Keto Stroganoff

Serves 1 (large serving)

45 grams heavy whipping cream
62 grams 1/3 lower fat cream cheese (I'm sure you could sub regular cream cheese...this was just what I had on hand)
57 grams mozarella cheese, cubed
110 grams 85% hamburger (weight after cooking)
148 grams zucchini with skin, spiralized

1.  Cook and drain hamburger, weigh out desired amount
2.  In separate pan combine whip cream, cream cheese and mozarella
3.  Cook cream and cheeses until all all melted
4.  Add hamburger and zucchini
5.  Cook for a few minutes until Zucchini softens

Total Macros:
607 Calories
Net Carbs 6.3
Fat 41.8
Protein 49

Aunt Olive's Soup

I brought this to Souper Saturday yesterday.  Aunt Olive was my Grandma's older sister.  So this recipe has made it through several generations of my family.  The way this recipe was handed down to me was that you make huge batches and bottle them.  A few years ago I experimented with it and made the recipe smaller so you could just make 1 dinner.  I will include both recipes.  It has basically the same ingredients as salsa...so you can grow the same items in your garden.  Sister Dabb has a really similar recipe (the larger canning version), but she does not put the noodles in before canning.  There are advantages to this...you could then use rice or noodles and the noodles don't take up space in your jars.  But the advantage to having the noodles already in the soup are that it makes it easier to open up and have a quick dinner.  I have listed spicy sausage to add...but you could alternately add ground beef or ground turkey or shredded or cubed chicken.  It is also good without meat.  We were brainstorming yesterday and saying it would be good with beans in it also...but I have never tried that.  Please note that the  bottling methods listed have not been approved by the Utah State Extension Office...they are just what my family has always done.

This is the bottling recipe...

1/2 bushel tomatoes

1/4 C. salt

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. pepper

9 C. macaroni (cooked and drained)

3 large bell peppers, diced

1 bunch celery, diced

5 medium onions, diced

1/2 lb. of real butter

Melt butter in large frying pan add vegetables.  Saute until light brown and fully cooked.

Peel tomatoes (can blanch if desired).  Cut into small pieces or blend in blender.

Fully cook macaroni (do not overcook).

Combine all ingredients except macaroni and boil hard for 15 minutes.  Add hot (and drained) macaroni).

Put in bottles.  Process in water bath.  Pints 20 minutes, Quarts 25 minutes.

Makes about 35 pints.

When serving, if desired, you can add any of the following: sausage, hamburger, chicken, cheese.  I also think it is too thick when I open a jar so I will blend a bottle of tomatoes and add that in.

Here is the 1 dinner recipe...

10 tomatoes peeled and blended in blender, OR 2 quarts of bottled tomatoes (with a possibility of 3 total).  If you do fresh tomatoes you may want to have 1 jar of bottled tomatoes on hand just in case it is too thick.

1 T. salt

3 T. sugar

quite a bit of pepper

2 1/2 C. macaroni (or other noodles), cooked and drained

1 bell pepper, any color

2 ribs celery, diced

1 medium yellow onion diced

2 T. oil or butter  (add more if vegetables start to stick while sauteing)

1 tube Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage (by the hot dogs)

1.  To peel the tomatoes you cna blanch them first to make it easier.

2.  Saute vegetables until lightly browned and cooked through.  

3.  Brown meat, drain if desired (I did not for Souper Saturday...but sometimes I do).

4.  Cook noodles through and drain

5.  Combine all ingredients

6.  Boil hard 15 minutes

7.  If not soupy enough when done, add blended up jar of bottled tomatoes.  And heat through.

Instead of the hot sausage you can do hamburger or chicken if desired.  And instead of noodles you can do cooked rice if desired.

If you double this recipe it will completely fill a large crockpot.

Jana's Taco Soup

Recipe from Jana A.

She brought this to our family a few months ago and we all loved it.

This is one of those super easy recipes that I almost always have all the ingredients on hand for. Here it is.

1 lb hamburger

1 (15 oz) can EACH of corn, black beans, kidney beans, tomato sauce

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 small can diced chiles

1/3 to 1/2 pkg taco seasoning packet (I use 1/2)

1 (15 oz) can water

Brown hamburger. Add other ingredients and simmer till heated through. Top with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and/or salsa if desired.

