It has been ages, it feels like, since I posted a blog or a recipe or anything.  I feel like we have been sucked into a vacuum of activity and cannot find the escape hatch.  lol  I have, sadly, been making a lot of repeat recipes.  This is something I NEVER do...well, rarely do.

BUT, we had a treat come in yesterday.  It was a little thing we down here in Texas like to call a cold snap.  We went to bed Thursday night to warmth and humidity and woke up to a chill in the air accompanied by a brisk wind.  It was wonderful.  I read post after post on facebook of people celebrating with firepits, fire places being fired up, and soups galore being made.  I had to wait until today to have the time to dedicate to making a good, homemade soup and I decided on trying a new recipe.

I love beef and barley soup, but it is so hard to find a good recipe that is thick and hardy as well as tasty.  I found one that I thought looked good..................until I really read it.  Sounded pretty bland.  I knew with a few tweaks, it could be great, so that is what I did.  The result was a very yummy, hardy soup that was warm and satisfying...and plenty was left over for a second meal and for Matt to take for lunch at work (or, I suppose for you that freeze, plenty to freeze for another night).

The best thing about this soup is you can add whatever you like to it.  That is what I did.  Stews like this tend to use ingredients like carrots which I hate.  I looked around my fridge for veggies to add as well as bought a couple.  The stew turned out just yummy with all the flavors blended so well.  I LOVE barley so much...I don't know why.  My family all enjoyed the soup and look forward to the leftovers.  I will not post the original recipe, but just know that you can add or take away whatever you may like.  This is a versatile soup.  Make it in a big pot!

Beef and Barley Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat, diced into 1 inch pieces
Garlic salt and enough flour to coat stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
32 ounce carton beef broth
large red bell pepper, cut in chunks
couple stalks of celery, cut in chunks
2 small red potatoes, diced into small bites
1 can stewed tomatoes (I got the kind with bell pepper, celery and onion), drained
1 can green beans, drained 
1 cup quick cooking barley

**Note, the original recipe called for sliced mushrooms which we didn't have.  It also called for frozen mixed veggies which we hate, but would be fine substitute for you.

DIRECTIONS:
1.Heat soup pan with some vegetable oil.  Make sure it is nice and hot when you add the meat to brown.

2. Season beef stew chunks with  garlic salt and pepper to taste. Coat the meat with a generous amount of flour (this will help thicken your soup).  Place seasoned, floured beef in a large soup pot. To insure even cooking, do not put all the meat in at once to brown.  This will cause you much frustration.  I did a pound at a time.  Keep an eye on the oil...add when/if needed.  When first batch of meat is browned, take meat out of the pot and set aside...add your next batch.

3. Make sure there is enough oil in pan and add onions. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and thyme to pot and saute for 3 more minutes.

4.Add the remaining ingredients to the pan including the set aside beef EXCEPT FOR the barley.  Stir it all together and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Add the barley for the last 20 minutes of cooking.  Make sure the seasoning is to your liking and enjoy!!

Life has been crazy here lately.  I will have to write about it at some point.  That said, we have had a lot of good ole standbys for dinner lately....tortellini with alfredo sauce, pasta and any sauce, tacos, etc.  Sometimes, you just have to go with quick and convenient.  What can I say.

BUT, on Wednesday for my Crockpot Wednesday meal, I made Pepper Steak in the crockpot.  I had my doubts on how this would turn out and was fairly pleased with the outcome.  I had a hard time coming up with what to pair it with.  Sierra and I are not fans of rice.  Oh, I LOVE fried rice and Mexican rice, but that is really it.  I hate steamed rice or rice pilaf or anything like that.  Sierra hates it all.

So, what does one pair with this dish.  Well, if I had thought of it, I might have tried to make some kind of noodles, lo mein or something.  I would have loved steamed broccoli, but I seem to be the only one who likes that.  So, in the end, I didn't serve it with anything.  We just had bowls of pepper steak...no one complained.  

