Santa Fe Beef Stew

 

I LOVE my slow cookers! Do you? My slow cooker has been a huge helpmate in saving family dinner times lately. No matter how many directions we are committed to running in the evening with the kids, I can feel confident that there is a hot meal waiting for all at home.

As our kids have gotten older, their taste palates have grown and they are more apt to try new dishes...thank goodness! This meal is one that I don't think they would have eaten not long ago. But when I served this a few months ago, they devoured every bite and went back for more. We all couldn't believe how moist and tender the stew meat was, it just melted in our mouths! I think one of the things they liked most about it was the "kick" the stew has from the green chili's and taco seasoning. It takes the every day beef stew and brings it up a notch. 

I actually took bits and pieces from two separate recipes from the same cookbook to prepare this the way I thought my family would like it. If you decide to try this for your loved ones, I hope they enjoy it as much as we did!

From the heart of my kitchen to yours, may your experience be fun and the food always flavorful! Enjoy!

Santa Fe Beef Stew

2 lbs. stewing meat, cubed

2 Tbsp. oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

2 beef bouillon cubes (I used beef base)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

3 carrots, sliced

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

14 1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes

14 1/2-oz. can green beans, drained, or 1 lb. frozen green beans (I used 1 quart home canned bean)

14 1/2-oz. can corn, drained, or 1 lb. frozen corn

4-oz. can diced green chilies

1 pkg. dry taco seasoning mix

1. Brown meat, onion, and garlic in oil in saucepan until meat is no longer pink. Place in slow cooker.

2.Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Cover. Cook on High 30 minutes. Reduce heat to Low and cook 4-6 hours.

Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook

Saucy Italian Orzo

A new favorite cooking magazine of mine is Taste of Home's "Simple & Delicious". It's packed full of wonderfully tasty recipes that are perfect for those busy weeknights when I don't have much time to spend in the kitchen but want to put something hearty and nutritious on the table for dinner. (Hence, the title "Simple & Delicious"...duh!!) During my last menu planning session I chose several recipes from the Jan/Feb issue and I can't wait to share them all with you in upcoming posts! This first dinner recipe was so incredibly quick and easy to prepare. I actually over estimated the time it would take to cook that I had time to choose and bake up a loaf of garlic-herb bread (look for in my next post) to serve alongside our meal. WOW! The original recipe called for 1 lb. of hamburger but since I was doubling this recipe to share with Sarah for our meal co-op, I added 1 lb. of Italian sausage to boost the flavors a little. I would highly recommend that you consider doing this if you decide to try this meal for your family, the sausage was a perfect addition and really vamped up the taste of the entire dish. Another huge added plus for me was the addition of spinach at the end of the cooking time! It not only added a beautiful color to the entire dish, but was also a major nutritional and healthy addition. Major points in my book! The little food critics in my home gave this two-thumbs up each as they raved over the "cute little pasta thingies" (orzo). Oh-the phrases of children. I love being their Mom!

From the heart of my kitchen to yours, may your experience be fun and the food always flavorful. Enjoy!

Saucy Italian Orzo

1 1b. ground beef (or 1/2 lb. beef and 1/2 lb. Italian sausage)

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic

1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 cups fresh baby spinach

In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, orzo and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until orzo is tender. Add spinach; cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Source: Taste of Home's "Simple & Delicious" Jan/Feb 2010

Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie

I love one-dish meals! They are so versatile. Often, they are time saving, they offer less clean-up for the cook and they're great for busy weeknights. I won't lie, it has taken my kids some time and maturation to learn to like or at least try these types of meals, but more often than not, they end up really liking it.

I have always loved shepherd's pie. To me, it's one of the ultimate comfort foods. But, I've never fixed it for my family because only a few of us are mashed potato fans. When I saw this recipe that added sharp cheddar cheese to the potatoes, I knew I had to give it a try. The kids LOVE anything drowned in cheese. This did not disappoint! There is cheese stirred into the potatoes and then the entire dish is covered with more cheese that becomes a beautiful, delicious crisp topping to an already wonderful meal! Yum!