Store-bought Lasagna

My MIL brought us a store-bought lasagna tonight. It was a crazy day and I was so grateful for the help. I am not normally a big fan of store-bought lasagna's (stouffers and what-not). This one was really good. I would even serve it to company. It was a bit spicy, which I liked! But if your kids don't like spicy they might not be a fan. It was Kirkland All Natural Italian Sausage and Beef Lasagna. We cooked it in the oven, but it says that it is microwavable. Kirkland is the Costco brand (if I remember right). This was a smaller one. It said it had 6 servings and I would say that's about right. Try it! You'll like it!

Lasagna

1 lb hamb.
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
lasagna noodles
spaghetti sauce
cottage cheese
mozarella, grated

Brown hamb with onion. Drain and rinse.
Spread a little spaghetti sauce in the bottom a glass 9 X 13 pan. Put 3 uncooked noodles on the sauce. Cover noodles with a little sauce. Then half of the meat. some cottage cheese, some mozarella, noodles, sauce, meat, cottage cheese, cheese, noodles, sauce, cheese.
Bake covered with foil at 350 for about an hour to

an hour and a half (when you poke with a fork the noodles should be very soft and easy to poke through). Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Whole wheat noodles take longer. If you run out of sauce, use tomato sauc

e rather than open a whole new can of spaghetti sauce.

Fresh Spaghetti Sauce

So even though our garden looks like the Garden of "WEED"en it really is producing vegetables.  So yesterday I was feeling home-makerly and decided to make spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes.  It turned out really good.  Even Jason liked it, which is saying something!

It was from Food.com.  (Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce by Lauralie41)

Here is the original recipe and below is the way I made it (I didn't have all of the fresh hebs and onion, so I used dried).

http://www.food.com/recipe/fresh-tomato-spaghetti-sauce-10837

4 lbs. tomatoes, chopped and peeled
2 med onions
4 cloves garlic
1/4 C. fresh basil
1/4 C. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
4 sprigs parsley
1 T. sugar

Directions:

1. 1
   To cook pasta sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large iron skillet or heavy saucepan.
2. 2
   Add onion, basil, garlic and salt.
3. 3
   Saute until onion is tender, approximately 5 minutes.
4. 4
   Add tomato, parsley and sugar; heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 2 hours, stirring often or until sauce has thickened.
5. 5
   Remove parsley.
6. 6
   Serve over cooked spaghetti or other Italian pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.
   
   
   
   
   HERE'S WHAT I DID...
   4 lbs tomatoes
   2 T. dried onions
   2 tsp. minced garlic (from a bottle)
   4 tsp fresh basil
   1/4 C. canola (I didn't have olive oil)
   1 tsp. salt
   4 tsp. parsley
   1 T. white granulated sugar
   
   
   Boil a big pan of water.  Put tomatoes in water until skin splits open.  Remove tomatoes from water, put in cold water.  Skin will just fall right off the tomatoes.  Core tomatoes.
   
   
   Then I put the tomatoes in the blender (because I don't like chunks).   Pour tomatoe puree in a pan.  Add spices.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours.  Let cool.  Reheat and serve over noodles.  
   
   
   I did have to add some water at the end because it was too thick for me.  I also added a lb of cooked hamburger.  I think it would have been good without.  Or with sausage.
   
   
   It was good, I would make it again.  A little labor intensive, not too bad.  And you did have to start 3 or 4 hours ahead of when you wanted to eat. 
   
   
   We also had fresh cucumbers and squash and cooked carrots from the garden (the carrots are not pictures because they weren't quite done cooking when we sat down to eat!)  I felt very self-reliant that night!  It's a good feeling!
   
   
   
   
   

Quick Chili

Here is a recipe I made up.

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 qt. bottled tomatoes, pureed in blender
1 lb. cooked hamburger

2 pkgs taco seasoning
a little chili pwd
liquid smoke, original flavor (by spices)
pepper
garlic powder

Warm to boiling, allow to cool slightly before serving.

Here is an alternate I made last night


1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained


1 qt. bottled tomatoes, pureed in blender
1/2 lb leftover taco meat


1 pkg chili seasoning (mine was McCormick)
liquid smoke, original flavor (3 shakes)
3-5 shakes garlic powder
3-5 shakes onion powder

It needed pepper.

It really isn't as hard as I used to think.  It is really fast.  Almost as fast as warming up a can of chili (if hamburger is already cooked) and waaaaay better.  Just keep tossing in seasonings that go with chili until the sauce tastes good!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb hamburger
1 onion, chopped (or dried onion)
1 can tomato soup (do not add water)
about 1 T. brown sugar
about 1/2 T. prepared mustard
about 1/2 T. worcestershire

Brown hamburger with onions.  Add remaining ingredients.  Heat through.  Change amounts to taste.

