Hearty Beef Stew

Stew is comfort food for me. I remember my grandmother making it when I was young and it brings back great memories.

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 lb stew meat

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into 1in pieces

1 large potato, cut into 1 1/2 in pieces

1/4 cup celery, cut into 1 in pieces

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 dried bay leaf

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Brown stew meat in coconut oil. Place all items in a baking dish. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Base Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 quart homemade chicken broth
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup butter
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste


1 cup cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Garnish: chives, sour cream, bacon, and cheese


Cook the base ingredients in your crock pot for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Add the cream, cheese, and garnishes.

Spud Special Soup

3 tablespoons of butter
1 large onion
1/2 cup carrot, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic
4 cups diced potatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 cup browned sausage
1/2 cup cheese, grated

Brown sausage in a pot. Add butter, onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and clear. Add potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, parsley, and sausage. Cover and simmer until all ingredients are cooked. Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the milk. Serve with cheese as a garnish.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Lemon Muffins

I found this recipe at Elanas Pantry.

2 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup grape seed oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest.

Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then combine together. Place in a lined muffin pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Gluten-Free Breakfast Bars

I found this recipe at Elanas Pantry. My husband does not care for raisins so he made these with cranberries. They were really good. He eats a bar just before going to the gym. It holds him over until breakfast. We took them to work one day for a snack but they were a little too greasy. I would rather eat them at home.

1 ¼ cup almond flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup grapeseed oil

¼ cup agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup almond slivers

¼ cup raisins or cranberries

Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Then add grape seed oil, agave, and vanilla. Then add the remaining ingredients. Press into a 8x8 pan with wet hands to push down the dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Gluten-Free Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

Before going gluten-free I loved taking a piece of toast and putting an egg and some bacon on top of it open faced and eating it all together. Now that I now longer eat toast this is the perfect solution. We make six of these at a time and refrigerate them for up to a week. Chris grabs one on the way to the gym. They are great hot or cold. If you can eat gluten then just put a piece of white bread in the muffin tin and add the bacon and egg.

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

1 cup blanched almond flour

¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

6 slices bacon

6 large eggs

Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the almond flour, salt, baking soda, egg, honey and vinegar in a bowl.
Divide the dough into 6 round balls. Press the balls into the sides of the six muffin cups.  Salt the cups.

Cook the bacon until it is medium done. Place a slice of bacon into each muffin cup. Break an egg into each cup. Sprinkle the eggs with salt. Bake for 25 minutes or until the egg whites are set. 

Updated August 12, 2012: Tip: Dip your fingers into a small bowl of water. It keeps the dough from sticking to your hands when you are placing it in the muffin cups. 

Crockpot 7 Layer Dinner

4 potatoes sliced

1/3 cup rice

1 lb raw hamburger

1 onion, chopped

1 small carrot, sliced or chopped

1 lb mushrooms, sliced or chopped

1 tsp sugar

2 (14 oz ) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained

salt and pepper to taste

Mozzarella (or other) cheese. 

Layer each item item in the order listed. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Add cheese to individual plates.  

Last time we made this we forgot to add the salt and it still came out great. This is the perfect throw it all in the Crockpot and have dinner waiting for you when you get home from work meal. 

Cream of Spinach and Sweet Potato Soup

Chris does not like sweet potatoes or spinach so we thought he would hate this meal that a neighbor gave us, but one bite and he was hooked. He is still not sure why he likes a dish with so many items that he does not like in it. I think it is great because spinach and sweet potatoes both have a lot of nutrients and we need to keep them in our diet. Also it is beautiful when served.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large bunch of spinach
1 lb mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup rice
1 lb sweet potatoes, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium squash, chopped
2 cups beef broth or Better than Bullion
3 bay leafs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups heavy cream

Cook oil, garlic, onion, and spinach until the spinach is bright green. Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, rice, broth, bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Simmer for 30 minutes on low. Add the cream and stir until warm, then serve.

The vegetables in this soup are bright and delicious. 

The cream really makes it a comfort food. 

