Cheesebecki Soup

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 8 cups water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 pkg cubed hashbrowns
• 12oz velveeta (more or less to taste)
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• garlic salt, salt, pepper

1. brown the ground beef
2. add in onion, celery and carrot
3. once beef is browned, add water and bouillon
4. bring to a boil and add in cream cheese, stirring frequently
5. once cream cheese has melted, add potatoes
6. once potatoes are cooked, add evap milk and velveeta
7. season to taste
8. thicken with corn starch and water as needed

Catalina Cranberry Chicken

• 4lbs chicken breast (or whatever type of chicken you have)
• 8 oz Catalina dressing (Kraft)
• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 packet of french onion soup mix

1. preheat oven to 350-degrees
2. place chicken in 9x13 baking dish
3. mix all other ingredients together to make sauce
4. top chicken with sauce
5. bake 50 mins or to 165-degrees

This was amazing!  I was pretty nervous because it’s such a strange combination but it’s so incredibly easy and packs a TON of flavor!  Mike is still raving about this dish hours later!  By far one of the best new recipes we’ve tried in quite some time!  And Bryker enjoyed it, too – so it’s a big hit for us!

French Onion Stuffed Mushrooms

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 large onions, halved and sliced thinly
• 1 can beef broth
• 7 dashes Worcestershire
• splace of dry white wine (i.e. chardonnay)
• 1/2 cups grated guyere (I used mozzarella)
• salt
• 24 whole white mushrooms, washed and stems removed
• minced parsley

1. saute onions with 1 Tbsp butter for 15-20 minutes
2. add wine, brother and worcestershire
3. cook until liquid has reduced down, set aside
4. melt 1 Tbsp butter in another skillet
5. place mushrooms in, cook 2 mins, turn over and repeat
6. place mushrooms in baking dish
7. fill with onion mixture, top with cheese
8. bake 10-15 minutes @ 325 degrees
9. sprinkle parsley on top
10. serve…delicious warm or cold

Applesauce

• 8 apples, peeled and cored
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Throw it all in a sauce pan and cover.  Cook on medium heat for 15-20 mins.
2. Puree or mash with a potato masher.

I had no idea applesauce was THIS easy to make.  And the aroma in the house – yum!  Not to mention how delicious the final product was!  We gobbled our first batch up quickly!!!  Bryker even turned to me during our taste test of it and said, “Mommy, Bryker really likes this.”  Yup – I’d call it a hit!

 

Corn Chowder

yield: 8-10 servings

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/2 cup celery, minced
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 2-1/4 cups skim milk
• 2 bags of frozen corn
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp thyme
• paprika to taste

1. Melt butter and add onion and celery.  Saute until tender.
2. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
3. Slowly add milk, stir until mixture is thick and bubbly.
4. Add corn, salt, pepper and thyme and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Puree half of the mixture in the blender and return to pot.

I would suggest you taste this and play around with the spices.  I ended up adding more pepper and some garlic salt.  I’ve made a couple versions of corn chowder and this one is by far our favorite.  It shocked us how much flavor we got from such an easy recipe.  And Bryker loved it, too!  He insisted I take a picture of him with his soup…