Beef Lo Mein

Ingredients:

8 ounces Thin Spaghetti; broken in half
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/4 cups Hot Boiled Water
1 tablespoon Beef Better Than Bullion
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
Oil; for frying
1 pound Beef
2 large Carrots
2 cups Broccoli
1 large Onion
4 Garlic Cloves

Directions:

Cook spaghetti per box instructions. Into cooked spaghetti add sesame oil and stir to combine.

Into hot, boiled water add Better Than Bullion and brown sugar; stir to dissolve. Into the mixture, add soy sauce and set aside. Using a hot skillet, brown both sides of the beef. Let beef cool and slice it into two inch pieces. Dice carrots, broccoli, and onions into 2 inch pieces.

Add sliced beef into the same skillet, fry until completely cooked. Into the cooked beef, add sauce mixture, cook all together for about a minute, set aside.

Using the skillet, where you've cooked beef, sautee onions until golden brown. Remove from the heat.

In a separate oiled skillet, sautee carrots until softened, add broccoli and cook for about three minutes. Press garlic into the same mixture and remove form the heat.

In a large dish, combine spaghetti, vegetables and beef, together. Toss to combine, serve hot.

Tin Foil Hobo Dinner

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Worcestershire sauce
BBQ sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Use a large square piece of aluminum foil for each tin foil dinner.  Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.  Separate ground beef into 4 equal patties and place in the center of each piece of foil.  Divide potatoes, carrots, and onion evenly between all 4 dinners and place on top of meat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.  Pour a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce on top of each dinner and fold foil up tightly around the entire meal.  Cook on a grill on medium-high heat or an open fire for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables and meat are cooked through.  Open foil carefully and top with BBQ sauce and shredded cheese.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Ingredients

6 oz penne pasta
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
4 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 (medium size) cucumber, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup croutons (optional)
Caesar salad dressing, to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain water and set aside to cool.

Chop the grilled chicken breasts into small chunks. In a large bowl toss together chicken, cooked penne pasta, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, green onion, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Drizzle with desired amount of Caesar salad dressing and toss to coat.

Roasted Sausage & Vegetables

Ingredients:

4 or 5 potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
1 large green pepper, cut into rings
1 large onion, cut into rings
3 or 4 carrots, cut into pieces
1 (1 pound) package Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage, cut on the diagonal
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

Use a 9 x 13 baking dish lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.  Toss vegetables with oil, sprinkle on salt, pepper, garlic powder and basil.  Cook in preheated 450 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven add sausage. Cook for 15 more minutes.  Makes about six servings.

Homemade Coleslaw (KFC)

Ingredients:

1package cole slaw mix OR
8cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head) and ¼ cup diced carrot
2tablespoons minced onions
⅓cup granulated sugar
½teaspoon salt
⅛teaspoon pepper
¼cup milk
½cup mayonnaise
¼cup buttermilk
1½tablespoons white vinegar
2½tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
           
1. Buy preshredded cole slaw mix( I use 1pkg) Mix with minced onions.

2.You can shred your own cabbage and carrots if you prefer, enough to toal 8 cups cabbage and 1/4 cup carrots.

3 Using regular blade on food processor process remaining ingredients until smooth.

4 Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

5 Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Chicken Lo Mein - One Pot Wonder

Ingredients:

½lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
12oz whole wheat linguini or fettuccini, broken in half
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in thin 3 inch long strips
1 medium red bell pepper, cut in thin 3 inch long strips
1 bunch green onions, white part sliced and green part cut in 3 inch long strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup water
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Add the chicken, then the pasta, then the remaining ingredients to a large stockpot and cover. Bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until most of the liquid is gone and the chicken is cooked through.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

2lbs cubed beef stew meat
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
4 cups water
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook beef in oil over medium heat until brown. Dissolve bouillon in water and then add parsley, thyme, and black pepper and then both cans of diced tomatoes. Once meat is done add the meat to the soup mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
2. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into the pot. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 teaspoons cold water and stir into stew. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours more.

Chinese Marinated Carrots & Celery

Ingredients:

1/2 lb carrots
1/2 lb celery stalks
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Cut celery and carrots into 2 inch slices and season with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Mix all other ingredients and pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

Perfect Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 whole carrots, scrubbed, cleaned, and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 small potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
1 teaspoon fresh minced parsley
1 cup grated cheese of your choice

Directions:

Add bacon pieces to a soup pit over medium high heat and cook bacon until crisp and fast is tendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do NOT clean the pot.

Return pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour until the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food processer** until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in the cream, then stir in the parsley, reserving a little for garnishment.

Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese, and crisp bacon pieces.

** This recipe states to BLEND the soup in a blender/food processer. I tried this and with me holding into the lid as I always do it blew the lid off and went all over me leaving some burns on my arm. My suggestion (what I ended up doing) is taking half the soup out and using a masher or hand mixer **

Fried Rice

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

      On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!