roman stew

2 lbs top round - cubed
1/2 c seasoned flour
1 T olive oil
6 oz chopped bacon
1 medium onion- chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery - sliced
1 T marjoram
1 c red wine
1/2 c beef stock
2 T tomato sauce

1- dredge meat in flour, brown in olive oil
2- cook bacon
3- use fat to saute vegetables
4- add meat and remaining ingredients (sans tomato sauce)
5- simmer 30-40 min to 1 hour with no lid
6- after meat is tender, add tomato sauce and simmer additional 30-40 min

notes: i generally don't have tomato sauce and use marinara or tomato soup concentrate

stupid turkey noodle bake

350 degrees
brown 1-2 lbs ground turkey
2 c shredded cheese
1.5 c uncooked noodles
1 can condensed cream onion soup
1 c milk
8 oz frozen peas

1- brown turkey, season with s + p, paprika, garlic powder, thyme
2- boil egg noodles
3- mix all in bowl. grease 2 qt casserole dish and bake
30-60 min covered

4- uncover and top with last 1/2 c cheese for 15-20 min

crock pot chicken burrito

3 or 4 chicken breasts (frozen or not)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can ro-tel (undrained)

put in crock pot and cook on LOW for 5 hours

with about 1 hour/30 min left
use forks to shred chicken
throw in frozen corn
15oz can rinsed & drained black beans

when time is up, stir in 1 block of cream cheese

potato soup

--5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
--1 teeny onion, diced
--4 cloves garlic, minced
--1 teaspoon seasoned salt
--1/2 teaspoon black pepper
--1/2 teaspoon red pepper
--2 quarts chicken broth
--2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end
--crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. I suppose you can also leave the potatoes in chunks, if you really wanted, but I wanted a smooth soup.

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and I'd assume cheddar cheese would be just delightful.

gingerbread

from bakerella

Gingerbread Cookies

5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 cup butter, slightly soft
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses

• Sift flour, soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add egg and mix until combined.
• Add molasses and mix until combined.
• Gradually add in flour mixture and mix until combined and a dough forms.
• Divide dough into four sections and shape each into a flattened disc.
• Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
• When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out each disc between two sheets of parchment paper using a rolling pin.
• Flour the sides of the paper that will touch the dough to make it a little easier to release.
• Cut out shapes and remove excess dough to reuse.
• Leave cutouts on parchment paper and transfer to cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.

For the icing, mix together four cups confectioner’s sugar and four tablespoons meringue powder with about four tablespoons water. If it’s too thick, add more water a teaspoon at a time. Or if it’s too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar. Decorate using a #2 to outline and #3 tip to fill in.

turke meatballs

• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground dark turkey meat
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

iced pumpkin cookies

350 degrees

2.5 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
.5 t nutmeg
.5 t cloves
.5 t salt

1/2 c softened butter
1.5 c sugar
1 c canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 t vanilla

1) cream together butter & sugar. Add rest of wet ingredients and beat until creamy
2) mix dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture
3) drop by T on cookie sheets. Flatten slightly, bake 15 - 20 minutes

glaze...
2 c confectioners sugar
3 T milk
1T melted butter
1 t vanilla