Beef Stew

 After a full day of cleaning house, the last thing on my mind was cooking. But alas...dinner must be made. So I turned to my faithful pressure cooker and made a pot of beef stew. 

I tweaked my usual recipe for stew as I didn't have everything on hand...but I refused t go to the market when I knew I could improvise. 

At one of the holiday markets we went to last December, we picked up a bag of all purpose seasoning from a vendor that works for Alamo Seasonings. I really like this all-purpose seasoning as it is not salty at all & has great flavor. So I added some to my stew to give it that little taste of Texas! :) 

This recipe could be made using the traditional stove top dutch oven cooking style, but since time was quickly ticking away, I pressure cooked it. 

Before

2-lbs. beef stew meat
1-lb peeled baby carrots
2-c. peeled, cubed potatoes
1 jar beef gravy
1 large carton beef stock
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1-Tblsp minced garlic
1-tsp dried minced onion
1 (4-oz) can sliced mushrooms; drained

cracked ground pepper to taste
1 1/2-tsp Alamo all purpose seasoning
1/2 tsp. McCormick's Grill Mates hamburger seasoning

In the cooking pot of your pressure add all ingredients and stir to mix. Place cooking pot into the pressure cooker & cover with lid; making sure to place in locked position. Close pressure valve. Cook on soup/stew setting for 48 minutes. Either quick release or natural release. Serve alone or over cooked rice.

Click HERE for printable recipe

Crockpot Creamy Tamale Taco Soup

We opted not to go with the usual turkey or ham dinner for CHRISTmas, instead we went with a Mexican fiesta.The leftovers definitely taste much better after all. So now it's time to re-purpose those leftovers and since we finally have a cool day why not make a pot of soup...

 

2 lbs. taco ring filling

6 spicy tamales cut into small pieces

2 (10 oz) cans Ro-tel diced tomatoes & peppers; undrained (can use homemade if desired)

8 oz. softened cream cheese, cubed (or torn into small chunks)

1 & 1/3 cans chicken stock

 

In a 6qt. crock pot, combine all ingredients and stir lightly to mix. You want to avoid tearing your tamales into mush. Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours. Serve with cornbread, tortilla chips or topped with sour cream.

 

 

Alternate: you can also add in a bit of cubed Velveeta cheese if you like a more cheesy soup.

 

Click HERE for printable recipe

 

 

Macaroni & Cheese Soup

A few nights ago I pulled out my old recipe boxes & took a stroll down memory lane. In search of an old tried -n- true recipe to add to the weekend menu I came across a recipe I had shared in a recipe swap years ago. Even though the temperatures aren't cold enough for soup, it didn't matter because anytime is a good time in my opinion for noodles & cheese! I hope you enjoy this as much my tummy does.

1 lb. ground beef or turkey, cooked & drained 
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni 
1/4 c. butter 
1/2 c. carrots, finely chopped or shredded 
1/2 c. celery, finely chopped 
1 small onion, finely chopped 
3 c. milk 
6 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed 
2 Tblsp. chicken bouillon granules 
1/2 tsp. pepper 
2 Tblsp. cornstarch 
2 Tblsp. water 
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained 
1/2 c. frozen peas 

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water & set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery & onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables have softened and onions are translucent. Remove from heat & set aside.

 

In a heavy dutch oven combine milk & cheese. Heat over medium heat stirring often until cheese is fully melted. Stir in bouillon granules and pepper. Stir together cornstarch & water. Pour into milk mixture and stir consistently until mixture thickens. Bring to a boil and let cook for 1 minute.

 

 

 

 

 

       

Stir in cooked vegetable mixture, corn, peas, macaroni & cooked meat. Stir to mix well. Let simmer over med-low heat until all ingredients are heated thoroughly. Serve warm.

Click HERE for printable recipe

Comfort Food 101....Chicken & Dumplings

When I think of comfort food, one of the first dishes that comes to mind is Chicken & Dumplings. Although making a pot of this hearty, yet deliciously satisfying dish takes a little time to prepare, I think it is well worth the effort.

