Hearty Red Beans and Rice

from the Gooseberry Family Favorites Cookbook

1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
3 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled, drippings reserved
1/2 lb Polish sausage, sliced (I used smoked sausage)
1 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. chicken broth
6 oz can tomato paste
2 oz jar chopped pimentos, drained
2 T. ketchup
1 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 c. cooked rice

Saute green pepper, onions, celery, and parsley in reserved bacon drippings in a skillet over medium heat until tender.
Stir in bacon, sausage, and next 7 ingredients. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked rice. Serves 4.

This was INCREDIBLY flavorful! Everyone liked it! We also decided it would be really good with chicken if you aren't in the mood for sausage.

Cuban Black Beans

from the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorites Cookbook

1 onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed (I used the chopped kind in a jar)
2 T. olive oil
3 (15 oz) can black beans
1/4 cup water or chicken broth
1 T. white vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
garnishes: chopped green onions, chopped tomato, sour cream

Saute onion, green pepper, and garlic in hot oil in a Dutch oven until tender. Add undrained beans and next 4 ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with green onions and tomato and top with sour cream. Makes 5 1/2 cups.

(I actually sauteed the onion, green pepper, and garlic and then put everything in the crock pot on low for a few hours)

Chicken Chimmies

from the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorites Cookbook

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
1 T. butter
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
8 oz pkg shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 green onions, diced
1 T. vegetable oil
Toppings: sour cream, salsa, guacamole, lettuce

(I cooked my chicken in the crockpot with some cumin and garlic and then skipped the first step)

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken and saute about 3 minutes.
Spoon chicken evenly onto tortillas. Top with cheese and green onions; fold up sides and roll up, burrito style. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add rolled up tortillas and saute until golden. Serve with your choice of toppings. Serves 6-8.

We're having it with Cuban Black Beans

Mom's Sicilian Pot Roast

Another one from the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorites:

4 lb rolled rump beef roast
2 T. garlic flavored olive oil (i used regular olive oil)
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans Italian tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
1 T. garlic, minced
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried parsley
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
hot cooked rotini pasta

I didn't follow the instructions in the book. I just put it all in the crockpot on low right away Sunday morning (around 5) and we ate it after church (around 1). Really, I could have not added the water b/c we had to ladle out some liquid before we could slice the roast. And a little more time would have been fine- maybe even better. It was a DELICIOUS change from the usual way I prepare a roast! And I had originally planned on having company for this meal so we put enough meat and juice in the freezer that I think I'll add some sauce to and serve over spaghetti next week.

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe is from one of my new favorite cookbooks which I found at the library and must buy!
It's the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorite Recipes book.

1/2 lb ground mild pork sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (I used 1/2 b/c of the kids)
2/3 c. canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (I used the whole can)
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
can of cream of celery soup (thinking about omitting this next time??)
can of cream of mushroom soup (wondering if you can replace cream soups with something more healthy??)
10 oz can of enchilada sauce
18 (6 inch) tortillas
2 c. shredded cheddar (I used about 1/2 of that)
1 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 tomato, seeded and diced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
optional: 1 avocado, chopped

Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in jalapeno and next 5 ingred. Cook until thoroughly heated.
Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated.
Spoon 1/3 of the sauce into bootom of a lightly greased 13 by 9 baking dish, top with 6 tortillas. Spoon 1/2 of meat mixture and 1/3 of sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Top with 6 tortillas, repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with monterey jack cheese and next 3 ingred. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with avocado if desired. Serves 6 to 8.

Thai Wraps

1 pound romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, or fresh spinach, separated into individual leaves (I just used iceburg)
2 carrots, peeled
1 onion, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 rib celery
1/2 cup minced fresh vegetable of choice (tomato, cucumber, etc)- I used tomato
1 Tbsp olive oil (if you're using ground turkey)
2 lbs lean ground beef or 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup fish sauce or soy sauce
1 or 2 cups leftover cooked rice (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash lettuce or other green leaves, spinning or shaking off as much water as you can. Set aside in a bowl lined with paper towel. Cut any heavy stems from spinach.
2. Shred carrots. Chop onion and garlic, slice celery, and mince any other veggie you desire. You can also add leftover scrambled eggs to this recipe.
3. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat, add beef and cook until browned. If using turkey, add oil before adding turkey.
4. Once meat is cooked through, remove it from the pan. Add veggies to skillet and cook over med-high heat until soft (5-7 min), stirring a few times.
5. Return meat to pan and mix with veggies. Add fish or soy sauce. Add rice if using. Add salt and pepper. Cook over med-high heat for a few more minutes, stirring until all ingredients are mixed. Serve by wrapping leaves of lettuce or other greens around several Tbsp of the meat mixture.

This was a huge hit at our house. I used rice, but didn't mix it in because some of the kids don't like rice and some love it. This was just enough food for one meal with everybody having seconds (and a couple had thirds!!).

Steak Soup

First of all, not sure why this is called Steak Soup, but whatever.
I am really bad at letting the kids cook with me. I feel like we have very limited usable counter space and I like to just do it myself, BUT I am really working on that because I know it's good for them to learn their way around the kitchen and they really enjoy cooking. It's getting easier to let them help as they get older too.
We do "helper weeks" at our house because it's the best way for me to keep track of who gets to be my kitchen helper. This week Peter is my helper so I let him look through some cookbooks to choose something to make and this soup from Fix it and Forget it was his choice-

2 lbs ground chuck, drained and browned
5 cups of water (I used beef broth and eliminated the boullion below)
1 lg onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
10 oz bag frozen mixed veggies
5 Tbsp beef boullion granules (or 5 cubes)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt

1. Combine chuck, water, onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, mixed veggies, beef granules, and pepper in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours or High 4-6 hours.
3. One hour before serving, turn to High. Make a paste of melted butter and flour. Stir until smooth. Pour into slow cooker and stir until well blended. Add salt.
4. Cover. Continue cooking on High until thickened.

I just realized that I forgot to do step #3- oops. Oh well, ours was actually healthier then!