Cali in the Kitchen

Brownie mix from scratchfrom Facebook (link I had no longer...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:02:02 -0500

Brownie mix from scratch
from Facebook (link I had no longer works)

1 Cup Sugar, 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour, 1/3 Cup Cocoa, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Baking Powder.
At Baking Time Add: 2 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. OR use the amazing Pampered Chef brownie pan and bake it in much less time - depends on your oven, check after 12-15 minutes of baking and remove when brownies are done!
Put mix in plastic bags or mason jars.

Comments:

I like the idea of making my own brownie mix, but I find store-bought mixes to be very tasty, so anything from scratch has to succeed very well in order to win me over.

This one didn’t do that. I think it uses WAY too much oil before baking (when you put a baked brownie on a napkin, it shouldn’t leave an oil impression behind); I think I’ll try halving the oil amount next time to see how that does. Also, the flavor didn’t seem quite what I wanted, but mostly I was overwhelmed by how oily they were. That said, these were excellent when topped with strawberries and whipped cream. ;-)

Potato Bake 2 lbs. frozen hash browns (slightly thawed)1/2 c....

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 15:37:28 -0500

Potato Bake

2 lbs. frozen hash browns (slightly thawed)
1/2 c. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
2 c. crushed corn flakes
1/4 c. melted butter

Mix first 8 ingredients (through the cheese) and pour into 8x16 cake pan. Combine cornflakes and butter, spread on top of potato mixture. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cornflakes are browned.

Comments:

I think I got this recipe from my uncle… but it’s been a long time. At any rate, it’s a very straightforward recipe except for the pan size—I’m not sure where they came up with that. I used a 9x13 and it was fine.

For the batch pictured, I threw in some cubed ham that I had left over from a different recipe; I think it was around 1 cup’s worth, and it was an excellent way to turn this from a side dish into a main dish. (I would imagine you could also throw cubed chicken in instead.)

Sausage Lasagnaserves 4 to 6 1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage4...

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 14:01:49 -0500

Sausage Lasagna
serves 4 to 6

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
4 oz. lasagna noodles
1 egg, beaten
1 c. ricotta cheese (can substitute cottage cheese)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 6 oz. pack sliced mozzarella cheese
1 1-lb. jar spaghetti sauce

Heat oven to 375F. Brown sausage, drain off fat. Cook noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions, drain. Combine egg, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and sausage. In a greased 8-inch square baking dish, layer 1/2 each noodles, meat mix, mozzarella, and spaghetti sauce. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Let stand a few minutes, serve.

Comments:

This is a family recipe. :)

The pictured batches are double the above recipe, because I’m a huge fan of making my time and effort have the maximum result. ;) That said, the first batch (top picture) had a few bumps along the road, primarily having to do with the fact that I got over-ambitious and tried to slice the mozzarella myself while assembling the lasagna. Let’s be kind and say I ended up with mozzarella wedges… which then didn’t produce enough pieces to do both layers. I ended up supplementing with shredded cheddar because that’s the only kind I had on hand. And then because I was generous with the sauce, it boiled over a bit before I thought of putting a cookie sheet below it to catch the drips.

My second batch didn’t end up boiling over (perhaps because I used the right amount of cheese and wasn’t quite as generous with the sauce), but I liked the security of having something beneath it anyway. So I’d recommend having a pan of some kind under your lasagna just in case. :)

Also, it’s much easier to cut and scoop it (without it sliding all over the place) if you chill it beforehand. Which doesn’t work if you’re eating it right after making it, of course, but if you want to do a batch to freeze (which was the purpose of my second batch), that’s the way to go.

Grands Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Ingredients1 can (16.3 oz)...

Sun, 26 May 2013 14:01:45 -0500

Grands Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 slices (2/3 oz each) American cheese

Directions
1. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Press or roll each to form 5 1/2-inch round.
2. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add biscuit rounds, a few at a time; cook 3 minutes. Turn; cook about 3 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Remove from skillet.
3. Place 2 slices of cheese on each of 4 biscuit rounds. Top with remaining biscuit rounds.
4. Return to skillet; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn; cook about 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Comments:

I only fried two biscuits (for one sandwich) since I’m only one person and I didn’t think these would store/reheat well. I used swiss cheese rather than american because that’s what I had.

