Melanie’s Beef Stew

Thank goodness I had this saved on email so I didn’t have to call Melanie and ask her for this recipe (for the 5th time at least). I’m making this tomorrow for a break from turkey leftovers.

Brown some stew meat (about 1 lb) and throw it in a crockpot.

Add:

3 cups water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp. worchestershire sauce

clove of garlic

1 medium onion, sliced

2 bay leaves

1 T. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp sugar

Simmer for at least 2 hours

Add carrots and red potatoes, cook until tender (usually a few more hours)

Blend 4 Tbsp flour in cold water until smooth.  Stir into stew to make gravy.

We also throw in some extra salt, maybe some seasoning salt, and I always throw in a little garlic.   Just use whatever you love.

Acorn Squash and Garlic Pasta with Parmasean

We had mixed reviews on this one – Joshua and I really liked it; Nathan and Jacob didn’t.  I got the inspiration here.

I cooked 1 small acorn squash, and after it was cool, chopped the flesh fine.  While I was cooking about 1 lb of dry ziti pasta, I combined in a large skillet: 4 T refrigerated, minced garlic and 4 T olive oil.  After heating it thoroughly, I added 3/4 cup pasta water and boiled for 2 minutes. Then I added the squash flesh and boiled another 3 minutes.  I tossed in the drained pasta, and after dishing into bowls, added a good amount of shaved parmsean cheese to the top of each serving.  Add salt to taste.

Apple and Pear Crisp

from Ina Garten. SO good. Making it, I thought there was just way too much topping for that much fruit – I’m used to crisps that are mostly fruit with a bit of topping. There is so much topping, and it works its way down into the fruit. Delicious. The types of apples and pears are her suggestions – use what you’ve got (I did!).  I also upped the cinnamon and nutmeg a tad.

• 2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)
• 2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

For the topping:

Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.

 

Super Easy Cinnamon Apple Cider

I saw this recipe on The Family Kitchen and we loved it. Nathan and I thought it would be a fun treat from the kids, so we were pretty shocked that it tasted as good as it did.

Add 1 container frozen apple juice, the required water (usually 3 cans) and 1/4 – 1/3 cup of Red Hot candies.  Simmer until the candy dissolves and the juice is steaming. (The original recipe called for 1 movie sized box of red hots, or 1/3 cup (more than a full box) but we thought that 1/4 cup was just perfect.)

Real Simple’s 10 Ideas for Leftover Turkey

In case you don’t get the Real Simple magazine, here’s the link to November’s article on what to do with leftover turkey.  Some great ideas – and you can use them all year with chicken breasts, too.

Those turkey samosas above are on my list for dinner this weekend.

Best Pumpkin Bread

One batch of this recipe made everything you see above.  And really, you want that much.  It’s delicious, and also freezes well.  Change around the spices to suit your tastes.

1 – 29 oz can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups oil
4 cups sugar
6 eggs

5 cups flour
1 T cinnamon
2 t nutmeg
1 1/2 t EACH: cloves, baking powder, baking soda, salt

Mix everything together and pour into well greased pans.  Bake at 350.  I did 20 minutes for the minis, about 28 minutes for the small, and 45-50 for the large (9X5).

Then lick the beaters.

enjoy

Apple Cider Syrup

Oh, friends.  This is heaven.  Heaven heaven heaven.  We made if for breakfast this morning and oh my goodness.  This is going to be a fall staple in our house now.  It tastes like you’re eating an apple pie, minus the apples and crust.  We used it on waffles, but have plans to use it as an ice cream topping, and who knows what else.  SO GOOD.  Thank you Melanie at Sisters Cafe for the recipe.  She also has a pumpkin pancake recipe on the same post that I think it would be fabulous paired with.

3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBs cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter

Mix sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg well. Add apple cider, vanilla and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, use within a week or two.

Fluffy Apple Dip

I got this recipe from Real Mom Kitchen, who got it from Simple and Delicious, and I’ve made it twice since Halloween.  It’s yummy and different.

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I used 1 full teaspoon)
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
Assorted apple wedges

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and pie spice until blended; fold in marshmallow creme. Serve with apple wedges. Yield: 2 cups.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

We had this last night and most of us really liked it.  It’s very much like a pumpkin pie with a cake-like crust, which I like since I’m not a big fan of pie crusts.  I halved this recipe and baked it in an 8″ square pan.  When I halved it, I still used the same number of eggs in the full recipe (but  my eggs are medium sized from our own chickens).    If you do make the whole thing, it’s a lot of dessert!  I imagine it freezes well.

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow or spice cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened

Set aside 1 cup cake mix for the topping. Combine remaining cake mix, 1 egg, and melted butter or margarine. Pat into a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, 2 eggs, spices, 1/2 cup sugar, and milk. Pour pumpkin mixture over the cake mix crust.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup cake mix and 3/4 cup sugar. Cut in 1/2 cup softened butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle mixture on top of pumpkin mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 minutes.

canned apple pie filling

Peel and slice apples and pack tightly into bottles.

Bring to a boil: 10 c. water, 1 c. cornstarch, 5 c. sugar, 1/2 c. lemon juice, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Pour over sliced apples – process 20 minutes.

Makes 8 quarts.

Thank you Melanie H.!

Loaded Baked Potatoes

I think we’ll do loaded baked potatoes for dinner tonight.  It’s still cold and snowy and something warm and low effort sounds perfect. I thought I’d make a list of toppings that we like and that sound good – did I miss your favorite?  Let me know!

broccoli
melted cheddar
bacon crumbles
tomatoes
green onions
chili
black beans
kidney beans
bleu cheese (with the bacon – yum!)
mushrooms
sour cream
butter
small cubes of ham
peas
shredded taco chicken or beef

(Can you tell I just went through the Sweet Tomatoes line in my mind?!)

We just decided to plant potatoes in our garden for the first time.  I wonder how much better these will taste in the fall with FRESH homegrown potatoes.