Green Bean Bundles

Ingredients:
2 or 3 cans of whole green beans
Lean Bacon slices (the lean tends to stretch better)
1 stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar

Cut your bacon in half and wrap a handful of green beans (about 7) in it.  That makes one bundle - keep going for as many bundles as you would like to have. Place the bundles in a 9x13 baking dish.  Melt a stick of butter and stir in one cup of brown sugar. Pour over bundles. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Stretch-A-Buck Ultimate Holiday Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 pounds coarsely ground sirloin
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• Ground black pepper
• 9 to 10 sprigs (about 2 tablespoons) thyme leaves, removed from stems
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups beef stock, divided
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup chives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons paprika

Yields 6 servings 

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Place potatoes into a medium saucepan with a dash of salt and enough cold water to submerge them completely. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a bubble. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the cooked potatoes and reserve them in the same pan they were cooked in.

While the potatoes are cooking, place a large, cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the ground sirloin to the pan and cook until browned, 5-6 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, onion, celery, bay leaf and garlic to the pan and season everything with some salt and pepper. Cook until the veggies are tender, 7-8 minutes, and then stir in the thyme leaves.

While the veggies are working, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk 3 cups of the beef stock into the roux and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Whisk the Worcestershire and Dijon into the gravy. Season with salt and pepper and reserve warm.

When the veggies in the skillet are soft, add the remaining 1 cup of stock to the pan and stir to remove any bits stuck to the bottom and cook away most of that liquid. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the peas. Stir the prepared gravy into the mixture and reserve.

Mash the cooked potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, milk, about 1 cup shredded Gruyere, chives and horseradish. Stir the egg into the mixture at the very end and stir well to fully incorporate it. Season with salt and lots of pepper.

Slather the mashed potatoes over the mixture in the skillet and top with the remaining Gruyere cheese. Place under the broiler to brown.

Garnish the shepherd's pie with paprika and serve straight from the skillet.

Nona's Tabouli Recipe

The main ingredient is Bulgur wheat I get Bob's Red Mill brand and it can be found I think at Harp's or IGA for sure, maybe WalMart - some do have it and some do not.  I would start with a cup to a cup and a half which makes a load of the salad.

Soak the wheat in water till all or mostly absorbed.  I cover the wheat by a couple inches and it sometimes takes a couple hours to absorb.  You will know when it is ready when you taste it and it is not as hard as a brick. You may have to drain some of the water out when it gets just right. I liken it to pasta al dente.

I chop up green onions, cucumber and cherry tomatoes to taste and then pour in Zesty Italian salad dressing not to cover but just to moisten.  The wheat will absorb some of it so it is ok to "spill" a bit of it.  Refrigerate and voila! Tabouli!

Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake

• 1 pkg stove top traditional sage stuffing mix


• 1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, but into 1-inch pieces (normally 2 or 3 chicken breast)


• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup


• 1/3 cup sour cream


• 1 can corn drained


• 1 can green beans drained

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.


2. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in 13x9 inch baking dish; top with stuffing.


3. bake 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

makes 6 servings

Steak & Farfalle Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Steak & Farfalle Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Here is what you will need to make this tasty dish:

• 
  
  5 cloves garlic, finely minced, divided


• 
  
  1/4 cup red wine vinegar


• 
  
  1 tsp Dijon mustard


• 
  
  1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper


• 
  
  1 lb lean eye round steak, cubed


• 
  
  16 oz whole-wheat farfalle pasta


• 
  
  Olive oil cooking spray


• 
  
  1 medium yellow onion- finely diced


• 
  
  1 28-oz jar or can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes


• 
  
  1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning


• 
  
  1 tsp dried basil


• 
  
  8 oz low-fat sour cream
  

Marinade -

• 
  
  steak cubed


• 
  
  In a bowl, whisk together 3 cloves garlic, vinegar, Dijon, cinnamon and pepper.

Pour marinade over steak cubes in another container, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. (You can also leave steak to marinate overnight.)

