Vegetable Beef Soup

I wanted to try my hand at making soup...something I've never done before. So yesterday I did it and it was incredible. It's a slow-cooker recipe, but I imagine you could also do it on the stovetop if you don't have a slow-cooker.

1 lb. stew beef, diced into small pieces
3 regular sized cans of Mixed Vegetables including juice (I used the Compliments brand from Sobeys)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 of a 900mL box of Campbell's low sodium Beef Broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6 hours. We actually did it on low for 4 hours and then high for 1 hour at the end, so that works as well.

Of course, if you had lots of time (and didn't have a toddler to deal with) you could chop up fresh veggies of your choice and put those in the soup instead of the canned veggies. This is just the quick-and-easy (somewhat cheating) way to make a delicious soup without spending a lot of time doing it. The part that took me the most time was dicing up the pieces of stew meat.

Alex's Burger-n-Rice Casserole

I started a new job yesterday, so Alex has been in charge of cooking supper the last couple of days. Tonight, he made up a new casserole and it is AMAZING. All three of us loved it and I told him he could make it again any time. Then I proceeded to ask him for the recipe, so I could share it with everybody. So here we go, Alex's Burger-n-Rice Casserole!

2 cups of long-grain rice, uncooked (do not use instant or minute rice)
1+ lb ground beef
1 can of chili style kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced onions
2 tbsp (approx) minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Club House Italian Seasoning
Dash basil
Dash sage
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of shredded cheese (1 cup mozza, 1 cup old cheddar)

Cook rice according to directions on package, set aside.
Brown rice with 1 teaspoon italian seasoning. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large wok, stir fry onions, carrots, green peppers, the rest of the italian seasoning, basil, sage, salt, pepper and garlic until the onions are clear.
Mix in rice, kidney beans and hamburger.
Put in a casserole dish (or two), cover with the shredded cheese, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Note: This makes a HUGE amount of food, so make sure you use a really big wok. That's also why I said the (or two) when I spoke of the casserole dish. It might be too much to fit in one dish.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

That's probably not a great name for the recipe, but it beats "Oh So Good Chicken", which is what the recipe was called online. LOL. Wanted to do something different with the chicken for supper tonight and even though Charlie didn't like it, Alex and I absolutely loved it and definitely recommend it. :)

4 teaspoons olive oil
6 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 regular sized jar of salsa (we used mild)
2 cups cooked white rice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
A few handfuls of crumbled tortilla chips

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms.
2. Combine mushrooms, sour cream, cheese, salsa, rice and chicken, mix well. Place in a greased casserole dish.
3. Cover with crumbled tortilla chips and bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes.

Cheesy Chili Hamburger Helper

I wanted to make my own hamburger helper, instead of buying the pre-packaged stuff. This is better than any packaged hamburger helper I've ever had in my entire life, and I will most definitely be making it again.

1 lb ground beef
1 cup hot water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, mix corn starch, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar and paprika. Set aside.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, drain.

Add hot water, then add milk. Then add the pasta and the spice mixture. Stir thoroughly, and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer on low for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. When there are about 3 minutes left, stir in the cheese, then cover again for the final few minutes of cook time.

When the pasta is tender and the cheese is melted, turn off heat and uncover. Let stand for up to 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken. Stir and serve.

(Note: I found this recipe at the following website: http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/ and they have plenty of other hamburger helper ideas there as well that I may try in the future)

Brown Sugar Biscuits

These are not your average cinnamon rolls, and they are awesome. They took very little time to prepare, and they taste amazing. Alex says they're "addictive", so there must be something to them. I found the recipe online and modified it a little bit. As always, I will post the original recipe and then list my modifications.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

5 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or use parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in milk and vanilla. Knead briefly on a floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle, 1/2 inch thick. Spread softened butter onto surface of dough. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over butter. Roll tightly, and cut into 12 equal slices. Place on prepared baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

My Modifications: 

1. I didn't have any cream of tartar, so that got omitted. 

2. I didn't have butter flavored shortening...so I used actual, real butter. 

3. Instead of spreading real butter on the dough, I used Becel olive oil margarine.

4. I used about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and only 3 teaspoons of cinnamon. We feel that any more cinnamon would have been way too much. I didn't put all of it in the dough...the leftovers got sprinkled onto the parchment paper so the bottom of the rolls would be caramelized and yummy.
5. I actually baked mine for about 25 minutes. 

Apple Crisp

I wanted to try my hand at making an apple crisp, so I did. I found a recipe online and tweaked it just a little bit. Let's just say between Alex, myself and our friend John...it's almost gone. It's THAT good.

6 cortland apples
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish, set aside.

Chop apples into small pieces, put in the baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon and then stir, so it goes all through the apples. Pour water in

In a dish, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Cover the apples evenly with the mixture

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. When done, apples should be soft and crust should be golden brown.

Note: I didn't actually measure the cinnamon so I have no idea how much I actually used. The recipe called for 1 teaspoon, but that didn't seem like enough so I actually probably put closer to 1 tablespoon. The other thing I did differently was the brown sugar...the original recipe called for just 1 cup of white sugar, but a lot of the reviews said it was better if brown sugar was used in place of half of the white sugar.

Slow-cooked Pork Ribs

Alex made the best ribs in the world today. Best we've ever had in our lives. Ever.

1 lb rack of pork ribs (we used side ribs)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Diana barbeque sauce

Put rack of ribs on a broiler pan.
Mix brown sugar and spices in a bowl, rub into ribs.
Cook in a 200F oven all day (Alex started them around 8:30 am and took them out around 4:30 pm) then transfer to the BBQ (on one burner on low heat) for 1 hour, basting with the Diana sauce and flipping them every 15 minutes).

The only thing Alex would do differently is not cook them when he was home. I was at work today but he wasn't and the smell of the ribs cooking all day in the oven nearly drove him crazy.