Hungarian Goulash in Crockpot

This recipe is  not in my cookbook. Left it out, and I'm sorry. It WILL be in  my 2nd book. Here it is. So good. Make it at night, stick it in the fridge, then  plug it up in the morning and it will be ready for supper.

Hungarian Goulalsh in Crockpot

2 lbs stew beef cubed
1 Large onion or onion powder
1 clove of garlic minced or garlic powder
1/2 C catsup
2 T Worchestershire
1 T brown sugar
2 t salt
2 t paprika
1/2 t dry mustard
1 C water
1/4 C flour (to be used at end, AFTER cooked)

Place meat in slow cooker, cover with sliced onion. Combine ingredients (except flour) and pour over meat.
Cover and cook on low 9 - 10 hours. Dissolve flour in a little cold water.  (small amount of water). Stir into the mixture to thicken. Turn on high for another 10 - 15 minutes until thick.  Serve over egg  noodles or rice. 5-6 servings.

Cake Cookies Quick

Don't have time to make cookies right out  of the oven. Don't even have those "roll" cookies to cook. IF you have a cake mix of any kind you can make cookies. We have a  Child  Development Center at our church. Every so  often I make HOME MADE chocolate chip cookies for the kids. You  won't believe HOW MANY kids have never had  BAKED cookies. So no more excuses...use this SIMPLE  recipe. Lemon Cake Mix is my favorite. You can add grated lemon rind to that one.

Cake  Cookies Quick

Combine:
Cake Mix (like Lemon, Chocolate, any mix will do)
1/2 C oil
2 eggs

Scoop by spoonful on ungreased cookie  sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Apple Dumplings

Yesterday when I blogged Monkey Bread for  breakfast, I also thought about these Apple  Dumplings. If I had to choose, i think I'd pick these dumplings. They are sooooo  good hot or cold. Sometimes I add a piece of caramel or a pecan in with the apple. When you make this the first time, you'll wish you  had doubled the recipe.  Can top it  with a little vanilla ice-cream.  Let me know what you think. I PROMISE you'll LOVE it.

Apple Dumplings

2 packages of 8 oz cresent rolls
4 apples, cored and quartered (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)
Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice or just cinammon (can even use little ground gloves)
1 C sugar
1 stick of butter
1 can sprite

Roll up an apple piece into each square of cresent roll dough
Lightly  spray butter pam in a 13 X 9 in pan (glass or metal)
Put the apple/rolls in the pan and sprinkle with spice and  a little  sugar on top
MELT a stick  of butter, cup sugar and can of sprite on  stove top
Pour over  the apple/rolls
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Monkey Break

Need somthing delicious for Easter Breakfast? I LOVE this for breakfast. Rich and delicious.

Monkey  Bread

3 cans of canned biscuits
1/2 C sugar
2 T cinnamon (or more to your taste)
1 1/2 stick of BUTTER (not margarine)
1 1/2 C brown sugar
3 t water
1/2 C pecans

Put the nuts at the bottom of a bunt or cake tube pan. Quarter the biscuits. Just pull them apart and roll in the cinmamon and sugar that has been mixed together in a bowl. Put 1/2 of the rolled biscuits in the pan. Melt the butter, brown sugar, and water. Boil 2 minutes and pour 1/2 over biscuits. Then throw in the other half of buscuits and pour the other half of liquid on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  When it is cooked, turn it upside down on a dish that can hold liquid. Watch out, it's HOT. Then just pull off pieces and ENJOY. You'll be in monkey heaven. (another option is to throw a little  of the pecans on top of the different layers of biscuits so they'll be all through and not just "on top". )

Herbs de Provence and Chicken Cristo

After Maundy Thursday service, Lucy and I went to Adams Bistro at 8:30 p.m.  for supper. I ordered the Chicken  Cristo. It was covered in spinach, goat cheese, grilled onions and roasted red peppers. It was grilled to perfection. Had a nice smokey flavor. I'll try to find a recipe for this, but everyone I looked up on the web used Herbs de Providence as the spice  for the chicken. Here is Emeril Lagasse's recipe. BAM! Sounds like it would make a great grilling spice for chicken cooked about any way. In a lot of recipes I looked up, they also included 2 T of lavendar. Following is a recipe I found for the chicken. I'm going to try it soon.

Herbs de Provence


2 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons dried fennel seed

Directions
In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together. Store in an air-tight container.

Chicken Cristo
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
Herbes de Provence
All-purpose flour (for dusting)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tablespoon butter
Julienned lemon zest (optional)

(if you  like it the way I had it, add grilled onions, goat cheese and roasted  red peppers)

Preparation--Heat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence. Dust with flour; tap off excess. Cook, meaty side down, 5 minutes. Turn over; cook 1 minute. Add garlic and shallot; stir 30 seconds. Add wine; cook 1 minute. Add stock; cook 30 seconds. Add lemon juice. Transfer pan to oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 9 to 13 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Place pan over medium heat; simmer sauce 1 minute. Add butter; swirl pan until butter incorporates and sauce thickens slightly. Cut each breast into 4 slices; transfer each to a plate; top with sauce and garlic. Serve with spinach ; garnish with zest, if desired) I would add a little liquid smoke to this.

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

This is one of Lucy's favorite summer salads. Easy to make. Best if it sits overnight.


Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

1/4 C sesame oil (dark oil looks like maple syrup)
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 C cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 C green onions, chopped
3 carrots, shredded
3 C dry rotini twists pasta, cooked
Toasted sesame seeds

Mix oil, vinegar, soy sauce for  dressing. Mix remaining ingredients and stir together. Tastes best if refrigerated overnight.

Sweet Potato Hash

One of my favorite vegetables is SWEET POTATOES. Run go buy some this week while they are on sale and make this dish. It is so good  and refreshing and a NEW  way  to eat them. Go easy on the sauce  to start off wih. I could have eaten the entire bowl byself. This is a keeper. Be sure and get the Southwestern-style corn and NOT the Mexican style. We ate this as a side with a pork roast.

Sweet Potato Hash

1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and QUARTERED (about 1 lb)
1 T vegetable oil
1 11 oz can Southwestern-style corn with black beans and peppers, rinsed and drained
1/2 C sour cream
2 T salsa (can use chipotle salsa if you like it hot)
3 med avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
Fresh cilantro leaves
Chili powder (optional)  We used just a little.

1. Place sweet potatoes in microwave dish, cover and cook on high 5 minutes or just until tender enough to chop.Cool slightly; cut  into chunks. Sprinkly lightly with  salt.
2. In large skillet, heat  oil over med. heat. Add potatoes;  cook until browned and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add drained corn to skillet. Cook 3 min or until sweet potatoes are tender.
3. Meanwhile, stir together sour cream and salsa.
4. To serve, divide sweet potato mixture among 4 plates. Top with avocado and serve with sour cream sauce. Add cilantro and sprinkle lightly with chili powder. Serves 4. (246 calories, 14 g fat, 463mg sodium, 5 g fiber)