Now, when you cook bell peppers in a crockpot, they get mushy by the days end.  This and the salt content would be my only complaints with this dish.  I would reduce the salt significantly (and I already used low sodium soy sauce) and I would, if I am home and have time, add the peppers maybe an hour before it is done!

Here's the recipe as written.  I made my bell peppers and onions into strips instead of chopped....

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
 
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
garlic powder to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped onion (I sliced)
2 large green bell peppers, roughly (I did one green and one red and did slices) chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
1.Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.

2.Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.

3.Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

When there is a movie or tv show that we, as a family, are excited about, we tend to try and find a dinner idea to go with that movie/show.  We are nerds that way.  

Don't judge, but one of our favorite shows to watch, as a family, is The Walking Dead.  Yes, it's violent.  Yes, it's gross.  Yes, it's AWESOME!!  and NO, it is not corrupting my family's minds.

Whew...ok....

So, we do not have AMC and thus have to buy each episode of the show from Amazon.  Because of this, we were unable to watch the premiere last night, however we will get to watch it commercial free tonight along with the season 2 Finale (before hand of course).  So, yesterday I put it out there....what food goes with The Walking Dead.

Daniel's idea was chicken and mashed potatoes...but instead of chicken breasts, we get a rotesseire chicken because we have to rip the meat off the bones *really, my kids brains are not being corrupted.  Matt's idea was a better one, I thought (mainly because I am not sure about the chicken...I am still dealing with a chicken mummy, after all ).  He thought we should have chili...cause it would look like we are eating guts.  **seriously, this is all in fun...we are not weird, dark, gross people.  So, that is what we are doing.  I have opted for a quick and easy option...as you will see in another blog posting soon, my time is severely limited by my other duties.

Guts, er, Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chili meat
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 pkg (1.25 oz each) chili seasoning mix (mild)
• 1 can (16 oz each)  kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (mild), undrained
• 1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Cook beef and onion in large saucepan over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until beef is crumbled and no longer pink, stirring occasionally; drain.
2. Stir in seasoning mix. Add remaining ingredients (I am keeping out the beans until I get out Sierra's portion); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes, stirring several times.

So, the other day I was thinking about what would make a yummy, new dinner and I came up with an idea of throwing some ingredients together...this is just a starting off point...as we ate, my kids were giving me some ideas.

Daniel loved the dinner so much that he ate his and than ate what Sierra had left behind.  This recipe is very easy and very interesting in flavors.  The chicken and zucchini pop with flavor and is contrasted by the orzo...but yet complimentary.  Here is what I did and than what I will do next time:

First of all, I marinated a couple large chicken breasts and a couple sliced zucchini.  When Matt came home, I instructed him to grill the chicken and veggies.

While he grilled I took:

3 tablespoons of real butter (unsalted) and melted it in a pan.  I added 1 3/4 cups of dried orzo to the butter, stirring it for a few minutes...make sure it doesn't burn.

Add 3 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and bring to a boil.  *when cooking things like rice, couscous, or orzo, broth adds so much flavor

Simmer for 20 minutes or until the broth has been absorbed.  I added seasoning (greek seasoning, garlic salt and pepper).

We took the chicken that was SCRUMPTIOUS and cut it up and added it and the zucchini to the pot as well as a cup (or so) of fresh grated parmesan cheese....stir it up and serve.

Simple and good all in one.

Sierra suggested we put in red bell pepper next time.  I agree.  I might put in some fresh basil, too.  This lends itself to whatever vegetable combination you may like....  

So, there you have it!!  

I know I tend to do Crockpot Wednesdays and it was my plan to do that this week, but then I looked at my schedule and realized...this just will not due.  Sierra had to go get her allergy shots today and than art class and than I had to go to the library, and than the store, and than I got home around 5:15 and needed to leave shortly after 6:00 for a homeschool meeting where I was presenting on how I organize my house and homeschool.  Too much on the to do list and not enough time to cook.  So, I made the quick decision to make the recipe today and have the leftovers tomorrow which means I will...technically....keep with the crockpot Wednesday tradition.  Decision made, I got done with school and than rushed downstairs to assemble the crockpot

I have made notes beside the few things I changed.

