Cheesy Chili Soup

Serves: 4

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 t. chili powder
1 c. shredded Mexican style cheese

Bring all ingredients except cheese to a boil in a medium saucepan. Simmer on low for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in 1/3 cup cheese. Serve into bowls; top with remaining cheese.

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Tips: This was a delicious, meatless soup that was quick to put together. If you prefer it to be completely vegetarian, I'm sure it would be just as tasty with vegetable broth in place of the beef broth. I also crumbled whole wheat Ritz crackers into the soup when I served it to make it a bit thicker. I also shared this recipe on Kitchen Stewardship's Carnival of Super Foods.

Recipe adapted from Kraft Food & Family (Fall'09)

London Broil Teriyaki

Serves: 4

1 - 1 1/4 lb. piece London Broil, about 1 in. thick
1/2 c. soy sauce
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
1/4 c. green onion, thinly chopped

Preheat broiler to high. In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, ginger, sugar and garlic. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove 1/4 cup of sauce for basting. Place London broil on broiler rack and generously brush with basting sauce. Broil 4 inches from heat for 10 minutes. Turn and brush with remaining sauce. Broil an additional 5-6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. While the meat is broiling, mix cornstarch with water and add to saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Stir green onions into sauce and serve over steak.

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Tips: London broil can be a tricky piece of meat to get right. If the outside of your meat gets a little overdone just cut that side off. London broil is usually a thick enough cut of beef that you won't lose much. As for this specific recipe, it was easy to put together and it was nice to have a sauce especially if you meat does turn out a bit dry. I served it with a boxed long-grain rice mix as a side dish and a salad. I also shared this recipe at Designs by Gollum's Foodie Friday.

Recipe adapted from a Time Life recipe card

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Serves: 4-6

1 whole chicken, cut up & skin removed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bottle (18 oz.) barbecue sauce
3/4 c. regular cola

Place chicken in a crock pot. Top with onion and lemon slices. Combine barbecue sauce and cola; pour over all. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until chicken juices run clear.

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Tips: What an easy way to prepare BBQ chicken! Granted chicken on the actual barbecue is always the first choice. However if you live in a cold weather area now you don't have to give up BBQ chicken all winter. Watch for whole chicken or chicken pieces to go on sale. You can often find them for $1.00 or less per pound. Check out Saucy Country Ribs for another crock pot idea with cola! I also shared this recipe at Tales from the Fairy Blogmother's What's Cooking Wednesday.

Recipe from Taste of Home's 2001 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes

Grasshopper Bars

Makes: 3 dozen bars

1 pouch (17.5 oz.) Betty Crocker double chocolate chunk cookie mix
1/3 c. oil
2 T. water
1 egg
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1 tub (16 oz.) cream cheese or vanilla frosting
1/4 t. mint extract
3 drops green food coloring
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1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened baking chocolate
1 T. butter

In a large bowl, stir together cookie mix, oil, water and egg. Press into bottom of greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix frosting, mint extract and food coloring. Spread over bars. In a small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chocolate and butter, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Drizzle over frosting. Refrigerated 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.

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Tips: My daughter picked this recipe out of a Betty Crocker Magazine that has wonderful pictures of each cookie. It was fun to make with her (she's 3) because she could press the cookie mix into the pan, help me spread the frosting and help drizzle the chocolate glaze. These bars are very sweet so a small piece goes a long way. You can almost always find a print or online coupon for the Betty Crocker cookie mix. As always, I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer to do all the mixing work. I also shared this recipe at All the Small Stuff's Tuesdays at the Table & Diary of a Stay at Home Mom's Cooking Thursday.

Recipe from Betty Crocker Cookies & Bars Magazine

Simple Chicken and Rice

Serves: 4

4-6 chicken pieces, skin removed
Seasoned salt
Pepper
1 c. rice
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 1/2 c. water

Spread rice in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Place chicken pieces on top of rice and sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix onion soup mix and water. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.

