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!