Nana's Meal in One (modified by the bad daughter-in-law)

Ajd asked for this recipe from his mom, and then asked me to make changes.  I also demanded a few of my own to make it a little heathier.  My changes are in green. 

Brown 1 pound ground beef with 1 chopped up onion.  Salt (I omit) & pepper to taste.

Combine in a large (9x13) baking dish with:

1 can french cut green beans drained (1/2 a package of frozen french cut green beans, thawed if I remember)

1 can crinkle cut carrots drained (1 generous cup frozen carrots, steamed until very tender)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (1 can 25% less sodium cream of mushroom soup)

1 can classic vegetable beef soup (I left this one alone since using frozen veggies and less sodium C0M already reduces the salt significantly)

Top with 6-8 servings worth of instant mashed potatoes and cheese 6-8 ounces. 

(We have reasonably perfected using home made mashed potatoes for this.  I steam the potatoes for mashing [2-3 pounds or so].  Mash with sour cream, salt, lots of pepper and a little cheese to hold them together)

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until cheese is melted and it is bubbly.  Let cool slightly to setup before 

The next attempt is to make the sauce for the base entirely from scratch.  While I appreciate that it has been requested, I do love cream of mushroom soup. 

Wednesday Fun #67 - Hullo?

Hi, all. I was looking back over some of the recent Wednesday Funs and I realized that in the last two months, all we've got posted here are WF and the monthly themes. No recipes. Help!

So if you've got a recipe you've been thinking about posting or are willing to take a gander at your cookbook(s) or recipe box and share one with us, that'd be GREAT! Healthy & low-cal if you want, 'cuz that's January's theme, but not necessary! If you want to look forward towards February's theme, it's going to be chocolate.

Thanks, all!

Wednesday Fun #66 - 'J' is for January...

... and jelly and jam!

Are you a dyed-in-the-wool grape jelly fanatic? Do you enjoy a little orange marmalade on your toast? Homemade apple butter your fav? Tell us...

...what sorts of jam, jelly and other fruit preserves do you have in your cupboard, pantry, or frig?



P.S. January's theme is healthy & low-cal foods, so if you've got a good recipe, please share! Thanks!

Wednesday Fun #65 - Considering Changes

We're into the new year now and I'm wondering if you're trying to make any changes in your food shopping, cooking, or eating habits. Trying to cut back on junk food? Remember breakfast? Use less meat? Eat more local? Try new foods? Find a wonderful local restaurant? Check out cookbooks from the library?

What changes are you considering, if any?

January's Theme - Healthy & Low-Cal

Oh, hey, look at that - it's January. Time for a new theme here at Recipeeps4Us. I don't know about you, but every since the Halloween candy hit the house, it's been a losing battle with the scale, right through the rich food and chocolate-filled holiday season.

Fortunately for me, January's theme is "Healthy & Low-Cal." This one's a little hard to search for in the archives, so it's going to take me a while to list what we've already got posted. How about if I put this up, and add recipes as I have a chance, and you all can tell me in the comments of ones I should add that you know about, 'k? Thanks!!

Edited to add: I think I've got all of the already posted recipes that fit the theme, but do leave me a comment if I've missed one. Thanks!

Main Dishes:

• My Split Pea and Ham Soup - Has the additional advantage of being economical in case one of your resolutions is to spend less/save more...
• Pusher's Harira - She says it makes good winter comfort food. I say that sounds really good about now!
• Diplowhat's Raspberry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin - Sounds delish!
• This Broiled Flank Steak with Warm Tomato Topping is a Cooking Light recipe from The Sexy Blonde. She says it's quick as well as tasty!
• Another Cooking Light recipe, I can vouch for this La Bamba Casserole.
• Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots - vegetarian even!
• Boneless Pork Chops in a Shallot-Fig Reduction Sauce was posted by All Knowing Jen with Pusher & I both making and loving it! Tastes & sounds harder than it is, so a great "company" dish!
• Speaking of "company" dishes, here's a Sesame Ginger Chicken one you won't believe is originally from Jenny Craig!
• This marinara sauce is Mr. Kluges's absolute favorite.
• Nectarine's Taco Soup can be made on the stovetop or simmered in the crockpot.
• All-Knowing Jen says you could sub in chicken in this Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce recipe.
• There's lots of yummy veg in Nectarine's Ratatouille, plus it could be vegetarian.
• Mahogany Turkey Breast with Vegetable Gravy isn't just for Thanksgiving, folks!
  

Vegetable Side Dishes:

• Tomato Snack from Diplowhat - A little out of season, but it sounds yum anyway.
• The Sexy Blonde posted a Roasted Bell Pepper Antipasto she says makes a good side or appetizer.
• Asian-Style Sesame Saute became my default dish when we got CSA greens.
• Nectarine shared this Easy No-Prep Salad with Diplowhat mentioning a variation in the comments.
• Braised Red Cabbage with Onions and Apples in Red Wine-Cranberry Sauce is probably the longest-titled and reddish recipe I've ever made.
• These Cider-Glazed Carrots are another Cooking Light recipe.
• Nectarine's Winter Salad sounds delicious.
  

Starchy Side Dishes:

• Sweet Potato Spears - Healthier than French fries, just as tasty and crispy.
• Bruleed Mashed Sweet Potatoes are yummy, and you could go light on the brown sugar...
  

