Crock Pot Beef Stew

Crock Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients:
2 lbs beef stew meat
1 onion, sliced
handful of baby tomatoes (I used one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes)
celery (1/2 a bunch)
carrots (half a bag of baby carrots and half a bag of shredded carrots I had in the frig)
2 cloves garlic, minced
green beans (I used one can)
mushrooms (omitted but only because I didn't have any fresh or canned)
2 cans beef broth (I used 1 can beef, 1 can chicken because that's what I had on hand)
1/4 cup red wine (I cook with the $3 wine from walmart since my wine of choice from Trader Joe's isn't closeby where I live)
1 t kosher salt
black pepper
1 t seasoning blend (whatever you have on hand for bbqing, stir-frying, etc. I used a grilling seasoning mix but even Seasoned Salt would work.)
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup frozen peas (omitted because peas are not always my thing)
Directions
1. Wash and chop all of your vegetables.
2. Put them into the Crock Pot.
3. Put the flour in a bowl with a little salt and pepper, and toss your meat in it to fully coat.
4. Put the meat into the Crock Pot.
5. Add dry seasoning and Worcestershire sauce.
6. Pour in the wine and beef broth.
7. Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours.
8. Stir in the peas just before serving.

Tex-Mex Gooey Casserole (Mexican lasagna)

Tex-Mex Gooey Casserole
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse
Show:
Emeril Live
Episode:
America's Wild West Texas Style

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound ground beef
1 pound diced stew meat
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
3 cups beef stock
10 flour tortillas
2 cups grated Medium Cheddar cheese
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Grease a 9 by 9 by 2-inch square baking dish.
In a large skillet, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the diced meat and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste. Stir in the tomatoes and stock. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the chili mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay two tortillas on top of the chili mixture. Sprinkle the top of the tortillas with the Cheddar and Jack cheese. Repeat the layering process until all of the chili, tortillas and cheese are used. (The final layer should be cheese) Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before slicing.

Notes: Paula passed this recipe onto me because I had it at her house and loved it. There are a lot more flavors in this dish than in your typical mexican casserole. Daniel called it a Mexican lasagna because of all the layers and I like that name better than the gooey one. :)
I used turkey instead of beef and beef stew meat and the larger, burrito style rather than taco tortillas.
I served with restauraunt style tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole.

Turkey Meatballs

Turkey Meatballs
Courtesy of Aimee's Adventures

1 lb. Ground Turkey Breast
1/2 Cup Seasoned Dried Breadcrumbs
1/3 Cup Chopped Parsley
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Grated Onion
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Ground Pepper
1 Cup Spaghetti Sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except spaghetti sauce. Roll into 20-22 meatballs. Place a meatball into each well of a mini muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray. Fill un-used wells with water. Bake until lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; add the spaghetti sauce and toss meatballs.

This reminds me of a meatloaf recipe divided into balls. :) It ended up making 24 pretty decent sized meatballs with this recipe. I rolled them on the counter and they actually ended up taking 25 minutes in a mini muffin tin in my oven.
I added some whole wheat pasta and a mix of red and vodka sauces to the meatballs. Yummy!

Onion Baked Pork Chops

Onion Baked Pork Chops

6 pork chops
1 pckg. Lipton onion soup mix (I used an off brand mix)
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine soup mix and bread crumbs. Dip chops in egg and then in bread crumb/onion mixture, coating well. Place in a shallow pan and drizzle well with butter. Bake 1 hour, turning once. Makes six servings.

Notes:
While these weren't as moist as I would have liked, they were still really good. The combo of onions and breadcrumbs is a nice breading.
I added a few pieces of garlic and I also added a little olive oil to the pan before I stuck it all in the oven, just to infuse more flavor.
I also sauteed some onions and add them right before serving. The flavor of real onions added a nice touch to what was a good, hearty meal, not to mention easy! It is also easy to cut in half if you don't need to serve six. I always freeze extra food.
Sides: steamed veggies and rice.

Green Bean Casserole (with a twist)

Green Bean Casserole (with a twist)

This is the recipe off French's can but with broccoli cheese soup instead. I like it better that way!

Ingredients:
1 (10 3/4) oz. can CAMPBELL'S® Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used broccoli cheese soup)
3/4 cup milk
1 1/3 cups FRENCH'S® French Fried Onions
4 cups cooked whole green beans (I used 2 regular cans)

Directions:
1. MIX soup, milk, 2/3 cup French Fried Onions, and beans in 1 1/2-qt. baking dish.
2. BAKE at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot. Stir.
3. TOP with remaining onions. Bake 5 min.

Crunchy onion chicken

This is very easy. I found it in the Atlanta Journal Constitutional. Next time, I would add a bit more of the mustard, just to give it more flavor, and maybe some salt and pepper before baking the chicken to give it a little more of a kick. it's baked but kind of tastes like chicken tenders.

Crunchy Onion Chicken
Dish From Market to Kitchen: 5:30 Challenge / 5 INGREDIENTS / 30 MINUTES

TONIGHT'S SOLUTION: Crunchy Onion Chicken

TO MAKE THE MEAL: Green beans and buttered pasta

Slicing the chicken breasts lengthwise to make them thinner and more uniform resulted in a more reliable cooking time. Alternatively, you can pound the chicken for more even thickness, and cut in half horizontally so it's easier to work with.

Hands on time: Total time: 30 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients for Crunchy Onion Chicken:
1 (6-ounce) can French's French Fried Onions
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions:Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Crush onions in plastic bag or with rolling pin. Mix egg and mustard until well-combined.
In 3 shallow bowls, separately place flour, egg mixture and onions. Dredge chicken first in flour, then egg and then onions, pressing firmly to get onions to adhere. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Nutrition:Per serving: 314 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 31 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 126 milligrams cholesterol, 327 milligrams sodium.