Beef Barley Stew

This is a recipe that we found trying to use different grains. Hence the barley!! This is such a great stew and is great for those cool days of autumn (or any other time you feel like a stew).

Beef Barley Stew

1/2 lb ground beef (ground turkey)
1/2 c sliced celery
1/3 c chopped onions
1 3/4 c water
2 t beef bouillon (low sodium)
1 1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t pepper
1/2 c quick cooking barley
1 can diced tomatoes

Cook beef, celery and onion; drain. Stir in water, bouillon, chili powder and pepper. Bring to boil. Stir in barley. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 mins. Stir in tomatoes; heat through. Makes about 4 cups.

We really enjoy this feeling meal. Serve with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

So I tried this meal a few months back when the new Philadelphia cooking cremes came out. It was so yummy and it has now become one of our favorites.

Santa Fe Chicken Cassorole

3 c shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
2 green onions
1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cookoing Creme, divided
3 flour tortillas
3/4 c mexican style shredded cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add 3/4 c cooking creme; mix lightly. Spoon 1/3 of chicken mixture into 9-incg pie plate; top with tortilla, half the remaining chicken mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with another tortilla, remaining chicken mixture, 1/4 cup cheese and remaining tortilla. Top with remaining cooking creme and shredded cheese; cover. Bake for 20 mins at 375*F. Uncover, bake for additional 5 min, or until cheese is golden brown.

The Sanfe Fe Cooking Creme has a bit of a zip so this makes a great meal. We enjoy it.

Chinese Hamburger

This is one of those childhood meals that bring back memories. I am always reminded of my parents house when we eat this meal...good food = good memories. This is a really easy meal to make and tastes delicious.

Chinese Hamburger

1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
2 onions chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 c warm water
3/4 c uncooked rice
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 t pepper
1 can chowmein noodles

Ground beef with onions and pepper. Add in cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and water. stir until blended. Add rice. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15-20 mins (or until rice is done) stirring occasionally. After rice is cooked, add soy sauce and stir. Serve over chowmein noodles. (We don't add salt when cooking the meat because the soy sauce adds just the right amount of flavor for this meal).

Chicken and Potatoes/Crockpot Style

Sundays are my crockpot days! I really love it because I put something together in the morning, then let it cook all day and it makes the house smell so good.

Chicken and Potatoes

1 package frozen hash browns
2 cans cooked chicken drained
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk or 1 can evaporated milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
a pinch of salt
1 cup crushed cheese crackers (we use goldfish cuz our kids love them)

Mix together all ingredients, expect half of the crushed crackers, in a large bowl. Transfer in to a greased crockpot. Top with reamining crushed crackers. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with rice and a veggie.

This makes a big meal. We usually can eat 2-3 days of leftovers with our family of 4. You might want to cut it in half if you don't want that much leftover. We enjoy having the leftovers!! My husband did suggest that we should add bacon to this meal. We'll have to try it next time or you could try it and let me know how it was!!

Carne y Papas

So last night was another quick and easy meal. I didn't have plans for dinner so my hubby suggested we do one of his meals. Having a husband from Peru is great when it comes to making meals. He is a great cook and has a great variety of different meals. So here is the recipe:



Carne y Papas

1 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic minced
Goya Seasoning Cilanto & Tomato Flavor (we buy this at the mexican store)
3-4 potatoes peeled and cubed
2 hard boiled eggs cut into quarters
a few raisins
fresh cilanto leaves

Brown the beef with the Goya Seasoning and clove of garlic. Add potatoes and cover to let the potatoes cook (we don't drain the fat from the beef so the potatoes cook in the fat). If you want to drain the fat you will need to add some water to cook the potatoes. When the potatoes are soft add hard boiled eggs and handful of raisins and the cilanto leaves. Simmer for about five minutes to soften the raisins. Serve over rice.

This is a very easy meal that only takes about 15 minutes to prepare. We really enjoy it and the raisins give it just a little sweetness. Enjoy!!

Pork Top Ramen Stir-Fry

Last night we had one of our favorites at our house!! The only difference is that we substituted Chicken for our regular Pork in this dish. It turned out pretty good but we decided that we like the Pork better in the meal. So here is the original recipe for last night's dinner.

Pork Top Ramen Stir-Fry

1 T oil

1/4 lb of pork (cut into strips)

2 packs of Pork flavored Top Ramen (we use 3 packs because we like more noodles)

1 1/2 c water

1 medium bell pepper

1 c broccoli florets (I like to steam in the micro so it is a little softer for my children)

1/2 c green onions

2 t parsley

1 T soy sauce

Cook pork in skillet with oil. Put in Ramen noodles with water, let boil. Seperate noodles before adding vegatables. Let simmer until noodles are soft and vegatables are steamed.

We love this meal because it only takes about 15 minutes to cook and then dinner is on the table. Quick and easy, just like we like it!! Enjoy!!