Oriental Pork

Oriental Pork

4-6 tablespoons oil

2 lbs boneless pork, cut in 1 inch cubes

salt and pepper

1 small onions, chopped

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic (or to taste)

1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (or to taste)

1 (20 ounce) cans pineapple chunks in juice (undrained)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 tablespoon ketchup

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 red pepper, diced

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

hot cooked rice (any amount)

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat.

Season the pork with salt and pepper, then brown on all sides.

Add in onions and garlic, stir for 2 minutes.

Add pineapple with juice, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce; bring to a boil reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally (about 25-30 minutes) or until pork is tender.

Add in chopped red pepper; cook for about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with water; stir into pork mixture; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, over medium heat; boil for 1 minute.

Serve with hot cooked rice.

Garam Masala Chicken

A friend gave us some whole garam masala. We didn't know what to do with it until we found this recipe. I think right now this is my new favorite spice. Since it came whole I processed it in my blender. My husband laughed because after it was ground it looked like dirt, but it sure tastes better than dirt!

Garam Masala Chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 (3 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons garam masala, divided

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken breasts in the hot oil and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and add the onions; cook another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic salt, and water to the chicken; stir and season with 1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garam masala through the mixture. Raise heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes more. 

Zucchini, Black Bean and Rice Skillet

This was so good the first time we made it that when it was gone and we discovered we had left over black beans we made it again the next day. You can use canned black beans, but I soaked dried black beans over night and then cooked them in the crock pot with an onion and season salt all day. We cook the rice in a rice cooker while we are waiting for the meal to cook or just use left over rice.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1/2 cup diced red and yellow bell peppers
1 can (15 oz) of black beans drained in rinsed or 2 cups of soaked dried black beans cooked in the crockpot over night.
1 can (15 oz) of diced tomatoes, un-drained
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of cooked rice
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat oil in a frying pan. Cook zucchini, bell pepper and garlic for 5 minutes, constantly stirring. Add beans, tomatoes, and rice. Stir until the rice is warm. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Gluten Free Almond Flour Brownies

I was amazed at how well these brownies tasted. The texture was very similar to the glutenous ones. They are so yummy, gooey, and have a strong chocolate flavor.

Almond Flour Brownies

3/4 cup almond flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the almond flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a large bowl.

Melt 4 oz or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with the butter. Beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and coffee granules together and then add the melted chocolate. Mix well and add it to the dry ingredients, mix again. Pour the mixture into a greased 8 x8 pan. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

In Korea cocoa powder is cheaper than chocolate chips and Korean chocolate chips are sweeter than what we would buy in the states. So we are going to use cocoa powder in the future instead of the half cup of chocolate chips for melting. We will still add the remaining chocolate chips onto the top.

Gluten-Free No Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

Gluten-Free No Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe at Nurturing Naturally. There are so many things I love about this recipe. It only has 5 ingredients. They are mostly equal parts so I only need one measuring cup. It is gluten free but does not use an expensive substitute that I don't have access to in Korea. They only take a few minutes to mix together and bake in the oven. They are very thick and delicious. You will not miss the flour. Chris said he would want me to make these even if we were not on a gluten free diet.

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Measure out the brown sugar first. Rinse the cup slightly. To keep your peanut butter from sticking to the measuring cup you can add a small amount of olive oil to the cup to grease it up and the peanut butter will come right out. Add the egg and baking soda, mix everything together. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Place the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. Press down the cookies with a fork. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They take 14 minutes in my oven. Let cool and serve with a large glass of milk. They will be really soft when the first come out of the oven but they will harden as they cool.

Rosemary Chicken

1 to 2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon of rosemary, ground
1 teaspoon of season salt
1 bunch of broccoli, chopped
1 small onion, chopped

Place olive oil into a frying pan. Sprinkle the chicken with rosemary. Add to hot pan. Add broccoli and onions to the pan, sprinkle the vegetables with season salt. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

Indonesian Rice

Chris and I recently found this recipe when we were looking for something that is just different. I love the colors in this dish. The original recipe does not include meat. We added meat so that we could have it as a main dish instead of a side dish. 