Cook farfalle according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Drain steak cubes and discard marinade. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-high, mist with cooking spray and saute steak until browned on each side, about 4 minutes total.

Remove steak from pan and set aside.

Mist same pan with cooking spray again, add onion and remaining 2 cloves garlic and saute until brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium low.

Add seasoning, basil, sour cream and combine.

Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, then mix in reserved steak and cook for 2 more minutes, until the meat and sauce are completely warmed.

Serve 1 cup farfalle (or penne...) with 3/4 cup steak sauce. Garnish with an additional sprinkling of Italian seasoning, if desired.

Serves: 8
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

I found this recipe on this blog

This chicken recipe could be used for a number of meals:
You could eat it over rice,
add some cheese and tortilla chips,
eat in a taco salad,
or as an easy way to spice up boring tacos!
(which is exactly what we did!)

So, if you have a busy day ahead of you or you just don't want to go through a lot of hassle cooking dinner one night, I highly recommend this EASY, delicious recipe.
Slow Cooker Cilantro Chicken

Here is what you will need:

• 
  
  One 24oz jar medium or mild salsa


• 
  
  Juice from one lime


• 
  
  1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


• 
  
  One package taco seasoning


• 
  
  2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)


• 
  
  4-6 boneless chicken breasts

Yes, that is all you will need to make the chicken.
You will have to get other ingredients, depending on what you plan on making with this chicken... Such as taco supplies, nacho supplies, rice, etc.

In a slow cooker, mix together:
The salsa, juice from one lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, taco seasoning, and chopped jalapenos

Add the chicken breasts (either frozen or defrosted) to the slow cooker and coat with the salsa mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
THAT.IS.IT.
That is all you need to do... then you can walk away and forget about it until dinner!

For Taco's shredded the chicken and spoon some of the salsa mixture over top. Then put the chicken in a tortilla and added our favorite toppings!!

South Beach Chili

Ingredients:

Avocado Salsa:

• 1 medium Avocado peeled, pitted, and chopped


• 1 small tomato finely chopped


• ¼ red onion, finely chopped


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro


• Juice of 1 large lime


• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin


• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Chili

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil


• 1 onion, chopped


• 1 lb ground beef


• 1 can black beans rinsed and drained


• 1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained


• 1 can red beans rinsed and drained


• 1 can diced tomatoes


• 14 oz of vegetable broth


• 1 can green chile peppers, chopped


• 2 teaspoons chili powder


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1 teaspoon dried oregano


• ¼ cup fat-free sour cream


• 1 lime


• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

To make salsa: In a large bowl, combine the avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and pepper. Lightly toss. Let stand for 30 minutes.

To make Chili: Cook beef. In another larger pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes (with juice), broth, chile pepper, chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano and beef and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with avocado salsa and sour cream and lime juice on top and sprinkle with cilantro.

Baked Ziti

1 box of Ziti
1 24 oz jar of Giada's Tomato Basil sauce
2 rounds of fresh mozzarella (about 2 cups)
1 cup of ricotta
3/4 cup of parmesan (grated)
1 egg
S&P
Bread crumbs
Butter

First, preheat your oven to 425. Then cook the pasta to al dente and drain. In a bowl, combine sauce, grated mozzarella, ricotta, grated parmesan, egg, S&P and hot pasta. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with bread crumbs, extra parmesan and dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

It was SUPER easy and really good! This would be a great meal to take to someone or to freeze for later!

Jenna's Journey Blog

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups of bisquick
1 cup of milk (I use 2%)
3/4 cup of grated cheddar
1 teaspoon garlic powder (don't use garlic salt)

Mix everything together. One thing I do that mom doesn't is I refrigerate it if I have time for about 15 minutes. It makes the biscuits puffier.

Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes.

Thanks Jenna's Journey Blog!

Mexican Chicken Ring

This is a new recipe I'm going to try this week thanks to Jenna's Journey Blog.

