Poor Man Dinner~ Easy Recipe with Ground Beef~

This Recipe has been around for as long as I can remember, It's a winner in my book, ( I first stumbled upon it over 20 years ago)......I especially like it because it's tasty, easy, economical, and the clean up is a cinch. You cook it all in aluminum foil in a pan in the oven. Now for the recipe....You will need

• Ground Beef or Ground Chuck (enough for your size family, I used 1 pound)
• Chopped potatoes
• Chopped carrots
• Chopped onion
• Salt, I like to use McCormick's Seasoned Salt, or Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb.
• Pepper
• A Side dish of your favorite Green Veggie

You first line a shallow pan with foil (get enough foil so that it can be wrapped over the top and closed on the edges), then make patties from the ground beef, season with plenty of pepper, salt (you can use Mrs. Dash or seasoned salt too) Add chopped onion to the top.....(Tip: you can use this cooking method for pork chops, chicken pieces also, and you can add your favorite veggies in to the mix....like bell peppers, or green beans...what ever you like to make it your own).

add chopped carrots and potatoes and more onions to the top....season generously with salt and pepper....

Now, over lap the foil over the top and then seal the edges rolling them closed. Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, then open up the foil carefully (it will be very hot) fold it back and cook uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes longer.

It will look like this when it is done.....

I like to serve with a green veggie for a side dish ....I chose broccoli and cauliflower with cheese. The clean up is so easy with this meal....just throw the aluminum foil in the trash and you are practically done. 

Enjoy~

Easy Chicken and Dumplings Soup~ Delicious Comfort Food

This recipe is easy and delicious.....great on a cold winter day.....

For this recipe you will need the following:

• 4 chicken pieces ( Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper. Cover the pieces with water in a large pot (I used a dutch oven pot). Then bring them to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook on med to med-high heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until juices run clear when a fork is inserted. Remove from broth, Cool~ Debone~ and Chop) Note: Save chicken broth you will need it
• Saved chicken broth from the water that you boiled your chicken in.
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (Campbell's)
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup (Campbell's)
• 1 can of 10 count big country jumbo biscuits (I used Great Value brand buttermilk )
• 4 boiled eggs (bring them to a boil and slow boil for about 13 minutes, then peel and chop)

After the chicken has been removed from the water that you boiled it in...do not pour out the water (broth)... save the broth and add more water if needed to have about what I have here in this large pot (dutch oven) Add the soups to the broth and stir well...bring it to a slow boil on med-high heat.....

While you are waiting for the broth and soups to come to a boil... get the biscuits ready. Take them out of the package one at a time and flatten them with a rolling pin. I use the back of a corelle flat plate to roll them out on....because it doesn't stick to it and I don't have to clean up a countertop.....it makes it easy.

Cut each biscuit in small pieces like this.....you can do this as you go, you will have time because you add the pieces one at a time.....

Once the broth mix has begun slowly boiling.....you drop the biscuits in piece by piece.....just drop them in one at a time and then stir ocassionally. After all of the biscuit pieces have been added....cook a few minutes on a slow boil.....between med to med-high heat....stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking......

Then add the chopped boiled eggs and chicken and stir...

Now, that everything has been added to the pot.....Cook on med. to low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes....or longer.....it just gets better the longer you cook it. TIP: You just want the soup to slowly boil....be sure to stir it occasionally to prevent sticking.....

It will look like this as it cooks......

This is what it looks like when it's done. 

You'll probably need to salt and pepper to taste now, ....it's delicious wonderful comfort food.....this is a recipe was passed down by my husband's mother.  She shared it with me many years ago.

Enjoy~

Easy Homemade Guacamole Dip

This is such an easy dip, and delicious served with tortilla chips. This is a wonderful appetizer when you are serving tacos or burritos.....

All you will need is 2 avocados (make sure that they are somewhat soft to the touch, when you are choosing these), a garlic glove, (chopped fine), a sprinkle of garlic power, and salt and pepper to taste.....

halve the avocados, and remove the seed.....

Scoop the flesh out of the shell into a small bowl and mash it well, with the back of a fork .....mix in other ingredients and salt and pepper to taste....

Serve with tortilla chips.... serve right away or chill in the fridge if you'd like it cold. This is best eaten fresh the same day that it is prepared....because.....I will tell you... that if this isn't eaten the same day as it is prepared.... the next day it will have turned a not so appetizing darker green on top. I have tried using lemon juice mixed in with the dip and this doesn't help....it always turns dark green the next day. This is best served fresh, the same day that it is prepared.....fix it just before serving.

2 Avocados yields enough dip for about 4 people as an appetizer. By the way you can add a dash of lemon or lime juice for added flavor if you'd like to. I sometimes do, if I have it on hand. This time I did not. Sometimes a cook has to improvise right? I didn't add any and we didn't taste the difference. Hope you will like this dip..... we really enjoy it.

Homemade Chicken Pie Recipe~ Great Comfort Food On A Cold Day

For this recipe you will need:

• 4 chicken thighs boiled and deboned,(reserve some of the chicken broth for later)
• 3 boiled eggs
• 1 can Veg-all vegetables drained, (I used great value brand vegetable medley)
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup, (I used Campbell's because it does make a difference)
• 1 can of cream of celery soup, (I used Campbell's)
• 1/2 of a can of the reserved chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup mayonaise
• 1 cup self-rising flour (don't forget the self-rising flour, I didn't show it in the photo, oops)

Grease an oblong casserole dish with grease or Organic Pam spray, Lay the cooked deboned chicken in the bottom of the dish, add the chopped boiled eggs, then the can of drained veg-all, evenly over the top. Now, in a small bowl, mix the cream of chicken, and cream of celery soup with a half of a can of chicken broth. Pour this mixture on top of the chicken mixture and mix around lightly.
Next, in a small bowl mix up 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of mayonaise, and 1 cup self-rising flour, until mixed well. Now, pour this evenly over the top, and Do Not Stir, Lightly smooth it over the top....this is your chicken pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.....
and it will look like this.... when it's done....nice and golden......