Serve in any of the following ways:
-on buns
-on rice
-on baked potato
-on bread or toast
-OR MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE WAY... in a tortilla with sour cream and lettuce wrapped up.  (Can also add salsa on top...but I usually don't).  Wrap up like a burrito.

Jason always likes to add cheese and mustard on his sloppy joes (on buns).

Amounts listed above would serve about 4 people 1 sloppy joe each.

Baked Beans

Ok...so this is not a BBQ recipe...but if you are going to a BBQ this is one of my favorite dishes.  These are my Mom's baked beans.

3 (15 oz each) cans of Van Camps Baked beans (remove small piece of fat from each can)
1/4 bottle BBQ sauce (any brand and any flavor)
1 lb. Jimmy Dean Hot sausage (comes in a tube)
1 large chopped onion
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. green pepper (chopped) (optional---I usually use, my Mom doesn't---good either way)
2 T. worchestershire sauce
2 T. mustard
1 C. apples (2 apples) (great way to use apples that are a little mushy)

Sometimes my mom adds in hamburger also I usually don't, but either way is good.  Brown sausage and onions (also hamburger and green pepper if using).  Mix remaining ingredients in a large oven safe pot.  Bake covered at 325 for 1 hour.  Refrigerate overnight.  Then reheat before serving.  You can freeze and reheat also.  These are 200% better if you will let them cool completely and then reheat.  So make a day ahead for best taste.  These are a little runny, so if you are taking to a party or something you might want to bring cups or bowls for people to put them in separately.  We love these so I always make a double batch.  We can eat these as a meal in and of themselves.

Erika...I need a ringing endorsement on these!  Post a glowing comment!

Baked Potato Night

Tonight is baked potatoes at my house!  We have these almost once a week (to cut down on the food budget).

Baking instructions (I'm sure you already know...but you might not know about the oil method)
Wash potatoes, cut off any bad spots
either wrap in foil
or completely rub surface with oil (pour oil in small bowl and roll potatoes in until coated)

Bake at 450 for 1 hour or 350 for 2 hours.

My mom always poked hers with a fork, but I have found that it is unnecessary.  If desperate you can cook in microwave for 5-10 minutes.  But they do tend to shrivel up a bit (not my favorite way).

I usually do the foil method.  But I really love the oil method.   It makes the skin a little tougher and thicker (like twice baked potatoes).  If you don't like the skin to start with, you won't like the oil method.  But to me it seems different and even a little fancier, just because it's unusual.

We usually top with butter, S&P, sour cream, cheese, bacos and either ham and ranch dressing or seasoned hamburger (hamburger with fresh or dried onion, garlic salt and pepper).

Once in a blue moon we top with chili or broccoli.

My 11 YO son likes to microwave his after putting cheese on top so the cheese gets melted.

I like to bake double the amount we are going to use (so usually 10 for my family of 5 eaters) then the leftovers I put in the fridge (still in foil).  Then I can make fried potatoes later.  Just cube or cut into coins or shred with cheese grater.  Fry in a little oil until brown and crispy.  Wah-lah!

What temp do you cook your potatoes if you want them to cook all during church?  How do you prepare your potatoes?  What do you like on your potatoes? Which way do you spell potato or potatoe?

Tonight we are leaving out ham and/or hamburger for our meatless monday!!!

Tacos

OK ladies it's taco night at my house.

What about you, what are you making for diner tonight?

I don't really have any special tips or tricks about tacos, do you?

I usually just use 1/2 a packet of the original Old El Paso Taco Seasoning.  (I like that brand and I like only half a packet per 1 pound of hamb.)  If have it I'll chop up 1/2 to a full onion and cook it with the hamb.

I do really love the raw tortillas you cook yourself.  But I don't usually have them.  (But I do today---Yea!!!).

When serving tacos for company I usually buy Taco meat from Taco Time.  I think they have the best taco meat.  I wonder if it's because it's simmering all day long.  But who plans that far ahead?  Not me.

A lot of times I will make double the taco meat and freeze half in a ziploc, then I have a quick meal another day.

What are you having for dinner tonight, or what are your taco tips and tricks???

Meatloaf

Here is my Mom's recipe for meatloaf...quick, easy, yummy!

1 lb hamburger (or thereabouts)
1 egg
1 can tomato sauce
1 C. oatmeal (more if you want to stretch it farther)
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

Mix together with hands.  Bake in muffin tins for 30 min at 350 or loaf pans at 350 for 1 hour.  Near the end (last 5 or 10 minutes) squirt ketchup on top and finish baking.  Serve with ketchup or BBQ sauce!