Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Stoup

I adapted this simple recipe from one an IRL mom friend last week and it is so easy and so tasty, my favorite way to cook! The way mine turned out (by including the juices etc) was a little thinner than a stew, leading me to borrow the term “stoup” from Rachael Ray!

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs. stew meat

2 cans cream of potato soup

2 cans water

1 large can whole potatoes, cut each potato in 1/2 (with juice)

2 small cans sliced carrots (with juice)

1 can whole kernel corn (with juice)

6 servings converted rice

Directions:

1-Put stew meat in slow cooker.

2-Layer in soups, water, and vegetables with juice.

3-Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

4-Serve over converted rice in bowls.

Eat up! Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Sugar & Spice Sweet Potatoes

So, the baked sweet potatoes I made last time didn’t tempt the kids enough! Time to try something different! Here’s what I did:

 

I drained a large can of sweet potatoes, put them in a pie pan and smooshed them up good! Next, I seasoned the taters with both cinnamon-sugar and seasoning salts to provide a unique taste of both sweet and savory/spicy.

Then, I added lots of mini-marshmallows and, to top it all off, I crumbled up a couple cinnamon graham crackers to put on the dish – hey, it’s a free-for-all around here!

I baked it in the oven at 250 degrees for 10-15 minutes – obviously, I should’ve pulled it out a minute or two earlier – but I convinced the kids the marshmallows were supposed to be almost black in places, like roasting them over a campfire – ha! Actually, I don’t mind them that way!

This post finishes up the description of the quick and simple brown sugar ham grill and veggies dinner I started a couple of posts ago. It didn’t take much time at all and was oh so tasty and good! And the kids? They ate more sweet potatoes this time than the time before! Progress! I’ll continue on my quest…..

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

♪It’s Gonna Be a Good, Good (Black-Eyed Peas) Ni-igh-ght…♫

Last week, I jazzed up some black-eyed peas for the fam – they loved them! In fact, my 2 youngest kept asking for more for days afterward! Yay – I got them to like another veggie!

You can see what I did above – just took a can of peas and added hot sauce and bacon bits to it! That’s it!

Yummy, bacon seems to make everything better! It was a perfect complement to our ham/peas/sweet potato dinner (more on those recipes another time)! By the way, I know the white plate is small – that’s one of the tricks I use (for myself, not the kids!) to keep my portions under control – ha!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

FRESH CHICKEN & VEGGIE BAKE

A few months ago, I found a recipe for a chicken/vegetable dish on Kelly’s Korner blog.  I have enjoyed starting with the basics of her recipe, then adding my own touches.  I call it “Fresh Chicken & Veggie Bake” or “Lemony Chick-ables.”
PREP SHOT:

The key to the FRESHness is LEMON! 
1-Slice a two lemons into thin slices and line bottom of casserole dish with slices.  I hold out a large chunk of the lemon to juice/squeeze over the final dish before baking.
2-Place boneless chicken breasts (I get the bag of LARGE breasts from ALDI and cut each in 1/2) on top of lemon slices, leaving an open border the edge of the casserole dish.
3-Arrange green beans around the border of the chicken and sprinkle some in between the breasts as well.
4-Cut red new potatoes into chunks and place on top of green beans throughout the dish. 
5-I also added some diced baby carrots this time because I had a part of a bag on hand I wanted to finish.  You could changed to your taste.
6-Squeeze reserved lemon chunk so juice runs over chicken in dish.
7-Mix a small amount of olive oil and diced garlic together and pour lightly over chicken.
8-I finish it off by sprinkling seasoned salt over the entire dish.
9-Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (until chicken starts to brown a little and the breasts are done in the middle).

10-Serve your family this health, delicious, fresh-tasting meal and they will enjoy!!!  I promise!  Sorry I didn’t get a pic of the full finished casserole dish!  My family was snatching at it left and right, so I had to make do with a photo of someone’s plate!
Hugs & Yums,

SPICY GREEN BEANS

Okay, I admit it…I like canned green beans better than garden fresh.  I know, I know, it’s awful! But, it’s been this way since I was a kid and my dad had a garden.  Anyway, I’ve found a way to make even canned beans unique, tasty and “high-end.” 

Ingredients:
2 cans green beans (any style, I usually do 1 cut and 1 French cut mixed)
Slivered almonds
Cavender’s All-Purpose Greek Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Heat beans on stovetop. Add about 1/3 small bag of slivered almonds, several generous shakes of Greek seasoning, and dashes of S&P to the pot.  Continue heating til bubbling, then reduce heat to simmer.  Serve and enjoy the compliments!
My father-in-law absolutely LOVES these and, no matter what other (more impressive) dishes I am serving, he goes on about the beans!
Hope you can put this green bean cooking “trick” up your sleeve, too!
Hugs & Yums,