Recipes Just for you!

Thank you for being a part of the Happy Homemaker's Series at A Better Way to Homeschool.

This food blog is a little embarrassing to show you. 

WOW! I've learned a lot since the last time I was here.

My last email had broken links, so I made this quick list of our favorite recipes from long ago.

I hope you will appreciate my humble blogging beginnings and will be able to find one or more recipes to add to your recipe box!

Beef burritos

Breakfast burritos

 Chicken stew

Feta salad

Fix today stew

Veggie Soup: so good!

Chicken recipes

Lasagna

Paperbag popcorn

Pepper pot soup

Pinto beans: a freezer staple

Pizza dough: Because Pizza is LOVE

Pork roast vegetable stew

Sarah’s Shepherd's Pie

Sayler Chili

Sayler Soup

Spaghetti sauce

Taco meat: Ready to go!

Tortillas

White bean chili

Thanks for being such a blessing in my life!

Beef Burritos

Beef Burritos

1 lb ground beef, browned
taco seasoning
1 onion diced

Torillas
lettuce shredded
diced tomatoes
tabasco sauce
shredded Mexican cheese
sour cream

Simply assemble:)

Easy Feta Salad

This one's from The Girl Who Ate Everything!

I love this with Shredded Chicken in a warm pita. mmm

Fix Today, Better Tomorrow Stew

2 lbs stew beef cubed
2 14.5 oz can beef broth
2 cans cream mushroom soup
1 can cream potato soup
1 can cream of celery soup
onion soup mix
1 c baby carrots
3-4 stalks of celery
1 15oz cab green beans

Place all ingredients in a dutch oven: cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 3-1/2 hours. Serves 4-6

Lasagna

2 lb ground beef
1 package Italian Sausage (hot)
2+ cloves garlic
2-1/2 tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1 Tsp parsley
2 bay leaves
2 6oz cans tomato paste
1-1/2 cup hot water
2 cups ricotta cheese
16 oz package lasagna noodles: cooked and divided
4 cups mozzarella cheese divided
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 cup sun-dried tomato diced (can use jarred sauce)

Brown beef, sausage, onion and garlic in a large pan with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and bay leaves. Stir tomato paste and hot water; bring to a boil. 
Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. 
spread thin layer of beef mixture on bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
top with noodles.
spread half the cheese.
repeat layers.
sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees 45-60 minutes.

Note:
can easily double and freeze.
Cover pan with wax paper, then foil. Write cooking instructions on foil.
"Lasagna"
"Remove wax paper and recover with foil.
Bake at 350 for 90-120 minutes if frozen, 60 minutes if defrosted."

Pepper Pot Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
16 oz bag bow tie noodles
5 c chicken broth
1 T. fresh parsley 
1 T. pepper

Brown ground beef with onion; drain and set aside. Boil bowtie pasta for 5 minutes and set aside.
Add chicken broth to Dutch oven. Add all ingredients. Boil and reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Sarah's Make Ahead Shepherd's Pie

Filling
2 T. butter
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 lbs ground beef
salt and pepper
5 T All purpose flour
2 T. tomato paste
1 1/2 chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T Thyme
1 Pound bag peas and carrots

Topping
2 1/2 lb red potatoes, peeled and cut to 2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
6 T butter, melted
2 T cream cheese

Cook onion in butter until clear and soft. Add beef, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. cook about 10 minutes until no longer pink. add flour and tomato paste and cook until paste begins to darken.

simmer sauce add broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce and thyme and simmer 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally. remove from heat, transfer to bowl and refrigerate until completely cool.
Cook potatoes with 1 tsp salt and enough water to cover. heat to boil, then reduce heat and cook about 15 minutes or until potatoes ate tender. Drain. transfer to large bowl and mash with butter ands cream cheese. season with salt and pepper. refrigerate until cooled.

Assemble
transfer meat to a 9x13 pan. top evenly with peas and carrots, pressing down gently. Spread potatoes evenly using a plastic spatula. (Spread around edges first, then the center. This seals the top).
Drag fork across the top to make ridges. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap, then cover with foil.
Write recipe name and cooking directions on the foil with a sharpie pen.
Be sure to add "remove plastic wrap and recover with foil".
Freeze for up to a month.

Bake
heat to 425 degrees.
remove plastic wrap and recover with foil. Cook for about 80 minutes. Increase heat to 450, remove foil and bake until top is golden brown.