This would be a great dish to serve if you're planning on hosting family and friends over the holiday season because it can be made up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated separately. What a great time-saver for the busy hostess! This was also one of our "co-op" meals that was shared with my friend Sarah and her family. :)

From the heart of my kitchen to yours,  may your experience be fun and the food always flavorful. Enjoy!

Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie

2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced or cubed

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced

6 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 pounds ground beef chuck

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (6 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, 15-20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.

3. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1cup of cheese. Mash until smooth; season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes. (If topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Source: I can't remember where I copied this recipe from.

Menu Planning, Meal Sharing and Meaty Lasagna Stoup

 

I've shared with you before that I am blessed to have the opportunity to work from home caring for my friend, Sarah's two precious little ones while she teaches first grade in our school district. When school resumed this fall, both of our households endured many major adjustments. For us, this marked the first year all four of our children would be in school all day. That probably doesn't sound like an earth shattering adjustment, but when you throw in homework, piano lessons, soccer, school cheer, competition cheer, youth group and daily responsibilities at home, I was struggling to keep our household afloat. For Mike and Sarah; she was returning to teaching after three long months of bed rest and six months of maternity leave with the birth of their second child. She is also continuing her education by pursuing her Masters Degree. Balancing a full time career, continuing education, family and household responsibilities were wearing on Sarah too. Several times during the first couple of weeks of school, we shared with one another our "leftovers" from a previous meal to help each other out on particularly busy nights. This worked so well that we decided to create a meal sharing schedule.

Here's how we've worked it out:

1.) We plan our menus two weeks at a time.

2.) We create our menus separately but communicate our ideas for the four meals that we will be sharing with one another.

3.) I am scheduled for Monday and Wednesday nights' dinners and Sarah is scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. For our family, Friday is typically left over night and our weekend meals are planned according to whatever commitments we have.

I can't share with you how much of an INCREDIBLE blessing this has been for my family. On the two busiest nights of the week, when we're literally running in six different directions, I can relax knowing that there is a home cooked dinner waiting at home for us because Sarah brought it to me that morning when she dropped the kids off for the day. All I do is warm it up for the family and everyone eats according to their schedule for the evening. Whew-what a relief for me! On the nights that I send dinner to Sarah's, it offers her more valuable time to spend enjoying her kiddos without worrying about dinner preparations etc.  :)

We'll be sharing more tips and meal sharing ideas soon and I hope to begin listing our menus on the sidebar of my blog to share with you too. You can also check out the wonderful meal ideas that she has been sharing with us over at her blog; www.delectabledining09.blogspot.com.

This meal that I'm sharing with you today was a huge success for both families and made a large quantity of yummy goodness. This is basically lasagna in thick soup form. The noodles are broken up into the soup and they thicken the soup quite nicely. I loved that there were fresh veggies thrown into this too-always a great way to sneak nutrition into the kids' diet without them knowing. :) What's also wonderful about this recipe is that it's a Rachel Ray 30 minute meal, so you know it comes together quickly yet is full of wonderful flavors.

From the heart of my kitchen to yours, may your experience be fun and the food always flavorful. Enjoy!

Lasagna Stoup

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 lb. ground beef sirloin

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and grated

3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth

One 28-ounce can Italian crushed tomatoes

1 lb. lasagna noodles, broken into jagged pieces

1 cup basil leaves, torn

1 cup whole-milk ricotta

Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, to pass around the table

1. In a soup pot, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 4  minutes. Stir in the onion, carrots and garlic and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth and tomatoes; cover and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Serve the stoup in bowls and dollop with the ricotta. Pass the parmigiano-reggiano at the table.

Source: Everyday with Rachel Ray-March 2009

Mexican Lasagna

The last couple of weeks have been jam packed with our many extra-curricular activities with the kids. While I have continued to prepare dinners for our family, it has typically been quick, easy, tried and true recipes that I whip up during this incredibly busy schedule; so, I haven't had any yummy, new and exciting recipes to post for awhile now. Thankfully I remembered that I still had this delicious dinner in my blog archives ready to go. :)

Several weeks ago, my friend Sarah and I had spent the day baking (again) and then enjoyed preparing this dish together for our dinner. The dish was very simple to put together and was a welcome and delicious change to my normal lasagna. The kids have since asked numerous times when I am planning to fix this again...yay, another new success out of my kitchen.

