Hearty Beef Stew

I wanted to make beef stew the other day, and the seasoning packets at our local grocery store were nearly $3(!), so I tried my hand at homemade. I cracked my Betty Crocker cookbook for a few pointers, and the result was great! For the record, we won't be buying packets ever again...

1 lb beef stew meat

1/2 medium onion

10-12 baby carrots, sliced

1 cup beef broth

1/3 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp marjoram

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

6 russet potatoes, cut into 1" chunks

6 c water

Brown stew meat in a frying pan, and add to CrockPot. Add sliced onion, carrots, and potatoes.

Add beef broth and water (6 cups is an estimate...I just added enough to partially cover the vegetables, so they would cook thoroughly).

Add spices and flour. Stir together until mixed.

Allow to cook in CrockPot for 3-4 hours on high.

Comments from the cook: Brian works out of town on Wednesday afternoon/evening, and always needs to take dinner with him. Beef stew is one of his all-time favorites, so I threw this in the CrockPot a little before noon. I was nervous that it wouldn't be done soon enough, but by 3:45 it was perfectly cooked.

I also loved that this stew didn't require any kind of thickening! Adding flour in the initial stages is all you need to do, and the thickness is perfect after 3-4 hours.

Many ingredients/quantities taken from "Betty Crocker's Cookbook - Beef Stew" recipe (found on pg 465)

Chile Verde Burritos

I went to a Relief Society mid-week activity on easy freezer meals, and this is one of the recipes that was shared by the teacher. I knew it sounded like something we'd like, even though it forced me to make amends with my Crockpot. It has quickly become one of our favorites, and I think you'll like it too!

1 TBSP oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, diced

6 boneless pork loin chops

7 oz. can diced green chiles

16 oz. jar salsa verde

19 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

juice of one lime

salt and pepper, to taste

flour tortillas

Chop onion and bell pepper. Saute in oil (and add garlic) until vegetables are softened.

Add pork, then sauted onion and bell pepper to Crockpot. Continue to add green chiles, salsa verde, enchilada sauce, all spices and lime juice to mixture. Stir together.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours if pork is frozen and 4-5 hours if meat is defrosted.

After pork is thoroughly cooked, shred. Put back into the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.

Comments from the cook: This recipe makes a LARGE amount, so I have always preferred to half everything. Doing so makes for about 5 burritos at our house, which is enough for us (plus leftovers). You can always make the full recipe and freeze the rest, according to our freezer meals teacher...

I have a very hot Crockpot, so I cooked this recipe for about 2 hours on high, then switched it to low for the remaining 3-4 hours. I also used a pork roast, which worked fine (except for my FATAL error of buying it bone-in...and having to remove the bone myself. Remember how I hate touching meat? Gag, barf, die.)

In order to amp this up even more, we ate our burritos enchilada style. We put the meat and sauce into tortillas, added a little bit of mozzarella cheese to the insides, rolled them up, covered them in sauce, topped them with more cheese and baked them at 400° or so for about 10 or 15 minutes...just to melt the cheese.

Originally shared by JoAnna Moss, freezer meal extraordinaire. :)

Hamburger "Stuff"

4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can water
approx 1lb ground beef, uncooked
salt and pepper, to taste

Use mandoline (fancy name for slicer) to slice potatoes, carrots, and onions. Or, if you're the old-fashioned type...use a knife and cutting board. :)

Place ground beef (defrosted if originally frozen) in bottom of roast pan. Cover with potatoes, carrots, then onions.

In a separate bowl, combine soups, salt and pepper, and water. Mix until smooth.

Pour soup mixture over other ingredients.

Bake covered at 350° for 3-4 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

Comments from the cook: My mom made this for us last summer...and it was fantastic! It's a great, inexpensive substitute for pot roast - particularly for those of us that don't need a big roast that might take days and days to eat (even after we've cut it in half!).

This is an excellent dish to throw in the oven before church. I even tried this in my CrockPot, and cooked it on high for about 4 hours. The potatoes were much softer and the entire dish was a bit mushy compared to the oven-baked version. It still tasted good, but I liked the results better after baking it in the oven.

Disclaimer: Sometimes it's hard to get a good photograph of food that tastes really good, but isn't as appealing to the eyes. :)

Originally shared (and named) by my mom, Alane.

Almost Betty's Chili

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lg can (28oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (16oz) chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
2 TBSP chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Brown beef in medium sauce pan with onions.

Combine all other ingredients, and cook in Crock Pot for 6-8 hours on Low.

Comments from the cook: I'll admit it. I've always been afraid to make homemade chili! Brian doesn't care for beans, but likes chili...when it's just right. I've been afraid to try my hand at it for that reason. I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website, and thought I'd dive right in.

Betty's recipe calls for twice as much beef and onion. I thought such a large helping of beef might grow hair on a person's chest(!), so I opted out. And, as some of you know, I HATE onions. Love the flavor, but I hate when a dish is full of the soggy little devils.

We ate this with saltines and a bit of cheese on top. A new favorite!

Originally found here on the Betty Crocker website. Adapted to fit our tastes...

Easy Crock-Pot Teriyaki Chicken

5-6 chicken tenders (or up to 3 chicken breasts)
2/3 c soy sauce*
1 1/3 c water*
4 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP grated fresh ginger (or 1 1/2 TBSP ground ginger)
2 garlic cloves, minced

Place chicken in slow cooker.

Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken.

Cover. Cook on high 1 hour. Reduce heat to low, and cook 6-7 hours.

Serve over rice.

*This is a pretty salty recipe, naturally, with soy sauce as the base. Kirsten even suggested tinkering with the amounts. We made it with 1 c soy sauce and 1 c water most recently. It's still a little too salty that way, so if you try it, I'd recommend going with the soy sauce and water amounts listed here instead. If you try it before we do, let us know how it turns out!)

Comments from the cook: The picture above is more proof that we really do eat broccoli with everything!

Originally shared by Kirsten Burrup Pratt, a dear friend who made this for us once (who found it online).