slow cooker beef barley soup

Now that the kids evening schedules are getting busier (hockey, cross country, more hockey, coding club, flying V's, even more hockey...), I'm giving into more crock pot recipes in hopes that we can still eat dinner together. This beef barley soup from thechunkeychef.com served with garlic bread has been voted a keeper.

SLOW COOKER BEEF BARLEY SOUP RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces (Yukon gold or russets are preferred)
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow or sweet onion, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp better than bouillon beef base (optional but recommended)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups beef broth or stock
• 2/3 cup pearl barley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If desired, heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over MED HIGH heat.  Add beef cubes and brown for 1-2 minutes per side.
2. Add beef and all remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
3. Remove bay leaves and thyme stems and serve. 

creamed spinach

Kory was grilling steak for dinner, so I tried to hunt down a creamed spinach recipe to relive our days of Chicago steakhouse dinners. The best reviewed recipe turned out to be a copy-cat of our favorite steakhouse-- Morton's (cajun ribeye!). I made some modifications to this dinnerthendessert.com recipe to downsize it for our family. Kory, Elle, and I loved it and the boys ate it without complaint, but said it was "just ok."

Morton’s Steakhouse Creamed Spinach (Copycat)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cups half-and-half (or 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup whole milk)
• 12 ounces fresh leaf spinach or one pound frozen
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil with a teaspoon of salt.
2. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute.
3. Drain the spinach in a strainer or colander.
4. Rinse with cold water until cool and squeeze the water out of each fistful of spinach.
5. In the same pot, melt the butter with the garlic.
6. Cook on medium low for 3-5 minutes or until the garlic is starting to brown.
7. Add in the remaining kosher salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
8. Add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon over low and cook for 2-3 minutes until the aroma is a bit nutty.
9. Add the half an half and cook until boiling and starting to thicken.
10. Turn off heat and add in the mozzarella cheese and stir until melted and smooth.
11. Add in the spinach and the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

sugar cookie frosting

This recipe from Julie’s Eats and Treats is my go to for frosting cookies. 2/3 c. butter softened

1/2 c. milk

2 lbs powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together and pipe or spread!

slow cooker minestrone

I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com slightly to cook the noodles right in the soup and served it with cheesy garlic bread for a veggie-packed meal that the kids ate without too much complaining.

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 small zucchini
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
• 4 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

Directions

1. Combine vegetable broth, tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, celery, carrots, green beans, zucchini, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, thyme, and black pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. 
   
4. Stir spinach and macaroni into minestrone; cook another 10 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese.

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gone all day dinner

This dinner was super savory and warming from the crock pot. We all wondered if the almonds were going to ruin the recipe, but they definitely provided needed texture. I used fresh, sliced mushrooms and beef better than bouillon.

crock pot beef stroganoff

The whole family ate this recipe well. I used several handfuls of quartered, fresh creminis instead of jarred mushrooms, left out the juice, and use beef better than bouillon. 

frozen key lime pie

The whole family loved this Ina Garten recipe for frozen key lime pie. It took me 8 medium limes to get enough juice, not the 4-5 in the recipe.



Ingredients: 

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers) 
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted 

For the filling:

• 6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature 
• 1/4 cup sugar 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 
• 2 tablespoons grated lime zest 
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes) 

For the decoration:

• 1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream 
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• Thin lime wedges 

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime.

Freeze for several hours or overnight.

rhubarb cake

A breakfast favorite from all recipes. This easily lasts all week for the kids' breakfast.

 

Oma's Rhubarb Cake

• Prep
  30 m
• Cook
  45 m
• Ready In
  1 h 15 m

Recipe By:Alea

"Oma always makes this for her grand kids after she picks through her garden. Probably not good for the thighs but Oma's cooking is always good for the taste buds."

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sour cream

 

• 3 cups diced rhubarb
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, salt and 2 cups flour. Stir in the eggs and sour cream until smooth, then fold in the rhubarb. Pour into the prepared dish and spread evenly. In a smaller bowl, stir together the remaining 1 cup sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake then dust lightly with cinnamon.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

thai basil chicken

A great work lunch for the week from the woks of life. Next time I'd increase the recipe by 1.5-2x to last all week.

Thai Basil Chicken (Easy Gai Pad Krapow)

Prep time: 3 mins
Cook time: 7 mins
Total time: 10 mins

This Thai basil chicken recipe takes just 3 minutes to prepare and 7 minutes to cook. Served along with steamed rice, it's restaurant food, fast.

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 tablespoons oil
• 3 Thai bird chilies or holland chilies, de-seeded (if desired) and thinly sliced
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
• 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth or water
• 1 bunch holy or Thai basil leaves

Instructions

1. In a wok over high heat, add the oil, chilies, shallots and garlic, and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the ground chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes, breaking up the chicken into small bits.
2. Add the sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Stir-fry for another minute and deglaze the pan with the broth. Because your pan is over high heat, the liquid should cook off very quickly.
3. Add the basil, and stir-fry until wilted. Serve over rice.

chicken salad

This recipe from How to Feed a Loon is probably my favorite chicken salad ever-- it might even top Ina Garten's Curried Chicken Salad, but it's close. I was lazy and used a rotisserie chicken that I roughly chopped instead of cooking my own chicken pieces.

Print

BEST-EVER CHICKEN SALAD

This Best-Ever Chicken Salad is really wonderful.  Perfect for incredible chicken salad sandwiches (croissants are great!), or ton top of a lovely bed of green.  Either way, you're just going to love this Best-Ever Chicken Salad!    Using our Homemade Mayo recipe makes it even better!

COURSE: LUNCH

 

CUISINE: AMERICAN

 

KEYWORD: CHICKEN SALAD

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME: 50 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES

SERVINGS: 8 PEOPLE

 

CALORIES: 245 KCAL

 

AUTHOR: KRIS LONGWELL

INGREDIENTS

• 3 - 4 lbs chicken parts (bone-in, skin-on thighs and breasts work well)(You'll need about 4 cups)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup seedless grapes, halved (red and green varieties are great)
• 1 cup almonds, thinly sliced
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Kosher salt(start with 1/2 teaspoon, then add more, to taste)
• Freshly ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F
2. Rub the olive oil all over the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165°F using an instant-read thermometer.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool.  Remove the skin then pull the meat from the bones and roughly chop.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, grapes, almonds, celery, scallions, dll, & parsley.
6. In a small-medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper. 
7. Add the mayo/mustard mixture to the chicken mixture and gently stir until well mixed.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  
9. Serve on a bed of greens with sliced tomatoes and avocado.  Or, serve on bread with green leaf lettuce.  Add more toppings to your taste!

Meatloaf

We like this America's Test Kitchen recipe with a few modifications. We don't use the glaze or the bacon and do use 1 lb. ground beef, 1 lb. ground pork. Kory and the kids all eat this old-school meal without complaint.

ramen noodle soup

Another lunch brought to my desk by ATK.

apple pear coffee cake

Kory and the kids both love this Taste of Home coffee cake, which is extra moist thanks to the fruit (I used two apples and one pear). The pan should last them all week for breakfast!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1-1/4 cups chopped peeled apples
• 1/2 cup chopped peeled pear
• TOPPING:
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in apples and pear. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
• In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over batter.
• Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

ground beef stroganoff

Another savory, comforting lunch from ATK.

mongolian beef

A yummy takeout alternative for lunch from Cooks Country (sub GF soy sauce).