Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

This summer, I made this delicious summertime meal from Iowagirleats.com. I had a lot of leftover barley and started dreaming of the fall when I could make a delicious beef barley soup. Well, my taste buds needn't wait any longer and yours don't have to either. I found this recipe on Betty Crocker's website here.

I have made a few minor changes.

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

1 cup frozen cut green beans 

1 cup frozen corn2 lbs pounds beef stew meat1 chopped bell pepper1 chopped large onion1 cup uncooked pearled barley1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon pepper1 carton (32 ounces) beef broth -Reduced Sodium 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

Directions

Add all ingredients in slow cooker. Mix carefully to not splatter. Place on Low heat for 8-10 hours. Go to work, run after a few little ones, go to the spa, or whatever it is that you do during the day. Come home, ladle a few spoonfuls into your favorite crock and Enjoy!

This also freezes great for those "I just don't have it in me to make a meal" kind of days!

Talk about easie peasie, lemon squeezie! (You can take me out of the classroom, but you can't take the 7 year old lingo out of me!) 

Sufferin Succotash!

With this being the first Thanksgiving away from our families, Mr. Right and I have been busy meal planning for our big Turkey Day. This is no time to forgo a delicious feast nor time to go healthy, right?! Here is what we are planning on dinning on, I hope you can use one of our recipes in your home

Roasted Turkey

Grandma D's Pork Sausage dressing - Check out our family recipes blog for this deliciousness!

Grandma's Cranberry Relish (recipes to follow in a future blog post)

The Best French Bread EVER 

Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato casserole

Corn & Edamame Succotash 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame

• 1 tablespoon EVOO

• 1 chopped red bell pepper

• 1 chopped onion

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Directions

1. Steam edamame in the microwave per package directions.

2. In large, non-stick frying pan, heat EVOO. Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Stir frequently until they start to soften. Stir in corn and edamame. Add butter and allow to melt. Slowly incorporate heavy cream, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes so all of the flavors can meld. 

Enjoy! 

Sloppy Joe, Slop, Sloppy Joe!

Sloppy Joe, Slop, Sloppy Joe! 

What says childhood better than a good Sloppy Joe? So how does one craft sloppy joes without a particular canned sauce? EASY!

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion
3/4 C. Catchup
4 tsp. red wine vinegar
4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
4 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder

Spray cooking spray in a sautee pan. Brown ground turkey and onion. Add catchup, red wine vinegar, worcestershire, sugar, mustard and garlic powder when turkey is cooked through. Simmer until ready to serve on a toasted hamburger bun.

PeeWee and Mr. Right were caught numerous times with their hands in the pot.

Help in the kitchen

It is such a wonderful experience to have PeeWee helping me in the kitchen. I started a delicious Crockpot Beef Stew that we found at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-stew-i/

As we drove home anticipating our delicious dinner that was waiting for us, I started to wish we had some  biscuits to have with dinner. I decided we would venture in making out own from scratch. I found this tasty recipe in our Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. 

Ingredients

3 Cups All Purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1T. Sugar

3/4 C. butter

1 1/2 C. Buttermilk

Add all the dry ingredients and cut butter in with pastry blender. Mix until mix resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center pour all buttermilk into the well and mix with fork. When mix is moistened, pour mix onto floured surface. Fold over 5-6 times. Roll out dough to 3/4" and cut out biscuits with biscuit round. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes in 450 degree oven.