try 43 new recipes

Brown strips of lean New York steak, sautee onions and mushrooms, add beef broth, a packet of vegetable soup mix and a can of mixed veggies, simmer, then serve piping hot with oyster crackers: Steak Soup.

Tried a new delicious soup recipe from my favorite soup cookbook….Curried Turkey and Apple Soup…from the legendary Colophon Cafe in Bellingham, WA!

It is really an easy recipe, especially for left over turkey, but took me long to cook because I am so clumsy with the knives, and multitasking piece.

They have many other good soups here…the Mexican Corn and Bean Soup is incredible…and vegetarian too!

http://www.colophoncafe.com/cookbook.htm

12. Carrot cake muffins with cream cheese topping.
11. Mozz cheese, cherry toms and puff pastry flan.
10. Banana Bread.

I like liver and I rarely get an opportunity to have it, so I thought I’d try something new. This treat from the Pirate’s Pantry, Treasured Recipes of Southwest Louisiana starts with chicken livers dregged in flour, salt and pepper, then sauteed in butter (I added a little olive oil, too). Mix with sauteed chopped green onions, chicken bullion and canned sliced mushrooms in a cassarole dish. Bake uncovered for an hour at 300F. Serve on thin toast as an appetizer, snack or side dish.

This is a refreshing change from the traditional mustard-mayo potato salad, found in A Taste of Mexico cookbook prepared by professional home economics teachers in CA, AZ and NM. The ingredients are white Rose potatoes, chopped green pepper, diced medium tomatoes, chopped red onion, minced cilantro, sliced olives, sour cream and picante sauce. For an even spicier version, add sliced jalapenos, too. This dish can be made a day in advance and, refrigerated, the flavors really come out.

Kathy’s daughter gave us this recipe for chicken breasts, which requires three hours of slow cooking in a crockpot. The non-so secret simmering ingredient is powdered Italian dressing, in addition to canned mushroom soup and a block of cream cheese. Rich and full of winter calories, it’s great served over a bed of white rice or mashed potatoes.

Winter Woods Chili

• 4 slices bacon
• 3 lb. beef stew meat
• 1 large onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 28-oz. cans whole tomatoes
• 1 15.5-oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15.5-oz can red beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• shredded cheddar cheese
• snipped fresh oregano
• cooked bacon, crumbled

1. In 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven cook bacon and beef, half at a time, over medium heat until beef is browned. Drain fat. Return meat to pan. Reduce heat; add onions and half of garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender.
2. Add undrained tomatoes, beans, and one tablespoon of the chili powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining garlic, chili powder, and vinegar. Cook, covered, 1 hour. Add water to desired consistency. Season to taste. Top servings with cheese, oregano, and crumbled bacon. Makes 6 servings.

It’s delicious! And filling, as I served it over rice; I’d say it makes more than 6 servings eaten that way.

How I deviated from the recipe

• I used an 8-quart Dutch oven and cooked the meat all in one batch.
• In this case I did use the whole tomatoes, but in future I’ll probably use diced. The whole ones didn’t break down enough for me—I don’t like big tomato chunks in cooked dishes.
• I can’t eat chili powder, so I used 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder the first time it asked for chili powder, and nothing the 2nd time. I’d have put more cayenne in if E weren’t eating it too, but as it was he found it a little hot, and S and I would have liked it hotter.
• Yikes! I didn’t have red wine vinegar. I didn’t check for that ahead of time. It’s just one of those things I think I always have. So I substituted haphazardly: I used one tablespoon of cider vinegar and one of actual red wine.
• The only topping we used was the shredded cheese.

Mmmm, mmm, mmm. I will definitely be making this again.

Oh I must say, to muster the motivation was soooo hard for me….but I did it….recipe #3…and it was indeed worth the effort!

I made the Garlic Lime Chicken from Leanne Ely’s “Saving Dinner” and it was incredibly easy and incredibly yummy! The thing that was so cool about the recipe is the cleanup….at the end, you put the lime juice in the pot, and if you have stainless steel, any burnt stuff comes right off…so you are left with a shiny pan in the end!

Hubby and son both ranted and raved about it. I’d say this is a keeper and I will be trying more recipes from this book in the future!!

43 is actually a lot…

cake mix chocolate chip cookies
1 yellow cake mix
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Stir cake mix and baking powder together. Add oil, eggs, and vanilla, beat well. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Yum!

Strogonoff (amounts are approximate)
1 lb thinly sliced beef
1 med onion
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water
2 tsp beef bullion
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
1 cupmilk
cooked egg noodles

Cook beef and onion in butter until beef is brown, add mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Stir in flour, cook 1 minute. Whisk in water, bullion, soup, sour cream, and milk. Simmer at least an hour, until beef is fork tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Thin with more milk if necessary. Serve over noodles.

This dessert takes a little preparation, but it’s well worth it. Peel and thinly slice four large Granny Smith Apples. Toss them with brown sugar and cinnamon, then spoon them into baking dish. For the topping, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, uncooked oatmeal, margarine and crushed NILLA wafers. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples and bake at 350F for 30~35 minutes. Serve warm and topped with whipped cream. The detailed recipe is at KraftFoods.com.