Three minutes per side for the biscuit is WAY TOO LONG. I literally had to scrape burnt bits off the one side of the one biscuit that I cooked according to the instructions.

I don’t know that I’d try this again, but it was tasty enough to eat, certainly. It might be better with a sharp cheddar or something with a little more flavor. Plus, it’s just a very dense sandwich, so if your appetite is only fair or middling, this may be too much for you.

Guacamole tuna salad 1 can tuna (drained)2 oz. guacamole...

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:02:02 -0500

Guacamole tuna salad

1 can tuna (drained)
2 oz. guacamole (roughly 2 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. mustard (more to taste)
1 tsp. sweet relish (more to taste)
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped

Combine in a bowl.

Comments:

Tasty! I shredded a couple of baby carrots because I didn’t have full-size carrots to chop. I didn’t use celery (didn’t have any on hand), but I always use extra relish because I like relish, so it worked out.

This was excellent with nachos or on a nice dense piece of whole grain bread.

Baked Oatmeal9 servings 3 c. quick-cooking oats1 c. packed brown...

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:01:46 -0500

Baked Oatmeal
9 servings

3 c. quick-cooking oats
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted
additional milk

In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and butter. Stir into oat mixture until blended.

Spoon into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until set. Serve warm with milk.

Comments:

I didn’t eat it with milk and I may have cooked it a little long to make sure it was done (it ended up a bit crumbly, and I’m not sure it should have), but I thought it ended up quite tasty. :)

I used nutmeg instead of cinnamon because I’m a huge fan of nutmeg and it seemed like it would work. Also, since I don’t have a 9x9 pan (just 8x8 and I didn’t want to wait an hour for it to be done), I made it in a 9x11 pan, which worked fine.

Roasted Radishesfrom Food.com 16 ounces radishes 3 tablespoons...

Sun, 05 May 2013 21:37:24 -0500

Roasted Radishes
from Food.com

16 ounces radishes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions:
1 Wash, trim and quarter radishes.
2 toss radishes in small bowl with olive oil.
3 spread on cookie sheet (I line it with foil for easier clean up).
4 sprinkle with salt.
5 roast at 375 for 20 to 25 minute.

Comments:

I just used regular salt. I almost forgot to take a picture, so you get to see my lovely plastic storageware. ;)

I had to cook these for a total of 30 minutes and I’m not convinced that some of the larger pieces are quite cooked through even after that long. And I used fairly small radishes for this—I sorted through and used larger ones for the radish chips (so they’d be easier to slice) and smaller ones for this recipe. So you may want to make an effort to cut the pieces into relatively similar-sized pieces rather than just quartering the radishes and leaving it at that.

I tried two different radish chips recipes, and overall...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:02:03 -0500

I tried two different radish chips recipes, and overall I’m in favor of the second.

Baked Radish Chips from about.com

[left photo] This recipe tells you to steam the radish slices before baking, so they came out rather limp. And I found the amount of chili powder to be too much for my taste. These were tasty enough (especially with a little bit of ranch dressing!), but not ideal.

Crispy Baked Radish Chips [right photo]
from Food.com

10 -15 large radishes
nonstick cooking spray
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2 Slice radishes into very thin chips and spread on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3 Lightly mist radish slices with cooking spray and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. (if using other seasonings, now is the time to add them).
4 Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until crisp. Time may vary so watch these after flipping.

Comments:

These came out better than the first recipe, both in consistency and in spicing. But my radish slices weren’t consistent, so only the thinner ones got anywhere near crispy like the recipe title says.