Indonesian Rice

Ingredients

1 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 cup rice

2 cups chicken broth + 1 cup water

1/4 cup honey

Salted peanuts

Currants

Minced scallions

Cut up pork or chicken pieces (optional)

Instructions

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and curry powder. Cook and stir until onion is softened. Add the rice, stir for 5 minutes and add the chicken broth and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Sprinkle with peanuts, currants and chopped scallions. Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Caesar Salad and Homemade Caesar Dressing

Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce *

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can refrigerate for up to 2 days.


Chicken Caesar Salad


Left over shredded chicken
1 piece of toast, broken into pieces*
Caesar Dress

I like to make Chicken Caesar salad the night after I make Crock pot Chicken or Roasted Chicken.
1. Place the toast in the toaster.
2. Place shredded chicken on a plate.
3. Top with shredded toast and Ceaser Dressing

*omit the Worcestershire sauce and toast if gluten free is desired or find a gluten free brand

Chocolate, Banana, Peanut Butter and Honey Smoothie

2 frozen bananas broken into pieces
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup peanut butter
dash of cinnamon
1 cup milk
1 tbsp honey

Place all ingredients in blender, blend until well mixed. If a thicker smoothie-shake is desired, add more frozen banana after blending other ingredients.  Pour into glasses and serve.  Makes two tall glasses of smoothie.

Chocolate Cup Cakes

Chocolate Cup Cakes

1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 3/4 cup of flour
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup of boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line cup cake pan with liners
3. Combine dry ingredents, add liquid ingredients minus the boiling water; beat on medium speed. Add in the boiling water. The batter will be very thin. Pour into cupcake pans about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 22 - 25 minutes.


They should look like this.

Not Like This:

This is what happens when you forget to add flour to the batter. I calls these my "Gluten Free" Cupcakes.

Taco Salad with Nachoes

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 can corn
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14oz) black beans
1 lb hamburger
1 med onion, diced
1 bag of tortilla chips
Beef and Steak seasoning
Season Salt

Brown the hamburger and add all the other ingredients. Eat with the tortilla chips.

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I am trying to eat healthier. I would like to cut back on sugar and white flour. I am so excited that Elana from www.elanaspantary.com came up with this recipe. While making it I ran out of agave nectar so I used about 3/4 of what it called for and then added honey to make up for it. You can completely replace the agave with honey.


Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies 2 ½ cups almond flour ¼ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda 10 tablespoons butter, melted 1 tablespoon vanilla ½ cup agave nector 1 cup dark chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients, then combine the wet ingredients and then mix the two together. Often I just mix them in the same bowl I haven't noticed a difference. Use a spoon to form them into cook shapes on a cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Homemade Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper

I ate a lot of Hamburger Helper while growing up. I don't want to eat a lot of processed food, so I was very happy to find a homemade version of this boxed item. You can add vegetables to it and you will have a complete meal. I plan on making several variations and adding them to this blog.

Homemade Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 ½ cups of pasta

1 cup of hot water

½ cup of milk

½ cup of sour cream

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Step 1: Sauce Packet

1 tablespoon corn starch, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

The packet can be prepared ahead of time, also measure out 1 ½ cups of pasta. Place them in zip lock bags or Tupperware until ready to use.

Step Two: Brown one pound of ground beef. 

                            

Step Three: Add water, milk, sour cream, pasta, seasoning packet and chopped mushrooms. Simmer for 12 to 20 minutes.

Step Three: Turn off heat and uncover. Let stand to thicken at least 5 minutes before serving.

Deviled Eggs - No Mayo

I wanted to make deviled eggs for Easter, but I don't have access to good mayonaise in Korea. So I decided to substitue plain yogurt instead. Some people told me you can't make deviled eggs with out mayo so I said "watch me." So here they are.

12 Hard boiled eggs
1 cup plain white yogurt
2 tablespoons Creamy Sweet Mustard (I found one with relish in it)
Season Salt to taste

After you have hard boiled your eggs, peel them, cut them in half and remove the yokes. Place the yokes in a quart size ziplock sandwich bag.