Sayler Soup

Invented by my hubby in a pinch

2 lb chicken breast grilled
2 28oz cans diced tomato
chicken broth
mixed vegetables
bow tie pasta: cook and drain and cool.

Add first 4 ingredients and heat through.
Add noodles and heat for 5 minutes before serving.

Spaghettis Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce
A Sayler Specialty

Thanks, mom~

Anyone can open a jar of spaghetti sauce, but not many people can make a mouthwatering spaghetti sauce. Here’s my twist on my mom's delicious recipe. (I think every recipe should be twisted to suit your family’s taste buds)

Ingredients
Sauce

1 package Italian sausage
1 pound ground beef
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion
1 half green pepper, diced
diced mushroom (optional)
diced garlic ( as much as you love)
large 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large can tomatoe sauce
12 oz can tomato paste
oregano
basil
2 bay leaves


Directions
Brown the sausage and beef in olive oil. When it is halfway cooked, add the next 4 ingredients. Cook and stir until meat is browned and veggies are tender. Add the dried spices and cook for a few minutes. Top off with the tomatoes, sauce, and paste and simmer for at least 30 minutes (longer is better).
Serve over your favorite pasta.

Tips:
Can be easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled and extra servings frozen 

White Bean Chili

1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
4 cans Great Northern White Beans
1 4 oz can diced green chili's 
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 cups broth
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp oregano


Drain beans.
Sauté onions and garlic with butter until soft. Add everything else and you're done.
Serve in a mug with fresh chopped parsley.

Sayler Chili

There are a bazillion ways to make chili. 


Here is my family's favorite.

We call it "Sayler Chili".

This recipe is delicious, freezable, and so easy an 8-year-old can make it with a little help.

 Before you have a heart attack. Confession time.

I do use a chili kit.

I learned this trick from my mom. She always had her favorite kit of spices, so I learned this speed trick from her.



My current favorite kit is this one by Carroll Shelby's.



I like it because they individually package each of the spices inside. That means I can add more or less of each of the spices.




I used to be afraid to add all of the cayenne pepper, but I have come to love this one just the way they have it packaged!.






Last secret.
Beans.

Not everyone thinks chili is true chili if it has beans. I understand that.
But this is my chili, with my name so it will have beans.

(For those of you with lots of kids like me, beans are a filler. Tomatoes are fillers. chili without beans is expensive if you are feeding 5 boys!!! So I use beans. Lots of beans!)

 This chili is extremely forgiving.

Simply throw in 2-4 cans of whatever your favorite beans are at the moment.


I came up with our current favorite combination because I was out of the beans I usually have on hand. It was such a hit that I had to swear an oath that I wouldn’t change this recipe!

I use:
Dark kidney beans
Bush's grillin' beans (bourbon and brown sugar)
and those weird looking Ranch Style Beans.

Do not panic when you open the Ranch beans!
They look kinda gross, but they are delicious!


Enjoy!

This is the easiest chili ever. Yes, I use a kit. Mom always did!



Ingredients:
Chili Kit (Carroll Shelby's)
Lg can Kidney Beans
Lg can Ranch Style Beans
2 220z cans Bush's grillin' beans (Bourbon)
Lg can diced tomatoes (With or without extra spices)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
Diced onion
2 cloves garlic diced

Directions:
Brown beef with onion and garlic in olive oil.
Add all the ingredients and bring to a boil.
Reduce and simmer at least 15 minutes.


I like to double this recipe and freeze it into family sized (or lunch sized) portions. 
It is a family favorite, especially if I make home-made tortillas!

Beans: You can play with all different kinds of beans. I've used kidney, pinto, black, northern, and actually any kind of beans I have available. The ones listed are the current favorite combination!

Cheerful Breakfast

Three of my five children are sick with fevers today. I decided to serve them breakfast with a smile!

Gingerbread Men Eggs

You need:

• bread slices
• eggs
• cute cutters (smaller than the bread slices)
• butter

      Why gingerbread men? 

Because I couldn't resist the fevery child's request! I usually use the rim  of a glass to cut circles into the bread.

Directions: How to get your kids to smile.

 

Use the cutters to cut shapes into the bread.

 

Paint all the bread pieces with butter.








Fry the eggs right in the middle of the bread cut-outs. Keep your heat low. Today, my griddle was too hot so the eggs did not turn out "pretty". They were tasty, though!










Fry up the little men, (or whatever shape you used: circles, hearts, stars) until the toast is the desired color.











Plate and serve! There is something magical about eating fun food. It's worth the extra effort to put a smile on someone's face.