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)

California Burritos

2 lbs Carne Asada (recipe below)
4-6 small potatoes
Homemade Pico de Gallo
sour cream
shredded cheese
6-8 uncooked tortillas
canola or olive oil

Carne Asada:

2 lbs steak, cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
2 limes, juiced
2 TBSP white vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Cut steak into small pieces. Combine all other ingredients in large bowl, and add steak. Allow to marinate overnight.

Fry in skillet over medium-high heat until browned.

Potatoes:

Cut potatoes into 1/2" cubes. Add 2 TBSP canola or olive oil to pan and cook in skillet over medium-high heat until some edges are slightly browned. Add 1/2 cup warm water and cover until potatoes are cooked thoroughly. Flavor with salt to taste.

Pico de Gallo:

Prepare Pico the night before and allow to sit overnight.

Assemble:
Cook tortillas. Add sour cream to bottom of tortilla. Add Carne Asada and potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with Pico de Gallo.

Serve with Mexican rice or tortilla chips.

Comments from the cook: This recipe is our Cinco de Mayo tradition! When Brian served his mission in San Diego, he discovered the miracle that is the California burrito. Nothing fancy...just lots of steak, cheese, and potatoes. After we were married, he found a local place (called Beto's then) and managed to eat one almost every time I went out of town.

They quickly became one of his favorite indulgences, and it only seemed appropriate that we try to make them ourselves. We've enjoyed them with friends for the last 3 Cinco de Mayos and plan to eat them for many years to come!

Teriyaki Kabobs

Marinade:
1 cup water
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 tsp garlic
2 TBSP green onion, chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

To be skewered:
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 fresh pineapple
fresh chicken breasts (frozen ok, defrosted)
steak (stew meat ok)

Potatoes:
3 russet (or red) potatoes
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 TBSP olive oil

Combine marinade ingredients in glass bowl. (Separate into 2 medium bowls if doing separate containers for chicken and beef).

Cut meat (chicken and beef) into 1" pieces and place in marinade. Refrigerate and allow to sit for 2 hrs.

In the meantime, cut potatoes into 1" pieces and boil for 4 minutes. Drain and allow to cool and dry on dishcloth for about 30 min. When cooled, toss in about 3 TBSP olive oil. Add rosemary, thyme, sea salt, and pepper.

Cut veggies and pineapple into 1" pieces.

Assemble skewers. Grease skewers slightly (dip your thumb and index finger in oil and run it down the skewer) before adding meat and veggies.

Alternate veggies, potatoes, meat, and pineapple as desired.

Heat grill to hottest temperature, and cook skewers evenly over fire. Rotate as needed.

Don't have a grill? Have one and it gives out? Broil them in the oven! Place skewers on a cookie sheet, and cook on top rack. Watch them closely and turn them every couple of minutes in order to avoid overcooking.

Comments from the cook's wife: This really is Brian's recipe, so I can't say much...beyond how much I LOVE these, and how much you need to try them!

The measurements for the marinade are not set in stone. If you don't think it's enough, double it. If you only want to make a few skewers worth, make a bit less. Brian learned to combine sugar, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and green onions from a man on his mission, and has never been the same since! We have eaten many-a-meal with that sauce as a base, and look forward to more in the future.

We use metal skewers (we upgraded a year ago), but the inexpensive wood ones also work. We read online that they need to soak in water for about 30 minutes ahead of time. This apparently keeps the wood from burning as quickly.

Kabobs are very filling, but making a few extra might be just what you're looking for. They make for EXCELLENT leftovers. (Just push the meat and veggies off the skewer with a fork, and store them in an air-tight container. Reheat for 3-4 minutes in the microwave and enjoy again!)

A CookieSheets&CakePans original.

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.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

5 medium potatoes
2 TBSP margarine (we use Brummel & Brown butter substitute)
6 TBSP sour cream (we use low-fat)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup milk

Peel and boil potatoes. Mash with margarine, sour cream, and milk. (We use a hand mixer to mash...)

Mix in garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Comments from the cook: I've been wanting to try mashed potatoes with a new spin. The sour cream and garlic take these babies up a notch, and we LOVED them.

Maybe you've noticed that 75% of my recipes have potatoes as a main ingredient. Did I mention that my parents are both from Idaho, and that my dad grew potatoes for 10 years? That's enough to convert a girl for life!

A CookieSheets&CakePans original!

Peas and Potatoes

6 red potatoes, diced
1/2 bag frozen petite peas (these are sweeter than regular peas)
6 c milk
1/4 - 1/2 c sugar
cornstarch

Dice red potatoes. Bring to a boil in medium sized pot. Boil until cooked thoroughly.

