Orange Beef and Beans

 This beef dish is great if you have leftover steaks or roast.  The perfect way to jazz up the leftovers and transform them into something new.  Or you can start with fresh beef as well.  You'll never order take out again!  Promise ;)

1 1/2 of chopped beef
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup teriyaki
1Tbls lime juice
1 Tbls  sesame oil

1 Tbls Garlic Powder
1/2 sweet onion
1 bag fresh green bean or broccoli

Put beef in crock pot. Mix together the next 5 ingredients and pour on top of beef. Chop onion and place on top. Cook on low 5-7 hours. Add Thai noodles and steamed green beans or broccoli. Cover with noodles and veggies have softened up a bit. And enjoy!!

Or you can put fresh green beans with some seseame oil on them in a tight foil packet. After you have everything in the crock pot out the foil packet on top. Cover with the lid and let them steam along with the rest of the meal. Yummy

 

Curry coconut corn and potatoe chowder

Small bag of Frozen corn

Simply potatoes with onions 

Box chicken stock

Can of coconut milk

2tsp graham Masala 

1 block hot curry from box

1 package of instant potatoe with garlic

Dash of garlic power

Salt pepper to tast 

High in crock pot for 3-4 hrs until potatoes are tender 

White Bean Chicken Chili

 White bean chicken chili

Place a whole small chicken in the crock pot cover with a boxed low sodium chicken broth, garlic powder, chicken spice, and onion. Cook 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from the crock pot, de-bone it and remove the skin tear into it size pieces, set aside. Strain liquid from crock pot threw a small mesh strainer, set aside. Add the onions to the shredded chicken. Pour some of the liquid over the shredded chicken. Cool broth and the chicken overnight.

The next day scrap the layer of fat off of the broth and pour into the crock pot. Add the chicken and the remaining ingredients. Cool on low about 3-4 hours. I wait to add the corn when I'm about an hour out from serving the chili.

Day 1:

Whole chicken or two very large breast with bones and skin

Large sweet onion diced 

3 Tbls garlic powder 

3 Tbls Montreal chicken spice 

Day 2:

4-cans northern white beans

2-cans cream of chicken soup

2-small cans of mild green chilies

1-pack of mild chili spices 

Homemade chicken broth 

The shredded chicken

A bag of frozen corn microwaved and streamed

Serve with sliced bread or white corn chips sour cream and shredded mozzarella 

Thanksgiving Turkey

We used a frozen turkey and it turned out perfectly.

Brine the turkey for 48 hrs
buttermilk
chopped onion
fresh chopped garlic
2 tsp salt
2 tbls black pepper

We used a roasting pan to cook the bird. Before putting in the pan loosen the skin to add the following herb blend:

Fresh sage
Tyme
Garlic
Minced Shallot

Place the following inside the bird:

Rosemary
Cut orange
Cut onion


Pour a cup of chicken broth in the pan. Roast on the highest setting for 30min then turn the pan down to 325 and roast for another 3-3.5hrs.

Spritz Cookies

1 1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Thoroughly cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract; beat well. Sift together flour and baking powder add gradually to creamed mixture, kneading to smooth dough. Do not Chill!!!

Force dough through cookie press onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake in hot oven 400 degrees 8 minutes. Cool makes 6 dozen.

Southern Style Sweet Potato Casserole

Ahhh. This should really fall into the dessert category.

Ingredients:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter

topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole dish. Mix Remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until hot and browned. serves 6-8

Sunflower "Chicken" Salad

Ok, so here goes the yo yo again. This time we are inspired by our friends and neighbors. Yes, they are almost 10 years younger than us and hiked the AT. But, alas we are inspired. Vegan they say. Hugh? Vegan really? Well let's just say the Babers and I can barely make it through it week with out falling off of the wagon. So here we go with our take on vegetarian :) Nice compromise.

8 oz dry unsalted shelled sunflower seed
3 tablespoons Veggie Mayo (we tried Nasoya pretty good)
1/2 cup jumbo mixed raisins
1/8 cup diced yellow onions
1/8 cup diced celery
salt and pepper to taste.

Soak the sunflower seeds in water for about 24 hrs. The seeds will split and separate from the skin. They may even begin to sprout. Once they are desired tenderness strain and put into food processor. Chop until meat like texture. Mix sunflowers seeds with the remaining ingredients. We had ours on a vegan multi gran flat bread with lettuce and cucumbers. Yum!