Desserts/Appetizers/Other:

• Pusher's Peppered Tuna Skewers with Wasabi Mayo - TSB says they're yum, too!
• Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar - to die for!
• Also out of season, but Peaches with Cava and Lemon Verbena sounds exotic, Pusher!
• Diplowhat says Miso & Cucumber are great together.
• I love the tomato topping on grilled bread sort of bruschetta!
  

Wednesday Fun #64 - Last Year's Learnings

First of all, sorry about missing last week, folks. It was Christmas Eve, we were away from home, I figured you'd all be busy, too... yadda, yadda, yadda. But hey, Wednesday Fun is back today, the last day of 2008!

My question for you this week, on the very last day of 2008, is what changed in your cooking during the past year? What did you learn? Did you make something for the very first time? (Fried green tomatoes for me. They were... eh.) Did a change of location (Hi, Diplowhat!) or diet or medical stuff overhaul your menu? What's different now in your cooking than it was at the beginning of 2008?


For me it was joining a CSA. Instead of being a "this is the recipe, I'll shop for the ingredients, ok, let's go" sort of cook (with some ability to substitute, etc.), I had to become a "hmmm, I've got carrots, tomatoes, a teeny bit of cauliflower... what can I do with this?" sort of chef. Granted, now that I'm NOT getting a CSA box weekly, I really do need to do a little more menu planning, but with the girls not liking things mixed together (casserole, soup, mac&cheese, etc.), it's gotten pretty basic Midwestern around here.

How about you?

Wednesday Fun #63 - Argh! What's for supper?!

You know how it is. Sometimes, like, oh, say around the holidays, or during a busy week at work, you look at the clock, swear, then start digging in the frig and cupboard for something fast, easy, and hopefully nutritious to throw on the table.

You've got fall-backs, things you know you can usually make with what you've got on hand, but aren't "recipes" exactly. Well, I'd like you to share yours with us all. They might seem simple or no-brainers, but somebody else might be, "Oh gosh! I could TOTALLY make that tonight! Why did I never think to do that before?"

For us, it's often small pasta shapes (penne, radiatorie (sp?), etc.) with chunks of leftover chicken and/or chickpeas and/or pine nuts and/or ham along with some assorted vegetables - likely frozen peas or canned corn or oven-dried cherry tomatoes from the freezer or broccoli or quickly sauteed carrot coins. Mix it all together, throw it on a plate, top with some Parmesan and a little olive oil or the awesome porcini oil I got at The Olive Cellar, and YUM!

Occasionally at La Casa Di Huis is flour tortillas with leftover meat and/or chickpeas with cheese and some corn or other veg, and black olives as a plus with salsa for those who like. Either just rolled up as tortillas or heated up into quesadillas, these are a great way to use up ends and bits of leftovers. Plus, you know, melty cheese!

How about you? What's one of your I-can-almost-always-make-this dishes? Not that I'm hoping for inspiration for tonight or anything...

Wednesday Fun #62 - Holiday Food Favorites

Are there any particular holiday foods or traditions relating to food to which you look forward every year? Do you always make a particular kind of cookie? Is Christmas the only time your grandma makes her special Potatoes Ala Gramma dish? Do you love stirring your hot cocoa with a candy cane?

What's a holiday food/food tradition that you love?

Wednesday Fun #61 - The Non-Chef's Menu

This weekend, my folks were here, and my dad made shaped pancakes with Pumpkin for Sunday brunch. It's one of his specialties. I can't have pancakes or cheeseburger hamburger helper (with peas added) or ring bologna (to be served with mac & cheese) without thinking about my dad, 'cuz those were some of his standard dishes. Well, those and grilled cheese sandwiches.

I got to thinking. I bet in a lot of two-adult households, one person does the majority of the cooking. And the other person might have a few standard dishes they make. What's your experience? What are some meals/food you remember your non-main-cooking parent making? Or, if you're in a two-person household, what does the non-chef make at your house now?

December's Theme - Cookies and Sweet Treats for the Holidays

Our theme for December is "Cookies and Sweet Treats for the Holidays." So get out your sugar, cinnamon red hots, and aprons and have at it!

Previous posts that could fit this category include...
(I left out ones that seemed out of season due to theme or ingredients, but if you just click on the tags for "Cookies and Bars" or "Desserts," you'll get them all.)

• Chocolate-Mint Bars from The Sexy Blonde
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from me
• Syl's Pretzels and Hugs, which are a huge favorite at our house. In the comments, AKJ suggests sticking an M&M at the top, and Erin says they're divine made with Rolos and pecans or almonds. *drool*
  
• Oreo Balls (not X-rated *grin*) from All-Knowing Jen At our house, these turn out lumpy so they've been renamed "Christmas Coal." Still delish.
  
• Diplowhat's Peanut Butter Bon Bons
• ...and her Thumbprint Cookies, which are a tradition for her family.
• ...and her Chocolate Carmel Bars
• I think Diplowhat's Eggnog Cake sounds especially appropriate for this time of year!
• Pusher posted Sister Mabel's Caramel Corn.
• I think Poached Pears with Honey, or any baked fruit for that matter, are a great winter treat, so here is The Sexy Blonde's recipe.

Of course, feel free to mention in the comments if I missed one you think should be listed here and I'll take care of it. Happy Holiday Baking!