All posts by Linda

Cooking, Main courses

Western Hamburger, Gruel ;)

September 26, 2015 Linda

Western Hamburger Gruel, Crock-Pot style

*disclaimer, technically this does not actually qualify as gruel

Gather the following ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 can tomato sauce (larger can)
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
chili powder
garlic powder

Crock-Pot
Pan

Optional:

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Brown and drain the hamburger in the pan.

Add the hamburger to the Crock-Pot. Pour in the tomato sauce (this is your liquid).

Drain and kidney beans and corn and dump these into the Crock-Pot.

Add chili powder for flavor (a tablespoon or two). Add 2 pinches of garlic powder.

Add the optional 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar.

Mix well. Cook on low for 3 hours. You can cook it up to about 4 hours or so. You are just trying to heat it through and combine the flavors. Everything is already cooked.

*If you wanted to make this on the stove you only need to cook it for about and hour.

Cooking, Soups

Turkey Noodle Soup

September 14, 2015 Linda

Gather the following ingredients:

Cooked turkey
8 cups of chicken broth
Home style noodles

Huge pot or Dutch oven

Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add the turkey. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cook for twenty minutes or so. Break up the turkey if you need.
– if you like vegetables, carrots, celery go ahead and put them in now.
– the noodles can be found in the frozen food section, just keep searching it is there, maybe a different brand, but it does exist.

Add the noodles and cook the suggested time on the package. When the noodles are done it should be ready to serve. You can add salt and pepper for taste.

Cooking, Main courses

Chicken Enchiladas

September 3, 2015 Linda

Enchiladas, Mexican rice, and refried beans. Not amazing, but what Mexican dish is? You will enjoy it.

Gather the following ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Poblano pepper

Jalapeno pepper
Enchilada sauce
Cheddar Cheese
Chicken – cooked

Tortilla, small

Mexican rice

Refried beans

Large glass pan
Medium pan
Medium sized pot with lid
Small pot

Optional:

Hot sauce

Cut the poblano into long strips and then again into small one inch or less chunks. Fry on a medium heat until done (easily cut in two with spatula). Stir often to prevent overcooking one side.

Cut the jalapenos into small bits.

Place the poblanos, jalapenos, pieces of chicken, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, and just enough enchilada sauce to tint the chicken into a bowl. Stir. Let this sit about twenty minutes to soak in the chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken into the tortilla. Fold it and place it into the glass pan.
– Tortillas want to fold along the grain. Make sure you work with the natural fold.

Fill the pan.

Enchiladas in pan waiting for sauce and cheese

Cover the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Enchiladas sprinkled with cheese and ready to cook

Cook for 30 minutes.

Cook the Mexican rice according to the directions. Stir every 7 minutes.
– I use butter instead of oil.

Cook the refried beans on an extremely low temperature.

When all 3 items are complete put them on the same plate and serve. Perfection.

Top with your favorite hot sauce for taste.

Cooking, Side dishes

Ranch Potatoes

August 20, 2015 Linda

Ranch Potatoes or as I am told Linda potatoes.

Gather the following ingredients:

2 lbs. of red potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
Ranch packet – buttermilk is best

Large storage bag
Cookie sheet
Aluminum foil
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Potatoes, olive oil, and a Ranch mix packet

Wash the potatoes, cut them in half, and place inside the storage bag.

Add the olive oil.

Add the ranch mix, close the bag, and toss until the potatoes are covered.

Place the aluminum foil over the cookie sheet. Spray with the cooking spray.
– I never use cooking spray, but on this you will need foil and spray. I have lost baking sheets to these potatoes.

Dump potatoes onto the foil.

Cook for 1/2 hour and flip potatoes. Cook for another 1/2 hour. Serve.

Cooking, Main courses

Tater Tot Casserole

August 14, 2015 Linda

Tater Tot Casserole

Gather the following ingredients:

Mini Tater Tots
1 lb. ground beef
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 small can young peas

Large glass pan

Option:
2 slices of American cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the hamburger.

Bake the tater tots for 15 minutes.
– This will guarantee that they cook through later.

Add 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and the peas (drained) to the hamburger. Mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture over the potatoes and fold everything so that it is mixed, but the tater tots are not destroyed.

* If desired tear the American cheese into small pieces and place them on top of the mixed casserole.

Bake the casserole for 15 minutes.

Allow it to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Cooking, Main courses

Beef Stir Fry

August 2, 2015 Linda

Looks Like Christmas

Beef Stir Fry – an Americanized Chinese dish, maybe, but it is fairly easy to make and extremely delicious. My least favorite part is making the sauce, which isn’t difficult.

Gather the following ingredients:

Jasmine rice – 2 cups uncooked

Extra virgin olive oil – 2 tbsp.
Minced garlic – 1 tbsp.
Beef – 1 lb.
Chili pepper

Red pepper
Green pepper
Mushrooms sliced – 8 oz.
Black pepper

soy sauce – 1 tbsp.
cornstarch – 1 tbsp.
oyster sauce – 2 tbsp.
MSG – 1 tsp.

