Italian Beef Stew

ITALIAN BEEF STEW (Crockpot)

I found the original recipe in EVERYDAY FOOD December 2004 and prepared it while living in West Laurens..  The original recipe did not call for tortellini or carrots, though.   I found the recipe again today and tried it again!  Peggy raved about it.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano (28 ounces)
• 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
• some italian seasoning and some TRADER JOES 21 Seasoning Salute, salt and pepper   
• 2-3 lbs stew meat from chuck roast
• couple small white potatoes, scrubbed
• fresh carrots scrubbed and cut into large pieces (halved)
• one can mushrooms
• chopped celery and some chopped green pepper
• minced garlic
• ketchup 
• one package of  cheese Tortellini from Aldi's (8.8 ounces)
• one heaping tbsp of brown sugar

I browned the meat well (in the oil) and placed in crockpot with the onion, tomatoes, seasonings, carrots and celery and green pepper and garlic.   Added a large dollop of Ketchup, stirred and put crockpot on LOW, cooked for several hours.  I added the brown sugar about halfway through.  I added the tortellini for the last hour, and the mushrooms for the last fifteen minutes (along with a second dollop 0f ketchup)

Shepards Pie

I browned a little less than a pound of ground beef along with some chopped onion and green pepper.  Drained well, and sprinkled some flour over the meat, stirred in some beef broth and cooked it down to make a gravy.  Added a dollop of ketchup, some sweet pepper relish and some crushed garlic...it still seemed somewhat watery so I stirred in some bread crumbs to thicken it and cooked a couple of more minutes.

Put the beef in the bottom of a round casserole dish, then some canned carrots and then some leftover JULIENNE POTATOS from a  couple of days ago.

oven at 375, covered for fifteen minutes
and then uncovered for fifteen minutes.

COOKS HAM: recipe idea from Carol Kraft, December 2011

 COOK'S HAM. First, I rinsed the ham with ginger ale. I made a paste of brown sugar and orange juice and spread it on, I attached pineapple slices with cloves, and poured one can of ginger ale in the bottom of the pan, and baked according to the directions on the ham. 

More recently, I substituted an Appleton Farm Ham from Aldi's

BAKED BBQ PORK CHOPS

BAKED BBQ PORK CHOPs

• 
  
• 6 pork chops, 3/4 to 1-inch thick
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• dash cayenne, optional  (I used sriracha sauce)
  ADD TO SHOPPING LIST

   

  SAVE RECIPE
   Serves 6

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place pork chops in bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
3. Place sliced onion over the pork chops.
4. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over pork chops.
5. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until chops are tender.

I only had three chops, but I made the amount of BBQ sauce in the recipe up above.

and  I covered the pan with foil for the first half hour of cooking.

POACHED CHICKEN BREASTS

3 cups of apple cider
one box of chicken broth
three med. carrots cut into thirds
3 stalks of celery cut into two inch chunks
2 medium onions halved
four cloves of garlic smashed
thyme
chicken breasts
combine all ing. except chicken and
bring to a boil, gently place chicken
breasts in the boiling water.  If they
are not covered with liquid add water
or cider or broth,   Return liquid to
boil and cover pot, turn heat off and let
sit for 30 minutes.

save liquid for other uses, in frig or
freezer

Salisbury Meatballs

12 ounces premade frozen meatballs
2 tbsp olive oil
one half medium onion sliced vertically
one tbsp flour
one and a half cups chicken or beef broth
two tbsp tomato paste
half tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp worcestshire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
cooked egg noodles

350 degree oven, spray bottom of cookie sheet or use alum foil
bake meatballs thirty minutes

heat oil in skillet
cook onions about four minutes, until they just start to brown
sprinkle with flour, stir and cook for two more minutes
add broth and stir
add tom. paste and mustard, worcestershire sauce, salt and
pepper.  bring to simmer, simmer for ten minutes

when meatballs are done, add to sauce
stir and serve over noodles

VERY TASTY

Ham and Sweet Potato Pie

I made gravy this way:  http://carolyneveryday.blogspot.com/2014/01/ham-gravy-according-to-dr-chris-keator.html

Mashed up a couple of sweet potatoes with  butter and used this as the bottom layer, over a prepreped
pie crust.

I added peas and small pieces of ham to the gravy and put into the pie shell, and covered with another pie crust

425 degrees 35 minutes.