Caramel Fondue

Perfect for apple dipping!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
   
2. Stir in sugar, corn syrup and water. Bring to a boil.
   
3. Stir in condensed milk, simmer, stirring constantly until mixture reaches thread stage (230 degrees on a candy thermometer).
   
4. Add vanilla.
   
5. Place in fondue pot or crock pot.

Pumpkin Cookies

Great fall cookies!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin pie mix (I use one 15 oz can)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 bag chocolate chips

Directions

1. Cream shortening and sugar.
   
2. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin.
   
3. Sift in dry ingredients.
   
4. Add chocolate chips.
   
5. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Incredibly delicious and healthy waffles

This is a variation of my dad's famous Belgium Waffles but now it is changed to my mom's standards. :)

3 cups wheat flour
1 cup white flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
(at least) 4 Tbsp Splenda (I always put more in)
Cinnamon (however much you want)
Mix together well

in a separate bowl mix:
2 eggs (or 3 egg whites)
1 1/2 cup oil
3 cups milk (add more as needed because the batter gets pretty thick)

mix wet and dry ingredients then pour into waffle maker. or for pancakes add chocolate chips

Unbelievable Lasagna

I've made this twice and it hasn't failed me yet. It's so easy!

- Lasagna
- Spaghetti sauce
- Ricotta cheese
- Cottage cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese

Spread some sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Layer the following until you run out of stuff: UNCOOKED (yes, that's why it's unbelievable lasagna -- it's unbelievably easy!) lasagna, sauce, ricotta, cottage, parmesan, and mozzarella. Final layer consists of only lasagna, sauce, mozzarella, and paremsan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

Crockpot Applesauce

You can thank Betty Crocker and a little bit of experimenting on my part for this recipe. It's perfect for cold autumn mornings!

- Apples, preferably the tasty McIntosh apples from upstate New York. :)
- 1/4 cup water for approximately every 5 medium-sized apples
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or 3-4 tbsp white sugar for approximately every 5 medium-sized apples
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, again, for approximately every 5 medium-sized apples
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg -- you guessed it -- for approximately every 5 medium-sized apples

Peel apples if desired, but if you choose to do so, please realize that you're doing more work than necessary for applesauce that won't be quite as healthy. Cut apples into fourths, toss in a crockpot, top with water, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook on high for about 2 hours or until apples are soft. Mash apples using an electric hand mixer -- because we all know electric mixers make things easier. Serve warm or chilled -- both are delicious.

Grilled Chicken Salad Pitas

Blake and I have decided that living among Greeks and other Mediterranean cultures is pretty awesome -- they all make the best food! This isn't actually Mediterranean, persay, but it uses pitas from the fabulous Mediterranean grocery up the block from our apartment, so I figure that has to count for something.

- fresh pitas, preferably, if you can swing a trip to New York, from the Mediterranean grocery up the block
- prepared chicken salad (see below)
- Swiss cheese
- leaf of green leaf or romaine lettuce
- sliced tomatoes
- dab of ranch dressing

Slice pita in half, cut open. Stuff with slice of Swiss cheese and chicken salad. Grill in a frying pan until the pita is satisfyingly crisp. Then, stuff with lettuce, tomatoes, and top with that dab of ranch dressing.

To make Lindsay's Famous "Fake It 'Til It Tastes Right" Chicken Salad, boil a piece of boned chicken breast until cooked through, then separate the good meat from the bones and skin. Shred chicken, and add mayo and pickle relish to your desired consistency.

Chalupa (a Mexican stew)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried pinto beans (fresh)*
• 1-3 1/2 lb. bone-in pork loin roast
• 2-4 oz. cans chopped green chilis
• 1-10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilis
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbl. chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 32 oz. chicken broth (if you use boullion cubes, omit salt and add to taste after cooking)
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

Rinse and sort beans. Place beans in bottom of crock pot. Add roast and all other ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 7 hours or cook on high for one hour and low for 10 hours. Remove bones and fat from roast; pull roast into bite size pieces with forks. Return meat to crock pot and stir.
Serve in bowls as stew with tortillas for a side, or uncover for the last hour and broth will thicken and can be used in taco shell bowls for another great tasting dish!
* If you are using beans from your food storage, they will probably need to be soaked overnight in order to be done at the same time as the roast. Rinse them after soaking to help omit the gases the beans form while cooking. The older the beans are, the longer they take to cook. I have even had to cook mine a little before adding them to this dish. Yes, mine are from storage. The nutritional value is still there, you just have to love them a little more!

