Good Burger

This is a mixture to mix in your ground beef for really good hamburgers and I mean REALLY good.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 sm yellow onion
6 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. A1 or BBQ sauce or Worcestershire
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Mix all together, mold into patties and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw ahead of time and have a quick BBQ on a summer night. We like to BBQ them with some BBQ sauce and cheddar to finish the top. Throw out baked beans or corn on the cob, a simple salad or baked french fries and you're good to go. Yum.

Chicken Enchiladas

Filling:
1 1/2 pound chicken, cooked
1 med. onion
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Sauce:
15 oz. tomato sauce
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup green pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/4 Tbsp ground cumin
Garlic Salt to taste
1 sm. can green chilies

Mix all sauce ingredients together and simmer for 5 min. or so.

8-10 Tortillas

*pour some of your sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
*dip tortillas in sauce
*fill with the chicken mixture
*roll up and place in the bottom of the pan
*pour the remainder of your sauce on top of enchiladas after placing them all in your pan.
*put extra cheese on top if you desire.

Freeze at this point for up to 3 months.

Bake frozen enchiladas at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours.
HINT: Do not thaw frozen enchiladas and then bake. They will be really soggy and gross. :)

Yummy Beef Stew

No particular measurements are needed, you just judge according to the size of your crock pot. You make as much or little as you want. OF course the less you make the less time you need to cook it.

1 layer of chopped carrots

1 layer of potatoes

1 layer of cut green beans (frozen or fresh)

1 layer of beef stew cubes (about 1 lb. should do)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (do not add water)

1 can tomato soup (do not add water)

1 clove crushed garlic

1/2 soup can of water

DO NOT STIR. Just layer all the ingredients in the order listed and pour the water over the top. Cook on low all day (8ish hours). We like to dip fresh buttered bread in the gravy of this stew. It's really thick. Sounds weird, but my kids LOVE it.

Forgotten Minestrone Soup

1 lb. stew meat
6 cups water
28 oz. can of tomatoes
1 beef bullion cube
1 med. onion (optional..could use a few sprinkles of dried)
2 tbsp. minced dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 med. zucchini
2 cups cabbage (optional..I leave it out)
1 16 oz. can garbanzo beans (I leave these out too)
1 cup elbow macaroni (or other pasta)
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Combine all ingredients down to pepper and cook in crock pot on low 7-9 hrs. Stir in the rest of ingredients and cook on high 30- 45 more min. (if you are in a hurry, boil the rest of the stuff in a pot on the stove until pasta is tender then drain and add to soup..this will only take about 15 min). I garnish the bowls with a generous amount of fresh grated parmesan..that I buy shredded in the bag. It sounds like a gross recipe, but my kids love it. It's got a good blend of spices and tastes very Italian.
HINTS: Stew meat does not have to be thawed, fresh tomatoes out of your garden will work in the summer.

Chicken Soft Tacos

:

1 can Safeway Select Peach Pineapple Salsa
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (right out of the freezer..do not thaw)
1/2 to 3/4 cup water

In your crock pot, put the chicken on the bottom and dump 1/2 the jar of salsa over the top. Add the water making sure there's about 1/2 inch water in the bottom to prevent the chicken from burning during the long cooking process. Cook chicken on low...NOT HIGH..it will burn on holy cow it stinks! Cook for 6-8 hours. Then drain off any excess liquid, shred w/ 2 forks. Throw out some tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheese, and any other toppings you like. Serve w/ green salad and maybe some refried beans and you're in business. One of the easiest, yummiest meals I know. My kids dance when we get to have this. Guests have all loved it too. HINTS: Must use the Safeway Peach Pineapple salsa, if you need to use thawed chicken, only cook on low 4 hrs. and then check every 1/2 hour or so to make sure you aren't burning.
Enjoy!

Freezer Meals and Crock Pot Ideas...

A friend recently posted on her FB that she needed some ideas for crock pot meals and/or freezer meals so she could have quick, easy meals. I promised I would post any ideas that I had. So, the following posts are some of the recipes we like at our house. My 4 criteria for a recipe to be a family fave are: Cheap, Easy, Healthy, GOOD. These are not all a 10 out of 10 in every category, but they are pretty good and we like them well enough and eat them often. Ok! We'll see how far I get today and I'll continue in the next few days until I'm done...