Mom's "Stew"

Mom's "Stew"
1lb hamburger meat
3 or 4 large potatoes or several small ones, peeled and cut into cubes
2 or 3 cans of tomato sauce
1 onion diced
Lots of salt and pepper

Directions:  Peel, cut and cube the potatoes.  Put them in water to boil (like making mashed potatoes).  Brown hamburger meat, drain and add to potatoes.  Add tomato sauce and diced onion.  Let boil for a 20-30 minutes and then turn down to simmer.

Modifications:
-I added a can of carrots and peas.
-I added 1 can of diced tomatoes.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I peeled and cubed 3 very large potatoes.  I put them in some water to boil.  I added 1 diced onion to the water, too.

#2 I browned the hamburger meat, drained and added it to the pot.

#3 I added 1 can of peas and corn and 1 can of diced tomatoes.  I then added 2 small cans of tomato sauce.

#4 I then let it cook on high for about 30 minutes.  Turned it down to simmer until ready to eat.

Review:

Sorry, I didn't take a "Final Product" picture.

I don't know why we have always called this stew when it is more like a vegetable soup, but that is what we've always called it.  Growing up it was always hamburger meat, onion, potatoes and tomato sauce.  That's it.  It might sound really, really plain but let me tell you, it is FANTASTIC!

As we got older, mom sometimes would change the hamburger meat out for stew meat but I prefer hamburger meat in it.

When I got married I made it mom's way one time and Scott kindly requested that I add some vegetables; thus, mom's stew became mom's vegetable soup.

Needles to say, we eat this all of the time.  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.

*****(5 Stars)--This dish was fantastic!

Oven Baked Chicken Tender Parmesan

Oven Baked Chicken Tender Parmesan adapted from Telly's Tasty Tidbits

1/2 c. honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups dried breadcrumbs (I used WW Panko)
~ 1 lb. fresh BS Chicken Breast, cut in to bite size pieces (I cut in to tenders)

Directions:  Preheat oven to 375, line baking sheet with foil and lightly spray.  In shallow bowl, whisk together honey and vinegar. Set aside.  Place bread crumbs in a small saute pan and toast lightly over low heat for about 3-4 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Pour bread crumbs a little at a time into separated bowl. Roll chicken pieces in honey mixture, then in bread crumbs; place in pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

Modifications:
-I did not saute the bread crumbs.
-I was out of balsamic vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I preheated the oven to 375 degrees.

#2 Apple cider vinegar went into a bowl with about 1/2 cup of honey.  Whisked it up really good.  The chicken tenders were dipped into the honey mixture until was well coated.

#2 The tenders were dipped into Italian style breadcrumbs and placed on a baking sheet.  Into the oven for about 25 minutes.

#3 While the chicken was cooking, I decided to change this into a Chicken Tender Parmesan so I boiled some whole grain noodles.  Drained them and added a jar of spaghetti sauce.

#4 The chicken came out of the oven.

The Finished Product:

Review:

This was a very simple, easy dish to make.  The honey really came out in the chicken and when dipped into the sauce, the Italian breadcrumbs really enhanced the flavor.

The one negative is that a lot of the breading came off of the chicken when I tried to get them off of the non-stick pan.  Even with this flaw the kids still liked the chicken so I would consider it a success.

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Southwest Sloppy Joes with Honey Lime Coleslaw

Southwest Sloppy Joes with Honey Lime Coleslaw adapted from Debbi Does Dinner


Honey Lime Coleslaw:
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. sour cream (or use all mayo)
3 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cayenne
about 4 cups of coleslaw mix

Sloppy Joe
1 lb. ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1 can black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can diced green chiles
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper

Directions:  Combine coleslaw mix and coleslaw ingredients, mix and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook ground turkey and onion. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until it thickens and is the desired consistency. Serve on sandwich thins with coleslaw on top if desired.

Modifications:
-We used whole grain buns.
-I did not use the can of diced green chilies.
-I did not use the cilantro.
Here's what I started with for the Sloppy Joes:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I browned the ground turkey and chopped onion.  After about 10 minutes, I drained and rinsed the black beans and added them along with the corn and the rest of the ingredients.  (Sorry I didn't take pics).  Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Here's what I started with for the cole slaw:

Modifications for cole slaw:

-I used 1Tb mayo, 1 Tbsp light sour cream and 2 Tbsps of plain Greek yogurt to cut the fat.

Here's how I did it:

#1 I poured about 3/4 of a bag of cole slaw mix into a bowl.  Added the mayo, sour cream and Greek yogurt then all of the other ingredients.  Mix.  Chill.

The Finished Product(s):

Review:

Fantastic!  That is really the only thing that I can say about this dish.  I thought it was great.  It had that Southwestern flair that my family loves but it also still had the tomatoey-ketchupy (I know those aren't real words) taste of traditional sloppy joes.  The corn and the black beans gave it a little more texture and the mustard added that big of tangy deliciousness expectedin a sloppy joe.