Oh So Minty, Oh So Chocolatey Creamy Dream Barsp. 136-137 of...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:01:48 -0500

Oh So Minty, Oh So Chocolatey Creamy Dream Bars
p. 136-137 of Wilson, Dede. A Baker’s Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies. Boston, Mass: Harvard Common Press, 2004.
16 bars

3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 ozs. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. miniature semisweet morsels
Seven 1.4-ounce (2.5-inch diameter) chocolate-covered peppermint patties

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil so that it overhangs sides; you will be pulling the brownies out using this overhang. Coat foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk flour and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a medium-size saucepan over low heat or in a bowl in a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer medium-high speed, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Fold in cooled chocolate mixture, then fold in lour mixture and chocolate morsels.
5. Spread half of the batter into prepared pan. Place one round peppermint patty at each corner of the pan and one in the center. Cut the other two in half crosswise and place the halves in the remaining spaces. Spread remaining batter evenly on top.
6. Bake until top is puffed, dry, and beginning to crack and edges have begun to pull away from sides of pan, about 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in center should come out with some wet batter clinging. That’s okay. Place pan on rack for 5 minutes to cool. Grasp the foil overhang and carefully pull brownies from pan. Place on rack to cool completely. I like the refrigerate these for several hours before cutting to firm them up (wrap them first in plastic wrap). Cut into 16 bars (4x4).

Comments:

This is a recipe I’ve been wanting to try since I saw this cookbook at the bookstore (which was years and years ago). I will need to do it again, as I had a few hiccups.

Rather than buy unsweetened chocolate, I used 3 Tbsp. cocoa and 1 Tbsp. oil to substitute for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate called for. I didn’t have miniature semisweet morsels so I used regular sized ones.

When doing the electric mixer part, I’m not sure the mixture was ever quite “fluffy” (it was raining outside so it was humid, which might have had something to do with it). Everything else seemed to go okay, though I ran into some trouble with the baking: the oven didn’t stay consistently at 400F during the baking time (it’s a gas oven and sometimes requires adjustment to stay at the proper temperature), so when I tried to take the brownies out of the pan after waiting for 5 minutes, they were still so raw in the middle that it nearly folded in half. So I put it in for longer (I forget now exactly how much more time I gave it), which made the edges quite overdone, the bottom slightly scorched and was long enough that some of the patties melted down (which is why there is no white stripe in the right-hand piece pictured). I still ate them, but I ended up tossing a lot of the edge bits after nibbling what I could off of them.

So I will have to try again, keeping a better eye on the oven temperature so they come out better. :)

Chicken Casserole with Broccolioff the back of a Jiffy baking...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 14:01:59 -0500

Chicken Casserole with Broccoli
off the back of a Jiffy baking mix box
6-8 servings

1 c. Jiffy baking mix
1.5 c. pre-cooked chopped chicken or 2 cans (4.5 oz) chunk chicken, drained
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1.5 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli (rinsed and drained)
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400F, grease 2 quart casserole dish.
Place chicken, broccoli, and cheese in prepared casserole dish.
Blend baking mix, milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a separate mixing bowl until blended.
Pour into dish over chicken, broccoli, and cheese.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Comments:

I used canned chunk chicken, which was maybe a little salty but worked fine otherwise. The salt I used was just regular salt rather than seasoned. I might not have drained the broccoli well enough because it seemed a little liquidy when I was first serving it. Also, I saved the cheese to put on the top because that seemed like a good idea and it looked nice that way, especially with a little extra sprinkled on to make a nice shell of cheese.

This came out very nicely! It was tasty and easy. :)

Avocado! :) I used this page as a guide on how to cut and peel...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 14:17:19 -0500

Avocado! :)

I used this page as a guide on how to cut and peel the avocado, though I cut it into quarters before scooping it out so I’d have slightly smaller cubes.

I was extremely proud of myself for picking out three lovely avocados without ever having done it before—I give the credit to this blog post: Never Buy a Rotten Avocado Again. :)

Hass Avocado and Red Potato Saladfrom...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 14:17:08 -0500

Hass Avocado and Red Potato Salad
from avocadocentral.com

Ingredients:
    2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
    1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
    5 tsp. cider vinegar
    2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
    3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
    3/4 tsp. salt
    4 green onions, sliced
    2 ripe, Fresh Hass Avocados, seeded, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions:
    Place potatoes in a medium pan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes for about 15 minutes or until just tender when pierced with a fork.
    Drain well and pour into bowl.
    Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
    Add dressing and green onions to potatoes and gently toss. Stir in avocados.
    Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

What I did:

I used 3 avocadoes because the ones I had were smaller than the recommended size. Also, I didn’t have green onions, so I added some diced green pepper instead so there would still be some crunch.

