Beef Stroganoff

I tried this the other night with some friends over and it was delicious! Very simple and easy from Paula Deen!

1 1/2 lbs cubed round steak, cut into strips (or buy prepacked meat from the store)
House seasoning (recipe below)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
1 can beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom
Salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream
Cooked egg noodles

House seasoning: 1 c salt, 1/4 c black pepper, 1/4 c garlic powder (you can reduce for individual serving size for this recipe or store remaining for 6 moths)

Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices (also can add mushrooms if you like, I don't!) to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.

Ham Glaze for Easter Ham

So here's the recipe for my Ham that I made for Easter this year!

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 prepared mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp onion powder

Just mix all and baste over ham. Start the ham baking and glaze throughout (I also added 7 up and basted with the mixture of the two). Baked on 325 degrees for 15 mins per pound

Chicken, Rice, Cheese and Broccoli Casserole

I've been wanting to try to make a recipe like this for a while since the hubby isn't a fan of chicken I thought he might like it at least with the rice. And he did :) He is on a broccoli/cheese kick lately so here's the latest recipe!

1 pkg chicken (3-4 boneless skinless breasts)
3/4 c chicken broth
3/4 c rice
1 pkg frozen broccoli florets
1/4 c lemon juice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of broccoli soup (or broccoli cheese)
Salt/Pepper

Mix all ingredients but the chicken and put in a square baking dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper (and anything else you might like). Put on top of rice mixture. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

My suggestions - not sure what size baking dish I was using, I think just a standard size one and the rice mixture didn't even coat the bottom of it barely so I might up the quantity of everything slightly next time. I also seasoned my chicken with garlic salt, onion powder, and pepper - I put it on the george foreman for about 4 minutes just to start it cooking although the recipe didn't call for it. Finally, I added some shredded cheddar cheese on top to make it even cheesier! :)

White Chicken Chili

Got this recipe from my co-worker Milena. She brought it in to one of our food days and I just had to have to recipe! Worked out well...see my suggestions at the end though!

3 cups diced onion
2 cups diced celery
5 garlic cloves, chopped
olive oil
1-2 lbs chicken breast, cubed
10 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 (7 oz) can chopped green chilies (find these by the mexican food!)
1 tbsp white pepper (black will do though)
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 of a 7 oz can of chipotle in adobo, chopped
4 tbsp chicken base
1 pickled jalapeno, chopped
3 cans of white beans (Great Northern)
1/2 c heavy cream

Saute onions and celery in 2 tbsps of olive oil for about 5 mins over medium heat. Add in chicken. Cook until chicken is about 1/2 done. Add garlic, all spices and peppers. Cook this together for about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken base and then slowly add the water and crank the heat up. Once you bring to a slow boil, lower the heat to medium-low. Add the beans and cream and let simmer for at least an hour.

My suggestions:
1. I would add at least another can or two of beans and make sure you use the two pounds of chicken. I like mine with more stuff! Also, could have been a little thicker for me so next time I might add some corn starch towards the end.
2. My husband suggested maybe removing the beans and adding noodles to make it chicken noodle soup! It's a perfect broth for it!
3. As far as ingredients go - I didn't do the chipotle in adobo because that just adds more spice and my husband isn't a huge spicy person. I substituted the Old Bay seasoning and Cajun seasoning with seasoned salt and garlic salt. I used garlic powder instead of fresh because I didn't have any.

Monkey Bread

This sounds so good....I was researching recipes for a bread maker Ben's Grandpa gave us and came across this. I know I've had it somewhere I just don't know where...

4 cans refrigerator biscuits (about 40)
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup pecans, raisins and/or coconut, if desired

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Pour sugar and cinnamon into a plastic bag and mix.

Add biscuit pieces, several at a time; shake to coat well.

Place pieces in a buttered tube or Bundt pan until all are used.

Sprinkle layers with nts, raisings or coconut.

Bring brown sugar and butter to a boil in saucepan. Cool 10 minutes, then pou over tp of biscuits.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes before removing from pan. Turn upside down to serve.

My suggestions: Make sure you watch as they are cooking. I used a muffin tin instead (make sure you only fill muffin holes about 1/2 way to avoid them spilling over the edge!). The 45 mins seemed to be too much and made the top biscuit pieces hard - so maybe only cook about 30 mins maybe even just 25.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Hubby has been craving broccoli cheese soup (he NEVER used to eat it) so I found this recipe that is supposed to be a copy of Panera's which he likes. Hopefully it ends up tasting like it!

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

1. Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
2. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
3. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper. Can be puréed in a blender but I don't. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

My suggestions: No need to puree, it was perfect without it! Tasted pretty good but could have used a little more cheese. Not sure the nutmeg fit in well, I would have preferred it without it. Could have been slightly thicker. Overall a great recipe though!

Onion Loaf with Cheese

A co-worker of mine made this for one of our lunches and it was so delicious and sounds easy to make!

1 loaf italian bread
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 stick butter
12-15 slices of swiss cheese

Cut bread length wise and then across as many times as you would like (thicker slices are recommended though). Saute the onions in about 1 tbsp of the butter, add the rest of the butter and melt. Place the cheese slices on the bread and then pour the butter mixture overtop. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Uncover and bake another 15.