Rice cooker
Stir fry pan

Add two plastic cups of Jasmine rice and water into the rice cooker. Set it and forget it.
– you can use other grain rice, but Jasmine is the best for Asian dishes.

Slice the beef into small pieces for stir fry. Cut the peppers into chucks.
– the size of the beef is up to you.
– cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds, cut the halves into thirds and half them again.

Mix the MSG, cornstarch, soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a tall measuring cup. Add half a cup of water and mix completely.

Pour the olive oil into the stir fry pan. Add the garlic, beef, and chili peppers into the pan. Cook on a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes to lightly brown the meat.
– I add enough chili pepper to make it look painful.
– Do not overcook.

Add the peppers and mushrooms. Grind some black pepper for taste. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 3-5 minutes, until the peppers are booked but still slightly crisp. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving over the rice.

Cooking, Main courses

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

July 18, 2015 Linda

Gather the following ingredients:

Condensed tomato soup

Bread
Butter
Velveeta Cheese

Large pan
Medium pot

Cook the condensed tomato soup in the medium sized pot on low – one can soup to one can of water
– I heard a rumor milk was an option over water, but not for me

Butter the bread on the outside of the sandwich
– soften the butter in the microwave if needed, set it out if you can and wait for it to soften, or use a französische Butterdose – a French better dish or crock (if you do not own one get one they are great).

With the buttered sides together place two slices of Velveeta cheese on the bread.

Turn the heat on low and use the large pan. Place the sandwiches into the pan with the butter side down. Heat the bottom until it is golden brown.

Flip the sandwich. Brown the second side.
– usually the cheese will give just at the moment it is ready, but sometimes the bread burns first.

Grilled cheese sandwiches, ready for soup

Serve with the tomato soup. Dip the sandwich in the soup and enjoy.

Appetizers, Cooking

Little Smokeys

July 12, 2015 Linda

Little Smokeys in Crock Pot – Takes a few hours, but it isn’t difficult to make.

Gather the following ingredients:

Little Smokey – 2 packets
BBQ sauce

Crescent rolls

Open both packages of Little Smokeys. Place into Crock Pot.

Cover with BBQ sauce.

Cook on low for 2 hours.

Start the oven for the crescent rolls about 20 minutes before the wieners are done.

Eat Little Smokeys and soak up the BBQ sauce with the crescent rolls.

I also like to make macaroni, cheese, and corn casserole with this dish.

Cooking, Soups

Ham and Potato Soup

July 5, 2015 Linda

There are few soups that I love as much as ham and potato soup. It is a great alternative to ham and bean soup for that leftover holiday ham.

Gather the following ingredients:

8 oz. ham
2 1/2 lbs. potatoes
2 cans chicken broth
1 tbls. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups milk
1 can cream of celery

1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt

Dutch oven or the biggest pot you can find

Cut the ham into cubes. Dice the potatoes. Add ham, potatoes, Dijon mustard, and chicken broth to the Dutch oven. Boil until the potatoes until they are tender, about 30 minutes once it starts to boil.

Combine the milk and cream of celery, stir into the pan.

Season with garlic powder and salt. Heat the soup through – do not boil.

Cooking, Main courses

Beef Stroganoff

June 27, 2015 Linda

Best beef stroganoff ever.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of New York strip or other fine cut of beef
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
2 (8-oz.) packages of sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can of beef broth, about 2 cups
2 tbls. tomato paste
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 package (16 oz.) egg noodles
1/2 cup sherry
2 tbls. flour
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream

2 large pots

Cut the beef into 1/2 inch cubes. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
– the best this has ever turned out I actually used a beef flank recommended by the butcher who had used the same cut the day before to make his own beef stroganoff.

Add 3 tbls. of olive oil to one of the large pots. Heat over a medium-high heat. Sauté the beef and the mushrooms together for 3 – 5 minutes.

– The meat should be seared, not necessarily cooked through.

Stir in the broth, tomato paste, and mustard.

Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hour.

About half an hour prior to the beef mixture being finished start to boil the water for the egg noodles. – Try to time the noodles to finish shortly after the meat.

Stir the flour and sherry into the beef mixture, cook, stir constantly until it thickens.
– Mine never thickens. I just cook it a few minutes and move on.

Add the sour cream. Stir. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles. Stir. Serve.

Video for Beef Stroganoff

Linda Mead Writes

All posts by Linda

Western Hamburger, Gruel ;)

Turkey Noodle Soup

Chicken Enchiladas

Ranch Potatoes

Tater Tot Casserole

Beef Stir Fry

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Little Smokeys

Ham and Potato Soup

Beef Stroganoff

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