Crock Pot Beef Stew

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This is the easiest stew ever, and it is so hardy and delicious! Perfect for fall! You can load it chalk full of all your favorite stew veggies. Next time I make it I'll put sweet potatoes in it, onions, and maybe some squash. Oh and of course loads of mushrooms. I told John the other day that my headstone should read "That would be better with mushrooms." I say that about practically every recipe. This recipe comes from a great cookbook, The Essential Mormon Cookbook.

{What you need}

1 pound beef stew cubes

4 carrots, sliced

4 medium potatoes, cut in large chunks

1 (1-oz) package dry onion soup mix

2 (10.75-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup 

(you could get light soup to make the stew healthier)

1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce

1 (10-oz) package frozen green peas

Mix all liquid ingredients in a medium bowl. Add all ingredients to a slow-cooker and cook on low for up to 12 hours.

Mama Henrie debuted (who'd a thought that's the past tense spelling of debut?!?!) this on Sunday and everyone looooooved it. I'm not even huge into stew, and this rocked my world.

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Mushrooms

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Don't tell your husband, but this is actually a Weight Wathcers recipe! No worries, though, he'll never know because of how flavorfull it is. I got this from my new favorite recipe cite, Skinny Tastes. There are some major winners on there that I am dying to try, and they are all HEALTHY but BURSTING WITH FLAV!! I'm just elated! I added loads of mushrooms to this, but the origional recipe doesn't call for it, so feel free to leave them out, if you're crazy.

{What you need}
1 lb high fiber ziti such as Ronzoni Smart Taste
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I prefer Tuttorosso)
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic,minced
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and fresh pepper to taste
8 oz fat-free ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan
2 cups (8 oz) part skim mozzarella
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
Spray olive oil Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil spray.In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add olive oil and sauté garlic and mushrooms. Add chopped spinach, salt pepper and chopped tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add sauce to the pasta and combine the ziti. Add half of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Mix well then transfer to the baking pan. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned.

This can be made up to a day in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

I divided this casserole into eight sections and froze each portion individually in a mini tupperware so I can take it to work for a healthy lunch or just whip it out whenever I'm hungry for something healthy.

1/8 of the casserole is 6 ww points

Broccoli Salad

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My MIL is such an incredible cook and she has so many great recipes that she shares with me! This may be my new favorite salad, and I LOVE that it has fresh broccoli in it. A nice healthy twist! This dressing is gorgeous, too, and would be great on other salads as well.


This one comes from the cookbook Essential Mormon Cook Book, which has some major winners in it. You should check it out, even if you're not Mormon. The recipes are non-denominational:)

{What you need}

2 Bunches fresh broccoli (about a pound) cut in small flowerets

1 medium purple onion, finely chopped

1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 strips bacon, cookied until crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup sunflower seeds or raisins (optional, but HIGHLY encouraged)

1 recipe Broccoli Salad Dressing (See below)

In a large bowl combine broccoli, onion, and cheese. REfrigerate. Just before serving, stir in bacon. Add sunflower seeds or raisins if you wish. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad, and stir briefly. Serve the same day.

{Broccoli Salad Dressing}

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all dressing ingredients. Chill at least one hour before tossing with salad.

Classic Swiss Fondue

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This was the first meal my husband ever made me. We had been dating about two months and he said he had this very special date planned for me. He took me to his house (his parents' house) and suprised me with this INCREDIBLE fondue. He had everything decorated really glamorously (probably with the help of his mom...Thanks Erin!) and we felt super posh as we ate it. Then he surprised me by whipping out the movie "Twilight" and declared, "My love for you is greater than my hate for this movie, so I will watch it with you!" It was quite the night.



I made this for a bachelorette party recently, too, and it was a major hit. So fun to eat with a group of friends, just socializing and snacking. You'll just love it.

{What you need}

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon dry mustard

pepper to taste

1 cup milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

{Dipper ideas}

cubed french bread

apples

pears

cubed brawtworst

pretzle sticks

steamed/fresh veggies

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, dry mustard, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute and remove from the heat. Stir in the milk gradually. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in the cheese until melted Spoon into fondue pot and serve with your choice of dippers.

