Beef Stew

It's Wednesday and I have class tonight.  My parents graciously agreed to come over to watch the kids between when I have to leave, and when my husband gets home from work.  I promised them dinner so dinner I shall make. 

I think by now you all know how much I love my crockpot.  It is probably one of my favorite ways to cook meals.  I think my crockpot loves to cook Beef Stew.  It comes out perfectly every time.  I wasn't planning on posting this recipe because it is one of those things where I change it up all the time depending on what I have on hand.  Luckily (or not!) for all of you, my friend P asked me for the recipe, and what better way to get it to her than by sharing it here. 

Beef Stew
inspired by Roni at www.greenlitebites.com

Ingredients:
2 lbs cubed beef (I buy mine already cut)
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
2 smallish yellow onions, cut into quarters
8 oz mushrooms (if I have them)
2 regular sized cans of beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup ( I use 98% fat free)
1 tbsp worchestire sauce
garlic powder
black pepper
dried parsley

Throw the meat and veggies into the crockpot.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the soup with one of the cans of broth.  Mix until combined and dump into the crockpot.  Add the other can of broth.  Add the worchestire sauce and sprinkle the garlic, black pepper, and parsley over the top.  I never measure, just do a couple of shakes.

Put on the lid, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  If you like your stew a little thicker, add some orzo, bulger or any other grain you like into the crockpot about 30 minutes before you serve.

Dinner's Goin' South!

Yesterday was one of those days when I just couldn't get out of my OWN way.  I even posted on facebook about a dilema - chocolate cake with peanut butter icing and watching tv or hitting the treadmill.  Ultimately, the cake won - duh! How could you resist this anyway...

I used Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe and my secret PB Frosting.  If your nice, I might share it with you one day ;)  The only thing I change in the cake recipe is I add instant coffee granules, about 1 tsp to the boiling water.  I grew up with my mom and grandmother putting coffee in chocolate cake and so I always do it to mine too.

Considering the type of day I was having, I needed something quick, easy, and something everyone would eat without giving me a hard time.  Enter Jenna's Barbeque Pulled Chicken recipe from the blog "Eat Live Run".  I have made this multiple times, and it is always a hit.  I served mine with baked beans (Bush's Vegetarian from a can), coleslaw (bought at the local market) and corn muffins (they may or may not have been Jiffy).  I'll tell you what, it doesn't get easier than this and the whole family LOVED it.  

The next time your day is going south, take dinner there too!  You seriously must make this chicken.  It will become a staple in your house too.  I promise.

Lazy Mom Chicken Corn and Noodle Soup

I have had a craving for Chicken Corn Soup like you wouldn't believe.  I've been trying to ignore it because I really didn't feel like boiling a whole chicken and picking it apart like I normally do.  Enter the lazy mom version! This was so easy and anything I can use my crockpot for makes me happy and makes the house smell warm and cozy all day. 

Lazy Mom Chicken Corn and Noodle Soup

What you'll need:
2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 cups chicken stock (I used two of the quart sized ready made stocks)
1 cup baby carrots
2 stalks celery, cut into sticks
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
1 tsp dried parsley
Black Pepper
1 16oz bag of frozen sweet corn
4 hard boiled eggs
1 box of pasta shapes of your choice - my kids picked Gemelli today at the store

In a large crockpot place chicken, 1 quart of stock, carrots, celery, onion and dash of pepper. 

Cook on high for 3 hours or until chicken is tender and you can easily pull it apart.

Remove the chicken from the broth and place on a cutting board to cool.  While the chicken is cooling, strain the broth into a large bowl to remove the large chunks of vegetables.  My kids love carrots, so I cut them up and put them back into the soup.  The onions and celery I tossed down the drain.  If your family likes celery in their soup, by all means cut that up as well! :)

Put the strained broth back into the crockpot adding the other quart of stock to the mix.  At this point I added my carrots back in.  Cut or shred your chicken and put it back into the crockpot.  Add your corn, eggs, parsley, and a little more black pepper. Turn the crockpot back on low and let it go until you are ready to serve.

All done minus the noodles

In a seperate pot on the stove, boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.  Once the pasta is cooked you can add it to the soup, or keep it seperate and add it when you are serving.  My husband is working late tonight so I kept the noodles seperate so that they wouldn't get soggy by the time he gets to eat.

I told you it was the lazy version! Sometimes the best meals come from simple recipes :)