Ingredients:
3 cooked & shredded chicken breasts
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese plus some for sprinkling on top
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
¾ can of Rotel & all of the juice
3/4 cup light sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
2 rolls of regular sized crescent rolls
1 lime (juice)
2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips plus some for sprinkling on top

Combine chicken, Rotel, tortilla chips, sour cream, taco mix, cheese and 2T of lime juice.
Unroll and separate crescent dough. Arrange triangles on a baking sheet making a circle with wide ends overlapping in the center and points toward outside. Spread chicken mixture evenly into the center of the ring.

Fold the points of the crescents in and over. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and tortilla strips and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is Kraig's new favorite soup! I found it on allrecipes.com.

Prep time - 20 minutes
Cook time - 20 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 2 teaspoons chili powder


• 1 teaspoon dried oregano


• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes


• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth


• 1 1/4 cups water


• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked


• 1 cup white hominy


• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers


• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained


• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro


• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces


• crushed tortilla chips


• sliced avocado


• shredded Monterey Jack cheese


• chopped green onions

Directions

• In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.


• Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.


• Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.


• Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 377 Total Fat: 19.1g Cholesterol: 46mg

Chicken Roll Ups

I found this recipe on Jenna's Journey blog.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)


• 1 pkg crescent rolls (6 ct)


• 2 shredded cooked chicken breasts (or 3 if you want it more chickenish than cheesy)


• 1.5 C grated cheddar cheese


• 1 C grated Monterey Jack


• 1/4 t salt


• 1/4 t pepper


• bread crumbs


• 1/4 stick melted butter

Steps

• Bake 3 chicken breast (recipe calls for 2 but I had 3 in a package so I used all 3) at 375 for 30 minutes. You can also boil the chicken breasts by just pulling them straight out of the freezer if frozen and throwing them in warm water, and let it boil for about 40 minutes.


• Meanwhile, I let a block of cream cheese thaw out.


• Mix the cream cheese with cheddar, Monterey jack, salt and pepper.


• Once the chicken is cooked, shred it and mix it into the cheese mixture.


• Put the mixture on big, buttery, flaky crescent rolls and roll them up making sure the croissant is sealed so the chicken mixture is covered.


• Brush them with melted butter and top them with bread crumbs.


• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes!
  

To reheat, just place in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding by Paula Deen

We made this last night and all I can say is YUM! There was a ton though so we took some to the Andersons since banana pudding doesn't keep well. Kim said Skip and Chase were very happy! Click here for the recipe on the Food Network website.

Prep Time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies (we used a box of Vanilla Wafers)
6 to 8 bananas, sliced (we used 5)
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding (we used Vanilla pudding)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream (we used a tub of whip cream...not frozen then thawed)

Directions
Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

November in a Nutshell

Sorry I've been a bad blogger lately. To catch up here is what we have done this month!

• November 1st, Colton had his 2 year check up. Click here for details


• November 2nd, I had dinner with my girl Tracey Farmer and her 1 month old baby boy Austin at PF Changs


• November 4th, my niece Katlyn turned 10 (yes I said 10!) and we went to her surprise birthday party


• November 5th, Kraig and I went to the Razorback game and tailgate where Arkansas beat South Carolina 44-28! All thanks to Uncle Ryan and Aunt Lisa for watching the kiddos (the kiddos had a great time at Jump Zone by the way)


• November 11th and 12th, Kraig went deer hunting


• November 15th, I had dinner with my girls Keisha and Melissa at Johnny Carinos. I had not seen them in a long time so it was great to catch up!


• November 16th, I had dinner with my sis-in-laws Kristen, Lisa and Chelsea for Chelsea's belated 21st birthday at Bonefish. Lots of fun had when we get together!


• November 20th-23rd, Kraig went duck hunting


• Sunday the 20th, I hosted my first family Thanksgiving at my house for 30 people! Everything turned out great (a little later than I planned to pull everything together but it was a success)! I even cooked my first turkey (21 pounds) and ham (10 pounds) and everything seemed to think they tasted good so I was happy! (Thanks Melissa for the recipes!) Click here for the Turkey Recipe.


