs. Brown meatballs in skillet with shortening. For the sauce, mix cornstarch and brown sugar, and then add pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce. Mix until smooth. Pour sauce over meatballs, stirring until mixture thickens. Add the pineapple. Serve over rice. 

Tips and Tricks:

• If you don't have cracker crumbs, seasoned breadcrumbs will also work. I didn't even have enough of those to get the full 2/3 cup, so I used cornmeal to make up the rest, and I couldn't even tell the difference!
• If you end up using seasoned breadcrumbs, you can get away with using less salt. You can probably use less salt regardless--I added just under 1 teaspoon instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons. 
• You can use pineapple tidbits, pineapple chunks, or crushed pineapple. I usually only use about 1/2 of the pineapple. (But you will need all of the juice for the sauce.)
•  Use low sodium soy sauce--you can't even taste the difference!
• Like the directions say, mix the brown sugar and cornstarch together very well before you add the liquids. This will save you from having little white clumps of cornstarch in your sauce.  

Crescent Cristo Sandwich Loaf

Philip and I love Monte Cristo Sandwiches. The traditional Monte Cristo is a ham and cheese (usually swiss) sandwich dipped in pancake batter, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. It is usually served with raspberry or strawberry jam. This recipe is a somewhat simplified version (or at least I thought so) that doesn't require me to make a whole batch of pancake batter just to dip 2 sandwiches in. I planned on making the whole recipe but decided to cut it in half after I realized how big the sandwiches would be, which meant ... I had enough ingredients to make it a second time. And we did! This recipe is definitely one of our new favorites and it's so simple and easy! Find a printable version of this recipe here.

Crescent Cristo Sandwich Loaf

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ flaky dough sheet

2 tablespoons LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted

2 tablespoons honey

6 oz thinly sliced smoked cooked turkey breast

6 oz medium sliced muenster cheese

6 oz thinly sliced cooked ham

1/3 to 1/2 cup SMUCKER'S® Raspberry Preserves

Topping:

 2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sesame seed

 

Directions: 

• Heat oven to 375°F. Separate or cut dough into 4 long rectangles. Place rectangles crosswise on 1 large or 2 small ungreased cookie sheets (rectangles should not touch); if using crescent dough, firmly press perforations to seal. In small bowl, mix butter and 2 tablespoons honey. Brush over dough.
• Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown; cool 15 minutes.
• Grease 15x10x1-inch pan. Carefully place 1 crust on pan. Top evenly with turkey. Place second crust over turkey; top with cheese and ham. Place third crust over ham; spread evenly with preserves. Top with fourth crust; brush top with 2 tablespoons honey. Sprinkle honey with sesame seed.Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and loaf is hot. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 slices

Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Remember that rotisserie chicken I used for the Chicken BLT Salad? Wonder what I did with the other half of that chicken? I made these! I've seen this recipe several in several different ads in magazines and in the coupons in the Sunday paper and I finally got around to trying it! They were very tasty, easy to make, and gave us just enough leftovers that we didn't get sick of eating them! (Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)

Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups cooked chicken

1/2 cup shredded cheese

6 flour tortillas

1 small tomato, chopped

1 green onion, sliced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the soup, sour cream, salsa, and chili powder in a medium bowl. Stir 1 cup soup mixture, chicken, and cheese in a large bowl. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side up in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with tomato and onion.

Tips and Tricks:

• To save a little on the fat, use 98% fat free soup, and either light or fat free sour cream. There are enough spices and other ingredients that you won't even notice a difference in the taste! (You could also use low-fat cheese.)
• I just used my 8 x 8 pyrex dish and it was the perfect size for 6 enchiladas.
• If you like a little extra "goo" on your enchiladas, sprinkle some shredded cheese on the enchiladas before you pour the sauce over the top.

Becky's Brownies

These brownies are from a family cookbook my sister put together a few years ago. My cousin Becky contributed this recipe, and these brownies are excellent! They are very easy to make, and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand (which is both a good thing and a bad thing). For this recipe, I'm going to post it on here and include a link to a printable version here. Let me know what you think!

Becky’s Brownies

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups sugar

½ cup cocoa

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

1½ cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 2-quart dish. Add sugar, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add flour and mix. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

• For a little extra chocolate, add 1 cup chocolate chips to the batter before baking. Toffee bits are an excellent addition as well! 
• Cream cheese frosting is also a good addition to these brownies.

 

Chicken BLT Salad

Tonight I made my sister's Chicken BLT Salad. It was very easy to make, and very tasty. I'm trying something new here ... I hope it works! Click here for a link to a printable version of this recipe. I hope you like it!

P.S. Please, please let me know what you prefer--me just posting the recipe on the blog, having just the printable version, or having both. I'd really appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Super Salad!

 

Ignore the watermark and link on the picture--it was the best one I could find.