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Tips: This was a wonderfully easy chicken dish. I made it with chicken pieces because they often go on sale for less than $1.00/lb. However, you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you prefer. This recipe reminded me of my favorite meal, Souper Chicken, just without the cream of mushroom soup.

Recipe from 365 Easy Chicken Recipes

Pineapple-Orange Streusel Coffee Cake

Serves: 10-12

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme cake mix
3 T. brown sugar, divided
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans, divided
4 large eggs
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 c. + 1 T. orange juice
1/3 c. oil
1/4 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. powdered sugar
Additional water, as needed

For streusel, combine 2 tablespoons cake mix, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup pecans. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining cake mix, eggs, pudding mix, 1 cup orange juice and oil. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle with streusel. Swirl with knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. For glaze, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon orange juice and vanilla extract in small bowl. Add powdered sugar gradually, stirring until smooth. Add water a teaspoon or less at a time to bring the glaze to a consistency that will drizzle. Drizzle half the glaze over warm cake. Sprinkle 1/4 cup pecans over glaze. Drizzle remaining glaze over pecans.

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Tips: This was a wonderful coffee cake and such a great change from the traditional cinnamon coffee cake. It might seem like a lot of work but since you start with a packaged cake mix half the work is done for you. If you bake at high altitude (like I do), I did add the additional 1/4 cup of flour to the cake mix like the box recommends. The top of my Bundt, which luckily becomes the bottom, did sink a bit. However, since you turn the cake over this didn't pose much of a problem. As always, I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer for the 2 minutes of mixing. (Who wants to stand there holding the hand mixer for 2 full minutes?)

I don't usually post pictures with my recipes for several reasons. First, I am usually rushing to get dinner on the table and don't have time to snap a picture. Second, I would never get recipes posted if I was constantly having to download pictures from my camera and upload them with my dial-up internet. However, I thought this cake was so pretty that I would break with tradition this time and show you how it turned out. I made this the night before and had it all ready to go for our first MOPS meeting of this school year. This recipe was featured at Simply Sweet Home's Sweet Thursday. I also shared the recipe at Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff Thursday.

Recipe from DuncanHines.com

Cumin-Lime Pork Tacos

Serves: 4-6

1 T. oil
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 lb. pork loin roast
1 onion; chopped, divided
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. oregano
1 lime, thinly sliced
Corn tortillas
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet. Sprinkle pork loin generously with salt and pepper. Sear roast on all sides in the hot oil. Remove to crock pot. Add 1/2 cup onion to the pan and saute until clear and starting to brown around the edges. Stir in spices. Remove from heat. Layer lime slices over pork roast and cover with onion mixture. Place lid securely and turn heat to high for first 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook 8 to 10 hours. Remove from pot and shred. Place 1/4 cup pork onto tortilla. Top with additional chopped onion and cilantro.

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Tips: This was a great crock pot meal that you can turn into something other than just a piece of meat. Once the meat is shredded you can stir in a little of the extra juices to add some moisture back into the meat. These reminded me of some of the great little tacos you get on the streets in Mexico. I also shared this recipe at A Southern Fairytale's Mouthwatering Monday.

Recipe from Life as MOM

Easy Beef Stew

Serves: 6-8

3 lbs. beef stew meat
3 large onions, cut into eighths
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 c. water
1 T. beef bouillon granules
1 T. brown sugar
2 T. salt
1 T. pepper
2 dried bay leaves
1 bag (1 lb.) baby carrots
1 can (14-15 oz.) green beans or 1 c. fresh green beans, cut into thirds

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients in crock pot except green beans. Cover, cook on high for 6-7 hours, stirring occasionally. Add canned green beans during the last hour or during last 2-3 hours if using fresh. Remove and discard bay leaves before serving.

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Tips: This was an easy beef stew that I set to cook on a Friday morning before we went camping for the weekend. Right before we left, I took it out of the crock pot then all I had to do was heat it a little when we pulled into camp. I actually used some leftover London Broil and cut down the recipe proportionately. If you want more stew recipes, check French Beef Stew or Elk Stew.

Recipe from Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles Magazine