• Monday the 21st, Lauren went back to the dentist for her 2nd filling (and last hopefully) and did great! I stayed home with her that day and we enjoyed some mommy daughter time!


• November 22nd, the kids and I had dinner with Uncle Larry Beck and cousin Robin Beck from California at Mellow Mushroom along with the rest of the Beck clan for Larry's Birthday


• November 23rd-25th, our family went to the cabin on the 23rd to have Thanksgiving with Nana and Papaw and the Beck clan and came back Friday to watch the Razorback game.


• Saturday the 26th, I went Christmas shopping with my girls Jen and Lori and got some awesome deals at Kohls! We were supposed to go to St Louis for the weekend but Sue was not feeling well so we stayed home and gave our tickets to Spencer. It was a great weekend!


• Sunday the 27th, we celebrated Mimi's 90th birthday! The full Ellison clan was there and it was great to see everyone!


• Lauren is taking dance every Wednesday night in Tontitown and loving it!


• I've been cooking more and more and getting the hang of it! LOL. Click here for all the recipes I've been trying.

So that's our month of November in a nutshell. I do have pictures of some of it so I will post those soon. I can't believe it but Christmas is right around the corner! Happy Holiday's everyone!

French Dip Beef Sandwiches - Crock Pot Recipe

This recipe came from one of Kraig's clients Mrs. Andrea Van Houweling in Michigan. She is a wonderful cook and this is a very easy recipe that taste awesome!

French Dip Beef

• ~3 pounds of beef roast (London broil, chuck roast, eye of round roast)


• 1 can beer


• 2 cans concentrated beef broth


• 1 packet of dried onion soup


• 2 T Worcestershire sauce


• Some sweet pepper slices (optional...I normally don't use)

Put beef in crock pot. Cover with onion soup, beer, broth and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 9 hrs on low. Pull apart/shred with forks and mix with juice in pot. Serve in rolls or buns. Can also serve with barbecue sauce.

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches - Crock Pot Recipe

Last week my sister Mary Ann bought me a new Crock Pot book and I've been trying recipes on and off. I cannot wait for tonight's dish!

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches
Makes 12 servings
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 hours (LOW) or 4-5 hours (HIGH)

3 pounds boneless beef chuck shoulder roast
2 cups ketchup
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup dark molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Sesame seed buns/split

Cut roast in half and place in Crock Pot. Combine ketchup, onion, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, mustard, black pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes in large bowl. Pour sauce mixture over roast. Cover and cook on LOW 8-10 hours or on HIGH 4-5 hours or until done.

Remove roast from cooking liquid; cool slightly. Trim and discard excess fat from beef. Shred meat with 2 forks.

Let cooking liquid stand 5 minutes to allow fat to rise. Skim off and discard fat.

Return meat to Crock Pot. Stir to evenly coat meat with sauce. Adjust seasonings. Cover and cook on LOW 25-30 minutes or until hot.

Spoon filling into sandwich buns and top with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

Nona's Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs
1 pound sausage
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Brown sausage, drain. Mix all ingredients.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased pan.

Nana's Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb hot sausage
1 large or 2 small/medium eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs (store bought or just put some bread in a blender/food processor and chop it up into fine pieces to make a 1/2 cup...normally 1 piece of bread)
salt and pepper to taste
ketchup

Mix beef, sausage, eggs, onion, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl and place into a 9x13 dish formed into a rectangle with rounded edges. Cover with Ketchup and put crisscross pattern on top to make look pretty.

Bake at 350 uncovered for 1 hour 20 minutes

Enjoy!

Recipes

I've decided I'm going to start putting my favorite recipes on the blog so I can share them with the kids when they are older. Some are recipes I've found and others are recipes from family members that I would like to keep in the family as a way for us to always remember our family members/traditions.