This can be a complete meal in a casserole dish, or serve it with your favorite green vegetable......This is easy and so delicious.....great comfort food on a cold day.......
Enjoy~

Homemade Chilli~ Easy Recipe~ Cold Weather Comfort Food

You will need: 

• a pound of ground chuck or hamburger meat,
• 
  
•  half of a yellow onion chopped, 
• garlic glove chopped, 
• can of Del Monte Italian Stewed Tomatoes chopped,
• can of light red kidney beans drained, 
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar, s
• small can of tomatoe sauce, 
• 2 Tablespoons of McCormick Chilli Powder, 
• For serving you'll need Bisquick garlic cheese biscuits from the package, or Jiffy sweet cornbread or your favorite crackers.....whichever you prefer. I like the Garlic Cheese Biscuits the best...

Brown the hamburger meat with the chopped onion and garlic on med-high heat.......

When it's browned, drain it in a colander.....return it to the pot,

Then add all of the other ingredients to the pot........bring to a boil and then simmer it for about 30 min. to an hour......cook your garlic cheese bisquick biscuits or corn bread while the chilli is simmering...

then when it is done, it will look something like this.

Enjoy~

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake~Time for Something Sweet~

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 box of devil's food cake
• 4 eggs divided
• 1/2 cup of butter or margarine (I used smart balance) softened to room temp
• 3 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese softened

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, combine cake mix 2 eggs, butter: beat 2 min. (this will be thick) Spread in a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish......
Now, in a small bowl beat 2 eggs, cream cheese, and confectioner's sugar, until smooth ........

Spread this mixture over the cake batter. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.....

Cool completely, before serving.....
This recipe makes about 12 servings.

Enjoy~

Skillet Herb Roasted Chicken With Scalloped Potatoes From Scratch

You will need: 

• a package of boneless chicken strips, (I used about 1 and 1/2 lbs), 
• 3 Tbsp. of flour, 
• 1/4 tsp. of thyme, 
• 1/4 tsp. of ground sage, 
• salt and pepper sprinkled on the chicken, 
• 2 Tbsp. of Smart Balance 50/50 Butter or margarine
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 
• 3/4 cup of water

Wash the chicken strips, then salt and pepper them. Combine the flour and spices and coat the chicken strips with the flour mixture. Melt the butter in the skillet on med-high heat....add the chicken strips and cook them until they are no longer pink and until they are a golden brown......it won't take but about 10-15 minutes or so.....You can reduce the heat some if it seems too hot......

If your pan gets a little dry you can add some more butter to the skillet....

This what they look like when they are done, they are good just like this, but I make the mushroom soup sauce to go over them.......

Add the can of cream of mushroom soup and the 3/4 cup of water, and some salt and pepper to the skillet that the chicken was cooked in......mix it up and cook until heated. Pour this over the chicken, as you serve it, on your plate, or you can add all of the chicken to this sauce and simmer it for a short while.

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Now, onto the side dish recipe.....

Scalloped Potatoes from scratch.... this was my Grandma T.'s recipe and she taught me how to do this one, a long time ago......

You will need: 

• about 4 potatoes, 
• some milk ....I used 2%, but you can use whole milk if you'd like to, 
• stick butter, I used about 6 Tablespoons total (I used smart balance 50/50 butter), 
•  self rising flour  
• 3 slices of bacon 

Spray a round casserole dish with Organic Pam or grease it.....

Peel the potatoes and slice them into the casserole dish, you will layer them......this is what your first layer will look like......

Now, take a Tablespoon and sprinkle the potatoes with flour, until you get enough on them to look something like this, you will use a couple of heaping Tablespoons per layer.......

then sprinkle it with salt and pepper and cut off slices of the butter and evenly add to the tops of the potatoes and flour.....then repeat the potatoe layering process two more times or until you get the potatoes about 1 and a 1/2 inches from the top of the casserole dish......

Now, you will top it with 3 slices of bacon, (I use hickory smoked) and then pour the milk into the casserole dish from the edge of the casserole dish....until it is filled up about 1 1/2 inch from the top. Now cook in a 400 degree oven for an hour or until fork tender. (Note: if you want to prevent a mess in the oven, line the bottom of your oven with some foil in case it boils over during cooking, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't)

This is what it looks like when it is done.......

Serve this with some green beans or other green veggie and you have yourself a delicious meal, that's quick and easy. All of my recipes feed a family of 4.

Enjoy~

Broccoli Salad~

 You will need: 

• 3 crowns of Broccoli, cut off of the stems and chopped, 
• 6 cherry tomatoes halved (optional) 
• 1/4 of a Red Onion, 
• 4 slices of cooked Bacon, (I use the Oscar Meyer fully cooked microwaveable, to save time), 
• 1/2 box of snack size raisins, 
• 1 cup of grated Medium Cheddar Cheese , 
• 1/4 cup of Sugar, 
• 1 cup of Mayonnaise,  
• 2 Tablespoons of White Vinegar

Mix it all up in a medium sized bowl and then transfer it......to a large serving bowl....

or individual bowls......this makes a colorful appetizer or side dish....

Enjoy!