Pot Roast in a Crockpot

I got this recipe from my friend Bubba. It's a quick and easy dinner to get ready when you're busy all day.

Chuck or rump roast (approximately 3 pounds)
1 1/2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 potatoes, cubed
1/4 onion, sliced
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 - 7 carrots, chopped
1 packet Lipton dried onion soup mix

Add all ingredients into crock pot. Cook for about 9 hours or until done. Times vary, depending on size of roast.

Pad Thai

This is the Pad Thai recipe my friend Emily and I used to make. It can be made with meat or with a meatless option by using tofu.

1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 red or green chilis, finely sliced or 1 - 2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp grated ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger spice
2 eggs, whisked together
9 oz Pad Thai rice noodles
2 - 3 Tbsp peanut oil
4 green onions, sliced, separate the white parts from the green parts
Choice of protein: tofu, cubed;1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces; thinly sliced pork or beef cut into pieces; medium raw, shelled and deveined shrimp (at least 12)

Items to garnish:
Green parts of green onion, sliced
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
2 - 3 cups fresh bean sprouts
Lime wedges

Sauce:
1/3 c chicken broth
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp lime juice
3 - 4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp white pepper

Chop meat and toss with soy sauce. Set aside. Bring large pot of water to boil. Put in rice noodles and turn off heat. Let sit for 6 minutes. Drain (should be undercooked). Rinse with cold water to keep from sticking. Combine sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Heat large pan or wok to medium-high heat. Saute the following in peanut oil: garlic, chilis, ginger, white parts of green onion. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add meat and saute for 2 - 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp sauce mixture so it doesn't get dry.

Push ingredients to side of pan. Add additional oil if necessary. Add eggs and scramble.  Add noodles and 3 to 4 Tbsp of sauce. Stir fry, adding sauce until noodles are chewy and sticky (about 8 to 10 minutes).

Remove from heat. Fold in bean sprouts or garnish with sprouts. Also garnish with green onions, peanuts and juice from lime wedges. Enjoy!

Lasagne

This is a pretty basic recipe for lasagne and is the one our mom used to make when we were children.

2 Tbsp veg oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lb hamburger, crumbled

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 1/2 c canned tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

8 oz lasagne noodles

8 oz sliced mozarella (if our mom didn't have any, sometimes she'd use monterrey jack)

12 oz ricotta (or cottage cheese)

1/2 c grated parmesan

Saute burger and garlic in oil. Add tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano and simmer for 20 minutes. While simmering, cook noodles for 15 minutes and drain. In a casserole dish, layer noodles, cheese, tomato/meat mixture, and parmesan, finally ending with the sauce & parmesan.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Goulash Pasta

This is the infamous recipe where I asked Mom and Dad how to make it, and they responded with amounts like, "however much" or "a bit." They tend to cook, not with exact recipes but by putting ingredients together "to taste." I had to assign actual amounts to these ingredients, but if you're going to make this properly, you can totally deviate from the quantities listed here.

1 c uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 can corn
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 lb hamburger
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook elbow macaroni. Drain. Set aside. While the macaroni is cooking, brown onion and green pepper in a pan. Add hamburger and cook until browned. Add tomato sauce and corn. Mix and heat until warm. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix in the macaroni until coated sufficiently with hamburger mixture. Enjoy!

Stroganoff

When my mom and dad were first dating, Dad when to Mom's apartment, and she whipped this up really quickly. He was impressed how quickly she could make this meal.

Hamburger

1/2 - 1 Onion, diced

1 big spoonful of sour cream

Cream of mushroom soup

Can of mushrooms

Brown hamburger with diced onion in a pan. Drain any excess grease. Add a big spoonful of sour cream, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a small can of mushrooms. Mix and heat until fully warmed and bubbling. Add any additional seasonings to taste.

Serve over noodles or rice.

V8 Stew

The "V8 Stew" that we had as children came originally from the Betty Crocker cookbook with some adjustments. It's in there as Old-Fashioned Beef Stew. This is the recipe as adjusted by Cardine.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups of carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cups V8 juice
1 Tbsp or 1 cube beef boullion
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook beef in oil in a pan for 4 to 6 minutes, until browned on all sides. Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Add all ingredients to crock pot. Cover. Cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.

Corned Beef Cheese Ball

This is another classic holiday cheese ball recipe.

Corned Beef Cheese Ball (from Mom)

3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Accent Seasoning or flavor enhancer
1 onion, chopped fine (or 1 bunch green onions, chopped fine)
4 (2.5 oz) pkgs corned beef lunch meat, chopped fine

Mix together cream cheese, sauce, accent, onion, and half of the corned beef. Roll mixture into two balls. Roll each ball into remaining half of corned beef. Chill, and serve with crackers.