Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

1 egg
Cambells French Onion Soup, divided
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1.5 lb ground beef
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp mustard
1 TB flour
2 TB cold water

In a large bowl, beat egg.  Add 1/3 cup soup, bread crumbs, s&p.  Crumble ground beef over top and combine.  Divide into 6 patties.  Over medium heat, brown patties for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Remove and set aside.  In same skillet, combine water, ketchup, remaining soup, Worchestershire sauce and mustard.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, add meat patties, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove cooked patties.  Combine flour and cold water.  Add to sauce and bring to a boil for 2 minutes until thickened.  Serve patties and gravy over egg noodles.

***
Easy and delicious!  The flavor was excellent.

Slow-cooker Lentil Barley Soup

8 cups beef broth
4-5 large carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup uncooked lentils
1/2 cup uncooked barley

Combine into a crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-9 hours.

***
Yum!  This was delicious.  My kids really loved it too.  I like how simple and quick and inexpensive it is to make.  Very healthy too! 

Pretzel Bars

10 oz pretzels, slightly crushed
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Place half of the pretzels and peanuts into a greased 9x13 glass pan.  Then bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil.  Stir in peanut butter.  Spread half of that over the pretzels/peanuts.  Add remaining pretzels and peanuts to remaining sauce.  Pour into pan and press down.  Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over top.  Let cool and cut into squares.

Kung Pao Vegetables with Tofu

kung pao vegetables (+ tofu + udon)


1 t sesame oil
1 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 rib of celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 small packet of prepared udon noodles
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 c peanuts, chopped

sauce:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T ginger, minced
1 T chili paste or asian hot sauce (the one with the rooster on the bottle)
1 T brown sugar
1 T bottled peanut sauce
1 T cornstarch

1. Mix sauce ingredients in and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and broccoli and stirfry until crisp-tender. Add the sauce and the udon noodles and combine well so everything gets saucy.

3. In a separate pan, fry up tofu in a bit of oil until brown on all sides. Add tofu and peanuts to the vegetable mixture, stirring gently to coat with sauce. Serve in deep bowls.

Credit: everybodylikessandwiches.com

***
Yum!  Udon noodles are my new favorite way to eat Asian pasta!  We added the sauce (I used storebought kung pao sauce this time, but will try homemade next time) individually so it wouldn't be too hot for the kids.  I also crumbled the tofu instead of cubing it and just threw it in with the other veggies.  This would also taste great with chicken or steak thrown in.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

4 cups torn lettuce

1/2 c shredded Pepper Jack cheese (2 oz)

1 c black beans, drained & rinsed (or garbanzo or pinto beans)

1 1/2 c chopped cooked chicken (8 oz)

2 small tomatoes, cut into thin wedges

1 c jicama (4 oz), cut into bite-size strips, or 1 c shredded carrot

1/2 c sliced olives

1 recipe Chile Dressing (see below)

Tortilla chips

Place the lettuce in the bottom of a 2-quart clear salad bowl. Layer ingredients in the following order: cheese, beans, chicken, tomato, jicama and olives. Spread Chile Dressing evenly over salad, sealing to edge of bowl. Cover salad tightly with plastic wrap. Chill 4-24 hours. To serve, toss lightly to coat evenly. Top with tortilla chips.

Chile Dressing: In a small bowl stir together 1/2 c mayonnaise, one 4 oz can chopped, undrained green chile peppers, 1 1/2 t chili powder and 1 clove garlic, minced.

***

I had this salad at a Relief Society activity and it was so good! I made it for dinner tonight--it's chilling in the fridge now. Hopefully the kids will eat it... It's a perfect summer meal.

Coconut Rice

Credit: ourbestbites

2 c. white or Jasmine rice

1 can coconut milk
2 c. water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Splash of white vinegar (optional, but it helps with the texture)
2-3 tsp. white sugar
Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Add black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.
 
***
We ate this with THIS chicken, and it was soooo good!!  The recipe makes a ton, so we will half it next time for our little family.  The flavor is great, it would be good with any sort of asian meat dish.

Cowboy Taquitos

credit: ourbestbites.com

1 cup white rice, cooked
1 small tomato, diced
1 cup black beans
3/4 cup frozen sweet corn
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
BBQ sauce

Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Add bbq sauce to make desired saucy consistency.  Place spoonful of mixture onto a tortilla.  Add extra cheese.  Roll up tightly, tucking ends in.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Brush with butter.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Move to top rack and broil until tops are brown, watching carefully to avoid burning.

***
These are SO good!  Really easy to throw together too, we will be eating these a lot this summer!!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Credit: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com

3/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
3/4 cup of milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and egg until creamy. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour dry mixture into the egg mixture and stir to combine. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla, stirring until just combined.

Fill muffin tin (I got 11 muffins).  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes clean, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove muffins from tin. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar. While the muffins are still warm, roll each one in the mixture, coating all sides with the cinnamon sugar.


***
Yum!  These are called Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, but I think we will re-name these "Snickerdoodle Muffins"!!  They were quick and easy to make, and I know we will be eating a lot of these from now on!  (And my oven didn't ruin them, shocking!!)

Vegetable White Bean Orzo Soup

Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup:


Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.net

1-2 tsp of olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken broth
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 cup orzo pasta
1 cup of zucchini, diced
1 cup of yellow squash, diced
2 cups of baby spinach

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, dried basil, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes; add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Add orzo and cook for 8 minutes then add the zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach. Taste and re-season if needed. Cook for 2 minutes then ladle into bowls.
 
***
Yum!  This was excellent!!  Loaded with healthy veggies and beans.  The orzo made it nice and hearty too.  We ate it with flaky buttermilk biscuits for a great Sunday evening meal.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup:

8 cups chicken broth
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic diced finely
1 1/2 cups of carrots diced
3 stalks of celery diced
2 tsp good chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
Sea Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme or basil
1 1/2 cup cooked chicken diced

Sauté onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic & cook for 30 seconds. Add broth & the remainder of ingredients. Cook over medium low heat for 1-2 hours.

Noodles:
2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 to 1/3 cup of milk

In mixing bowl combine flour, salt, egg and milk. Mix until you produce a slightly sticky ball of dough. Flour the counter and roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. You want them very thin because they thicken when cooked. Cut noodles (I use a pizza cutter) to desired size and place on wax paper. Let the noodles dry out on the counter for at least 1 hour before adding them to the soup.

About 30 minutes before serving soup, drop noodles in and cook. Enjoy.


Recipe from: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com

***
WOW, this soup was sooo good!  I was nervous about making my own noodles, but they were SO easy.  Next time I will add even more veggies.