Beef and Onion Stew

Today I had every intention of making a beef stew.  Then I realized that my potatoes had gone mushy.  Drat.  Time to step back and punt.

I think I could make a meal of just
caramelized onions.  Delish!

We had just picked up a new bag of onions today, so french onion soup was a possibility (and oh so yummy).  But then what to so with the already thawed beef? 

This is when I figures that if french onion soup is good with just beef broth, why not try modifying it a bit to use actually beef chunks?

So, this is what I came up with and currently have simmering in the crockpot waiting for my husband to get home.  Sorry for the bad cell phone pictures.  I didn't think about making this a blog post until about half way through and didn't want to go find the camera.  I really should just leave it out int he kitchen.

Beef and Onion Stew
approx 1lb beef, in 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups beef broth (this can be 1/2 and 1/2 with beer for extra flavor)
2 large onions
1Tbsp thyme
1Tbps mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 carrots (optional, I like the little bit of color)

1) Brown the beef in a skillet and place into the crockpot with the broth.

2) Carmelize the onions and add to the pot (I do this with a little butter, takes about 5-8 min)

3) Add seasonings and carrots.

4) Cook about 4hrs on high.

5) Enjoy!  To really get the french onion thing going on, serve with thick cut bread topped with melted cheese.  Delish!

Cooking away in the crock.  Looks like about enough for 2-3 servings. 
I'm going to make a veggie soup out of the leftovers.

 
Let me know if you try this out and how it works for you!

Quick Cookies

Hopefully everyone has their holiday baking well in hand.  But if you just happen to have forgotten you need to bring something to that party tonight... I'm going to share my go-to quick cookie recipes. 
I made both of these two recipes a few weeks ago when I needed to bake cookies in just a couple hours between activities.  Both recipes are five ingredients or less, and cook in just a few minutes at 350 degrees, but are delicious!

Cakemix Cookies
I first learned of these while reading the Hannah Swenson mysteries.  If you like quick, light mysteries and baking I highly recommend the series. I've made these in lemon and chocolate, next up will be red velvet and funfetti. 

1 box of cakemix (any flavor)
1 tub of whipped topping (8oz, I use coolwhip)
1 egg

I already cracked the egg here.

Beat the egg in a bowl.  Add all other ingredients and mix well in a large bowl. 

Roll into small balls (these are super sticky) and then in a bowl of powdered sugar.  Place onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.  Cool and enjoy.  Makes about 4doz, depending on size.

More or Less Peanut Butter Cookies
These come from my friend Samantha's blog The Cluttered Table.  The blog is down now, but perhaps she'll start up again sometime.  They are a family recipe that she was kind enough to share with us all.

1 egg
1cup sugar
1cup peanut butter
chocolate chips (optional)
Hersey's kisses (optional)

Mix egg and sugar in a bowl.  Stir in peanut better until well blended.  Add in chocolate chips if desired.  The dough should be slightly oily, but not overly so, or sticky.

Roll with your hands into walnut size balls and place onto a cookie sheet.  Press down with a fork to create that classic peanut butter cookie look. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350degrees.  Move immediately to wax or parchment paper to cool so that they don't stick to the cookie sheet.  Place the Hershey's kiss on top while still hot.  (I use the chocolate chips but skip the kisses personally.)  Enjoy while warm or cool.

I hope these recipes help when you need a quick but yummy homemade treat.   The great thing is they bake at the same temp for about the same time.  I love it when things work our like that!

Dairy Free Thanksgiving

I have always LOVED cooking which is a good thing considering the allergies in our family. Kaleigh our oldest daughter is allergic to dairy and I am allergic to ALL nuts. Although Kaleigh's reaction to dairy has become less severe it is important for us to keep any form of dairy out of her diet. My allergy to Nuts consists of hives and blisters in my mouth...trust me NOT fun. I have seen conflicting opinions but I believe allergies run in a family. My mother is also allergic to ALL nuts and Catherine (the C in ACE sisters) is also allergic to dairy. My other two girls have not shown an signs of being allergic to dairy or nuts but it is still early days.

This Thanksgiving we had a treat of having Catherine come to visit us! This was her first time seeing Abigail (the newest member of the family) and our new house here in Arkansas.






Because now we had two people in the house that needed dairy-free food I decided to make everything dairy free for Thanksgiving. On the list of food for the feast included: Ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, bread rolls, cranberry sauce, brown gravy, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Each adult made a part of the meal Curtis made the pumpkin pie with the children, Catherine made the green bean casserole, and I did the rest.


Most dishes can be made dairy free with a simple substitute like milk for a milk alternative (soy milk, almond milk, or coconut milk) and/or butter for a dairy free fat (dairy free butter, oil, or Crisco).
Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie

• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup White Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg or Allspice
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 15-ounce Can Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Soymilk
• 1 Pie Shell 

Mix the sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or allspice, cloves and salt in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar mixture, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth (if you are using vanilla Soymilk do not add vanilla . Stir in Soymilk
Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Allow the pie to cool for 2 hours.

This tastes as good as regular pumpkin pie!! 

Dairy-free Green Bean Casserole

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 tablespoons butter (non dairy)
• 10  mushrooms sliced
• 3 tablespoons flour 
• pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 1/2 cups of soymilk (could use chicken broth)
• 16 ounces green beans(we used fresh but could be canned or frozen)
• 1 container of French-fried onions

If using fresh green beans:

Snap ends of green beans (I never cut my green beans with a knife). Cook in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. 

In a sauce pan add oil and "butter" and heat until melted. Saute mushrooms in oil and "butter" mixture for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms darken and shrink.
Remove from heat. Add three tablespoons of flour and mix together. 

Slowly add the Soymilk, salt, and pepper. If the mixture is too thin add additional flour for a thicker.

Pour over green beans. Add half the can of french-fried onions and mix.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Sprinkle french fried onions on top and bake an additional 5-10 minutes

 Here is our feast!! Yum Yum