BEEF TOMATO-BARLEY SOUP

"It has finally stopped snowing", she said quietly as she knocked on wood. We actually saw the sun today and they are calling for more sun tomorrow; it has been quite a winter!! My poor old crock pot has hardly hit the shelf this winter; it seems like there is always some bean or soup recipe bubbling away in there.

Today's post is one of picky-picky husbands crockpot favorites. It is very rich, very beefy, very filling and it just keeps getting better and better the longer it cooks.


I was a young bride when I tried to make  home made beef soup the first time and it was terrible (I think it called for a ton of bay leaves). I remember cooking it all day and wanting it to taste as good as it looked, but we just couldn't eat it.

I didn't give up though, I tried all kinds of magazine recipes; some had a ton of herbs; some had onion soup mix; some had Italian salad dressing mix in it; I tried them all, with little success. I decided to go back to a no frill vegetable soup recipe.  I tweaked it for years until it evolved into the recipe I'm posting today. Picky-picky husband is crazy about this soup and loves to dip hot buttered bread rolls into it.

2 pounds beef chuck roast
1 cup onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
2 cups carrot chopped
4 large potatoes cubed
2/3 cup pearl barley (don’t leave out)(2) 32 ounce boxes beef broth
(1) 15 ounce can tomato sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
(2) heaping teaspoons beef bullion granules

Cut the beef into 1” cubes, removing as much fat as possible. Brown beef in a minimal amount of vegetable oil until beef is nice and crusty brown (this is where the majority of your soup flavor will come from, so don't skip this step).
.
Remove beef from fry pan and drain off as much fat as you can; add onion, celery and carrots. Using the moisture from the veggies, de-glaze any crusty brown bits on the bottom of the pan. If the brown bits are stubborn, add a table spoon of water and use your spatula to scrape up the fond . Cook until onions are transparent.
.
Put the beef and sauteed vegetables in the crockpot and add the rest of the ingredients, stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours.
.
NOTE: Do not leave out barley. It not only gives a wonderful flavor to the soup, but it thickens the broth.

NOTE: Put any vegetables you like in the soup, just make sure they are vegetables that can stand up to long cooking times.

NOTE: Taste the soup for salt when it is almost done cooking.

Read more »

Spicy Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak isn't the most diet friendly menu item on the planet. I like it every once in awhile because it is very tasty, inexpensive, and fairly easy to make. I dress it up big time with country sausage gravy, biscuits, and smashed potatoes on the side. Sometimes I add a couple of Chipolte peppers with Adobo sauce to the gravy when I want to take it up a notch.

Spicy Chicken Fried Steak

3 pounds Cube Steak
1-1/2 cup Milk for the egg wash 
2 Cups Milk for the Gravy
2 Eggs
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Canola Oil
Cajun Seasoning
One tube of Bob Evans Hot Sausage
Chipolte pepper with Adobo sauce (Optional)
As much black pepper as you can stand
Salt

Start off by seasoning the cube steak with salt and a lot of black pepper. Let it rest for an hour or so. Combine flour, panko, bread crumbs, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper to make the breading.

Make your egg wash by whisking together two eggs and milk. Dip one piece of meat in the egg wash and then give it a dip in the flour/panko/bread crumb mixture followed by another dip in the egg wash followed by a final dip in the flour/panko/bread crumb mixture. Repeat the procedure until all the meat is breaded.

Heat up a skillet and fry up the sausage and set aside when finished reserving the oil to fry the steak in. Add Canola oil to sausage drippings and bring up to approximately 375 degrees. Fry the steak while trying not to overcrowd the pan. Drain the excess oil from them when finished by placing the steaks on paper towels


Now it is time to make your gravy.  Add 1/4 cup grease back to the pan. Allow grease to heat up.
Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix flour with grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Keep cooking until it reaches a deep golden brown color.

Whisking constantly, pour in milk. Cook to thicken the gravy. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Add sausage, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick.

Throw the steaks on a plate, smother the steaks and potatoes with country gravy, and have a decadent chow down.

Read more »

EASY BAKED MINI-OMELETS

I see great possibilities with this little recipe. Not only is this the perfect way to use those bits and pieces of veggies, meat and cheese in your fridge, but each mini-omelet can be made to order. Another reason I like this recipe is that it can easily be doubled for a crowd and there is no standing over an omelet pan while your company is waiting for you!!

Picky-picky husband loves these little omelets with just diced ham and cheese in them, but I like them with chopped mushrooms,broccoli and bacon. Either way, two mini-omelets make a very filling breakfast. 

EASY BAKED MINI-OMELETS        (makes 12)

1 pound of breakfast meat cooked and drained (ham, bacon or sausage)
1 cup favorite veggies, sauteed (optional)
8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk (or cream if you're feeling self-indulgent)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (depending on how salty your meat is)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used swiss)

Preheat oven to 375 and spray cupcake pan with vegetable spray.

Whisk the eggs, milk or cream, oil, baking powder and salt and pepper together until smooth.

Divide meat and vegetables evenly between the 12 greased cupcake wells; top with a little cheese.  Pour enough egg mixture in each well to come to the top.

Bake in preheated 375 oven for 15-20 minutes (my oven took 22 minutes). During this time, they will REALLY dome up like a real cupcake, but they will flatten back down as they cool.

Remove from oven and garnish with a pinch of cheese (I topped them with cheddar). Let the mini-omelets rest in the pan for 5 minutes before you take them out (they will easily lift out after 5 minutes).

NOTE:  Use your imagination regarding what veggies you want to include in this recipe, just remember they have to be pre-cooked.

NOTE: These little muffins stay warm for quite a while, and they reheat VERY well in the microwave. They would be a fantastic addition to any brunch table because they are tasty at room temperature as well !!

NOTE:  When I make these for just the two of us, I cut the recipe in half, which gives us 2 mini-omelets each and a couple to snack on later.

Read more »