Meals Archives • Page 12 of 13 • New Nostalgia

Meals/ RECIPES

Easy Shredded Beef Taco Meat In The Crockpot

I found this recipe online years ago. The story was that it came from small, family- run, Mexican restaurant in Chicago. The original poster said he had to beg the owners for the recipe for at least a couple of years, until they rewarded him with a copy for being such a faithful customer.

It is a favorite of mine, and everyone I serve it to wants the recipe.
It really could not be easier!

Easy Shredded Beef Taco Meat
1lb. beef stew meat
3-4 cloves of garlic
3-4 Tbls Worchestishire Sauce
3 capfulls hot sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all and cover with water in the crockpot. (water should come to just above the mixture)
Cook 5-6 hours on low, until tender and can be shredded. Drain.
Serve on tacos, with your choice of taco toppings.
Is also great on nachos!

This post is linked to:
Foodie Friday @ Designs By Gollum
Friday Food @ MomTrends

Healthy Eating/ Meals/ RECIPES

Simple Shredded Chicken

The last few weeks, I have been using this method of cooking my chicken, and really love the simplicity of it. I stocked up on Smart Chicken Bone-In Chicken Breasts when they were on sale. They come 2 to a package, which I have found makes about 2 cups of shredded chicken. I use the bones to make Bone Stock, then I use the chicken in Chicken Soup for my husbands lunches, or I use it for different dinner recipes that I have (Chicken Tacos, Chicken & Rice casserole, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Tortilla Soup, etc)

All I do is:
1.} Thaw the chicken
2.} Slice open package and get the chicken out with tongs so I don’t have to touch its slime:)
3.} Plop it in a stock pan
4.} Cover it with water
5.} Quarter an onion and add.
6.} Peel and cut in half 2-3 carrots, add.
7.} Wash and cut in half 2-3 celery stalks, add.
8.} Bring to boil
9.} Turn down heat and simmer for 11/2 hours, or until no longer pink.
10.} Take a long whiff of my incredible- smelling house.
11.}Remove chicken from broth using tongs (don’t pitch that broth!)
12.} Let cool.
13.} Take off bone and shred. (don’t throw away those bones!)
14.} Use in a recipe or freeze in a mason jar for later use.

Use bones to make very healthful chicken stock:
1.} Throw bones in crockpot
2.}Add broth saved from above steps.
3.} Do steps 4-7 above. (depending on how much broth you had from cooking chicken, you may not need to add water. Just eyeball it and fill crockpot up about 2/3 full.)
4.} Add 1 Tbls vinegar (this helps all the healthful minerals extract from the bones into the stock)
5.} Cook in crockpot on low 12-14 hours.
6.} Cool and strain.
7.} Put in mason jar and freeze until needed.
8.} Remember to season with salt and pepper when ready to use.

Read this post for more information on the health benefits of making your own stock.

This post is linked to:
Food on Fridays @Ann Kroeker. Writer.
30 Minute Blog Challenge @ Steady Mom
Made It Mondays @ The Persimmon Perch

Meals/ RECIPES

Chicken Pot Pie

When my first child was born (10 years ago!), I had many lovely meals brought to my home by friends and family. This meal stood out as one of my favorites! It was made by my cousin, Kerri, and was just so comforting and delish!

I just made it again last week, and forgot that it fills 2 pie dishes. I only made enough crust for one, so the next night I used the leftover filling by heating it up and serving it over homemade biscuits! It was a huge hit with my kids, which means I need to pull this recipe out more often, and double it to make 2 Chicken Pot Pies and 2 meals of Chicken N’ Biscuits! All would freeze beautifully.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium potato, cubed

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

***

6 Tbls butter

6 Tbls flour

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade is great!)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used whole milk)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/4 tsp ground sage

***

4 cups cooked chicken (can use this method)

Pie Crust Pastry (enough to cover the top of 2 pies)

In a saucepan, cook carrots, potato, onion and peas in a small amount of water, covered, about 10 minutes or until crisp tender. In another pan (skillet), melt butter. Add flour, cook and stir until mixture is golden brown. Slowly add broth, cream (or milk), salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Divide chicken between 2 pie plates. Top with vegetables and sauce. Stir gently to combine. Place pastry over and cut slits on top.