No-Bake Cookies

• 2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. cocoa
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. oatmeal

Put first four ingredients into sauce pan let sugar disolve, stir constantly and bring to high, rolling boil and let boil for only 1 minute. Remove from heat and add PB, vanilla, and oatmeal. If runny, let cool for a few minutes and drop onto wax paper or foil. Let set.

Chunky Crockpot Stew

2 lbs. stew meat
3 potatoes, washed and quartered
4 carrots cut into chunks
1 can tomato soup
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce (plus 1 can water or milk)
3 tbl. tapioca
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
pepper ( to taste)

Place all ingredients in crockpot and give it a good stir. Cook on high for 6-8 hours until meat and vegetables are tender.

Talk about easy and delicious!

Chili Colorado

Ingredients

• 1 lb. stew meat
• 2 potatoes (optional)
  
• olive oil
  
• 8 dried red chilis (the heat of the chilis is up to you!)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp. oregano

Directions
Wash chilis in warm water removing stem and seeds. Place in blender and begin processing, adding water to make a nice sauce thickness. Add garlic and other spices and blend well.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, lightly brown one pound of stew meat (cut into bite size pieces) in minimal amount of olive oil. After lightly browning, add sauce and allow to simmer until meat is tender. (45 minutes to an hour) Or you can use the crockpot to cook it in, just brown it first and add sauce and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. After simmering, add to crock. Cook on high for 2 hours (or on low for 4 hours) or until meat is tender.

(optional) You can add two diced potatoes to the meat and sauce to make it go further, and to balance your nutritional needs in one pot!

Serve on flour tortillas with cheese and other favorite toppings!

The sauce recipe is also used as enchilada sauce. Add the sauce to a preheated saucepan with a small amount of olive oil and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Use as you would any enchilada sauce. I use it when I make the Mexican Meat. It makes a delicious enchilada!

Texas Chili

4 lbs. stew meat (cut into bite size pieces)
2 tbl. chili powder
2-6 oz. cans tomato paste
4 tsp. beef soup base
4 cups water
2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper
1 1/2 jalapenos

Brown meat in batches. Remove meat, reserve drippings. Add chili powder to drippings and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Return beef to pot and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until meat is tender. (About 1 1/2 hours.) Serve with tortillas, corn bread or baked potatoes.
Variation: Omit half the meat and cook 2 cups (dry) pinto beans in a seperate pot until tender. Drain beans and add to chili (when meat is tender) and simmer for at least 30 more minutes.

Yields 9 cups

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb. ground beef
1 large carrot (slivered)
1 small onion (diced)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
2 cloves garlic
1-15 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 can white kidney beans
5 cups beef broth
1 1/3 tsp. oregano
1 1/8 tsp pepper
2/3 tsp. tabasco sauce
1-2 lb. jar Ragu sauce
1 cup shell macaroni

Saute beef with onion and garlic. Add carrots, celery and tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.
Drain and rinse beans and add to pot.
Add all remaining ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender. (About 45 minutes)

This soup can be made a day ahead. Just add the pasta after reheating and cook until pasta is done.
Dad says this is better than Olive Garden's!!!!!!!!!!

Serves 10

Alfredo Sauce

This recipe turned out pretty good. It's tailored to be made in the "Bullet," but I imagine it can be made in a regular blender.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. heavy cream
• 2 tbs. butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients in the order they are listed, blend until smooth (if using Bullet blend with cross blade). Cover container (with Bullet use shaker/steamer lid) and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is heated thoroughly. Pulse in the blender 3-4 times (if using Bullet use flat blade). Stir and serve over hot pasta.

Calico Corn

The amounts in this recipe can be adjusted for taste or for whatever you might have on hand. I have substituted summer squash for the corn when it is available.

• 2 cans corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can diced green chilies, not drained
• ground cumin, garlic salt and pepper to taste

Mix together in a sauce pan to heat through. For some extra zing, add dried red pepper flakes.