Comments:

I was hoping the vinegar in the recipe would keep the avocado from browning, but any avocado chunks at the top did get brown anyway. Ah, well. A little bit of lemon juice on the avocado cubes might help next time.

And I think the absence of the onion affected the taste—it was a little meh overall. Putting some of this salad onto a green pepper half and eating it that way was pretty good, though, as was adding a bit of mustard just before eating.

As my first foray into making things with avocado, this wasn’t a bad start. :)

Dump Soupfrom recipe4living.com 1 can chili with beans 1 can...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:03:35 -0500

Dump Soup
from recipe4living.com

1 can chili with beans
1 can chili without beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can green beans
1 can diced potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can mixed vegetables
1 can vegetable soup with beef and barley (i.e. Campbell’s)
1 packet powdered ranch dressing mix

Do NOT drain cans. Mix all can contents together in a kettle and add dressing mix. Simmer until good and hot. I’ve also done this in the crockpot on low setting for 5-6 hours.

Comments:

I did the crockpot version, since I don’t own a kettle large enough for all those ingredients. :) Super easy and quite tasty (though I’m not a huge fan of the tomato chunks—I may substitute something else next time). This was my first attempt at anything soup-like, and it makes me feel like I could manage something that involves more prep work from me.

It helps if you have a decently-working can opener, though. I knew I needed a new one, but I really should have gotten it before opening all those cans!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Stewfrom pillsbury.com 1 medium...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:00:40 -0500

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Stew
from pillsbury.com

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 lb boneless beef tip steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cans (18 oz each) Progresso® Vegetable Classics creamy mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles (4 oz)
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired

1. In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, layer onion, garlic and beef. Pour soup and water over beef.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 7 hours.
3. Stir noodles into mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir in sour cream. Garnish individual servings with parsley.

Comments:

I made this once before and made a note on my printout: “needs bacon”. ;) So I also threw in some crumbled bacon, but I think it could’ve used more (a pound might be a bit excessive, except that it’s BACON).

I also used tri-color rotini in the batch pictured, and I used 12 ounces (the whole box) because it seemed a little thin otherwise. If you look at my picture and then the original website, they look nothing alike, haha. But it tasted just fine. :)

Never Fail Fudge 13 fl. oz. can evaporated milk1/4 lb....

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:01:32 -0500

Never Fail Fudge

13 fl. oz. can evaporated milk
1/4 lb. butter or margarine (1 stick)
4 c. sugar
12 oz. chocolate chips
13 oz. marshmallow creme
nuts, if desired

Place first three ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil—stirring constantly—to medium soft ball stage (~234F). Remove from heat, fold in chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and nuts. Pour in a greased (or buttered) 9x13 pan. Cool and cut into squares.

Comments:

Now, this may call itself “never fail”, but it is possible to end up with less-than-optimal fudge, even following the directions. The batch pictured was my first ever attempt (without owning a candy thermometer), and it came out great. Then I bought a candy thermometer and tried another batch, and that one came out rather squishy (I did use some extra marshmallow creme that time, but I don’t think that fully explains it).

So yes, it’s possible to fail, but the resulting fudge is delicious either way. :)

Chili Tomato juice (or V-8)Mild chili beansChopped (or stewed)...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:01:19 -0500

Chili

Tomato juice (or V-8)
Mild chili beans
Chopped (or stewed) tomatoes
A few tablespoons of sugar (to reduce the acid from the tomatoes)
Chili powder
Browned ground beef (amount depends on desired meatiness)

Use equal amounts of tomatoes and beans or one extra can of beans (e.g. for 2 cans of tomatoes, you can use 2 or 3 cans of beans).

