Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

from http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/beef_stew.htm

This was my first experiement in my Dutch Oven...Not the quickest recipe but definitely tasty! Perfect for a snowy day!

2 pounds beef stew meat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash of ground allspice or ground cloves
6 medium carrots, scraped and quartered
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound pearl onions, peeled
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Brown beef on all sides in hot oil in a Dutch oven. Add the 3 cups of water and the next nine ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and discard the garlic clove and bay leaves. Add the carrots and potatoes, cover and simmer 30 to 45 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Carefully remove beef and vegetables with a slotted spoon. Cover and keep warm. Drain off or skim fat from drippings, reserving 1-3/4 cups drippings in the Dutch oven.

Combine the 1/4 cup water with the flour, and stir until smooth. Stir a few tablespoons of the drippings into the flour mixture, and stir again until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the drippings in the Dutch oven, stirring constantly, until smooth. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Return meat and vegetables to Dutch oven, and stir to combine. Makes 9 cups.

"Berg" Chicken

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to eat a meal at the home of our dean of students, Dr. Berg. This recipe is one that they "figured out" trying to copy something they had eaten at a local restaurant. Thus we have assigned the name, "Berg Chicken" to it. This is a crowd pleaser and is absolutely delicious. Not only does it taste great, but the finished product looks great on a plate. Serve with a fresh salad, variety of grilled vegetables and rolls for a wonderful meal!

Ingredients
1/3 c water
1/3 c cider vinegar
1/3 canola oil
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3-5 # chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
Monterrey Jack Cheese
Green Onion, Chopped
Roma Tomato (2), chopped

Marinate chicken in water, vinegar, oil, salt and Worcestershire sauce for 1-24 hours.

Grill chicken until done.

Cover with 1 slice cheese.

Top with onions and tomatoes.

Murphy's Hot Hamburger

Another recipe from the Pioneer Woman's website. Not healthy but ohhhhh soooo good!

Ingredients
•1 pound Ground Beef
•1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
•1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
•1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
•5 Tablespoons Flour
•2 cans (14 Oz. Can) Beef Broth OR 4 Cups Water With Beef Bouillon
•5 whole Large Potatoes
•1 Tablespoon Oil, Or As Needed
•Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice potatoes into fries. Place on a large baking sheet. Pour about 1 tablespoon of oil over the fries and toss with fingers to coat evenly. Sprinkle fries with seasoning of choice. I use seasoned salt. Place in the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden and crispy.

In a mixing bowl, mix hamburger, garlic, seasoned salt, onion powder and salt and pepper. Mix well with hands. Form 4 large patties. I like to make really rustic, greasy diner-style patties with no uniform shape. Place in a large preheated skillet over medium heat, preferably one with deep sides. Brown burgers on each side until done.

Remove burgers from the skillet and place on a plate covered in paper towels. Do not drain the grease. Add the flour a tablespoon at a time, stirring with a whisk. You have enough when the grease is all absorbed and the flour mixture gets thick and bubbly. Slowly add the broth a little at a time, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken.

To serve, place an ample amount of fries on the plate. Place a hamburger on top of the fries and cover it all amply in gravy. Enjoy!

Peppy Pizza Pasta

A recipe one of our teens shared with me....it's a family favorite of theirs and will become one of ours as well. You may add any other "pizza ingredients" (such as olives, mushrooms, onions, green pepper....whatever you like) to the list I have written. Enjoy!

Hey Carrie! I know I just left your house but I don't think I explained the Peppi Pizza Pasta recipe very well so I'm going to try again. First you spread a nice layer of pizza sauce on the bottom of the pan. Next, you pour in half of your noodles (you want to boil 4 cups of noodles per casserole) and mix them into the sauce. Third, spread half of the sausage and pepperoni all over the noodles. Then pour the rest of the noodles into the pan and spread the rest of your sauce onto the noodles and mix the sauce and noodles together. Finally, spread the remainder of the sausage and pepperoni on the top and once that is done sprinkle about 2 cups of mozzerella cheese all over the top! (or however much cheese you want to) Bake the casseroles in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes. When you stick the casseroles in the oven, make sure they're covered with foil. Anna

P.S. This is a rough list of what you need for ONE casserole.

4 cups of noodles (elbow macaroni is what we used)
2 cups of mozzerella (or however much you want on it)
30 slices of pepperoni (cut in half)
3-4 cups of pizza sauce
1 1/2 -2 cups of sausage (or however much you feel the casserole needs)

I asked Mom about all this so I'm sure this is right!