Bake 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes (watch crust for browning).

Recipe for biscuits coming up!

This post is linked to:
Tasty Tuesdays @ Balancing Beauty And Bedlam

Meals/ RECIPES

Easy Baked Meatballs

I just recently made this recipe and really liked it. It is basic and simple. I had no idea what to make one night for dinner. Sat down to check my emails and found this recipe in my inbox from my sister. 45 minutes later, we were eating them for dinner.

These were a snap to throw together and can be used in a few different ways. We used them in Meatball Sandwiches (toss them in this sauce and put ’em on a bun). You could make Spaghetti and Meatballs. You could make a Meatball Appetizer, either BBQ Sauce or a Sweet Chili Type Sauce. The next time I make them I plan on doubling the recipe and freezing half.

Easy Baked Meatballs

Yield: Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats, uncooked
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Combine first 7 ingredients; shape into 1-inch balls.

Combine all-purpose flour, paprika, and salt. Gently roll meatballs in flour mixture, and place on a lightly greased rack in a foil-lined 13- x 9-inch pan.

Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite sauce.

NOTE: To freeze, cool completely, and seal in an airtight container. To serve, place in a single layer on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 10 to 15 minutes.

recipe via Southern Living, JANUARY 2002

Homemaking/ Meals/ RECIPES

60 Nourishing Crockpot Recipes!

I’ve been surprised at how much fun I am having with the blogging community. It is so fun learning and sharing with other mom’s/women! My favorite fun is when one decides to have a “link up” party.

A “Link-Up” or “Linky” party is when one blogger allows other bloggers to come to her site, and leave a link to one of their own posts. Different link parties have different themes. I was very excited about a “Nourishing Crockpot Recipe” theme.

I think the beginning of the New Year is the perfect time to simplify, so I plan on using my crock-pot more often, especially when I have 60 healthful recipes to choose from! Thank you, Lindsey @ Passionate Homemaking for hosting.

Meals/ RECIPES

Crockpot Beef Stew

It’s been cold and snowy here in Nebraska. I was aching for a bowl of beef stew so I brought up the Allrecipes.com website and found this simple recipe, and hoped for the best. What I got was a very easy, flavorful stew. It hit the spot… ooooh yeah…yum.

If you want to read reviews and nutrition information, go to AllRecipes.com

Crock-Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Meals/ RECIPES

Hungarian Paprika Chicken

Kelley, from the Flylady website,(click here to learn about flylady) posted this great recipe that I stumbled upon a few years ago. It has become a favorite I make, every so often. I like that it is a slow cooked recipe, but doesn’t take as long as one would in a crockpot. It is great for the cold days of winter, it is so very filling and comforting. It smells just like a sweet, little, Hungarian Grandmother is cooking in your kitchen!

Kelly’s Chicken Paprika

“Chicken Paprika is a family favorite. My dh’s family is Hungarian and his sweet Grandmother has taught me so many of the family recipes. This is one that is always a huge hit!” – Kelly

1 whole chicken Cut into pieces (I used 3 bone-in chicken breasts)
2 medium sized onions, chopped
1 16 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup sour cream
1 pound of medium Egg Noodles

In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil and onions until onions are clear, add paprika and stir. Add chicken pieces and brown. Add can of tomatoes (whole can, juice and all), green pepper and spices. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour to an hour and a half until chicken is done.

Pull chicken pieces out and let cool until you can take the bones out. You need to cook it with the bones because of the flavor that it adds to the gravy). While the chicken pieces cooling, add the sour cream and stir well. Add the chicken pieces back in and simmer.

While Chicken is simmering, boil water and cook Egg Noodles according to package directions. Serves chicken over noodles. Makes a great meal with a loaf of french bread and a green salad.