The Best Crock Pot Beef Stew

Yes, I know I haven't posted in FOREVER! My family might say I haven't been cooking a lot lately and this is partly true. But I'm posting now with an excellent recipe to cook all day in the crock pot. It is so easy and so yummy. My family ate this several times and didn't even complain about having so much leftover!

The Best Crock Pot Beef Stew
2.5 - 3 pounds beef stew meat
5-6 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
5-6 small potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
2 cups frozen peas
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 12 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 cups red wine
1 Tablespoon rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except the peas in a crock pot; it is not necessary to brown the meat beforehand. Stir to distribute the seasonings. Cook on High for about 4 hours then turn to low and cook for another 3-4 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, remove some liquid and whisk in 1-2 tablespoons flour, return to the crock pot and stir; add the peas and let cook for another 30 minutes. Serve with warm French bread or cornbread and a salad. Delicious!

Red Wine Beef Stew & Yummy Banana Pudding

Snow in Mason, again? You gotta be kidding me! We don't see snow for years and then we get snow 3 times in one winter. Unbelievable! Well at least we finally got an early release and a late start out of it. Today, since I got home so early I decided to make a great slow cooked stew and even a dessert for the family. They love it when I make desserts. Sadly, I gave up sweets for Lent. Lydia gave up cookies, but not sweets entirely. She didn't think she could do it. So her banana pudding was sans Nilla Wafers. She tried to argue that a wafer and a cookie were not the same thing but she didn't win that argument!

Red Wine Beef Stew
Ingredients
2 1/2-3 pounds tenderized round steak
8 large carrots, peeled and sliced thick diagonally
1/2 stalk celery with tops, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cups good red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
3 cubes beef bullion, dissolved in 3 cups warm water
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup flour
salt and pepper
2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 small can hominy

Cut the steak in 1-2 inch pieces, not bite size but a little larger. Combine flour and some salt & pepper to taste. Dredge the meat in the flour and set aside. In a large stockpot put enough oil just to cover the bottom and heat on medium heat. Brown the meat on both sides lightly in batches, just a couple minutes on each side. Remove to a plate until it is all done, adding oil as needed. Once the meat is all browned, add a little oil if you need to, there should be a lot drippings in the bottom of the pot, just leave it there. Saute the chopped onion until translucent. Add the red wine and stir until the pan frond (drippings) come loose from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, thyme and the cayenne pepper, then the water dissolved with the beef bullion. Add the carrots, celery. Then add the meat in and stir a little. Let it come to a boil and then turn heat down to very low and simmer. Stirring occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking on the bottom of the pot. After it has simmered for at least 30 minutes, add the hominy and the olives and let it simmer for about another 20-30 minutes. (I had to move my pot to my small burner to keep it from sticking too bad.)

Cook's Note: You may also need to add a little water. I think I added about one extra cup of water when I added the hominy. I wanted some good juice to soak up with my yummy French bread!

Rating:
Tommy 5 stars *****
Lydia 4.5 stars ****^
Spencer 4 stars ****
Whitt 2.5 stars **^

Banana Pudding
2 small pkgs Jell-O French Vanilla instant pudding
4 cups cold milk
1 container Cool Whip
1 pkg Nilla Wafers (Don't use the cheap ones!)
4-5 bananas

Mix the instant pudding packages with the 4 cups cold milk with a whisk very thoroughly so there are no lumps. Sit in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes. Put the Cool Whip in the microwave on defrost for about 60-70 seconds. Stir and make sure there aren't any frozen lumps. Fold the Cool Whip into the pudding. In some decorative glasses put 5-6 slices of banana, then put 4 Nilla wafers around the edges, then spoon in some pudding. Then do another layer of sliced bananas, wafers, and pudding. Garnish with another wafer and a couple slices of banana on top! Chill until ready to serve.

My grandmother, Mimi loves banana pudding and every time we would have her come over for supper, the kids always wanted her to bring her banana pudding. I'm not sure what her recipe is but the kids say this one is pretty close!

Ratings:
Tommy 3 stars *** (Because I used store bought Cool Whip rather than homemade whip cream - he just can't give anything with store bought cool whip more than 3 stars.)
Spencer 10 stars **********
Lydia 7 stars ******* (because she didn't get any wafers)
Whitt (not available for rating, because he went to bed)

Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips

These are so delicious and fast for any weeknight meal. My family loves these and it seems that I can never make enough of them. I usually serve them with mashed potatoes, salad, and steamed peas or green beans. These are better than store bought chicken strips and not much trouble. I promise that your family will choose these over Tyson's or Schwan's anytime!

Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 pkg of chicken tenders
1 cup very finely chopped pecans
1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese divided
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon, Italian seasoning
Olive Oil

Combine the chopped pecans, bread crumbs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, and seasonings in a small flat container, mix well. Combine the egg and milk – whisk together with a fork. On medium high, heat enough olive oil in a skillet to cover the bottom and just go up the side a little, you don’t want too much. Rinse and pat dry the chicken strips. Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture and then coat with pecan mixture. Fry lightly in olive oil until pecan crusted mixture is golden brown. Remove to a baking dish. Once all the chicken strips are in the dish, sprinkle them with more shredded Parmesan cheese, and bake in oven for about 15 to 20 minutes on 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook's Note:
I always bake these on my Pampered Chef large bar pan. It makes the chicken strips get crispy even though they aren't fried the whole time, making them a little healthier than the deep fried ones.

Ratings:
Whitt: 5 ***** (Especially when they are served with some mashed potatoes!)

Fried Curry Chicken Strip Meal

What a fabulous meal we had tonight! I enlisted the help of my youngest child, George Whitt and we prepared a delicious meal. Tommy and Lydia went to watch the Varsity basketball games so it was just me and my boys. Spencer was doing homework so George Whitt and I cooked. Spencer did contribute as he was the videographer for the event. If I had done the meal myself it probably would have taken about 45 minutes, however since I had a 7 year old assistant, it took about an hour and a half! But it was loads of fun. We made Fried Curry Chicken Strips with gravy, Roast Carrots, Pasta with Pesto and a Green Salad. Fried Curry Chicken Strips 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 tbl curry 1 cup flour 1 cup vegetable oil salt and pepper 1 egg 1 cup milk Begin by cutting the chicken breasts into strips. Combine egg and milk in one bowl and mix well. Combine flour, curry powder, and salt/pepper to taste, mix well. Put the chicken strips in the egg mixture and coat well. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and put on a plate. Once the chicken is ready, heat some of the oil in a skillet and begin lightly frying the chicken strips. It won't take long if you cut them pretty thinly as I did. You may have to add some oil as you cook the chicken. Once the chicken was all done, I drained some of the grease and made some gravy because Spencer loves it so much and we are really trying to fatten him up! Stir about 3 tbl of flour into the remaing 2-3 tbl of grease and pan drippings. Quickly add about 2 to 2 1/2 cups milk and stir so it doesn't get lumpy. The heat should be on low and it should thicken in a few minutes. Roast Carrots 7-8 large carrots 3 tbl olive oil 1 tbl seasoning (I used Pampered Chef Citrus Basil Rub.) 1 tsp ground white pepper Peel the carrots and slice in chunks on the diagonal. Mix remaining ingredients and then pour over carrots. Stir until well coated then pour onto a baking pan. I used my Pampered Chef large bar pan. They roast up nicely on this piece of stoneware. Bake for 20-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. You may want to stir them around on the pan about halfway through. Pasta 1 pkg farfalle pasta (bowtie) salt 1 tbl olive oil 2-3 tbl pesto Cougar Gold Cheese Boil the pasta according to package directions, with a little salt and olive oil in the water. Drain, then add the pesto (I had some leftover basil pesto from HEB.), 2-3 tbl butter, 1/2 cup crumbled Cougar Gold Cheese. (We get this cheese as a gift every year from some friends at Christmas and it is so great!) You could use feta or parmesan or other cheese you like. Stir together until cheese gets a little melted. Salad lettuce tomato Tonight our salad was very basic. It was green leafy lettuce and a few grape tomatoes cut in half. This was a fun evening meal to make and George Whitt and I had such a good time together. When you are cooking there is always something that your kids can do to help. Surprisingly enough, I let this little 7 year old cut the carrots using my very sharp Pampered Chef knife - not the big one! He did a great job and we got to talk about our day as we were cooking. Plus, we made enough for leftovers so no one has to cook tomorrow night! That is my goal with a lot my weeknight meals - leftovers. Good thing my family doesn't mind eating leftovers.

Ratings:
Spencer - **** (It would have been a 5 if there had been a dessert!)

So Easy the Kids Can Do It!

This is such an easy weeknight meal and the kids will love it. In fact, it is so easy and delicious that my kids can make it by themselves now, with very little supervision. And they love to do this too. I got kind of tired of the "Taco Ring" because we had it so often. It is Spencer and Whitt's favorite and they have been making it on Wednesday nights when I'm gone for Bible Study.