Close the bag leave a space about the size of your finger unzipped. Mash all of the yokes. Add the yogurt. mustard and season salt. Mix inside the bag.

When the mix is throughly mixed seal the bag completely and cut a slit in to one of the bottom corners. You can now use the bag like a pastry bag and fill each egg with the mix.

Chris’ Coconut, Butter Chicken Curry

Chris’ Coconut, Butter Chicken Curry

This is a combination of two different curry recipes that I have modified and tweaked repeatedly until I have a dish that is so good all I want to do is eat it all day.  Happily, I do have more self control than that!   In some cases there may be better ingredients (like pureed tomatoes instead of canned ones that you puree yourself), but in Korea you learn to make do with what you can find.  It should take about 40-60 minutes to cook.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp curry powder

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1-2 large sweet potatoes, diced into small pieces (1/2” or smaller)

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger root (I chop the whole thing up and freeze what I don’t use)

4 small hot peppers, sliced into small pieces (optional) (I use the Korean Kkwari gochu which are very hot)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp curry powder

Pepper (to taste)

1 tsp salt (or more/less to taste)

2 tbsp butter

14.5 oz canned tomatoes (pureed in a blender)

½ can tomato paste (8 oz I think)

1 large can pineapple

2 14oz cans coconut milk

1 cup cream

In a medium bowl, place chicken pieces, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp curry powder.  Mix well and let marinate.

In a heavy skillet or wok, cook onion, garlic, sweet potatoes and ginger in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter until fragrant, about 4 minutes.  Add curry powder, pepper, salt, tomato puree, tomato paste, butter, and pineapple with juice and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in marinated chicken and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 11-15 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Stir in the coconut milk and cream.  Cook on low heat until well heated, but do not bring to a boil.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

French Silk Pie

French Silk Pie

6 Servings Prep: 40 min. Cook: 10 min. + chilling

Ingredients

1 precooked pie shell

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon instant coffee

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

4 teaspoons sugar

Whipped cream and chocolate curls, optional

Directions

Prebake your pie shell (Click here for recipe). It should be room temperature when you add the filling.  In a sauce pan mix the sugar and eggs until blended. Cook over low heat and stir constantly until the mixture is 160 degrees or coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa powder, olive oil, coffee, and vanilla. Mix until smooth then let cool to room temperature (About 90 degrees), stirring occasionally.

In another bowl, cream the butter and add the chocolate mixture. Beat on high speed for 5 minutes. In a blender mix the cream and sugar. Beat on high until the cream is firm. You will hear a difference in the blender when it reaches this consistency.  Fold the cream mixture into the chocolate mixture. Pour into pie shell. Chill for at least 6 hours.

Buttermilk Biscuits

There is no need to buy those refrigerator biscuits when you can make them at home just as quickly. Since I am only cooking for two people I make a full batch of biscuits, then I bake the ones I want to serve and freeze the rest. When I  want biscuits I pull the dough out the night before and store it in the refrigerator. In the morning they will bake in 10 minutes and will be nice and fresh.

2 cups of flour
2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of flax seed (Optional)
1/3 cup of butter, softened*
3/4 cup of buttermilk**

Preheat the oven to 450. Mix all of the dry dry ingredients together. Add the softened butter. Mix it together with a fork until it looks like the texture of cornmeal. Then add the buttermilk until moistened. Drop the biscuits onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

*If you forget to remove the butter from the refrigerator, that is okay. Just pull out the amount you need. Cut it in small slices onto a plate and let it sit out while you are making the dry part of your biscuits. By the time you need the butter it should be soft.

**I buy powdered buttermilk. I add 3 tablespoons of the powder to the dry ingredients and add the water after I mix in the butter. It is not as healthy because it is more processed, so use fresh butter milk whenever you can. I am trying to move away from eating processed foods so eventually I will ween myself off of dry buttermilk.

Pasta Bake

3 cups pasta 

1 cup cooked ground beef 

1 medium zucchini, diced

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes

1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

½ cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil and cook pasta until just slightly firmer than al dente. Do not overcook pasta, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain pasta. Return strained pasta to stockpot and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, onion, and zucchini. Sauté just until zucchini is just slightly firmer than al dente. Add precooked ground beef and combine well. Remove from heat.