From the heart of my kitchen to yours may your experience be fun and the food always flavorful. Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (2 ounce) can black olives, sliced
1 (4 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers (We used Rotel Brand)
1 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce
2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans (We reduced this to 1 can)
12 (8 inch) flour or corn tortillas
9 ounces shredded Colby or Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the olives, green chile peppers, tomatoes with green chile peppers, taco sauce and refried beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas followed by more meat mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Source: For the life of me I can't remember where I found this recipe, but would love to give credit to whomever it originated, so if this is your recipe, please let me know.

Sous Chef Mo's Fantastic Meal

I am SO excited to write and share this post with you, my fellow foodies!! Why, you ask? Well, because it gives me the opportunity to brag just a wee little bit about one of my kiddos. For those that know me personally, you know that I am not one to boast about myself (not much to boast about anyway, hee hee) and that Marty and I are passionate about teaching humbleness and graciousness to our children. God, in all His goodness, gives us all special gifts and talents, but to boast about those talents and gifts can be a huge stumbling block, not to mention how rude it comes across to others! Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you ever run into someone and think to yourself.."Oh, why did I stop to talk to her/him? All they ever do is talk about me, me me! They won the ballgame, their kids are the smartest, their family is traveling to Barbados for the holidays..blah blah blah!" I don't ever want to be thought of that way, and I CERTAINLY don't want my kids to be THAT person either!! :) Sorry about that tangent....anyway, I'm not sharing this post with you to pat myself on the back for being the "perfect" Mom who has taught her children many of life's skills and we're certainly not on our way to Barbados for Spring Break, I'm posting this because I am incredibly proud of my precious daughter for showing initiative, responsibility and helpfulness in preparing a wonderful meal for dinner while Sarah and I wrapped up our Spring cupcakes. After all, this blog IS about being a fellow foodie and I DID begin my blog to share recipes and fun experiences and we're all sort of an extended family and you deeply wish to share in the fun too-right? Right! So, bear with me as I step aside as the cook and narrate for you an incredible recipe prepared by Megan (a.k.a. Sous Chef Mo-her friends call her Mo and she's been our helper with the bakery so Sous Chef Mo has stuck as her nick name.) I promise to keep myself in "check" and not become too obnoxious bragging about Megan or become one of THOSE people that you won't want to come back and visit me here in my kitchen. K? K!

Here it goes;
Last week Sarah and I had already set aside Friday for baking with the kids and then late Thursday we found out that our husbands had both been offered (and accepted) tickets to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen Tournament held downtown, so it was a no brainer to turn our baking day into a full festival and share dinner together as well. We became so consumed with the cupcakes that we didn't realize that dinner time was upon us and we were nowhere near ready to quit working with our flowered cupcakes. Sarah had brought all the ingredients to prepare her Mom's yummy meatloaf, but after checking out Pioneer Woman's website earlier in the day we decided to change plans and fix the yummy meatballs we saw on her site. Megan overheard us discussing the lateness of the day and our dinner plans and before we knew it, she had pulled up Pioneer Woman's website, began setting out all the ingredients called for and started mixing things up. I casually grabbed the camera to start documenting her first attempt at preparing a meal on her own and tried really hard not to tear up while taking these shots. AWWW-I'm such a blubbering idiot when it comes to my kids!
Here's our chef with Pioneer Woman's recipe pulled up on Sarah's laptop ready to follow the detailed instructions. Pioneer Woman also had fantastic photos (of course) that really helped her understand what she was to do.
After mixing all the ingredients together Mo used a cookie dough scoop to assure similar sized meatballs and placed them on a cookie sheet ready to go into the freezer for a few minutes to firm up a little. Again, she kept a close eye on the pictures from Pioneer Woman's post. Side note...Don't you just LOVE Pioneer Woman?! I'm telling ya, I think she's Superwoman! She cooks, writes, blogs, is an amazing photographer and still has time to home school her four adorable kids. UGH-I'm a Pioneer Woman wanna be, but too much of a slacker to even be considered in the same category! :) The only thing we have in common is that we both have four adorable kids, but I'm not bragging or anything...
The meatballs have firmed up nicely and Sous Chef Mo is ready to brown those little babies up. I was a little nervous allowing her to work with hot oil, but she proved to be very careful and competent at being aware of the danger. Look, even the pan handle is turned in so that it doesn't accidentally get knocked and cause possible injury. (I hope Sarah's husband doesn't notice all the flour on and around their laptop-and we certainly weren't allowing her to fry food that near the computer either! Come to think of it he may never let her come and cook again if he does see this! Sorry Mike-we promise to be more careful next time.)
After lightly browning the meatballs, but not cooking all the way through, she placed them into a baking dish ready for the oven. She actually doubled the recipe and filled two 13X9 dishes. She was quite busy with meatballs for some time.