For the batch pictured, I used 2 pounds of ground meat (one pound ground turkey, one pound ground beef) and three cans each of tomatoes and beans. I think I ended up using one or two tablespoons of sugar. Use the chili powder to taste. Use less juice if you like a thicker chili.

Basically, just throw everything in a pot and simmer it for a while. You can eat it as soon as it’s warm, or you can let it bubble happily for hours, it’s good either way.

Comments:

This is a family recipe that (as you can probably tell) involves a lot of eyeballing and estimating rather than direct measurement. The amounts entirely depend on the size of the pot you use.

It really is ridiculously easy, so I have no idea why I didn’t make it any sooner. :)

Winter Squash Rolls 1 1/2 cups cubed winter...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 13:01:18 -0600

Winter Squash Rolls

1 1/2 cups cubed winter squash
1 cup scalded milk
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup shortening

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small saucepan, cover squash cubes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture, shortening, squash and milk. Mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces and form into rounds. Place the rounds in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Comments:

I made this with a butternut squash. I’d never made anything resembling real bread before, so this recipe was a bit of a challenge.

My rolls came out a little dense and I had to cook them extra because of that. I realized afterward that I’d missed the part where you’re supposed to let them rise again after dividing them into 12. (As a side note, the pictured rolls are *before* they’re supposed to double in size and they’re already rather massive. I think this recipe saying it makes 12 rolls is rather ridiculous—24 rolls would still be fairly large.)

Overall, these weren’t bad for my first foray into from-scratch bread-like products, but I can’t say I’d repeat the endeavor anytime soon. :)

Peanut ClustersFix It and Enjoy It! 5-Ingredient Recipesmakes...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:37:00 -0600

Peanut Clusters
Fix It and Enjoy It! 5-Ingredient Recipes
makes 36-40 pieces

half a 12-oz. package chocolate chips [or butterscotch chips]
12-oz. package peanut butter chips
12-oz. jar dry roasted peanuts

1. Place chocolate and peanut butter chips in a microwave-safe medium-sized bowl. Microwave on high for 1-1.5 minutes. Stir. Continue microwaving on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each time until chips are melted.
2. Stir in peanuts.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed-paper-covered baking sheets.
4. Refrigerate, or let stand on countertop, until firm.

Comments:

I haven’t yet made this using chocolate chips; I modified it by using butterscotch instead because I know people who can’t eat chocolate. Also, even though peanut butter chips only come in 10-oz. bags and I usually get a 16-oz. jar of peanuts, I sometimes still end up with extra melty stuff to add onto the top of the clusters. I usually just use a regular table spoon to scoop these out because a teaspoon seems rather small and it’s much easier to scrape them off a regular spoon.

Bread Puddingfrom allrecipes.com 6 slices day-old bread2...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:01:54 -0600

Bread Pudding
from allrecipes.com

6 slices day-old bread
2 tablespoons butter (or margarine), melted
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Break bread into small pieces in an 8-inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

Comments:

I usually put the butter in an oven-safe dish and put it in the oven while it preheats (and take that time to tear up the bread). I don’t use raisins—I’d like to try chocolate chips sometime, though. ;) I often use this to get rid of the heels of bread loaves that I throw in the freezer until I need them.

Beef Stew 3 carrots, cut up3 potatoes, cut up2 lbs. beef chuck...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 14:01:39 -0600

Beef Stew

3 carrots, cut up
3 potatoes, cut up
2 lbs. beef chuck or stew meat, cut in 1.5 inch cubes
1 c. water or beef stock
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 onion, quartered
1 stalk celery with tops, cut up

Put all ingredients in crock-pot in order listed. Stir just enough to mix spices. Cover and set to Low for 10-12 hours (High for 5-6 hours).

Comments:

This is a family recipe. I can’t remember the last time we put celery in it, but it is technically in the recipe. The pictured batch fudged it a bit on the number of carrots (I like more carrot in it, for flavor) and I used red potatoes instead of the usual white baking potatoes, so there’s definitely room to experiment and modify this without ruining it. :)