When potatoes are nearly finished cooking, add peas to boiling water also. This will cool water down, but bringing it back up to a boil should be enough to cook the peas and finish cooking the potatoes.

Drain water and put back in pot.

Pour milk over peas and potatoes until they are covered (may be more or less than 6 cups, depending on the size of your potatoes).

Add cornstarch mixture (about 2 TBSP cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of water or milk) to pot of milk, potatoes, and peas.

Cook on medium high (NOT high) until mixture starts to bubble and thickens. Be very careful not to allow the milk to burn in the bottom of the pan. (Burnt milk taste is the worst!)

Stir in sugar and allow to cool. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Comments from the cook: I imagine that my Grandpa must've really enjoyed this...especially after a long, cold day on the ranch! In order to add more cowboy approval-ness, I think my Grandma made steak or hamburger patties to go with it.

This is one of my favorite dishes, and it's even better warmed up the next day. I like it fairly sweet, with a dash of pepper to add a little kick.

Originally shared by my mom, who learned it from my Grandma Tibbitts (which would make this "how to feed a hungry COWBOY" food!).

Chicken Pot Pie

1 pkg ready-to-bake pie crusts (2 included)
5 small potatoes
2 TBSP butter or margarine
2-3 TBSP flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
frozen peas
frozen carrots
chicken

Allow pie crust dough to defrost to room temperature. Put one crust in bottom of glass dish.

Cut chicken into small pieces and saute in a little bit of canola oil or cooking spray. Place on top of crust.

Dice potatoes (into 1/2" pieces) and pour over crust in dish. Add frozen peas and carrots to crust also, as desired. (Veggies are uncooked during assembly!)

In medium sauce pan, heat 2 TBSP butter or margarine over medium high heat. Once melted, add 2-3 TBSP flour to butter. Stir constantly, while adding 1 cup milk. Heat (and continue stirring) for 2 minutes. Mixture will thicken into a gravy.

After that 2 minutes is up, add 1 cup chicken broth and stir well until mixed (should only take a couple seconds of good stirring to be done). Remove from heat.

Pour gravy mixture over potatoes and vegetables in pan. Set aside.

Take your 2nd pie crust (that has not yet been used). Trim about 3/4" of crust off the edges. Place newly trimmed crust on top of the other to create a lid. Fold edges of bottom crust up and over.

Poke holes in top crust with a fork.

Bake at 375° for a hour or so. If top becomes too brown, cover in foil for remaining cook time.

Comments from the cook: I made this the other night, and only cooked it at 350 for about 55 min. The potatoes were still a little crispy, so we microwaved the whole thing for 3 minutes and they were perfect!

A CookieSheets&CakePans original! (Tutored by Cathy Green)

Baked Potato Soup

(Pic before the final stir!)

1/3 c margarine or butter
1/3 c flour
3 1/2 c milk
2 potatoes (peeled, cubed, boiled to done-ness, and rinsed with cool water)
2 green onions, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
5/8 c shredded cheese
1/2 c sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium (to medium high) heat and whisk in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thick. (Take care to not allow milk to burn in bottom of pan).

Stir in potatoes and green onions. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in all other ingredients.

Serves 4+.

Comments from the cook: Emily's original recipe is twice this size, so double it if you'd like!

When I made this soup recently, I tripled the potatoes (6 instead of 2) in order to make it go a little further. When reheating, add milk to thin it down. (It will be extremely thick after refrigeration, as you would assume).

Though difficult to photograph (!), this is an excellent recipe that we LOVE. Thanks for sharing, Emily! :)

Originally shared by Emily, my cousin's wife (cousin-in-law?!)

Steak, Potato, and Green Chile Stew

8 small potatoes, diced
1 lb. steak pieces (most sliced in half because chunks are often very large)
1 can diced tomatoes (we use petite diced...I don't like big chunks)
1 can tomato sauce
6 cups water
1 small can green chiles (we use peeled, diced chiles and prefer them to be mild)
1 tsp fresh garlic
1 can white corn
Season-All, to taste
onion salt, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
beef bullion, 4 cubes

Brown steak in stew pot until thoroughly cooked.

Add 6 cups water, 4 bullion cubes, can of tomato sauce, and can of diced tomatoes to pot. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Add diced potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook over medium high heat until potatoes are done.

Add chiles, white corn, and spices to taste.

Serves about 8.

Comments from the cook: We love to eat this stew with wheat french bread (sometimes lightly toasted). Dennis, the originator of the recipe, makes it with fresh green chiles (the REALLY hot ones!) and cooks it in a crockpot all day. He serves it with tortillas or tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream on top. His will make you CRY, so we toned it down to mild chiles :)

Originally shared by: Dennis Adlesperger, a former boss/friend from PC (His version is much hotter!)