Pioneer Woman's meatball recipe called for homemade Bbq sauce to be poured over the browned meatballs, but since it was already well past our dinner time, I handed her a bottle of our favorite sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's) to use. She rather enjoyed free reign pouring the sauce over all those little meatballs, after all, what kid doesn't make silly comments about the noise a squeeze bottle makes when it's almost empty? C'mon, I know you know what I'm talking about! Don't be all prim and proper, you probably think it too!
After baking in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, we were ready to sit and savor Sous Chef Mo's incredible dinner. And incredible it was!! The meatballs were served alongside a simple salad (because there was absolutely no counter space to fix anything else), and with the lateness of the evening the salad was a perfect addition to the meal.

Well done my precious daughter!! You make me incredibly proud! There-I'll stop there with the accolades so that all our readers won't begin hurling because of my abounding pride and praises to you and will again return to my blog for future food and fun.
After dinner, Meg still had the energy to comfort and love on Sarah's daughter, Hannah. Too precious!! She's going to be one amazing wife and mother some day!! Not too soon though, daughter of mine, let me treasure these quickly passing years as your mom and allow me these fleeting moments to watch you as you grow into the beautiful, talented young woman God wants you to be. I'm loving every second of it!

From the heart of my (and Megan's) kitchen to yours may your experience be fun and the food always flavorful! Enjoy!

Barbeque Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons very finely minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
plenty of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all meatball ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients and then pour evenly over the top of the meatballs. (OR-grab your favorite, store bought sauce and do the same) Now just pop 'em in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. You'll know they're done when your house smells so good you want to marry it! They should be sizzling around the edges. Mmmm! (Directly quoted from Pioneer Woman) :)

Sauce

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
4 to 6 tablespoons onion
Dash of Tabasco

Source: The Amazing Pioneer Woman

Taco Pizza

Mexican food is a favorite in our family, especially tacos. Hard, soft, chicken or beef, it never matters and is always consumed with great fervor and I rarely have to package any leftovers. I was looking for a variation of tacos when I stumbled upon this recipe. I had all the ingredients except for the pizza crust, but quickly remedied that. I was incredibly pleased with how quickly and easily this came together and was ready to eat, especially for a weeknight dinner at our busy home. The reviews from my clan were all "thumbs-up" which was evident by the empty platter! The only change I will make the next time I prepare this is to make TWO pizzas instead of one.
Browned ground-beef, refried beans, salsa and taco seasoning ready to mix together. So, so simple!
My favorite addition to the pizza....crushed Fritos. Yummy. :)
Finally, topped with shredded cheese and ready to go into the oven. Voila-dinner is ready.

Taco Pizza

1 can refried beans
1 package taco seasonings
1 1/2 cup browned ground beef, drained well (I used 1 1b. for lots of meat)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Taco chips (I used my favorite..Fritos)
3/4 cup salsa
1 prepared pizza crust-preferably deep dish

In skillet or saucepan, combine browned ground beef, taco seasoning, refried beans and salsa. Stir until heated through. Spread into pizza crust. Top with crunched taco chips. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and crust is browned.