Add spaghetti sauce to the stockpot with the cooked pasta. Then add the meat mixture to the stockpot and combine well. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pour mixture into baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake uncovered for approximately 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and pasta is heated through. Serves 4-5. Enjoy!

Beef and Vegetable Pot Pie

Meat, veggies, and bread. This is a whole meal in one. I love the fluffy biscuits on top and Chris loves the hearty filling. This is a great way to get a lot of vegetables into one meal.

Ingredients:

Filling:
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 lbs mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
2 lbs ground beef
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas

Biscuit Topping:
2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon of baking powder
6 tablespoons of  butter
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 cup of milk


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook all vegetables until soft in 4 tablespoons of butter.
Add ground beef, thyme, and rosemary. Cook on med. high heat until the meat is no longer pink and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the milk and broth. Simmer until it thickens about 5 minutes.

Stir in salt and pepper and place in 9 x 13 baking dish.

Biscuit Topping:

In another bowl add the flour and cut in the butter until it resembles corn meal. Add the cheddar cheese. Stir in milk.
Place the dough in mounds over the meat and veggie mixture.

Bake for 40 minutes. If you have a broiler (we do not) you can broil the dish for 1 minute to brown the biscuits. Let the pot pie rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Grape Juice

Last summer we were given 16 lbs of grapes. That is a lot of grapes and we had limited fridge and freezer space. We decided to make grape juice out of them. 

Rinse 3 lbs of grapes. It is okay to leave in the seeds. Place them in a crock pot. You can fill it to the top with grapes. Add 1/2 cup of water and let simmer for 8 hours. Then drain all of the pulp out the pot and drain the juice into another bowl. Let the juice cool, then pour it into plastic bottles. This juice is delicious and will last in the fridge for about a week. Throw it out when it starts to taste like wine. 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Chris and I do our shopping on Sundays after church. I have found that often on Saturday I have a bunch of left over vegetables from the week that are about to expire. So I make what I call "Saturday Soup." I just throw all the vegetables in the Crockpot and hope it turns out well. Chris calls it "Wife Soup." Well one weekend I found that I had a whole lot of left over mushrooms and not much of anything else. So what do you do with a whole lot of mushrooms, some onions, a lemon and 1/2 cup of cream. I made cream of mushroom soup.  The really long vegetable in the picture is green onions. For some reason they are sold really big here and we usually have to fold them in half to make them fit in the vegetable drawer.

4 small green onions or 1 large, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tsp thyme

1/4 cup of butter

2 lbs mushrooms, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup of cream

Cook the onions, garlic, lemon and thyme in the melted butter until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. 

Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are soft about 2 minutes. 

Add the flour and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat and add the broth. Return to the heat and cook on low for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Wisk in the cream, heat until warm. Do not let it boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve. 

Roast Chicken

The flavor in this chicken was amazing. I didn't have fresh herbs so I used dried and it still came out great. 

Ingredients

1 roasting chicken

Salt

Black pepper

2 tablespoons dried thyme or 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

1 lemon, halved

6 pieces of garlic

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

2 tables spoons dried fennel or 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with ½ the thyme, lemon, and garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large Acorn Squash
4 cloves of garlic
1 med onion, chopped
1 lb hamburger
1 lb mushrooms
1 med zucchini
1/2 cup red peppers, diced
1 (15oz) can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon curry
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a 9x9 pan add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Place squash skin side up. I sliced off a thin layer of the bottom of my squash so that it would sit flat when I stuffed it. Add 1 inch of water. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Stuffing:
While the squash is baking brown hamburger with garlic and onions.  When the hamburger is brown and the onions are translucent, add peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, thyme, curry and nutmeg. Cook down then add diced tomatoes.

When the squash is done, turn them face side up and stuff with stuffing. Place back in the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the squash and vegetables are soft and ready to eat.

If you have left overs of the stuffing it is great over pasta for a second meal.