I made this salad tonight for a BBQ we had with some of the other couples in our apartment complex and everyone seemed to really like it. I even got a request for the recipe! Woo-hoo!

Super Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce

grated Swiss cheese (I had some sliced Swiss in the fridge, so I just cut 4 slices into small pieces)

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 small purple onion

mushrooms (I've never put these in the salad because Philip doesn't like them, and I don't like them raw. If you try it, let me know how it is!)

Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/3 cup vinegar or cider vinegar

3/4 cup oil

3/4 tsp. poppy seeds

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. mustard

1/3 cup sugar

Mix salad ingredients in large bowl. Mix salad dressing well, in a separate container. Pour dressing over salad and toss just before serving, or serve on the side.

Chocolate Lava Kisses

I tried my first recipe from the ADA cookbook I mentioned in my last post. I made Chocolate Lava Kisses. (Yes, I tried a dessert before I tried anything else.) And since I don't feel right about posting the recipe, because it is from a published cookbook, I found the exact same recipe for you online (click on the link above). These are very tasty and good for you. Well . . . maybe not good for you, but not as bad for you as other treats you could be eating. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Trying New Things

Some things we've tried recently:

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Catalina Chicken Breasts

Creamy Chicken with Bacon & Penne

Recipes to try:

Miracle Whip Rocking Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad

Mozzarella Chicken Roll-ups

Cucumber-Dill Salad with Asparagus

Chicken Parmesan

One more thing:

Philip and I are trying to lose weight, eat less fast food, and cook healthier meals. We bought this American Diabetes Association cookbook last week, and I have started creating a menu and grocery list from the recipes inside. Most of them look pretty good (minus the ones calling for tofu), and the ingredients aren't that different from what we've been trying to do anyway--buy things with less fat and less sodium. I'll let you know how it goes!

P.S. I hate the cover of this book--it's super cheesy. Oh well! What can you do?!

 

Jelly Roll

If only mine looked that good . . . I made this cake for Philip's birthday last week. The original recipe is for a Jelly Roll (white cake with some flavor of jelly rolled up in it), but I've only ever had the chocolate cake with ice cream version. I got a little adventurous and used cookies and cream ice cream. It turned out great, as far as the taste goes. It didn't look too good, but how much does that really matter?? I'll give you the recipe as is, for the jelly roll, and then give you the directions for the chocolate ice cream roll. I'd also give you the recipe for "Pourover," but it's kind of a secret ;)

Jelly Roll

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 cup cake flour)**

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

About 2/3 cup jelly or jam

Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" by 1" pan with aluminum foil or waxed paper; grease generously. Beat eggs in 1 1/2-quart bowl on high speed until very thick and lemon colored--about 5 minutes. Pour eggs into 2 1/2 quart bowl (I used a larger bowl to begin with. Why dirty more dishes than necessary??). Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in water and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add flour, baking powder, and salt, beating until batter is smooth. Pour into pan.

Bake until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean--12 to 15 minutes. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert onto kitchen towel (white dish towels work well) generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully remove foil or waxed paper. Trim off stiff edges of cake if necessary. While cake is still hot, carefully roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Unroll cake; remove towel. Beat jelly or jam slightly with fork to soften; spread over cake. Roll up cake; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Chocolate Ice-cream Roll: Beat in 1/4 cup cocoa with the flour. Spread 1 to 1 1/2 pints of your favorite flavor of ice cream, slightly softened, over the cake. Roll up; wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze until firm--at least 4 hours. Serve with fudge sauce if desired.

Sloppy Joes

This is by far my favorite Sloppy Joe recipe. I call it my mom's recipe because it's the one she always made while we were growing up. I don't think she ever put the curry powder in it, but we've tried it and like it. If you're not a big curry fan, leave it out. They'll still be just as good! We just use 1 pound of ground beef, because there are only 2 of us, but we keep the measurements the same as if we were making it with 2 pounds. They just have a little extra sauce :) I also like to dice a small onion and saute it with the ground beef--something my mom never did for some reason. . . . Hope you like it!

2 lbs. ground beef 

1 can tomato soup

1/2 cup ketchup

2 TBS. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. worchestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt 

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 

1/4 tsp. curry powder

Cook ground beef until brown. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20-30 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

Semi-Homemade Cooking with Nata-lie

The title of this post is a play off of Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, on the Food Network. Sandra Lee uses 70% ready-made products and 30% fresh ingredients in her cooking. We like to call her the lush chef because she makes a cocktail to go with every meal, and even makes "kiddie cocktails" for the young'ns. Sandra Lee also decorates her kitchen and table with her theme of the meal, and dresses in a coordinating outfit. Quite the show! While I will probably never go to as much trouble as she does, I like the idea of making these great meals using some pre-made ingredients.

