Beef Stroganoff

This is a great recipe I got from my friend Sarah who recently made it for our book club.  I think that next time I make it, I’m going to use top sirloin instead and I might try to make it in the crock pot and see what happens….so we’ll have to let you all know.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut in thin strips
All purpose flour
2 TBS oil (olive oil)
2 TBS butter
1 medium onion
8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
1 can beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream
cooked egg noodles

DIRECTIONS
Season steak, dust flour. Brown meat on both sides with oil and butter. Remove steak from pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings, saute for a few minutes, until onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. flour. Put the steak back in the pan with onion and mushrooms. Add soup, broth. Cook over low heat 30 minutes, covered. Season. Stir in sour cream before serving. Server over cooked noodles.

A Fun Dessert

The four of us made these yesterday before dinner and Hayden had a good time unwrapping the Kisses and putting the M n M’s on top.  I think that you could do some neat things with these around the holidays with holiday colored M n M’s or the white chocolate swirl Kisses.  I’ve also seen people make them with Reeses instead, which would be just as good.  The recipe did say to leave the Kisses in the oven for 3 minutes, but I didn’t think that was enough…..maybe 4 or 5.  Some of our chocolate wasn’t quite melted enough to spread out.

INGREDIENTS and DIRECTIONS
Just melt Hershey’s kisses onto tiny twist pretzels (275 degrees, 3 minutes), remove, and immediately press a single m&m; on each. Refrigerate until eating to make sure they are deliciously solid!

Pretzel Bites

This is another recipe that I saw from, where else, Pinterest.  I thought these looked like so much fun and something that Hayden or Bennet could help out with one day.  I’m just going to give you all the direct link to see how the original cook made them.  I couldn’t find the dough that she was talking about at the store, so I used some premade pizza dough from Harris Teeter.  I added flour to it when I started to roll it into the balls so they weren’t as sticky.  I added some pizza sauce for my parmesan bites and I did make the vanilla glaze for the other sweeter bites…..so good, yet, so bad for you;)

http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=932

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This is actually a Paula Deen recipe that’s easy and tastes great.  When I first make a recipe, I follow it exactly just to be on the safe side.  After trying it out a few times, however, I always seem to make some changes.  With this recipe, I actually added a few things on the first try with cilantro, black beans and taco seasoning.  Next time I make it, I’ll add more black beans throughout the layers, will cook the chicken with a packet of taco seasoning and use more fresh cilantro throughout.

INGREDIENTS
1 10 3/4 -ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 10 3/4 -ounce can cheddar cheese soup
1 10 3/4 -ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 10-ounce can tomatoes
1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken
11 1/2-ounce package flour tortillas
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, stir together the three kinds of soup and the tomatoes. Stir in the chicken. In a greased 13 x 9- inch pan, layer the tortillas and the chicken mixture, beginning and ending with tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

We tried this recipe tonight and we all really enjoyed it. I added mushrooms and peas which turned out well.  I did take a picture, but it didn't necessarily do the recipe justice, so I left it out.

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breasts
1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning
1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
DIRECTIONS
Cook on low for 4 hours. If sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Serve over pasta.

A Healthier Banana Bread

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought that I’d give it a try.  We all love the traditional banana bread that I usually make, but let’s face it, it’s not healthy with all of the white flour and sugar that it contains.  So, in order to lighten things up a bit, I tried this recipe.  You can definitely tell that it’s not full of sugar, but it’s good.  The boys like it, so we’ll be making it again!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
3 mashed overripe bananas
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Lasagna Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 package fresh mushrooms (optional)
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente.Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Ham, Gouda and Potato Bake

INGREDIENTS
4 cups frozen diced hash brown potatoes
8 oz. chopped ham
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese (4 oz.)
3/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
pepper to taste
8 English muffins

DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, combine hash browns, ham, cheese, sweet pepper and onion.  Toss together until well mixed.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, soup, milk and pepper. Pour over potato mixture.  Cover and cook on low heat for 6 – 7 hours.  Toast English muffins and serve egg mixture over muffins.