Apple Cider Beef Stew

Recipe: Simplify Supper

This wasn't my favorite stew. It's easy to throw together, but I didn't think the flavors meshed very well. I thought it tasted a little too sweet.

2 pounds stew meat
6 carrots, sliced thin
6 potatoes, medium sized, sliced thin
2 apples, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups apple cider

Place apples and all vegetables in crock pot. Add meat lightly sprinkled with salt. Pour cider over meat. Cook on low about 8 hours. Use flour to thicken sauce if needed.

Slow Cooker Ham & Wild Rice Soup

Really good soup. Easy & tasty!

Recipe: Eat Better America

2 cups ham, diced/cooked
3/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 bag (1 lb.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed/drained
14 oz. reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of celery soup
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups water
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half

In a 3-4 quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except half-and-half.

Cover; cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.

Stir in half-and-half. Increase heat setting to high. Cover; cook 10-15 minutes longer or until hot.

1 Serving: 210 calories (50 from fat), 6 g fat (2 g sat. fat), 20 mg cholesterol, 950 mg sodium, 25 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 13 g protein.

Turkey & Corn Tortellini Soup - Freezer Meal

Recipe: Unknown

Instead of cooked, diced turkey, I made turkey meatballs.

1 lb. turkey
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 eggs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix together and shape into meatballs.

1 8 oz. pkg fresh cheese tortellini
1 cup turkey, cooked & diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 can low sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 tsp black ground pepper
2 tbsp green onion

In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil along with the garlic. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions. Lower temperature to medium-high. Add chicken broth and stir. Add corn and stir. Bring to a boil again and boil for 2-3 mins. Add chicken and cook for 1 more minute, stirring well. Add green onions and pepper, stir well. Allow to cool to room temperature, then divide into equal portions in containers. Freeze.

To Serve: Thaw overnight in refrigerator, or defrost in microwave. Pour contents of container into a saucepan and heat over medium high heat until heated through. Sprinkle with more fresh ground pepper or parmesan cheese right before serving.

Grandma's Pasta Chicken Soup

Recipe: Grandma's Noodles

1 fresh 2-3 lb chicken, cut in pieces
8 bouillon cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz pkg GRANDMA’S Wide Egg Noodles
3 ribs of celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 large onion chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tbs parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken in large pot with bouillon cubes and garlic. Cover generously with water and simmer covered until meat is tender (about 3/4 hour). Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove from heat and let sit a few minutes to allow fat to rise to the top. Skim fat and discard. Add GRANDMA’S noodles thawed and separated according to package directions and all the veggies to the broth and cook 12 minutes or until desired tenderness is obtained. In the mean time, skin and debone cooled chicken. Just before end of cooking time, return the chicken to the pot and heat thoroughly and Enjoy!

HINT: You can always adjust your consistency of the soup with water or canned chicken broth. Another way to thicken a soup is by using instant potato flakes.

Very good! I think Tina & Jason liked it too. I didn't use a whole chicken and used pre-made broth.

Hobo Meatball Stew

Recipe from Taste of Home

1 pound ground beef
1-1/2 teaspoons salt or salt-free seasoning blend, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 medium carrots, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

In a bowl, combine the beef, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape into 1-in. balls. In a skillet over medium heat, brown meatballs on all sides; drain. Place the potatoes, carrots and onion in a 3-qt. slow cooker; top with meatballs. Combine the water, ketchup, vinegar, basil, and remaining salt and pepper; pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the vegetables are tender. Yield: 4 servings.

I don't know if I would call this a stew. It doesn't have any juice, it's basically just the meatballs & the vegetables with a sauce over them. That being said, it was pretty good. Especially good on a snowy day. The meatballs could use a little more flavor, so I always add Worcestershire sauce to them. And, don't overcook them because they get dry. One of these days I might re-work this recipe and see if I can make it more of a soup. But, good basic recipe.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 ¼ cups onion , chopped
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons corn oil
2 cups chicken, cooked, shredded
1 cup green chiles
1 ½ tablespoons beef bullion granules
1 ½ tablespoons chicken boullion granules
18 ounces cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tablespoons A-1 steak sauce
1 ½ teaspoons cumin, ground
2 teaspoons chili powwder
½ teaspoon pepper
10 corn tortillas
2 ¼ cups cheddar cheese, grated
½ teaspoon paprika
6-8 cups water
In a soup pot, saute onions and garlic in corn oil over high heat until onions are translucent but not browned. Add remanining ingredients except tortillas, cheese and paprika. Bring to light boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut tortillas into 12" wide stripes and set aside. Reduce heat of soup to about 150 degrees. Add cheese and stir s it melts. Do not boil. Add tortilla strips gradually to prevent them from sticking together. When tortillas are softened, the soup is ready to serve. Garnish with paprika.

chicken noodle soup

Tonight I made Jason's mom's chicken noodle soup. It is pretty easy and really yummy! We just had french bread and a fruit salad with it. I don't have all the fancy pictures like Amy, but here's the recipe.

1/2 onion

2 carrots

9 cups water

1 package grandma's frozen wide egg noodles (family size) These noodles are the key to this soup I think. They are really yummy!

precooked chicken (we did a little less than 2#)

2 potatoes

handful of peas

3 T chicken bouillon granules

celery (as much as you want)

Mix water and granules. Add chopped onion, potatoes, and carrots. Biol 20 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Add thawed noodles. Boil 10 more minutes. Add peas and meat. Boil 5 more minutes. If soup is too thin, mix 1 T corn starch with some water. Stir into soup.

Italian Egg Drop Soup with Meatballs

Recipe from Rachael Ray. This is my new favorite soup. I halved the recipe.



1 pound ground turkey
1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
6 large eggs
½ cup parmesan cheese (+ more for serving)
salt and pepper
3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 head escarole, finely chopped (endive/salad greens)
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs and set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the escarole.
3. In a small bowl, lightly beat the remaining 3 eggs with 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the simmering broth, pushing the meatballs and escarole aside. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve with more parmesan and the lemon wedges.

It was really easy to make and had really good flavor. The chicken broth makes it pretty salty, so be careful adding too much salt. This was my first time using endive and it was delicious. I'm adding this to my "make again" list.