Tonight I made my mom's shepherd's pie. We were watching the food network last week, they were talking about it, and I suddenly started really craving my mom's shepherd's pie. As always, she came to the rescue and emailed her recipe to me. Here it is! It's very easy to make, and I love that you can make as much or as little as you need. I'll give you my mom's recipe, and then how I made it "semi-homemade."

1-2 lbs. ground beef (I'd use 1 pound for an 8" square pan, 2 pounds for a 9"x13" pan.)

4+ potatoes (I used Ore Ida Steam n' Mash potatoes. 10 minutes in the microwave=done!)

1 can tomato soup

1 can corn (I used frozen corn.)

1 can green beans (I used frozen green beans.)

salt and pepper to taste

chili powder to taste

Brown ground beef in skillet until cooked through. Add tomato soup. (Don't make the soup, just pour it in straight from the can. I did add about 1/4 cup milk to make a little extra sauce.) Add salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste. Meanwhile, cook potatoes and mash with milk, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. In baking dish (8" or 9"x13"), spread corn and green beans. Top with meat mixture. Cover with mashed potatoes and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and put back in oven until cheese is melted.

On the menu tonight . . .

Tonight for dinner, I made Creamy Chicken & Pasta Bake from Kraft Foods. It's a keeper!

Lemon Chicken (Stick to What You Know)

This last week, I've been craving lemon chicken. We hadn't had it in awhile, and it is one of our favorite meals. I have a recipe from my mom that makes the **BeSt** lemon chicken. However, I decided to be a little adventurous and try a new recipe off the internet. In this recipe, you make a marinade, marinate the chicken, and bake it in the oven. Sounds good right? Well . . . Philip was the first to take a bite of this "tasty" meal. I have never seen him pucker up like that! The chicken was so, so, so sour. (And I like sour things.) He didn't eat any more. I ate the thicker part of the chicken because the marinade didn't soak in as deep. And then we went to Arby's. Lesson learned. Here is what I call the best lemon chicken recipe ever. Hope you love it!

Lemon Chicken

2 cut-up chickens (I use chicken breasts.)

1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 tsp. salt

2 TBS cooking oil

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate

3 TBS brown sugar

3 TBS ketchup

1 TBS vinegar

2 TBS cold water 

Mix flour with salt and coat chicken thoroughly. Brown chicken in hot oil, and then place in crock pot. Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Simmer on low for 3-4 hours. Serve with rice.

Sassy? Or saucy?

Last week, I made this Sassy Potato Corn Chowder. It was delicious! Of course, I added my own little touch to it :) I added some diced ham I had left over from another meal, and one more slice of bacon than the recipe called for. I also just used 1 can of canned corn instead of frozen. It all tastes the same to me! It was just as good the next day, reheated, as it was the night I made it. Try it out!

Mushroom Turnovers

I made these yesterday for the Super Bowl. My mom used to make these every now and then, usually on New Year's Day, and I haven't had them in a very, very long time. They were sooooo good! Eat up!

1 8-ounce package cream cheese (I used low fat.)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and diced

1 small onion, minced (I used about 2 TBS. chopped, dehydrated onion.)

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. thyme leaves

1 egg, beaten

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese, flour, and butter until smooth. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the dough is chilling, over medium heat, melt 3 TBS. butter or margarine and cook onions and mushrooms until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream, salt, thyme, and 2 TBS. flour. Set aside.

On floured surface, roll half of the dough 1/8 inch thick. With floured 2 3/4 inch round cookie cutter (I used a round tupperware container.), cut out as many circles as possible. Repeat until all the dough is used.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Onto one half of each dough circle, place a teaspoon of mushroom mixture. Brush the edges of each circle with some egg. Fold dough over filling. With a fork, firmly press edges together to seal and poke some holes in the tops. Place turnovers on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining egg. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until golden.

**I have some leftover dough (I think I filled my other turnovers too much), and made some turnovers with raspberry jam in the middle. Yum!

Homework Assignment

If you're reading this, you have to complete my homework assignment . . . or else! (Ok, there's not really an "or else," but if you want to do it, do it!) I want each of you to send me a recipe. Any recipe. I'm always looking for something new to try for dinner, dessert, side dish, anything your little heart desires. And, if you don't mind, I'll even share them on my blog! You can email them to me at natgat@gmail.com. Thanks mucho!

Southern Black Bean Salad (or Salsa)

Southern Black Bean Salad (or Salsa)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz.) can corn, drained

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 large avocado, cut into small pieces

1 small purple onion

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 zucchini diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

To make as a salad, prepare the following dressing:

2 TBS. olive oil

1 TBS. red wine vinegar

3-4 TBS. fresh lime juice

season to taste with salt and pepper 

Shake well and pour over mixture before serving. Stir gently.

To make as a salsa:

Omit salad dressing. Squeeze one fresh lime over mixture and stir gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.