Taco Ring
1 pound ground meat
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 pkgs crescent rolls
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
lettuce
tomato
Ranch dressing
Sour cream
Salsa

Brown the ground meat, drain and then season with Taco Seasoning. On a pizza pan or pizza baking stone, lay the crescent rolls in a circle alternating directions, they will overlap some. Press them out a little with a rolling pin to make them a little flatter. Mix the grated cheddar cheese in with the meat. Then spoon this meat and cheese mixture in the middle of the crescent rolls in the fattest part of the roll, to make a ring. Fold the thin ends back over the top of the meat and cheese mixture.

Place in the oven and bake according to the crescent roll directions. Watch the top of the "ring" so it doesn't burn. While this is baking shred lettuce and slice some tomatoes. Once the taco ring is done, remove from oven and put the shredded lettuce and tomato salad in the middle. Serve with sour cream, Ranch dressing and salsa for garnish. If you have more than 4 hungry family members, you may want to make two taco rings!

Comfort Food for Cold, Rainy Days

Don't you love cold, rainy weather? I love to make some delicious soup or stew, then sit by the fire and read or watch a good movie. On Sunday I wanted to make some potato soup but no one else in the family wanted that. Of course, Tommy wanted some meat in it if I made soup. He doesn't believe in having a meal with no meat. It's a shame really because there are some fabulous meatless meals. So we compromised and I made a Potato and Corn Chowder with Ham. We had a green salad and some cheese toast with it. It was creamy and yummy and it really hit the spot.

Potato and Corn Chowder with Ham
3 large baking potatos, peeled, cut in small chunks & rinsed
5 carrots, peeled and sliced large
1 bunch celery, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 large onion, diced
1 stick butter
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup flour
2 packages frozen corn
2-3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds ham, cut in cubes
2 cups half and half
2 teaspoons thyme
salt/pepper to taste

Place the potatos and carrots in a large stockpot, add enough water to be about 2-3 inches over the potatoes and carrots. Add salt and pepper and boil until just tender. DO NOT DRAIN! Mash the potatoes and carrots up in the water and then set aside. In a skillet heat olive oil and butter, add the onion and celery and saute until translucent and tender. Add the flour and keep stirring until the flour soaks up all the liquid. Keep stirring until it begins to brown on medium-low heat, just a few more minutes. Then add the chicken stock and stir until combined, it will be very thick. Add the celery and onion to the potato mixture, along with the chicken stock. You may wish to add a little more than two-three cups of chicken stock. Add the thyme and salt/pepper to taste. Stir until it's all combined. Heat and bring to a simmer. Then add the frozen corn and the ham. This will be a pretty thick soup. After it begins to simmer again on low heat, add the half and half. Just cook until warm and be careful because it can stick and burn pretty easy.

Let me know what you think when you try this recipe. Hope you like it!

Heavenly Chocolate Pie

For Tommy's birthday last October, he wanted fried chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and chocolate pie for dessert. So being the wonderfully sweet wife that I am, I made all of that for him after teaching school all day. I know, he's very lucky! Actually, I'm the lucky one, with all of the cooking I do - he cleans the kitchen. Well, I didn't make him clean on his birthday, but he does every other day just about.

This is the chocolate pie I made. It is really fast, easy and so very delicious. I have made it several times and each time we eat it so quickly after I make it that it doesn't really have time to set. But if you have it the next day, the pudding part is set from being in the refrigerator. The thing I haven't figured out or fixed is the sweating meringue. I have read that the meringue will "sweat" if there is humidity or moisture in the air. I'm not sure how to keep that from happening. One other thing I have read about is that if you put the meringue on the pie filling as soon as the filling is done, then the heat will help bake the meringue from the underside as well. I have not yet tried that, but next time I will.

Heavenly Chocolate Pie
1 9 inch baked pastry shell (I have made homemade but I like to use the Pillsbury pie crusts in the red box. They are easy to use and delicious every time.)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla

Meringue Topping
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
6 tbl sugar

In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils. (I like to stir with a whisk to keep the lumps out.) Pour some of this mixture in with the egg yolks and stir, then pour the egg mixture into the remaining chocolate mixture and continue cooking until mixture boils, then cook for one minute more. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool for 10 minutes, pour into the pie shell.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile to prepare meringue topping: In a small mixer bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stff peaks form. Spread this on warm pie filling, carefully sealing to the edges of the crust.

Bake for 5-10 minutes watching carefully, until the meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature; chill for several hours before serving.

Rating:
Even when it's runny, my family still gives this 5 stars! *****