Chicken Waikiki

Chicken Waikiki

• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
• 1 can pineapple chunks 20 oz (in juice)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsb ground ginger
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soysauce
• 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 1 green bell pepper (cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. heat oven to 350. spray 13x9 inch glass baking dish. in saucepan heat 3 cups of the broth to boiling over high heat. add rice; reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 min or until liquid is absorbed.
2. meanshile drain pineapple juice into a 2 cup measuring cup; add remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth to make 1 1/4 cups. In another saucepan mix: pineapple liquid, sugar, cornstarch, ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce. heat to boiling over high heat. cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in bell peppers and pineapple.
3. Cut chicken into 2 1/2 x 1 inch strips. Spread rice in baking dish, arange chicken strips over rice, and pour pineapple mixture over chicken and rice.
4. cover dish with foil and bake about 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and mixture is bubbly.
5. and enjoy!!!!!!!!!

I love this meal! It takes a little bit of time, but it is so delicious :)

Orange Julius

Orange Julius

• 6 oz. orange juice concentrate
• ¼ C. sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 10-12 ice cubes
• 2 C milk

In a blender add ingredients in order and blend on high until smooth

*adding a banana adds good texture and flavor. Add strawberries and peaches too!

Chicken Bundles

Chicken Bundles

Crescent rolls: (or just buy them)
½ C warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
¼ C margarine
½ tsp salt
1 T sugar
1 ¾ flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in bowl with wire whisk. Mix in margarine, add salt, sugar, and flour. Roll out and cut into squares (or triangles)

Filling
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp butter, melted
¼ C. celery, chopped fine
1/3 can mushrooms, drained (cut small)
2 Tbsp onions, chopped fine
1 C chicken, cooked and chopped
Dash of salt and pepper

*there is a lot of flexibility to the filling. We added chopped almonds, craisins, and green peppers.

Mix together, put on dough, and then seal completely

Here’s the tough part. When copying down the recipe in class, I forgot to write down what temperature and time these cook at. When Jennie and I made them, we cooked them at 375 for about 15-20 minutes (I think). So, you might want to keep an eye on it. If you buy the dough at the store though, the packaging will have instructions so follow that :)

Italian Sausage & Pasta Dish

Ingredients:

• 1 box spiral whole wheat pasta
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage
• 1 bag fresh spinach
• 2-14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• garlic salt
• pepper
• Italian seasoning
• parmesan cheese
• monterrey jack cheese, grated

Remove casings from sausage and brown in large skillet. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and allow to cook down.

Cook pasta following directions on package. Drain well. Add pasta to meat mixture and add 2 tbl. parmesan cheese. Fold ingredients together. Sprinkle jack cheese on each serving.

Serves 8

Sticky Buns

Sticky Buns

• 1 ½ C flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ C shortening
• ½ C milk
• ½ C brown sugar
• ¼ C margarine
• 2 Tbsp water

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal. Add milk then knead 10-15 times. Roll out to ½ inch thick and cut with drinking glass.

Combine brown sugar, margarine, and water in round microwavable pan. Microwave for ½ - 1 minute or until margarine melts.

Leave mixture in pan and stir. Place biscuits on top of mixtures. Cook in microwave at 70% (important!! They WILL burn at 100%) for 4-5 minutes. Let set for 2 minutes.

*Also good to do is roll out dough thinly and sprinkle cinnamon and put slice almonds and/or raisons (any nut, dried fruit, or seasoning would work). Roll into a log and then slice so they are more like cinnamon rolls.

The Best Caramel

The Best Caramel

½ C butter
½ C brown sugar
½ C white sugar
½ C light corn syrup
7 oz sweetened condensed milk

Combine ingredients in heavy pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Keep at roiling boil and cook until the soft ball state (about 15 minutes). Pour into buttered pan.

Soft ball stage test: fill a small bowl with cold water. Spoon a little caramel into the water. After a few seconds try to form a ball with your fingers. If the caramel doesn’t stick to itself, it needs to cook longer. If it forms a ball and feels soft, it’s ready (hence the name “soft ball stage”)

Easy Skor Bars

Saltine Toffee

• ½ C Brown Sugar
• ½ C butter
• ½ package saltines
• ½ package chocolate chips (or however many you want)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Melt butter and sugar together in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, DO NOT STIR. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with Pam, line bottom with saltines (crushed, or whole, both work). Pour sugar/butter mixture over crackers. Bake 5 minutes, remove and put chocolate chips over top and chill until firm.