Fondue

Beef Stroganoff

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I looooove a good crock pot recipe. They are so easy and usually super hearty. You can make loads at a time and usually have great left-overs for a few days after, which John and I also loooooove. There's nothing like wanting to grab a snack and discovering delicious savory dinner food in the fridge to indulge in mid-morning. That's typically how it goes in our home when we have left overs. And John likes to take the left-overs to school for a good lunch so he doesn't starve. Ok, enough about left-overs, let's get cookin!

This is a delicous stroganoff. Possibly my favorite, especially with loads of extra mushrooms. I trippled the mushrooms in this recipe and could have put even more. We just loooooove mushrooms. Thanks to my second mama, Julie McDonald, for this winner!

{What you need}

1 lb. stew meat

1/4 cup onion, minced or dried

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup, condensed

1 can mushrooms

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 cup red cooking sherry

1 cup sour cream

cooked noodles of your choice

Combine all ingredients except sour cream in a crock pot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add the sour cream right before you serve it. Serve over noodles.

Fry Bread (Scones)

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A Durrant family regular. When I was in high school we would have "scone parties" all the time. My siblings and I would have dozens of friends over and my mom would make us scones all night long. It was a major hit. We'd also have them on Sundays a lot as a family treat. I have so many wonderful memories associated with these delicious scones! Thank you, Mom, for giving me this wonderful recipe.

{What you need}

3 cups boiling water

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

2 teaspoons salt

1 or 2 packages yeast

enough flour to make a soft dough

3 cups vegetable oil

In a large bowl or bosch mixer put boiling water. Add shortening and let it melt. Add yeast and stir. Stir in sugar and salt and mix for about 30 seconds. Gradually add flour, about a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.

In a medium sauce pan heat the oil over medium low until it crackles with a drip of water.

Take the dough and roll it out into a large slab on a greased countertop. Cut the dough grid style into squares about the size of large dish sponge (this is harder to explain than I thought it would be---I can't think of anything the size of the squares! Dish sponge will have to do...)

Take each square of dough and stretch it out just a little, and place in the heated oil with tongs. It will begin to bubble. Repeatedly push the scone under the oil until the underside is a golden brown. Turn over and repeat dunking until the other side is golden brown, too.

Let the scones drip off on a plate with paper towels on it. Serve hot with honey butter, jam, powdered sugar, whatever you desire.

Compliments of Jackie Durrant

Cream Cheese Oreo Truffles

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Thanks to my dear friend Krista I can now stuff my face with these sinfully delicious balls of delight any time I choose. Krista is a fellow recipe enthusiist and was willing to give me this incredible recipe that has proven to be a major hit on several different occasions at our workplace. Some recipes are hard to give away, and I was sure this would be one of those. But Krista is so willing to share the love! Bless her heart. These are great for entertaining or for family gatherings or to just have on hand any time you need a fix. I have this fantasy of making them for my first born's first birthday party, and decorating them all cute like. Enjoy, eh?

{What you need}

1 package oreo cookies

1, 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

23 oz. milk chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips, if you choose)

4 Tablespoons vegetable shorting

lolli pop sticks (found at a craft store)

{Optional topping ideas}

shredded cocount

sprinkles

nut crumbs

fruity pebbles

candy bar crumbs

etc...

In a food processor crush the oreo cookies until there are no big chunks. Pour into a large mixing bowl and mix in softened cream cheese until it is all evenly mixed. Mold the dough into little balls (about golf ball sized, or smaller) and place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. cover with tin foil and place cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour.

Meanwhile, combine chocolate chips and veggie shortening in a large sauce pan and melt together, taking care to not burn the chocolate. Once the oreo balls are frozen enough to allow for easy handling, jab the lolli pop sticks in and dip each ball in the chocolate, (dip in other toppings at this point, if desired) returning them to the wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Freeze for another hour. Serve chilled, and keep the leftovers refridgerated
(if there are any leftovers. Not very likely).

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Aren't they just adorable?