Crockpot Swedish meatballs with mushrooms, gravy, spices, and noodles, along with sour cream and seasonings.

Ingredients:
2 jars (12 ounces each) beef gravy, or 3 cups prepared brown gravy
1 pound sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, cut in chunks
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon allspice (didn't have this...chicken mummy used it all...lol)
2 pounds frozen meatballs, thawed  (I always leave them frozen....less trouble and they are always heated through)
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
12 ounces medium egg noodles, cooked and drained

Preparation: Sauté mushrooms in butter until tender. In crockpot, combine mushrooms, gravy, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and allspice. Stir meatballs into the sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Gradually stir about 1/2 cup of the hot gravy mixture into the sour cream. Stir the sour cream mixture into the slow cooker mixture. Serve meatballs over hot buttered noodles.

Serves 8 to 10.

This made plenty for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's dinner for our family of 4....likely be still some leftover!  My kids LOVED it as did the hubs and I.

Ok, this is a versatile, easy, and yummy recipe.  It is one of those recipes that you find on the internet and you think that sounds good and than as you read the recipe you think....WHY oh WHY did they put THAT in there.  This recipe was one of them.  This recipe called for putting a drained can of mixed vegetables in it and the thought of it made me gag.  Canned mixed vegetables in a creamy, alfredo-ey, pasta dish??  Yeah, GROSS!!!!  So, I decided to replace the can of mixed veggies with fresh, roasted veggies.  I use chunky cut red and green peppers and tonight I am adding zucchini to the mix.  I totally recommend it.  You can try it with the mixed veggies if you want, but I would recommend the fresher veggies if I were you.  I am bad, I  do not do the wheat pasta.  I cannot get past the texture!!

Here is the recipe as written.  Trust me when I tell you to make this with the fresh veggies.  My kids and all LOVE it.  You can opt to leave out the sundried tomatoes.  My hubs is not much of a fan and it can be expensive.  Tonight, I opted NOT to use them.

Creamy Chicken Italiano

¾ Box whole wheat penne pasta noodles (I used regular)
2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed (I broiled mine)
1 jar Alfredo Sauce
3/4 Cup milk, swished in the jar to get remaining sauce
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 can Veg-All mixed vegetables, drained (GROSS...I used fresh, roasted veggies)
¼ Cup, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, oil packed and drained (use or don't use...use one time and than not the other for a different taste)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt seasoning
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and return back to pot over medium heat. Stir in chicken, alfredo sauce, milk, parmesan cheese, vegetables, sun dried tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Heat for 10-15 minutes or until heated through, stirring often.
2. Sprinkle top with cheese, cover for 5 minutes or until melted. Serve.

So, how many of you shy away from recipes that contain condensed soup and/or cream cheese??  STOP READING THIS NOW!!  Look, it sometimes comes down to time and convenience.

NOW, if you LOVE Chicken Marsala and think this might be a GREAT crockpot version...STOP READING THIS NOW!!  This tastes nothing like it...I guess they call it this cause they use Marsala wine.

NOW, if you are wanting something that tastes really good and is extremely easy to throw together....than keep on reading.  This was good, full of fattening good flavor.  Look, I am learning a bit more about portion size...so just be careful how much you eat and you'll be fine....uh......yeah....

I varied from the original recipe a lot and am going to only post what I did.  It was a GREAT way.

First put about 4 FROZEN chicken breasts in your crockpot.

Cut up a stick of butter and put that and some seasoning on top of that.  I used garlic salt, pepper, and dried basil...the recipe called for oregano, but I didn't want that.

Next mix together 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 2/3 cup of marsala wine and a block of cream cheese.  The cream cheese is hard to mix, so I stuck the bowl of stuff in the microwave and heated for 1 minute intervals....breaking up and stirring until I was satisfied with the consistency.  

Pour mixture over chicken and put the lid on.  Cook on low (for me it was about 5 hours).  Cook up some angel hair pasta.  Shred the chicken and mix the sauce well...top the pasta with this sauce.  

Trust me...it's good!!!  No pics, but it is creamy, chickeny goodness.