Chocolate Waffle Brownies

This has been a family favorite for quite some time. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cube butter
• 7 tbl. cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Melt butter and stir in cocoa. Add eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and add to mixture. Add vanilla. Follow waffle iron instructions for a tasty treat! ( You can add chocolate frosting to top them off!)

Eggs Benedict

So there was this one time, at IHOP, when Blake discovered the palatable beauty of Eggs Benedict. He liked it so much that he set about to learn how to make it at home and so whenever we whip this little luxury breakfast together, he's usually the one in charge -- which is fine by me! Anyway, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Hollandaise sauce (we usually buy a "just add liquid" mix, but you're welcome to try making your own)
• 3 English muffins, halved, toasted, and buttered
• 6 thin slices of fully cooked ham (cooked bacon strips also work)
• 6 eggs, poached
• paprika, if desired

Directions:
Make Hollandaise sauce; keep warm. Cook meat in 1 tsp butter over medium heat until light brown on both sides; keep warm. Make poached eggs (for instructions, see below). Place one slice of meat on each muffin half. Top with egg. Spoon warm Hollandaise sauce over eggs. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

How to Poach an Egg:
Heat 1.5 to 2 inches of water to boiling in skillet or saucepan. Use large enough pan so eggs do not touch while cooking. Reduce to simmering. Break egg into custard cup. Carefully slip egg into water (hold cup close to surface of water for best shape and to avoid splashing). Cook about 5 minutes, or until white and yolks are firm, not runny. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Manicotti

This has been a favorite meal of mine for a long time. It's a bit of a hassle to make (what with the stuffing of slippery, easily breakable, cooked manicotti shells), but it tastes so good, I think it's worth it -- so long as you have the time and energy to devote to it.

Ingredients:

• 1 8-oz box manicotti shells
• 8+ oz mozzarella cheese, grated (8 oz for filling, extra for top, if desired)
  
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce (about one jar)
• Diced tomatoes (optional)
  

Directions:
Cook manicotti, drain. Combine cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper for filling. Spoon into the manicotti shells. Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Arrange manicotti in a single layer over the sauce. Cover with remaining sauce. Top with diced tomatoes (optional) and a sprinkling of extra mozzarella cheese (also optional). Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer. Makes 6-8 servings.

Hints:
Because stuffing the manicotti shells is often more difficult than it's worth (in my opinion, anyway), I've decided to justify a little cheating. Simply slice open the shells (once they're cooked), fill with the cheese filling, roll them back up and place, sliced side down, in the pan. They might not look Martha Stewart-esque, but they'll taste the same. Also, it is tempting (for me, at least) to want to put more filling into the shells than I really need -- which ends up being a slight problem when I start to run out of filling and still have half a dozen shells to fill. My advice: just don't go overboard on the stuffing. If you end up with extra, it's pretty simple to stuff a bit more into the shells.

(Healthy*) Double-chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate is not really my favorite, but we made these cookies today and with a glass of milk they were pretty good. The best part was that unlike regular chocolate chip cookies, I could only eat two of them because of the chocolatiness, but I still liked what I ate.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg white (we used the yolk also)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp baking cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 deg. Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon. Beat in vanilla and egg white.
2. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until set (do not overbake). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

*If you believe such a thing exists!

Nutritional Facts:
1 Cookie: Calories 75 (Calories from Fat 25); Fat 3g; Saturated Fat 2g; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 5 mg
Carbohydrate 11g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 1g

Hawaiian Haystacks

This recipe is super easy and quick, and the toppings will help you empty out any small amounts of leftovers in the fridge. Serves 6 adults.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• About half a can of milk
• A dash of Cayenne pepper (optional)
• Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut the chicken up into bite size pieces and cook in a regular size saucepan. Add remaining ingredients. Cook enough rice for 6 people. Serve sauce over rice and then add as many or as little of the following possible toppings:

• Shredded coconut
• Grated cheese
• Tomatoes
• Raisins
• Bell peppers
• Chow Mein Noodles
• Pineapple
• Olives
• Mandarin Oranges
• Almonds
  
• Anything else you can think of.
  

