Hamburger Soup

The other day, I was visiting my sister Emma and her house smelled so wonderful!  She was making Hamburger soup for her neighbor and it just was heavenly!!!  The longer you let this simmer on the stove, the better it tastes but you can also do this recipe in 2 hours if you are in a pinch for time. I started cooking mine at 3 p.m. and we were ready to eat by 6 p.m.but it would've tasted better if I had started it earlier. Anyway, this recipe has a lot of ingredients but I hope that doesn't discourage anyone from making this. It is so good!!!!!

2T dried minced onion (I chopped up fresh onion for mine)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
4 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 stalks celery sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 lb ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes
8 cups water
1 T dried parsley
2 1/2 T Beef Base (this is beef bullion...this is what really gives the flavor. It's the gooey beef base that comes in a little container..you keep it in your fridge after you open it. I think its called better than beef bullion. I got mine at Costco in the spices aisle.)
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup quick cook barley (got this at Sprouts formerly Sunflower market for $1.59 for a box)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and let simmer on the stove all day. Enjoy this cozy and delicous meal.  My kids all looked at unsure if they would like but after one bite, they all ate up! My 14-year-old daughter said, "Okay, okay...it was better than I thought it would be." that is a ringing endorsment coming from her! Enjoy!

Spaghetti sauce

I made spaghetti last night and I thought I would experiment and it turned out pretty good. So here is the recipe for the spaghetti sauce:

1 lb ground beef
1 minced garlic clove
onion
1 can tomato soup (10 3/4 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
italian seasoning
oregano
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves

I browned the hamburger with the garlic and onions.  Then I added the soup, tomatoes and seasonings and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Very simple, easy and delicious! Serve over spaghetti noodles. enjoy!

Sloppy Joes, Oven Steak fries and Fry Sauce

So I didn't put the recipe here for the fries because they are from my cookbook our best bites.  You can go to their website ourbestbites.com and look in the index for Oven Steak Fries.  They turned out so good! Basically you mix spices and olive oil together and spread them over potato wedges (one potato cut in 8 pieces)  So yummy!!! Then, I made Crockpot Sloppy Joes from a recipe on Pinterest and put the meat in a yummy Rhodes roll.  The fry sauce is 1/4 cup mayo (not miracle whip) and 1/4 cup ketchup mixed together. Delicious!!!! Wonderful dinner!

Penne Pasta and Chicken in Alfredo Sauce

I got the Alfredo Sauce from the Cookbook "Our Best Bites" and it is the best Alfredo sauce I have ever tasted!
Alfredo Sauce:
2 cups milk (I used 1 1/2 cups whole milk with 1/2 cup water mixed in because they originally call for low-fat milk)
1/3 cup or 3 oz of low fat cream cheese (I used regular)
2 T flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves (I used 2), minced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a blender (I used my magic bullet!) blend the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add garlic. Stir constantly on medium heat so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes or until it comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for about 6-7 min. Once the sauce has thickened remove from heat. Whisk the cheese into the sauce and cover immediately. It is important that you buy a triangle of Parmesan cheese and freshly grate it. If you use already grated parmesan, it will be lumpy. In my opinion, I think the freshly grated cheese made such a difference in the taste!! Allow the sauce to thicken for 10 minutes. I had cooked up some penne noodles before I did the sauce and I added already cooked chicken (in a can...Costco chicken is the best!!) Stirred together, noodles, sauce and chicken...let it sit the 10 minutes and you have a fabulous dinner! We had banana poppy seed muffins with our dinner and should have had a vegetable. Next time, I'll make brown sugared carrot coins to go with it!

Shredded Roast Beef Sandwiches

These are so easy to make and so yummy! The rolls are frozen Rhodes rolls that you thaw for 3-5 hours then bake for 20 minutes. Then you split in two to put in the roast beef filling.

Roast Beef:

(from our best bites)

2 T olive oil

1 Roast (mine was small 2 lb but next time I will do bigger)

Kosher salt (you can use traditional salt)

Freshly ground pepper
2 packages (I used one) dry onion soup mix

2 cups water (I used 1 cup)

2 cans beef broth (I used 1 cup)

Heat olive oil in the pan. While heating the oil, sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. when the oil is hot, sear the roast on all sides---you want to quickly brown the roast to add flavor and seal in the juices. Do not skip this step...this is the key to a tender, yummy roast! Transfer the roast to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the soup mix on the roast and add broth and water. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. When done, the meat should easily shred with a fork. I shred the meat with 2 forks and then put the meat on the roll. Yum!!!!

Banana Poppy Seed Muffins

Banana Poppy Seed Muffins

These are a modification of a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that I have. My family ate these right up...they turned out so well!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 T poppy seeds

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup mashed banana

Directions:

Grease muffin tin, do not use baking cups with this recipe. Combine dry ingredients flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together in bowl. Set aside. Combine oil, milk and egg together. Make a well in dry ingredients. Pour milk, oil and egg into dry mixture and stir. Add banana. Stir ingredients together until just moistened. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on cooling rack for 5 min. Makes 10-12 muffins. Enjoy!