2-1/2 - 3 lb. whole chicken
4 stalks celery; diced
1/2 a large onion; diced
1-1/2 cups peeled, diced carrots (I prefer to use the small snack size carrots)
2 Tblsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1-1/2 Tblsp. McCormick's Italian Herb seasoning
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic salt
salt & pepper to taste
2 (10-3/4 oz) cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken w/Herb soup
3 (8 count) cans butter tasting biscuits (I prefer to use the jumbo style)
flour
milk
cornstarch

Rinse chicken and pat dry. In a large stock pot add vegetables, chicken and dry seasonings. Add enough water to submerge chicken. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, tilt lid to allow heat to escape and cook until chicken is tender & juices run clear (about 40 minutes). Remove cooked chicken from broth and set aside to cool.

To the pot add in both cans of soup. Using an immersion blender, blend soups into mixture on medium-low speed. If you prefer a less "chunky" chicken & dumplings version, increase speed on immersion blender and blend vegetables until smooth. Allow mixture to simmer on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

While soup mixture is simmering, remove cooled chicken from bone. Discard skin. (You can save the carcass and freeze it in a freezer bag & use it for making stock later if desired.) Depending upon your preference, you may want to rough chop the chicken into smaller pieces. Add chicken back to pot and stir. Add in milk, 1/4 cup at a time, until consistency and color are as you desire. Stir well. Let simmer for 10-20 minutes; stirring occasionally. (SEE NOTE)

While chicken is simmering, remove biscuits from can. Place about a cup of flour into a small bowl. Dust each biscuit with the flour to coat on all sides. Using a knife or kitchen shears, cut each biscuit into 4 equal parts. Slowly add biscuits to soup, being careful as to not splash and burn yourself. You don't want to stir the dumplings into the pot but allow the soup broth to cover biscuits by gently submerging biscuits. Cook biscuits until they float & are no longer doughy in texture. Remove pot from heat and serve warm.

Note: If you prefer a thicker broth, before dumplings are added, ladle out a 1/2 cup of hot broth and stir in enough cornstarch to create a slurry. Slowly pour cornstarch slurry into soup. Lightly stir mixture. Let mixture simmer until thickened.

Click HERE for printable recipe

Turkey & Black Bean Chili

Yes, it may be hot outside....ok it's VERY hot outside, but for some reason that is when I am most often craving foods that are best known for the cooler weather. So today, although the thermometer is over 100+ degrees, I am firing up the stove top and making a pot of chili.

This is an easy & tasty chili that is a healthier version of your traditional chili. It is also a recipe that one can use if they are diabetic & the low sodium content makes it blood pressure friendly.


2 lbs. ground turkey
2 pint jars homemade chicken stock (or use 2 [14-1/2] oz cans of low sodium, fat free store bought stock)
1 large onion, rough chopped
1/4 c. diced bell pepper
2-3 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp.ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 (15-oz) cans black beans, drained & rinsed (or 1 family size can)
1 (30-oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar


In a large preheated stock pot, add turkey onion and bell pepper. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Drain fat if any.

Stir in chicken stock, chili powder, cinnamon and paprika. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes.


Add in black beans, tomatoes and cider vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened as desired.

Click HERE for printable recipe

Boy Did I Need To Go To The Market

After cleaning out the icebox Friday, I knew it was time to make a trip to the market. I hadn't grocery shopped since April, which was a good thing...but we are now needing to replenish things. Even though we may have had slim pickings for dinner ingredients, I didn't let that stop me from making a hearty and filling dinner. What little was left over that I had for lunch today was so good. You can really taste the bacon in it....yum!!

Slim Pickin' Soup

3-5 slices of bacon
1-lb. ground turkey
1 (15-oz) can cream of corn
2 (10 3/4-oz) cans cream of chicken soup; undiluted
2 c. milk
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/4 of a 2-lb. block processed cheese w/peppers
salt & pepper to taste
3 Tblsp. sour cream


Cut bacon into small pieces and fry in a medium size skillet until crisp. Remove from grease and drain on paper towel.


Add ground turkey to the bacon grease in skillet and cook until no longer pink. Drain fat.





In a large stock pot add cream of corn, cooked turkey, soups, milk, stock, cheese, salt & pepper. Stir to mix well. Allow mixture to simmer over med-low heat until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.


Stir in bacon. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.


Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve warm.

Click HERE for printable recipe