Cheesy Vegetable Soup

A favorite of everyone in my family!  We usually call this "Cheese Soup," but because this recipe is so versatile, you can sneak in lots of vegetables and picky eaters will never know!  We love to serve this in bread bowls.  An easy way to make bread bowls is with Rhodes Frozen White Bread... while the dough is still cold, I cut each loaf into 3 pieces, then bake them after they have thawed and risen.  Delish!

3 or 4 C baby carrots
3 or 4 stalks celery, diced
1/3 C onion
1 small head of cauliflower
2 or 3 C broccoli
1 1/2 C butter (3 cubes)
1 1/2 C flour
3 quarts water
4 T chicken bouillon
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cut in chunks

In a large pot, barely cover the vegetables with water.  Cook until tender.  Don't drain.  Mash them up a little bit or blend them in a blender.  (I usually blend mine, but not all at once... it will take a few batches of blending.)  Set aside.  In a separate large pot, mix together the butter and flour over low heat, as in making a white sauce.  Gradually add 3 quarts of water and chicken bouillon.  Stir until thickened.  Add cheese; stir until melted.  Add veggies and heat through.

This soup freezes well.  You can make it ahead of time and keep it simmering in a crockpot.

Swiss Steak

This is a general recipe for several kinds of meat.  It's great for Sunday dinner because you can brown the meat in the morning (or the night before), put it in the crockpot for most of the day, and it's ready to go for dinner.  It's a good way to cook meats that aren't naturally tender because this method tenders them right up.  My mom said she learned how to make this recipe "by watching [her] mother work wonders in the kitchen for all of [her] growing up years."  I could say the same.

Meat (top round, sirloin, pork chops, cube steak, etc.)
1/2 C flour
1 tsp salt
butter

Gravy:
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)
1 soup can full of milk

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl or plastic bag; coat the meat with the flour.  Brown the meat in a frying pan with a few tablespoons of butter.  Place in crockpot on low and cover with the gravy.  Cook for 8 hours or so.

Hawaiian Haystacks

3 chicken breasts
1 C water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can milk or chicken broth
cook rice
cheddar cheese, shredded
tomatoes
mandarin oranges
green onions
frozen peas
pineapple tidbits
coconut
green pepper, chopped
sunflower seeds
chow mein noodles
... anything else you might like!

Cook the chicken and water in the crockpot on low all day.  Remove from crockpot and shred meat or chop.  In a pan, mix the soup with the milk or broth.  Add chicken and heat through.  Serve over rice and top with any or all toppings.

Creamy Italian Chicken

This recipe will always remind me of the first time we ate it at Cami and Mark's house during a visit to Arizona when our children were young.  Fast Sunday dinner never tasted so good!

3-4 chicken breasts
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix (dry)
4 to 8 oz. cream cheese, cut in chunks
2 cans team of chicken soup
rice or pasta

Place frozen chicken in greased crockpot and sprinkle dry dressing mix on the top.  Cover and cook on low all day or on high for 5-6 hours.  Skim off the fat, but leave juices as you cut chicken into bite-size pieces.  Add cream cheese and soup.  Cook on high until heated through.  Serve over rice or pasta.

If you'd like a lighter version of this, omit the cream cheese and soup.  You'll have Italian seasoned chicken that will go well with anything from pasta to soup to a fresh green salad.  Lots of yummy options here.

Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans
1 large bottle salsa (about 16 oz.)
1 envelope chili seasoning mix

Simmer in a crock pot on low for 8 hours or so.  Top bowls of chili with sour cream and cheddar cheese.  Serve with cornbread for a yummy, comforting meal.

Quick prep.  With all the cans, this makes a great option for a "food storage meal".

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (or 1-2 tsp dehydrated onion flakes)
28 oz. can chopped tomatoes
15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. can corn, drained
3/4 C ketchup
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning (about 2 T)
1 can chicken broth (or 2 C water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes)

Brown ground beef and onion.  Combine all ingredients into a pot; cook together for 15-20 minutes.  You could also toss everything into the crockpot for a few hours if you want to prepare it earlier.  Serve with crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos (or your favorite corn chips), sour cream, and shredded cheese.

Simple Sweet & Sour Chicken

This recipe came from Aunt Sandy.  It is easy, quick, delicious and nutritious... a good combination.

4 chicken breasts
1 bottle sweet and sour sauce
1 can pineapple tidbits or chunks
2 T Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 green pepper, sliced
1 C baby carrots
1 T cornstarch
1/4 C cold water

Spray crockpot with Pam spray.  Place chicken in crockpot (meat can still be frozen).  In a separate bowl, combine the sweet & sour sauce, pineapple (including juice), and Lipton Onion soup mix.  Add the green pepper and carrots.  Pour over the chicken.  Cook on low all day or on high for 4-5 hours.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred.  Before adding the meat back into the crockpot, thicken the sauce if desired by mixing 1 T cornstarch with about 1/4 C cold water, then whisking it into the sauce.  Add the chicken back into the sauce.  Serve over rice.