Fish Tacos

Blake and I tried this over the weekend, and it turned out great. There are a few things we might do differently next time -- like try a different kind of fish. Don't get me wrong -- the tilapia we used worked great -- but we're pretty confident there's something better out there. So fish around and experiment (yes, are you kidding me? -- the pun was totally intended).

Ingredients:

• Fish -- whatever you think will taste good. Make sure it's skinned and de-boned. Dice into small chunks
• garlic, to taste
  
• limes
• butter
• diced tomatoes
• chopped green onions
• cilantro
• tarter sauce or sour cream
• corn tortillas

Directions:
Saute the fish in a butter and lime juice mixture. Serve taco style on corn tortillas, topped with tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and tarter sauce or sour cream. Squeeze with more lime juice if desired.

Braised Mushrooms

Kimberly and I made this on Sunday, and boy was it tasty! We only had half of the mushrooms (button and shiitake), and it was still amazing. Goes very well with Chinese food (such as black pepper beef), but I'd recommend it for anything.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. button mushrooms (about 10)
• 1/4 lb. oyster mushrooms
  
• 1/4 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 8)
• One 12-ounce can straw mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Trim the base of the stems of the button and oyster mushrooms. Discard the shiitake mushroom stems. Drain the straw mushrooms.
2. Place a stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil and butter and stir until the butter melts. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
3. Add all the mushrooms, the water, soy sauce, sugar, and pepper. Cover and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
   

Easy Donuts

We found this recipe in the "Fake It, Don't Make It" section of my Real Simple magazine and tried it out last night. So fast, so easy, and really, really good (so long as you don't let Blake burn the donuts).

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 8-count package large refrigerated biscuits (such as Pillsbury Grands) (or the equivalent in homemade biscuit dough)
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat (and yes, if the temp is any higher, the donuts will be crispy).

Place the biscuits on a cutting board. Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter or equivalent (we just cut out holes with a knife), cut a hole in the center of each biscuit, reserving the extra dough for "holes."

Test the heat of the oil by dipping the edge of a doughnut in the pan. When the oil is hot enough, the edge will bubble. Place 4 of the doughnuts and holes in the skillet and cook until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, reheat, and cook the remaining doughnuts and holes.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Gently toss the warm doughnuts in the mixture a few at a time. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Makes 8 doughnuts, plus holes.

French Dip Sandwich

This one is a favorite at our house -- quite possibly because it is so ridiculously easy!

(ideal slow cooker size: 4- or 5-quart)

Ingredients:

• 2-lb beef top round roast, trimmed
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 whole peppercorns (or the equivalent in table-shaker pepper)
  

Directions:
Trim fat from roast. Place roast in slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Cover. Cook on high 5-6 hours (though sometimes ours is done around 4-4.5 hours). Remove meat from broth. Thinly slice or shred. Keep warm. Strain broth and skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on rolls. Makes approximately 12 servings.

Mexican Caldillo (Stew)

This is one of my favorite soup recipes my mom used to always make.

Ingredients

• half an onion
• 1 lb stew meat (cubed)
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 can green chilies
• 2 large potatoes cubed
• 5 c. water
• 6 beef bullion cubes

Directions

Brown beef with onion and jalapeño in large pot. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked (15-20 min.)

Serves 4 adults.

For a tasty variation serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole in the soup (we discovered this to help tone down the spiciness when we thought we'd put in 2 or 3 jalapeños)

South African Vegetarian Curry

I got this recipe from my boss at BYU, Sorrel Jakins. He's from South Africa and would make this curry for us at least twice a month.

Ingredients

• 1 onion chopped
  
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
  
• 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
  
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
  
• 1.5 lbs fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1 tbsp curry (Rajah Curry works best, if you're using regular curry you may want to add some cayenne pepper, chili powder, or paprika to give more flavor)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 pint of cream
• 2 tbsp. corn starch (more if you want it thicker)
• garlic salt to taste
• 1 lb. frozen veggies or stir fry
• Other optional ingredients: Spinach, any type of bean, two bullion cubes dissolved in half cup water, potatoes, etc.

Directions

Cook in medium (4 qt.) crock pot on high for 4 hours (or until desired texture of veggies is reached). Serve over rice with French bread and butter.

Serves 5-6 adults.