Vegetable Beef Soup

This is a recipe I got from my mom. Its great on those cold winter days. I used to hate vegetables so it was pretty much "tomato and potato" soup when I was growing up. But then we got all wild and added carrots.

Any vegetable will do though.

This is cooked in a crock pot and should be started the night before you are wanting to eat it.

Ingredients:

Soup bone or stew meat

1/2 onion

potatoes ( 2-3 good sized ones)

carrots (I use about 1/2 small pkg of baby carrots)

(1) 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes

salt and pepper

Preparation:

• The night before, put the soup bone or stew meat in the crock pot and cover with water. Let this cook on high all night. Make sure you put enough water in so that it is still covering the meat in the morning - you don't want the meat to dry out.

• I add the salt and pepper to the meat the night before as well.

I also prepare the veggies the night before so in the morning I can just throw everything in.

• So, cube up the potatoes into bite size chunks and put in a bowl of water for the night in the fridge.
• I even cut up the baby carrots - I think it helps them cook a littler faster. I put this in a bowl of water for the night in the fridge too.
• Dice the onion - I just store this in an air tight container so my fridge doesn't smell like onion.

The next morning:

• Add the potatoes, carrots and onion. (and whatever other veggies you want)
• Also add the tomatoes, including all of the juice from the can.
• Let this cook on high all day (at least 5 hours)
• When its done cooking you may need to add more salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Beef Stew

This is my mom's recipe for beef stew.

My mom makes this almost every Wednesday because that is the day she keeps all three of the kids....so she doesn't have a lot of time. She can do all the prep the night before and then just throw it all together when she is ready to stick it in the oven.

Then when Dad, Nikki and I get home from work to pick up the kids....dinner is ready for us. Nice!

She fixes rolls and coleslaw to go along with it too! Just a suggestion.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatos (cut into cubes)
• 4 large carrots sliced - or use baby carrots (I prefer these as they are sweeter)
• 1 small onion (mom says "quartered" - I say "diced")
• 1 can Campbell's tomato soup
• 2 cups water
• 1lb stew meat (cubed if not already - no need to brown)
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients into a roasting pan.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 5 hours.

Crock Pot Meatballs

This is the easiest recipe ever and oh so good at parties!

Now, I don't actually make the meatballs myself....I cheat and buy the Armour Homestyle meatballs. I don't like the Italian ones for this recipe.....

So, put the meatballs in the crock pot....it doesn't matter if they are still frozen or not.

Next, you need:

32 oz of grape jelly

32 oz of Heinz Ketchup

(really, is there any other kind? No.)

This sounds like a weird combination.....but it is Awesome!!!!

Let that cook in the crockpot for 4-5 hours....depending on how many meatballs and how much of the sauce you had to fix.

You don't have to fix 64oz of sauce - that would be for a crockpot full of meatballs....but use less if you are obviously making less.

This would be good for the cocktail weenies too!

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Jerry! Thanks, Jerry!

Snickerdoodles

I got this recipe out of a cookbook of recipes that a bunch of parents and teachers contributed several years ago to raise money for one of the students at my nephew's grade school. This recipe was actually given by my niece, Nikki. Where she got it, I'm not sure. But, it is the best Snickerdoodle recipe I've found. I only use this recipe for Snickerdoodles now and I haven't had a bad batch yet!

You will need the following:

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Mix thoroughly butter, oil, sugar and eggs.

2. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt.

3. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls.

4. Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl; roll rounded dough balls in this mixture.

5. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.

(Do not overbake, even if you think they aren't done, they will harden as they cool.)

3 In 1 Ice Cream

This is a simple way to make ice cream......actually, its seems more like sherbet....but, hey, I didn't name it.

My mom gave me this recipe. She got it from her sister, my Aunt Jean. She said Jean used to make this for her and Mary when they were little and would stay at her house.

Ok, so you will need the following:

Oops, these too....

1. Take 1 cup Pet milk and chill for 1 hour.

2. In different bowl mash 1 banana 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice and 2 Tbs lemon juice together. Chill.

3. When Pet milk is chilled, beat until stiff.

4. Mix everything together.

5. Put in ice cube trays and freeze.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Apple Butter - The Hard Way

Ok, so I know this is only my 2nd post.....2nd recipe....and its ANOTHER apple butter recipe. But, I did want to add this in case anyone likes to go apple-picking in the fall and then would like to use their fresh apples for the apple butter...rather than buying the applesauce.



So, here goes....

Quarter and core apples.

Fill crockpot to top (barely be able to get the lid on).

Add 2 cups of apple cider.

Cook on low 11-12 hours.

Puree through a food mill (ok, this is old - so use a mixer or whatever you've got that purees)

Add 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp cloves to pulp.

Return to pot and cook an additional hour or until it is as thick as you like it.

Seal in sterile jars.

***This is how my Aunt Jean used to do it back in the day when my mom and my Aunt Mary were kids and would visit her on her farm. My mom gave me this recipe that she had gotten from my Aunt Jean. The name on the recipe was a lady named LaDonia.***

Crock Pot Apple Butter

This is the recipe my Aunt Jean used to make her Apple Butter. The only difference between this and hers is that she made her own applesauce too......I bought mine - this makes this recipe SO easy. (I will post later how to make your own applesauce if that is the way you roll.)

You will need these items:

2 Quarts applesauce
4 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves

Mix all of the ingredients in the crockpot.

Cook on high all day (8-10 hours).

Remove the lid for the last 2 hours (this will help it to thicken).

Put in jars while the mixture is still hot.

If you follow canning instructions, you do not need to refridgerate until after the jar has been opened.

Canning instructions: For the newbies to canning (like me)....here is what I was told by my wise mother.

You have a jar, a rim and an insert.

You need to put the mixture in the jar - leaving a 1/4 inch at the top

Heat the rim in a pan until almost boiling.


Put the rim on top of the jar and screw the rim on.

This should seal the jar.

Until you 'pop' the top, you shouldn't need to refridgerate.


Enjoy!