Top with favorite taco toppings.

Source: Southern Plate

Easy Cheesy Rigatoni

Today was the first day back to work, school, piano lessons, cheer team practice and, of course, the resuming of homework. For my weekly menu planning this meant putting my faithful crock-pot back to work to have dinner ready between activities. Knowing the kids would be mentally and physically exhausted tonight, I didn't want to spring any new dishes on them and encounter finicky taste buds and short tempers so I prepared one of our favorite slow cooker recipes. This dinner can be ready to place in the crock pot in under 20 minutes and is very versatile to please any picky palate. You might want to add sausage to the hamburger to spice it up a little, add mushrooms or onions for texture or use a variety of cheeses to change the taste. Change it up to best fit your family's pleasure. Enjoy!

Rigatoni

28-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
12-oz. rigatoni, cooked
1-1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, browned
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb. pepperoni slices

1. In a 4-quart slow cooker, layer half of each ingredient in order listed. Repeat.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 4-5 hours.

Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook

Sundays For Sarah - Dutch Oven Dinner

To all of you who have been faithful followers of my posts about my "bed-bound" friend...Good News, this past week Sarah was able to avoid seeing her OB because she has been doing so incredibly well! Baby Hannah began her 32nd week of gestation yesterday and we're praying that she continues to behave herself and stays comfortably inside Mommy's tummy for several more weeks. Thank you to everyone who is praying for the O'Briens, God is so Good!

Now for the yummy, food section of my weekly post. This week Sarah chose a recipe that our friend Annie posted on her blog (www.Annieseats.wordpress.com) several months ago. Sarah has a new dutch oven and this recipe was perfect to initiate it with. We rearranged the meal schedule this weekend and prepared dinner on Saturday evening instead of Sunday because of our girls' cheer competition. I'm so glad we didn't decide to skip this week...this was a fun meal to fix. My oldest daughter and I went over to Sarah's and had dinner simmering in less than 30 minutes...give or take with girlfriend chatter and the amusement of watching Josh. The meal was very simple to prepare and according to Mike.."This might be his favorite dish...put cheese on top of meat and voila...delicious." Another great thing about this recipe is that it's prepared with ingredients you probably keep stocked in your pantry and freezer, it makes for a great "go-to" meal when you're in a pinch. Enjoy!

Dutch Oven Dinner

1 lb. lean ground sirloin
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2/3 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups frozen corn
1 package (10-12 oz.) egg noodles
1 can (28 oz.)diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Brown ground beef in 5-quart Dutch oven or large skillet with a lid. Add onion, mushrooms and corn. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread uncooked noodles evenly over top. Sprinkle cheese evenly over noodles. Pour the entire can of tomatoes over all. Simmer, tightly covered, for 1 hour, then let it stand 3-5 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats

Taco Soup

One of my many reasons for loving the Autumn season is that I get to dust my crock-pots off and put them back to work after months of resting in storage. There's nothing more pleasing than to arrive home from church on Sunday and smell the aroma of dinner cooking away. Isn't it great to know that dinner will be ready in the evening without any more preparation responsibility from you? I LOVE my crock-pots!! This soup recipe is another simple one and is thrown together in just minutes. We first tried this soup at our small group from church and I knew immediately that I would ask for the recipe and would be preparing this over and over for our family. It's a great combination of ground beef, tomatoes and beans and topped with sour cream and cheddar cheese it tastes similar to a taco. I serve Frito's Scoops alongside for an added crunch. Who wouldn't love that combination?

Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef-browned
2 cans black beans
2 cans Rotel tomatoes (I use the mild-the original is too spicy for the kids)
2 cans whole kernal corn
2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1 package taco seasoning (I use half of the packet to make it less spicy)

Place all ingredients in a crock-pot and stir to mix. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and corn chip.

Source: My wonderful friend Lori Roberts