The cole slaw was great, too.  While I am used to a sweet, mayo based slaw the addition of the lime juice and the cayenne matched perfectly with the sloppy joe.  I can see even a better marriage if I would have added the green chilies.  Just a side note about the slaw, though, Scott said that he liked the slaw much better with the sloppy joe than by itself.  I think it is because he likes the sweet slaw, too.

The final judgement came from Kanin when he asked me if I would pack it for his lunch tomorrow.  Are you kidding me?  It gets a 5 just because he ate the whole sandwich!

Slow Cooker Beefy Stroganoff

Slow Cooker Beefy Stroganoff adapted from Where We Can Live Like Jack and Sally
1lb of lean hamburger
Tub of sour cream
1 clove of garlic
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 cans of water
1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 bag of noodles (I like bow tie)
2 cups of beef broth
1 packet of onion soup mix (I've used an onion and some garlic salt as a substitute before)

Directions:  Brown hamburger with garlic, mushrooms, and salt & pepper.  Add drained hamburger mixture to the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients, except for sour cream and noodles.

Stir pot really well. Cook on low 4-6 hours.  Right before serving, boil noodles and then add to crockpot.

Here's what I started with:  (I forgot to show the pack of onion soup mix)

Here's how I did it:

#1 I browned the ground beef, garlic and 1/2 container of sliced mushrooms.

#2 While the meat was cooking, I put the other ingredients (minus the noodles and sour cream) into the crockpot and stirred it really well.

#3 Once browned, the meat was drained and added to the crockpot.  This cooked for about 5 hours.

#4 Once we were ready to eat, I cooked some egg noodles according to the package directions.  While they were cooking, I emtpied 1 container of light sour cream into the crockpot and stirred it up.

#5 Once the egg noodles were cooked, I added them to the crockpot and stirred it altogether.

The Finished Product:

Review:

This dish was really good and so simple to make, another pantry meal!  I think it will also make great leftovers. 

My one, and only, complaint is that it was a little runny.  I almost added some corn starch to it to thicken it up a bit but I didn't know if it would have changed the taste or not.  I think that next time I will only use 1 can of beef broth.  I don't know if the fact that I used light sour cream or egg noodles instead of regular pasta noodles would have made a difference; either way, we all loved it!

Hope you enjoy!
April

Texas Red Chicken aka Chicken Sloppy Joes

Texas Red Chicken aka Chicken Sloppy Joes adapted from Our Krazy Kitchen
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
2 cups homemade chicken broth
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

Directions:  Whisk together the ketchup, BBQ sauce vinegar, soy sauce, broth and sugar. 
Place chicken pieces in slow cooker.  Add onion pieces.  Pour ketchup mixture over top. 
Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Remove chicken and shred - add back to sauce. 
Serve over Rice or on buns.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I mixed all of the ingredients together and whisked them together.

#2 4 frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot and 1 cut up onion.

#3 The ketchup mixture is poured over the chicken and onions and left to cook for 8 hours.

#4 The chicken is pulled out and shredded and then put back in for another 20 minutes.

The Finished Product:

Review:

This dish was really good.  The chicken was moist and sweet.  I'm glad that I used rice instead of serving it on a bun.  The rice added a little extra texture that the bun would not. 

For me, I do wish that there was just a hint of spice in it but both kids loved this dish so I can never complain if they eat!

Hope you enjoy!
April

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Chicken Noodle Casserole
2 chicken breasts
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 bag of egg noodles
1 bag of frozen broccoli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut chicken into cubes and brown in a skillet.  Cook egg noodles as directed on package.  Combine 2 cans of cream of chicken soup with the frozen broccoli.  Pour soup mixture into 9x13 baking dish.  Top with the browned, cubed chicken.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Modifications:
-You can use canned or pre-cooked chicken.
-You could substitute cream of mushroom or celery for one of the cream of chicken.
-You could add frozen peas and carrots.
-You could just cook the chicken with the soups and serve with brown rice instead.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 Preheated the oven to 350 degrees.

#2 Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes and brown in some olive oil in a skillet.

#3 Cook the egg noodles according to package directions.

#4 Open up 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and combine with 1 bag of frozen broccoli.

#5 Pour the noodle mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and pour out the browned chicken on top.

#6 Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top and bake for 30-45 minutes.

The Finished Product:

Review:

This dish was so easy and so tasty.  I was determined to go through my pantry food this week and to keep my grocery bill under $100 (snacks and school food included--I made it at $85!).  As I was thinking of what to have for dinner tonight, I opened the pantry and the egg noodles and cream of chicken soup jumped out at me. 

The preparation for this meal was under 10 minutes.  If I would have used canned chicken, it would have only taken the amount of time for the noodles to cook.

Scott loved this meal!!