Stew

2 lbs. stewing beef, cubed (Kristi, you can buy stew meat at the grocery store)
15 baby carrots, halved
1/2 dried minced onion
3 large potatoes, cubed
1 can tomato soup
1 soup can water
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vinegar
pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on high heat 5-6 hours or low heat 10-12 hours.

We had this Sunday night when we had my sisters and a cousin and her husband over for dinner. It was good. Kristi really wanted the recipe. I think I forgot to put the minced onion in, which would have given it a little more flavor.
I like being able to throw things in the crock pot early in the day and have dinner ready without much work later. This stew is easy to put together. The only thing that really takes some time is peeling and cutting the potatoes.

Chicken Tetrazzini

8 oz spaghetti or linguine
2 cups fresh mushrooms (I don't use)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a large saucepan, cook mushrooms and green onions in hot butter until tender. Stir in flour, pepper, and nutmeg. Add broth and milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and half in Parmesan cheese. Add cooked spaghetti, stir gently to coat.
Transfer pasta mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Pizza

I made pizza last night for Ian's birthday/Mother's Day. Ian loves pizza and always asks for it.

Pizza Crust:

1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, salt, and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to lightly greased pizza pan. Spread with desired toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

This time I kneaded the dough some with a little more flour so it wouldn't stick to the counter like previous times and it worked much better.

Pizza Sauce: (this makes a lot)

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 Tbsp ground oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp paprika

I use a little less oregano because we found that you can really taste it in this recipe.

Crepes

Rex made crepes yesterday morning for Mother's Day because that is what I requested, I even bought strawberries and whipping cream.

4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Whisk together eggs and salt. Add some flour. Whisk in milk an d flour alternatively until you have added it all. Add the melted butter and whisk again.
Cook in an 8 inch skillet. Preheat pan on medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan. Twirl the pan around as you add the batter. Flip crepe over and cook over side for about 20 seconds.

Ian loved the strawberries. As I was cutting them, he kept asking "More, strawberry." Last year he wouldn't even let a strawberry into his mouth.

Easy Chicken Bake

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I actually only use 2 or 3)
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 c evaporated milk
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp paprika

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix together soup, milk, and seasonings. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 4 hours or low heat 8-10 hours.

This is really good. We had it with brown rice. It was my first time making brown rice, it doesn't cook very well in a rice cooker or I need to learn a different way to do it in a rice cooker. Ian ate close to half my chicken. He kept wanting more.

I got this recipe from 101 Things To Do With a Slow Cooker.

Grandma Cisney's Meatloaf

1 egg
1/3 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
pepper
onion salt
1 lb hamburger
1/4 c ketchup
Worshere sauce

Mix. Bake 1 hour at 375.

Ian actually ate this tonight. He hasn't eaten any other hamburger yet. I have tried a couple recipes, and this is the one I like the best. I love having baked potatoes when we have meatloaf, they just go together.

German Pancakes

6 Tbsp butter
6 eggs
1 c milk
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour

Put butter in 13 by 9 in pan. Heat oven to 425 and melt butter. Mix together rest of the ingredients. Put in pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Puffs while baking. Flattens when it cools.

Top with syrup, we like this buttermilk syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 c sugar
1/2 c buttermilk (1/2c milk with 1 tsp vinegar)
1 1/2 cubes butter
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a large saucepan. Boil 5 minutes. Watch carefully, boils over easily. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

I always have these recipes, as there is only three of us and it works out perfectly. You can also use the extra syrup on ice cream.

Beef Taco Bake

I got this recipe at an Enrichment recipe swap. It is good and easy to put together.

1 lb ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 c salsa
6 tortillas, cut into 1 in pieces
1/2 c milk
1 c shredded cheese

Brown meat. Add soup, salsa, milk, tortillas, and half the cheese. Spoon into 2 quart shallow baking dish. Cover. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Ian loved the tortilla part, but wouldn't even put the hamburger in his mouth. He doesn't liked ground beef for some reason, wouldn't eat it in stroganaff either, though he gobbled the rest of it right up.

No Bake Cookies

I love these cookies. When I want something chocolate but don't have chocolate chips, these are great and easy to make.

2 c. sugar
1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
2 1/2 c quick oats
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 c coconut (Rex hates coconut, so sadly I don't use it)
1/2 c peanut butter

Place sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter in saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add peanut butter; stir until well mixed. Remove from heat and add vanilla, oats, and coconut. Mix well. Drop by teaspoon fulls on buttered cookie sheet (I actually use wax paper). Let set until hard, you may cool in fridge.